Album Review:

With the introduction of the Beatles to American audiences in 1964 and the increasing amount of British sounds on the airwaves, the Beach Boys' innocent 'fun in the sun' sound was starting to look like a thing of the past. The Beach Boys Today was a change in style for the group. Side A is full of mostly upbeat songs like 'Dance, Dance Dance,' and 'When I Grow Up to Be a Man,' but while this side must've pleased Capitol executives, side two is where the real magic is found. It marks Wilson's development as a writer and arranger.  There are many heartfelt moments here, as the music journeys through the feelings of a restless teenager trying to find his place in the world. 'Please Let Me Wander' gives us a look into a young man's need to be free yet at the same time loved. 'She Knows Me Too Well' expresses the loss of innocence in a relationship. 'In the Back of My Mind,' explores how worries of things to come can haunt one's future with uncertainty - all pretty daring concepts for a pop record from the group that just a few months earlier was singing about summer and cars.

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'Do You Wanna Dance' - a cover of Bobby Freeman's hit a few years earlier - features Dennis on lead vocals backed with an elaborate lineup of instruments, including an organ, mandolins and timpani. 'Good To My Baby' is a fairly standard mid-sixties Beach Boys song that features a duet between Brian and Mike. Brian had originally written 'Don't Hurt My Little Sister' for Phil Spector's group, the Ronettes. Spector took the song, re-wrote the lyrics and had the Ronettes record it without Brian's go-ahead. Frustrated, Wilson had the Beach Boys record it instead. A top-notch song. ' When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)' is a great little song about growing up. The passing of the years placed throughout the song give it a bittersweet feel. The song spent two weeks at number 1 in Canada. An early version of 'Help Me Ronda' appears here and would eventually give the Boys their second number 1 after it was rerecorded. While the February 24, 1965 recording would be the more popular version, the Today version is notable due to it's fake fade-outs and length - 3:07; quite a stretch for a Beach Boys song at the time. 'Dance Dance Dance' is the final 'fast' song on the album. Due to the overload of British acts on the charts, the single was halted at 8 in the US, but proved to be a very popular dance number. 'Please Let Me Wander' sets the mood for most of side two. One of the most beautiful ballads in the band's catalog, it charted at 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1965 as the B-side to the more commercial 'Do You Wanna Dance.' 'I'm So Young' is a wonderful cover of the Students classic and Brian's arrangement is one of the best on the album. The complex 'Kiss Me Baby' has Brian's falsetto coupled with Mike's unusually pretty lead and the combination makes this song one of the best underrated Beach Boys songs of all time. The heartfelt lyrics and lush vocal arrangements in particular are unmatched. 'She Knows Me Too Well' is yet another great song that explores the confusing feelings of young love. 'In the Back Of My Mind' is at times jazzy addition to the album. Dennis gave us an interesting lead vocal on this one. Although Brian wasn't exactly thrilled with his younger brother's rendition, it made the record anyway. It almost has a Beach Boys meets Beatles sound to it. The album's lowest point, 'Bull Sessions with Big Daddy,' is an out-of-place ending to an otherwise polished album. Earl Leaf is Big Daddy.

Today was a giant step for the Beach Boys. It was a significant turning point for the band and their contemporaries as it influenced the Beatles' Rubber Soul and raised the bar for the group's next few albums. Overall it is a wonderful album with many brilliant moments. By 1965, the world was beginning to change, and the Beach Boys had no choice but to evolve with it... but surf music it is not.