Top 5 Beach Boys albums

[I. Spaceman]

Everytime I see Love You on a top 5 list, I think it must be a typo. Interesting snapshot of 1976/77 Brian, but top 5? I can think of a dozen BB's albums I'd pick before that. Smiley Smile, Wild Honey, Sunflower, Pet Sounds, SMiLE, Beach Boys Today, Summer Days, Holland, Surf's Up, All Summer Long, Surfer Girl, Surfin' USA, Beach Boys in Concert....

I can't think of a dozen albums by anyone that I'd rather hear than Love You, at any time of the day. Even if I just finished listening to Love You.

[SenorPotatoHead]

In no particular order:

Smiley Smile
Friends
Pet Sounds
Surfer Girl
Wild Honey

Just missing the top 5 were Today, Surf's Up, C&TP, Surfin' USA and All Summer Long (but they did of course make the top 10  )

[MBE]

In order
Sunflower
Pet Sounds
Today
Wild Honey
All Summer Long

plus

Summer Days
20/20
Friends
Shut Down 2
Surfin USA
Holland
Surf's Up
So Tough
Smiley
Concert
Live In London
In Concert
Surfer Girl
Little Deuce Coupe
Party
That's Why God Made
Christmas
Surfin Safari
MIU
15 Big Ones
LA Light (docked 2 spaces for HCTN)
Love You
KTSA
Still Crusin
Beach Boys 85
Summer In Paradise
Stars and Stripes

The Smile Sessions would be number 5 if it was a real album.

[Misterlou]

1. SMiLE
2. Pet Sounds
3. Sunflower
4. Today
5. Holland

[Mike's Beard]

Surf's Up
Holland
Today!
20/20
Sunflower

As much as I love Brian's stuff I feel the band peaked when they were all at a creative high.

[buddhahat]

Smile
Pet Sounds
Friends
Wild Honey
Love You

[Rob Dean]

1 - Sunflower
2 - Love You
3 - Pet Sounds
4 - Wild Honey
5 - Holland

[liam]

1 - Pet Sounds
2 - Surf's Up
3 - Love You
4 - Holland
5 - Sunflower (just for "This Whole World")

(Smile not included in considerations.)

[shelter]

1. Sunflower
2. Pet Sounds
3. The Smile Sessions
4. Friends
5. Wild Honey

[Myk Luhv]

I'm not ordering them because just five is tough enough!

Love You
Smiley Smile
Wild Honey
Sunflower
Surf's Up

If I could've included another one or two albums I'd throw in Pet Sounds, Today! and Friends too...

[MaxL]

Right this second I'm gonna have to go with:

1. Sunflower
2. Pet Sounds
3. Today!
4. Smile (Sessions disc 1)
5. That's Why God Made the Radio

But (like pretty much everyone else) this will change again very soon, number 5 could easily be Friends in an hour or so.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Current Top 10:

  1   (1) Pet Sounds - 220 [26]
  2   (3) Sunflower - 109 [7]
  3   (2) Today! - 99 [1]
  4   (4) Friends - 82 [4]
  5   ( Love You - 65 [8]
  6   (6) Smile/TSS - 62   [7]
  7   (7) Smiley Smile - 57 [4]
  8   (5) Wild Honey - 57 [2]
  9  (11) Surf's Up - 38 [3]
10  (12) Holland - 29   

[Wah Wah Wah Ooooo]

Surf's Up
Today
Pet Sounds
Holland
So Tough

Honorable mention to Sunflower and That's Why God Made The Radio

[bgas]

this is like asking which of your 35 children is your favorite! no can do.

This is SO true!  But, I'll play anyway: 

1; Shut Down Vol.2
2; Beach Boys Deluxe Set 
3; All Summer Long
4; Beach Boys In Concert ( Single LP version)
5; Love You 

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

Pet Sounds
Smiley Smile
Summer Days
Love You
Surfer Girl
All Summer Long
Little Deuce Coupe
Friends
Shut Down, Vol. 2
Wild Honey
Holland
Today!
Sunflower
M.I.U. Album
Surfin' Safari
That's Why God Made The Radio
Surfin' USA
CATP - So Tough
20/20
Party!
15 Big Ones
In Concert  
L.A. Light Album
Live In London
Surf's Up
Christmas Album
Beach Boys' Concert
Live at Knebworth
Keepin' The Summer Alive
Still Cruisin'
Stack-O-Tracks
Stars & Stripes, Vol.1
Summer In Paradise
The Beach Boys (1985)

[Andrew G. Doe]

this is like asking which of your 35 children is your favorite! no can do.

This is SO true!  But, I'll play anyway: 

1; Shut Down Vol.2
2; Beach Boys Deluxe Set  - compilation
3; All Summer Long
4; Beach Boys In Concert ( Single LP version) - unreleased
5; Love You 

Fixed that for you.

[Aegir]

If we're going by last.fm plays, my top 10 Beach Boys albums of all time are:

1. The Smile Sessions
2. That's Why God Made the Radio
3. Sunflower
4. Friends
5. Surf's Up
6. 15 Big Ones
7. The Pet Sounds Sessions
8. Wild Honey
9. Smiley Smile
10. Love You

this has nothing to do with preference, necessarily, it's just literally a list of albums from whose tracks I have listened to most, since April 2005. and early on I wasn't very diligent about scrobbling the music I listened to in the car.

