Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) by The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys\' second album of 1965 marries the melodic sophistication of its predecessor, *The Beach Boys Today!*, with the carefree spirit of their earlier singles. The results practically make for a greatest-hits album, featuring classic, upbeat pop tunes like \"California Girls,\" \"Help Me, Rhonda,\" and \"Let Him Run Wild.\" The Beatlesesque rocker \"Girl Don\'t Tell Me\" and the lush, romantic ballad \"Summer Means New Love\" mark the poles of Brian Wilson\'s increasingly wide-ranging style, while the sardonic \"I\'m Bugged at My Ol’ Man\" showcases his humorous side.

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Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) was a bit of a regression from the success of Today!, lapsing back into that distressing division between first-rate cuts and lightweight also-rans that characterized their pre-1965 albums.

<p>Drugs, mental illness, incongruous jazz combos - the recent batch of reissues aren't pretty, says Alexis Petridis.</p>