Underrated BB-Related Songs

[hypehat]

It's not 'lifeless', especially with that breathtaking acapella tag before the whispering winds bit. that's possibly one of my favourite BB's moments. I'd even go so far to say it improves on the Smile version.

Shortenin' Bread is pretty cool as well - Dennis' bass vocal absolutely owns that.

Mona is also my favourite cut on Love You. I never quite got the love for 'The Night Was So Young', really.

Not sure Baby Blue is underrated round these parts, but it's the only song i can listen to on L.A, besides Shortenin' (But i don't really think that counts, seeing as the recording is a few years older than that material, right?).

[Jason]

Heading for Haiti this morning for a week, and AGD's Complete Guide is going with me!

I didn't know they were THAT desperate to get fires burning.

[Synth Wash]

Ha, no I'm back now. Sorry, this was off topic anyway. I posted in the sandbox about the "Port Au Prince" lyric in Kokomo being rather ironic now.

[Jason]

Yeah...I just saw your post from over a week ago and knew I had to get in a one-liner.

[Mike's Beard]

UGH.  I HATE the Smiley version of "Wind Chimes".  (Whoever was working those clanky wind chimes managed to fail here AND in "Fall Breaks"!)  That song was not meant to be some lifeless stoner song!  Where's the launch into the "doo doo doo" section?!

It's an acquired taste I have to admit.  Does go a little wonky in the middle but I still love it.

Another Two that spring to mind as underrated are "Santa Ann Winds" and "Somewhere Near Japan",  probs because they are on albums generally considered lesser works.

[Synth Wash]

Another Two that spring to mind as underrated are "Santa Ann Winds" and "Somewhere Near Japan",  probs because they are on albums generally considered lesser works.
[/quote]

I'm also a big fan of Somewhere Near Japan, but now I get a bit creeped out listening to it after the whole John/Mackenzie Philips incest thing. According to AGD's Guide, it was written about John's daughter's honeymoon. Maybe not Mackenzie though....

[Stegibo]

A short list:
Lahaina Aloha
Island Fever
Summer In Paradise (live version)
Somewhere Near Japan
Sumahama
Keepin' The Summer Alive
Meant For You

[phirnis]

"Little Children": This is just so catchy it gets me everytime. I don't mind the lyrics, in fact I think they're fun.

"Passing By": Heavenly.

"Devoted to You": I actually prefer this over the original Everly Bros. version. There's something deeply melancholy about Mike and Brian's singing I think. Beautiful rendition of an all-around great song.

"Salt Lake City": Love the Hawthorne CD stereo mix. Again, I don't mind the somewhat silly lyrics.

[Sam_BFC]

I really love those last you mention too, and would specify to that the Hawthorne version of Devoted to You also.

[rogerlancelot]

The 8 minute mix of "'Til I Die" that's been around a while. I used to listen to it every night before I went to sleep.

[markcharles75]

Came out of lurking to post again.  Here are some that I think are underrated

1.  Mona.  This was mentioned already.  Didn't Brian say that this was his favorite Love You cut?  I love it. My favorite on Love You
2.  Lets Go Away For Awhile.  After years of reading fan comments, reviews etc... I know there are people who like it, but I get the feeling of "nah...whatever... skip...".  I usually am not a lover of instrumentals, but this is an unbelievable track and it just transports me.   The middle at about 1:00 minute is so peaceful and that sound/whine at about 1:23 always sends a chill up my back.    I cannot imagine Pet Sounds without this essential track.  Yes..the sentiment...Lets Go Away For Awhile...reminds me of childhood...the Sunday "drive"  (you know, go for a drive, stop in for an icecream...) when everything was closed on a Sunday...the park...wow..what a beautiful beautiful track...
3. The Lonely  Sea:  I have noticed that this has crept out of the shadows the past 10 years or so...so it is being recognized as one of Brian's best early introspective ballads. Lovely.
4. Let It Shine.  Love it.  However, I do think the album version is way too slow. I have a live version with Brian's band and it rocks. That is the one I listen to the most.  Great song.  Shadows fall, the ocean calls to me...
5.  My Diane.  Once again, this is starting to get attention these days.  And how could it not?  No intro...just wham! Now that I have lost my Diane...incredibly powerful.
6.  Oh Darlin'.   I love this KTSA track.  Not many do.
7.  Goin' South.  There is not much love for this tune and I don't know why.  I remember when I first heard L.A. I was expecting the worst because of what I have read.  But it is a nice album.  Goin' South...what the hell is wrong with it?  It is a lovely tune and brought tears to my eyes.  I remember I first heard it around October ...knowing winter was around the corner and I was feeling hurt missing a girl I loved (I cannot believe I just wrote that!) Anyways, very laid back tune.  Goin' South...leaving it all behind...get my life in order. 
8.  Matchpoint Of Our Love.  Ok...what the hell happened to Brian's voice on this record?  It is so smooth and relaxing...this is the "manly" voice I wish Brian had of stuck with.  I have a theory about MIU.  Mike must have said to Brian..."listen will you cut out the croaking and gruff voice dammit!"  lol Why did he switch all of a sudden to this voice?  The middle eight is great.
9.  City Blues.  Dammit what a rocker.  It captures perfectly the feel of the big city.  So intense.  Great song.  I do think Clapton rips it up on this one!
10.  We'll Run Away.  I have to agree with what has been said here about this track.  I love it. 

