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The Beach Boys were one of the most popular singing groups of the 1960s. The band was famous for their songs about surfing, California, and girls. Many of their albums rocketed to the top of the charts. But which one was their most popular?

The Beach Boys’ history as a band

The Beach Boys were formed in 1961 in California, made up of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and a friend named Al Jardine. The band was a true family affair; the Wilsons’ father Murry served as their manager, while Brian was the creative mind behind the group’s hit songs. 

The group continues to tour today, but Love is the only original member who still performs. He is typically joined by a changing lineup that includes longtime stand-in Beach Boy Bruce Johnston and guitar player and vocalist Scott Totten, among others. Actor John Stamos also frequently performs with the band. 

The Beach Boys had just two No. 1 Albums 

The group released their first album in 1962, Surfin’ Safari, and from there, the Beach Boys became stars. Songs like “Surfin’ Safari,” and “Surfin’ U.S.A.” were extremely popular. But it wasn’t until 1964 that the band got their first No. 1 hit with “I Get Around.”

Many of the Beach Boys’ songs stayed at the top of the charts. But their albums were a slightly different story. Over the course of the band’s decades-long career, the Beach Boys had just two No. 1 albums. First was the 1964 live album Beach Boys In Concert. Then, Endless Summer, a 1974 compilation of some of their greatest hits. 

A 2003 compilation album is the Beach Boys’ longest-charting project

The group might not have had a lot of No. 1 albums. But their work had staying power, with some albums remaining on the Billboard charts for months. Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of the Beach Boys was another compilation album, released in 2003. It peaked at 16, but remained on the Billboard charts for a whopping 316 weeks. 

Endless Summer came in second, at 156 weeks. Surfin’ U.S.A spent 63 weeks on the Billboard charts, peaking at 11, while Surfer Girl stayed on the Billboard charts for 56 weeks, with a peak position of No. 7. 

The Beach Boys’ ‘Pet Sounds’ is considered by many to be one of the greatest albums of all time

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The band’s early projects and compilation albums are unarguably some of their most successful and popular works. But one of their albums is considered one of the greatest of all time — even though it peaked at the tenth slot on the Billboard charts. 

Pet Sounds was released in 1966 and was initially not warmly received by critics and fans alike. However, today, it is considered one of the greatest and most influential pop albums of all time. In 2004, it was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress. 

It has been named one of the greatest albums of all time by music publications like NME, while Rolling Stone put it at No. 2 in their list of 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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