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AllMusic
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The Great Rock Discography	6/10
Music Story
MusicHound Rock	4.5/5
Pitchfork	3.5/10
The Rolling Stone Album Guide
The Village Voice	A+

Wild Honey is the 13th studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released on December 18, 1967. The album contrasts with many Beach Boys LPs that came before it with its R&B and soul music aesthetic. Its name is a double entendre suggesting both edible honey and "honey" as a term of endearment; also the namesake of the album's lead single and opening track. The single became a minor hit with only a short chart stay. Its follow-up "Darlin'" reached the US Top 20. The album itself reached number 24 in the US and number seven in the UK.

The album's sessions begun immediately after the abandonment of Lei'd in Hawaii, a failed live album; and the release of Smiley Smile, their previous studio album. Self-produced by the band, Wild Honey was the second Beach Boys album since Surfin' U.S.A. (1963) not to give sole production credit to Brian Wilson, who had gradually abdicated the band's musical leadership following the difficult sessions for the aborted Smile LP. The track "Here Comes the Night" was later redone by the group as a disco single in the late 1970s and was a minor hit.

The Wild Honey sessions were preceded by an attempt at recording a live-in-the-studio album, Lei'd in Hawaii. When conflicts arose, the idea was dropped in favor of a new studio album. The Wilsons' cousin Steve Korthoff and friend Arnie Geller later wrote the album's original liner notes: "Honey, of the wild variety, on a shelf in Brian’s kitchen, was not only an aide to all of the Beach Boys’ health but the source of inspiration for the record, Wild Honey ... We think this is a great album. We love to listen to it. We might just be biased because we work for the Beach Boys. Please see what you think."

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