Dennis really started shining during this period. He was so under rated

The Beach Boys were way ahead of the ecological curve with "Surf's Up", a great album in my opinion.

Thanks again for another great series of videos! I was Brian Wilson's personal assistant for a couple years starting in the summer of '92 right after the family got rid of Eugene Landy. I learned quite a bit about all the shit that went down. It was a weird gig, to say the least. I will say though, as troubled as Brian was, he really was a good guy. It took a while for me to gain his trust at first as he was, rightfully so, a tad bit suspicious of anyone new in his life. But as he got comfortable, we were able to talk about the past. I left after two and a half years to pursue music, but I am grateful for that time in my life. I have some good stories!

Insanely generous contribution to the rock history community, so many of us are grateful of your work and love your production values!

Surf's Up brought me back into giving the band a listen again. I was so impressed the first time I pulled it out of my buddy's albums stack that I went right out and bought the 8-track and wore it out until it was stolen from my car and wasn't available anymore at the time, ironically it got stolen while I was attending a Beach Boys Holland tour show.

This era after the band "missed the counterculture bus" in 1967 gets often ignored, thanks for shining a light on it.

Beside trying to get Billy Hinsche they also attempted to bring back David Marks… in 1969 when The Beach Boys played Boston, David Marks actually sat in with the band for a few songs, and was given the option to rejoin the band. He declined because he was actually going to Music school. I asked David about this at Chiller comicon and he confirmed this.

Brian is still someone I wish I could meet just to say Thank You

I recently spoke to my 75 year old dad about The Beach Boys. Strangely, He said they were popular but never really considered "cool". I love this channel because of discovering music I just never knew existed.

I'd argue despite a slump commercially & criticism by the rock 'intelligentsia' ... this a really productive musical time for the Beach Boys ... I think your analysis Matt ... hopefully gets people to revisit this period in the Beach Boys career and give the music another chance ...

I love this Beach Boys series of yours, Matt. In particular, Wild Honey, Friends, 20/20, Surf's Up, and Sunflower all hold up well today, in my view. Dennis, Mike Love, and Brian all wrote or co-wrote some overlooked gems during this period: Time to Get Alone, Little Bird, Be Still, Aren't You Glad, Country Air, All I Wanna Do, This Whole World, Forever, Til I Die, etc. And then of course there are the excellent Smile era tracks that were released on these albums, like Cabinessence and Surf's Up.

This is possibly my favorite period for the band. Sunflower and Surf’s Up are two of my favorite albums from the group. I also enjoy Wild Honey, Friends and 20/20. Thanks for keeping this series going Matt! Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks for covering this rather murky period of the Beach Boys. A number of big pop groups vanished when '68 got heavy. What amazes me is that the Beach Boys stayed together and kept putting out albums even when no one seemed interested. The image thing was very important.

This was the singular most awaited documentary EVER. I've NEVER been so anxious for anything as The BEACH BOYS History Part Five. I was worried it would never come to be. But, Matt delivered. He covered extensively a chapter in BB History which most documentaries totally overlook.

Jerry Garcia listed Smiley Smile as one of his favorite albums.

Surf's Up has some excellent outtakes, a longer mix of Til I Die and Fourth of July.

Long live the memories of Dennis & Carl Wilson. xoxo The Clarences

I remember Surfs up was heavily promoted on the radio at the time and this is when my friends and I really started to get back in to them again. Great job Matt.

A standout on stack of tracks is Let Him Run Wild. The backing track is so beautiful - it deserves a hearing on its own.

Never heard "Well You Know I knew" before, what an incredibly beautiful little piece of music from Dennis, even though its so simple and really only just a demo track, those harmonies are haunting - reminds me lot of CSN

The Beach Boys had a revival (of sorts) in 1973 thanks to the George Lucas film American Graffiti. Although the scene in which Surfin` Safari is featured has the character of John (Paul LeMat) telling his young passenger "I hate that surf s**t" and declaring "Rock and Roll`` has been going downhill ever since Buddy Holly died". Still, the soundtrack was hugely popular and introduced a new generation of music fans to early sixties rock & roll. Sometimes, if you hang around long enough, you become hip once more.

I think I need 20/20 in my collection, and I'm not a Beach Boys fan. I'm so glad I watch your videos, Matt! 😊

GREAT 👍 work on part 5. I’m so pleased to learn a few things I hadn’t heard before! Much appreciated. These albums 20-20, Sunflower 🌻, Surfs 🏄‍♂️ Up are really unique and enjoyable albums. Thank you.

