The Smiley Smile Message Board

Discuss, review and rate 20/20, released February 1969.

(http://www.smileysmile.net/images/albums/2020.gif)

About a third great, a third nice enough and a third absolutely awful. Nearest Fawaway Place...shudder.

A THIRD absolutely awful? Dude, get a checkup.

Are you saying that's high or low?

By the way, I went and grabbed the track listing. Four tracks I really dislike: Do It Again (which I think is a fine song, but I hate the recording here), Bluebirds..., Nearest... and All I Want To Do.

DO IT AGAIN???!!!!

Well, if you like Never Learn Not To Love, I'll quit yelling at ya!  ;D

Love it, actually. I just wish Breakaway and Celebrate the News and We're Together Again had been on the album. They're all better than the aforementioned.

Hodgepodge at its finest, but man, most bands wish they could hodgepodge with results like these. 4 from me.

4, their best since Today!... certainly best production.

Dennys (and Charlies) songs are absolutely staggering... Emotionally mindfucking.  "Be With Me" the best Beach Boys song ever for my money.   Everything else here takes a backseat to Dennis, even the Smile songs (which I think fit perfectly here)... It's a dark album, with some beautiful rays of sunshine throughout.

Hodgepodge, but brilliantly so.  If y'er doubting this albums brilliance, I need only say: "DEEP AND WIDE".

I am so - so about this album. I like Do It Again, Be With Me, Never Learn Not To Love, and Break Away (I like the alt. version on Hawthorne better but that's another story). To me, it was like something put together just to make Capitol happy so they could leave. Even the versions of Cabinessence and Our Prayer don't make the mark for me. All I Wanna Do is to me very boring. Just my opinion folks.


2 1/2 - 3 stars at best.

In my top 5 faves. I do agree if there were more room- toss on Celebrate The News & Breakaway.
Nearest far Away Place is beautiful... magic. I'm gonna put that on right now!  :P

It's Kenny-fucking-G, man!

It's a beautiful, beautiful tune. the keyboard sound is gorgeous, and I love the strings too.
You don't like the Webb and Boettcher-powered soft-pop movement do you Luther?

I like some Boettcher (a Minnesotan, after all). And a little Webb. But the electric piano sounds...soft rock...adult contemporary...

WAIT A MINUTE. You're the man who praises Sister Ray?

I love Sister Ray and The Carpenters. And I am not a member of Sonic Youth! I dig EXTREMITY, in my soft and my hard. if it's soft, make it REAL soft. If it's hard, make it damn near unlistenably intense.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of Neil Diamond and Iggy Pop. And to the rock empire for which they stand. One nation, under Captain Beefheart and Tenielle, indivisible, with Love and The Justice League for all.

That Kenny G sounds groovy! Maybe I should look into him... there's something I'm missing. Eh, maybe not. But there's something you're missing!  8)

Many years ago this was my favorite BeachBoys album.  This was before I started noticing so much negative criticism of the album as a kitchen sink project.

I liked it simply because it had so many good songs on one album.  And thinking it a single studio album and not a collection, it was very impressive.

I was less impressed when I found out later that some was smile scraps, some from here, some from there, and so on.

But it remains a single disc of almost all good songs.

Hearing   I Can Hear Music   on the radio for the first time in the late 60's rekindled my interest in the BeachBoys after a long  limited diet of "hippie" music.

As a BeachBoy fan, I'll always have a special place in my musical heart for this album.

Side 2 is amazing.

4.

I love the production on the record. There's a really great feel to it. I just hate Cottonfields and Bluebirds, and Nearest Faraway Place sounds like bad elevator music.

I'm not sure if Brian was working on Old Man River during the 20/20 era, but it would have been awesome if he had finished it. Like Can't Wait Too Long, Old Man River is another lost masterpiece.  :'(

I really, really like Bluebirds.  I'm glad I don't care about lyrics, because yes, they aren't the best lyrics, but the next time you listen to the song, listen to the bass playing and the drums.  That Shyt is tighter than Bruce Johnston in Al Jardine's stage clothing.  Larry Knechtel and I believe Jim Gordon just lock in the fookin' groove.

Who played drums on what tracks on 20/20?

Would that info be in the Badman book? Where can you find info of which session musicians played on every single Beach Boys track?


Jim Gordon is awesome by the way.  I don't have the Derek And The Dominos album though.

Oh my god, you just totally changed my outlook on the song. Thank you.

I thought it was Bruce who put down the bass and drums.

He did, in a sense.  He hired a couple of guys and directed the session.  Bruce doesn't play bass like that, and I believe there is an AFM sheet with the Knechtel and Gordon names on it.

I musta misread Leaf's liners....when he said "...he had already put down bass and drums", I thought it was Bruce himself doing that. We all know Bruce's skill on the bass, and he used to drum back in the 50s.

I like 20/20 alot just for the fact that it does seem a bit jumpy.

I like the Bluebirds with the overdub track.

I love the melody of a lot of these tunes. "Bluebirds", "Cotton Fields", "All I Wanna Do", "Never Learn Not To Love". Love the backing vocals on "Never Learn Not To Love". "Do It Again" & "I Can Hear Music" are great as well, imo.

There is absolutely nothing I could say about this album that could top this quote.  Amen!

A pretty good hodge-podge.  'Bluebirds', 'All I Wanna Do', and 'Nearest...' signaled the beginning of some truly awful merda (see 70s album reviews).

4

A very solid 4 from me. I pretty much like every song on this album. It sounds like they were trying to make some commerical music again. "I Went To Sleep" is lovely.

other cotton fields and the ghastly nearest far away place, a top notch album.

4/5.

somehow seems to be the last young man / pop album, before the bacame grown up / mature rock.
if that makes sense.
cant really explain, but this seems to mark a turing point for the band. at least in my head.

Sunflower is far more childlike than 20/20.
Surf's Up is the grow-up album, with the ponderous and downbeat themes.

hmm.....i suppose some of Sunflower is pretty childlike, when i think about it.

but then its not something i can explain.
songs like Got To Know The Woman, Slip On Through, Tears In The Morining, All I Wanna Do just sound like they were made by more mature people than those who recorded the 20/20 tracks.
not that thats a bad thing, or even important, but in my mind 20/20 marks the end of the beach boys and Sunflower is the beginning of the Beach Men.
oh Beach Men sounds terrible, but hopefully you'll know what i mean.

To me, they sound like a band who just left their record label, and are revitalised about starting something new.

That said, I like 20/20 more.  Darker, Creepier vibe.

"The Nearest Faraway Place" is one of those songs that:

a)  I like and can't figure out why nobody else does, and
b)  falls into that category of songs (for me anyway) where if Brian Wilson would've written it, would've been better liked and respected

Exactly. Book 'em Sherriff.

God I hate category b)... Makes me hate some of the more stubborn Brian fans sometimes.

I don't mind the song, I think it's really great when it's the real piano at the beginning... but I don't like the electric keyboard sound Bruce uses for the rest of it.  Still, it's got a pretty melody.

