The Beach Boys actually thought about changing their name in the 70’s, according to guitarist Al Jardine.
Jardine said, “At that time, we felt we needed to get away from the California culture and just start over.”Al told Variety. “We were in the process of even changing our name. I had an idea to call ourselves ‘The Beach,’ you know? Take the ‘Boys’ out, because we were branded with that.”
He added, "[We had an] “identity crisis” and were questioning, “Who are they? What is this all about? This is another direction.”
Fortunately the name change never happened. The Beach Boys have just released a new compilation collection, Sail on Sailor – 1972. It the 1972 recording sessions for the albums Carl and the Passions: So Tough and Holland.
[Source: Classic Hits Today]