The Smiley Smile Message Board

I would like to know everyones feelings on 'Friends', since it appears sometimes that 'Friends' can bring about 'Love You'-like polarization. I've heard opinions strongly for and strongly against 'Friends', that depend on who you ask about it. It was a humble tribute to the state of being calm, which of course did not resonate with 1968 turbulence.
Personally I love 'Friends', I've loved it since i first heard it. I feel its 'classic' Brian's swan song, since everything after that (until 15BO/ LY) lacked his absolute power and/or interest.
What're everyone's thoughts on Friends?

I disagree. Sunflower? What about that?

One of the best Beach Boys albums ever. Every song on there has the experimental element of Smiley Smile but it is full of the honesty and beauty of Pet Sounds....and thus, I think it is a close representation of the feeling SMiLE would have brought.

The whole album is like an entire day/lifetime rolled into one album. It has the concept of sunrise (Wake The World), along with the concept of conception (When a Man Needs A Woman), the concept of living peacefully with friends in nature (Anna Lee, TM, Little Bird, Friends), the concept of love (Meant for You, Be Here In The Mornin), and the instrumentals make it flow along nicely. It is a well rounded Beach Boys album with contributions from almost everyone in the band.

Some don't like it, as you mention. Even Bruce Johnston thinks it sucks...what a tremendous shame. I think it's a pretty spectacular album.

Though I think Sunflower is a great album, to me it sounds like it lacks Brian's presence. His production style from previous albums is missing on this one - everything sounds too crisp and clean...it's not the muddy/Wall-of-Sound/experimental type of album that we are all used to hearing come from Brian.

I think Sunflower lacks some of Brian's power, but everyone else in the band chipped in and made up for it - it's one hell of an album!

Exactly. Sunflower was the group's collection of songs under a Brian Wilson influence. Friends was a Brian Wilson album under a group influence (besides Dennis' songs and the instrumental).

After the summer of '68, was Brian ever fully engaged in the studio? For an entire album, I mean?

Sunflower would be the closest if you are talking peak level Brian. The 1976-77 stuff is pretty much Brian in control but I think his old follow through was missing by then.

no need to say "even" bruce johnston... the guy clearly has no taste since he thinks so poorly of most of what we love of brian's work through the years...

it's like... whatever bruce. bad mouth your own band's albums, good going, why did we let you in the band anyway? talk about flaunting around on thin ice already. who the hell is bruce johnston and when did he crown himself grand determinator of which beach boys albums are good?

friends is more music that bruce himself could never make. when bruce writes a song it falls into two categories - sentimental slush and cheap tacky rip offery.

Your 5th best post EVER Ghost!!

Hate to do it but I agree

Absolutely beautiful album and, really, one of Brian's most cohesive efforts. I think he was really aiming at a comeback here but when it failed so spectacularly he just gave up. People say Smile was the straw that broke the camel's back - but what about Friends?

Friends has been a long time favorite of mine for about 15 years or so. Somebody bought it for me when I was still just a casual fan who didn't know any songs besides the surf songs. I loved it immediately. Ann Lee, The Healer is still one of the coolest things I've ever heard in music. Even with the lyric sheet and stand crashing down right in the middle of the song.  ;D

i dunno it's not like alan jardine had many original songs himself, although at least he ripped off some stately kingston trio jams. this can almost get him forgiven for "susie cincinnati" -- although not its attempted issue on three singles and one album!

Friends is my personal favorite BB album, I don't know how it manages to evade all forms of critical recognition.

I think Friends more than any other album demonstrates a Beatles influence. Though Pet Sounds and Rubber Soul get compared, and Smile and Sgt Peppers, I think Friends is actually the one most directly influenced by The Beatles. Passing By seems like a classic Brian Wilson put on, where as the Beatles had an instrumental about Flying Brian did one about riding in an elevator.
There are so many great little details on the album, it's subtle, I love it.

