The Essential 10: The Beach Boys

This edition of The Essential 10, our quickfire introduction to a wide range of my favourite artists, features The Beach Boys; an act that has managed 29 studio albums over a career that spanned six decades.

I have trawled the entire catalogue to come up with ten of my favourite tracks by them, including possibly a few surprises (although, if you don’t know much about them, they may all be surprises), although on this occasion there is a large percentage of hit singles.

The Beach Boys came into my life as far back as I can remember - they were pretty much my first favourite band and I was hooked long before I had reached double digits. I think it was always those incredible soaring vocal harmonies that got me...

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1. Surfin' Safari: one of their earliest singles, from a time when they were starting to define the whole surf rock genre. (audio only)

2 Hawaii: a cool little album track from third LP, Surfer Girl; I loved it when I was a kid, and then got more significance later in life, when I was fortunate to be in that very place! (live in San Francisco, 1963)

3. Let Him Run Wild: from Summer Days (And Summer Nights) - it is lushly produced and you can kind of tell we are building up to Pet Sounds at this time. (audio only)

4. Here Comes The Night: a later 60's effort (Wild Honey) that has a nice boogie piano and an almost funky feel to it. (audio only)

5. California Saga (California): the last of a California Saga trilogy on the album Holland, and incredibly it was 1973 and the first time founding member Al Jardine had a sole songwriting credit (although Mike Love is singing). (audio only)

6. All I Wanna Do: as the 1970s dawned, they offered us Sunflower, which included this gentle beauty! (audio only)

7. Do You Wanna Dance: okay this is not an original, it was by R&B singer Bobby Freeman originally - but it is a rare and glorious outing for Dennis Wilson on lead vocals, and has some of the best harmonies (and that is saying something for them). (audio only)

8. God Only Knows: no playlist by The Beach Boys would be complete without this gem from Pet Sounds - and absolutely beautiful piece of work, from Brian's writing and producing, to Carl's vocals, to the whole bands restrained yet powerful contribution vocally and musically. (original 60s video)

9. Wouldn't It Be Nice: another from Pet Sounds - oh go on then. Brian Wilson was integrating some of that Phil Spector Wall of Sound stuff into his already innovative style by now, and to rather good effect. (original 60s video)

10. Do It Again: this was one of my absolute favourite songs of theirs as a child - it had been released as a standalone single in 1968 before appearing on the following year's 20/20 album. (live on the Ed Sullivan Show)