The Smiley Smile Message Board

...inspired by the latest concert review thread. Hopefully this will be groaningly fun, and not a downer in itself!

OK, we're starting off with mine:

I was playing "Midnight's Another Day" to my wife, because I thought it was a truly amazing and beautiful track (which it is).
Her response: "I dunno, I can't help picturing Homer Simpson being the one singing this."

We are now divorced. (This wasn't the main reason, but I say it falls under "contributing factors"!)

On a similar note, the head guy behind the 910 Beatles website (who has a sub-website called The 410 on the BBs) bashed the 2004 SMiLE because he said it was like "having Buddy Hackett doing all the lead singing".

If he were a significant other, I'd be breaking up with him too! Schmuck...

If we can include parents in this thread, I was in the car with my dad about a month ago and I put on "Til I Die". After about 30 seconds he said, "this music sucks". I just hung my head in shame.

I had an ex who didn't understand the concept of Smile at all, just didn't get it - there were lots of conversations along the lines of "This just sounds like a load of unfinished bits strung together that they couldn't be arsed to finish", to which my response to her was "You just don't understand, do you ?"  :)

As discussed on "The SMiLE Shop" several years back I believe and at the risk of sounding misogynistic, I think there is something to women not being able to appreciate The Beach Boys like guys do.  I remember someone saying that being that a great deal of Brian's music has to deal with emotions that are sung from the perspective of an adolescent male, many women just don't have access to those emotions.  This poster also said that at least his girlfriend had an aversion to men who sing in high falsetto.  I'll leave it at that but thought it was worth pointing out at this juncture.

As for "the guy behind the 910 website" while I value his opinion on a lot of things, he is just that: an opinionated fellow.  There are a lot of people on that site that bash a great deal of Beatles songs that for years have been regarded as popular standards by the general public most notably "The Long And Winding Road".  Not saying their opinions are in the wrong or putting them down in any regard but just be prepared when you go to that site that punches aren't pulled and you are going to find some very blunt opinions that could ruffle a few feathers along the way.

Well, to stay off topic for just a second, it's more than just blunt opinions: it's seriously rude and insulting treatment of people, sometimes by the people in charge. 'Nuff said on that.

Back to the downers! C'mon, more...more!

My boyfriend hates them. To give you an idea, when he got all the songs from my itunes he deleted anything that had to do with them.

I've never had a significant other, so I don't have anything to add other than I, in addition to never having a significant other, have never had sex.

 :brow

What about that P155 I saw you with??

And you're still with this guy?  I could tolerate a significant other not liking the Beach Boys, but not hating them!

I'm kind of use to it really. My last relationship was the same way. We like a bunch of other bands, we just don't agree on the BBs sadly. 

A report from Jazz Fest sums it up for me:
The guy paid the ticket for him and his lady, and traveled from I don't know where to see this historical event.
In the end the guy was forcefully embittered by his wife's remark: "that was rough".

The fact that my girlfriend actually enjoys The Beach Boys quite a bit makes me enjoy her that much more. Ha. She was into them before I met her and since then I've turned her onto some of their lesser known material.
This Weekend we're having a "Beach Boys Appreciation Night", which consists of booze, steak, hamburgers, watching BB's dvd's, listening to some of their albums and general BB's discussion. This was all HER idea. I'm a lucky guy.   

You must lead a very happy life.  :thumbsup

As I mentioned in the thread for the second Mohegan Sun show (May 13th), my now ex-girlfriend spent most of the show looking at her phone. She gave me the ever-popular "all the songs sound the same" shtick. However, she was bored to tears when they played their lesser known stuff. I had a copy of the set list with me, and she got pissed off when she saw the amount of songs they were playing. I should've never have shown her that I had the set list in the first place, because for the remainder of the show she kept asking me to take it out of my pocket so she could see how many songs were left. Not to mention we were late (her fault), and we got to our seats by the time they were playing "Hawaii". Luckily, I saw the boys again last night in Boston, and it more than made up for my previous experience in May.  ;D

Months before this, we were riding in the car, "Be Here In The Morning" came on the car stereo. As soon as the first verse kicks in, she goes "Can you please change the song?" OUCH. It's kind of insulting, I'm not exaggerating. Anyone else have an ouch moment like this?

