Tag: The Beach Boys Live Albums

Live Albums By The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys released some fantastic singles that were big hits and their album Pet Sounds is often considered to be in the top ten of studio albums ever recorded.

But have they released a classic live album?

General consensus is probably that they haven’t but I think that’s wrong.

Because live recordings are often based around studio albums, let’s look at those and their timing first so that we can gain a bearing on their live work.

Studio Albums By The Beach Boys

From 1963 to 1966 the Beach Boys had top ten hit after top ten hit with I Get Around”, “Help Me, Rhonda” and “Good Vibrations” getting to #1 in the United States and “Surfin’ U.S.A.”, “California Girls”, “Barbara Ann” and “Sloop John B” making the top 3. Then they didn’t have another top ten hit until 1976 with “Rock and Roll Music”.

Their albums followed a similar pattern. Big hits up until 1966 and Pet Sounds and then afterwards, they struggled to breach the top 30.

1962 Surfin’ Safari
1963 Surfin’ U.S.A.
1963 Surfer Girl
1963 Little Deuce Coupe
1964 Shut Down Volume 2
1964 All Summer Long
1964 The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album
1965 The Beach Boys Today!
1965 Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)
1965 Beach Boys’ Party!
1966 Pet Sounds
1967 Smiley Smile
1967 Wild Honey
1968 Friends
1969 20/20
1970 Sun Flower
1971 Surf’s Up
1972 Carl and the Passions – “So Tough”
1973 Holland
1975 15 Big Ones
1977 Love You
1979 LA
1980 Keepin’ the Summer Alive
1985 The Beach Boys
1989 Still Cruisin’
1992 Summer in Paradise
1996 Stars and Stripes Vol. 1
2012 That’s Why God Made the Radio

It’s a mistake to think that the Beach Boys albums after 1966 weren’t good – see George Starostin

The Beach Boys Live Albums

1963 & 1964 Beach Boys Concert released in 1964
1968 Live In London released in 1970 in the UK and in 1976 in the USA
1972 & 1973 The Beach Boys In Concert released in 1973
1974 & 1989 Songs From Here & Back released in 2006
1980 Good Timin’: Live At Knebworth, England released in 2002
2012 Live – The 50th Anniversary Tour released in 2013

Brian Wilson has released two live albums that feature the songs of The Beach Boys – Live At The Roxy Theatre and Brian Wilson Presents Pet Sounds Live. he also played a series of concerts called Brian Wilson Presents Smile that were so well received that he went into the studio to re-record the songs and I think some people thing that’s also a live album.

I have a poll to help you to find the best live album by The Beach Boys.

Buying Albums By The Beach Boys

You can buy these albums or hear mp3 samples at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

The Best Live Albums Of All Time

I’ve included the Beach Boys in the poll to find the best power pop live albums.

You can get these albums from Amazon.com – Amazon.co.uk.