https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSr0BUXuTDA I'll go out on a limb and say that all music buffs are Beach Boys fans (on some level, anyway). Where things get sticky, however, is when you decide what kind of Beach Boys fan you are. You see, one camp consists of the casual fans, those who have consumed all the surf-and-car singles and think that they're pretty good. That first camp is content to stick with those early tunes. The second camp consists of more hardcore music enthusiasts, who praise the Boys' later, post-Pet Sounds albums as the most spirited and best-produced. Neither camp gets the whole picture of America's Band (as the Boys are often called). Both the pre- and post- Pet Sounds periods produced a great number of fantastic tunes, along with their share of deep tracks. One of the best of those deep tracks is "Wendy," from the 1964 album All Summer Long. "Wendy"'s lyrics are nothing special; it's essentially a guy lamenting his broken relationship. What elevates the song above the Boys' other deep tracks is Brian Wilson's impeccable producing work. The vocal harmonies are particularly great; they reach for the top of the vocal scales, musically illustrating the angst that the lead singer's feeling. The musical instrumentation is relatively spare, particularly for an early-period Beach Boys tune. That spare instrumentation is exactly what the song needs, however; it places the emphasis where it should be placed (namely, the harmonies). It truly is an forgotten gem from the Boys' early period, one that shouldn't be missed.
Alan Howell is a native of Southern California. He loves movies of any and all kinds, Hollywood, indie, and everywhere in between. He loves pizza, sitcoms, rock and pop music, surfing, baseball, reading, and girls (not necessarily in that order).