If my wife didn't like at least casually my music we wouldn't have bonded. Some she likes more than others but she's cool with it all and I try to be for her's too. I don't get attacking something that someone you love likes.

Because unfortunately most relationships are a competition.

Really?

For reasons I won't go in to, my wife has already seen a C50 gig, got me a poster, and ordered me the new album.

The Downer? I could not wait for the album so downloaded it on itunes.

I will hear about my lack of gratitude for months! :thud

There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who like Neil Diamond and those who don't. My wife loves him.

Kudos on the What About Bob? reference  8)

Like any truly good and original creative artistic force, be it painter, actor, poet, chef, singer, musician, there are folks who find it fulfilling and enriching and those who don't have an eye or taste for it.  Some less creatively gifted and more mainstream producers of the arts may have a greater, but less passionate following.

It is disappointing when you want to share your passion with a friend or significant other and they don't share your passion.  It takes time for some folks to come around to appreciation of something you already KNOW is good.

My best friend is into traditional and bluegrass and has developed a passion for playing the mandolin.  He has turned me on to some of his music.  I recently had him as a captive audience for the new BB and reccent Al Jardine albums.  We both grew a bit and got into some new music.  My significant other has been with me many times over the decades to see the old Beach boys, Mike and Bruce, Brian solo, and the reunited BeachBoys of 2012.   When I hear the plight of some other fans in finding someone to share Bb with I feel very lucky indeed. :smokin

Ha - well, I don't have the statistics to prove it. But it is the sense I get from both observation and personal experience. And maybe I'm just a bit of a downer in that regard and that's why my favorite films include Annie Hall and Manhattan...which, incidentally, my significant other also dislikes!   :lol

(http://blog.darendoc.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/babysteps.jpg)

This guy just puts Landy to shame!

I bet your kundalini's like a tight new spring snake still in the can.

the latest from my now ex-gf when talking about the new tour -

 " But, aren't they all dead? ".

Im finally glad we broke up.

Last year I used to jam with a couple of people (I can't say they were my friends because I disliked them so much!), but I told my guitar player/John Lennon enthusiast about how great of an album Pet Sounds was. A friend of his had it, so he borrowed it, and when I asked him how what he thought of it, he said "I barely got through any of it. I only like Wouldn't It Be Nice, and even that's shitty". Make me dislike him a lot more than I would have if he would have said he liked it.

Just a few months ago I put my Love You CD in as I was driving in my ex-girlfriend's convertible. After about 30 seconds into Roller Skating Child she ejected it and threw it out of the car. She said it creeped her out. I never forgave her for that.

Still, points for style. It's definitely the kind of style an ex has, tho.

I met my wife on this board, so I can't relate.

My ex-wife was introduced to BW via Sweet Insanity.




She was all like, "I don't know how anyone could listen to someone who sings like that", or something to that effect.

Girlfriend hates them. the other night I was singing my son to sleep and she came in and said "Don't you know any songs besides the Beach Boys?" She mocks Jeffrey Foskett whenever she hears them; one time I played BWPS on a trip and she didn't talk to me at all after that, finally she told me it was because I had played 'The Beach Boys'. She laughs contemptuously whenever she hears Our Prayer. However, she actually owns a Phil Collins CD and not just any Phil Collins CD but Testify.


She is a fantastic woman otherwise, though.

Let's face it, most of BW's singing beyond their classic work is for hardcore fans only. Many non-fans seem to think he sounds like Ozzy Osbourne and it's hard to argue with that (at least when it comes to his BW88/Sweet Insanity voice). And can you really expect non-hardcores enjoying stuff like Brian Wilson "re-recording his lost masterpiece" or BW singing "Bare Necessities"? I don't think so and in many ways it's all perfectly understandable. It's probably very hard to relate to any of that stuff if you're not at all interested in the person (as well as the personal drama) behind it.

I don't know anyone, lover or no, who likes the Beach Boys as much as I do. there will always be problems. thus is life.

That's sad. Glad it isn't like that for me, actually I suppose that's why I didn't marry until 36. Really to all of you single people on this thread nobody's gonna like your favorite music like you, but at least find someone who respects you and it enough to let you enjoy. That's my tip of the day ;D

The impression I get from this thread is that people are seeking approval from their loved ones to validate their love for BBs music - who gives a f*ck if they like it or not! Don't force it on people, if they give you back chat when you've got a tune on the car radio throw them out the car. It's their loss for being so dull and stupid...