Charles Manson is The Little Bird.  >:D

I'm obviously a huge fan of 'Friends'... in the end it is my favorite album of all time I suppose.

It's just so cozy and comfortable. Brian was in a really happy place it sounds like... no longer in competition with the Beatles or Spector. Not trying to blow anyone's mind. Just making music that he felt like making that made him feel good. The opening notes of "When a Man Needs a Woman" never fail to put a huge grin on my face. I just love it so much.

"Meant For You" is kind of like "Our Prayer" as the short little opener but it has real honest, heartfelt intention. The title track is absolutely gorgeous, and the arrangement/production/instrumentation doesn't really get the credit it deserves.

Denny's contributions are really special, and you can really hear Brian's helping hand on "Little Bird".

"Busy Doin Nothin" is in a class of its own. I'm a bossa nova freak, and I just love the quirky lyrics and subject matter. So Brian.

I'm a pedal steel freak too so I absolutely love "Diamond Head"... a steel instrumental on a Beach Boys album? I'm in heaven. I also spent my childhood on Oahu, so that tune just really does it for me.

I agree with some that "Transcendental Meditation" is a bit jarring as the album closer... but I still really enjoy it. Those horns are pretty mind-blowing actually. Literally.

I would love if "I Went To Sleep" had been included, and maybe "We're Together Again" but the album is still perfect in my ears.

For a long time, Brian said 'Friends' was his favorite Beach Boys album. 'Love You' was also a popular choice for him. Haven't heard anyone ask him lately, but I know he's really proud of the 'SMiLE' music once again, as well he should be.

'Sunflower' is a wonderful album, but it just doesn't have the full Brian involvement and magic of 'Friends'... he seems like more of a contributor on that one, whereas 'Friends' feels more like Brian's baby. It really was his swan song in a lot of ways, and a beautiful one at that. I'm so glad it exists!

I find Friend to be one of the more cohesive bb albums and it has an incredible flow, apart from transcendental meditation at the end - what's that about?

I remember onlynoticing the complexity of the arrangementsand production after years of listening. Definitely a renewed effort by Brian after smiley and wild honey.

If only I went to sleep had made the cut. Could have been the perfect album with its addition. I can never remember - is that from the friends or 20/20 sessions?

no. no he isn't.

Spot on, A+, Post of the century.

of course it is. little bird is a song dennis wrote after hearing charlie wax poetic about life and then headed off into the city in dennis' car. he waited for him to return and mowed the lawn while waiting, still thinking about what manson had said "not to worry about my life".

manson also sang, like a bird
and he was known as a cheerful fellow back then, before the end of 1969

yeah ok. i disagree.  :p


apparently "I Went To Sleep" and "We're Together Again" were both started but not completed when 'Friends' was released.

and what are these other Friends-era tunes:

You're As Cool As You Can Be
Our Happy Home
Even Steven as the early version of Busy Doin Nothin?


have these been heard by anyone here? are they available on anything at all??
man I would kill for an expanded deluxe edition of 'Friends' with sessions, outtakes, a capella and backing tracks, and some of these unreleased tunes.

They may very well be nothing. I would venture that Our Happy Home is When a Man Needs a Woman. There's also Indian Wisdom, which there happens to be a thread about right now, but if anything I think any songs that didn't make the cut probably just exist as a minute long fragment if anything.
I've heard there were some demos from Friends, in the American Band doc you can hear a piano version of Friends I think, but that's all I've ever heard in the way of demos.

Ok so I went to sleep and we're together again could qualify for inclusion depending on your criteria.

Here's a question for AGD or similar board boffins: There is an incredible backing track only version of We're Together Again on (iirc) the Leiid in Hawaii boot. It has a slide guitar part mixed quite prominently and as a result ends up sounding like a mix between George Harrison and Therapies Son http://therapiesson.bandcamp.com/ (http://therapiesson.bandcamp.com/) (worth checking out Smile/Ram era Paul MccCartney freaks!). I want to know if this backing track was laid down during the Friends sessions?

