Be Still is the best song no one ever talks about

[Gabo]

Dennis is criminally underrated. People forget about his songs and only think about Pet Sounds, Smile, Surfer Girl, as well as all the "fat Brian songs."  When Brian got fat and did mostly nothing Dennis became a true savant. Be Still, for example. Beautiful. Who could forget about THAT!?!? You don't even notice it when listening to the oh so Brian-centric Friends. There's something going on here.

[bluesno1fann]

Whether this is a troll thread or not, I genuinely like Be Still. It's perfect as it is, and while not quite as good as Little Bird, it definitely one of the better songs off Friends.

[alf wiedersehen]

It's perfect as it is, and while not quite as good as Little Bird, it definitely one of the better songs off Friends.

You really think so? Friends is perhaps my favorite Beach Boys album and, while I love all the songs that create the lush, mellow majesty that the album is, "Be Still" is the song that most seems like filler to me. It's as if the least amount of thought went into creating that particular one.

[Gabo]

I think they should have let Dennis make Friends his own way, and leave off all the Brian tracks. 

[bluesno1fann]

It's perfect as it is, and while not quite as good as Little Bird, it definitely one of the better songs off Friends.

You really think so? Friends is perhaps my favorite Beach Boys album and, while I love all the songs that create the lush, mellow majesty that the album is, "Be Still" is the song that most seems like filler to me. It's as if the least amount of thought went into creating that particular one.

Yes, I really do. I think the simplistic production of the song with just an organ and Dennis singing works well. It's an enjoyable listen, and a nice, short break from all the other songs.

[Gabo]

High five!

[SMiLE Brian]

*sigh*

[Please delete my account]

When I saw the thread title I thought, that's refreshingly positive coming from Gabo. But on reading the post, no, he's clearly being sarcastic. A shame.

Sincerely, Be Still has always been on eof my favourite songs on "Friends", I initially liked it a lot more than Little Bird and I was always irritated by David Leaf's slightly dismissive sleevenote  (from memory, "While 'Be Still' wasn't one of his best..."). "Be Still" is a classic example of a beautiful simple song whose strength is its simplicity and purity, you'd only risk messing it up if you tried to add more sections to it to make it more conventional. Blissfulness.

[bluesno1fann]

When I saw the thread title I thought, that's refreshingly positive coming from Gabo. But on reading the post, no, he's clearly being sarcastic. A shame.

Sincerely, Be Still has always been on eof my favourite songs on "Friends", I initially liked it a lot more than Little Bird and I was always irritated by David Leaf's slightly dismissive sleevenote  (from memory, "While 'Be Still' wasn't one of his best..."). "Be Still" is a classic example of a beautiful simple song whose strength is its simplicity and purity, you'd only risk messing it up if you tried to add more sections to it to make it more conventional. Blissfulness.

Completely agreed.

Some people here might be thinking that I only like this song so much because it's by Dennis. Completely wrong. If it was written by say, Bruce, I'd still enjoy it just as much.

(Says the person who enjoys The Nearest Faraway Place  )

[mikeyj]

"Be Still" is a classic example of a beautiful simple song whose strength is its simplicity and purity, you'd only risk messing it up if you tried to add more sections to it to make it more conventional. Blissfulness.

I agree with this as well.

[RiC]

I listened Friends first time when I didn't know anything about Dennis or who had wrote what songs. Be Still was one of my faavorite cuts from my first listen and is still.

[halblaineisgood]

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[halblaineisgood]

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[halblaineisgood]

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[buddhahat]

I think they should have let Dennis make Friends his own way, and leave off all the Brian tracks. 

Yeah that's a good suggestion Gabo but then it wouldn't be Friends would it? Even Little Bird, if I'm not mistaken, has a lot of Brian in it. Didn't Kallinich or somebody say something about it being Brian's gift to him and Dennis?

But, agreed, Be Still is lovely and a perfect component of a near perfect album.

[halblaineisgood]

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[Cabinessenceking]

I'm saddly not a big fan of that song. I even gave it a try listening to it several times, but it comes across as too sappy and simplistic. I don't mind the basic production but I don't connect with the theme and lyrics.

[buddhahat]

But, agreed, Be Still is lovely and a perfect component of a near perfect album.

Do you believe you could turn it into a perfect album by omitting TM? You're not one of those are you???

I used to feel that way but I appreciate it more these days as another example of Brian's Fire songs (or at least, that's how I hear it). In this sense, TM's presence makes Friends even more of a Smile mk II (or mk III if you count Smiley Smile).

You could even argue that Diamond Head + TM is the closest Brian got to realising The Elements, although it may not have been a conscious decision on his part!

[Lowbacca]

I have no objections to Be Still. Friends is a perfect album.

[Sheriff John Stone]

I like "Be Still" a lot but I prefer Dennis' later material. I always thought "Be Still" would've been a perfect opening song for Friends - "Now is the time life begins", with "Meant For You" as the closing track. After "Transcendental Meditation", there's peace in my mind. 

[JK]

Not wild about much else on Friends but "Be Still" is a gem.

[beatnickle]

Brian was the true genius of the group. Dennis was not a genius. Clever, yes, but no genius.
Be still is an okay song and Little Bird is my favorite Dennis song but without Brian's touch it would have been diminished.
Friends is one of my top four Beach Boys albums.

[Alex]

But, agreed, Be Still is lovely and a perfect component of a near perfect album.

Do you believe you could turn it into a perfect album by omitting TM? You're not one of those are you???

I used to feel that way but I appreciate it more these days as another example of Brian's Fire songs (or at least, that's how I hear it). In this sense, TM's presence makes Friends even more of a Smile mk II (or mk III if you count Smiley Smile).

You could even argue that Diamond Head + TM is the closest Brian got to realising The Elements, although it may not have been a conscious decision on his part!

Don't forget that Child is the Father of the Man was recycled as the bridge to Little Bird.

[Disney Boy (1985)]

I could go on about how Be Still is actually absolutely lovely and about how Gabo has no taste whatsoever.... Instead, I'm just going to copy and paste a comment I made on another thread yesterday:

This board used to be fun but now it just seems to be full of arseholes trying to start arguments and wind up other members. They just suck all the fun out of these debates. Whether they're deliberately being wankers or just mistakenly believe they're being amusing I really don't know, but man they are making things on here increasingly BORING!

[TimeToGetAlone]

Be Still doesn't impress me all that much, although it fits fine as a short, understated track on Friends.  Little Bird, on the other hand, I think is just wonderful.