Wild Honey

Wild Honey is an album released by The Beach Boys in 1967. It was their thirteenth studio album and sixteenth overall. It was also the follow-up to Smiley Smile, their controversial and sparsely-produced album that bewildered many of the band's faithful with its bizarre music. As a consequence, their listeners were hoping for a reprieve when Wild Honey was released, just three months later.

Related Topics:
The Beach Boys - 1967 - Smiley Smile

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From its stripped down production to its rhythmic swing and soulful qualities, Wild Honey could very much be considered The Beach Boys' take on R&B, one of their key musical influences in their formative years. In that context, Wild Honey stands unique in the band's entire catalog. While it pleased those who wanted real enjoyable music from The Beach Boys again, the stylistic shift - at a time when they were on perilous commercial ground - was mystifying to some of those who gave it a chance, and as a result, Wild Honey did not get the respect it so richly deserved in its time.

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Although he was no longer interested in being the leader, Brian Wilson still composed most of the songs on the album in tandem with Mike Love. It was the first time they had worked so closely together in composing an album since Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!) in 1965. In the studio, while Brian indeed was sought for opinions, the other Beach Boys were now beginning to exert some influence on their recordings - a major change from what had gone before. Carl Wilson, in particular, who was nearing 21 at time, almost by instinct began picking up where his older brother was leaving off, singing many of the lead vocals on Wild Honey. One interesting inclusion is the closer, "Mama Says", which is a chant that was originally part of the Smile rendition of "Vegetables". It was the first of several times The Beach Boys would solicit unused Smile material to close one of their albums.

Related Topics:
Brian Wilson - Mike Love - Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!) - 1965 - Carl Wilson - Smile

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The songs themselves were infused with a soulfulness that The Beach Boys hadn't exhibited before. From the title track to "Darlin' ", from "Aren't You Glad" to "Country Air" and from "Here Comes The Night" to "A Thing Or Two", Wild Honey is one satisfying release, and it is because of the music's quality that the album has recovered considerably in critical appraisal over the years.

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The title track became the advance single, and a minor hit without much staying power. Fortunately, when the infectious follow-up, "Darlin' ", appeared and reached the US Top 20, it ended up rescuing Wild Honey and bringing it to a respectable (but still disappointing) #24 in the US. In the UK, the reaction was stronger, with the album reaching #7.

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Accepting that it does lack the trademarks vocal harmonies and that (by Brian Wilson's high standards) it is a raw and unrefined creation, Wild Honey is a wonderful Beach Boys album, full of joy and re-birth.

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