A couple of the tracks from Friends kind of reminds me of The Kinks a little, also, I never realized that a lot of their material from Pet Sounds on, charted higher in the U.K

An absolute fantastic retrospective!

"Psychedelic Barbershop" was a perfect description.

Imagine going to a rock concert and having to sit through a TM lecture.

Another well documented delivery. Kudos for not punking out on the Manson connection and also for not dwelling on or over blowing it. The BB were becoming more and more irrelevant with each album they released. Two things saved them. Because of their back catalogue they were still fondly remembered and as they persevered so did their dwindling fan base. Surf’s Up brought them back to life and to chart activity. I remember a 1974 show where after an hour of ‘unknown’ tracks they broke out the hits and it was pandemonium. We then realized than even when they were uncool, they were still amazing. Their fans were still there all the time.

This is truly my favorite era of the Beach Boys! All the records are sooo good!!! Friends & 20/20 are my favorites but Smiley Smile, Wild Honey, Sunflower, & Surf's Up are all fantastic!! Highly recommend the box set Feel Flows!! Excellent video as always Matt! Happy Thanksgiving and PLAY LOUD!

A great history and assessment of sticky but often musically fruitful era for The Beach Boys. Many things of which I either wasn't aware or only partially aware. Looking forward to the upcoming period when Carl catches the flame !

Fantastic look at the lean years! I had forgotten some of these tracks but they all came back in the snippets you played. Whenever you finish this series it could become a huge documentary focused on their music instead of some other docs that just want the sensationalism. Next time we get Pacific Ocean Blue! Rock on!!!

Sunflower is my favorite album. I think it's their best...

Rock solid episode! Already looking forward to #6 when the Beach Boys come to Holland

Thank you for part 5!! You go into such great detail. In 45 minutes I learned so much about the Beach Boys that I never knew. Can't wait for the next part!

And it's interesting that both Brian Wilson and John Lennon wrote such profound songs about abandonment, loss, and insecurity. And both had terrible childhoods.

Right on. I really look forward to and enjoy these retrospectives. Thanks for making them.

Well You Know I Knew that you played here actually has Charles Manson playing the acoustic guitar. Glad you like Time To Get Alone, its my all time favorite Beach Boys song.

This series is perhaps the finest of your band histories, Matt, and serves as a reminder of so many great post-'Smile' tracks I'd all-but forgotten about. Your hard work is much appreciated.

Excellent episode Matt! The Beach Boy’s are a lot of work.

Another great Beach Boys video!

I’m really enjoying this series! I think ‘a day in the life of a tree’ is a beautiful and poignant hidden gem in their catalog, I don’t know if the story about Brian tricking Jack Riley into singing the lead vocal is true or not but he definitely gave an impassioned performance and the pipe organ gives the song a unique intensity

Great job Matt...you hit the high spots quite well and covered some of the background in this period that I was not fully aware of.. the "Real Beach Boy Dennis Wilson" video is a decent watch for anyone interested in this era of Beach Boys history. Once again a job well done sir and have a good Thanksgiving.

Wow Matt, i think this part 5 is the best video and history dive you have done!! You have really outdone yourself this time! Though i will have to agree with Neil Young and say The Day in the Life of a Tree is a great song, i have always loved that one. Thanks Matt!!!!

Fascinating overview. I’ve learned a lot.

Great episode Matt

Thoroughly enjoyed this chapter of the Beach Boys.

great series on these guys. this episode especially. im a legit beach boys/brian wilson fan & ive learned things i never knew in regards to management, reactions, charlie manson & career salvage operations.. as usual, great job!.. i wish you could provide content for all things im interested in!

Another totally engrossing episode. I was unaware that Do It again came from this era as I though The Boys to be past their prime. The Dennis meets Manson segment was riveting. "And people thought Yoko was a problem!"

I saw The Beach Boys live twice in 1971. The first time was at the Tyrone Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis and the second time at my school, Notre Dame. This was the best, most rockin' version of the band I ever saw.

Whew.. this is a great series Matt. Really enjoying this. Thanks. :- )

19:23 - The first time I'vbe even HEARD of 'Stack-O-Tracks' also! A very cool idea!

Nice overall review, continued success.

All these records have their sublime moments, but the two that are consistently brilliant imho are 'Wild Honey' and 'Surfs Up'.

What a saga...complete failure to adapt when the opportunities struck. Great episode here, looking forward to the next!

Surf's Up is my favorite album of theirs. Excellent series!

