Greatest Beach Boys Songs Survey - Winner Revealed and Album Rankings!

[sheffmark]

Also where is Lady Lynda?

[Aegir]

I go through phases where I think Problem Child is an amazing song.

[BananaLouie]

Also where is Lady Lynda?

The Knebworth version was one of the highlights of the show. 

[SMiLE Brian]

I go through phases where I think Problem Child is an amazing song.

Can you listen to the whole SIP album in one of those phases?

[drbeachboy]

I go through phases where I think Problem Child is an amazing song.

Can you listen to the whole SIP album in one of those phases?

I don't listen to it very often, but when I do it is usually all the way through. The only two that are really hard to sit through are Summer Of Love and Under The Boardwalk. At least Carl is the saving grace on the latter song.

[Aegir]

I go through phases where I think Problem Child is an amazing song.

Can you listen to the whole SIP album in one of those phases?

I'm one of those weird people that likes every song by my favorite band.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I go through phases where I think Problem Child is an amazing song.

Can you listen to the whole SIP album in one of those phases?

I'm one of those weird people that likes every song by my favorite band.

Me too.


Well, except Cuckoo Clock and Don't Hurt My Little Sister

[Chocolate Shake Man]

I can't see how a list in which people choose what they think belongs in a Top 100 could ever objective. Not that I object to list-making but they can't produce objective results.

[drbeachboy]

I can't see how a list in which people choose what they think belongs in a Top 100 could ever objective. Not that I object to list-making but they can't produce objective results.

Well, I may have misunderstood the first post, but it looked like a starting list of songs, not the OPs personal list. So, say you list every song recorded then out that objective list you then pick your top 100 subjective list.

When the OPs name is KokoNo, then it's is easy to surmise that Kokomo was left off the list subjectively.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

I can't see how a list in which people choose what they think belongs in a Top 100 could ever objective. Not that I object to list-making but they can't produce objective results.

Well, I may have misunderstood the first post, but it looked like a starting list of songs, not the OPs personal list. So, say you list every song recorded then out that objective list you then pick your top 100 subjective list.

When the OPs name is KokoNo, then it's is easy to surmise that Kokomo was left off the list subjectively.

I know -- it was indeed the OP who stressed the objectivity of the list. But that seems pretty impossible to me. I think that your suggestion - "list every song recorded then out of that objective list you then pick your top 100 subjective list" sounds like a better idea, or maybe a better way of saying the same idea.

[oldsurferdude]

Greatest songs is subjective but I wouldn't blame anyone for not thinking Kokomo is a great song despite its chart success. Chart success doesn't make something great - but, then again, what does?

Anyway, where the hell is All This is That?

I didn't say to vote for it, but to add it to the list. You are correct, the vote is subjective, but the list should not be. Chart success doesn't make something great, but it does mean that for a majority of people at a given time, they thought it was good. Go to a Beach Boys concert and people still want to hear it. I've been a fan for 47 years or so, and it would make my Top 100.

I've been a fan for 50 years. I never want to hear it again, live or on the radio. The song was a complete embarrassment to the group. Pure Roquefort to cheese up their reputation even further. Thank the stars that Brian didn't take part on that travesty.

[KokoNO]

Here's what I'm thinking.......

- Every album track excluding  covers. Covers will only be included if they were a single that charted on the Billboard Hot 100 or UK Top 40. As we're making a list of greatest Beach Boys songs, including tracks like "Barbara Ann" or "I Can Hear Music" seems to make sense, but wasting people's time with voting on a cover of "Louie Louie" or whatever doesn't serve much of a purpose. A lot of the non-single covers are pretty bland to be honest, and therefore, we don't want people basically voting on the quality of the song itself rather than the Beach Boys' version. I mean, it would be hard to give any cover of, say, "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" a 1 out of 5 if we're voting based on the quality of a track.

- Christmas songs not included. I just can't see any reaching the Top 100.

- Nothing from Summer In Paradise. The album is universally loathed and not even in print, so a good deal here probably haven't even heard it. Never really seen anybody supporting tracks from that LP so I just can't see any making our Top 100.

- We will be ignoring non-album tracks that weren't hit singles. The main reason being that few if any would make the list, but also because it would ruin the poll since many haven't heard a lot of these tracks or don't listen to them regularly. Granted, you could have a separate poll with the rarer tracks, but that defeats the purpose of the survey since only the hardcore fanatics would vote in such a poll, giving us skewed results from a smaller group that is either harsher or easier on those songs than the rest of the band's fan base would be.



I think this will be fair enough and will leave a damn fine amount of songs to choose from.

[drbeachboy]

I'm out. Not very objective. You are making a judgement you have no right to make. What a waste of time posting in this thread today. Night, night!

[KokoNO]

Well, do people really want everything? If so, I guess we could do one big poll and have an opt-out option which will be "I haven't heard this song/don't remember it"......I guess we could go ahead and do that.

My polling system won't ask for numbers, but rather how you feel about the song. Whether it's awful, a classic, etc. It will make going through such a lengthy poll a lot easier and you won't need to wrack your brain too much.