Lately he seems to be quite fond of Summer Days, which I think is probably his least interesting choice ever (great album though).

Friends is a very nice album that hangs together well (until almost the end) but it doesn't have any great songs on it. If I were to pick out my favourite 50 BB songs then I doubt any from Friends would make the cut.

7 out of 10.

Technically, both versions of We're Together Again were tracked after the Friends sessions, May 27 and May 29, 1968.

Brian is always changing his favorite Beach Boys album - he's said, on various occasions, Friends, Love You, Pet Sounds, Smile, Carl and the Passions "So Tough" (no bullshit), and now Summer Days.

I'm confused how any Beach Boy fan could not consider songs like "Friends", "Little Bird", and "Busy Doin Nothin" absolutely great, but to each their own.

Friends usually wavers in and out of my top 5 BB albums..

It's extremely chill so you got to be in a certain mood to listen to it..

Brian, Dennis and Mike really shine on it. Vocally it might be their best album

What about.... FRIENDS??


LAME. I hate to say it but thank Jeff Foskett for that bland choice of favorite album. Summer Days is Brian's favorite Beach Boys album? YEAH RIGHT, WHAT A LIAR. He's just tired of explaining to Jeff why he actually prefers Love You & Friends over anything else. I bet Brian's favorites go something like Love You, Friends, Wild Honey, Smiley Smile, Pet Sounds, Today, All Summer Long.

And yet Bruce loves Smiley Smile.  Weird.

You nailed it.  It's hard to imagine why the author of "The Nearest Faraway Place" would hate friends.  It's a bit like Brett Michaels calling Whitesnake tasteless.

For my money, Friends is a great album.  The three post-Smile LPs Brian helmed all show that he could make some of his best music by not competing, as he put it.  Unfortunately, his personal issues from the Smile era and before lingered, so we never got more of that stuff.  The deep effects of the subtlety on Smiley Smile, Wild Honey, and Friends speaks volumes about Brian's talent.  You feel like you're hearing his version of the Residents' Not Available: albums made for no one but him.

I still get angry picturing Bruce in his living room dressed like a surfer dad talking sh*t about smile..

The guy was born uncool

Bruce Johnston: "My World Fell Down" was better than that Smile sh*t.

fake quote don't kill the guy

 ;D

Lame, yes. I have to say normally I couldn't care less what anyone's favorite album from their own catalogue was... BUT, Brian mentioning Friends and Love You as his favorite records initially made me listen a little closer to these two and today they're probably my favorite albums by anyone.

Exactly. Brian has largely stopped secretly promoting his esoteric song catalog choices in favor of the corporate wife/managers/foskett approved answers. I get the honest to god feeling that if Brian Wilson were to write up a set list for a live show of himself it would be NOTHING like what it is. Look at the video of him and Danny Hutton from the mid 90s. He's STILL on the Ding Dang trip! A Brian Wilson set list would be something like: You Never Close Your Eyes [you've lost that loving feeling], be my baby, fragments of little children, ding dang, passing by, intro to california girls, wahala lu lei part of worms, barnyard, i love to say dada/cool cool water. And it would be amazing.

Some people here like my brother oldsurferdude hate on Mike Love for milking the Beach Boys cash cow so shamelessly. Well, I say Mike does it all in good humor. He's a tuned in dude in his own way - ever heard David Lynch speak about the infinite source of energy within us accessed by TM? he can really make a good rap out of it. If Mike Love has been doing the same thing as David Lynch for ten years longer [Lynch got TMed in 1977] then....

Mike Love... David lynch.... BROTHERS in psychedelic soul? Ommmm bop

But Mike Love is not the only one. Brian is just as much of a corporate tit milker. All his album choices have been carefully orchestrated attempts to make lots of money by marketing something in an effective way as to sell UNITS. Brian Wilson is a very unusual mind, I don't think the man conceives of albums like TLOS at all left to his own whims. That's more of a Scott-"e" ghost written album to me, Brian going along with it because he likes hanging with Scott and thought it was a cool way to pass the time. I am not sure what to think of the view that TLOS is on par with Pet Sounds. Curious perspective...