Category B could be a thread unto itself...a message board unto itself. Sometimes I think it would be funny if the BBs had just stopped listing songwriting credits after, say, 1966. As soon as the others (aside from Mike, of course, whose lyrics were always important), right when the others began contributing songs, just say "written by the Beach Boys." The nerd in me, of course, loves to know who wrote what with whom, when, where ("Salt Lake City? Your mind is getting senile!"), etc.

But I wonder which Beach Boy would be assumed to have written "Little Bird," for example.

And I can think this way in all humility and understanding, by the way, as a former Category B case... It took me long enough to accept that Brian's music was cool, but much, much longer to accept that any of the others were worthwhile.

(I'm an idiot.)

Great post, Luther!  And thanks for saying what more people than you think are saying...

Before I'm sainted, I still prefer Brian's songs about 85% of the time. And I won't go overboard the other way in praising, say, Dennis (who is often the beneficiary of Brian-backlash), just because he wrote good music. (In fact, as I've said many times, I only like about 3/4 of his songs, and think POB is a really good--not great--album).

I just have a better understanding of the big picture, and less infatuation in the romance of Brian mythology. Therefore I've just got more justification for choosing his music now. It isn't as much about the name of the composer, but the music he composed.

John Stone, you said it...nearest is grand...the last of instrumentals it seems...

as of now, I feel that if they would have switched Cottonfields with The nearest Faraway Place, the tracks from Nearest Faraway to Cabinessence would just be monsterous for an album sequence...amazing.

I love how I just fall in love with a new Beach Boys album every week! :)

Makes me long for being 15 again too!

good call amosario! I wanna start a thread just devoted to album/track sequencing

I thoroughly enjoy this album, though I must say The Nearest Faraway Place is too short and doesn't "do" anything. It's an alright song, but it's nothing. I Can Hear Music is better than the original, as is Never Learn Not To Love (though admittedly it sounds nothing like Cease to Exist). Carter's guitar on Bluebirds was really annoying at first, but I can look past it now. I've never heard the original, but I like Ronnie Hawkins' version better. I love Time To Get Alone as much as the next person, though I don't see what the hype is about the "deep and wide" part. I Went To Sleep has those silly high-pitched harmonies I love from Friends, and the Smile songs are, of course, awesome.

4/5.. great, but too flawed to be perfect.

Also, everyone looks rather unattractive on the cover.

"Deep and Wide"  :o

It's the build up as much as the actual part... "Looking down through the valley sooooo..." Carl does a beautiful little trill with his voice on 'so'... and afterwards with the creepy "Be With Me" strings "aren't you glad we finally got away-hey-ay... * CUE CREEPY ASS STRINGS *

But that "DEEP AND WIDE", Woah, wish I was hearing that for the first time again... Blew me away, it just hits me right in my soul... infact, I think it's probably the best 20 odd seconds Brian ever wrote...

when i first got into the beach boys, and i didnt know who anyone was, i always assumed that Mike on the 20/20 cover was Brian.

anyways, i reminded myself of an old old post i posted way way back when smileshop used to be a bravenet forum.
this is the same forum yes? just a different host?
anyways, i'd love to know what the public reaction was to the release of cabinessence, especially in the UK.
remember that the beach boys were still big here - do it again got to number 1 - and the hype over smile was only 2-3 years ago, surely someone most have noticed cabinessence slipping out?
same for our prayer too. cant believe they got released without any comment.

Thank you, duckling.

Meh, to each their own, I guess.

That's nothing. I forgot that Bruce joined the band and Brian was no longer in pictures, so I thought Bruce was Mike (with really long bangs to hide his receding hairline), Carl was Brian, Dennis was Dennis.. and the only one left was a tall balding hippie with a beard which I figured had to be Carl by process of elimination! And compared to his picture on Little Deuce Coupe.. how he grew up!  ::)

at the beginning of DoItAgain--is it just me or can anyone else
hear a voice that says "lets pull this off"???? its during Dennis' drum intro right b4 the vocal

A bit of a mixed bag.  When I got the 2fer back in 1990 I liked 20/20 better than Friends, mainly due to what I perceived as improved production values, but my opinion has since switched.  The easiest way to assess this one is to do a quick track-by-track breakdown:

Do It Again-- Used to love it.  Has since worn a bit thin, probably due to overexposure.  Great drum sound on the intro.  A nice retreat into safer territory for Brian.  I'd probably have more appreciation for the song if it wasn't such a thematic harbinger of things to come for the Beach Boys.

I Can Hear Music-- Everyone fawns over this song.  Except me.  It sounds GREAT, but this is still a dangerous step backwards into nostalgia territory.  I think folks overrate this one a bit as it was Carl's baby, and face it-- everybody loves Carl, don't they?

Bluebirds-- Take what I said for the previous review and multiply it by about 1000x.  The lead guitar here is cool but gimmicky, but the rest of the song is a total waste of space.  If you've ever seen that awful "music video" that accompanies this song, you'll have a better understanding of my hatred for it.  (Notice Dennis did not appear anywhere in that travesty-- I respect the hell out of the guy for taking a stand against the band he loved being artistically debased in such a way.)

Be With Me-- Dennis proves that he possesses an ungodly level of artistic talent on this monster.  Amazing.  My wife's favorite Beach Boy song.

All I Want to Do-- FUN would be the best word to describe this number.  Great vocal from Mr. Love.  Worked well in concert, too.

NFAP-- Pleasant.  The essence of Bruce, distilled to a 2 minute instrumental.  It ain't Pet Sounds, but a remarkable simulation.  As opposed to "Do It Again", this one is a grower for me.

Cottonfields-- Not a huge fan of this track in general, and I like Al's version better than this one by Brian (who doesn't seem to be trying awfully hard here).  I get the feeling Big Bri was being a bit passive aggressive towards the rest of the band by not blessing this one with his usual magic touch.

I Went to Sleep -- Gorgeous outtake from the Friends sessions.  Now this is the real Brian Wilson in mini-epic form.  The little production touches he provides are incredible.

Never Learn Not to Love--  Another winner from the Dennis/ Charlie Manson well.  An almost surreal level of beauty attained here.  Dennis was proving himself to be far and away the strongest writer and producer in the 1969 Beach Boys.

Time To Get Alone-- BW firing on all cylinders.  Astonishingly good.  Originally intended for Redwood, but the Boys make it their own with a great lead vocal from Carl.  Shows B-Dub was still capable of achieving greatness when he stayed focused (as opposed to going through the motions as with "Cottonfields").

Prayer/ Cab-- Another reason this album sinks a bit in my estimation.  These are SMiLE songs, tacked on to fill out the LP.  Since I hadn't heard SMiLE when I first got this, I could accept it.  But now that I know where these songs are supposed to go, they seemed ill-suited for this compilation.


4 stars

I agree.

Our Prayer and Cabinessence are really out of place on this album. They should have replaced them with Break Away and Celebrate The News.

