A, B, C, D, Z

[Rentatris]

Game Time!

 Arrange the Beach Boys (and related) albums into A List (Essential), B List (Desirable), C List (Listenable), D List (Disposable) and Z List (Burnable).

NO MORE THAN 5 ALBUMS PER LIST

No Lives, Box-Sets, Greatest Hits or Sprawling Boots

Here's mine

A- List

Pet Sounds
SMiLE
Love You
Adult/Child
Wild Honey

B - List

That Lucky Old Sun
Today!
Summer Days (and Summer Nights)
Slightly American Music That's Why God Made the Radio
Sunflower

C - List

Surf’s Up
Smiley Smile
Pacific Ocean Blue
I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times
That’s Why God Made the Radio Friends

D - List

Friends Surfer Girl
20/20
Orange Crate Art
Gershwin
Holland

Z - List

Summer in Paradise
Still Crusin’
M.I.U.
Keepin’ The Summer Alive
Little Deuce Coup

GO!

[debonbon]

You lost me when you put Friends in the D list

[Rentatris]

You lost me when you put Friends in the D list

It's a good album - I certainly toyed with it going into the C List, POB would make way and it was a close call.

 Thats what I quite liked about this game, limiting to 5 albums per category makes you make some tough decisions.

Have a go.... 

[Andrew G. Doe]

No such album as Slightly American Music .

[Rentatris]

No such album as Slightly American Music .

Should I refer to it as 'The Paley Sessions'? - I think we all know what I mean. Adult/Child wasn't technically released either.....

[Peadar 'Big Dinner' O'Driscoll]

A- List

Today
Pet Sounds
SMiLE
Love You
Wild Honey
Sunflower
Surfs UP
Holland
POB

B - List

Summer Days (and Summer Nights)
Friends
20/20
CATP
All Summer Long
SmileySmile

C - List

LA Light
LDC
Surfer Girl
Shut Down Vol 2

D - List

MIU
15 Big Ones
Surfin Safari
Surfin USA
Party
Christmas
85
KTSA


Z - List

Still Crusin
Summer in Paradise

[Rentatris]

Good List Woody, now try and keep it to just 5 albums per heading and see how it whittles down....

[phirnis]

Friends, Love You, Pet Sounds, Endless Summer, and Holland (or Wild Honey? Today?) would make up my A-list, the rest is great too with only a couple of real stinkers like KTSA or SIP.

[Andrew G. Doe]

No such album as Slightly American Music .

Should I refer to it as 'The Paley Sessions'? - I think we all know what I mean. Adult/Child wasn't technically released either.....

You should refer to it as "not an album".

[Rentatris]

Changed for you, you old curmudgeon, you 

[Reverberation]

Hard to choose and not 100% reflective of my favorites or the albums I think are best but more objective rankings for what would be deemed essential for new listeners I guess with a bias towards my personal tastes. Obviously some had to be left out (First three albums are easily "essential")

A-List
SMiLE
Pet Sounds
Today!
Friends
Sunflower

B-List
Smiley Smile
20/20
Surf's Up
Love You
Adult Child

C-list
Wild Honey
All Summer Long
Carl and the Passions So Tough
Summer Days and Summer Nights
15 Big Ones

D-list
Holland
Little Deuce Coupe
LA Light Album
Shut Down Vol 2
That's Why God Made the Radio

Z-list
M.I.U.
s/t
Summer in Paradise
Still Cruisin
Keepin the Summer Alive

[Rentatris]

Hey man, welcome to the board :-)

 Good choices there, 20/20 over Wild Honey is a surprise to me, but each to their own....

[Micha]

You asked for it
A
Christmas Album
Today!
Summer Days
Pet Sounds
Sunflower

B
Surfin' Safari
Surfin' USA
Surfer Girl
Shut Down Vol. 2
Party

C
All Summer Long
Smiley Smile
20/20
MIU
TWGMTR

D
Wild Honey
Friends
Surf's Up
15BO
The Beach Boys

E
CATP
Holland
Love You
Light Album
Summer In Paradise

Little Deuce Coupe and KTSA rank about between B and C for me. Hard to tell where the unfinished album projects would have gone (SMiLE and Paley Sessions). Had the collection of songs usually referred to as "Landlocked" been released as an album, that would get a A from me.

[JK]

Difficult!

A:
Little Deuce Coupe
Pet Sounds
Smiley Smile
Wild Honey
Surf's Up

B:
Surfin' USA
Today!
Stack-O-Tracks
Sunflower
Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE

C:
20/20
Holland
Pacific Ocean Blue
Orange Crate Art
That's Why God Made the Radio

No D and Z lists. Too negative...

