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The Rolling Stone Album Guide

The Beach Boys Today!, also known simply as Today!, is the eighth studio album by the American rock group the Beach Boys. It peaked at number four on US record charts and was preceded by the top 10 singles "When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)" and "Dance, Dance, Dance", along with "Do You Wanna Dance?" which reached number 12.

Shortly before recording began, the group completed their album All Summer Long (1964), intended to be their final statement on beach-themed music. In December 1964, Brian Wilson had a nervous breakdown while on a flight, and resigned from touring with the group to focus solely on writing and producing. He began using marijuana and LSD, which he says had profound effects on the way he perceived and composed music.

Produced, arranged, and largely written by Wilson with additional lyrics by Mike Love, Today! signaled a departure from previous albums through Wilson's increasingly sophisticated, orchestral approach and the abandonment of themes related to surfing, cars, or teenage love. The tracks on side one feature an uptempo sound that contrasts side two, which consists mostly of ballads. With instrumentation that includes accordions, harpsichords, French horn, tack pianos, mandolins, and sleigh bells, the album showcases adventurous and distinct arrangements, multi-layered Wall of Sound productions, and personal, autobiographical subject matter that would foreshadow future albums such as Pet Sounds (1966).

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