John and Punkinhead are right.  Nearest Faraway Place is great.  Try using it on a compilation as a bridge from other material to Do It Again.  The piano fades into a soft tinkling followed by the funky opening rhythm of Do It Again.  Should have been that way on the album.

awesome! thanx donald

Yeah I never understood the placing of Our Prayere and Cabinessence on 20/20. Break Away would have fit the album well, one of my favorite tunes.

Carl thought that the music was great and needed to be released for people to hear it.

Yeah, you can't really fault them for putting two Smile songs on the album, because the buyers didn't know any better at the time, they wouldn't've cared.. why should we? I think the fadeout on Cabinessence is a great way to end the album, actually.

Our Prayer is the last song on the album which is a strange way to go out. Cabinessence is right before it.

Not on my copy.. ???

Nope, it's the other way around.

You guys are right. The song order got screwed up when I imported the album into iTunes.

Is there anybody left on the board who heard The Beach Boys before 2002?

Been a fan since 1995

I liked the usual songs, you know, Good Vibrations, Kokomo, Surfin' USA, et cetera.. but I didn't get "into" the Beach Boys until 2003.

Fan since 1981.  It's my 25th anniversary in May.

Actually, I didn't get into the Beach Boys until 2002. Crazy.

since i heard i get around when i was 5.

on the production notes, it says Time to get alone was produced by Carl, but didnt brian originally produce the one for Redwood? i know that's a slightly different version with a horn section solo, but did carl totally re-produce it? i highly doubt it

They actually re-tracked a separate version but didn't use it. The horn section is just edited out of the Beach Boys' version. The Redwood one, the 20/20 one and the Hawthorne one all use the same backing track.

Technically, I became a Beach Boys FAN the way I am now in 2003. Prior to that, I was a fan of the Beach Boys. I know I wrote in a school project that they were my favourite band when I was 12, and that was in the early-90s. I didn't explore their music enough at that age, though.

I'm looking forward to the first Beach Boys fan of the year 2020 that becomes a fan by listening to 20/20.

I can't wait until the music industry folds. Hopefully it will have started by 2020. It's really a disgusting business driven by selfish want for ridiculous amounts of un-needed money. Consider any point system that a major act signs up for on a major label. Imagine all that money going to total waste. "The rich are eccentric, the poor are crazy". Money that could re-shape the world into a beautiful place for all. Money enough to cease wars and struggles. All going into the pockets of untalented people who knew how to play their hand of cards.

I give it a five.  I really like this album.  The first three and the last two are my favorites.

at the beginning of DoItAgain--is it just me or can anyone else
hear a voice that says "lets pull this off"? its during Dennis' drum intro right b4 the vocal?

I hear it.

I hear some talking in the beginning; I can't really tell what they're saying, though.

I really love the Dennis songs minus AIWtD. I can't stand Al's CF. Also, too many cover songs on it. Although, I will forgive them for ICHM

I've always absolutely loved 20/20...I can listen to it over and over again. Some of my favorite songs are on it. I've known so many fans that didn't like it...and I never could figure out why. Now...if Celebrate the News would have been included in it, it would have been perfect. But since not, I only gave it 4 stars.

I gave this a 5. With the exception of Bluebirds I really love all the songs on this album. I dont hate Bluebirds or anything but its just not my cup of tea, and I love tea. Do It Again is a great song. I was saying this to a fellow Beach Boys fan the other day about how the great thing about Beach Boys songs (a lot of them anyway) is that they have so many different little sections to the songs and each part (or atleast most of the time in most songs) is really great in itself and I used Do It Again (off the top of my head) as an example. Like I love the drum intro, I love the verse and lyrics (as in that they are catchy) and then of course there is the bit that goes something like dum-de-doo-dah and then of course there is the "with the girl the lonely sea looks good... etc". Its just amazing (in my opinion) how there is so many cool parts to so many of there songs. For example, compare that to another band where their best songs have REALLY catchy choruses but the rest of the song just complete sucks. Thats why I think I really like The Beach Boys songs, they might be short (most of them anyway) but they are jam-packed full of good stuff (usually anyway).

Anyway sorry to get off track a bit back to the album. I Can Hear Music is for me way better than the original. I just love it and it has always been a song that just immediately struck me. Bluebirds ive already mentioned. Be With Me (as ive mentioned on another post) is kinda creepy and I think someone said it best when they said it is "hauntingly beautiful" and amazing arrangement. Funny to think that Dennis was "just the drummer" in many people's eyes. Amazing song and arrangement if not a bit spooky. All I want To Do is nothing special to me but harmless nonetheless. The Nearest Faraway Place I really like. I know a lot of people hate it (like a lot of Bruce songs) but I quite like it. Cotton Fields is great too. I went to sleep is a really nice chill-out song and of course as some people have mentioned perhaps shouldve been on Friends. Time To Get Alone is one of the real gems on this album. A fantastic song with fantastic vocals. I love the "deep and wide" bit as a lot of people have already said and I love the strings on it. I barely noticed them from the first few listens (i dont know how) but it adds a lot to the song. Never Learn Not To Love is again the same as Be With Me, creepy. But the arrangement is pretty amazing once again. And the SMiLE tracks are amazing, just beautiful. I love the "grand coullee (sp?) dam" bit in Cabinessence, simply majestic (especially the music on that bit) and Our Prayer is breathtaking. Even though this album is all over the place I dont really mind because it is full of fantastic songs on the whole. I agree though that Break Away and Celebrate The News and perhaps even Were Together Again would've been welcome additions to the album (without taking anything off)

This album always gets a hard time critically and yet it's one of their greatest, most interesting artistic achievments! Do It Again and I Can Hear Music are both BB classics. Went To Sleep and Time To Get Alone are both melodically gorgeous. Dennis' songs are fantastic, such an amazing leap forwards from his 'Friends' work (Never Learn.. in partciular is favourite - i don't care whether Manson wrote it or not, it's Dennis' tremendous production that makes the song!). The only low point is, as usual, Bruce's contributions. Replace either 'Bluebirds..' or 'Nearest Faraway..' with 'Mona Kanua' (which was inexplicably dropped from the final line-up) and you got one of the top 5 albums of their career!

I really like 20/20, and i hate to admit it but i love 'cotton fields' and 'all i want to do'...

Mikes voice really rocks

4 Stars

There isn't a song on here that I don't like. Even Nearest Faraway Place is OK as an instrumental from one member of a band(though you'd have to pay me to listen to a whole album of that stuff.) AS one track in a career, it's interesting.
Do It Again, for some reason might be the only other track I feel so-so about, though I know I'm in a minority. Maybe it's because the Beach Boys became such a nostalgic band...if they had never done another nostalgic track I guess I'd like it a lot better-- a song hearkening back to their silly surf days with love. But since that's pretty much all they have done for the last twenty years it bothers me.
I think that Cabenessence and Our Prayer ARE out of place on the record, too, but they are such great songs and the album is so hodge-podge anyway that it doesn't bother me.
4/5

I wish there was a barf smiley. Half the songs on this record are great, the other half are like clipping an electric current to my nads and recording the sound as they fry.