It also occurs to me to do just the last 12 months list from last.fm:

1. The Smile Sessions
2. That's Why God Made the Radio
3. Friends
4. Today!
5. The Pet Sounds Sessions
6. Still Cruisin'
7. 20/20
8. 15 Big Ones
9. Little Deuce Coupe
10. Sunflower

[Andrew G. Doe]

Full current standings:

  1   (1) Pet Sounds - 220 [26]
  2   (3) Sunflower - 109 [7]
  3   (2) Today! - 99 [1]
  4   (4) Friends - 82 [4]
  5   [8] Love You - 65 [8]
  6   (6) Smile/TSS - 62   [7]
  7   (7) Smiley Smile - 57 [4]
  8   (5) Wild Honey - 57 [2]
  9  (11) Surf's Up - 38 [3]
10  (12) Holland - 29  
11   (9) SD&SN - 29   
12  (10) ASL - 25   
13  (13) In Concert - 12                                                
14  (14) 20/20 - 11                                                   
15  (16) CATP - 9   
16  (15) Surfer Girl - 7   
17    (-) LDC - 6   
=     (-) TWGMTR - 6   
19  (18) SDV2 - 4   
=     (-) MIU - 4   
21   (-) LA - 3   
=     (-) Party - 3   
23  (17) BB 85 - 2   
24    (-) SUSA - 1   


Still  no love for...

Surfin' Safari
Concert
Christmas Album
Live In London
15 Big Ones
Keepin' The Summer Alive
Still Cruisin'
Summer In Paradise
Stars & Stripes
Live At Knebworth

[beatnickle]

1........ Pet Sounds

2.........Friends

3.........Wild Honey

4.........Smiley Smile

5.........Today

[Daniel]

in no order these 5 are definites

Today!
Love You
Pet Sounds
Friends
All Summer Long


I also got a special place for Landlocked.

And SMiLE beats everything 

[Letsgoawayforawhile]

Really cool lists, Everyone!
It's been really interesting to see how different they all are.
I'm just going with Studio Albums on this one.


1. Pet Sounds
2. Today!
3. Friends
4. Sunflower
5. Surf's Up
6. Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)
7. All Summer Long
8. Smiley Smile
9. Wild Honey
10. Holland
11. That's Why God Made The Radio
12. 20/20
13. Surfer Girl
14. Shut Down Volume 2
15. Little Deuce Coupe
16. Surfin' USA
17. Surfin' Safari
18. Carl and the Passions - So Tough
19. Beach Boys Party!
20. Christmas Album
21. Love You
22. 15 Big Ones
23. L.A.
24. M.I.U.
25. BB 85
26. Still Cruisin'
27. Keepin' The Summer Alive
28. Stars and Stripes Vol. 1
29. Summer In Paradise

[Don Malcolm]

Ooh, just in time to sneak my vote in on an actual Election Day...

1--Pet Sounds
2--Wild Honey
3--Today
4--Sunflower
5--Best of the BB's Vol 3 (UK)

That last is a wonderful compilation, just had to toss it on there as it's always been an extremely enjoyable listen across the various phases of the band's 60s work...side two of the LP (Darlin/Please Let Me Wonder/Let Him Run Wild/Country Air/I Know There's An Answer/Friends/H&V) is especially strong. If Side One had taken some of the tracks from the US version to make a track order something like this (Do It Again/Warmth of the Sun/God Only Knows/Girl Don't Tell Me//Wild Honey/Little Girl I Once Knew/Good Vibrations) you would have one heck of a "best of" for the Capitol Years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_of_The_Beach_Boys_Vol._3

[Letsgoawayforawhile]

Ooh, just in time to sneak my vote in on an actual Election Day...

1--Pet Sounds
2--Wild Honey
3--Today
4--Sunflower
5--Best of the BB's Vol 3 (UK)

That last is a wonderful compilation, just had to toss it on there as it's always been an extremely enjoyable listen across the various phases of the band's 60s work...side two of the LP (Darlin/Please Let Me Wonder/Let Him Run Wild/Country Air/I Know There's An Answer/Friends/H&V) is especially strong. If Side One had taken some of the tracks from the US version to make a track order something like this (Do It Again/Warmth of the Sun/God Only Knows/Girl Don't Tell Me//Wild Honey/Little Girl I Once Knew/Good Vibrations) you would have one heck of a "best of" for the Capitol Years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_of_The_Beach_Boys_Vol._3

Did they really need to put Frosty the Snowman on there?
Seems really out of place.

[BB Universe]

1. Pet Sounds
2. Smile/TSS
3. Sunflower
4. Today
5. 20/20

I did not consider any compilations etc. for inclusion.

Speaking of compilations, I think Vol. 3 of the Greatest hits, The Brother Years is very good.

[mr_oleary]

1. Pet Sounds
2. Sunflower
2. Today!
4. Love You
5. TWGMTR