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Sunflower vs Surf's Up seems to have reached its conclusion, Sunflower winning with a lead of 67% that far exceeded my 55% prediction. (I'll keep all polls open for any who missed them).

As Poll #2 disappears from the main page, I reckon it's time for the next showdown ...

I hope most of you'll forgive me taking some liberties with the 3rd twofer poll. Rather than pitting Shut Down Vol 2 against Surfer Girl, or All Summer Long against Little Deuce Coupe, I've matched them up with their chronological counterparts where they kind of should be, so the 63 albums are together in one poll, and the 64 together in another. I'm sure this may bother some, but I thought it would make for more sensible (and even) matches.

Therefore #3 sees Shut Down Vol 2 revving up against All Summer Long. Arguably the most archetypal Beach Boys albums. I have a hunch that ASL is going to triumph here but then again Shut Down 2 has some of Brian and Mike's greatest compositions. I'm going to need time to consider this one ...

(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rG9X1AR9FIc/UAE0a5fNs0I/AAAAAAAAAdE/ROTPWnV2y7A/s1600/shutdown.jpg)

Don't worry. After all (I think) the only reason the albums weren't paired up like that is because 'Little Deuce Coupe' had two songs that were also on 'Surfer Girl' and it would've been weird. I think it's definitely fairer this way.

Anyway, as much as I love 'Don't Worry Baby', 'Fun, Fun, Fun', 'Keep An Eye on Summer' and 'The Warmth of The Sun', SDV2 has way too many fillers to stand up to the greatness of All Summer Long, their best album to date (IMO).

Shut Down Vol. 2: three classics, three good songs, three mediocre songs, three bad fillers.
All Summer Long: two classics, seven good songs, two medicore songs, one bad filler. Plus, it's got I Get Around, my favorite pre-Pet Sounds song.

All Summer Long wins.

Easiest one so far, All summer Long by a mile

The album with 'We'll Run Away' on it gets my vote ;D

All Summer Long because its the best Beach Boys album ever!

The vote now stands at 10-0, so your hunch was on the money.

Shut Down Vol. 2 has some amazing songs, but the filler keeps it from being really solid. You can call something like "Carl's Big Chance" from ASL filler, but it's a nice instrumental, I never have the urge to skip it. Obviously "Our Favorite Recording Sessions" is filler too, but I would take that over "Louie Louie" any day.

ASL is one of those albums I could listen to anytime, anywhere.

I think we know there'll be at least one vote for Shut Down (http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,13405.0.html (http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,13405.0.html))!

Ha ha! I was going to write something about your vote being a no brainer but I hadn't seen you in the other polls so wasn't sure you'd be in this one.

I absolutely agree with you.

Carl blew his Big Chance, Do You Remember and Drive-in are my least favorite Beach Boys songs, and Girls on the Beach is a retread of Surfer Girl. Hushabye I'm sort of meh about.

All this combined makes ASL my least favorite Beach Boys album.

All Summer Long is a more solid and cosistent record but personally I prefer Shut Down II. This Car of Mine, bitches.

The highs are higher on Shut Down Vol 2 but ultimately had to go with ASL if we're talking full albums.

Although, as far as non-music filler Wilson vs. Love is pretty funny......Recording Sessions is just there.

One time I liked This Car of Mine I wrote a short story inspired by it. (there's no car in the story, though. it's about romantic attraction.)

don't ask me if you can read it.

Can I read it?

no, haha.

Will you read it to us, then? ;)

You like Summer In Paradise more?
Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!

Aegir, you are one of the most level-headed and reasonable members on this board and I always enjoy your posts, but your stance on All Summer Long leaves me utterly baffled! Ah well each to their own, All Summer Long by a mile for me, I Get Around, Don't Back Down, Girls On The Beach, Hushabye, Wendy, Little Honda and All Summer Long are indispensable classics to me. Shut Down Vol 2 has Fun Fun Fun, Don't Worry Baby, Warmth Of The Sun and In The Parking Lot but the rest is too uneven and inconsistent for me.

Just to be contrary, I voted for Shut Down. Plus, as a longstanding Louie Louie Club member, I am required to vote for any album which contains Richard Berry's classic.

yep, I don't dislike any song on Summer in Paradise. there's few I really like, but none I dislike. Drive-in I just can't stand. the only Beach Boys song I dislike more is the version of Little Saint Nick which uses the Drive-in track.

I think the two are much closer than the poll suggests, but I did still vote for All Summer Long.  Shut Down Volume 2 probably has the two best songs out of the two albums IMO (Don't Worry Baby and Warmth of the Sun), but  suffers from a weak side 2 with a lot of filler.