The first record to really show how lost the band was without Brian.

Most of Side 2 is really good.

Most of Side 1 isn't.

4 out of 5. This album has really grown on me. A few tracks short from being a five star album:

Favorite to least favorite:
Cabinessence (Maybe my favorite Beach Boy song ever)
Time to Get Alone (Criminally underrated)
Our Prayer
I Went to Sleep
Do it Again
I Can Hear Music
Bluebirds over the Mountain
The Nearest Faraway Place
Be With Me
Never Learn Not to Love
Cotton Fields (The Cotton Song) (Single version is much better. A rare time when Brian's production isn't the best.)
All I Want to Do

I have a hard time not liking this record.... except for the covers.  3 stars.

Track picks:  Cabinessence (+++), Time To Get Alone (++), Our Prayer (++), Never Learn Not To Love (+)

5.  One of my favorite Beach Boys albums.  I can't stand Bluebirds Over The Mountain and All I Want To Do.  Everything else I love.

Already posted same query on "what are you listening to " thread but covering all bases for a response.

Anyone heard The Mark Wirtx Orchestra and Chorus cover of "I Can Hear Music"?

I think it's great. You can find it on the free MOJO In MY Room CD of records influenced by the genius of Brian Wilson.

(yes I know Brian had hee-haw to do with ICHM)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000PWH902/sr=1-1/qid=1235135980/ref=olp_product_details?ie=UTF8&me=&qid=1235135980&sr=1-1&seller=

their best late sixties album.Much better produced than wild honey or friend.
Make me feel of a compil of sort,there's not a lot of unity there,but timeless tunes(time to get alone,i can hear music,I went to sleep...)I don't like "Cotton field"and that's the only one.(never heard the 45t version)Dennis is not at his peak but still  make good ones.
4,5/5

Be sure to check out the 45 version of Cotton Fields as it differs heavily from the album version. While Al's take on the song might not be the most original, it certainly has that classic Beach Boys punch mostly absent from Brian's (charming albeit admittedly drowsy) version - and it sure is catchy as can be.

Cool,I'll check it out!

(hey phirnis,you got a "téléchat" avatar,that was a satirical and goofy tv series for kids,I doubt that it was translated in english,do you understand french?)

Téléchat used to be my favorite TV series when I was a kid. In the mid-eighties it aired in Germany (where I'm actually from) under the name of "Telekatz" and it has never escaped my mind ever since. Later on, as an adult, I realized that those responsible for the series' very creation had quite a bit to do with two of my now favorite movies, namely midnight cinema classic "Marquis" and Polanski's "Le Locataire". It was quite an amazing discovery that led to seeking out every bit I could find about Téléchat on the internet. Though my French is actually kind of feeble, I really enjoyed the clips I could find at youtube.

Talking about youtube and getting back on topic, here's the 45 version of Cotton Fields as released on the BB's Rarities comp:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khlEy-iy5kk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khlEy-iy5kk)

Téléchat was one of my fav series as a kid too.Roland Topor was a great artist!That serie is not only for children,the adults can found a lot of impish humor on it,that's for both in fact.
Thank you for the link!This version is much better. :)

The last of the middle period albums for me to hear and rate (though obviously I was familiar with a number of songs already).  Despite on paper it looking like the songs go all over the place, I think it flows very well.  Much better than L.A. (Light Album) does.  And, of course, a lot of these songs are classic level.  It's not perfect all around but a deserving entry in their catalogue for sure. Let's see how it works out...

Do It Again 4/5
I Can Hear Music 5/5
Bluebirds Over The Mountain 3.5/5
Be With Me 4.5/5
All I Want To Do 3/5
The Nearest Faraway Place 4/5
Cotton Fields (The Cotton Song) 4/5
I Went To Sleep 5/5
Time To Get Alone 5/5
Never Learn Not To Love 4.5/5
Our Prayer 4/5
Cabinessence 5/5

Overall, this rounds to a 4 which is fair I would say.

Whenever I hear 'The Nearest Faraway Place' I always picture it being played in a shopping mall. I swear I must've heard it in a mall at some point.

Is this some kind of sick joke? Our Prayer is a 5/5 like Cabinessence. It's so lush and beautiful on this album. Totally undeserving of being in the same 4/5 category as Do It Again and, ugh, The Nearest Faraway Place.

Not a sick joke, just someone's preference.

No duh ...

Anyway, Andrew, while you're here - I have your book but it's in the attic - what prompted Carl and (?) to revisit those two tracks in particular? Were they working on others at the time (like their reworking of Surf's Up on the album of that name) or just those two? Has Brian ever commented on the way those tracks were released?

Simple - they were Smile tracks. Factor in that they were hurting for new material (hence Bruce's donation of "Bluebirds", initially a solo project) and their inclusion isn't that surprising. To my best knowledge, Brian's never commented on it.

That seems so strange (although I guess not for Brian who rarely seems to offer more than a few words about any particular albums), especially considering that Our Prayer and Cabinessence were his babies.

Maybe no-one's asked him.

What the heck have you been doing all these years then?!

The best he can?

fucking great collection, not a daft track on it. and yes, i love "nearest faraway place."  ;D

even the bonus tracks are golden! 5!!

This album almost seems like The Beach Boys's version of the White Album, an often great, sometimes awkward mishmash of different, wonderful, and differently wonderful musical styles.

*Do It Again - 5/5 - Their most invasive-to-one's-desire-to-do-anything-productive-with-one's-day song since Good Vibrations. And by that, I mean it's catchy. (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Ptitle0t9r68ih?from=Main.DontExplainTheJoke)
*I Can Hear Music - 5/5 - Gorgeous singing and production - vocal break a great Mike Love showcase.
*Bluebirds Over The Mountain - 4/5 - It grows on ya.
*Be With Me - 5/5 - I'll be here all day if you ask me to point out specifics of this song's awesomeness.
*All I Want To Do - 5/5 - Raucous fun. That, and I find the little easter egg at the end hilarious.
*The Nearest Faraway Place - 3/5 - Yep, it's Bruce alright.
*Cotton Fields - 3/5 - Criminally underproduced. The later versions are loads better.
*I Went To Sleep - 5/5 - Might've found a better home on Friends, but still lovely.
*Time To Get Alone - 6/5 - THE most sublime listening experience of my entire life - that 'deep and wide' bit still rattles around in the recesses my soul.
*Never Learn Not To Love - 4/5 - Manson's was better.
*Our Prayer/Cabinessence - N/A - They might be brilliant songs, but they just don't belong on the album. They're Smile songs, and they'll always be Smile songs.

A hodge podge type of collection, but a solid one.  There really isn't a bad track on here.  Even Bluebirds, while awkward and rather insincere sounding, is catchy enough to be annoyingly endearing.   And the two Smile tracks here (Our Prayer and Cabinessence) were the first ones I ever heard from that project (this was pre-boots) and they so blew me away that even if the other tracks on 20/20 sucked, I'd still hold it dear to my heart.  Thankfully though, every track here is good to great.

