Friends vs. Sunflower

[Emdeeh]

I vote for Sunflower. The last time I listened to Friends was back when the CD reissue came out.

[rn57]

Friends. I listen to it more. Way more. And I like TM. It's short so it's not like it "ruins the album" like many people think. It may be unfitting but i think it's a good song. Love the horns. Also, Friends is a lot more fluid. It makes me feel like i'm on a beach, relaxing. Sunflower is more reflective and puts me in more of a emotional mood. Not that that's bad, I just prefer the first. Both excellent and very underrated albums.

Brian told an interviewer in the '70s - may have been David Leaf - that Friends was his favorite BBs album to listen to for exactly the reason you describe, saying he liked it because he "didn't have to get into any mood to listen to it." Or similar words.

[rab2591]

Friends.

'Tears in the Morning' and 'Got To Know A Woman' really ruin Sunflower for me.

Friends is a classic for me. Every song (yes, including TM) is amazing. I don't know what Bruce was thinking when he said this album should've peaked at #126,000 on the charts....SMH.

[Disney Boy (1985)]

I just can't get into "Lady". I'd say it's good, really, but then I listen to it and I'm bored within the first minute or so.

Achieving a level of tender vulnerability that Brian couldn't match? It's way too overproduced and schmaltzy to hold such a title. Listen to something like "Please Let Me Wonder" and tell me it's anywhere near that in terms of the description given.

And is the lyric really "I love her so/I love to grow"? Dennis is better than a line like that ^_^

Lady? Overproduced?? Are we listening to the same song here? It's so stripped back and minimulist - the entire song consists almost entirely of Dennis' vocal, a drum machine, and some very subtle orchestration - and that's it. And the lyrics are simple, yes, but effectively so. A more detailed, clever lyric simply wouldn't work or fit with the surrounding track.

Maybe overproduced wasn't the right word. The strings are just overbearing and brimming with teh cheese, to me.

No faults with simple lyrics, but that line is just kind of goofy. "I love her so/I love to grow"? Dennis was trying to be all... y'know... meaningful.

Personally I would say they're the exact opposite of cheese but hey ho... Can see i'm not going to change your mind here.

[runnersdialzero]

I just can't get into "Lady". I'd say it's good, really, but then I listen to it and I'm bored within the first minute or so.

Achieving a level of tender vulnerability that Brian couldn't match? It's way too overproduced and schmaltzy to hold such a title. Listen to something like "Please Let Me Wonder" and tell me it's anywhere near that in terms of the description given.

And is the lyric really "I love her so/I love to grow"? Dennis is better than a line like that ^_^

Lady? Overproduced?? Are we listening to the same song here? It's so stripped back and minimulist - the entire song consists almost entirely of Dennis' vocal, a drum machine, and some very subtle orchestration - and that's it. And the lyrics are simple, yes, but effectively so. A more detailed, clever lyric simply wouldn't work or fit with the surrounding track.

Maybe overproduced wasn't the right word. The strings are just overbearing and brimming with teh cheese, to me.

No faults with simple lyrics, but that line is just kind of goofy. "I love her so/I love to grow"? Dennis was trying to be all... y'know... meaningful.

Personally I would say they're the exact opposite of cheese but hey ho... Can see i'm not going to change your mind here.

YOU CAN'T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT.

[Mr. Cohen]

Maybe overproduced wasn't the right word. The strings are just overbearing and brimming with teh cheese, to me.

The original, released version was way more subtle. They brought out some lost string parts for the compilation release a few years ago.

[runnersdialzero]

Maybe overproduced wasn't the right word. The strings are just overbearing and brimming with teh cheese, to me.

The original, released version was way more subtle. They brought out some lost string parts for the compilation release a few years ago.

I've heard both mixes - song just isn't for me, I guess. The string performance or the mixing isn't overbearing or cheesy to my ears, it's the parts being played.

[DonnyL]

Sunflower is a higher point artistically for the group ...

BUT I PREFER FRIENDS !

I think Friends is sort of the last BW-ish BB album in a sense ... the end of the golden era.

[EgoHanger1966]

Friends.

'Tears in the Morning' and 'Got To Know A Woman' really ruin Sunflower for me.

Friends is a classic for me. Every song (yes, including TM) is amazing. I don't know what Bruce was thinking when he said this album should've peaked at #126,000 on the charts....SMH.

I agree that Tears In The Morning (released version) is abominable. But, have you heard the alternate version? It's so much better than what got released, it's not even funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45WwGS_tke0

[EgoHanger1966]

Maybe overproduced wasn't the right word. The strings are just overbearing and brimming with teh cheese, to me.