Well, those are 10 tracks that I feel are underrated.  I know it is subjective but I wanted to share my thoughts with you guys.  There are many more to be sure but for now those are 10 that I can think of. 

Mark

[Nicko]

Came out of lurking to post again.  Here are some that I think are underrated

 
8.  Matchpoint Of Our Love.  Ok...what the hell happened to Brian's voice on this record?  It is so smooth and relaxing...this is the "manly" voice I wish Brian had of stuck with.  I have a theory about MIU.  Mike must have said to Brian..."listen will you cut out the croaking and gruff voice dammit!"  lol Why did he switch all of a sudden to this voice?  The middle eight is great.

I would give the credit to Al. He produced the vocals on that album and did an excellent job. Especially considering that Carl was hardly involved.

[TheLazenby]

Rogerlancelot, are you talking about the long "Til I Die" that gets wedged (inappropriately) onto the ends of "Landlocked" boots sometimes?

If you are, that's just two unrelated mixes stuck on one track... it's not meant to be cohesive.  It's a rough mix lacking some of the vocals (the solo lines, "It kills my soul" etc, are missing), followed by the 'Desper Mix' from Endless Harmony.

As for underrated tracks - I'm ashamed to admit it, but "I can't wait 'til summer, 'cause it's gonna be a summer of love!" keeps creeping into my head these days. :-P

[runnersdialzero]

Came out of lurking to post again.  Here are some that I think are underrated

 
8.  Matchpoint Of Our Love.  Ok...what the hell happened to Brian's voice on this record?  It is so smooth and relaxing...this is the "manly" voice I wish Brian had of stuck with.  I have a theory about MIU.  Mike must have said to Brian..."listen will you cut out the croaking and gruff voice dammit!"  lol Why did he switch all of a sudden to this voice?  The middle eight is great.

I would give the credit to Al. He produced the vocals on that album and did an excellent job. Especially considering that Carl was hardly involved.

It's not the production - Brian's voice just sounds fantastic, here. It's very weird. I'm willing to bet the initial run with Landy - i.e. losing weight, being healthier, and staying away from coke and cigarettes, caused his vocal cords to begin to heal and for him to have some more control over his voice.

I doubt his voice would have ever returned to how it originally was, but he just sounds so damn good on here compared to the few records before it and anything after - like 25% new Brian and 75% old Brian. Imagine BWPS with a slightly older version of THAT voice.

Damn shame he got back into those things he sounds good nowadays and is certainly capable of sounding great, but there was still a bit of the old personality and magic in his voice on those songs, especially "Matchpoint".

[Sheriff John Stone]

I bought MIU the day it came out, and I can't describe the feeling of elation when I first dropped the needle on that record. Keep in mind the previous two albums were 15 Big Ones and Love You, so those were the most recent Brian vocals. From the beginning of "She's Got Rhythm" to "Wontcha Come Out Tonight" to "Matchpoint" and ending with the closing falsetto on "Winds Of Change", well, it was an emotional experience.

Some people aren't crazy about Brian's falsetto on "She's Got Rhythm" (personally I love it), but, keep it in perspective. The last Brian lead vocal (and song) that we had to live with for a long time was on "Love Is A Woman"!

[Stegibo]

I think that "Slow Summer Dancin' (One Summer Night)" is really underrated, it's such a great song with great vocals by Bruce and Al.

[slothrop]

1. "All I Wanna Do"--I cannot understand how this has not ended up on one of the many compilations yet. A beautiful and psychedelic love song.
2. "Celebrate the News"--One of Dennis' best IMO. The tag with all the boys voices shooting all over the place is great. And there's actually some heavy drumming here, unique for a lot of the BB catalog.
3. "Transcendental Meditation"--Many don't like this song but I think the horn arrangement is pretty groovy. I like Brian's take on an "Eastern" scale kind of sound, too.
4. "Airplane"--Just an great song. The organ and bass are some of my favorite on Love You.
5. "She Knows Me Too Well"--This song seems to get overlooked. Probably because it's next to juggernauts like "Please Let Me Wonder" and "Kiss Me Baby". I think it's the best track on the album though; great vocals, great chord changes, that wonderfully understated guitar solo. Plus, if I remember correctly, it's actually the Boys playing, which is nice to know.
6. "Leaving This Town"--That serpentine Moog solo says it all.
7. "Aren't You Glad"--Great white-boy soul. What is that playing the chords in the beginning? Piano, marimba? Maybe both doubled, but either way it's a great sound.
8. "I'm So Lonely"--This is the only song from "85" IMO that is completely successful within it's slick production. Gorgeous chords and melody and just a truly heart breaking song. Everyone has felt this way at some point and Brian really pulled this one off great. Love Carl's middle-eight too.
9. "It's A Beautiful Day"--It bewilders me that this was not a hit. If you've ever lived (hell, even just visited) LA, you know how well this song exudes the feeling of driving around on one of those sunny days.
10. "I Went to Sleep"--This just has an overall amazing sound. Simple but dazzling arrangement and sound effects: the clock-like percussion, snoring, tambourine "sprinklers". I love the sleepy, stoned sounding vocals and lyrics too.