My ex always mocked me for liking them - but never bitched about it. I always mocked her about liking shitty musical theatre, so we were even.  :)

No-one's obviously going to share my obsession! Well, at least, the chances are slim. But people contain multitudes, after all.

My wife is more of a casual Beach Boys fan, into the sun/surf/cars material more than Brian's melancholy and more artistic songs. Nothing wrong with that, Surfin' USA makes my toes tap as much as any song does. But it does mean she really didn't understand why I felt a need to buy BWPS on CD and then on vinyl, and then the concert DVD after attending a gig and getting hold of an unofficial DVD.

I remember sometime in 2005 after the dust had settled she said to me...."OK put on SMiLE. You've spent so much on it I should hear what it's all about".

We sat through it properly, from start to finish without interruptions.

"It's OK. I liked some of it. A bit strange. But you tend to like druggy music" was her verdict.

However she redeemed herself when we went to see Brian & his band in London last year. Came away saying it was far and away the best concert she'd ever attended.

Here's one fopr you....My wife fell asleep at the Montreal show. Now I'm not talking nodded off, I mean lights out, dead to the world for at least three songs! In her defence, she didn't get much sleep the night before, and the drive was long, but come on, who does that? She has built up a strong tolerance for the BB's over the years, and she was impressed with the show (the part she was awake for).

You've got to wear 'em down! My now wife, then girlfriend, used to like waving her arms about like a maniac and shout "spiritual music man" in a slurred voice when the BB's were played, which is much of the time in my house. On listening to the Smile sessions vocal montage she said "well it's no wonder he went fuckin mental!" However through sheer persistence I believe she has come round a bit, she likes the Gershwin album a lot, sings along to the Disney album and does not object to TWGMTR. 

My girlfriend bought Pet Sounds, 20 Golden Greats and the Sunflower/Surf's Up 2fer because she wanted to get to know my favorite band. So no complaints here. :)

Love You should come with a spousal warning. When I put that one on mine pulls a face like a bulldog licking piss off a nettle!

Must be difficult for our ladies putting up with our passion for this group.

Interesting to see how many break-ups were BB-related.

By the way, AGD has a GREAT story on the first time he heard "Almost Summer". Hope he passes by and tells it!

Damn automatic locks :lol

The Beach Boys haven't caused me much trouble, except the sort of "it sounds like unfinished fragments" sniffing re: Smile.

If there's a band that my insane fandom causes problems with Special Ladyfriends... it's The Residents. I had an ex that would literally burst into tears if they came on, with no explanation. Beat that!

I don't think that's it. Your significant other is probably (in fact, hopefully) the person you see most consistently and if one likes to consistently play music then it is nice to have the person you're around like that music. Makes sense, no?

My wife doesn't get my love of Brian and the Boys.  She supports me and lets me buy vinyl and cds of stuff I already have, and t-shirts and concert tickets, etc...but she doesn't get my love for the music. She doesn't hate the music at all, just doesn't think it's super special.  

My parents don't get it either, and they grew up in the 60's (well, really more 70's I guess).  

My wife and parents often say things "did you know Brian Wilson is a musical genius," just to mock me, because I've told them that so many times.

I guess I just wasn't made for these times.

Over in General Music Discussion, I told this breakup story about The Beatles and my crazy ex Caitlin:

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,13244.msg287201.html#msg287201

And you're still together why?

My current girlfriend is at least respectful and understanding of my BBs appreciation, which I think is fine, because it's not like I'm that into her music either. I appreciate it, but I don't go out of my way to listen to it. If you're not that into your girlfriend's music, then you can't really expect the same back from her. Of course, it's not like I complain when I go to a concert for a band she likes or whatever, or vice versa.

One of my exes was an absolutely unrepentant BBs music. She thought the BBs were gay and it was gay to like them. If only she knew that Mike tried it once and didn't even like it! In her mind, only screaming, generic metal punk could be masculine.

Uh, what? "Mike tried it once"? Never heard THAT story! Do tell.

When I bought Pet Sounds on CD, I was with my dad. I put it in the car's CD player and let it play. About halfway through Don't Talk my dad says "What's this crap!? I wanna hear the hits". I don't think I ever felt more embarrassed by something my dad said, than I did after that.

