History Trivia / TheBeachBoys

* BlackSheepHit: Though it only reached #49 on the charts, "Sail On, Sailor" got a fair amount of airplay on rock radio despite (or perhaps because of) sounding absolutely nothing like the rest of their catalog.

* BlackSheepHit: Though it only reached #49 on the charts, "Sail On, Sailor" got a fair amount of airplay on rock radio in spite of (or perhaps because of) sounding absolutely nothing like the rest of their catalog.

* BlackSheepHit: "Sail On, Sailor" became a minor hit and got a fair amount of airplay on rock radio in spite of (or perhaps because of) sounding absolutely nothing like the rest of their catalog.

* BlackSheepHit: "Sail On, Sailor" became a minor hit and got airplay on rock radio in spite of (or perhaps because of) sounding absolutely nothing like the rest of their catalog.

* HeyItsThatGuy: The group's early-'70s lineup included Ricky Fataar, better known to many as [[TheRutles Stig O'Hara]].

** For decades after its original release, legal mumbo-jumbo prevented Dennis Wilson's masterpiece ''Pacific Ocean Blue'' from being re-released. 2008 finally saw that happen, even including sessions and recordings from Dennis's unfinished follow-up album, ''Bambu''.
** The 1992 album ''Summer in Paradise'' was only given one print run, and with sales being extremely poor (and the distributing label being on the verge of bankruptcy), the record company didn't feel the need to make another batch. As a result, the album has been out of print essentially since the time it was released, and consequently is extremely rare to find. New copies currently sell for $100 and up on Amazon.com, and even used ones fetch upwards of $30. Too bad the actual music doesn't justify that hefty price tag.

* ThePeteBest: David Marks, who, for an 8-month period, filled in for Al Jardine on rhythm guitar while Al studied to be a dentist. Left in 1963 due to arguments with Murry. Since then, however, David has performed with the touring version of the band.
** An aversion was Glen Campbell, who filled in for Brian on tour during 1964 and 1965. He did pretty well on his own after leaving the band.

** [[Music/PinkFloyd Roger Waters]] was planning to have The Beach Boys sing backup vocals on "[[Music/TheWall The Show Must Go On]]", but the band declined after learning what the lyrics were about. He ''did'' get Bruce Johnston, though. ([[TheRashomon The other story]] is that the Boys were okay with it, but Waters cancelled the session for some reason and settled for just Johnston.)

* GatewaySeries: Along with Music/TheBeatles, The Beach Boys are a common entry point for '60s pop and oldies in general. ''Pet Sounds'' is also a common gateway for BaroquePop.

* MissingEpisode: For over forty years, Dennis' "Wouldn't It Be Nice to (Live Again)" remained inexplicably unreleased and unheard, despite the remaining "vault" songs being gradually released over time. Gradually, it amassed mythical status amongst the die-hard fandom on par with ''Smile''. It was ultimately released in 2013 as part of the ''Made in California'' box set, and is viewed as very much living up to the legend.

** [[Music/PinkFloyd Roger Waters]] was planning to have The Beach Boys sing backup vocals on "[[Music/TheWall The Show Must Go On]]", but the band declined after learning what the lyrics were about. He ''did'' get Bruce Johnston, though. ([[TheRashomon The other story]] is that the Boys were okay with it, but Waters cancelled the session for some reason and settled for just Johnston.)

** ''Smile'', of course, is arguably the greatest What Could Have Been in rock history.[[note]][[http://cabinessence.net/essays/talesalt.html This]] AlternateUniverseFic gives us an idea of what could've happened if ''Smile'' had been released and the band stayed in vogue: a "Battle of the Bands" campaign set up by Capitol Records between The Beach Boys and Music/TheBeatles, with joint record store displays, combative television appearances, and the two bands vying for dominance of the charts. ''Yes''.[[spoiler: Brian Wilson gets assassinated by Mark David Chapman instead of John Lennon.]][[/note]]

** ''Smile'', of course, is arguably the greatest What Could Have Been in rock history.[[note]][[http://cabinessence.net/essays/talesalt.html This]] AlternateUniverseFic gives us an idea of what could've happened if ''Smile'' had been released and the band stayed in vogue: a "Battle of the Bands" campaign set up by Capitol Records between The Beach Boys and Music/TheBeatles, with joint record store displays, combative television appearances, and the two bands vying for dominance of the charts. ''Yes''.[[/note]]

* CreatorBacklash: Carl and Dennis both hated ''M.I.U. Album'' with a passion. Dennis was so repulsed by the concept behind it (it was essentially Mike's paean to Transcendental Meditation) that he refused to participate in the recording sessions. He said of the album, "It should self destruct.. I hope that the karma will fuck up Mike Love�s meditation forever."

* MissingEpisode: Even after all the hundreds of unreleased Beach Boys songs have been leaked, and all the dozens more unreleased songs from Brian and Dennis Wilson's solo careers have been leaked, one very important song remained unheard until the 2013 ''MadeInCalifornia'' box set: "Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again", one of Dennis Wilson's lost masterpieces.

* SimilarlyNamedWorks: "[[IntercourseWithYou All I Want To Do]]" vs. "[[SillyLoveSongs All I Wanna Do]]".

** Brian Wilson frequently incorporated suggestions from his backing musicians into his songs. A notable example is the staccato instrument break in "God Only Knows," which is one of the song's most memorable hooks. It came from pianist Don Randi.

** [[Music/PinkFloyd Roger Waters]] was planning to have The Beach Boys sing backup vocals on [[Music/TheWall "The Show Must Go On"]], but the band declined after learning what the lyrics were about. He ''did'' get Bruce Johnston, though. ([[TheRashomon The other story]] is that the Boys were okay with it, but Waters cancelled the session for some reason and settled for just Johnston.)

* CreatorBacklash: Carl and Dennis both hated ''M.I.U. Album'' with a passion. Dennis was so repulsed by the concept behind it (it was essentially Mike's paean to Transcendental Meditation) that he refused to participate in the recording sessions. He said of the album, "It should self destruct.. I hope that the karma will fuck up Mike Love�s meditation forever."

** For decades after its original release, legal mumbo-jumbo prevented Dennis Wilson's masterpiece ''Pacific Ocean Blue'' from being re-released. 2008 finally saw that happen, even including sessions and recordings from Dennis's unfinished follow-up album, ''Bambu''.

* MissingEpisode: Even after all the hundreds of unreleased Beach Boys songs have been leaked, and all the dozens more unreleased songs from Brian and Dennis Wilson's solo careers have been leaked, one very important song remained unheard until the 2013 ''MadeInCalifornia'' box set: "Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again", one of Dennis Wilson's lost masterpieces.

** Brian Wilson frequently incorporated suggestions from his backing musicians into his songs. A notable example is the staccato instrument break in "God Only Knows," which is one of the song's most memorable hooks. It came from pianist Don Randi.

* StillbornFranchise: ''Stars and Stripes, Vol. 1'', a 1996 album featuring them singing re-recordings of their hits as duets with CountryMusic stars, was supposed to be the first of a series (hence the title). After the album was ripped apart by critics, any future installments were scrapped.

* NamesTheSame - The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson does not close games for the San Francisco Giants (or at the end of the 2013 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers), though he did at one point sport a rather scary-looking beard.

* StillbornFranchise: ''Stars and Stripes, Vol. 1'', a 1996 album featuring them singing re-recordings of their hits as duets with CountryMusic stars. After the album was ripped apart by critics, any future installments were scrapped.