40 replies to this topic

[coco1997]

I've gotten a lot of flak when talking about my love for this band because I'm afraid the average Joe Six-Pack honestly believes that the whole of the Beach Boys' work is confined to dumb (but classic) little numbers such as "Surfin' U.S.A." and "Little Deuce Coupe." But the band hit their stride in 1965 when Brian Wilson let his genius take over.

Anyone who knows anything about pop music knows that "Pet Sounds" is probably the greatest album of all time. Even Sir Paul himself has admitted that this record has moved him to tears on occasion.

Beyond that, "SMiLE," "Friends," (a criminally underrated masterpiece), "Sunflower," "Surf's Up" and arguably a few others are works of pure genius--and I find myself enjoying them even more so than certain Beatles records (that is just personal taste, of course). Into the 1970's, Brian Wilson's mental instability and reliance on drugs which were slipped into his "daily diet" began to destroy him mentally and arguably creatively, but I attest that he still created some of the finest pop music of the 1970's and of the last thirty years, as well.

The Beach Boys were the American Beatles before there was such a thing as The Beatles. In fact, I truly believe Wilson was just as much a genius as Lennon/McCartney. Sure, the Fab Four penned their own unforgettable lyrics and Wilson got help with most of his, but George Martin was instrumental in helping the Beatles find their sound from record to record whereas Wilson himself arranged and produced the finest work in the Beach Boys songbook.

If anyone is on the fence about this group and is interested in a few song selections that might convince you of their versatility and genius, just ask and I'll post a list.

[bond 16.05.72]

I don't think you can deny the genius behind Good Vibrations or God Only Knows and of course Pet Sounds.

I'm not the biggest Beach Boys fan but I recognise Wilson was an enormous talent and the above for me are some of the most stunning examples of great pop songs out there.

One of these days I will dig deeper, I only own a couple of greatest hits on vinly but keep meaning to buy Pet Sounds on a decent pressing sometime.

I have heard quite a bit of Beach Boys in my time and nowhere near dismiss their or Wilson's contribution to contemporary music.

[Scrambled Eggs]

I'm not an enormous fan but I love Pet Sounds. I don't know the later stuff too well and should probably make a point of listening. Brian Wilson's (re)recording of Smile was wonderful.

If you're into Brian Wilson you might want to have a listen to The Fleet Foxes. Their album's a bit rougher round the edges but its very reminiscent of Brian Wilson (among other things).

[coco1997]

I don't think you can deny the genius behind Good Vibrations or God Only Knows and of course Pet Sounds.

I'm not the biggest Beach Boys fan but I recognise Wilson was an enormous talent and the above for me are some of the most stunning examples of great pop songs out there.

One of these days I will dig deeper, I only own a couple of greatest hits on vinly but keep meaning to buy Pet Sounds on a decent pressing sometime.

I have heard quite a bit of Beach Boys in my time and nowhere near dismiss their or Wilson's contribution to contemporary music.

Here are a few songs you should check out that probably won't be found on any greatest hits records:

* "Your Summer Dream" (off "Surfer Girl" - 1963)
* "She Knows Me Too Well" (off "The Beach Boys Today!" - 1965)
* "Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)" (off "Pet Sounds" - 1966)
* "Let the Wind Blow" (off "Wild Honey" - 1967)
* "Time to Get Alone" (off "20/20" - 1969)
* "This Whole World" (off "Sunflower" - 1970)
* "'Til I Die" (off "Surf's Up" - 1971)
* "He Come Down" (off "Carl and the Passions - "So Tough" - 1972)
* "Steamboat" (off "Holland" - 1973)
* "I'll Bet He's Nice" (off "Love You" - 1977)

You can listen to any of them for free here.

Edited by coco1997, 03 July 2009 - 07:12 PM.

[bond 16.05.72]

I'm not an enormous fan but I love Pet Sounds. I don't know the later stuff too well and should probably make a point of listening. Brian Wilson's (re)recording of Smile was wonderful.

If you're into Brian Wilson you might want to have a listen to The Fleet Foxes. Their album's a bit rougher round the edges but its very reminiscent of Brian Wilson (among other things).

I do agree to a point about The Fleet Foxes, the harmonies are very Wilsonesque but see more of a Neil Young and Fleetwood Mac about them and dare I say an early 70's Floyd influence in their. (Gilmour's Fat Old Sun & Waters's Grandchester Meadows in paticular)

The Friend who I went to see Fleet Foxes with recently was actually not going to bother when he heard they sounded like the Beach Boys but when he heard them failed really see the connection and thought they were great

We both agreed the harmonies were influenced by Wilson but failed to see anything else.

