Beyond the Surf and Sand: The Soulful Rediscovery of The Beach Boys’ ‘Love You’ on Stage
The 1977 album, “The Beach Boys Love You,” has long occupied a peculiar, often debated, space within the illustrious catalog of America’s most iconic band. Is it a testament to Brian Wilson’s unyielding genius, a quirky outlier, or a forgotten misstep? For decades, its unique sound and departure from the group’s signature harmonies have fueled division among critics and fans alike. Even core member Al Jardine confesses that his appreciation for the record blossomed only recently, highlighting the internal complexities surrounding its legacy. Yet, for the most ardent devotees of Brian Wilson’s prolific output, “Love You” is far from a lark; it’s a deeply personal, experimental triumph that has, against initial commercial failure, garnered a fervent cult following.
Now, nearly half a century after its release, “Love You” is finally receiving its long-overdue spotlight. Al Jardine and The Pet Sounds Band – a collective largely comprised of the musicians who toured extensively with Brian Wilson during his solo career – have embarked on a remarkable journey, bringing the album’s distinct soundscapes to live audiences. While previous tour dates featured a selection of its tracks, a historic first is set for Friday night: the ensemble will perform the entire “Love You” album, track-for-track, in an unprecedented live celebration. For anyone who has witnessed this band’s meticulous and heartfelt renditions of Brian Wilson’s material, the pilgrimage to such a show is undoubtedly worthwhile. Their commitment to faithfully resurrecting Brian’s intricate arrangements and emotional depth has been a hallmark of their performances for decades, a poignant continuation of his musical spirit, particularly in the months following the pop genius’s passing.
The significance of “Love You” in The Beach Boys’ discography cannot be overstated, particularly for those tracking Brian Wilson’s artistic evolution. Coming after the more commercially focused “15 Big Ones,” which was accompanied by the “Brian’s Back” marketing campaign, “Love You” represented a raw, unfiltered creative outpouring. While “15 Big Ones” sought to re-establish Brian’s presence, Al Jardine candidly describes it as an attempt to “make something out of nothing, quite honestly,” suggesting that Brian wasn’t “entirely back” then. “Love You,” however, marked a genuine, albeit unconventional, return to form for Wilson. It was an album almost entirely conceived and written by him, offering an intimate glimpse into his internal world.
This deeply personal nature is what resonated so strongly with Darian Sahanaja, a pivotal figure in the Brian Wilson/Pet Sounds Band and a former member of the L.A. group The Wondermints, who has channeled virtually all his musical passion into the Wilson oeuvre. In a recent backstage conversation with *Variety* before a Southern California show, Sahanaja drew a compelling parallel between “Love You” and the band’s seminal 1966 masterpiece, “Pet Sounds.” He noted that both albums emerged from a similar creative process for Brian: he would meticulously craft the instrumental tracks, often while the other Beach Boys were on tour, then bring them in later to lay down vocals. This solitary, self-driven approach, Sahanaja argues, makes “Love You” arguably Brian’s second-most personal album, even more so than “Pet Sounds” in certain respects, given that Brian penned most of the lyrics himself for the 1977 effort, unlike the collaboration with lyricist Tony Asher on the earlier classic.
The genesis of this current tour performing “Love You” live is a story of shared passion and a desire to honor Brian Wilson’s enduring legacy. Jardine revealed that the idea was largely spearheaded by the band members themselves, particularly Sahanaja, whom Jardine affectionately calls “the librarian” for his encyclopedic knowledge of Wilson’s work. “They’re the ones that talked me into doing this ‘Love You’ album,” Jardine recounted, acknowledging the significant undertaking. For Jardine, it presented “a great way to put the band back together, after Brian passed. Well, even before Brian passed, we’d been trying to get the band back together.” The project provided a much-needed focus for the musicians, who hadn’t worked together since 2022. “It gave us a focus, a priority, this long-awaited completion of the idea to do the ‘Love You’ album and bring it to the forefront of our activity, musically,” Jardine explained.