Anna Lee The Healer is an amazing track. The drums/bass/piano/vocals sound incredible. Recall (everyone) your first impression of this period of Brian's work. Do you recall how it all seemed very easy going, hazy, passing by like clouds? Strange little songs that just existed in their own world? That you tuned into as great escape?

Friends sounds like 1968. The green of the album cover, the stereo of the album [although I wish there were a vintage BW mono mix - is there?], the post-lsd stoned lyrics, the traces of counter culturism all over it, allusions to maharishi mahesh yogi, charles manson, exotica, new age spirituality. Friends is where The Beach Boys were at after Smiley and Honey, they took another trip together. Friends reached a very chill place in the mind - it is thought of by many fans as a record to hear while soothing out of an 'intense experience'. It's a good vibe.

 :smokin :3d

However Friends is not as dabstract & daring as Smiley Smile. On Smiley they did exotica - Little Pad, Good Vibrations, With Me Tonight [hawaiin kahuna exotica, dig it] but in an acidmind way, the edits are all bizarre things which if you experienced in a dream would wake you up with ecstatic shivers. abrupt jarring edits thought carefully placed as brian masterfully did them catch the mind a split second off guard and trick you into a new awareness, it doesn't lull you into a sleep, it trips you into a new mind. wahala lu lei wahala lu la keeni waka pula, watch brian smile in 2004 as he sings this on the dvd. what does it mean? ask TOE BELL MAN.

I love that Transcendental Meditation ends the Friends album. Brian's ironic twist that the TM floating album ends with a soothing named song that when listened to, jolts you right back into reality. Genius, really! ;)

Friends is the album that turned me from a Beach Boys fan into a Beach Boys fanatic. "I only hope that you come here alone", the sound of that vocal, amazing. Meant for You, Friends, Wake the World, Be Here in the Morning, When a Man Needs a Woman... if that isn't the greatest start to an album I don't know what is.

I wonder if Carnie or Wendy ever had gender identity issues growing up?

When was Carny conceived? She might be the Smile baby, what Brian lost the seed-genius of Smile for. Her name means Carnal i.e., Brian losing the purity of his vision to carnal lusts excited by Marilyn.

Not once in my entire life have I ever wondered that issue. ;)

Her name is a shortened version of Carnation. More of a Flower Child thing, me thinks.

When the two get together uh huh huh huh huh ha huhhhhhhhh

pretty soon i'll put mike love on my knee
and his little eyes will be lookin at me
and i'll tell himmmmmmmm

when a man needs a woman
they make things like you mike love

 :'(

I mean, if they heard dad's song "When A Man Desperately Wants To Have A Son And Oh God Please Not Two Daughters That Will Make Me Look Like A Big p*ssy"

Like many fans I have my own doubts re: BW's involvement in his latter-day solo work and still there are a couple songs on TLOS that sound like pure Brian to these ears, such as "Good Kind of Love" (my personal favorite) and the "hidden track" rendition of the title theme (which is very reminiscent of a certain song called "Ding Dang" I think). There are other songs that just don't seem to speak to me at all, especially "California Role" with its dull unimaginative lyrics...

I don't know, maybe he was fully involved in it all. I'm always willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Still, my very favorite solo record of his remains the first one because it sounds just as passionate as a genuine BW album should.

Recording for Friends began in February and Carnie was born on April 29th, so Brian may not have known what the sex of the baby was going to be when he wrote and recorded the song.

It's well known that Brian wanted a son and later thought that having had two daughters instead made him less of a man at least by Murry's definition of things. He couldn't sire sons. Lol, Murry is like an ancient Arab patriarch.

