The Beach Boys Hate You

[adamghost]

What if, after the M.I.U. album, the band decided to go in a whole 'nuther direction.  Instead of jumping on the then-descending disco bandwagon, they had instead gone really cutting edge and decided to make a punk rock album?  After all, the Ramones were really a dumbed-down version of the 1962-era Beach Boys.  (Imagine "I Wanna Be Sedated" with BBs harmonies.  Pretty cool eh?)

I am kidding, of course, but when you consider the band actually did a hip-hop remake of "Surfin'," which is a much larger genre stretch, it's actually not as ludicrous as it sounds.  And on LOVE YOU Brian did come very close to anticipating the Human League.

You can see it now.  1979.  The trade ads.  'THE BEACH BOYS HATE YOU.  The Beach Boys have found a new wave.'

Thoughts?

[Shady]

Would of possibly been the greatest album title of all time

[Sheriff John Stone]

First of all, I don't think the Beach Boys jumped on the "disco bandwagon" after MIU. They recorded one disco song (granted it was seven minutes too long); but it's not like they recorded a few, an entire side, or an entire album. I always viewed it as much of an experiment as a direction, almost as if they just wanted to see what they could do with it, how it would sound, how it would turn out. They got their asses kicked, and that was that.

I always felt the Beach Boys recorded what and how they felt AT THAT PARTICULAR TIME. Right or wrong, good or bad, united or divided, as a whole, I think what came out was really where they were at that time. That's not to say Dennis was supportive, or maybe Carl felt a different way, or maybe Mike didn't agree with something. But, I don't think they faked it.

Which brings us to your idea, a punk album. Did any of the guys listen to that genre? Could/did they at least appreciate it? I've never read anything about it. What I'm getting at is that it might've sounded forced, because simply, they weren't a punk rock group. That being said, I think they could've come up with something at least respectable. The reason I say that is because, right around that time, 1979-1980, they were starting to rock - hard. Listen or watch that 1980 tour, especially the Knebworth DVD. They were rocking, with Ed Carter on lead guitar and Dennis really pounding away. That was a rock concert in some ways. Was that the loudest and most furious they ever played? And, while the production doesn't do it justice, Keepin' The Summer Alive could've rocked even more; the songs called for it in places.

So, yeah, they could've done as punk album. But, and there's always a but, it might've sounded a bit self-conscious, or dated (because of their ages). Would've it sounded too much like an experiment, in the same vein as "Here Comes The Night"? Is that where they were - musically - at that time? Carl and Al would've definitely had to "toughen up" their voices, and Mike's nasality (is that a word?) might've been a problem. They'd have to sound angrier. Would've the public "bought it"? I'd a bought it!

[A Million Units In Jan!]

You know, some of their early stuff wouldn't sound too bad as punk. 'Little Honda', 'Fun Fun Fun', 'Don't Back Down', 'Little Deuce Coupe'. An interesting twist on some songs that have been overplayed. In fact, I think that DBD showed up on the 'imagination' vhs played by a punk band....

[Carrie Marks]

What if, after the M.I.U. album, the band decided to go in a whole 'nuther direction.  Instead of jumping on the then-descending disco bandwagon, they had instead gone really cutting edge and decided to make a punk rock album?  After all, the Ramones were really a dumbed-down version of the 1962-era Beach Boys.  (Imagine "I Wanna Be Sedated" with BBs harmonies.  Pretty cool eh?)

I am kidding, of course, but when you consider the band actually did a hip-hop remake of "Surfin'," which is a much larger genre stretch, it's actually not as ludicrous as it sounds.  And on LOVE YOU Brian did come very close to anticipating the Human League.

You can see it now.  1979.  The trade ads.  'THE BEACH BOYS HATE YOU.  The Beach Boys have found a new wave.'

Thoughts?

Are you kidding, that's been David's fantasy for the Beach Boys since 1962 !!!  I should upload video to YouTube of him playing with  Al and Dean a few months ago...his rhythm guitar is up pretty loud in the house mix and it sounds a lot like what you are describing.

[mistermono]

Lead single: "Don't F*** With The Formula".

And, of course, "Anarchy in the USA".

