The Smiley Smile Message Board

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61K4lQ1qzqL._SL500_.jpg)


 :-\

Not bad. Looks like something from that house in a clockwork orange.

Thanks Slim!

First thoughts...I like it. 

But...

The band logo sort of clashes with the rather "indie" design of the colorful waves.  Had they removed it and the title and have it just be the waves--that would have been a more elegant way of displaying it.  It would make it look like some indie band's beach album or something--which is a great direction but all the text really cancels out the simplicity of the artwork.

Hmmm... It's sort of like a peanut butter and pickle sandwhich isn't it? I like peanut butter. I like pickles. But they don't really mesh together very well.

Fleet foxes wants their album cover back  :lol

Agreed.

Oceans and psychedelic colors...really represents the band well.

Me like.

Wow -  we had wallpaper that was similar in my Mum's kitchen… back in the '70s.

I like the waves a lot. But the logo does sort of dominate too much.

All I can really say is it's eye catching, apart from that it's not really my style

THIS and the BBs logo is too big. But oh well.. I dig it.

...

(http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m31nz5Pf8f1qjizpf.png)

Hmmm...I like it. Not sure about the words as some have said, maybe if the BB logo was half the size, it'd be really good.

I really like this. I wasn't expecting something like this. Pleasant surprise imo.

It's... well... uh...

No, actually, it isn't.

agreed. the size of the logo doesn't bother me. and i like the multicolor waves.

Yes, I agree! I find this way more appealing than both the ITKOD and BWRG cover art. It's no Wild Honey or Holland but still a pleasant surprise indeed.

Oh no, what a let down if so. If this isn't it, I'm not excited for the real artwork. It could be pretty bad. I sure hope they get it right.

I dig the main artwork a lot but I would've scaled down the text a couple notches to emphasize the beauty of the entire scene..something like this;

either with or without text:

(http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/xx347/justinmsosa2/Misc/61K4lQ1qzqL__AA160_.jpg)

(http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/xx347/justinmsosa2/Misc/2-4.jpg)

I Don't think that's what he meant   :lol

Agreed that the logo style doesn't match the design style. The design is very retro and kind of indie-cool, hearkening back to late 60s/70s. The logo is 50s/80s. I would like it a lot more if the logo was a different font.

Here's a bigger version from amazon:

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61K4lQ1qzqL._SL500_.jpg)

Not the worse art I've ever seen, but not the best either.  AGD's comments are interesting...I guess this is not the official artwork.  The typeface does look rather clumsily inserted.  Does amazon let users upload artwork for items that don't have artwork for it yet?  If so, that looks like it might be the case here.

My guess is that the artwork will be made up of the items found on the desk in the "Sizzle Reel" promo...the radio, the toy woodie car etc.  Singles taken from the album will be close up shots of the appropriate items, ie. the radio for TWGMTR.

It doesn't look good.
But if I like the music...I don't care.

Looks much better in high res..

Yes, it does. It really does.

Yeah, the Beach Boys logo doesn't seem as obnoxiously out of place in the large picture.

Elaborate further plz ^_^

Sorry - should have put an "in my opinion" in there.
I actually like the single cover art more!

I think it's awesome! The higher res version really sold it to me. Hope it's the official art. If it's from amazon, I think it's the genuine article.

glub....
          ....
             ....

I love it!  ;D

Me no like.

I like it. Not great, but not terrible either. I was expecting much, much worse.

I personally think it would look better without the thick black border around it.

oddly my amazon order for this album NOW shows this cover art AND the title "New Release 2012"

I now see what he meant. Crap on me. Oh well, I like it!

Yep. Mine too.

I quite like it. It's unremarkable but it's tasteful. I was worried it'd be cringingly naff, akin to their '80's period artwork, but it's actually rather nice.

Love it!

I really like it!

Pity the actual song itself didn't leave me feeling as pleasantly surprised though...