5. I love how it is all over the place. It definitely is one of if not the group's most individually divided albums. Bruce's sugary instrumental is the only minus. The closing piano tag is nice, but the rest of the song is a tad too much. The rest is great stuff.

To be honest, as much as I love Sunflower, I'd say this is better by a sizable margin. For one, there's no "Tears in the Morning", no "At My Window". Which actually aren't that bad, but they're not that good, either. No, on here, everyone shines. There ain't a single bad song on this hunk of plastic, and I'd say that this is the best album the Boys would release until at least Holland. Maybe Love You. This competes with Wild Honey as my favorite post SMiLE Beach Boys album. It all depends if I'm in the mood for Brian Wilson, or the Beach Boys as a band. Yes, I even like The Nearest Faraway Place. Quite a bit, actually.

Do It Again: The very last time the Boys managed to write a surfin' song and get away with it, without looking like fat, cheesy, Vegas pop stars. It starts off with a very cool "electronic" opening, which runs though the entire song. Mike Love is singin' about the old days, before Pet Sounds or SMiLE, back when they made music for fun, to show off the surfin' lifestyle. And it works. Brian's incredible sense of melody shines though perfectly on here. It kinda reminds me of the White Album, to be honest. Where the band returns to their roots, except with a much wiser eye. 10/10

I Can Hear Music: This is a three way tie for the best song on the album, between Be With Me, and, of course, Our Prayer/Cabinessence. Carl's voice is excellent, his true chance to shine on the record. Sure, it's a Phil Spector cover. It doesn't take away from the true musical value of the song, though. Even the bridge, which sounds rather cheesy, to be honest, doesn't even begin to ruin the song for me. 12/10

Bluebirds Over the Mountain: Actually a let down, after the first two excellent tracks. Not a classic by any stretch, but I still find myself enjoying it. Even the guitar riffs don't bother me as much as they should. Excellent harmonies, as par for the course. Love the vibes, though. Again, another cover. Well, at least there's only one instrumental on here. 8/10

Be With Me: Yes. Just yes. I love the horns, I love the youthfulness in Dennis' voice, I love the lyrics. On a fair amount of days, this is my favorite song on the album, and the one I listen to the most often. I also love the pounding drums. I can't find anything to really take away from this perfect pop song... It just seems like there's not a second wasted. 12/10

All I Want to Do: The only time the Beach Boys manage to rock out... and do it convincingly. Aside from Got to Know the Woman, of course. And I think this is a bit better than that, anyway. Very racy. In fact, the rumors go that Dennis taped himself doing the horizontal tango and added it to the end of the song! Can't really hear much of it, though. Is it me, or is there some sort of curse against any Beach Boy besides Dennis to do an actual rock song? I dunno. Either way, I love this song. Not surprising by this point, huh? 9/10

The Nearest Faraway Place: Like I said, I like this song a lot more than I should. Quite a few people guffaw at it, but I think it's delicious. Maybe I just like instrumentals a lot more than most. At least, instrumentals done right. Some damn fine piano chords, too. 8/10

Cotton Fields: Another song a lot of people don't like that much. I must admit, I prefer the reworked version. It just sounds like Brian Wilson was afraid of making this a full blown country-rock song. So it sounds rather uncertain. Still, not a bad cover... Al has a good voice for country, doesn't he? 8/10

I Went to Sleep: When I first heard this, it used to be my favorite... I love the sleepy falsetto Brian takes. It sounds like he's tired of everything, tired of songwriting, tired of his band, and tired of the rockstar life. The tired waltz sounds like it would fit better on Friends, to be honest. Got a lot of "Busy Doin' Nothin'" vibe to it. Really quite prophetic, only 6 years later. 9/10

Time to Get Alone: Beautiful, simply beautiful. Sure, the Beach Boys can rock out all they want, do all the genres they want... But I think they're best suited to do ballads. Love the bass riff that opens the song. Carl's voice sounds really good. I think it lost... something, in the 70s. A childish, innocence about it. Just like his looks turned from a baby faced young man, to a grown up, bearded man. Just like the evolution of the rest of the band. In fact, as far as looks go, the 20/20 and Sunflower representation of the band is my favorite. I don't think they ever looked that good again. 11/10

Never Learn Not to Love: Eh... I don't like this very much, to be honest. Charles Manson doesn't do it for me, you know? The lyrics make me feel uncomfortable, too. Like Dennis is demanding that the listener submits. When I'm in a loving and gentle mood, I don't like the BDSM vibe. Just makes me feel odd. Aside from the opening, which made me think I was hearing things, I do like the wintery melody. 8/10

Our Prayer/Cabinessence: I think that this is some of the best harmonic music Brian Wilson ever penned. God-like. Of course, everyone knows the two songs are a SMiLE outtake. The acapella Our Prayer is the best use the Beach Boys, as a band, ever extracted from their voices. Even the Beatles couldn't do this. Not that, that's an insult to them. No, it's just the two bands were on completely different worlds by this point. I doubt the Beach Boys would've been able to do "Here Comes the Sun", or "Because", or "I Want You (She's So Heavy)", either. Cabinessence is Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks' tribute to the rustic pioneers, the Oregon Trail, the construction of the transcontinental railroads. Again, the harmonies are some of the best I've ever heard. The richness, and yet, simplicity, of the melody is something most bands would kill for. There's only one man who could've done this, and that man is Brian Wilson during 1966. 12/10

All in all, this is a fantastic record. An essential listen to someone with an even passing interest in the Beach Boys, just to show how they handled themselves when Brian Wilson was slowly fading out, just as Dennis Wilson was rising. Some people call this their version of the White Album. I call it their version of Abbey Road. Too bad they couldn't have just split up after Holland... let Brian release Love You as a solo album. Honestly, it would've saved them from more than three decades of embarrassment. 5/5, and a damn fine one, at that.

I LOVE THIS ALBUM..THEN AGAIN ..i love the whole period from today UP TO love you......i got this when i first discovered the beach boys in the mid eighties...i always skipped bluebirds and cottonfeilds..but i just loved the rest..now i don't mind bluebirds and cottonfeilds at all...imagine if breakaway and celebrate the news were in their place..then this would be a masterpiece..oh well...DO IT AGAIN, I CAN HEAR MUSIC...THE INCREDIBLE BE WITH ME..ETC..a great great record indeed..( hey i lobe sister ray and the carpenters to....)

I know many people take issue with 20/20 because it sounds like a disjointed collection of songs instead of a unified album, but I personally love it. 20/20 is actually my favorite BB record from their post-Brian, late 60's period. The musical highs on this album are great - Do It Again, I Can Hear Music, Cotton Fields, the Smile songs. I don't really take issue with the flow. I even like the version of Cotton Fields that appears here, although I will admit that the single version produced by Al is better.

I don't understand how people "take issue" with this album's lack of musical unity when Sunflower is at least as bad in this way, if not worse!

