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In this episode we welcome the one and only Al Jardine, founding member of The Beach Boys. Al talks all about his current tour, in which he goes deep on The Beach Boys Love You and celebrates the 60th anniversary of Pet Sounds. He gushes about his Pet Sounds Band, many of whom played with Brian Wilson. We get the scoop on a live album soon to see release, with Love You sounding more orchestrated than ever. He argues that Brian's songwriting on the 1977 album was even a step ahead of his work on the classic Pet Sounds. He talks dueling versions of "Hang on to Your Ego" and "I Know There's an Answer," cowriting the track "Good Time" with Brian, why he loved The Wrecking Crew, how engineer Chuck Britz made the boys sound great, the frustrations of working with producer Joe Thomas on That's Why God Made the Radio, resurrecting the single "It's a Beautiful Day," the last time he saw Mike Love, and upcoming meetings to discuss future Beach Boys directions. You don't want to miss it!

As the editor of fanzine Endless Summer Quarterly for more than 30 years, David Beard has likely interviewed The Beach Boys more than anyone. So it's only right that he would gather some of his best discussions into a great new book, titled All Summer Long: Conversations with The Beach Boys from Surfin' to SMiLE. David joins Mark and Phil to discuss how a writer stays objective when he has a long relationship with a band. He also talks about how he got Brian Wilson to open up; how Brian and Tony Asher wanted other artists to cover songs off Pet Sounds; was it wise to market Brian as a genius; why Beach Boys' Party! Uncovered and Unplugged is one of his favorite releases; the importance of Jan & Dean in the story; the sad passing of Mike's sister, harpist Maureen Love; and his secret wish for Drew Barrymore.

Hear Phil's interview with the one and only Al Jardine! We get the scoop on upcoming shows in which Al will perform Pet Sounds for its 60th anniversary, and a new arrangement of "Cottonfields." Al shares his final conversation with Brian Wilson. Phil reviews Al's recent live show, in which he performs the album The Beach Boys Love You. Phil also shares the story of a rare Al Beach Boys stage shirt he was gifted back in the 1960s. Mark provides a hot take on "Sloop John B." We also talk about Bruce Johnston stepping away from touring and the recent leak of 400 unreleased Beach Boys/Brian tracks. This episode is jam-packed!

Now that The Beach Boys' box set We Gotta Groove: The Brother Studio Years is out, garnering 5* reviews and selling out fast, tune in to part two of our conversation with set producers Howie and James. We ask them what went into the decisions behind which tracks to include and not include. Do The Beach Boys have the best outtakes? Is "Hey Little Tomboy" canceled? What about the unreleased record known to collectors as "New Album"? We note how young listeners digest the catalog without prejudice. James names which of these songs would work best in a movie or TV show. We mourn the what-could-have-beens of Carl and Dennis, and extol the virtues of "Holy Man." And Howie tells us what might be next. You don't want to miss it!

We have the scoop on The Beach Boys' We Gotta Groove - The Brother Studio Years box set, and are joined by co-producers Howie Edelson and James Saez. James describes his engineering approach to these archival recordings that are sacred to the fan base. We review the anchor LP The Beach Boys Love You - embraced by Krautrock and the CBGB crowd? Was Love You the Pet Sounds of the 70s, or the Wild Honey? With Brian and Dennis in full swing, was 1977 the best year of the decade for the band? What were the pros and cons of the 76-77 "Brian Is Back" era? You don't wanna miss it!

Part two of our chat with Brian biographer and friend David Leaf - whose latest book is SMiLE: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of Brian Wilson - recorded days after Brian's passing. Here we ask, was it right for The Beach Boys to include out-of-context Smile tracks on albums after the project collapsed, and play them live? David elaborates on his role on the group's 1990s box sets - and the reasons for their delays. We measure Beach Boys fans vs. Brianistas and bemoan the Disney documentary. David recalls the last song Brian requested on David's final visit - you'd be surprised what it is! Have a listen to hear stories the estimable Mr. Leaf has not shared anywhere else.