Both my Wife and I are loving the Fleet Foxes at the moment and would love to catch them live again, I'm most curious to see what they do next, would be most disappointed if album no. 2 is more of the same, would like to see more of a progression when they follow up their magnificent debut.

[jrcjohnny99]

Love the BBoys;
Their run between 65 and 72 is outstanding; of course "Pet Sounds" is the undeniable masterpiece.
Seen Wilson live a few times and even tho the voice is shot, there's still some magic there;
no doubt someone will post that Queen are better shortly! lol

[Scrambled Eggs]

I'm not an enormous fan but I love Pet Sounds. I don't know the later stuff too well and should probably make a point of listening. Brian Wilson's (re)recording of Smile was wonderful.

If you're into Brian Wilson you might want to have a listen to The Fleet Foxes. Their album's a bit rougher round the edges but its very reminiscent of Brian Wilson (among other things).

I do agree to a point about The Fleet Foxes, the harmonies are very Wilsonesque but see more of a Neil Young and Fleetwood Mac about them and dare I say an early 70's Floyd influence in their. (Gilmour's Fat Old Sun & Waters's Grandchester Meadows in paticular)

The Friend who I went to see Fleet Foxes with recently was actually not going to bother when he heard they sounded like the Beach Boys but when he heard them failed really see the connection and thought they were great

We both agreed the harmonies were influenced by Wilson but failed to see anything else.

Both my Wife and I are loving the Fleet Foxes at the moment and would love to catch them live again, I'm most curious to see what they do next, would be most disappointed if album no. 2 is more of the same, would like to see more of a progression when they follow up their magnificent debut.

Yes, the other influences are more obvious. But, not just the harmonies, theres a sort of unhingedness about them which I associate with Brian Wilson.

I take it you've got their Sun Giant EP? As good as the album.

[coco1997]

Love the BBoys;
Their run between 65 and 72 is outstanding; of course "Pet Sounds" is the undeniable masterpiece.
Seen Wilson live a few times and even tho the voice is shot, there's still some magic there;
no doubt someone will post that Queen are better shortly! lol

I agree that the band's dynamic totally changed when Carl Wilson hired South African artists Ricky Fataar and Blondie Chaplin to join the band in 1972 at a time when Brian had little to no involvement with the group because of his addiction. However I think there's still something new and exciting to be found in both "So Tough" and "Holland," the only two records in which Fataar/Chaplin-penned songs appear.

"15 Big Ones" was by and large garbage and Brian's voice is depressingly painful to listen to at times, but the follow-up, "Love You," is a cult classic and the last truly memorable Beach Boys record. It manages to be scary, fun, bizarre, quirky and sad all at the same time, at all the right moments. You'd think that Brian's state of mind had regressed to the state of a child at this point, yet he still managed to create a final masterpiece...at least, for the Beach Boys.

If anyone has ever heard "That Lucky Old Sun," Brian's 2008 retrospective concept album, I highly recommend it. I sometimes imagine it as being what might've been the last hurrah for the Beach Boys, as it's easily superior to any of their later albums and really nails that classic BB sound and summer theme while managing to be reflective and nostalgic in a way that a younger Brian couldn't have been.

Edited by coco1997, 03 July 2009 - 07:27 PM.

[bond 16.05.72]

I'm not an enormous fan but I love Pet Sounds. I don't know the later stuff too well and should probably make a point of listening. Brian Wilson's (re)recording of Smile was wonderful.

If you're into Brian Wilson you might want to have a listen to The Fleet Foxes. Their album's a bit rougher round the edges but its very reminiscent of Brian Wilson (among other things).

I do agree to a point about The Fleet Foxes, the harmonies are very Wilsonesque but see more of a Neil Young and Fleetwood Mac about them and dare I say an early 70's Floyd influence in their. (Gilmour's Fat Old Sun & Waters's Grandchester Meadows in paticular)

The Friend who I went to see Fleet Foxes with recently was actually not going to bother when he heard they sounded like the Beach Boys but when he heard them failed really see the connection and thought they were great

We both agreed the harmonies were influenced by Wilson but failed to see anything else.

Both my Wife and I are loving the Fleet Foxes at the moment and would love to catch them live again, I'm most curious to see what they do next, would be most disappointed if album no. 2 is more of the same, would like to see more of a progression when they follow up their magnificent debut.

Yes, the other influences are more obvious. But, not just the harmonies, theres a sort of unhingedness about them which I associate with Brian Wilson.

I take it you've got their Sun Giant EP? As good as the album.

Yeah when I ordered the vinyl the EP came with it as a bonus. Yeah love the EP as well, it's just kind of like an extension of the album as it's in a gatefold with the EP.

