Alternate universe where Carl leaves instead of David. What happens??

[SurferDownUnder]

Was just letting my mind wander and thinking about what would have happened if Carl left in 1963 instead of David, what happens to the Boys??

[The Shift]

Maybe Dave and Dennis skip off so much that Al, Mike and Brian can't hold it together, and with no real family obligations to fulfil Brian gets into other production projects and the Beach Boys fold long before All Summer Long. No Pet Sounds, no Today, no California Girls…

Or maybe Brian would have formed a band with Gary Usher, with Mike and Al contributing vocals but writing handled by Brian and Gary. The Drag Kings or something…

[Mike's Beard]

By 1969 at the very latest the band would have been toast.

[c-man]

Impossible. Murry wouldn't have allowed any of his sons to leave. Brian's lucky he got to stay home when he did.

[bgas]

Impossible. Murry wouldn't have allowed any of his sons to leave. Brian's lucky he got to stay home when he did.

True. So very True.
So lets talk about a more possible alternative universe:
 Mike is physically injured  and can no longer  tour but remains in the Beach Boys and continues writing lyrics for Brian's melodies....

[Jukka]

That would have been tragic, but I believe the lyrix would have been even better. Being full-time lyrics guy who doesn't see every night how the crowd goes crazy about the old surfin' hits, he could have developed into a proper poet. Still, I'm glad he was and still is the front man.