Very illuminating video. I didn't realise just how prolific they were in the late 60s. Suppose their lack of chart success shows the importantance of image & journalism.

I don’t know why people were so pissy about Smiley Smile…other than it wasn’t Smile. I first heard Smiley Smile, paired with the Wild Honey album, on the 1990 twofer cd. There was definitely some odd tracks, but that (to me) was part of the beauty of the album: it wasn’t the same Beach Boys material they were known for.

Great video, this is the third of this series I watched and all have been very enjoyable. I gotta say though, I thoroughly disagree with the notion that the Friends album cover is bad. I think its one of, if not the most fitting cover in their discography, and a perfect representation of the music.

thank you. i just post comment on beatle video asking about part 5. i appreciate the effort. late 1960s & 1970s beach boys my favourite era. but any beach boy music is wonderful.

Excellent job of the history of the beach boys.

Amazing video on The Beach Boys once again! Thank you!

Love the British copy of Surfs Up. I love the Stateside label

Thanks Matt, I live in an alternative realm where I remove the counterculture reaction to the Beach Boys failure to still be relevant at certain point in the later sixties.I love all the new music that came about then, but it's amazing how the Beach Boys despite the dysfunctional challenges of family and music biz ,and having to dodge Manson for cripes sake, they created my favorite run of Beach Boys music. I will always defend Smiley Smile. And everything up to Holland.

Thank you! I hope to come back to these reviews after I sit down and listen to them again!

Excellent video once again. The immediate post-Pet Sounds era is filled with plenty of clunkers......but a lot of gems. IMO tracks like Aren't You Glad, Bluebirds Over the Mountain and especially Time to Get Alone are all time greats. As always, looking forward to the next part. Have a great Thanksgiving!

"Surf's Up". A masterpiece. And showing up to jam with Grateful Dead at Fillmore East didn't hurt.

I had never heard about this era of The Beach Boys. Some amazing stuff. Thanks for sharing all this

Matt! Thank you so much for this excellent 45-minute video. I'm a long-time fan of SUNFLOWER and SURF'S UP, so, thank you for your excellent research and awesome presentation. Part 5 is a grand slam !!!

Sunflower was such an underrated album for so long. It's one of my favorites and one of their best.

The BB are a part of my childhood via my older brother and are a part of my life. I really love the album Friends (including the cover :) ) Diamond Head was mistifying to my when I was a child. The only thing I could say is that it is too short. And maybe it's just perfect as it is. For me, it's definitely their swansong creatively. And great to see that Pop goes.....the 70's !! Another great video.

I'm in the UK, so I look forward to viewing this later. I've watched the previous episodes. I've learned a lot regards the Beach Boys from those episodes, much in the way that I've learned info on Lovin' Spoonful and other US acts on your channel. Keep up the good work, Matt!

20/20 sunflower and surfs up are hidden master pieces among their catalog

I've been starting to get into this era of the beach boys recently. I kinda like how raw and low key "Wild Honey" is.

Whew! Another great job son. This was particularly special for me because I, like so many others, was not paying attention to "the Boys" during this whole era. Very informative. And what a rough ride for them! Thanks Matt 😻✌

Another great installment!

Another FANTASTIC video Matt!!!👍

44:54 Love your fantasy cover creations. The BBs should license these from you and put them out!

10:23 - I had not heard of the "Wild Honey" album until now. They DO tear up "I was Made to Love her"! IMHO, it sounds better than the original!

Superb and fascinating.

I haven't really looked into it, but I get the impression that the Beach Boys have had a series of managers over the years, which has probably been to their disadvantage.

Interesting that "Cabinessence" does not appear on "Smiley Smile", considering the artwork!

Stage outfits aside, listening to the '67-'68 music now (not at the time!) shows how out of touch they had become. Certainly in England we were now heavily into the sounds coming from the great bands in the States and seeing many live. The track 'Surf's Up' is an all-time top ten favourite though, still played regularly and one of those that still sends a shiver down the spine. At last an album that shows that they were made for these times.

Do It Again was a high point for sure! Commenting here before I've watched your entire episode, but I'll finish it. Great as always. Miss seeing a real cold one on your desk!

This is by far the most interesting period for the group and when it comes to the creativity and quality of their releases, but man are The Beach Boys a chaotic and mismanaged group.

Matt, you've managed to out-do yourself!!! Thank you for all that you do!!

Probably my favourite period.