Those kind people at Sub Pop also gave us a voucher so I could download the MP3 file as well, a move I applaud and for someone like me who prefers his vinyl find it a good thing so I can stick it on my MP3 player, just recently caught up with technology being old fashioned kind of guy when it comes to music formats.

I bought one so I could listen to some tunes on the way to and back from work, I must say The Fleet Foxes are ideal listening when the weather has been as nice has it has been recently in the UK.

They pretty awesome live, I recommend a small venue, they were good on the telly at Glastonbury but seem to suit a more intimate setting, the harmonies sound amazing live.

They did a few new tracks which were interesting, hopefully they won't take too long to follow the debut up.

[stromberg]

Been a Beatles fan since I was ten but only discovered the Beach Boys and especially the genius that is Brian Wilson in my thirties. I consider myself more a Wilson fan than a general Beach Boys fan, and I usually avoid the stuff after mid-1970s when Wilson was less involved.

Shame that a lot of his talent was lost in the sandbox (or went up his nose). Went to see him twice on his 'Pet Sounds' tour and once on the 'Smile' tour, and each time his own contribution to the his band's fantastic performance wasn't exactly enlightening. But then again, when you go to see a football match, you don't want to see the coach play but the team, and I was happy to see him back on stage and in an obviously great mood

His small Europe/UK tour kicks off tomorrow. Few dates, none of which unfortunately matches time and/or place for me.

[jrcjohnny99]

Love the BBoys;
Their run between 65 and 72 is outstanding; of course "Pet Sounds" is the undeniable masterpiece.
Seen Wilson live a few times and even tho the voice is shot, there's still some magic there;
no doubt someone will post that Queen are better shortly! lol

I agree that the band's dynamic totally changed when Carl Wilson hired South African artists Ricky Fataar and Blondie Chaplin to join the band in 1972 at a time when Brian had little to no involvement with the group because of his addiction. However I think there's still something new and exciting to be found in both "So Tough" and "Holland," the only two records in which Fataar/Chaplin-penned songs appear.

"15 Big Ones" was by and large garbage and Brian's voice is depressingly painful to listen to at times, but the follow-up, "Love You," is a cult classic and the last truly memorable Beach Boys record. It manages to be scary, fun, bizarre, quirky and sad all at the same time, at all the right moments. You'd think that Brian's state of mind had regressed to the state of a child at this point, yet he still managed to create a final masterpiece...at least, for the Beach Boys.

If anyone has ever heard "That Lucky Old Sun," Brian's 2008 retrospective concept album, I highly recommend it. I sometimes imagine it as being what might've been the last hurrah for the Beach Boys, as it's easily superior to any of their later albums and really nails that classic BB sound and summer theme while managing to be reflective and nostalgic in a way that a younger Brian couldn't have been.

TLOS is an amazing album; I'd reccomend it to anyone with even a passing interest in Wilson/BBoys

I'm not an enormous fan but I love Pet Sounds. I don't know the later stuff too well and should probably make a point of listening. Brian Wilson's (re)recording of Smile was wonderful.

If you're into Brian Wilson you might want to have a listen to The Fleet Foxes. Their album's a bit rougher round the edges but its very reminiscent of Brian Wilson (among other things).

I do agree to a point about The Fleet Foxes, the harmonies are very Wilsonesque but see more of a Neil Young and Fleetwood Mac about them and dare I say an early 70's Floyd influence in their. (Gilmour's Fat Old Sun & Waters's Grandchester Meadows in paticular)

The Friend who I went to see Fleet Foxes with recently was actually not going to bother when he heard they sounded like the Beach Boys but when he heard them failed really see the connection and thought they were great

We both agreed the harmonies were influenced by Wilson but failed to see anything else.

Both my Wife and I are loving the Fleet Foxes at the moment and would love to catch them live again, I'm most curious to see what they do next, would be most disappointed if album no. 2 is more of the same, would like to see more of a progression when they follow up their magnificent debut.

Yes, the other influences are more obvious. But, not just the harmonies, theres a sort of unhingedness about them which I associate with Brian Wilson.

I take it you've got their Sun Giant EP? As good as the album.

Yeah when I ordered the vinyl the EP came with it as a bonus. Yeah love the EP as well, it's just kind of like an extension of the album as it's in a gatefold with the EP.

Those kind people at Sub Pop also gave us a voucher so I could download the MP3 file as well, a move I applaud and for someone like me who prefers his vinyl find it a good thing so I can stick it on my MP3 player, just recently caught up with technology being old fashioned kind of guy when it comes to music formats.

I bought one so I could listen to some tunes on the way to and back from work, I must say The Fleet Foxes are ideal listening when the weather has been as nice has it has been recently in the UK.