I actually think they're extremely comparable albums in terms of what types of songs they contain.  You've got a rock and roll hit single about cars (Fun Fun Fun and I Get Around), another solid car-themed track (This Car of Mine and Little Honda), surf instrumentals (Shut Down, Part II and Carl's Big Chance), shameless filler tracks (Cassius Love vs. Sonny Wilson and Our Favorite Recording Sessions), sunny upbeat staples (Don't Worry Baby and All Summer Long), slow pretty ballads (Warmth of the Sun/Your Summer Dream and We'll Run Away/Girls on the Beach), and doo-wop covers (Why Do Fools Fall in Love vs. Hushabye).  Most of these comparisons are respectably close.  All Summer Long proves to be a little more consistent though as out of the rest of the remaining tracks, I prefer Wendy and Don't Back Down.

As usual I'm ranking the songs of the two albums...

Don't Worry Baby
The Warmth of the Sun
All Summer Long
I Get Around
Girls on the Beach
Keep an Eye on Summer
We'll Run Away
Hushabye
Wendy
Little Honda
This Car of Mine
Fun, Fun, Fun
Don't Back Down
Why Do Fools Fall in Love
In the Parkin' Lot
Do You Remember?
Drive-In
Pom Pom Play Girl
Shut Down, Part II
Louie, Louie
Carl's Big Chance
"Cassius" Love vs. "Sonny" Wilson
Denny's Drums
Our Favorite Recording Sessions

The Warmth of the Sun
Don't Worry Baby
I Get Around
Wendy
All Summer Long
In the Parkin' Lot
Pom Pom Play Girl
Hushabye
Fun, Fun, Fun
Keep an Eye on Summer
Girls on the Beach
Little Honda
We'll Run Away
Drive-In
Don't Back Down
This Car of Mine
Do You Remember?
Why Do Fools Fall in Love
Shut Down, Part II
Louie, Louie
Carl's Big Chance
Denny's Drums
"Cassius" Love vs. "Sonny" Wilson
Our Favorite Recording Sessions


This is such a close one for me I had to use Time To Get Alone's scientific method to determine which I prefer! And it still isn't obvious!!

All Summer Long seems to hang together better as an album, and feels more consistent throughout, although I have to say The Warmth Of The Sun and Don't Worry baby slay everything on ASL for me with the exception of maybe I Get Around. SD really has the greatest first few tracks, and the cover art - that brooding group shot that Peter Blake incorporated into one of his paintings - is so incredible. Aside from the killer one-two punch start, SD Vol 2 also has the most fun tracks in Parking Lot and Pom Pom Playgirl - those are pure Brian for me.

But ultimately I'll have to go for All Summer Long as it's more consistent. Close call though, for me.

ASL for me. SDV2 has a lot of very high highs, but a few too many lows. A tad bit inconsistent.

Both have songs in my top ten BB songs of all time. This is actually a hard one for me. Cassius Love is a bit worse than absolutely terrible, but I don't have it on my Ipod so everything there is great too. But i'll go with ASL. I like all of the songs on both of these (notice i said songs, not studio banter), but i think i listen to ASL a little more often

There are similarities between the 2 albums in that they both start off brilliantly but both peter out badly.

SDV2 has 5 songs that are blatantly filller though including This Car of Mine. The lyrics to this one are dire, it is half-produced and just because Dennis sang it doesn`t make it good.

ASL is also patchy but has a much better success rate.

dude. I might have to go Shut Down too.  It got played more because it's first.  That lovely naive era:  Surfin' Safari, USA and stuff.  Raw and more suburban, garage goof-ball.  It's called volume 2!  

This one's hard as shidt for me

Girls On The Beach.  Wendy.  We'll Run Away.


What's to decide?

 You can throw Deuce Coupe and Surfer Girl in too.  All these albums are way too much fun for me.   So I can't decide.


(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/65/LittleDeuceCover.jpg/220px-LittleDeuceCover.jpg) (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/74/SurferGirlCover.jpg/220px-SurferGirlCover.jpg)

Surfer Girl by a country mile, over anything before "Days... Nights"

Surfer Girl is solid, all the way through. 

I can't argue with that, Surfer Girl is solid!!

My problem is, all 4 of these ablums are primetime.  The tops.  The later albums are a little more rankable.  But the guys on these four early records are, THE BEACH BOYS!!!