Days after Brian Wilson passed away - and on his birthday - his biographer and good friend David Leaf returned for part one of a special two-part episode. David shares his recollections of Brian's challenging recent years. It's group therapy for David and hosts Mark and Phil, as they discuss how Brian made the world a better place, stepping out of The Beatles' shadow, did the obits really "get" Brian, more insight into why SMiLE was shelved, and they ask, "Did Brian's ambitions really die with SMiLE?" Of course, we also talk to David about his great new book on the saga of that legendary album.

In this special snackable episode, Mark compares The Beach Boys' 1967 SMiLE album with The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. A year earlier the bands came out, respectively, with the classic Pet Sounds and Revolver LPs, and it was The Beach Boys who were favored in NME's year-end poll. If SMiLE had come out during the Summer of Love, how would it have fared? Mark weighs the two albums track by track, and in terms of cultural impact and overall artistic impression. These records are considered by many to be both bands' ultimate production statements - which one will come out on top? (This mini-episode is a longer version of a clip Mark recorded for the Apples & Oranges Podcast.)

Howie Edelson, Beach Boys' creative consultant and catalog producer, returns to talk up this new oral history of the group to which he contributed interviews and new text. But that's just the launch point: we also get an update on Brian Wilson, and discuss the contributions of Ricky Fataar and Blondie Chaplin, the many mysteries of Murry Wilson, we reveal the TRUE identity of Reggie Dunbar, pit "The Trader" vs. "Catch a Wave", and talk about the love the guys have had for one another despite it all. Howie also teases what might be the next box set!

Mark and Phil pay tribute to the late Jeffrey Foskett, a part of The Beach Boys family for over 40 years. They discuss Jeff's role as singer and guitarist for The BBs and Brian Wilson's band, as well as Brian's "keeper." Mark reveals the lost chapter of Fifty Sides of The Beach Boys - "Jeffrey Foskett on 'The Warmth of the Sun'" and some never-before published quotes from the man himself. The hosts also relate their personal interactions with Jeff, and last but not least, explain Jeff's predilection for Nudie shirts.

In this episode Mark and Phil welcome Matt and Greg Coffey, hosts of online show BeachBoystalk, which has brought together the fan community. It's a multigenerational fan smackdown, covering such topics as: did Brian Wilson really want to tour? Is there Beach Boys without Wilsons? Why did Carl Wilson throw Phil out of the BBs office? What's up with Matt's unholy love for MIU? Do different generations of fans appreciate "Kokomo" and the later albums differently? This one has it all!

Christian Love has been playing guitar and singing in The Beach Boys' touring band since 2005. He joined us to talk about his great new solo album Only Alibis, as well as working with his dad Mike Love, his relationships with the other original band members, the touring group's recent shakeup, collabbing with The Weeknd, life on the road, The BBs' future, the songs he most likes to sing, and his favorite BBs LP.

Grammy Hall of Famer Dean Torrence was one half of legendary duo and Beach Boys collaborators Jan & Dean. The archival release The Teammates collects many of Dean's musical collaborations from 1965-1985, including those with Mike Love and Bruce Johnston. Dean tells us about his many partnerships, including lesser-known efforts with The Carpenters and Steve Martin. He also talks about being gifted chart-topping hit "Surf City" by Brian Wilson; Jan & Dean's ill-fated TV pilot On the Run, and the role Dennis Wilson would have played on it; cult favorite Jan and Dean Meet Batman; how TV biopic Deadman's Curve got Jan & Dean seats aboard The Beach Boys' private jet, and so much more!

Dig deeper into The Beach Boys' latest box set release with one of the guys who helped put it together. The always entertaining and insightful Howie Edelson returns to talk up this fascinating new set. We discuss the challenge the group faced in 1972 of winning over concertgoers with their new music, Al Jardine rolling up his sleeves, stripping down Dennis Wilson's ballads, the contributions of Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar, and the still murky history of "Sail on Sailor."

David Leaf is back to talk about his new book God Only Knows: The Story of Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys & the California Myth. The release includes the entirety of David's seminal 1978 book, plus its 1985 update, and most excitedly, a substantial new update that brings the story to the present. He tells us about his long-ago mission to befriend Brian and help him finish Smile; navigating Eugene Landy, Brian exorcising his demons and where he is at today, and The Beach Boys' 60th anniversary.