and for the holidays

11. "The Man with All the Toys"--All the vocals are just great. The "whoa" background part is the best.
12. "Child of Winter"--I'm surprised this bizarre nugget hasn't been discussed more. Weird backing vocals, Brian's somewhat creepy spoken section and most of all Moog/synth lines floating all over the place. I believe it was Brian's first "solo" production since "Add Some Music" and it's a great portrait of how he developed up in his bedroom alone. Definitely a sign of things to come, too. Scary, funny, outrageous. Oh, and that "ding dong ding go the bells" with that 8-bit sounding synth at the end is far-out. Sounds like a Nintendo game.

[Autotune]

Two words: "Custom Machine".

As much as people enjoy the LDC album, I can't believe this one does not get mentioned more often. Flawless vocals and execution (unlike some of the other cuts on the album), beautiful arrangement, a tight, dynamic song full of surprises, a unique chord progression, a piano solo, an effortlessly cool Mike Love lead, a damn fine set of lyrics... Some glorious two minutes of Wilson art.

What an album cut! Couldn't this have been a hit?

[OneEar/OneEye]

I'm certain this must have been mentioned previously, but I'd say "The Girl From New York City", for one. 
I remember reading in the Rolling Stone record guide [in a review of Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!) by Dave Marsh] that this was a cover of The Ad Libs "Boy From New York City", and then when I finally heard the song I was, on one hand, pissed off that such a major music rag could publish a review (and not a very good one) of something the reviewer (again, Dave Marsh) obviously hadn't even listened to, and on the other hand I was blown away by how great this song is.  I love this track.  This is classic Beach Boys par excellence, IMHO, and a very overlooked track.

[the captain]

It's amusing to note how many "underrated" BBs songs I hate, or "overrated" ones I love, with others obviously in similar boats, considering how many of the same songs appear on both threads. Why not just save the time and make a thread of all BBs songs and the footnote that someone here considers each either over- or underrated? Maybe a seminal classic, maybe some aural urine. Somebody loves or hates it.

[TheLazenby]

I actually thought it was a "Boy From New York City" cover before I heard it too....

Now you know how I feel when I read in 'The Great Rock Discography' that Chumbawamba's foul-mouthed tribute to Lenny Bruce, "Big Mouth Strikes Again", was a Smiths cover.  (The two songs have no similarities outside of the title.)  Oh, the inaccuracies in that book... the same book said that Ringo Starr recorded an album called "Vertical Smile"!  (The author was a perv, apparently!)

[rogerlancelot]

Rogerlancelot, are you talking about the long "Til I Die" that gets wedged (inappropriately) onto the ends of "Landlocked" boots sometimes?

If you are, that's just two unrelated mixes stuck on one track... it's not meant to be cohesive.  It's a rough mix lacking some of the vocals (the solo lines, "It kills my soul" etc, are missing), followed by the 'Desper Mix' from Endless Harmony.

As for underrated tracks - I'm ashamed to admit it, but "I can't wait 'til summer, 'cause it's gonna be a summer of love!" keeps creeping into my head these days. :-P

That's the one! And I knew it was thrown together by the people responsible for putting it out. But it's such a cool long edit! I have played that version WAY more times than the one on Surf's Up. As a matter of fact the final released version sort of was a let down for me as I had the Landlocked mix before I bought the Sunflower / Surf's Up two-fer.

One more underrated BB song: "Moon Dawg".

[Nicko]

8. "I'm So Lonely"--This is the only song from "85" IMO that is completely successful within it's slick production. Gorgeous chords and melody and just a truly heart breaking song. Everyone has felt this way at some point and Brian really pulled this one off great. Love Carl's middle-eight too.

I actually go completely the other way. If this song had been recorded very simply with just piano and vocals then I think it could have worked. But I find the arrangement and the production kill it for me and rob the song of any emotion.

[Mike's Beard]

"Summer of Love" is bad but it's a catchy type of bad if you follow me. Can't say it's underrated because no one on planet earth rates it in the first place. As for "Moon Dawg", one of the few songs on the first record worth listening to.

[TheLazenby]

LOL, I know what you mean - I ONLY play the 'Desper Mix'.  Except for the awful edit to the vocals, I love that one more than the album version.

Listening to 'Lost and Found 1961-62' at the moment... does anyone else think that "Luau" sounds like a Grease 2 reject? :-P  (Seriously, it's that damn "Rock A Hula Luau" song, two decades earlier!)