By Howie Edelson
As we slowly make our way into 2024, The Beach Boys continue to celebrate an astonishing legacy with their legion of fans. There’s no stopping the group’s landmark moments from creeping up every year – with March 2024 marking the 60th anniversary of the band’s fifth long player in 17 months, 1964’s unforgettable, Shut Down Volume 2. The album, which was released on March 2nd, 1964, peaked at Number 13 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The band was forced to adopt the awkward Volume 2 title as its moniker after their label Capitol Records beat them to the punch by releasing Shut Down—a 1963 compilation featuring assorted automotive and hot rod songs. Despite the title, the collection only included a pair of Beach Boys tunes—the previously-released title track and 1962’s instant classic, “409.”
The group’s REAL Shut Down album (albeit relegated to “Volume 2” status) not only built on the strength of the band’s then-six Top 40 hits and three straight Top 10 albums, but ushered in a new phase of Beach Boys music following the arrival of their British labelmates, The Beatles, in America and the start of the famed “British Invasion.”
Despite the bedlam created by “Beatlemania,” America’s top act proved they were more than up for the challenge with the excellent Shut Down Volume 2. Kicking off the set was the band’s Top Five smash “Fun, Fun, Fun”—a Brian Wilson/Mike Love classic that often closes their legendary live shows. Passed down through the generations, “Fun, Fun, Fun” remains one of their most instantly memorable and beloved rock singles of all time.
1964 was to be a massive year of growth and change for The Beach Boys—and this was but a taste of what was to come, arguably the greatest marriage between Mike Love's lyrics and Brian Wilson's music.
Mike Love explained how the song combined the despair of a broken heart with the first national tragedy of the 1960s: “‘The Warmth Of The Sun,’ which is one of the more beautiful songs I think we've ever done. . . Well, I wrote the lyrics to that, Brian did the music. And we wrote it one night in 1963 (after) we were awakened with the news that President Kennedy had been shot in Dallas. And so obviously, that song has a melancholy sadness. And we didn't change the lyrics at that point, I had written them down. But it was about losing someone you love, but at least you had the feeling of having been in love.”
Brian Wilson recalled with affection, “In my opinion, ‘The Warmth Of The Sun’ lyrics are probably the most beautiful Mike has ever written and it’s one of the prettiest songs I ever made. We dedicated it to President Kennedy and I tried to sing it sweetly, attempting to capture the sound of an angel.”
The late Dennis Wilson was often overwhelmed by the power of his brother’s musical genius: “We would be in the studio, and Brian would play us a song so beautiful that we would start crying. It was like, ‘How could this be happening?’ There wasn't one person in the group that could come close to Brian's talent.”
Looking Forward To April…
Coming on April 2nd is the long-awaited market edition of Genesis Publications book, The Beach Boys By The Beach Boys. Following the sold-out 2023 deluxe edition, the new run is now available for pre-order at www.thebeachboysbook.com.
The Beach Boys By The Beach Boys is told through the words of Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Dennis Wilson, Carl Wilson, and Bruce Johnston—marking the first time the band has collaborated on their collective story.
Genesis Publications
Also contributing are David Marks, Blondie Chaplin, Ricky Fataar, and high-profile friends like Bob Dylan, Pete Townshend, Lindsey Buckingham, Eric Clapton, and many more.
According to the official announcement for The Beach Boys By The Beach Boys: The band members describe their journey from school fundraisers to global tours, studio sessions, and landmark performances.
Genesis Publications
With unlimited access to the Capitol Records archive and personal band archives, this edition features never-before-seen negatives, outtakes, and studio documents.
These photographs are accompanied by ephemera like tape boxes, tour posters, handwritten notes, and studio documents that illustrate The Beach Boys’ remarkable story.
Looking back on their unprecedented ride, co-founder Al Jardine admitted: “We were just having fun and it developed into something else. It’s funny. We were really an accident—but a good accident.”
When discussing their long career, the late Carl Wilson explained: “To us, we were just us, and the music is the group. But people really like to see the goodness of our relationship endure.”
“The sky grows brighter every minute of the sunrise!”
So much more to come in ’24!!!
The Beach Boys: Now and always.
Genesis Publications