Sunflower is the 16th studio album by The Beach Boys, released on August 31, 1970, and their first on Reprise Records. The recording sessions began in January 1969, and after a year-long search for a new record contract, completed in July 1970. Read more on Last.fm.
The Beach Boys is an American rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The original lineup included brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their friend Al Jardine. Known for their vocal harmonies and lyrics often centered on youth culture, the band drew influence from older pop vocal groups, 1950s rock and roll, and rhythm and blues. Under Brian Wilson's leadership, their music sometimes incorporated elements of classical and jazz, as well as experimental recording techniques. Read more on Last.fm
Arguably the best post-“Pet Sounds” Beach Boys record and a pretty good choice for their second best overall, “Sunflower” sees the group operating as a band more than ever before with Brian relinquishing total control and actually letting a few of the other Wilson boys shine. Dennis, in particular, begins to flower on this release – “Slip on Through” would not sound at all out of his place on his later masterwork, “Pacific Ocean Blue” (his “It’s About Time” and “Forever” are also highlights). Meanwhile Bruce Johnston contributes a couple of winners in “Deirdre” and “Tears in the Morning” while Carl Wilson delivers his all-time best vocal performance in “This Whole World” and Mike Love’s “All I Wanna Do” is not only the strangest Beach Boys song (I’ve heard it called “proto-shoegaze,” which totally fits), it’s also one of their unheralded best.
This isn’t to suggest that Brian is in any way slacking here, though; in fact, he’s probably as close to the top of his game here as he ever came post-“SMiLE” breakdown. The vocal harmonies he put together on the aforementioned “This Whole World,” “Add Some Music to Your Day” and “Cool, Cool Water” are on par with the best of their mid-60s material, and his arrangements and production are absolutely pristine. It doesn’t have the lasting impact that “Pet Sounds” or even “Endless Summer” provide, but packs more than enough punch to solidify itself as a great record by one of America’s all-time greatest bands.