On Sale Today: “Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)”

July 5, 1965 - On sale today is “Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!),” the ninth studio album by the Beach Boys. 

The band’s previous album, “The Beach Boys Today!,” released in March, represented a departure for the group through its abandonment of themes related to surfing, cars, and teenage love. However, it sold below Capitol Records’ expectations. 

In response, the label pressured the group to produce bigger hits. “Summer Days” thus returns the band’s music to simpler themes, with lead songwriter and producer Brian Wilson combining Capitol’s commercial demands with his artistic calling.

The new album yields two singles: “Help Me, Rhonda,” released in March, and “California Girls,” set for release as a single next week.

The cover photo depicting the group on a sailboat shows Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, and Mike Love. Al Jardine is missing from the photo, having missed the shoot due to illness.

Bruce Johnston is also not on the cover, although he does perform on the album and was present for the photo shoot. As Brian Wilson’s stage replacement, he is not yet considered an official member, but Wilson appreciated Johnston’s skills enough to have him contribute vocally and instrumentally to the album. Johnston often accompanies the group on photo shoots, but he is prohibited from having those pictures published on album covers due to a preexisting contract with Columbia Records.

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