Wild Honey (album)

Wild Honey is the thirteenth studio album by the American rock band the Beach Boys, released on December 18, 1967, by Capitol Records. Recorded between September and November, it was the group's first foray into soul music, influenced by the R&B of Motown and Stax Records, and their second album to credit production collectively to the band. It continued the lo-fi style of Smiley Smile.

Following the recording of an attempted live album (Lei'd in Hawaii), the Beach Boys had been inspired to regroup as a self-contained rock band, partly in response to critical assertions that they were "ball-less choir boys", and purposely distanced themselves from prevailing rock trends. Brian Wilson ceded some of his role in the production to Carl Wilson, a trend that continued on subsequent records. Mike Love also returned as Brian's main songwriting collaborator for the first time since Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) in 1965. Wild Honey became the band's worst-selling album at that point, charting at number 24 in the U.S. Lead single "Wild Honey" peaked at number 31, while its follow-up "Darlin'" reached number 19. Most critics dismissed or declined to review the album. In the UK, it peaked at number seven.

In later years, a greater appreciation formed around the album's simplicity and charm; it has been credited with presaging a back-to-basics approach adopted by contemporaries including Bob Dylan and the Beatles, and with pioneering the DIY pop genre. In 1979, the track "Here Comes the Night" was redone by the group as a disco single. In 2020, Wild Honey was ranked number 410 on Rolling Stone's list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. A remixed and expanded edition, titled 1967 – Sunshine Tomorrow, was released in 2017 and contained the album's first stereo mix.