🚢Yacht Pop Anchors #3, Beach Boys Edition: Elton John, Ringo Starr, Styx, Eric Carmen...and, Brian

Inspired by, featuring, guesting...whether it's Brian Wilson, or a couple other Beach Boys, this Yacht Pop anchors on the shores of Melodious Island, with a glorious stopover on Harmony Cay.

In this Beach Boys/Brian Wilson-inspired Yacht Pop Anchors, four artists, who are all stars firmly planted in the classic rock firmament, honor the head Beach Boy, create music inspired by him, or actually host him in the studio!

It’s far from all-inclusive, but it’s a start. I wanted to include Jackie DeShannon’s sublime “Boat to Sail” from 1975, and her New Arrangement album (featuring Brian and then-wife, Marilyn, on background vocals), but if I didn’t cut it there, knowing me, this would’ve morphed into a gorgeous, but unwieldy several-dozen-song Playlist!

Styx, “Fooling Yourself (Palm of Your Hands),” 2003 (with Brian Wilson)

They do their durndest, but even PopDose can’t help but throw up their collective hands at this truly wondrous slab of vocal bliss: “It only lasts for 39 seconds, and I have no idea how or why it came to pass, but the Dennis-DeYoung-less incarnation of the band managed to corral Brian to sing on what’s basically just a quick run-through of the chorus to their classic Tommy Shaw track from ’77 [“Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)”]. Frankly, I kind of wish they’d done a full version of it, because it’s a pretty awesome reinvention of the song.” I couldn’t have said it better.

On power pop: “A few la-la’s and hand claps won’t kill you.”—Greg Shaw, the ‘70s