I really do cherish every second.  I know they each have their strengths & weaknesses.  One's taller, one's shorter.  One surfs.  The others don't.  One's downing root beer -- the other a milkshake AND a burger AND a plate of fries.

 :tm

Go cherry, cherry coupe now!!!

Tracklist for the extraordinary Surfer Girl album:

1. Surfer Girl
2. Catch A Wave
3. The Surfer Moon
4. South Bay Surfer
5. The Rocking Surfer
6. Little Deuce Coupe
7. In My Room
8. Hawaii
9. Sufer's Rule
10. Our Car Culb
11. Your Summer Dream
12. Boogie Woodie

I'd say Surfer Girl is one of the greatest albums of the early 60's by any band... I'm surprised they don't get more critical acclaim specifically for this album.  They pretty much perfected what they were doing with the surf/chick/high school thing on this album.  It has seeds of the brilliance that would follow in things like "In My Room".  I mean come on.  19 year old Brian singing about hiding in his bedroom.  Why that doesn't get talked about more astounds me. 

so

- Surfer Girl - Not much to say about this track that hasn't been said before, of course it's place in music history is already cemented.  Out of all of their songs, it's one of the most timeless.  It's pretty much an exibition of why they're great.  If somebody asks you what Brian Wilson was good at, play them this song.  Beautiful in every way.

- Catch A Wave - I like the philosophy of it.  To me, they're talking about the highpoints of life, not necessarily surfing.  "They'll hit the road, and I"ll be surfin' soon... and when they, catch a wave they'll be sittin' on top of the world!"  He's talking about the tent poles that hold up our lives, things we look back on and enjoy.  Our childhood.  Our first Love.  Our true love.  Our children.  Loved ones we've loved and lost.  Etc.  Catch a wave, and you're sittin' on top of the world.

- The Surfer Moon - crooning at it's best.  Brian being  god-like with his vocal, just so naturally talented, it's kind of awe inspiring to hear vocals like this.  Such a nice smooth pure voice, beautiful song.

- South Bay Surfer - I like the song, I understand many might not.  I just like the sing songy nature of it, the bragging... I like how they all sing it pretty straight without much variance in the harmony vocals... they sound like a gang, which is of course pretty much what they're singing about.

- The Rocking Surfer - It's an instrumental, so if you're a fan of instrumentals you'll love it, if you dont' get instrumentals you'll skip it.  Nothing I say will convert you or explain it any better, lol.

- Little Deuce Coupe - while if I remember correctly, this is a different edit than the famous one, it's still Little Deuce Coupe.  I love, love, love how when they get to the chorus, Mike drops down into the bassline and Brian comes in with that awesome falsetto.  "You don't know what I gottttttt".  One of my favorite memories of the Beach Boys music was a hot girlfriend of mine drunkenly singing this song into my ear.  Doesn't get much better than that, folks.  Caught that wave!

- In My Room - early introspection, one of the first times their music actually meant something more than fun.  That's ignoring how well it's sung by everybody on it, Mike's bass vocals return for more awesomeness. 

- Hawaii.  - I had never heard this song as a kid, when I finally heard it after buying this album, I was blown away!  How was something this cool never a big radio song?  Brian's falsetto is on another planet.  "Honalulu... Wai Ki Ki!!!! Do You wanna Come Along with Me?" I even like the way Mike says "Purty Girls!"   Mike's vocal is really cool on this, it has a strange pace to it, like he accidentally squeezes one too many syllables in there somewhere or something.  "All My Life, I wanted to see the Island Called Hawaii!"    Something about it. 

- Surfer's Rule - Kind of weak I suppose.  The end is much better, with Brian nipping Frankie Valli's melody from Walk Like a Man I suppose?  That may have not been on the album version, can't remember.

- Our Car Club - this song is really, really good.  I like the 'harmony in a can' type of background vocals, it's like Brian's pushing a button and a computer is making 5 different people sound awesome.  "We'll Start... a Car Club!"  It's also one of those awesome songs where somebody's not singing the right lyrics, or you just can't make out what they're trying to do... the backing vocals switch around a little bit where it seems one guy is singing "We'll start, a car club" and somebody else is singing "Car Club... Car Club!" or something.  I love the nasty-sounding horn or whatever that is on it too.  Really bassy and reedy sounding, sounds like a strip club.

- Your Summer Dream - Whoa.  If you want to feel 16 again, play this one.  Another one of Brian's sweaty, smooth lead vocals.  This is one of those songs that I've gotta admit preys upon your memories a little bit.  It's good... but the combination of the song, and the memories it brings up makes it great. 