I can't think of any such comments.. all the girlfriends i had were already into them or really liked it when i played some.

It was just a joke!

Fortunately my wife loves the Beach Boys and accepts my "disease".  After our third show this tour, she decided we should travel to Stateline to catch their last US show on July 15.

My love girlfriend says, quite often, that she likes the Beach Boys, but she would like them a lot more if I didn't talk about them so often  ;)  She sat and listened to a Smile boot all the way through with me one time, that was early in our relationship, and she said she really liked it! Then, she came to realize I'm unhealthily obsessed and while she appreciates my love of the Beach Boys, she sometimes get frustrated that the groups makes its way into nearly all of our conversation.  That being said, she bought me Mr. Stebbins' wonderful Beach Boys FAQ for Christmas!

She also doesn't understand why I find Love You and Vegetables, things of that nature, to be good.  She doesn't hate them or anything, but she doesn't understand how such childish/simple lyrics make a good song.  I try explaining it, I guess I just don't do such a great job.

This is friggin hilarious.

 :lol I would have made her get out and get it, and then dumped her ass and drove away!

I've come to the conclusion that people who don't like the Beach Boys are just a--holes

(sorry)

anybody who doesn't at least casually like the Beach Boys needs to make a trip to Oz and ask the wizard for a heart.

Holy crap, is this for real??? man, i would be pissed off

Then your wife will be glad to know Brian sang backup vocals on a recent Neil Diamond album called 12 Songs.

 :smokin

Wow. I think the only person I have played Love You for was my mom and she hated it. She doesn't like 70s BBs at all so it didn't surprise me. I like to think of my love for this band my best worst kept secret :D

My girlfriend love some of the ballads, GOK, Wonder, DWB etc, loves Wild Honey and Sunflower, but man when I put on Some "Love You" and the stranger albums a fight ensues for me to keep them on..

She knows damn well if I had to choose between her or the beach boys, I'd choose The Beach Boys

Many years ago, during the days of cassette mix tapes, I had a girlfriend who I wanted to "sell" the Beach Boys to. I really wanted to impress her, and filled the tape with the Beach Boys' "serious" music, mostly stuff from 1966-1973. Her response was, "This is really sad and melancholy".

Undeterred, I quickly made a second tape of "the hits". She loved it. Said her favorite songs were "Surfin' USA" and "Barbara Ann". Go figure.

Hey! "Sad and melancholy" is a heck of a lot better than "I hate this crap!"

I've never had any problems w/ girlfriends not liking the BBs. All my girlfriends (thus far) liked some aspect of their music--usually the early stuff, but that was okay with me. One of them actually liked some of the stuff that I played from MIU (especially "Wontcha Come Out Tonight") and when she went on a diet (which didn't last), she asked me if I'd tape "H.E.L.P Is On The Way" for her (which I'd also played for her previously), because she thought it would be a good song to help keep her motivated to stick to her diet. Unfortunately, we broke up a year later, but her appreciation of the song was cool nonetheless.  :)

But when I was a kid and first discovered the BBs at the age of ten (in 1979) after hearing Endless Summer , I had some problems w/ a few of the guys w/whom I went to grade school. This one dude that I was friends w/ had the same attitude that you described in your second paragraph (he was of the "if it's not heavy metal, it sucks" attitude, which is unfortunately common, I've found, among some metal fans, many of whom think metal is all there is). If I tried to play any BBs or Jan & Dean (whom I discovered shortly after learning about the BBs and also loved), he'd get all snippy and say, "the Beach Boys are out of style, Steve!" or whine, "I don't wanna hear Jan & Dean! That music's for the dogs!" Later, when we were in high school, he invited me to a party he was having and was telling me about the music he was playing, which was mostly stuff that was current for that time (1984-85): Prince, Michael Jackson, Van Halen, etc. I had no problem w/ that, as I kept up w/ a lot of the new (for that time) 1980s' music as well. But then, and I think he was just being a wise-guy, he said, "and I'm not playing no Jan & Dean, because that's not pure rock and roll!" I said," uh (name omitted b/c I'm a nice guy), excuse me, I never asked if you were going to!" Needless to say, I didn't go to his party.  ;D

But that's what is is...

