Background: It is Spring 1964 and only a few weeks after completing the recording of their Shut Down Volume 2 album, Brian Wilson And the Beach Boys start recording the All Summer Long album. This was a very hectic time for the group and Brian Wilson in particular. Along with his usual wont of writing and producing for other artists, Brian had set himself the task of challenging the Beatles newly dominant position in the industry. This included their scenes in the Girls On The Beach movie, and a gruelling series of television appearances in addition to the increasing number of live shows.

Review: I Get Around was the kind of thing Brian had in mind. A super-dynamic track glorifying liberty, opportunity and success. It was the Beach Boys’ first number one hit, and its recording also marked the break with Murry Wilson as the Band’s manager. All Summer Long is one of those quintessential Beach Boys summer songs. No other group could combine the simple narrative with a gorgeous melody and such dense harmonies. Even the instrumentation is light and upbeat on this uncomplicated song about a teenage nirvana. Hushabye was a hit in 1959 for the Mystics and although by and large, Brian stuck with the original arrangement, this is a superior recording. As well as showcasing the unique vocal blend of the Beach Boys, the pure tone of Brian’s falsetto completely outshines the original. It may have a very simplistic lyric, but Little Honda is an amazing track. One of the earliest recordings utilising an overdriven rhythm guitar (albeit too low in the mix for modern ears) it, in conjunction with the drone background vocals, brilliantly conveys the sound of the small motorcycle engine. We’ll Run Away has one of those impossibly beautiful Brian Wilson melodies. Although Brian uses an almost ‘traditional’ arrangement on it, his use of the organ is interesting. The Beach Boys harmonised with very steady tones (in other words with very little or no vibrato). Here Brian selects a very pure tone for the organ, and uses it as an additional harmony line ‘voice’. He ALWAYS tried to be inventive. Carl’s Big Chance seems to be another of the Beach Boys surf instrumentals giving Carl Wilson another chance to show his improving guitar licks, but Brian’s clever use of the horns gives this track a ‘bluesy’ feel.
Wendy is pure ‘Beach Boys’. The opening bars create an air of expectancy, and the lush vocal harmonies sweep us into a tale of teenage heartache. The chord changes are wonderful and the percussion is used almost as punctuation in the chorus. It is odd then with so much care having obviously been taken with the recording, that extraneous conversation and coughing has been left audible during the organ solo. Do You Remember is a rocking tribute to the Rock & Rollers who paved the way for the modern artists like the Beach Boys. If you turn the bass up high on this track you can hear Brian (?) really get into the groove with the bass guitar - especially during “Great Balls of Fire”. Girls On The Beach was the theme song of the 1965 film of the same name. Redolent of Surfer Girl, this is major step forward in terms of musical complexity. The song changes key several times and yet it all works. This is a masterclass in chord progressions from a 22-year-old Hawthorne kid. The rich voice of teen heartthrob Dennis Wilson is also highlighted in the bridge. The tempo is picked up again with Drive-In, or ‘Brian discovers the sleigh bells and dead-air’ as it might frivolously be termed! The out-of-season sleigh bells keep the beat throughout and the silence following the instrumental break is heart-stopping. Our Favorite Recording Sessions serves to record the light-hearted atmosphere that existed during some of the Beach Boys recording sessions, although studio outtakes also record less light-hearted moments… Could Don’t Back Down possibly be a metaphor for the competitive spirit knocked into the group by the recently dismissed father/manager Murry Wilson? Brian Wilson and Mike Love were NOT going to back down in the face of the challenge posed by the Beatles. As ever, if there is a darker side to the motivation, the sound is positive and upbeat with more clever chord changes.

Summary: All Summer Long is a much better album than the previous one. Brian Wilson feels they have produced something that can stand up to the ‘English Invasion’. He has grown both musically and in studio production technique. He knows he has much more to achieve in order to keep the Beach Boys at the top, but can he continue to maintain the impossible workload this responsibility has imposed on him?

Highlights: I Get Around, Hushabye, Little Honda, Wendy, Girls On The Beach Don’t Back Down

The Little Deuce Coupe/All Summer Long CD ‘Twofer’ contains 4 bonus tracks: The single version of Be True To Your School with a different mix and the Honeys as the ‘cheerleaders’ and a pseudo school marching band. Unreleased at the time All Dressed Up For School has a lyric that may have been problematic in those days. It was not wasted however, as the various elements resurfaced in future years as part of I Just Got My Pay and Marcella. With such a remarkable output of songs it is no wonder that some of them evolved from the first attempt at making it to record. The Little Honda bonus track here is an early mix, which Brian reworked into the much better version subsequently released. Don’t Back Down demonstrates a similar development. Here the narrative is less ‘autobiographical’ and the track as a whole is less ‘accomplished’.

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