Right, he was just a dude anticipating a baby. Plus, it is way easier to use a rhyming scheme with "boy" and "son" then with "girl" and "daughter."

FWIW, I absolutely love Friends, it goes right after Pet Sounds for me. I love the vibe and there isn't one song I want to skip, which is why I rank it above Sunflower.

Defend Brian's patriarchal primeval ignorance then if you must but I see it for what it is - Brian giving unfortunate continuity to the culturally imposed self-shame of being the father or mother of a daughter rather than son. This goes way back into pre-history. Some find the Beach Boys shockingly stuck in an old trip when it comes to things like that. Brian should have sang When a man needs a woman or a woman needs a man or a gay couple make arrangements for adoption They make things like you my son or daughter or mixed gendered Lynch baby...

Even "Transcendental Meditation"

i looove busy doin nothing and meant for you.  I'd place those in my top 10-15 beach boys i think.  The rest is good stuff too.  I'd have loved another similar album to this breezy beachy vibe over 20/20.  or maybe it's just the cover of 20/20 i hate. 

and seriously, meant for you, i love that thing. 

Yep, I like "Transcendental Meditation," for some reason. I can't tell you why exactly, I just like it. On the other hand, I can tell you exactly why I don't like Tears in the Morning. Not that I skip that all the time, but sometimes it's just too much.

I respect anybody who can get through "Tears In The Morning" in full

I think Little Bird is one of the most overrated songs that the Beach Boys have ever recorded. Forever is and was a great Dennis song, Little Bird isn't in the same league. If Al, for example, had written it then nobody would be creaming their pants over it.

Friends is a really nice song but I wouldn't class it as a great alongside Good Vibrations, God Only Knows and many, many others. The lyrics also let it down.

I like Busy Doin' Nothing as well but it's not a 'great' song imo. 

And if any of the great unwashed were forced to listen to the album that any song would leap out at them and announce its greatness.

Little bird is my favorite song by dennis, and maybe even the best on the album.
CIFOTM = Awesome in any song.

Can someone pinpoint for me the exact time in 'Little Bird' that 'CIFOTM' riff comes in?

I've listened to that song many times trying to find that part, but haven't found it.

It's kind of a vague description so I can understand how it would be difficult to spot - though once you hear it you'll never be able to not hear it.

It's the wah-wah whining horn from CIFOTM that begins soon after the first "Child" in the chorus (I guess more precisely after the first echo "Child"). The same whining horn sound can be heard in Little Bird the second time that the lyrics "Little Bird up in the tree looked down and sang a song to me" are sung around the 1:25 mark.

Thanks! :-D

It's actually the whole end of the song. Sing CITFOTM instead of 'little bird up in a tree' and you'll notice it's the exact same thing, drums and all.

"Transcendental Meditation" rules. 395032532 Brians layered atop one another over a chaotic rock song with blaring horns? Yes please. Ending an album like Friends with that was trolling at its finest.

Ahahaha, perfect!

Shady don't be silly. Tears is a great song, I love it, it's one of my favorites on Sunflower.

'Tears' is a horrible song. Just absolutely wretched.


Agreed. I definitely prefer Little Bird over Forever.

Speaking of lyrics letting down a song, the opening line "If every word I said could make you laugh, I'd talk forever" is pretty ridiculous. It does make me laugh.
A great song, don't get me wrong... but it's no Little Bird.

I love the lyrics to the song Friends. LOVE them!

Busy Doin Nothin is totally great. And totally Brian.

color me confused. still.

"the trout in the shiny brook gave the worm another look and told me not to worry about my life" always always makes me smile.

'The Trout' was another name for Manson like 'The Wizard'. Manson as we all know lived like a desert prophet and so one day Dennis drove into Death Valley looking for him because he needed some new songs and he found Manson in the shiny brook and he gave the worm another look and told him not to worry about his life.

