showcased more refined performances, denser and richer arrangements, slower tempos, longer structures, and influences drawn from Phil Spector and Burt Bacharach.

[3] From June to August, the group toured in support of their newest LP, All Summer Long, which had marked the most complex arrangements on a Beach Boys record to date, as well as being the first that was not focused on themes of cars or surfing.

[17][8] On December 23, Wilson was to accompany his bandmates on a two-week U.S. tour, but while on a flight from Los Angeles to Houston, began sobbing uncontrollably over his marriage and suffered a nervous breakdown.

"[23][nb 3] According to Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, Wilson had been considering retiring from the music industry, but changed his mind upon hearing their recent song "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" (produced and co-written by Phil Spector).

[31] Academic Jadey O'Regan identified the album as the start of a period in which the band focused predominately on "unexpected structures and chordal movements, dense vocal harmonies, and a wide variety of orchestral textures not often heard in popular music of the time.

"[38] Unlike their prior records, none of the songs feature just basic rock instrumentation as accompaniment (drums, bass, guitar, piano, organ, vocals).

[41] Owing to the greater number of ballads, Wilson invokes his signature falsetto nine times on the record, the most he had on a Beach Boys album since 1963's Surfer Girl.

[44] In songs like "She Knows Me Too Well" and "In the Back of My Mind", Wilson's dream lovers were suddenly no longer simple happy souls harmonizing their sun-kissed innocence and dying devotion to each other over a honey-coated backdrop of surf and sand.

"[48] Virtually every song expresses anticipation or apprehensiveness about the future,[49][50] and the album is consistent with the Beach Boys' past records by remaining largely concerned with teenage experiences.

[53] O'Regan uses the aforementioned songs as examples of "a maturing view of life and relationships that were underpinned by and reflected in the expandable and flexible verse-chorus form.

[65] Interrante opined that while it is not "musically exciting or complex", the defensive and anxious tone "running throughout the song adds a dark quality that’s not immediately on the surface, and ultimately makes 'Good to My Baby' all the more interesting.

"[9] O'Regan highlights the use of a major supertonic function (II) with giving "the [chord] progression a surprising lift under the positivity of the lyrics – it reaffirms the confidence the singer feels about his relationship, despite what others may think.

"[68] Carlin wrote that the subject matter "recounts Diane Rovell's pointed advice from the early (and surreptitious) days of Brian and Marilyn's affair, only with an uncomfortable fraternal ardor: 'Why don’t you love her like her big brother?

[76] Granata wrote that the song "best exemplifies the [band's] musical growth" through its "effective combination of odd sounds" and its "full and round" vocal harmonies.

"[81] The song ends with a series of fake fade-outs, described by journalist Alexis Petridis as "undercutting the triumphant chorus with a weird sense of uncertainty.

Interrante praised the band's performance on the track: "Despite being joined by some studio players, it's Carl’s 12-string playing, especially his solo, and Dennis Wilson's ecstatic drumming that are the real driving forces behind the song.

[94] Love said that the "wistful bass line ... led to my lyrics about a guy who has a disagreement with his girlfriend, even though they can't even remember what they fought about, leaving them both brokenhearted.

"[8] Conversely, Interrante said that the track is different from the album's other songs in that it "doesn't seem to lyrically parallel Brian Wilson’s personal life at the time" and focuses "on coming to terms with the present" rather than anticipating the future.

"[50] Biographer Jon Stebbins praised "Kiss Me, Baby" as "the pinnacle of balladry", one of the group's "most romantic and emotional songs", and "a mammoth artistic achievement".

[98] It was the first track attempted for the album, although the original recorded version, made in June 1964, was scrapped in favor of a remake that was cut in August, during the same session for "When I Grow Up".

[49] It is one of the group's songs that most heavily draw from the Tin Pan Alley style of songwriting,[101] and in Lambert's assessment, the chord patterns "are virtually unprecedented in Brian's work.

[104] "Bull Session with the 'Big Daddy'" ends the album with a spoof interview of the band, conducted by journalist Earl Leaf, in which they discuss the group's recent tour of Europe.

[110] Howard said it was Wilson's "most inspired" production to date, featuring a "surging, elegant Burt Bacharach-inspired string and horn arrangement and Campbell's forlorn Roy Orbison-like vocal.

[118] The San Francisco Examiner called the album "entertaining but a disappointment in relation to past efforts", and panned the inclusion of "Bull Session with the 'Big Daddy'".

[122] Reviewing the album for London Life, Barry Fantoni described the "marvellous" production and numerous "really beautiful tunes" as displaying the Beach Boys at their peak.

"[35] Petridis opined that the "overlooked first half is equally fascinating" for its emotional content, noting that "even the filler of "Don't Hurt My Little Sister" carries a slightly dark undercurrent.

"[82] On the band's subsequent releases, Wilson's writing and production style continued to grow in its sophistication, to the extent that writers often refer to the second side of the record as a precursor to the 1966 album Pet Sounds.

[31] Interrante wrote that it was "an exciting album" that showed early signs of Wilson "blur[ring] the lines between ballad and uptempo songs", and that in contrast to Pet Sounds, "Today!

as "not one of Brian's best works, consisting mostly of a melange of uninspired car tunes [sic] ..."[129] Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Richie Unterberger declared that it was "strong almost from start to finish.

[34] Schinder credited its "suite-like structure" with presenting "an early manifestation of the rock album format being used to make a cohesive artistic statement – an idea that Brian would soon explore more fully.