They pretty awesome live, I recommend a small venue, they were good on the telly at Glastonbury but seem to suit a more intimate setting, the harmonies sound amazing live.

They did a few new tracks which were interesting, hopefully they won't take too long to follow the debut up.

Love the Foxes, remind me a LOT of early CSNY..

[coco1997]

TLOS is an amazing album; I'd reccomend it to anyone with even a passing interest in Wilson/BBoys

Beyond the the late '70's, they still had a few diamonds in the rough. While the majority of "MIU Album" is bland, throwaway throwback music, "My Diane" is wonderful.

Has anyone ever heard "Pacific Ocean Blue" or "Bambu" by Dennis Wilson? The former is to the Beach Boys what "All Things Must Pass" was to the Beatles--a groundbreaking, lush, landmark album by each respective band's most under-appreciated member.

Edited by coco1997, 03 July 2009 - 08:00 PM.

[jrcjohnny99]

Agreed
Pacific Ocean Blue is a terrific album

[Red Barchetta]

I always have the BB in my car- especially during the summer- cruising down the road- top down- listening to Beach Boys- ahh, the days of summer!

[Mr. Blofeld]

Does anybody else adore "I Get Around"?

[DaveBond21]

I'm not an enormous fan but I love Pet Sounds. I don't know the later stuff too well and should probably make a point of listening

I would agree with that. And whenever I hear one of their less famous songs, I always think "Wow, that's another good one".

[coco1997]

Their lesser known stuff is some of their better material. The entirety of "Sunflower," for instance, is akin to hidden treasure.

[jwheels]

I love the Beach Boys. I got into them because of my dad, he was a huge BB fan when he was younger. Also where I get my fondness for Jimmy Buffet.

[dodge]

I've become a major Brian Wilson fan, largely thanks to Smile which sent be onward to his other solo albums. TLOS is probably far more easy-listener friendly...and I never tire of listening to it.

[The Ghost Who Walks]

I like the Beach Boys, but I am also a massive fan of Dennis Wilson's achingly beautiful solo album Pacific Ocean Blue. A fantastic album in every possible way.

[dodge]

I like the Beach Boys, but I am also a massive fan of Dennis Wilson's achingly beautiful solo album Pacific Ocean Blue. A fantastic album in every possible way.

I've never heard it. What shape was his voice in at the time? Toward the end, I know, it had pretty much gone.

[The Ghost Who Walks]

I like the Beach Boys, but I am also a massive fan of Dennis Wilson's achingly beautiful solo album Pacific Ocean Blue. A fantastic album in every possible way.

I've never heard it. What shape was his voice in at the time? Toward the end, I know, it had pretty much gone.

I'm sure his voice must have seen better days, but it fits the album perfectly anyhow, and I really like the way he sings personally. You need to listen to it, I cannot recommend it enough.

[coco1997]

I love "All Alone," "River Song," and "Rainbows." Who knows how the Beach Boys' later years might've turned out had they given Dennis a little more creative control?

Also, has anyone ever heard about Al Jardine's solo record? It's been in the pipeline for years and it's supposedly seeing its release this year some time. I'm really only looking forward to it for a completed recording of "Don't Fight the Sea," an unfinished Beach Boys song from the mid-70's, complete with Carl Wilson vocals.

[dodge]

A major Brian Wilson alert: August 17 will see the release of Wilson's latest album, "Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin." The article I read in USA Today has me salivating...and Rolling Stone agrees--not with my salivation but with the reason for some real excitement.

[coco1997]

Is there a link available to the Rolling Stones article, dodge?

[elizabeth]

The Beach Boys are my FAVORITE!!! They're the ones who got me so interested in surfing. Now all I want to do is go to the beach and learn to swim and surf. I love them!

[dodge]

Is there a link available to the Rolling Stones article, dodge?

I've done a brief search, coco, but find nothing...so far. Only know what I read in USA Today, which might have been referring to a future article. Will keep my eyes posted though and post whatever I do find.

[SecretAgentFan]

Lovely music, perfectly creating a summer mood all year...

[Professor Dent]

Nothing like listening to The Beach Boys to get you in a summer mood. Cruising on a highway by the ocean with the top down on the car & listening to their music on a beautiful sunny day is pure enjoyment. Over the past few years, I have fallen victim to just listening to the greatest hits stuff. I definitely need to burn a new CD & update my iPod playlist. I'll start with several of your suggestions, coco1997 - thanks!

[elizabeth]

Nothing like listening to The Beach Boys to get you in a summer mood. Cruising on a highway by the ocean with the top down on the car & listening to their music on a beautiful sunny day is pure enjoyment.

I long for the day I can finally do that.