The Beach Boys are one of the most long-lived and popular rock groups of the modern era. Their distinctive sound and outlook, which began as smooth Southern California surfing music in the early 1960s, evolved to the point where they became a phenomenon in themselves, the epitome of a rock style that combined the melodious poetry of Robinson Jeffers with the lilting rhythms of Mike Love and Al Jardine. Exuberance was always their trademark. You knew they liked what they were singing about, whether it was surf, cars, or girls. No wonder, then, that the Boys were a major factor in putting Southern California on the landscape of modern rock music. Their many albums span over three decades of tension, turmoil, and upheaval, but their music has somehow survived the years with undiminished spirit and vigor. The Beach Boys remain definitive representatives of the open, generous spirit of the California lifestyle. Golden and Seldis explore the group and their music as a golden example of the pastoral theme. Includes a detailed Discography, Notes, Bibliography, and comprehensive Index.