[Eric Aniversario]

This is a very daunting task that could be approached so many ways.  Cabinessence.net (now surfermoon.com) has a track archive where you can rate the individual tracks that were released before 2000, I think.

www.surfermoon.com (click on track archive, then scroll down to the bottom to track archive (ranked)).  Here's the top 25...for some reason there is no #6.

1.   God Only Knows from Pet Sounds
9.65
2.   Wouldn't It Be Nice from Pet Sounds
9.57
3.   I Get Around from All Summer Long
9.57
4.   Please Let Me Wonder from Today
9.48
5.   Good Vibrations from Smiley Smile
9.47
7.   This Whole World from Sunflower
9.42
8.   She Knows Me Too Well from Today
9.37
9.   Caroline, No from Pet Sounds
9.36
10.   Surf's Up from Surf's Up
9.36
11.   California Girls from Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)
9.35
12.   The Warmth Of The Sun from Shut Down Volume 2
9.35
13.   Let Him Run Wild from Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)
9.31
14.   Don't Worry Baby from Shut Down Volume 2
9.3
15.   Til I Die from Surf's Up
9.28
16.   Forever from Sunflower
9.21
17.   You Still Believe In Me from Pet Sounds
9.2
19.   Here Today from Pet Sounds
9.18
20.   Heroes and VillainsSections from Good Vibrations box set
9.17
21.   I Just Wasn't Made For These Times from Pet Sounds
9.17
22.   In My Room from Surfer Girl
9.17
23.   Let's Go Away For Awhile from Pet Sounds
9.17
24.   The Little Girl I Once Knew from Best of the Beach Boys-Volume II
9.16
25.   Kiss Me baby from Today
9.16

[Alex]

My list:
Ding Dang x100 

[Mike's Beard]

Kokomo is a great song. A tad cheesy and very much of it's time but so what? It's still great. One of those tunes you just have to sing along to. And who cares if Brian's not on it? By 1987 hadn't they proved time and time again they were capable of cranking out the goods without his full participation?

[shelter]

- Every album track excluding  covers. Covers will only be included if they were a single that charted on the Billboard Hot 100 or UK Top 40.

That would exclude some great songs, like Devoted To You, You've Got To Hide Your Love Away, Why Do Fools Fall In Love, I Was Made To Love Her, Never Learn Not To Love, Just Once In My Life, Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring...

- Christmas songs not included. I just can't see any reaching the Top 100.

Winter Symphony is one of my favorite Beach Boys songs. We Three Kings Of Orient Are would definately be in my top 100 as well.

- We will be ignoring non-album tracks that weren't hit singles.

And that would exclude more excellent songs, like Soulful Old Man Sunshine, It's A Beautiful Day, Still I Dream Of It, We're Together Again, A Time To Live In Dreams...

Seriously, why would you even exclude anything? The only way to do this right is to include every song they ever released.

[SMiLE Brian]

I go through phases where I think Problem Child is an amazing song.

Can you listen to the whole SIP album in one of those phases?

I don't listen to it very often, but when I do it is usually all the way through. The only two that are really hard to sit through are Summer Of Love and Under The Boardwalk. At least Carl is the saving grace on the latter song.

summer of love has that creepy rapping from Mike.

[SMiLE Brian]

I go through phases where I think Problem Child is an amazing song.

Can you listen to the whole SIP album in one of those phases?

I'm one of those weird people that likes every song by my favorite band.

Thought I was the same until I listened to KTSA.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

- Every album track excluding  covers. Covers will only be included if they were a single that charted on the Billboard Hot 100 or UK Top 40.

That would exclude some great songs, like Devoted To You, You've Got To Hide Your Love Away, Why Do Fools Fall In Love, I Was Made To Love Her, Never Learn Not To Love, Just Once In My Life, Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring...

What? That's a cover?

[shelter]

- Every album track excluding  covers. Covers will only be included if they were a single that charted on the Billboard Hot 100 or UK Top 40.

That would exclude some great songs, like Devoted To You, You've Got To Hide Your Love Away, Why Do Fools Fall In Love, I Was Made To Love Her, Never Learn Not To Love, Just Once In My Life, Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring...

What? That's a cover?

Depends on how you define the word "cover", I suppose. If a band that usually records original material does a song that was written and orginally demoed by an outsider, than you could call that a cover.

[Smilin Ed H]

""Winter Symphony is one of my favorite Beach Boys songs"

Agree. A great later Brian song.  Should've been on MIU or LA, both of which it would've improved considerably (especially the former).

[KokoNO]

Alright, so there will definitely be a survey real soon with everything (probably tomorrow). Literally everything listed on that Wiki site plus the Smile tracks. If people don't remember or haven't heard a song, they can chuck their vote in the OPT out category which will be the same for "bad songs".....all will count as a zero towards the overall score.

[KokoNO]

The survey is now open for business! No deadline and I imagine we'll keep it open for quite some time in order to get a lot of responses. I never flake out on these things so you will see the results.