Count me as one of the people who think Sunflower's unity and flow is a lot worse. That may be why I prefer this album to it, but I know people will disagree!

20/20's tracks are all scattered around, but the way the tracklisting is, they flow into each other perfectly.

If I could only keep one Beach Boys album , it would be this one. 

Time To Get Alone, I Can Hear Music, Be With Me, Our Prayer and Cabinessence being my favorites. I also prefer the last two over the version/mixes on TSS.

It's always being said the band were 'short on material' and yet they had superb tracks like We're Together Again and Mona Kani that they could easily have included on the album but they just chose not too. It always baffles me some of the exceptional songs they were happy to leave languishing in the vaults.

(Personally i adore 20/20 pretty much from start to finish...)

Has a thrown-together feeling - which I don't mind at all. Who says a good album has to be consistent? My favorite track is I Can Hear Music - can't get enough of Carl's voice! Plus the acapella break is great too. Overall it's a good although slightly inconsistent album.

I'll be the first to admit this I Actually like Never Learn not To Love,

Bluebirds Over the Mountain sounds like something Mountain would do, but the piano part kinda ruined it for me  :-[
All I Want to Do is what people say is the closes thing that BB done that's is what would be "Heavy Metal", Doesn't really have that Early Metal sound. I Think most of 20-20 has tracks that could possibly fall into the Hard Rock genre with the exception of a couple of songs

I Love this album I Think it was a good album to end the decade, though maybe they could've add a few more songs something like Walk On By, We're Together Again,  Or Sherry she Needs Me

thank you

I like Bluebirds, too. I think it would be far better without that lead guitar noodling, though.

What about the "ping-pong" percussion added from the Rarities package?

I just like how you can adjust the balance & hear just that percussion.

'Do It Again' - simply awesome and one of the best pure rock songs the band ever recorded. 5/5

'I Can Hear Music' - sublime cover. Like many BBs' covers, it surpasses the original. Carl Wilson...what can you say? 5/5

'Bluebirds Over The Mountain' - not bad, but not all that great. Good and solid, if a little uncharacteristic of the boys. 3.5/5

'Be With Me' - darkly wonderful and epic. One of Denny's most complex and deep songs. 5/5

'All I Want to Do' - uh, rockin'. Great Mike vocal. 3/5

'The Nearest Faraway Place' - quite pretty and sweeping, but it's water and sugar compared to Brian's classy '65-'66 instrumentals of aromic wine. 3.5/5

'Cotton Fields (The Cotton Song)' - decent, though completely inferior to the single version, which is exiting and features a strong Al lead vocal. This version, Al seems half-asleep by comparison, there's no awesome pedal steel and the harmonies aren't as strong. Meh. 3/5

'I Went To Sleep' - BEAUTIFUL. Essential Brian Wilson. 5/5

'Time To Get Alone' - one of my top 10 favorite Beach Boys songs. Stunning, sweeping and gorgeous, it's definitely the strongest track on the album. Killer! 5/5

'Never Learn Not To Love' - well, uh...Dennis adds some nice aspects to this song and I do dig the badass intro and the harmonies, sweet yet sour. 3/5

'Our Prayer' - obviously brilliant beyond brilliant. 5/5

'Cabinessence' - this has always been one of my favorite Smile tracks. Astounding is the word. 5/5


Odds n' sods, but very good album.

Great songs : 'I Can Hear Music', 'Time To Get Alone', 'Cabin Essence', 'Never Learn Not To Love', 'Be With Me'.
Good songs : 'Our Prayer', 'I Went To Sleep', 'Do It Again'.
Decent songs : 'Cotton Fields', 'All I Want To Do', 'The Nearest Faraway Place'.
Bad songs : 'Bluebirds Over The Mountain'.
Terrible songs : nothing unlistenable here.

4 out of 5.

Some freakin' awesome stuff here - I Can Hear Music, Bluebirds Over The Mountain, Our Prayer (though admittedly it's horribly placed on the album), and Cabin Essence are my favourites. Very good album indeed! 4 stars.

Break Away should definetely be in the album, as it is another example of where the Beach Boys were at the time. Together with I Can Hear Music and Do It Again, it makes a nice hit sequence.

This and the fact that those Brian's leftover songs seem to have been "thrown" in to fill gaps make me don't rate this album as highly as the musical material itself would deserve. The songs are very good, but, as an album, I don't value it that much. The boys seemed to be pursuing their style, so 20/20 certainly has this "vibe" into it though.

Carl's vocal on I Can Hear Music must be the best I've ever heard from him. That "maybe that's why when we're all alone" line never fails to impress me.

I give it a 4, for having ended the golden era of the 60's (which I like much better than the 70's, in any way), but I don't play it too often and it can't be highlighted if put side by side with Brian's reign until Friends.

As an album I value it not so much either - but then THE SONGS ARE FANTASTIC (All I Want To Do & Bluebirds don't inspire me too much though...).
I fail to remember which 'underground paper'(?) it was D.Priore quoted in his book, praising the last two tracks, but then:"most of side 2 is weak". Amen, the premiere of the 2 SMiLE! outtakes must have been a revelation even to a Beach Boys-hater like the unknown reviewer quoted above - but side 2 kills! A failure as an album (as in an entity), a great success in terms of meaningful music. A tiny bit better than Sunflower or Friends and a whole lot more than Surf's Up!
5/5

I think 20/20 is a pretty bad album. It's pretty clear that none of the other Beach Boys knew how to write good, tasteful music other than Brian at this point. That and the fact that there is no cohesion or unity really detracts from the experience.

I just don't like living in a world where Cabin Essence is on the same album as Bluebirds Over the Mountain.

I think every song on 20/20 is very good. But the stone cold amazing classics are many: 'Do It Again', 'I Can Hear Music', 'Be With Me', 'I Went To Sleep', 'Time To Get Alone' and the two Smile tracks. And Lady Xoc, isn't 'Be With Me' a wonderful example of somebody in the band other than Brian writing a great song? And I also think that even though it's a cover, not an original, Carl's production of 'I Can Hear Music' was really a nice call back to Brian's pinnacle productions in '65-'66.

Opinions are opinions, but one of my favorite things about this band is that eventually the other members were able to write and produce great material in the late '60s through early '70s and even a little bit in the late '70s (mainly Dennis in all cases) after Brian retreated more and more. Sunflower and Holland are two particularly amazing albums that feature strong GROUP songwriting and production, not just strong Brian Wilson songwriting and production as it mainly had been during '61-'67.

I do love the Brian songs on the album (besides the regressive Do It Again), but they are unfortunately surrounded by pap.

Be With Me is a pretty awful song. The choruses are let downs, and the lyrics are very poor and filled with laughable hippie cliches. Dennis's other song on the album is even worse, and may be the very worst Beach Boy song until Mike's Student Demonstration Time.

