The Beach Boys

In this two-hour live recording, The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson plays his most ambitious album, Smile, at Carnegie Hall. Released almost four decades after its creation, the album has been reconstructed and reworked from original tapes and new recordings. Listen to songs from Smile, Beach Boys favorites, and excerpts from recording sessions in this Creator's at Carnegie special.

John Sebastian is probably best known for founding The Lovin' Spoonful. And who better to talk about summertime music than the voice behind "Summer In The City"? He dishes on his favorite tune for the season: The Beach Boys' "I Get Around."

Covering music from Marian Anderson to ZZ Top, 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die: A Listener's Life List covers all genres in its more than 900 pages. It's driven by the notion that "the more you love music, the more music you love." Author Tom Moon submits his picks for the best summer recordings.

In the late 1960s, Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson began work on an ambitious album called Smile. It was never released. Now Wilson is touring Europe, playing a 45-minute concert version of the music to high praise from critics. Hear "Surf's Up," a song originally recorded for Smile.

Brian Wilson was most responsible for the Beach Boys' unique sound that fused harmonious rock with the ethos of surfing. After the success of the Beach Boys, Wilson's had a much-publicized 20-year struggle with drugs and emotional problems. In 1988 he produced his first solo album, Brian Wilson. Ten years later he recorded another solo album of new material Imagination.

We asked NPR listeners to tell us their favorite love songs for Valentine's Day. They responded in droves, posting to the All Songs Considered blog. On this edition of All Songs Considered we share some of those songs and the stories behind them. Hear a mix of music to fall in love with, from the Magnetic Fields and Arcade Fire to the Temptations and Sam Cooke.

Summer has arrived, the sun is shining (at least, it's supposed to be) and music journalist/armchair philosophizer Christian Bordal ruminates on the appropriate sounds for the season.

Brian Wilson composed The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" by stitching together many recording sessions. The result is a song that today stands as an American classic. Bob Boilen speaks with Wilson and other musicians from the "Good Vibrations" sessions about the revolutionary song.

Glenn Miller's "In the Mood," Edward R. Murrow's wartime broadcasts from London and Public Enemy's influential hip-hop album Fear of a Black Planet are among the recordings added to the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry.

Gen-Xers love "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel, while their parents prefer "At Last" as sung by Etta James. Those are two of the most popular tunes NPR listeners selected in a recent NPR.org online poll on Valentine's Day music. Hear the songs and read the stories behind them.