Website Comments and Review

Today! was the first Beach Boys album released after Brian had retired from the touring Beach Boys group. It is unusual in that it is split into an up-tempo Side A and a Side B filled with romantic ballads. Both sides show a major advance in production, compared to the group's previous work, and indeed, when compared to the current work of the Beatles and other rock groups of that era. With the hindsight of forty years, Today! should now be seen as work, standing in good company with other classics of that era.

The first half of the album consists of three big USA hits, Dance, Dance, Dance, Do You Wanna Dance? and When I Grow Up (To Be A Man), the last of these being the highlight with its reflective lyric and powerful production. The real meat on this album is on the ballads side, where the theme seems to be someone leaving the hedonistic teenage and realising that love is more than just a game, as well as their own deep emotions. Mike Love's lyric on Please Let Me Wonder reflects all of this very well.

The album has two weak points- the early version of Help Me Ronda doesn't have the same power as the hit single, with the volume fades at the end somewhat offputting, while the album ends with another "talk" track of little consequence-Bull Session With Big Daddy..Had these two tracks been stronger, this would have been a "perfect" album- even despite them, it is still very, very good.

RATING: 9 out of 10