La la  la la la la  la la la  la la la la  la  la la la

As I stated awhile back in the ALBUMS section (ahem, ahem)  ;D  FRIENDS has a cool vibe, and is recorded beautifully, but I find most of the songs after Wake the World pretty uninteresting, lyric-wise.  A little too personal and a little too weird for me.  Meant for You is beautiful, but it's quick fade makes it sound like an outtake at the beginning of the album.  They should have resolved it into a sustained chord that would set us up for the truly amazing Friends.  I give big props for the cover, which is my favorite BBs cover.  It is sooooo 1968!  Much more interesting than the ones for 20/20 and SUNFLOWER (albums I like way better than FRIENDS.

20/20 has stronger, more interesting songs, but has no continuity whatsoever, while SUNFLOWER is classic all the way thru with tons of energy.  That's what makes SUNFLOWER my favorite of all time!

I don't think it is. If I remember correctly Our Happy Song is a backing track for an unheard song.

That's probably because Steve Desper was a more gifted engineer than Chuck Britz, and also because it had a decent mastering job on it, unlike many early BB records, Pet Sounds included.

I think this is the point that I am making, if we just take these two songs as an example...

I can completely understand you preferring Little Bird and that's a perfectly valid personal opinion to have. But I presume that you wouldn't disagree that the general opinion is that Forever is the superior song and is considered to be Dennis's finest song with the group. That's why it was included on Warmth of the Sun and has been part of setlists for decades. Critics also seem to be of that opinion.

When I am rating the albums I try to separate my own personal opinion with general opinion. Now with Friends I don't think there are any songs that are generally ranked as being genuinely great. If the top 50 BB songs were being nominated by non-hardcore fans then Friends and Busy Doin' Nothing might scrape in at the bottom (might not). Little Bird wouldn't though whereas I think it's fair to say that a song like Forever certainly would...

Hold on a second - Steve Desper is a more gifted engineer than Chuck Britz? Who says? Steve himself? "I am so great I make Chuck Britz stink" - from the Desper pamphlet.

Maybe I'm crazy but Pet Sounds sounds a hell of a lot better to me than Sunflower. Sure the Flower sounds sparkling clear but it also sounds lifeless and robotic artificial. Mechanical, too good. Pet Sounds is real. Listen to how the organ is like a presence of light in the chorus to I Know There's An Answer. It soars across the rest of the mix in mono illuminating the lyric. I know there's an ANSWER [the realization waiting for you always, all-pervading, the organ sound...]. I just have to find it by myself [Brian said, I can't teach you what I learned on LSD, you have to find out by yourself]. You have to get to the realization yourself, others can kind of help you leap frog over a few mental hurdles but you have to "do it all by yourself". Baby let your hair grow LONG.

It is not something I notice as much these days, but when I first heard Sunflower I did pick up on a certain shrillness to the sound - check out This Whole World for instance.

But there's such a sonic difference between Pet Sounds in 66 and Sunflower in 69-70 for so many reasons.

Didn't someone say Desper had 'acid humor' or something like that? Maybe he and Brian should've taken a tab or two and finished Smile one night...

"Acid humor" refers to a sense of humor that is very biting; nothing to do with any kind of drug use.

so Desper wasn't tripping while coming up with the production ideas for Sunflower and Surf's Up? damn, pop every bubble of my dreams why don't you jason

Throughout the past decades each and every Friends reissue should've went to the shops with a big sticker on the cover that reads "Brian Wilson's favorite album". Maybe people would have listened.

The overall sound of Sunflower is just fine to these ears. There's something plastic about it, yes, but it fits the mood of the actual song material quite well I think. Some of the songs may be a little sappy and personally I find some of the lyrics a bit over-the-top (both "Forever" and "Tears in the Morning" come to mind), but as a whole the album sounds so incredibly inspired that I wouldn't want to take off any of the individual songs. Also I wouldn't be surprised if BW's influence on the Sunflower sessions was somewhat underrated at times.

Brian's amazing work on Sunflower was his last stand as a willing and somewhat healthy Beach Boy.