[petsoundsnola]

So difficult!  I limited the list to albums (all but one being official releases) from 1962-1980 when all original members were still alive, 5 in each category as instructed:

A List - Essential

Pet Sounds
SMiLE
Today
Love You
Sunflower

B List - Desirable

All Summer Long
Summer Days and Summer Nights
Surfer Girl
Wild Honey
Friends

C List - Listenable

20/20
Holland
Surf's Up
Smiley Smile
Shut Down Volume 2

D List - Disposable

Surfin’ USA
Christmas Album
Little Deuce Coupe
L.A. Light Album
Keepin’ the Summer Alive

Z List - Burnable

Carl and the Passions (So Tough)
15 Big Ones
MIU
Party!
Surfin’ Safari

[ThreeCats]

A
Pet Sounds
Smile
Wild Honey
Today
Summer Days

B
Friends
Holland
Love You

C
Surf's Up
All Summer Long
Carl and the Passions
Sunflower
Shut Down Volume 2

D
Surfer Girl
Smiley Smile
20/20
15 Big Ones

Z
The rest

[Mike's Beard]

A List
Surf's Up
Today!
Sunflower
Holland
Pet Sounds

B List
20/20
Carl & The Passions
Pacific Ocean Blue
Smile Sessions
Wild Honey

C List
All Summer Long
Summer Days! (And Summer Nights)
Surfer Girl
Surfin' USA
Friends

D List
Brian Wilson '88
MIU
LA Light
Smiley Smile
KTSA

Z List
No Pier Pressure
Stars & Stripes Vol 1
That's Why God Made The Radio
Salute Nascar
Songs In the Key of Disney

[KDS]

A

Sunflower
Pet Sounds
Surf's Up
Today
Holland

B

Surfer Girl
Summer Days Summer Nights
Friends
Holland
All Summer Long

C

Surfin USA
Wild Honey
The Smile Sessions
20/20
That's Why God Made the Radio

D

Shut Down Vol 2
Little Deuce Coupe
MIU
LA
Carl and the Passions

Z

Summer in Paradise
Keeping the Summer Alive
BB 1985
15 Big Ones
Smiley Smile

[Tord]

A

Smiley Smile
Pet Sounds
Little Deuce Coupe
All Summer Long
Today

B

Surf's Up
Sunflower
Party!
Summer Days and Summer Nights!!!
Christmas Album

C

Keepin' the Summer Alive
M.I.U. Album
Carl & The Passions: So Tough

D

The Beach Boys
Stars & Stripes Vol. 1
L.A. (Light Album)
Summer in Paradise

[Smilin Ed H]

I'd have to stretch it out and have an E List. E being disposable but with something to redeem it; Z being forgettable, but not without some interest

A List
Surf's Up
Today!
Sunflower
Holland
Pet Sounds
Smile Sessions
Wild Honey
Friends
Pacific Ocean Blue
BW88
20/20

B List
All Summer Long
Surfer Girl
Carl & The Passions
Smiley Smile
Love You
Bambu Sessions

C List
Lucky Old Sun
Summer Days! (And Summer Nights)
LA
Little Deuce Coupe
Shut Down Volume 2


D List
Surfin' USA
Carl Wilson
Imagination
TWGMTR
No Pier Pressure
Gershwin
Orange Crate Art
Party
15 BO

E List
KTSA
BB85
GIOMH
Youngblood
MIU
Surfin' Safari
Christmas Album
Brian's Christmas album

Z List
Stars & Stripes Vol 1
Looking Back With Love
Salute Nascar
Songs In the Key of Disney
Going Public
Summer in Paradise

[Rentatris]

Nice one Ed. Now try doing it with just 5 in each category ;-)

[Smilin Ed H]

Nice one Ed. Now try doing it with just 5 in each category ;-)

Can't! There's too much good stuff to put at the top end so I'd end up skipping albums that are genuinely good and shouldn't be moved down a category.

The bottom end is easier.

[Emily]

With the original assignment I'm not clear if leaving them off the list means they are worse than or better than "Z", so I added an "E" because if you include imaginary SMiLE, you get exactly 30 official BB studio albums. I ignored non official Beach Boy releases (solos and other stuff).

A
The Beach Boys Today!
Pet Sounds
Wild Honey
Friends
SMiLE
B
Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)
Sunflower
Surf's Up
Holland
Love You
C
Surfer Girl
Shut Down Volume 2
All Summer Long
Smiley Smile
20/20
D
Surfin' U.S.A.
Little Deuce Coupe
The Beach Boys' Christmas Album
Beach Boys' Party!
Carl and the Passions – "So Tough"
E
Surfin' Safari
15 Big Ones
M.I.U. Album
The Beach Boys
That's Why God Made the Radio
Z
L.A. (Light Album)
Keepin' the Summer Alive
Still Cruisin'
Summer in Paradise
Stars and Stripes Vol. 1

[Oswald Thatendswald]

A: Kokomo, because it showed Mike was the true genius of the group, not cuHsin brYhan.

[Cam Mott]

A: Kokomo, because it showed Mike was the true genius of the group, not cuHsin brYhan.

You forgot "and without Mike, cuSsin' brYhan would have been pumpin' gas for a living".