The original, released version was way more subtle. They brought out some lost string parts for the compilation release a few years ago.

I've heard both mixes - song just isn't for me, I guess. The string performance or the mixing isn't overbearing or cheesy to my ears, it's the parts being played.

The drum machine makes it sound like it's from 15 years later than it actually is. A lot of Dennis' output doesn't strike me at all, this included, so I'm not knocking people who respect and admire his artistry, it's just that I can't get into it.

[runnersdialzero]

Maybe overproduced wasn't the right word. The strings are just overbearing and brimming with teh cheese, to me.

The original, released version was way more subtle. They brought out some lost string parts for the compilation release a few years ago.

I've heard both mixes - song just isn't for me, I guess. The string performance or the mixing isn't overbearing or cheesy to my ears, it's the parts being played.

The drum machine makes it sound like it's from 15 years later than it actually is. A lot of Dennis' output doesn't strike me at all, this included, so I'm not knocking people who respect and admire his artistry, it's just that I can't get into it.

Yeaahh. I like Dennis' work a lot (while finding him fairly spotty), but can't get into "Lady." Also, didn't mean to derail the conversation. sryz ;(

[I. Spaceman]

Lady/Falling In Love is one of the greatest BB-related recordings, in my opinion.

[sockittome]

Sunflower for me.  Friends (other than the title song) just bores me to no end.   

[lee]

Lady/Falling In Love is one of the greatest BB-related recordings, in my opinion.

I completely agree.

[rab2591]

Friends.

'Tears in the Morning' and 'Got To Know A Woman' really ruin Sunflower for me.

Friends is a classic for me. Every song (yes, including TM) is amazing. I don't know what Bruce was thinking when he said this album should've peaked at #126,000 on the charts....SMH.

I agree that Tears In The Morning (released version) is abominable. But, have you heard the alternate version? It's so much better than what got released, it's not even funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45WwGS_tke0

Whoa, never heard that before! I love the Sinatra vibe. Has this been officially released?

[Phoenix]

Sunflower for me.  Friends (other than the title song) just bores me to no end.   

Amen.  It's no contest for me.  Sunflower is probably in my top five BB albums.  Friends is deinitely in my bottom five.  It's a "nice" little record and was probably exactly what Brian wanted at the time so, like Love You, I don't fault him for making himself a "therapeutic" album but they both sound embarrassingly amateur, in terms of production (in completely different ways) and I think both did more harm than good to the Boys' commercial reputation.

[I. Spaceman]

Sunflower isn't even in my Top 15 favorite Beach Boys albums, so yeah, Friends.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Prefer Friends. But love both albums very much.

[EgoHanger1966]

Friends.

'Tears in the Morning' and 'Got To Know A Woman' really ruin Sunflower for me.

Friends is a classic for me. Every song (yes, including TM) is amazing. I don't know what Bruce was thinking when he said this album should've peaked at #126,000 on the charts....SMH.

I agree that Tears In The Morning (released version) is abominable. But, have you heard the alternate version? It's so much better than what got released, it's not even funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45WwGS_tke0

Whoa, never heard that before! I love the Sinatra vibe. Has this been officially released?

Officially, no. There's that saying, "you can't polish a turd", but I'd imagine a lot less people would hate it if it was this version on the album. I really like the vocal and alternate lyrics on this version, and the prominence of the strings.

[TimeToGetAlone]

Both great, fantastic, super duper albums - probably the high points on Sunflower (This Whole World, Slip On Through, All I Wanna Do, Forever) are higher than the high points on Friends, however Friends has more of a consistent feel and doesn't have a big jarring clunker like Tears In The Morning slap-bang in the middle of it, and so i'm going to give my vote to the charming, sweet, beautifully melodic, understated Friends.

It's funny;  I agree with pretty much all of this, but my vote goes to Sunflower.  It's mainly because I think Sunflower's highs are just that good.  Friends is one of those albums where the whole works out to be better than the sum of its parts (though there remain some great tracks like Little Bird and Busy Doin' Nothin').

[runnersdialzero]

Wowzarz, didn't know so many people didn't think much of Friends or Sunflower. Not in comparison to one another, just in general - more folks than I'd thought are saying "I don't really care for Friends" or "I don't really care for Sunflower"

[Mike's Beard]

Sunflower for me. I love Friends for what it is but Sunflower towers above it in every way.

[Dave Modny]

Love Friends. Love Sunflower. Love Sunflower more.

A common dilemma for me in terms of that era for the band.



A good dilemma to have.

[Letsgoawayforawhile]

So, I may be a little off, but I counted 11 for Friends and 9 for Sunflower so far.

[MBE]

Sunflower for me. Friends is fantastic but Sunflower always blows me away.