I like. It reminds me of a modern "Love You"

Mine shows the correct title but there's an apostrophe missing from "That's". I might make a complaint and demand a discount.  ;D

I'll go so far as to say that it's one of the better Beach Boys album covers ever considering that album covers have never been their strong suit. This is easily the best cover since Holland. Better ones: Smile, Surf's Up, Smiley Smile, Wild Honey, Pet Sounds, All Summer Long- that's it. I will say it looks like they had the cover design before they decided on a title, because the design has f- all to do with God or radios. But the colors are quite lovely- I may buy the LP just to display it.

I'd like it better if maybe the boys' logo was kind of muted and in the entire background... so blow the image up to the size of the cover, but make it really transparent, and then lay the waves and the words over top of it.  I like the waves a lot, though.

They have to have the logo on there somewhere, and pretty big so it will give that valued 'pop' off the shelf.  They want everybody that sees it anywhere to immediately see the logo. 

That would look just a little bit better with the Cooper Black font.

But it's a cool design - reminds me of the Gershwin cover, which is a great piece of art.

Maybe, but you forgot Surfer Girl.  BOTH album covers are awesome.  

Edit:  I'm confused, I'm not talking about the surfer girl cover with the boys and the board, I'm talking about the album cover with the huge wave, and this great one heah:

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51NSINlPkmL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)

Eh, it's not their worst, but it just looks plain and boring to me.  Nothing particularly artful.  My other issue is the logo looking obnoxiously out of place.  I get the usage for it for promotional purposes, but does it have to be plastered on literally everything?  I think it would have looked more tasteful (and I'd probably like the artwork a lot more) if they had used a similar font to the album title for consistency. 

However, at this point, I can live with it, if the music is good... 

I like it. It does look very Fleet Foxes, but that's a good thing. From the title of this thread I was worried we'd have the band all holding surfboards with Bruce in shorts or something.

That's the BACK Cover. 

Excellent cover. Reminds me of the Mount Vernon And Fairway EP cover.

Not at all what I expected but I dig it!

to me it kind of looks like john tobler's beach boy book, but on acid

Hate to be a schmuck and gush about everything, but this cover is really "hip" and indie. I REALLY love it. I can totally see this on the front page of Pitchfork with a "best new music" tag next to it  ;D coming from a member of the younger crowd, this artwork has been done very tastefully and with a very clear purpose: the band IS trying to come across as indie and artistic, and I think this is very telling of what the album will sound like.

You may have a point.  If the album had too much cheeze, the cover certainly would too. 

I don't like the artwork allllmost as much as I don't like that name for the title of the album. I don't mind them recording a song they didn't write, but to name their first album in some decades after a song they didn't write? Nahhh.

To me, that makes sense, for much the same reason as having it be the single makes sense (even though I'm not a fan of the song) -- it takes ego out of the question. No "Hey, why don't we name it 'A Celebration Of 50 Years Of Excitation Across The Surfin' USA?'", "Why don't we do my new song as the single? It's totally original, I call it 'Help Me Wanda'", or anything like that. The single comes from outside the group, the album's named after the single, no-one's ego gets squashed. Not ideal, but probably necessary.

Now that it's official, I was hoping it wasn't, I think the title is a poor choice.

What I like about the title and them not writing it (completely).... is that it's like they're all acting like they never broke up.  This is just the next album.  No big deal.  I wonder if that attitude is to keep Brian calm about it, so he doesn't feel pressured?  Remember, on his board he talked about how he doesn't think it's a reunion, it's a celebration.  Reunion carries weight, especially without Carl and Dennis.  

(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/52684612/Thats%20Why%20GodCooperNEWER_.jpg)

While making this I noticed that the font used for the title is almost the same as the font used on the Pet Sounds cover. I think that's a cool homage.

Niiiiice!
I kinda wish that was the cover.

I think the purple font in the same size print in the top right of the cover would have been ideal, but oh well  ;D

Yup! I think hypehat had a good idea there. To tie it Pet Sounds would have made the cover cooler with those who are more "in the know" about the Beach Boys. What they went with is cool too though. Very Peter Max-ish.

