Perhaps the most-storied single in the history of the band, The Beach Boys‘ “Good Vibrations” took six months to complete and was their last top 40 single for the better part of ten years.

[photogallerylink id=52852]

After Brian Wilson had completed the Beach Boys masterful Pet Sounds, he went to work on “Good Vibrations.” The song took six months to record over 17 different sessions at four different studios.

The first session was at Western Recorders, where the Boys had cut most of their hits. Subsequent sessions, where instruments were double-, triple- and even quadruple-tracked were done at RCA, Gold and Columbia before the final mix was done and ready for release. Except that Wilson insisted on one more, the fourth, which was the one that hit the street.

At a cost of $16,000, an astronomical amount at the time, “Good Vibrations” paid off with a Number 1 showing in December 1966, the next-to-last Number 1 of the year.

More Beach Boys from WCBSFM.com >

Official Music Videos for the Beach Boys ‘Good Vibrations’ and ‘Heroes And Villains’ Will Be Released

Finally! The Beach Boys Release ‘The SMiLE Sessions’

The Beach Boys Release the Highly Influential ‘Pet Sounds’
[photogallerylink id=48672]
[photogallerylink id=52852]

There’s a lot more ammo where this came from. Check out more songs that were “#1 with a Bullet” here…