Sahanaja’s conviction was a driving force, overcoming Jardine’s initial skepticism. “I’m so glad you convinced me, because we kept going back and forth,” Jardine admitted to Sahanaja, recalling his bandmate’s enthusiastic prediction: “If you do this, if we accomplish this, people are gonna come out of the cities, they’re gonna come out of the woods, Al…” Jardine’s initial reservations were understandable. He recalled his limited participation in the original recording, often traveling from Big Sur just to contribute vocals. “It didn’t sound like a Beach Boy album to me,” he confessed. “It was great, but it seemed like more of a Brian project, which of course it was. It was dedicated to him by his brothers, and particularly Carl (Wilson). Carl was the de facto producer, really, and pulled us all together so that Brian would be at ease, writing these songs.”
The album’s unique sonic palette was a major factor in its initial divergence from Beach Boys expectations. “Love You” was a synth-driven record, a bold departure from the band’s usual guitar-and-harmony arrangements. Brian Wilson, ever the innovator, opted for a Moog synthesizer for basslines, creating a soundscape that felt distinctly modern for 1977. This avant-garde approach, while perhaps alienating to some traditional Beach Boys fans at the time, ironically appealed to a younger generation, foreshadowing elements of synth-pop and new wave that would dominate the 1980s. As Jardine noted, “Brian was in the forefront of all that stuff. He didn’t use bass guitars on this. He had a Moog synthesizer [as the bass]. It was a different style of production than the Beach Boys were accustomed to.” Jardine himself felt a disconnect initially: “I’m sitting there with a guitar and going, ‘What the hell am I supposed to do?’ So I really didn’t relate in that sense musically to it at first. Now I get it, because it’s so cleverly written.”
Sahanaja elaborated on Brian’s “DIY approach” to the album, suggesting that Wilson wasn’t intellectualizing or calculating the synth choices. Instead, “He was like, ‘This sounds good to me and I could do this. I can just grab a keyboard and play these notes, and there it is. I’m happy.’ But the way it all came together in that sort of DIY approach, little did he know…” This uninhibited creativity resulted in lyrics that were strikingly sincere and childlike, exploring themes from the cosmos (“Solar System”) to everyday observations (“Airplane”). Jardine, who once couldn’t recall singing on some tracks, now expresses profound admiration. “Who writes a song with that kind of context, about the planets? It’s just beautiful,” he mused. “‘Airplane.’ Oh my God. ‘Airplane’ is one of my favorites of all time. Now I’m completely…” Sahanaja chimed in, noting the joy of watching Jardine’s “reorientation” with the music. “He was skeptical at first, and just to watch him become reoriented with this music again and discovering it… I love seeing him getting really, really into the music and realizing, ‘God, these are really, really beautiful songs.’”
Despite its experimental core, “Love You” also contained echoes of the classic Beach Boys sound, particularly in tracks like “Roller Skating Child” and “Honkin’ Down the Highway,” the latter featuring Al Jardine on lead vocals. These songs provided a bridge for listeners and for Jardine himself, showcasing Brian’s ability to effortlessly blend retro charm with future-forward innovation. Jardine even shared a charming anecdote about discovering a “sus4” chord in “Roller Skating Child” from an old songbook, a detail that surprised even Sahanaja, given Brian’s typical aversion to sustained chords.
Al Jardine and the Pet Sounds Band at Cerritos Center
Chris Willman/Variety
The performances by Al Jardine and The Pet Sounds Band are not merely recreations; they are imbued with a profound sense of reverence and an almost spiritual connection to Brian Wilson. “In the wake of us losing Brian, it’s just his soul and his spirit are with us,” Sahanaja affirmed. Jardine echoed this sentiment: “He’s right there. He’s right there.” The band’s dedication extends to meticulously reproducing the album’s original sonic texture, including its charming imperfections. Multi-instrumentalist and musical director Paul Von Mertens recalled debates during “Pet Sounds” tour rehearsals about keeping “a funny banjo entrance,” ultimately deciding to preserve it because “it’s on there.” Sahanaja pointed to a similar moment in “Love You”‘s “Johnny Carson,” featuring “this errant symbol crash that’s completely not (right), and we just love it, because, again, I picture Brian just going, ‘Pssssh, that’s it! *That sounds great. Keep it*.’” This commitment to authenticity, even embracing what might be perceived as mistakes, underscores the band’s understanding of Brian Wilson’s intuitive and often spontaneous approach to production. “When you listen back to even the golden-era Beach Boys recordings of Brian conducting the studio musicians (in the mid-’60s), many times they’ll play something and say, ‘Is that right?’ And Brian will go, ‘Yeah, that’s great. Just keep that,’ because he just loves the vibe of it,” Sahanaja explained, illustrating Wilson’s preference for feel over absolute technical precision.
