Dennis Wilson dove off his boat December 28, 1983, and drowned. It is not known if this was an accident or a suicide. Whatever the reason for his death, the Beach Boys lost a founding member and a voice that was crucial to their sound.
The Beach Boys released no studio albums between 1980-1985. Mike Love, Al Jardine, Carl Wilson, Bruce Johnston, and occasionally Brian Wilson, continued to criss-cross the country and the world as a top level concert attraction. They surrounded themselves with an array of backing singers and instrumentalists so they could produce their traditional sound live. The Beach Boys had gradually stopped performing most of their post 1960s material and were now basically a nostalgia act.
1985 finally found the Beach Boys back in the studio. The result of this was the self-titled album The Beach Boys. If there was any fairness to life they would have created a classic equal to their 1960s material. Life, however, is not fair so they had to settle for what I would rate as an above average album and certainly their best in a decade.
The Beach Boys hired an outside producer for this album. Steve Levine’s claim to fame was as the producer of Culture Club, which meant a lot more in 1985 than it does today. Levine was able to produce a clear and crisp sound which featured some of the best Beach Boys harmonies in years. Levine’s main problem was his constant use of synthesizers with bass and drums that many times did not mesh with some of the catchiest tunes that the Beach Boys had created in years.
The Beach Boys starts well with the Mike Love-Terry Melcher song, “Getcha Back.” There are some wonderful textured harmonies backing Mike Love’s strong vocal. All this plus an interesting melody make this song very listenable.
“It’s Getting Late” by Carl Wilson features Carl Wilson’s clear vocal that would have been better if not for the persistent percussion and a staccato bass line.
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