Raise All Kinds Of Candy To The Stars

There is something ironic about the fact that the Beach Boys’ only appearance in this list is with their most spontaneous and least thought-through record, not to mention that “Barbara Ann” also proved to be their big British breakthrough hit, much to the annoyance of some of the group (“I Get Around” had made the UK top ten in 1964, largely because the Beach Boys came to Britain to promote it, but their subsequent singles tended to stall in the mid-twenties under the presumption that they were “too American” for British ears). “Barbara Ann” is the song which closes the Beach Boys’ Party! album. Capitol demanded new product for Christmas ’65 but Brian refused to be rushed into new material; they had already released a Christmas album and a live album and it was too early for a greatest hits compilation, so the compromise of a “party” record – which in the mid-sixties was unprecedented for a pop group – was reached. Actually the party was in the studio and aided with sound...