The band, consisting of 12 members, almost entirely drawn from Brian Wilson’s former touring ensemble, carries the torch with remarkable skill. Jardine lauded their ability to do justice to the original vocals, particularly praising Sahanaja’s uncanny ability to channel Carl Wilson’s lead vocals. “You carry Carl’s leads amazingly. How you do that? ‘God, please let us go on this way…’ You won’t believe that, his performance, how he carries the spirit of Carl.” The continuity of the band members, with only one temporary fill-in for Probyn Gregory (who was touring with “Weird Al” Yankovic), speaks to the deep camaraderie and shared mission among these musicians.
The current tour presents a fascinating dynamic with its audience. While a dedicated segment of fans specifically seeks out the “Love You” experience, many attendees may be less familiar with the album, expecting a more traditional Beach Boys greatest hits set. Sahanaja, channeling Brian Wilson’s artistic fearlessness, embraces this challenge. “I don’t know. In the spirit of Brian Wilson, I like the idea that we just forge ahead and be bold,” he stated. Von Mertens recounted a similar experience during the “Smile” tour, where the band played the complex album to a skeptical festival crowd in Belgium. Despite initial doubts, the audience’s overwhelming positive reaction — a soccer chant equivalent of a standing ovation — proved that quality material, performed with passion, can transcend familiarity. “I always believe that if the material is really good and it’s performed well with love and care, it doesn’t matter if an audience is familiar with the music. I think they walk away feeling like, ‘Wow, that was really good,’” Sahanaja concluded.
Indeed, the tour is proving to be a bridge between generations, attracting a surprisingly young demographic. Sahanaja noted, “We’re getting a lot of young people coming out to the shows, and freaking out. We just see them chanting and jamming along and jumping and up and down. It’s insane.” This unexpected youth appeal is attributed to the album’s “DIY approach in the synths,” which resonates with contemporary tastes. The most unexpected crowd-pleaser? “Ding Dang,” a mere 52-second track from the album. Jardine observed, “It’s 52 seconds long, right? But it gets the audience; they go crazy immediately with the biggest reaction, and they start going ‘woo’ with this, just carrying on like a bunch of kids. It’s really a childlike experience.” The band even adds a surprise chord change to extend the fun, demonstrating their joyful engagement with the material.
Darian Sahanaja
Scott Dudelson
For those unable to attend the live performances, or for fans seeking an even deeper dive into this unique period of Brian Wilson’s creativity, a new boxed set from UMe offers a comprehensive exploration. The collection focuses on the “Love You” album, including outtakes and surrounding material from the projects immediately before and after its creation. This release further solidifies the album’s newfound appreciation and provides invaluable context to its place in The Beach Boys’ intricate narrative.
The journey of “The Beach Boys Love You” from a commercially overlooked curiosity to a critically re-evaluated classic, and now to a celebrated live experience, is a testament to Brian Wilson’s enduring artistic vision and the unwavering dedication of the musicians who carry his flame. It’s a story of rediscovery, perseverance, and the timeless power of music to connect with new generations. The upcoming full album performance at the United Theater on Broadway in downtown L.A. at 8 p.m. on Friday night promises to be a landmark event for fans. Tickets are available here, and for those interested in other tour dates where a significant portion of “Love You” may still be performed, additional information can be found here.
