10 Best Covers Of Beach Boys Songs
9. Wouldn't It Be Nice – St Etienne
It's should come as no surprise to find a slew of songs from The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds album on this list. Inarguably the group's finest hour, Pet Sounds also marked the high point of Brian Wilson's genius (together with the long-abandoned Smile recordings).
The opening track from Pet Sounds, Wouldn't It Be Nice, displays all the wistful summer magic which infused the band's early work, although Wilson's dense-yet-light arrangement is leaps ahead in its sophistication. Retroactively labelled 'progressive pop,' many critics and fans see this song as the most influential that the group ever recorded.
Incredibly, on its initial release, the recording only reached number 8 on the US Billboard Chart. More than two decades later, another influential band, Saint Etienne, put their own stamp on this classic. Formed in London in 1990, Saint Etienne pioneered a sound which combined modern sampling techniques with 60s romanticism.
Their version of Wouldn't It Be Nice slows down the tempo considerably and adds a broad wash of dreamy synths and strings, before blooming into a kitschy, compelling dance number.