Yes. Hopefully.

Of course, there was the cool alterna-Imagination cover that they never used. That looked indie too.

(http://www.vinylvendors.com/Pictures/b/e/beachboys280781.jpg)

Now, that's more like it. Good job!

It doesn't completely wow me but it's better than what they could have come up with.  I was dreading some sort of modern reshoot of the Surfer Girl cover with all of the wrinkles smoothed over in photoshop and Carl and Dennis' faces peering down from the clouds. :P

It is a shame that they feel anchored to that neon beer sign of a logo.  I don't hate it by itself, but it just doesn't work with that artwork.

I like the revised cover better than the one with 1970's logo.  Maybe you could e-mail Captiol Records your version, it is an improvement?  Maybe someone could put the two versions side by side.

You guys are nuts, this is amazing. This is probably going to be the single best thing about the new album. It’s at least 10x better than TWGMTR if such a comparison could ever make any sense at all. It’s so unexpected, so subtle and tasteful. Who in the world saw this coming? I can’t believe they could do something this good in 2012, even though i’m sure no one in the band had anything to do with this decision. I would guess that there are some people behind the scenes fighting hard to prevent the group from seeming uncool this time around. I agree with whoever said it’s one of their best album covers ever.

The cover breathes classic all over the place. It's great, funky, is not obvious. There's no photo. It appeals to the cool and the square, the young and old. It rules.

Much better. Much, much better. Now it's really cool.

I have no idea why there's a sense of satisfaction in me when I read that most people on the "bloo" board hate the cover and we love it over here.  I would kinda expect them to hate it for some reason.

I keep looking at this and i am seriously stunned. I have no idea how this got through all the way to be the final cover but it’s remarkable that it happened, that this is the face of a BEACH BOYS product in the year 2012. I predict that the cover will be the biggest risk regarding the album and reunion, the unsafest thing they do (though i hope to be proven wrong with the 7 minute suite, which is the only thing to which i am looking forward). Hell, this is probably the biggest risk they’ve taken since 1977. It’s so reminiscent of the old, classic Beach Boys, when they were a relevant, artistic act! I gotta say, this cover alone has piqued my first real interest in this whole Beach Boys reunion thing, wow.

Nah. The logo makes it a little awkward, just as it should be

kabklaw did a wonderful job with that mockup but let's all remember that it isn't the official one!  Let's not all fall in love with the wrong cover, now :lol

Is/was that alternate cover for real, Wirestone, or did you make that up?  Never saw it before.

I loooove this.  It's not in your face "hey reunion!". It doesn't look old fashioned to me either. I'd wager this is gonna be a paper album case. Looks great

It's very real. It was used as the cover of the official promo copy that was sent out to reviewers, etc. I have one at home.

That art shows up in the general-release Imagination liner notes, too. See if you can spot it:

(http://991.com/newgallery/Brian-Wilson-Imagination-455358.jpg)

Huh. Yeah, Wirestone, I see it in the liners now, but never saw it on a CD cover before.  The cover of my promo copy is different - it's this one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRIAN-WILSON-Imagination-CD-promo-/400280834985

Looks like I missed that one - gotta gittit!  Thanks.

Agreed, it's pretty cool.  It's pretty simple but can be intepreted in many ways.

The fan cover version with the pet sounds logo just seems like a bad idea. Not a reference I would wanna make on this album. I prefer the official

I have the same, and orange crate art as well.

(http://i47.tinypic.com/1zp2k2o.png)

Huh?  You have the same as what?  The Orange Crate Art cover is different.

A promo gold stamped copy

Now that's a great one too!

Quit it everybody!  :lol  You're all turning me against the actual official cover!  We have to go with the official one.  The official one!

"This is why I hate writing with a large group!  Everybody has their own little opinions and it all goes homogenized and you lose the whole edge of it!  I'm going with 'jerk store'! 'Jerk store' is the line!  Jerk store!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oApBlWipc2A

That is really what matter, After all Summer in Paradise had some pretty good artwork but the album was horrible and of course Pet Sounds is a MUCH better album than it's cover.