[the captain]

"My stuff was always about positivity, I'm Mr. Positive," Love said, the blood and pus still oozing from the hole he pierced in his own nose with a rusty safety pin. "And I am positive I fucking hate you. This, along with meditation is something that the Maharishi taught me when I was in Rishikesh with the Beatles. On that trip, I helped Paul McCartney write a little song called 'Back in the USSR'--I'm sure you've heard it. Well, we're doing a revved up version on our new album, The Beach Boys Hate You.

"That album, I should say, has a very interesting title--one that I came up with. I've always been a titles man, as you know. Pet Sounds is another one I came up with. But Hate You was, I thought, a very funny little play on words because a few years ago we came out with an album titled Love You. And I think that's really clever. But honestly, I think this album will be a great success, especially if the record company backs it with the kind of support we deserve--something they have not done with recent offerings, honestly not since Endless Summer (which I also titled, by the way). I mean, this will be a hit: Brian is truly back, and he's writing some great things, some creative things."

At this point the interview was interrupted by the sound of rhythm guitarist Al Jardine making the short fall from a standing position to the floor when the Boys were going to initiate him into punkdom with his own piercing. Jardine fainted when a shockingly furious-looking Bruce Johnston, pin in hand, shouted he was a "folk-tilted p*ssy." Love began to laugh. The interview, it seemed, was over.

[TonyW]

The 1964 live recording of "What'd I Say" is pretty darn punk. 

[The infamous Baldwin Organ]

Melodic songs, with punk rock energy and loud guitars...add some songs about the environment and globalism.

Thirty years too late, eh? 

[joe_blow]

Was it the Queers who did a "punk" vesion of Don't Back Down, shown on the Imagination DVD? I have heard a handful of other Beach Boys' songs covered by punk artists, most notably Me First and The Gimme Gimmes (Sloop John B).

[Surfer Joe]

"My stuff was always about positivity, I'm Mr. Positive," Love said, the blood and pus still oozing from the hole he pierced in his own nose with a rusty safety pin. "And I am positive I friggin' hate you. This, along with meditation is something that the Maharishi taught me when I was in Rishikesh with the Beatles. On that trip, I helped Paul McCartney write a little song called 'Back in the USSR'--I'm sure you've heard it. Well, we're doing a revved up version on our new album, The Beach Boys Hate You.

"That album, I should say, has a very interesting title--one that I came up with. I've always been a titles man, as you know. Pet Sounds is another one I came up with. But Hate You was, I thought, a very funny little play on words because a few years ago we came out with an album titled Love You. And I think that's really clever. But honestly, I think this album will be a great success, especially if the record company backs it with the kind of support we deserve--something they have not done with recent offerings, honestly not since Endless Summer (which I also titled, by the way). I mean, this will be a hit: Brian is truly back, and he's writing some great things, some creative things."

At this point the interview was interrupted by the sound of rhythm guitarist Al Jardine making the short fall from a standing position to the floor when the Boys were going to initiate him into punkdom with his own piercing. Jardine fainted when a shockingly furious-looking Bruce Johnston, pin in hand, shouted he was a "folk-tilted kitty." Love began to laugh. The interview, it seemed, was over.

Nice work, but at some point he should have been referred to as "The Hatester".

[Shady]

Was it the Queers who did a "punk" vesion of Don't Back Down, shown on the Imagination DVD? I have heard a handful of other Beach Boys' songs covered by punk artists, most notably Me First and The Gimme Gimmes (Sloop John B).

I heard a kick ass punk version of wendy on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-brwVv0fiWI

Oh and the Ramones covered a BB tune I think.

Oh and of course

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--6p9JsK7yE

They are really a band, they do shitty covers of the BB 

[TdHabib]

Would of possibly been the greatest album title of all time

Would HAVE, Wild Honey, would HAVE!

[Dove Nested Towers]

"My stuff was always about positivity, I'm Mr. Positive," Love said, the blood and pus still oozing from the hole he pierced in his own nose with a rusty safety pin. "And I am positive I friggin' hate you. This, along with meditation is something that the Maharishi taught me when I was in Rishikesh with the Beatles. On that trip, I helped Paul McCartney write a little song called 'Back in the USSR'--I'm sure you've heard it. Well, we're doing a revved up version on our new album, The Beach Boys Hate You.