I don't think any of the other Beach Boys ever approached Wilson in terms of pop songcraft, even by 72-73 when he was contributing almost nothing.  I would honestly sacrifice every song Dennis, Carl, Al, Mike, and Bruce wrote for more Brian songs following Friends. I know that's a controversial opinion, but I'm on this board so I can express my opinions about the music I love.

That's okay, I see what you're saying, and that's fine (even if I think Dennis was the group's second best songwriter, he was still a distant second). And I do agree that Brian left the others in the dust in songwriting and producing, even at their best, often even during Brian's isolation from the group.

The other Beach Boys, particularly Mike, would likely disagree, but they were simply incapable of making anything near the quality of Pet Sounds without Brian, or even near the quality of, say, All Summer Long and certainly Today. Sunflower is an utterly amazing album, and that's due to the whole group participation thing, but Brian's contributions like 'This Whole World' are just beyond killer. On Surf's Up, it's even more pronounced; 'Till I Die' and 'Surf's Up' make Mike's, Bruce's, Al's and even Carl's tunes look crummy in comparison.

When i first got into The Beach Boys about two years ago, this was the third album of theirs that i bought (right after Pet Sounds and Smile). For the longest time, it was my favorite of the three. I liked the three lead off tunes, most of Dennis' contributions, the Smile tracks and a few other songs here and there. It felt like a Beatles album, what with all its varying styles. And since the Beatles were my favorite group at the time, it was only natural that i dug it.

However, upon more recent listens, I've realized how odd it really is. I still like it, but I wouldn't call it my favorite. For example, two years ago, "I Went To Sleep" was a song that i could listen to for hours on end. But now, in the year of our good lord 2013, i'd probably skip over it. The album looks good from afar, with its hits and (at the time of its release) unheard Smile tracks. I mean, you'd think it'd be a smash! But once up close, and after you've finished all of the previously mentioned tracks, you just have to sit back and think: "What a strange album".

Still, a good album nonetheless. Just a bit off-putting is all.

Brian's songs on Sunflower are no better or worse than Dennis'. Likewise, Carl's Surf's Up compositions are the equal to Brian's. Brian was the best overall songwriter in the group, however Dennis wasn't a distant second, he was frequently snapping at Brian's coattails and in fact he quite regularly outclassed Brian from 1970 onwards...

One of the first Beach Boys albums I picked up after getting all the early surf/hot rod era stuff, and an album I picked up around the same time as Pet Sounds. For me, 20/20 is an album full of great songs, and worth the price of entry just to hear the awesome "Time To Get Alone". There's not a song on this album I don't like, and in my early years I actually preferred this to Pet Sounds.

:) Mark

The whole album is great except for Nearest Faraway Place which I consider unappealing, saccharine and blah. With the exception of said song, I think the tunes are excellent and worthy of repeated listening. I know that many don't care for All I Want To Do but I find it exciting and extremely rock & roll. Never Learn Not To Love is contreversial but I think it's catchy as hell. Time To Get Alone is one of the best BB songs of the late 60s. And of course the SMiLE material...magical! 20/20 rocks.

Aw, I like NFP! Bruce's stuff is so underrated :P

Possibly my favourite Beach Boys album ever. I love 20/20, i think it has a lot to do with the variety. But there are a few flaws.

Do It Again is highly overrated, I never cared for it. I Can Hear Music is a favourite, Carl at one of his best. On a personal note, it's one of the first songs I learned on guitar. Bluebirds over the Mountain is all right, it never grew on me, but I don't mind the song. Be with Me is easily the best song on this album, one of the best Dennis songs, and one of the best Beach Boys songs. A must-listen for anyone. All I Want To Do is another favourite, and possibly the heaviest song they ever did. Not surprised Dennis wrote it at all. It may be Mike's all-time best vocals! The Nearest Faraway Place is quite beautiful, but another song that hasn't quite grown on me.

Cottonfields I quite like, even though I'm not really into Country. I do prefer the single version, and it should have been a much bigger hit in the US (it was no.1 in my country). I Went To Sleep and Time To Get Alone are both forgettable, i never cared for them. I am aware that Charles Manson wrote Never Learn Not To Love You as Cease To Exist, and not many people like it because of it's connection to Manson. But here's the thing: I don't give a flying f***. It's actually a great song, and if people weren't so sensitive, they'd enjoy a lot more. I do feel sorry for Dennis for what happened after, however. I'd say this is the third-best song on this album (equal to I Can Hear Music, not quite as good as All I Want To Do and Be With Me).

Our Prayer and Cabinessence in my opinion shouldn't have been put on this album. Break Away and Celebrate The News would have made much better additions. Don't get me wrong, they're both brilliant, but still.

I rate this album 4/5. This album should have been remastered last year, but for some reason, they chose to skip it. Shame, really.

Good to see some love for NLNTL. A very unfortunate backstory, but honestly I think the song itself is damned brilliant.

I just wanted to comment that I'm so so hooked on Time To Get Alone. Yeah, I'd known it for quite a while, but as it always happens, it just came forth to my special attention (which strays from song to song within the BB's catalog).

It's simply outstanding. I love how Carl pronounces "toboggan"

One of my favorites. I don't care of it's hodgepodge or not, it's awesome. I love everything starting from the cover art. Cool!

Do It Again - 4.5/5 - The drum intro is one of the best things ever! But the song is a little bit too short...
I Can Hear Music - 5/5 - Could be the best cover beach Boys ever recorded.
Bluebirds Over The Mountain - 4/5 - I like the guitars a lot. Great cover.
Be With Me - 4.5/5 - Wow! The fade-out is so creepy! Very different kind of Denny track.
All I Want To Do - 5/5 - I'll give it five, it's just so GOOD! Well it should be a little longer. And the fade-out a little louder...
The Nearest Faraway Place - 4/5 - Best Bruce track after Disney Girls.
Cotton Fields - 4/5 - This mix is better than the single version.
I Went To Sleep - 4/5 - Reminds me a lot of Sunflower. Another awesome track.
Time To Get Alone - 5/5 - One of the best BB songs ever! I love every part of it.
Never Learn Not To Love - 3.5/5 - Good song, but propably the weakest of the album. A little bit boring.
Our Prayer - 5 - Out of place but perfect.
Cabinessence - 5 - Out of place but perfect.

4/5 for the album. It doesn't have a single mediocre or bad song. That's pretty well done for a BB album. But the fact is that it sounds too much of a compilation than an actual album... I just wonder where the name 20/20 comes from?

Easy. 2 reasons. It was their 20th album (compilations included) for Capitol. And inside the gatefold Brian is hiding behind an eye examination chart, as a play on the title.

Great record and a favorite of mine.. 5/5  Not a clinker on the LP.. Flows from one track to the next easily.. Great production + Harmonies.. Hit singles + unreleased songs left off other LP'S .. Smile tracks etc.. Should had been a bigger hit in its day..

This album is an album with a lot a variety which is a good thing IMO. I'll go track by track.