Amazing.
Makes it 10000000x better, and I already liked it haha

i like it.  reminds me of the 'california myth' book cover.

(PS - that alternate BW "imagination" art was from a CD single)

No it was not. It is, as I said, the artwork for an advance promotional copy of the full CD.

The single art looked like this:

(http://991.com/newGallery/Brian-Wilson-Your-Imagination-115336.jpg)

I absolutely love this cover art. It's colorful but understated, retro but modern. I knew the "Beach Boys" logo would be on there somewhere so it doesn't bother me and thankfully it doesn't dominate the whole thing. Count me as one of the (seemingly few) people who actually like that logo, and I actually think that the current logo looks better than the mockup someone posted using the "Pet Sounds" script (no offense to the artist, of course). And I'm very glad that neither the band nor the number "50" appear anywhere on this cover.

Kind of ironic, though, that there are waves on the cover but "Waves of Love" didn't make the cut.  :lol

The cover's got a real strong early-to-mid 60s design (reinforced by using what looks like Clarendon for the album title) feel and that "70s version of the 50s" band logo is fighting it.  As soon as I saw it I started playing with other typefaces that could be used.  The sort of thing you could imagine on the sign of a South California motel that's been standing for 50 years.

(http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg188/bcbsessions/i-forget-the-name.jpg)

First thing I thought of was "A Gathering Of Flowers" LP by The Mamas & Papas.

this is the only fan-made cover I like better than the real one.

Wirestone is correcto mundo on both counts.  Imagination single artwork (above) and the alternate CD album (below).

http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=113119

Much, much better.  Now I dig that.  Well done. 

Not a fan of the font choice for the band bane, but the "stereo" thing at the top is a nice touch - really hope it makes vinyl copies of the album, although I doubt it will.

Thanks guys! I'm glad you like it  :) I just made an alternate version by shaving the width of the Capitol Stereo arrows and making them square. I think it better fits the sleek, modern vibe of the rest of the cover.

(http://i45.tinypic.com/34s4j6r.png)


EDIT: Changed the font for Runners ^_^

lawlz, don't concern yourself with me. I certainly couldn't think of anything better, and looking again, the original edit you did was fine. No, not going back on my word just to look nice.

Also, did I really just type "band bane"? ea9jgi

Aestheically nice, but I'd rather have the band's name kick me in the ass when I see the cover.

Yeah I still like the official one.  I usually don't like the logo, but I love how in your face it is here

:lol

Wow, I like the new cover.
It reminds me of a church window or something they would use for a religious booklet cover (sorry, can't find a better word, but you probably know what I mean).
Totally unexpected for the Beach Boys and fits with the title.

The arts growing on me... I like the alternate ones too.... but I think they have a real desire to have the name be really bold to try and get that brand higher consciousness. 

This is amazing.

I know, right?  He's going to screw around and end up with a job, lol. 



You know they probably need variations on that cover, where what we're talking about (logo recognition) isn't as important, like posters and such.   

The waves are fine, representative of the band and their music. The BB logo is too big if there is going to be a vinyl release, probably it will look OK on CD. In the days of cassette it would have been a good sized logo.

Maybe that is not the final version. But I've seen a lot worse.

That's funny, the cover to me looks like lots of psychedelic raindrops.

To me it looks like waves you would see in a child's animation show, like a skit on Sesame Street or something like that.  I mean that in a good way, very beautiful and serene. 

I really would like to see a picture of the 5 Beach Boys included on the cover.  I remember seeing 15 Big Ones for the first time and it was a WOW!!

I like it!!!!

I see many butt cheeks.

So you're basically saying that you see yourself multiplied? Interesting.

Sort of, but less hair.

Personally, I find the big golden 15 B.O's logo to be very cumbersome and too obnoxious for an otherwise gentle album cover. They've got a beautiful piece of artwork on the bottom half and whoever designed this cover is marring it by going for the cheap 'people are going to notice this logo stick out like a sore thumb so it'll help with sales!' move. If I were only a casual listener, that'd be an enormous turn off for me.