I dont know if you know this story Matt, but in an interview with Mike Love, He recalls Dennis Wilson telling the other Beach Boys for them to become Manson Family members, Love also recalls an evening in the Summer of 68, He went over to Dennis Wilson's home on the Sunset Strip and met Manson and The Family. Love remembers that everyone at the house was naked and LSD being passed around. Love excused himself from Charlie's Happening and describes being a hot summer day and Love decided to take a shower in Wilson's bathroom, as he finished showering and opened the the shower door He was startled to find Manson standing there staring at him.He confronted Love for leaving the Party, Manson said: "You cant lesve the group"!!! -Love responded bewildered:"Oh, I didnt know, Im sorry Charlie" with Manson and a couple of the Manson girls giving Love an intense look, Love decided at that moment to quickly leave Wilson's house.

Another excellent edition to this great band Matt once again great insight very enjoyable sir .

This shaping up to be a great and very comprehensive series Matt, congratulations!

Screw Mr Mayo- we got your back bro!!

Good show Matt. The band was at its best when they worked together. Friends, Sunflower and Surfs Up are great records. Cheers

Matt, you have put together another very interesting Beach Boys video and I am looking forward to watching the next installment of this great series!👍

There's a lot I love about the Wild Honey album (particularly Aren't You Glad and the 2017 stereo mix), but what I really love is Brian's piano sound. Very dramatic. Wish he got that sound on his At My Piano album.

The 80s and 90s are going to be rough

We would hear and read about various extracurricular activities of those long-haired Beatles and Rolling Stones. The All-American-looking and sounding Beach Boys' rock and roll soap opera didn't take a back seat to anybody.

The band deserves a lot of credit for keeping relevant for as long (up to mid 1967) as they did in the fast changing pop scene. These guys come from the in between period of the Golden age of R&R and the British Invasion. The British Invasion destroyed a ton of bands and all that was left after the Beatles burst onto the scene was Motown and The Beach Boys. So mad props for not only surviving , but progressing and thriving. And let's face it, The Beach Boys weren't the coolest looking band ever. No one's going to say, "Wow, those dudes sure are sexy!" And in pop music, that is an enormous liability. Their stage attire did not help at all in this. There was just not much that was cool about this band visually. And Hendrix''s dig was a fair criticism . They WERE like a barber shop quartet. The Beach Boys were always in danger of falling into nerd town. They just had so many uncool factors working against them. So the fact that they surmounted all of these HUGE obstacles and made great music we are still talking about is really all you need to know about the quality of stuff they produced. They had a great run of excellent work. One could make a very good argument that they were the most critically successful LA band of that Era. The Byrds and The Doors are close if not better, but The Beach Boys are right up there. But they easily critically outproduced a number of other LA bands like Love, Buffalo Springfield and Zappa. Growing up in Newport Beach in the mid and late 70's... sure, we mocked them , but we also dug them. Amongst the Beach community they were considered "of us". Were they goofy? Yeah, but they were also cool as fuck in the right moment. And we held them, as a surf band, in as high esteem as Dick Dale and the Ventures and the Surfaris and Jan and Dean and Wolly Bully and Telstar and I think this feeling was shared from Laguna up through Huntington Beach. I can't speak for farther north or south. None of us were turned onto Pet Sounds in High School in the late 70's early 80's, it wasn't on our radar- no one I knew talked about it. But by college I started to listen lot closer to what they put out in their mid period- and THAT was a revelation. Great band. But as I have said before, for me, after Good Vibrations- they are done. They have some spots, but it's over. Which is a shame. I think everyone was rooting for Wilson to get it together and make something awesome, but maybe that was the problem. he just wanted to live his life and be done with making music in public. And obviously, Wilson was (or went) bonkers-crazy, not as bad as Syd Barret or Gene Clark, but pretty darn close. The guy lost everything- his career, his band, his wife, his family- all of it. It is a miracle he kept what he did keep. As to Mike Love- I'm not a big fan, but he deserves almost all of the credit for keeping that band moving and going. And although I find him obnoxious , I don't begrudge him one bit for fighting for what was left and trying to keep something going after having the rug pulled out from under him. What else was he going to do?

The original Stack O Tracks came with a lyric book with all the vocal parts. It taught a bunch of us how to sing harmony by singing along to the record

33:02 "So if you think The Beatles had it bad, man, Yoko Ono was nothing compared to this!" Haha. And I'd have to admit the Charles Manson-Murray Wilson combination does outgun Yoko in her military cap/leather boots phase.

It so crazy to think about how their paths crossed with Charles Manson.

❤ great stuff thank you really enjoyed it 😊