Just in case there are some people on the board who don't have a copy of "Sunflower" with the write up on the back, here's an excerpt:

"The songs on this record were recorded in true stereophonic sound; they are not 16 monophonic signals placed somewhere between left and right speakers blended together with echo, but rather total stereo capturing the ambiance of the room and the sound in perspective as heard naturally by the ear.  Although more difficult to perfect, this type of recording is far more satisfying to hear, as will be demonstrated upon playing this album."

Just figured I'd post that, as there seems to be some discussion as to whether Pet Sounds or Sunflower sound better.  Not that I' have a particular strong opinion here, I'm just contributing some information for everybody.  But anyways, let's talk FRIENDS.

Always loved how at times they say "FULL" all together in "Be Here In The Morning," while at other times in the song they refrain from doing so.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Vbclu8ELDE&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Vbclu8ELDE&feature=related)

I really doubt that either song would make the average fan's Top 50... not sure if the average fan could even name 50 Beach Boy tunes.

Any song by Dennis is pretty obscure, and the only reason "Forever" has the edge would be thanks to John Stamos I'd imagine.

If the average person were to listen to both songs and pick their favorite, I think it would be a pretty even draw.
"Forever" is a fairly standard romantic ballad which some people prefer. "Little Bird" is more interesting sonically and lyrically, which others would prefer.

Alas, the point is moot because the average person will never hear either one.

I think you are letting personal feelings get in the way of the facts there...

Forever was included on Warmth of the Sun and Hawthorne because it's considered to be Dennis's strongest BB song.

For the same reason it has been performed on stage for decades by the various factions of the band.

And the critics pretty much unanimously pick this one out.

Anyway, getting off topic and I do like Friends as an album.

If every fart I made
could make you laugh
I'd fart forever


 :P

I'd also think that the fact that Little Bird didn't survive past mid-1968 in the band's setlists while Forever kept coming back every so often is indicative of something.

Lots of amazing songs didn't even ever make the setlists. Or Brian's now. I Know There's An Answer should've been a live staple since 1966.

It seems I am the minority when I say that "Friends" isn't one of my favorites.  I rather prefer "Sunflower" or "Carl and The Passions, So Tough" over it. 

They're all good, but I'm with you to the point that like Pet Sounds, I have to be in a certain type of mood to enjoy the Friends album. It is a great album to de-stress with.

the whole first side except 4 passing by is horrible smh

"Passing By","Anna Lee The Healer","Busy Doin' Nothin'","diamond head"...those are the only 4 good songs on that album ..so outta 1-10 it gets a 5.

"Wake the World", "Friends", and especially "Meant For You" are, uh, "horrible"?

*cries*

I don't think I like newguy562

nobody on this site likes me..it's ok tho ..at the end of the day everybody is a beach boys fan so i dnt hate anyone.

Friends is the best Beach Boys album, are you blind man?

just deaf apparently

Friends is a masterpiece. It's my 3rd fave after Smile and Pet Sounds, but I love it just as much as those two. That recent charity single with the acapella friends vocals is just amazing. Those backing vocals!

This guy...this guy is alright by me

the best is pet sounds, wild honey and smile sessions :) ..friends is at the bottom with holland and so tough lol

ugh

That's cool man, I can dig Wild Honey's appeal. I just feel like Friends was Brian letting his guard down again a bit after his post-Smile retreat. I love the laid back vibe and unusual chords and arrangements. Only one other BB album would have such a strong Brian imprint on it after this one, Love You. But here we still get to hear his sweet voice.

bro it's just one opinion..there will be alot of others agreeing with u....personally i think wild honey..even 20/20 is better.

Every summer when I go back to the Midwest to visit family and friends I take the Friends CD along.  It's definitely one of my top 3 favorites in the BB's canon.