I don't mean to sound all self-righteous here, but I do think an understated band name graphic like in my mockup really ties in nicely with the context of the rest of the cover and that the lack of bells and whistles is in itself a bell/whistle!

To me, it looks like an odd combination of the Smile cover, and the Mt. Vernon and Fairway ep cover. I was kind of hoping that the album cover would be the new 50th Anniversary logo, and the name of the album would have been called Celebration. Or "The Private Life of Bil and Sue", just to f*ck with people.  ;D

You know, they probably should have hired earcandy to do the artwork.  ;D

This! Sure maybe the logo doesn't completely match the cover but I think that's just nitpicking (not that I don't like all the alternate covers people have made!). They could very easily have gone for a generic group shot in front of the sea, or say a surfboard in the sand; it kind of reminds me of the Love You album cover in that way.

WTF ?  It's nothing like that cover. You're confusing the 'single' (w/period radio) with the album, I'm thinking.

I see more boobs than butt-cheeks.

Not enough nipples....

The artwork for Summer In Paradise is the most dismal and rediculous cover to ever come out. It can only be compared to one other cover which matches it in blandness and lack of taste: Keepin' The Summer Alive.

These two albums are the least tasteful covers of famous albums I can think of.

Prefer the original (your first modification, that is, not Capitol's original!)!  Type layout very much from the All Summer Long LP; font suits the Waves/bums/nipples in the artwork perfectly.  The artwork, however, still reminds me of Mum & Dad's old kitchen wall paper for me to even take this seriously as an album cover.

Anyone any idea whether the vinyl might come in a gatefold?

I like it.

I personally think it's pretty ugly, but still I'm glad with this design. They went for something nostalgic but daring and artistic, instead of the beach/surf board/woody kind of thing that I expected (like on the 'Songs from Here & Back' or 'In the Key of Disney' covers). Let's hope that in that sense, the cover is symbolic for the music. This cover seems to be aiming at the indie crowd rather than the casual mainstream fans and that can't be a bad thing.

It reminds me of something the High Llamas would have as a cover.

I like it.

I warms to it. I like the cooper black one too, thanks Krabklaw!

LOVE IT. Looks fantastic. Glad they are not going with something cheesy like surfboards and the usual bland imagery (like on the Disney album cover).
Great stuff. Would love to have a vinyl copy/print to hang on the wall.
That poster's revision is even better. Much better typeface for sure.

Im not as big on the revision cause it's almost too contemporary.  I think using that font is more true to who they are.  And I really hope this is a paper case cause this wouldn't work on plastic as well

NPR says it's their best album cover in 40 years! ;D

I've never really liked the BBs logo typeface but that's unlikely to change so whatever -- the cover is pretty nice. I wasn't expecting something so tasteful, honestly; I like it.

Lack of facial hair or body hair of any kind air? Check.
Lack of sweaty faces? Check.
Lack goofy unflattering face shots? Check.
Lack of booby girls?
Lack of surfboards, beach towels, or sunsets? Check.

Right then, I think I like this album cover.  ;D

Looks like an old Capitol album reissue. All the Lp needs now is cheap, crappy cardboard like Reprise did with Love You.

That's awful - VILLAGE as we say over here

And I doubt its real - if it is God help us - how long did that take all of 10 mins - CRAP

I like it, it's a far better cover than the majority of their albums e.g. Love You, 15 Big Ones, Today.

and anything post 1980, and 20/20

(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/52684612/Thats%20Why%20GodCooperNEWER_.jpg)
With the updated track list. Yeah- I got too much time to kill.

I had a shot at making a mockup with Cooper Black for 'The Beach Boys' for all you people who want an iconic font used  :lol this is what I ended up with:

(http://i46.tinypic.com/knlmh.png)

Something similar to this would be pretty cool. Still happy with the original, but yeth.