- Boogie Woodie - another instrumental, you either like them or leave them. 


All in all, I think it's an absolutely fantastic album, and I love that it's the Beach Boys doing their 'fun in the sun' thing, but nobody else can pull it off.  It's the common denominator Beach Boys stereotypical music, but functioning on a level nobody else ever pulled off.  Nobody ever sang "Surfer Girl" or anything even fucking close to it.  The temptations, one of the greatest vocal groups ever, fall dead at the feet of that song.  It's a monster.  All that, by a bunch of kids who had no clue what they were doing.  Fantastic album, showing the Beach Boys at their doo wop best. 

You said a lot, but I think I agree with just about all of it. 


To your point:  3 1/2 stars??  For Surfer Girl?   ::) Seriously?
http://www.allmusic.com/album/surfer-girl-mw0000312862

I think all these classic 60s albums are totally cherry.  Allmusic gave Little Deuce Coupe... 2 stars.  Two lousy stars.   ???  I love Little Deuce Coupe.  I must be on tons of droogs, cuz I love it.

Here's mine.  I guess I like All Summer Long better. 

1. Don't Worry Baby
2. I Get Around
3. Girls on the Beach
4. Hushabye
5. Drive-In
6. All Summer Long
7. Wendy
8. In The Parkin' Lot
9. This Car of Mine
10. The Warmth of the Sun
11. Fun, Fun, Fun
12. Keep an Eye on Summer
13. Don't Back Down
14. Louie, Louie
15. Carl's Big Chance
16. Little Honda
17. Why Do Fools Fall in Love
18. Do You Remember?
19. Pom Pom Play Girl
20. Denny's Drums
21. We'll Run Away
22. Shut Down, Pt. II
23. Cassius Love vs. Sonny Wilson
24. Our Favorite Recording Sessions

Don't Worry Baby > All Summer Long LP

All Summer Long LP > Shut Down Vol. 2 LP

 :3d

All Summer Long is the shi*, in yet  another despicably difficult choice

Totally agreed! Had to vote for ASL. SDV2 ends with such a whimper. It's sad after all of the many highlights on that album. At the rate they were putting out albums though, I hardly blame them for the filler. Plus it's fun to have "bad" music to complain about. I made some top 10 BB albums lists for friends and it just crushed me to leave out Don't Worry Baby, but its parent album doesn't pass muster.

The filler is what makes them so special.  Most band's filler is bad.  For the Beach Boys...hehehe...the filler is something all togther different.

It's such a window into the band.  No different than "Lines" from Adult Child.  Or "baseball's on!"  Or "...a cigarette, when you flick it in the water -- goes, pfft."  There's something so regular joe about them.  They may not be poetry, but they're so honest and unfiltered.  A lot of them have great hooks.  A chord or harmony you wish you could hold on to.

Plus they're so damn care free.  Especially on these early 4 albums.  Horsing around in the garage on a Saturday afternoon.  That's precious, holy time, as far as I'm concerned!

I'm one of the few, but i had to go SDV2.  When it came down to it, if i  could only have one of them to listen to, I'd pick the album with Fun Fun Fun, Don't Worry Baby, Warmth of the Sun and Keep an Eye On Summer over I Get Around/We'll Run Away/All Summer Long/Wendy.

You've put it very well. Even most of the "bad" stuff the Beach Boys have done has a real appeal. It's unpretentious and sometimes naive. The only songs I skip now and then are some of the talking ones just cause they get tedious after a while, but I love tracks like Bugged at My Old Man or even Denny's Drums.

Just heard "We'll Run Away" Strangely done, but amazing!

To me Shut Down II along with LDC are Brian in a rut. Although, there are some strong moments. But All Summer Long is to the Beach Boys what Hard Days Night is to the Beatles. A bunch of good songs. The 'filler' tracks could be singles for most other bands.

These threads are going to showcase just how much stronger the Beach Boys early albums would have been if there wasn't such oversaturation in the early 60s. Today bands release at the very most one album per year. If the Beach Boys had been doing that in the early 60s without the filler and without so many covers/instrumentals, every album would have been a five star album.

Seriously, imagine this album:

I Get Around
Don't Back Down
Don't Worry Baby
All Summer Long
Little Honda
Warmth of the Sun

Fun, Fun, Fun
This Car of Mine
Wendy
Keep an Eye on Summer
We'll Run Away
Girls On the Beach

It's unfathomable, in today's world, how much stuff the Beach Boys cranked out in such a short time.  I maybe cruel for wanting it...but I wish Brian cranked out stuff like this during the 70s.  To me,...yes we got "filler" (which I love) but it seems that's how Brian worked.  It was all or nothing.  Feast or famine.  Drought or monsoon.

