Nick Venet

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Nick Venet was a record producer who worked for Capitol Records. He produced the first two Beach Boys albums, Surfin' Safari and Surfin' USA.

Although now best remembered for his brief association with the Beach Boys, Venet handled a number of other important Capitol clients, including Bobby Darin, before he left the label in August 1963 aged 25.

Turning up in the UK at the height of the British Invasion, according to Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham (see his autobiography 'Stoned'), Venet cut a colorful character presenting himself as a 'Nick the Greek' figure - Venet was of Greek extraction.

His fraught relations with Beach Boys manager-father Murry Wilson, whom Venet tried to avoid at every opportunity, make for amusing reading. Though the one A&R man at Capitol in 1962 who was young and receptive to rock'n'roll - credit goes to him for recognising the quality of 'Surfin' Safari' when it had been rejected by other LA labels - his creative contribution to the group's recordings seems to have been minimal. Brian Wilson and father Murry, along with input from Mike Love and the other Beach Boys, already had the group sound wrapped up.

After complaints from Brian to Murry that Venet "is ruining our sound" Brian was given the official go-ahead by Capitol as producer of the 'Surfer Girl' album, and Venet was free to fly to New York to produce recordings by Bobby Darin. In the fall of 1963 Venet set up his own independent company.

He died c.2005.