The 'Love You' cover was brilliant, it was not catchy, it was bland, and it probably helped the LP being overlooked, but it fitted well to the music!

I like it. It has a 60's retro vibe. The artwork is much better than anything found on Brian's solo albums, even that Peter Blake album cover for Getting In Over My Head sucked.

these last fan ones are pretty carnival like, ick

Oh this!

Complete with the aging process.

You NAILED it. I would be so happy if the powers that be saw this and revised their cover.

This fan one has WAY too much going on. It's cluttered. I prefer the original.

(IMO) that's like saying the Pet Sounds cover has too much going on for it  ::)

(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/52684612/Thats%20WhyGod_Back2small.jpg)

Well no, there are no rainbow waves on the Pet Sounds cover and there is no rainbow type font either. So no, the Pet Sounds cover is brilliant in its simplicity and this is cluttered in its complexity, no offense to the fan artist.

Where did those song titles come from? I've only heard of That's Why God Made The Radio, Shelter, and The Private Life of Bill and Sue.

Capitol press release, 4/25/12.

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,12789.0.html

Cool, thanks for that.  :)

The full tracklist is on Amazon.com, I believe - Crack to it, Krablaw!  ;D

I know profanity is frowned upon on here, but I hope you'll indulge me since this is a quote:

(http://i.imgur.com/PHHfx.jpg)

Credit to whomever suggested that would have made for a great album title.  I don't remember who it was.

That would be me.

Well it was a great suggestion.  I've been laughing about it for a few days and decided to make that the cover. :lol:

Amazing  :lol

How about "We Didn't Fu*k With The Formula" for a title.

Let's go, mo'fos!  ;D

I must say, I think that back cover is awsome!  ;D I would hope that a nice group portrait will be included on the back cover, or at least in the fold. It probably won't look as cool as this though.  8)

Art itself: excellend and stylish.

Lettering: spouted from a tube with cheap mayo.

No match at all.

Please give us a source for this "quote".

That is brilliant

And there it is - confirmed in either "Beautiful Dreamer" or "Brian Wilson Songwriter 1962-1969".  I don't remember where I saw that first.

There's also this: ~10,100 results on Google (https://www.google.com/search?q=%22don%27t+f***+with+the+formula%22&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a#hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=9wE&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&sclient=psy-ab&q=%22don%27t+f***+with+the+formula%22+%22mike+love%22&oq=%22don%27t+f***+with+the+formula%22+%22mike+love%22&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_l=serp.3...2746.2746.2.2964.1.1.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0...0.0.dPGJWSjqwqM&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=98f3b37d18a99994&biw=1920&bih=912)

Even Brian digs the new cover:

(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/52684612/BrianDigsNew%20Cover.jpg)

That picture kind of reminds me of the 1967(?) pictures of a bearded Brian with the group, just playing around and having fun. That picture has kind of a relaxed look. Even Brian seems happy.

 :lol
great work!

This may wind up getting printed out and adorning a lot of home-burned CDs! I like the front and back a lot.

I think Peter Reum attributes the quote to Tony Asher, who stands by that this is what Mike said

Stop it, guys. This is the best reworking right here. No need to gussy it up with self-referential Cooper Black.

It's not, actually. Cooper Black has rounded edges. The basic cover's title font has squared-off edges.

No, I mean the font that they use for the song titles on the Pet Sounds cover is the same as the font on the new cover. Sorry, I thought that was obvious.

Agreed. Wirestone, you are a bastion of good taste (i.e. taste that I agree with).

I think the board has finally jumped the shark, what with us arguing about fonts on fake album covers. 

I choose to believe that it's reached its full potential.


Dur. Yes, maybe in retrospect. My bad. You are correct, sir!

These cooper black carnival covers are waaaaaaaay to busy. 

The only cover for me.

woot!

I thought i'd make a version of the cover for the new album, bear in mind i'm new to Photoshop and it didn't come out as nice as I was hoping. :-\

(http://oi50.tinypic.com/alm8th.jpg)

i like the idea, def more than the carnival ones people ended with in this thread

Cool beans!  :-D Those are some really nice pics you used- very dynamic. Good job, man!