So...I'm not sure we would have gotten all those fantastic songs you list there...if there wasn't those insane demands.  Be they marketing demands, personal creative demands...or angry, hulking Murray demands..."c'mon buddy...I'm a jeanie-us too!"

For it being the age of  the 45 Single, The Beach Boys did pretty darn good recording at the pace that they did. I've heard plenty of albums by other artists of the day, and I think the Boys' filler tracks are as good or better than most, if not all of their peers. Had I not really enjoyed the album filler, I doubt that I would have become a life-long hardcore fan. Hey, it's easy just to like the hits. ;)

Some of the BB filler songs were good enough to be singles for many other bands!

If the question was "which is better?" then on an objective level it'd have to be All Summer Long. But since the question was "Which do you prefer?", and since I very rarely listen to the pre-Today albums as albums, rather than just favourite tracks, then Fun Fun Fun, Don't Worry Baby and Warmth Of The Sun beat out everything on All Summer Long combined.

If not, then darned close, certainly if we remove Pet Sounds from the discussion and into a "stands alone" status.  Like LDC, not a throwaway to be found.

Our Favorite Recording Sessions - that's filler defined. I know it's cool for Beach Boys fans to hear antics in the studio, but that doesn't make it any less of a throwaway.

You got me there, EgoHanger. it is filler.  But filler I can live with and it doesn't detract from the rest of the album.

When it comes to filler, I prefer the inspired acting performances of "Cassius Love v. Sonny Wilson" to the meaningless studio sounds of "Our Favorite Recording Sessions". Maybe placing Cassius so early in the record was a misstep, but maybe a good laugh is what the nation needed at that point in time and a smile before the mournful sadness of "Warmth of the Sun". '

Denny's vocal on "This Car of Mine" is one of his most honest and touching. He sings the song to me as if I were his buddy riding shotgun.

Shut Down Part 2 is one of my favorite Beach Boys instrumentals. Makes me want to drive fast and run over people in the mall parking lot. 

"Pom Pom Playgirl" has great lyrics. I like it when Carl sings, "Full back". I don't know why.

Rest of the album is big hits and need no defense from me. Well, maybe Denny's drums. But that's okay. Every member should have gotten a showcase. When did Al get his "big chance", dammit?

Okay, All Summer Long might overall be a little more steady of a musical erection....but I say Shut Down II ain't too shabby neither.

I dunno, I think the chatter of Recording Sessions is pretty carefully selected and edited. The scripted finale where Brian is pretending to cue a vocal take but is really coming up with a great, subtle segue into the final track of the album, that's smart, funny stuff. Reminds me of Revolution 9/Good Night.

I can dig most of this. I, too, agree that Cassius is better than Our Favorite Recording Sessions. It is actually really funny. We also both agree that the placement of this track is what makes it appear weaker than it actually is, especially in the cd era where there is no side one and side two. If placed at the end of the album, I think it would actually be cool. But, you kind of have to admit, it is the textbook definition of filler. Not that it isn't enjoyable, or humorous, but it is what it is.

I'd love to hear the mono version of This Car of Mine - I think I'd like Dennis' vocal more. The double tracked leads being split up in each channel of the stereo field doesn't jive with me, especially on this song.

Pom Pom Playgirl is great.

Agree. I can't stay quiet anymore because I see "Our Favorite Recording Sessions" get denigrated time and time again, and I've come to experience it as an essential ingredient in the celebration of fun and games that is the All Summer Long album. OFRS is to ASL as YUA! is to H&V. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Yeah, it breaks the fourth wall.

Looking back at the poll, I think these two albums should be far closer.  I mean, I gave the edge to All Summer Long but I had to think about it and it still wasn't an easy decision.  It certainly deserves to be far closer in my mind than something like Love You vs. 15 Big Ones (or even Today! vs. Summer Days).

"Our Favorite Recording Sessions" is a good time, certainly more worthwhile than "Bull Session With Big IFjasd". I wouldn't remove any of these tracks, though - there's something or other that's interesting in all of them. I'm not sure why the albums are given so much flack over these tracks - is it the typical Beach Boys over-defensive thing?

For The Warmth Of The Sun alone, gotta be Shut Down Vol. 2!

All Summer Long is all right, but I've always considered it to be their most overrated album.

All Summer Long, easily.