No band rides the creative see-saw with as much vigour as The Beach Boys.
There's the (admittedly short) period when Brian Wilson was at his creative peak, and the band tossed out sun-dappled teenage symphonies that didn't so much take music in new directions as much as reinvent it entirely. And then, as Brian retreats into the shadows, cousin Mike Love has frequently seemed intent on undoing all that good work.