Thing is, FRIENDS actually BETTER than most people realize.  It's a masterpiece of "pop".  Glorious in every way.  Its genius is that it underwhelms you; but it slowly insinuates itself into your unconscious, until you are hypnotized by it.  I was, and I'm a lifelong Beatles fan.  But it truly is a masterpiece.  Well worth study.

I actually prefer the Beach Boys AFTER Pet Sounds.  Wild Honey, 20/20, Sunflower, Friends, man, THAT'S incredible music.

Jesus, Mary and Broseph! What's wrong with Holland and So Tough?!

Those are all my least favorite songs on the album. I really don't understand why Anna Lee is so well-loved. I just don't get it. However, I like the other group-written songs, especially Dennis' contributions.

You know that video of the boys performing Never Learn Not to Love on some TV show? Was there an attempt to plug that song as a single before the whole Manson thing blew up? It's just so powerful, and the lyrics fit the mood of the counterculture, imo. I love it. Forget about the scandal, it is a great song that competes with anything the Beatles did (obligatory "imho").

the only "good" songs on holland are "sail on sailor" and "funky pretty"
and so tough .."marcella" and "all this is that"...i'm a beach boys fan and i admit both albums were horrible.
sum of ur are so hardcore and such fanatics that u cnt admit the truth.

really y?
it's the melody and catchyness of the anna lee that attracts ppl :)
and i think it was ..even if it is charles manson's song i think dennis did an awesome version of it :)

Friends;
There are some very nice moments on the record but nothing really approaches greatness, except maybe the title track. I think Friends is a vast improvement over Wild Honey in the production values and a slight improvement in the overall consistency of the songwriting. For me, 20/20 is where the magic really came back.

20/20 sounds like a band trying harder to fit into the current rock landscape. Friends is pure Brian. It all comes down to personal taste. My five fave BB albums are all pre- group dominance, so that's where I'm coming from.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8I0v2bVX8j4&feature=related
Carl behind the drums !

Alright, here's a question-- how much of that performance is actually "live?" I'm guessing just the vocals, right?

And to answer your question newguy: I think Anna Lee is lame, even for the Beach Boys. No drive, no edge at all. I can't think of the comparison to another artist that would put it in perspective. It's just so... amateurish compared to other BB songs. The vocals are spot on, sure, but not very interesting, imo. Very lightweight.

And I'm coming from a place of appreciating post-Pet Sounds more than the classic period.

Nothing compared to Belles of Paris, right?  :lol

People concerned about "edge" and who equate a lack of edge with being "lightweight" are never going to understand an album like Friends. Or, for that matter,  the genre of soft pop and other great 60s groups like the Free Design, etc. Their loss.

Friends represented a giant leap in production values over the previous two albums, but I find the songs (with the exception of the title track, and perhaps "Wake the World") to be pretty uninspired.  Especially on lyrics.  They might as well have been singing about Banana and Louie!  :lol

But that's exactly what I love about it! I love the fact that's it all about your friends, waking up, walking about the garden, chatting to the wife, doing more to the wife..... Such a relaxed thing!

Yeah, but what if your friends are a bunch of wanks, you hate waking up in the morning, and the wife is definitely not a morning person? lol!

Play Love You at earsplitting volume?  ;D

Couldn't agree more!

Come to think of it, Friends is actually pretty close to the Free Design in some ways...

The record itself may seem "lightweight" at first but it still clearly incorporates all the expertise of a group and its mastermind who had worked on something as heavy and elaborate as Pet Sounds a couple of years before.

u guys give me hard time 4 liking that song...but whats bad about mike love singing about paris?lol

I love me some Friends

A lot is wrong about liking Mike Love singing about Paris.... :lol

LMFAO.. Dnt Ya Love His Nasal Voice? lol

Man, Mike Love singing terrible French puns/place names/food/landmarks is just not defensible. I have no idea.

The lyrics sound like he is reading out of a world book encyclopedia. ;D

what you said is kinda crazy but at the same time.. it does sound like he's reading out of the world book encyclopedia lol