Do It Again: Great single. Maybe a little too commercial. I like the extra workshop effects at the end.
I Can Hear Music: Carl's vocal on this is very good. Although I reckon they should have made this song a bit more dynamic. It's the same thing throughout except for the bridge. Good song nevertheless.
Bluebirds Over The Mountain: I like this one quite a bit. The bass is awesome on this. The guitar is a bit strange but great though. I don't know why people tend to hate this. Ending is awesome as well.
Be With Me: This is when Denny had full confidence. Amazing song.
All I Want To Do: Dennis sure knew how to write a rocker. Mike's vocal is awesome. Guitar solo sucks though. Need more rhythm guitar! I wonder when they'll release the full 10-hour session of the ending 'dialogue'.
The Nearest Faraway Place: Why didn't Bruce do this more often? Great peaceful instrumental.
Cotton Fields (The Cotton Song): The Intro and Outro are weird. Nevertheless great country tune. Single version is better arrangement wise. But this version is better produced.
I Went To Sleep: Should've been on Friends. Disrupts the pace of the album. It's good but not great.
Time To Get Alone: Beautiful tune. Carl's vocal is great as usual (Brian's too).
Never Learn Not To Love: I quite like this one. Harmonies and the chords are great. That backwards cymbal intro is quite creepy and scary considering the person who apparently wrote it.
Our Prayer: Seems very out of place but you can't say anything bad about Our Prayer.
Cabinessence: Chorus seems a bit 'soft' but you can't say anything bad about Cabinessence.
 
Overall great album 5/5

Do It Again - GREAT
I Can Hear Music - GREAT
Bluebirds Over The Mountain - fine
Be With Me - fine
All I Want To Do - fine
The Nearest Faraway Place - fine

Cotton Fields (The Cotton Song) - GREAT
I Went To Sleep - REALLY GREAT
Time To Get Alone - REALLY GREAT
Never Learn Not To Love - GREAT
Our Prayer - AMAZING
Cabinessence - AMAZING

So despite the tracklist, why is it that I've never cared much for this album  :(
Side 2 is an absolute monster.

Well, it's like the expression that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I suppose in some cases the parts can be greater than the whole. I feel similarly about 20/20.

I rate the final Beach Boys album of the 60s a five.  

This hodge podge of singles, new songs, and leftovers shouldn't work, but it does.  

20/20 is proof that albums don't always need to flow seamlessly.  Sometimes albums just need to be a good collection of songs.  

I can picture Brian and Mike writing Do It Again, saying "one day, we're going to do a massive one-off reunion tour, maybe in 2012, and we'll need a song to open the shows."  The Beach Boys first of several nostalgia based songs, and probably their best.  Gets the album off to a great start IMO.  

Then, you've got Carl's cover of I Can Hear Music.  The cover of Bluebirds Over the Mountain hints at some of what would come in the early 70s.  

Time to Get Along and I Went to Sleep are nice tracks.  

Al sings a great version of Cottonfields.

Bruce sets a good mood on Nearest Faraway Place, proving he's more than just Brian's tour stand in. 

That Charlie Manson should've had a hit on his hands with Never Learn Not to Love.  Easily the most memorable thing he ever did.   And Dennis sings it very well.  

Then, the album closes with two of the best songs from Smile.  

My saying that Never Learn Not to Love is the most memorable thing Manson ever did was an attempt at humor. 

But, in actuality, I think Never Learn Not to Love is a very good song that unfairly gets overlooked or dismissed due to the association with Manson. 

I've been listening to this album a lot recently, and I agree with this. It's kind of a weird album, but I really do enjoy so many of the songs. And I enjoy listening to it as an album, because for some reason, for me, it works.
I don't think any of the songs stick out to me quite like some of my favorites; I think what I like about 20/20 is that it's a happy album to listen to :). I Can Hear Music and Be With Me (the horns kinda remind me of Tower of Power?) are wonderful in every way.
Having Smile songs on there may be random but I do think Cabinessence is a great way to exit out of an album...

I also love Al's sweater on the album cover :P

Do It Again - 5/5
I Can Hear Music - 5/5
Bluebirds Over The Mountain - 2/5
Be With Me - 3/5
All I Want To Do - 3/5
The Nearest Faraway Place - 5/5
Cotton Fields (The Cotton Song) - 3/5
I Went To Sleep - 4/5
Time To Get Alone - 5/5
Never Learn Not To Love - 5/5
Our Prayer - 5/5
Cabinessence - 5/5

Side 1 is a little wonky as Dennis was still developing as a songwriter, but side 2 is killer. With this album the seeds were sown for the band's creative peak.
Overall 4.5/5

The reverse of Friends - I think side one of Friends is perfect; side two of 20/20 is killer! Oh, wait, bad choice of words, there's that Manson track on there, which I have never liked very much anyway. Side one's keepers for me are Do it Again, I Can Hear Music, and All  I Want to Do - nice to hear Mike rocking out like this!

This album is fucking creepy

In "I Can Hear Music" there is a nearly inaudible shout(?) buried under the part where Carl sings "the sounds of the city baby, seem to disappear." It happens at the same time later. I always wondered if this was left on there intentionally.

Apart from the juvenile "All I Want To Do" I'd say not a bad track in sight. (Yes, even the much-maligned "screaming guitar" on "Bluebirds" sounds great to me.) I think the sheer variety helps.

I confess to preferring the single, one-word version of "Cotton Fields" but Brian's original has its own charms. "I Can Hear Music" is simply stunning and far superior, I feel, to "Then I Kissed Her" in the Spector stakes. All good stuff. Even the "Smile" tracks fit in nicely.

Well... "AIWTD" is mercifully brief so I'll be charitable (it's the weekend and the sun's out) and give it 5/5. :=)
   

I've always felt like this album was always a mish-mash of songs that were all over the place stylistically. But given how it was their last album before they left Capitol, I guess I'm not surprised. Anyway, Cotton Fields and Bluebirds Over the Mountain are so-so for me, but I don't really like any versions of those songs that much. They're nice, but nothing too impressive. Better is I Can Hear Music, with great production and vocals from Carl, plus a breathtaking acapella section towards the end. Time To Get Alone is lovely, as is I Went To Sleep, so Brian's contributions are excellent as usual. Then of course there's Our Prayer and Cabin Essence, both Smile tracks, which don't really fit in with the rest of the album, but are such strong tracks they're still more than worthy additions to the track listing. I don't care for the Dennis songs this time around, either, but it's good to see him continue to try and improve his songwriting abilities. It's a bit of a mess with all the different variety of songs (but on the plus side, you could argue that there's something for everyone), and not all of them are up to par, but it still manages to be a pretty good outing.

3.5/5

this was one of the first BB albums I ever owned, after Surf's Up.  I bought it at age 12.  Loved it then and, almost 50 years later, it is still one of my favorites.  Nearly al the songs are excellent. The Smile-era songs represent the high water mark of our civilization, as far as I'm concerned.  The two radio hits are pleasant, and Never Learn Not To Love is awesome.  I didn't realize that it was a grab bag of assorted oddities until years later.