The days of Brian Wilson breaking new, unheard musical ground had ended with the scrapping of Smile, and his future role in The Beach Boys would be limited as his mental clarity slipped from his grasp. Yet Wild Honey is still an important and much underrated album in The Beach Boys' story. It features several classic songs, including the title track, "Aren't You Glad," and "Darlin'" (a No. 19 hit), and the production is brighter and funkier than on most of the group's albums. Brian Wilson is used in strategic positions, offering up his angelic vocals for "I'd Love Just Once to See You" and "Here Comes the Night"; along with Mike Love, he wrote nearly all the songs on the album. A cover of Stevie Wonder's "I Was Made to Love Her" and the Love/Bruce Johnston/Al Jardine/Carl Wilson number "How She Boogalooed It" round off the songwriting credits. The members play most of their own instruments for the first time in years, and the album's overall feeling is one of a group working together, as further evidenced by the ensemble vocals on "Country Air" and "Mama Says."