It's surprising to hear the R&B flavor that characterizes Sunflower and Surf's Up; on these two albums the whiter-than-white Beach Boys actually sound funky and soulful at times. Naturally the gorgeous ballads are here, featuring signature Wilson brothers vocal harmonies. The group self-produced these two records and established a pop production sound that other acts like the Carpenters and David Cassidy would soon turn into a commercial-radio-hit formula. This release also is unique in that the Beach Boys functioned as something of a democracy, sharing lead vocals, songwriting chores, and production duties. This might be as close as the Beach Boys ever got to being a band in a career that was either dominated by Brian Wilson's studio genius or, later, by Mike Love's penchant for touring the group into oblivion.