Thanks, and for the recommendations, too.  I was kinda aware that the "autobio" was questionable but had to check it out anyway...lots of strange drama involved with this band it seems.  Well, I'll just be focusing on the music anyway...I did buy the new CD, and find track #1 and #10 very nice.  It's good that they were able to make some more music again and still perform especially in their 70s!

Hi!  I'm probably considered a casual long time Beach Boys fan who suddenly had some sort of epiphany last week when I heard the song, "Surf's Up" for the first time.  Oh, my I love this song!  It is so surprising to me that it came from the Beach Boys.
I grew up hearing the Beach Boys during the 60s and have memories of watching them on t.v. back then, playing the 8 Track we owned...two of my special favorite songs being "In my Room" and "All summer long", but I never delved into more (besides playing the Endless Summer CD in the car every summer).  So, I have a lot to catch up on.
What started it was probably a month ago while watching my favorite t.v. show, "Mad Men" and hearing the Beach Boys singing...I didn't recognize the song but it captured me as well as the remarkable episode so I got online and found out it was "I just wasn't made for these times"...I made a note to self to check out the album, Pet Sounds, it came from.  But, naturally other things take over and then one night while sick I was flipping channels and saw some movie about the Beach Boys and watched it...which then intrigued me to find out more about this band since I really never knew.  Started with checking out from the library the Brian Wilson autobio.  Um, wow...I vaguely knew a bit about him but had no idea...I'm not sure what is what but all I can say is that I have deep compassion for anyone who was so lost and suffered childhood abuse and great admiration for them climbing out of the depths to survive...that takes a lot of strength!
So,
I get to the part in the book near his severe breakdown and reading about some song with very strange lyrics...I figured this might've been some bomb of a song, but later I go on youtube to listen to some BB songs and I see this one, "Surf's Up" (thinking it was one of the beach romp types) and click on it....I was not expecting to be so moved and tears welling up behind my eyes.  This song touched me deeply...it's just beautiful...I keep playing it over & over.  Then a few days later I was in Barnes & Noble and saw a magazine at the checkout with the Beach Boys from the 60s on the cover (Mojo) and as I browsed it I saw it had the 50 best BB songs...and guess what #1 was?  Yep, Surf's Up.  Guess a lot of people like it.
So, here I be.  I'm bummed that I missed them in concert recently...I even remember saying to myself a few months ago that I should try to go see them when they were on the Grammys and chatting on a radio show...rats!  lol.  
Well, I look forward to discovering this great music that has many more layers than I thought... there always was  an undercurrent of sadness even among all the beachy fun but I see it wasn't just about summer ending.