After a few of these girlfriend/wife topics on this forum I think it's safe to draw the following conclusions:

1. Male Beach Boys fans think that the best way to get a woman to listen to The Beach Boys is to try it with the "deep" and romantic stuff. All This Is That, Til I Die, Cuddle Up, Forever, Surf's Up, anything from Pet Sounds, that type of stuff.

2. Women who prefer Pet Sounds over the Endless Summer type of stuff are actually pretty rare.

Er - I thought that was what it was!

I had one gf who, in quite a considered way, 'didn't like this style of music' (about Good Vibrations!), and one more usual one who liked the hits but hadn't heard and probably wouldn't bother with everything else. My current long-standing (=suffering) partner has listened to some but I did take her to a Smile show in Oxford in 2004, and she thought it was really good, especially Vegetables and the Hawaii bits - except that Brian was a bit of a 'Thunderbirds puppet'. Presumably you guys in the US are familiar with that.

My dad is 70, I am 44.  I got into the Beach Boys when I was literally in elementary school in the 70's--I'd hear some of the old surfing hits on the radio, and I really liked them, and then later moved on to Pet Sounds and the more serious stuff later.  But my dad always hated the Beach Boys.  All he knows about is the '62 to '64 stuff, and he thinks that it's shallow, corny pop music that the Beatles and Dylan replaced.  He can't believe that anyone younger than him would like something so retro and passe.  I've told him many times over the years that the Beach Boys changed and grew in the same way as the Beatles did--it's just that they didn't retain the massive popularity, so their more artistic stuff is less well-known.  He also has no musical background, so he has no way of hearing that something like, say, "Girls on the Beach" is actually extremely complex harmonically.  It's just a dumb pop song to him. 

I don't spend a lot of time with my dad--great guy, but we live in different countries.  But I still try to sneakily play the Beach Boys for him from time to time.  Recently, I realized the perfect album:  Holland.  I want to crank up "Big Sur" for him--he loves that mellow, early 70's singer-songwriter sound--and loves the mountains.  I'm hoping that he will say "What's this song?  It's really nice."  And then I can blow his mind by saying "It's the BEACH BOYS." 

This debate has been going on for a long time...

My Japanese wife seems a bit lukewarm about the Beach Boys.  But my 2.5 year old Japanese daughter loves them, recognizes their CD, and tries to sign along despite the fact that she can't really speak English.  She can do stuff like see a video clip of the Rolling Stone unplugged session, say "Biichi Boizu ya!" (It's the Beach Boys), and go run get the Surfer Girl CD.  The fact that she can recognize that they are the same guys is pretty impressive.  Also, my brother is a big harmony fan (loves the Fleet Foxes) and recognizes that the BBs are harmony gods.  So at least I have two people in my family who don't sneer at me.   

First, I'd like to say that hardcore fans of The Beach Boys are special: We understand the complexity of this music. We'll compare Brian Wilson to Beethoven or Mozart because we get how amazing the chord changes, the harmonies, the songwriting itself is. I don't think we seek justification for our obsession, we just want others to find and understand this secret we have found...so they can enjoy it as much as we do.

For the last girl I was seeing I made it a point to mention the Beach Boys as few times as possible. I brought it up a few times - but I never dwelled on the subject, she even relayed to me that she loved Pet Sounds. She saw that I own a plethora of BB/BW DVDs, CDs, MP3s, books, posters, autographs, etc....she called me obsessive, but even I admit that...Then one day we're with one of my friends, she's trying to impress him (because she's tired of me at this point) - she's putting me down for a lot of sh*t, then she says "And my God, if I have to hear one more thing about Brian Wilson..." (I think I mentioned him once when she asked about an autograph I have on a shelf) - I told her to leave my house and we've spoken very little since.

yes..that is a great story.... :)
for those who haven't read about it yet :
http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,12346.25.html
reply # 38

My wife doesn't like the new album too much. She says it sounds like "lounge music", but what I really think she means is that it sounds like adult contemporary. Kind of ironic given that she likes Imagination for the most part. She said "If I want to hear the Beach Boys, I want to hear their good stuff." (meaning, their stuff from the 60s). She did say once while we were listening to Pet Sounds that she was amazed a guy in his early twenties could write songs like that. I thought that was awesome.

