Released at a time when many of the remaining stadium-rock groups were reacting against the onslaught of punk and new wave in various ways, from co-option (the Rolling Stones’ Some Girls) to self-pitying self-recrimination (The Who’s Who Are You) to mocking parody (Queen’s News Of The World) to “those are rookie numbers, Sid Vicious” counter-nihilism (Pink Floyd’s Animals), The Beach Boys Love You was the only record that was ahead of where the kids were, pairing skronky synths and childishly catchy choruses with Brian’s cigarettes-ravaged voice barking about airplanes and Johnny Carson like an unholy alliance of Mr. Rogers and Captain Beefheart.