"That album, I should say, has a very interesting title--one that I came up with. I've always been a titles man, as you know. Pet Sounds is another one I came up with. But Hate You was, I thought, a very funny little play on words because a few years ago we came out with an album titled Love You. And I think that's really clever. But honestly, I think this album will be a great success, especially if the record company backs it with the kind of support we deserve--something they have not done with recent offerings, honestly not since Endless Summer (which I also titled, by the way). I mean, this will be a hit: Brian is truly back, and he's writing some great things, some creative things."

At this point the interview was interrupted by the sound of rhythm guitarist Al Jardine making the short fall from a standing position to the floor when the Boys were going to initiate him into punkdom with his own piercing. Jardine fainted when a shockingly furious-looking Bruce Johnston, pin in hand, shouted he was a "folk-tilted kitty." Love began to laugh. The interview, it seemed, was over.

Nice work, but at some point he should have been referred to as "The Hatester".

Why y'all gotta be hatin' on Dr. Love, fellas? Good stuff.

[smile-holland]

Would of possibly been the greatest album title of all time

Would HAVE, Wild Honey, would HAVE!

o no, no that topic again...

[smile-holland]

The 1964 live recording of "What'd I Say" is pretty darn punk. 

Listen to the Surfin USA or Fun Fun Fun  from the 73 In Concert album... gets pretty close as well.

[shelter]

Was it the Queers who did a "punk" vesion of Don't Back Down, shown on the Imagination DVD? I have heard a handful of other Beach Boys' songs covered by punk artists, most notably Me First and The Gimme Gimmes (Sloop John B).

The Queers covered quite some Beach Boys songs. They did Don't Back Down, Little Honda, Salt Lake City and God Only Knows (unlisted bonus track, actually their own voices over the original backing track) and they also have a song called Brian Wilson.

[matt-zeus]

Though perhaps Punk would have been a bit of a stretch I think they could have taken a cedible leap into the Power-Pop genre of which they would have had considerable influence over originally (think Big Star and The Raspberries in the early 70s but Cheap Trick, Dwight Twilley etc in the late 70s).
As pointed out, the 73 'in concert' album has near raucous guitar versions of their early hits, its a shame that this approach never carried over into the studio albums, even of the same period (Holland isn't particularly guitar heavy). As also said there is something of the early Beach Boys in the Ramones.
When I heard the version of 'Do Ya' by Jad Fair on the 'Caroline Now!' album, I thought that was a good indication of how they could have sounded in the late 70s, after Love You would have been the prime time to do it as there were a lot of simple, melodic and catchy songs which could have been turned into Power-Pop gems - Do Ya, Almost summer, It's ok (that had already obviously been done but still a good example), even a lot of stuff on the MIU album (a favourite of mine) has an almost raw production under the strings and keyboards (love the drum sound on it), imagine those songs with added crunchy guitars and they would have been on a winning streak.
Sadly the middle of the road beckoned and the turgid LA light album and KTSA alive are good examples of this...

[Aegir]

Punk is the one popular genre of music the Beach Boys didn't touch. It would've been great.

[Rocker]

The 1964 live recording of "What'd I Say" is pretty darn punk. 

Almost everything in '64 was punk. TAMI-show, the "Concert"-album (listen to the unedited performances). As soon as brian was no longer touring they sounded kinda tired. That began to change in '68 luckily...

[Roger Ryan]

"How She Boogalooed It" is pure 60's garage punk as Lenny Kaye would have defined it. A lot of the records that aped the Beach Boys early sound in the 60s ("Surfin' Bird", "California Sun") could certainly be considered the progenitors of the 70s punk rock explosion (there's a reason these songs were covered by the Ramones early in their career).

I think Dennis would have made the most convincing punk rocker; his "All I Want To Do" (albeit with Mike singing lead) is pretty darn close to what the Sex Pistols and Clash would sound like a decade later.

If we're comparing the Beach Boys to what is considered "punk" these days (mainstream, slickly-produced), then THE BEACH BOYS LOVE YOU already is a punk album!

