The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys crystallised the California dream into harmony, transforming suburban adolescence into high art. Formed in 1961 by brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine, they initially trafficked in surf rock simplicity before Brian Wilson's ambitions expanded into baroque pop experimentation. Pet Sounds (1966) remains their masterwork, layering intricate vocal arrangements over unconventional instrumentation that influenced The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's. "Good Vibrations" epitomised Wilson's studio-as-instrument philosophy, its modular construction anticipating sampling culture.

Their cultural resonance extends beyond beach mythology. The group captured post-war American optimism whilst Brian's mental fragmentation mirrored the 1960s' darker turn. Critics initially dismissed them as lightweight; subsequent reassessment positioned Wilson alongside Gershwin and Spector. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted them in 1988. Vocal blend remains their signature: falsetto stacks and modal cadences that married doo-wop tradition to modernist ambition. They sold over 100 million records, proving that seemingly naive pop could contain symphonic sophistication.