Hi!

[SurfinNJ]

Hi all. I've been lurking for a few weeks now and I like the community here so I thought I'd register and introduce myself.

I'm a big music fan; I listen to a lot of different artists and genres, and I listen often.

I've been a fan of the Beach Boys most of my life.  I discovered them at a young age with the movie Teen Wolf. My parents rented it, and I loved Surfin' USA so much that I had my parents rewind and replay that van surfing scene over and over again. As annoying as I'm sure that was, they were still kind enough to buy me a copy of the Best of the Beach Boys vol 2, God bless them.  I played that tape so much over the years that it wore out.  A little while after Kokomo came out; I was 6 at the time and I remember watching Cocktails, Full House, and the video on MTV.

Over the years my attention went on to other stuff as I grew up; glam metal, then grunge/alternative, classic rock etc. Then in the early 2000's I got into boys a bit again. I saw a documentary on them (I can't remember if it was a "behind the music" or not) and I learned about Pet Sounds and how they challenged the Beatles for commercial success and critical acclaim. So I went out and bought Pet Sounds and the Greatest Hits vol 1. 

I remember talking to the lady that worked at the music story about them, and she told me that there was a volume 2 to the greatest hits but that she didn't keep it in stock because it mostly had the 70's hits and it wasn't very popular. She asked if I wanted her to order it for me, but I said no because according to the documentary their music declined quite a bit after Pet Sounds, and Vol 1 had Kokomo so I figured I was set. (I've since kicked myself for that decision, and ended up tracking it down after it was out of print)

But I didn't become a hardcore fan until I discoved the SMiLE Sessions in '12.  I picked the up and enjoyed the reunion CD around this time too, but I absolutely loved SMiLE. I started to obsess over the "what if" it had come out in '67. Then I started checking out the back catalogue on Spotify and discovering all the awesomeness I've been ignoring all these years. Lol, and now I'm here.

I've started collecting vinyl recently, so my current thing is to get all the studio albums on vinyl. I'm also very excited about the new Brian Wilson album coming out this year, and I'm looking foward to chatting about it here.

Cheers!

[the captain]

Welcome.

[feelsflow]

Welcome.  So much to explore.  Vinyl is the best way for the 60's stuff.

[SurfinNJ]

Thank you both.

@feelsflow. Indeed there is, and I've learned quite a bit from reading through the forum. My vinyl Beach Boys collection if off to a decent start; last week I found Surf's Up, 15 Big One, the Wild Honey & 20/20 twofer, and the first Brian Wilson solo album, used for $5 each.  The sleaves were a little worn, but the vinyl was fine and after a good cleaning they all played great. I had also found All Summer Long and Beach Boys Party, but the vinyl was scratched up so I left them.

My record store also has a few that are new/still sealed, All Summer Long, I Love You, Beach Boys '85, Keeping Summer Alive, but they're $15-$30 a pop, so I'm going to pick those up 1 or 2 at a time over the next several weeks. I try to limit my music budget to $60 a month.