THE FOURTH of JULY WEEKEND STARTS HERE:

...with THE BEACH BOYS!  It's time to "Do It Again."  Because folks my age will always remember their mammoth July 4th concerts at the Washington Monument -- as with this 1980 take o­n "Good Vibrations."  Their "Lost Concert" from 1964 includes "Fun, Fun, Fun," "Long, Tall Texan," "Little Deuce Coupe," "Surfer Girl," "Surfin' USA," "Shut Down," "In My Room," "Papa Ooh Mow Mow," and "Hawaii." Their take on "Dance, Dance, Dance" from Shindig! later that year is like a slice of Christmas in July.  There's also a nifty twofer of "I Get Around" and "'When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)" from their first UK TV appearance o­n Ready Steady Go!  The Andy Williams Show serves up "Help Me, Rhonda," while The Jack Benny Hour produced these quick takes o­n "Barbara Ann" and "California Girls."  There's a primitive video for "Wouldn't It Be Nice" that starts with a cameo from Brian Wilson's dogs (Banana and Louie), who appear at the end of the Pet Sounds LP.  And I'll finish with a live version of "God Only Knows" from the 1967 European tour -- one of the last Brian would do for a decade or so.  BONUS: Part 1 and Part 2 of the epic Political Beats podcasts covering the entirety of the Beach Boys' catalog.

RAY CHARLES performs "America The Beautiful" like no one else.

INDEPENDENCE DAY: Bruce Springsteen, circa 1978, before it came out on The River.

AMERICAN MUSIC: The Violent Femmes, circa 1992.

DAVE ALVIN: Hey, baby, it's the "4th of July."

JAMES LILEKS: Truth.

THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER: As performed by Jimi Hendrix, Whitney Houston, Smokey Robinson, members of the Grateful Dead, and Umphrey’s McGee.

THE PROCLAIMERS return with "The World That Was."

PINK FROST shares "Until The Summer Comes."

ANDY PALEY: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview.

FOR THE RECORD: 10 Classic Recording Sessions and the Studios that Shaped Them.

SOCCER MOMMY talks self-immolation and burnout.

THE TOP 20 GUNS N' ROSES SONGS, ranked by The Guardian.

A CANADIAN SOFT-ROCK STATION played Rage Against the Machine’s  “Killing in the Name” for hours and hours.

EZRA MILLER Accused of Harassing Woman in Germany, and Iceland Choking Victim Breaks Her Silence.

TAYLOR SWIFT is reportedly engaged to boyfriend Joe Alwyn, according to British tabloids.

FRIENDS co-creator Marta Kauffman has pledged 4MM to African American studies as an apology for the show's lack of diversity.

LENA HEADEY is being sued by her former talent agency for fees on films including Thor: Love and Thunder (from which she was cut).

ANT-MAN explains why he didn't kill Thanos creatively.

OLIVIA MUNN & JOHN MULANEY have no marriage plans.

HOWARD STERN picks Bradley Cooper as his presidential running mate.

MAGIC MIKE: An Oral History.

31 COMEDIANS share their favorite joke-joke.

TWIGGY: Another Fourth of July tradition, the water-skiing squirrel. She retired last summer, but it remains a great story. Compelling and rich.

TWO DOGS, One Leash.

WHEN YOUR FRIENDS ARE IN THE CLUB and you were turned away at the door.

AN ALPACA, shaved.

A GENTLE WILD ELEPHANT in Sri Lanka calmly walks up to a man and kicks some dirt at him to get him to move aside.

TESTIMONIALS from Your Dog's Fourth of July Support Group.