I like!  ...and not because you included two of my shots! ;D

Very All Summer Long-y  ;D

which is my favorite beach boys cover!

Yeah I took most of the photos from Smiley's many concert threads and I was almost finished when I thought about crediting down who I nicked the photo shots off! ;D Thanks for being ok with me using two of your shots I wish I was that good a cameraman! Also thanks for the nice comments everyone, it makes me wish I hadn't done such a rush job. You might notice I ripped the template of off The Little Girl I Once Knew single, in fact Brian, Al and Mike are in the exact same frames. ;D

http://www.sergent.com.au/beachboys/littlegirl.jpg

Hey I like that Macca. Nice work.

The backcover was posted on Al's facebook site.


(http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/547777_367934359931532_100001449127373_1056564_1221216610_n.jpg)

I like it! Nice picture.

Is Brian's mouth wide open, or am I crazy?

ooo, not so sure on that, maybe i'll like it in better quality.  Seems a bit awkward

I am not a fan of that back cover. It looks cheap, unprofessional.

I see your point. It's a bit like one of those dodgy record-club superbudget compilations with a track listing that lacks rhyme and reason...

I think the problem is that picture. It doesn't fit and is too candid looking, they probably could have used a better one. Although, I think it would have been better if they just left it as empty space.

Perhaps. And I for one always found that band name logo particularly grating. Never liked it one iota.

yeah the logo on the front is good for me, but also on the back and then a photo bleh.

That photo on the back looks terrible. The camera angle makes them all look very tiny.

The main issue is that the colors look really dull.  I would not be surprised if this was taken with an Iphone.  No doubt the actual back cover pops out a bit more and looks more pleasing than what we have here.

I think it'll just take some time to get used to.
I wasn't pleased with the cover (at first), but it's become so familiar I don't pass judgement anymore.

All those great photos we've been seeing (and Brian has looked mostly great), and they chose THIS one? ???

I have no issues with the logo overall (although it's not my favorite Beach Boys logo), but the back would look a hundred times better without it. Why's it also on the back, anyway? In case you turn the CD over and somehow already forget what band it is?

I was thinking that maybe the logo is there in case it gets put back in the bin backwards at the store it would still be identifiable by Joe Public.


I think this back cover is quite good. It suggests that the BBs are perhaps fading away into the sea mists of the waves that engulf them as Bruce waves a fond goodbye. Or, maybe, they're sun-bleached heroes of yesterday, standing in the light, as they dissolve into memory and the ocean that was such a big part of their mythology. If this is to be their final album, then this is a fitting final image,

lawl, if that's the case, kinda silly. Why not just have the cover on both sides of all albums, then?

In this case, it just sticks out way too much. While the photo isn't the least bit flattering for a couple of the members, particularly what looks like Brian's mouth hanging open, it would be improved greatly without the logo there imo. Ah well, very trivial issue, ultimately.

I think it's ok. Well, the logo doesn' fit in very well, but that's not so bad. Only thing really wrong: ruce's short shorts !  :-D (I wasn't very fond of his waving, but that doesn't matter)

This image is what I expect to see when I climb to the top of the Beach Boys tour bus and threaten to leap to my death unless Mike and Alan agree to sign my copy of Pet Sounds.

Bruce appearing in the band photo without short shorts would be like Mike appearing without a hat on. It's just not right.

(http://world.ty.com/images/tfi/4/2317028f47493f469589f569add1e8ea_lg.gif)

The first thing I thought was that Mike looked the tallest. :lol

+11111111

Things like this make me sad. it is very possible within 10 years they will all be dead.

krabklaw, you're such a downer Debbie :'(

The backcover of the "The warmth of the sun"-CD evokes a similar image. Very fascinating

Not as well, though, because they're just a bunch of stand-ins.



I don't want to think about a world without Brian Wilson.