Today is the last day of Summer! So in honor (or memoriam) I give you my official Beach Boys Album Ranking. But first! A quick word from yours truly…
One of my favorite musical projects over the past two years has been diving deep into band discographies. Have I spent hours listening to albums better left forgotten? Absolutely. Is there anything to learn from enduring Van Halen III? You’d be surprised.
If it’s a band you love, experiencing their highs—and their lows—brings you closer to them. You note how they respond, album by album, to success and failure. You see them retool or double down on their sound. You feel the impact of lineup changes, shifts in creative direction, and evolving instrumentation and production. It’s more than just hearing a band evolve; it’s hearing the music industry evolve.
So how had I not listened to all of The Beach Boys until this past summer? They’re one of my all-time favorite bands. Hell, I once fought through a sea of drunk boomers at a winery just to see Brian Wilson reunite with the band.
For one, the band has 29 albums. And (spoiler alert) they peaked early. Sure, there were solid albums in the early ’70s and a good song or two later on, but the Beach Boys never had that great “comeback” album. No great albums post-1971 at least in my opinion. Still, there’s a lot to appreciate in their 50+ year journey.
Where do we begin? How about a tier list? Remember when those were popular for a hot minute? Plus, if you don’t feel like reading the whole thing, you can just glance at the pic below and peace out.
Note: I did not include the 2011 SMiLE Sessions release as it’s not an official Beach Boys album. It’s good though!
