The Beach Boys 16th US album, also their 16th in the UK.
The album entered the US charts in late December 1967, reached no.24 in early 1968 and lasted 15 weeks. In the UK, the album reached no.7 in the spring of 1968 and spent 15 weeks on the UK chart.
The tracks Wild Honey and Darlin’ achieved UK and US single success: Wild Honey reached no.29 - November 1967 in the UK, and hit no.31, October 1967 in the US. The single Darlin’ (different B- sides in the US (Here Today) and UK (Country Air) hit the no.11 spot in January 1968 in the UK chart, and no.19 in December 1967 on the US singles charts - both UK singles were issued prior to the album release.
The cover of the album is a picture of a stain glass window at Brian Wilson’s former Bellagio house. Coming in at just twenty four minutes-twenty four seconds, Wild Honey is the shortest of all The Beach Boys albums. It is also the first to show images of all six Beach Boys on the back cover.
| Wild Honey - The Beach Boys | | CD release date: | July 26th 1994 |
| Record label: | Capitol |
| CD code: | CDP 724382963622 |
| Media format: | CD (remastered, 16 bit) |
| Audio: | mono/stereo |
Album History | | First Release Date: | US:12/67 -- UK:3/68 |
| Serial No: | US T/ST 2859 |
| Chart #pos(weeks): | US - #24(15) UK #7(15) |
| Wild Honey - track listing | | Track | Title | Time |
1. | Wild Honey | 2.40 | 2. | Aren't You Glad | 2.18 | 3. | I Was Made To Love Her | 2.07 | 4. | Country Air | 2.22 | 5. | A Thing Or Two | 2.42 | 6. | Darlin' | 2.14 | 7. | I'd Love Just Once To See | 1.50 | 8. | Here Comes The Night | 2.42 | 9. | Let The Wind Blow | 2.21 | 10. | How She Boogalooed It | 1.58 | 11. | Mama Says | 1.04 | Wild Honey - Chords coming soon |
Background: Recorded in September 1967 and completed within just a matter of weeks, Wild Honey was released in December 1967 following a traumatic time for both Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys. Brian Wilson, having soared on his creative highs of Pet Sounds and Good Vibrations, has abandoned Smile and suffered the consequential stress and emotional lows. And for the band, at a time when they were commercially and publicly unpopular; illustrated by the poor showing of the album Smiley Smile (Sept. 1967), Brian Wilson takes to the basement studio of his Bel Air home: inspired again.
Generally considered to be the Beach Boys most rhythmic and soulful work, it is also regarded as an album not suffering from over-production. Instead it has a unique raw edge, both musically and vocally and an almost ‘live’ feel to it. Driven by thumping piano and bass throughout with some outstanding stretched vocals, it is in the main, a stripped back production and sounds more soulful and funky because of it. Wild Honey finds Brian Wilson and indeed the whole band, going back to their R&B roots, producing a work they possibly needed to and more significantly, appearing to enjoy themselves.
Capitol Records released two singles: Wild Honey and Darlin’. Both singles enter the top 40 (in the US and the UK), while the album has relatively little success for the then out-of-favour and under-appreciated band.
Review : Wild Honey is bursting with great songs and although not in the same vein as its predecessors in terms of production, is in the same league - it’s just different.
Side one opens with a wonderfully strained Carl Wilson vocal on the title track Wild Honey, followed by a softer sounding Mike Love and scream-out vocals by Brian Wilson on Aren’t You Glad, with Country Air returning momentarily to the familiar full group vocal blend and harmonies.
Carl Wilson’s vocals throughout this album are just fantastic, showing us a harder rocking edge to his voice. The powerhouse opener to side two, the quite brilliant Darlin’ is a Carl Wilson vocal master-class - full of supremacy, passion and soul, coupled with a more familiar Brian Wilson-produced sound. With its relentless rhythmic bass line, piano and horns, this is possibly the album’s standout track. Other highlights include Here Comes The Night - an R&B song that stands well on its own without any funking up, and Let The Wind Blow, wonderfully melodic, lyrically touching with a very Brian Wilson sounding arrangement. This could in fact be said of the entire Wild Honey album: it is perhaps and most importantly Brian Wilson where he is happiest - singing and pounding at the piano and maybe even, actually having fun.
Highlights: Wild Honey, Darlin’, Aren’t You Glad, Let The Wind Blow
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