[Jon Stebbins]

Some people here seem a little in the dark regarding the BB's and the roots of punk, others have made excellent points and thrown out examples(How She Boogalooed It is a great one...definite bubblegum-punk). Many many rock historians through the years have drawn the connection between the Beach Boys early sound and the beginnings of garage punk, or more specifically surf punk. The Ramones were considered the architects of '70's punk and they based much of their fundamental format on the structure of the early BB's sound, they took a little Spector, a little BB's/Jan and Dean and speeded it way up and removed the harmonic and production elements, keeping the same type of chord changes and some of the melodic and thematic attitude. The Ramones first three LP's are basically cartoonish versions of the Surfin USA sound on amphetamine with Marshall amps. British punk spawned from the Ramones, so the BB's are in there, they influenced that genre.

The early BB's projected a kind of sneer in the Pendelton shirt era, especially David Marks and Dennis Wilson, both are considered punk pioneers. Mike Love also had a punkish attitude on some of the early records, especially the surf and hot rod stuff. Live...yeah...the '62 to '64 BB's could be very punk. Dennis was all out when let off the leash, Dave Marks and Carl's guitars had an edge,there was punk potential that was softened and later  doused by other elements of the band, as well as the BB's well -played emphasis on their vocal prowess. There were garage punk pioneers all over the states long before "punk rock" became a staple genre. The Pacific Northwest was fertile with groups like the Sonics, Wailers, Raiders, Kingsmen...btw...the BB's were doing Louie Louie in their live set two years before the Kingsmen's national hit. the S.F. Bay Area produced some of the best garage punk, Syndicate of Sound, Choc. Watchband, Count Five...L.A. alwys had a bunch of punks, Seeds, Love, Standells. NY was perhaps ahead of the rest in sheer dark attitude, Velvet Underground etc... But the BB's preceded all of it on a national level. Surfin Safari has a garage punk vibe...there is no doubt about it. Surfin USA takes that a little further, a little faster. I think a late '70's punkish record by the BB's would have been a smart move, some elements of BB's Love You are already there. The opening track for sure. Brian had some punk in him too. IMO the BB's were much closer to punk than they ever were to disco...therefore even though Adam had tongue in cheek with the BB's Hate You concept...if things had played out the way they should have the BB's would have re-embraced the re-rumblings of punk in '75/76 and 15 Big Ones would have been a harder, rawer, more stripped down rock or punk sounding record. That would have put them back on the cutting edge.

[AnsonDrubner]

I picked up the guitar at the age of 13 because of the Beach Boys (among a few other artists). Just for perspective, I'm 30 now. Around the time of high school, I really got into some punk bands and garage rock stuff (Ramones and Social Distortion were big favorites of mine).

Having had experience playing Beach Boy songs, I quickly realized just how similar their music is to some punk stuff. This is especially the case with their early material, with Carl and David on guitar. Take for instance "Shut Down." If you added distortion to the guitars, it'd be a punk song. Even the tempo of the original is right.

Other songs like "Surfin' Safari", Dennis' drumming and the guitars on "Surf Jam"...not to diminish these songs, but they're like punk songs without the distortion and with great vocal harmonies. As a matter of fact, my old band used to play "Shut Down" much like the original, but with a little more dirt (overdrive) on the guitars. Those chords changes are perfect and aren't all that dissimilar to a number of Ramones song.

[TonyW]

Seminal Australian punk band Radio Birdman used to include Surf City and Surfin' in their live sets ... I believe there is a live boot from 76 doing the rounds ... although the Radio Birdman sound had more to do with Iggy and The Stooges and the MC5 they had a core surf punk ethos - two of the band members (Gilbert & Masuak) used to frequent a pub I used to go to wth a very cool 60s (think Nuggets) jukebox and they used to play the Dick Dale, Surfaris, Beach Boys, Jan and Dean tracks a lot.

What I really wanted was for the Beach Boys to have recorded a spiritual reggae album called "The Beach Boys Love Jah" ... ... (I'll get my hat & coat ........ )

[Mr. Cohen]

What I really wanted was for the Beach Boys to have recorded a spiritual reggae album called "The Beach Boys Love Jah" ... Smokin... (I'll get my hat & coat ........ )

Great, so we could get a whole album in the style of "Sunshine" from Keepin' The Summer Alive. Egad! I don't think the BBs could do reggae.