The Beach Boys today

Surf’s up! “That’s Why God Made the Radio,” a new album by the Beach Boys, has debuted at #3 on the Billboard Top 200 album chart.

I’m reminded of the time, while  attending college in western New York, that I’d spent one weekend evening visiting a number of downtown drinking establishments. When I returned to campus, I headed straight to the student union cafeteria in search of nourishment.  Carrying my tray full of nourishment (two hamburgers and a cup of coffee), I looked around for a place to sit. For some reason, I noticed, the place was packed with people. Finally, I spotted a single empty chair at one of the tables. So I sat there, a little uncomfortable about sitting with people I didn’t know but drunk enough to not care very much.

As I focused on my food, I happened to look over at the guy sitting to my left. And I exclaimed: “Holy ****! You’re Mike Love of the Beach Boys! What the **** are you doing here?!”

Mike Love replied, “Hey, man, we just gave a concert upstairs!”

Sure enough, I looked around the table, and there were three original Beach Boys — Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson and Al Jardine (Brian Wilson had already stopped touring) – along with sundry other bandmates and Beach Girlfriends and Beach Wives.

I said to Mike Love:  “Sorry! I didn’t know!”

End of story.

Anyway, I guess most people would say “Good Vibrations” is Brian Wilson’s masterwork. I’d vote for this:

Or this: