BEST ROCK HARMONIES: That's Right: "Kokomo" Doesn't Count

On Tuesday, I mentioned the uncanny harmonizing abilities of siblings. This phenomenon predates rock and roll by eons, stretching back to the Carter Family, the Andrews Sisters and beyond. But the greatest set of singing siblings in history were of the rock era, in the form of brothers from Hawthorne, California.

Carl, Dennis, and Brian Wilson sang together from the start. Brian would spend hours upstairs ("In My Room") teaching his younger brothers songs by the Four Freshman and the Lettermen. Teaming up with their cousin and a neighborhood friend, they became the Beach Boys, and did some of the best group singing in pop music history. And they were way less creepy-looking than the Everly Brothers.

As members of the group dropped out due to mental illness (Brian), death (Carl and Dennis), and lawsuits (anyone who isn't Mike Love), the Beach Boys name became diluted by hired guns and sidemen. The original lineup, augmented by Bruce Johnston, remains the only one I'll accept. I'm sorry, but if you weren't on Pet Sounds, you're not a Beach Boy. That means you, John Stamos.

The Beach Boys' creative peak, about 1966-'67, gets most of the attention, and rightly so. But their early stuff is fascinating, too. I'll never know where they got the idea to meld Chuck Berry rock and roll licks with the harmonies of ascot-wearing glee clubs. I can only thank them for having it.

TODAY'S RECOMMENDATION: "Their Hearts Were Full of Spring" by the Beach Boys
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