2/24/25 - Wild Honey by The Beach Boys

 I don't think there's any surprise that I am a big Beach Boys fan. I've been since I was little - the 2003 compilation Sounds of Summer was loaded on my childhood MP3 player & I fell in love with Pet Sounds in middle school. Nowadays, though, I'm more into Carl Wilson's Beach Boys and the 'Brian's Back' records - and today I wanted to highlight one of the first records from that era, 'Wild Honey.'

I got my copy back in September at Wayne NJ's very own Second Saturday Record Show, and it appears to be an original stereo pressing from 1967. These songs were mostly written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, and it was produced by The Beach Boys in the same style as it's predecessor, Smiley Smile.

Wild Honey is a collection of bite-size lo-fi tunes that incorporate elements of  rock, soul, and R&B. It utilizes a lot of (what sounds like) detuned piano, acoustic guitar, and electric organ (especially on the title track.) Production-wise the record feels incredibly open and breathable, which I really like. Although Pet Sounds and SMiLE are rightfully considered some of the best albums of all time, their production can be suffocating which sometimes detracts me from listening to them. Wild Honey, on the other hand, is a record I feel like I can put on at any time. The length definitely helps it's case too, as it's not much a commitment being less than 25 minutes long. 

This is a very fun listen. That's the best word I can come up with. It's not beautiful like Pet Sounds is or indescribably strange like the whole SMiLE saga is. I dig pretty much every song on the album, with my favorite being Darlin', which is one of the happiest songs I've ever heard - rivaling George Harrison's "What Is Life." Other highlights for me include the Title Track, Country Air, I'd Love Just Once to See You (despite the cringe inducing line at the end *), How She Boogalooed It, and Mama Says - an extended recording of an unused part in Smiley Smile's Vegetables.

Overall, I think this album is a great listen for when you're relaxing by a tree on a breezy spring afternoon & I would recommend it to you if you're into that - although, maybe only after listening to a few other records from the Boys!


* I wouldn't recommend listening to The Beach Boy's Love You if that line makes you uncomfortable.

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