'All Summer Long'

With The Beatles dominating the American Charts, The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson in particular faced a tough creative challenge. They would have to make a real good song to compete with the Fab Four. The All Summer Long album came out 4 months after Shut Down Volume 2 on July 13th 1964 and can be considered the high point of the early Beach Boys era. Prior to the recording sessions for the album Murry Wilson was fired as the Beach Boys manager by Brian after his fathers aggressive tone and out of style creative suggestions were impeding on Brian's musical development. The album was recorded at United Western Recorders in Hollywood. Brian had been disappointed in the quality of Shut Down Volume 2 and wanted the album to be of a higher quality. Most of the instrumentation on the album was played by the band. A situation that would become less common as Brian slowly began to feature more members of the legendary "Wrecking Crew" of session musicians on future albums.

The album opens with the guitar-driven "I Get Around" which would launch the Beach Boys with their first number one single on the billboard charts proving that the band could stand tall against the Beatles invasion.

The albums title track is a look back on a fateful summer with a loved one. The track opens with a notable xylophone solo and warns that it "Won't be long till summer time is through." The song was made popular again ten years later when it was used over the credits of George Lucas' American Graffiti.

"Hushabye" is a cover of a song originally sung by the doo-wop group the Mystics. Here, it is an excellent showcase of Brian's beautiful falsetto vocals.

"Little Honda" is Brian and Mikes hymn to a "Groovy little motor bike".

"We'll Run Away" is a song about a teenage boy's desire to run away and marry his High School sweetheart.

"Carl's Big Chance" is, as the name implies a showcase for Carl Wilson's tasty guitar licks. Yes it is filler but it is well executed filler.

"Wendy" is a song about a girl who left the songs narrator for another guy thus breaking his heart. There is an organ solo in the bridge of this song and an audible cough from Mike Love was left on the track. Interestingly, Brian later named his second daughter Wendy. I guess he liked the name.

"Do You Remember" is a salute to "The guys who gave us rock and roll." namechecking icons like Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Bill Haley and others.

"The Girls On The Beach" was also the title of a teen movie the Boys appeared in. Dennis shines on one of his first major vocal parts midway through the song while Brian's masterful falsetto carries the song.

"Drive-In" is a song about the teenage pastime of going to a drive-in movie theater which were very common in the 60s, not as much today. The Backing Track was originally going to be used as the backing for their Christmas anthem "Little Saint Nick". The final line (Only you can prevent forest fires) is a nod to the ubiquitous "Smokey The Bear" Public Service Announcements of the time.

"Our Favorite Recording Sessions" is a rather groan-worthy filler track. which incorporates part of "All Summer Long".

"Don't Back Down" is the last real surfing song the boys would record for many years.

Brian could sense that in order to grow and compete with the Beatles, The Boys would have to look beyond their early surfing and car song route to a more introspective style of songwriting but first came a slight seasonal detour.