'All Summer Long' by The Beach Boys

‘All Summer Long’ was album number six from the Beach Boys, but to be honest, this was still the period at which they weren’t really making albums – just sticking some singles on a piece of 12” vinyl, then filling in the gaps with whatever they could find. You can’t blame them – this was the second album they’d done within the year, it was recorded in just six weeks.

You can hear the effects though. ‘I Get Around’ and ‘All Summer Long’ are both magnificent. The latter, in particular, shows how good Wilson’s grasp of harmony was even then – try humming the melody line on it’s own, and you realise there’s nothing much there – add the accompaniment, and it’s wonderful. Sadly, these two tracks are the beginning of the record, and nothing else comes close.

It’s not all dreadful. ‘Wendy’, and ‘Girls On The Beach’ are both good to hear, and even songs like ‘Drive-In’ have a certain rough charm. ‘Our Favourite Recording Sessions’ is the very definition of pointlessness. It’s regrettable, to say the least, that the album is structured as it is – on repeat listens, there’s really not much point in listening beyond the first two songs. Happily, better stuff was to come.