In celebration of its 60th anniversary, a special new limited edition of The Beach Boys’ All Summer Long is out now in sunrise color vinyl. The new reissue is available in a high-quality numbered tip-on jacket.
Shop the best of The Beach Boys’ discography on vinyl and more.
All Summer Long was the Beach Boys’ sixth studio album. Originally released on July 13, 1964 on Capitol Records, it was a landmark release as it is regarded as the band’s first artistically unified collection of songs, as well as one of the first true concept albums.
The recorded marked the first Beach Boys album not to be focused on themes of cars or surfing. Instead, the songs are semi-autobiographical and relate to the experiences of a typical Southern Californian teenager, a theme encapsulated by the acclaimed title track and the often-imitated front cover, a modernist style photo collage depicting the band members relaxing with friends on a beach.
The album was recorded between April and May 1964 during the height of Beatlemania and the British Invasion. It was produced and largely written by The Beach Boys’ primary songsmith Brian Wilson, who sought to raise the quality of his group’s repertoire. Also intended as a riposte to The Beatles, All Summer Long contained the band’s most complex arrangements and refined vocal performances to date. Among the records highlights are “Wendy”, “Drive-In”, “Don’t Back Down”, “I Get Around,” “Little Honda” and the band’s rendition of the Mystics’ 1959 hit “Hushabye”.
A notable success on the charts, All Summer Long reached No. 4 in the US during a 49-week chart run, with spin-off hit “I Get Around” becoming the band’s first number-one hit in the US. To support the album, the group embarked on their first extended tour, playing about 70 North American shows over the course of the summer. A version of “Little Honda” by the Hondells became a top 10 hit, while “Girls on the Beach” later served as the theme for the 1965 film of the same name. By then, it had been certified gold by the RIAA, indicating 500,000 units sold.
Buy The Beach Boys’ All Summer Long.
