One of the definitive rock bands of the 60s, The Beach Boys need no introduction (but we're going to give you one anyway, just to be sure).
Formed in Hawthorne, California in 1961, the band originally consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their friend Al Jardine. They very quickly garnered a lot of attention thanks to their catchy vocal harmonies and new take on surf rock (a subgenre of rock and roll native to Southern California).
Over the span of several decades, the band would go on to define the "California Sound" of surf rock, thanks to songs that reflected the Calfornia youth culture of surfing, cars, and romance (which frankly sounds like youth culture in general if you take out the surfing).
The band would ultimately release 29 studio albums, 3 of which went Platinum and 8 of which went Gold, cementing their legacy as rock stars for the ages.
So, it should come as no surprise that the band's signature vocal harmonies (with Brian, Dennis and Carl hitting G, A and B respectively) sound pretty amazing in any context you hear them in; even without instruments!
Seriously, the recording is pretty incredible!
In one of the many examples available on Youtube of isolated vocal tracks from famous songs, someone has taken The Beach Boys' "Wouldn't It Be Nice?" and reduced it down to just the vocals, and the results are pretty incredible.
Pretty great huh? It gives you a whole new appreciation for how perfect those melodies are!