You can't win 'em all. She loves Led Zeppelin and I don't like them too much, although I appreciate their musicianship. She loves Elvis and I gained an immense appreciation of him through her. So it's all good in the end.

I will say though. I very rarely play stuff like Smiley Smile or Love You in the car with her. I just know.

AGD doesn't have children, right?

I'm glad you said "ex-girlfriend" because aside from being rude she had no respect for your personal property.

I played a bit of Holland in the car and my girlfriend said the first half of The Trader was "really whiny". At first I looked at her with an "Are you f*cking serious?" face, but just ended up giving her the "Well that's your opinion..." response. Despite that, she digs Pet Sounds along with the hits and IJWMFTT is her favorite tune by them. She also seemed to really enjoy the May 4th gig and said she was very impressed. So other than the Trader fiasco and her not really digging the new material, I can't complain much.

Did you say "ex-girlfriend" because she didn't survive the incident?

My girlfriend dislikes the Beach Boys immensely. How will i ever play her PLMW!?!?!

… which I guess makes her what is rather impolitely referred to as a "fag hag"?

I'm no critic to other tastes they're ok with me. For instance, my current boyfriend likes modern metal bands and yet buys me BBs-related things tho he himself don't give a single care for them. And I told nothing bad to him. We're all different so why to force someone to listen to music that he/she doesn't like? I've never understand it.   

I hate how it becomes a weird quirk that you're known for. Like enjoying the Beach Boys is some peculiar idiosyncrasy. It always irks me when people treat me like I'm just that guy who really likes The Beach Boys, as if it's no different than having a distinctive birth mark or hair style.

I've never met a girl who really cared about music that much. I find it hard to get through the day without putting a good record on, but some people just aren't like that. Some people just like whatever's on the radio and never give much consideration to the history or personalities behind the music.

This. Though I have met a girl who loves music. She loves almost everything. But Wilson Philips is as close as she'll get to the Beach Boys. And she's even heard most of their music because of me. She says it just doesn't click with her. But she's still cool and will let me play Beach Boys in the car

I throw myself on the mercy of the forum. I've never heard alot of their later stuff. like Love You.  I spend too much time listening to Carl and the passions and Smiley Smile (true "chick" albums!). :)   Someone was saying earlier that Love You was a "stranger"  album?  Is this the one with Roller Scating Girl on it?
I must go hear that song.
I do love the story of the girl in a convertable hearing it, then whipping it out of the car.  She has a right to do that in my eyes because she owns a convertable. :)  [ not really!]

My wife understand the BB's, Bonzo Dog Band (which kinda threw me), and even Sun RA.  But,  really, she could give a crap.  Since i don't want to be
tortured by her drek, I don't force mine on her. L M A O.

Please fix that, ASAP

Indeed. you know what you have to do today/tomorrow. Love You beckons, enjoy!

Yes! of course.  LOL.  I might as well get into the late 70's/80's/90's/2000's and continue. :)
And Summer in Paradise!!! YES. :) :)   I actually liked their Hot Fun In the Summertime Song cover.

I do see on roller skating girl that this is probably a self contained operation.  I go by if dennis is playing "drum".  :) I xcan see how the lyrics could be
taken the wrong way.

I played Love You for my girlfriend and she acted like nothing was amiss.

Yet I wonder: what was she REALLY thinking?

My husband is not exactly a fan, but he does enjoy both Friends and Holland a great deal.

So I can't really complain.

My last ex saw me posting about them on Facebook (while we were dating). She was super excited, saying her parents were fans and she saw them with her parents when she was really young (that'd probably be in the really early 90s) and thought they were cool. I was listening to a Smile bootleg once when she was around and she was kind of like, "What is this? I don't think I really like this. I thought you'd be more into stuff like '409' or 'Surfin' Safari'," which made me giggle a bit.

Oh babe, that record is ttly awesome!

(*SOMEONE PLEASE GET ME OUT OF HERE, H-E-L-P*)

Love You is an album that can only be appreciated by males.
Women do not like/understand/relate-to the Love You album.
Discuss.

After reading all the pages, i honestly think this is the best thread ever made, more people should participate.

Generalization at best. You guys keep forgetting there are women who post elsewhere that love The BBs as much as we do and the obscure stuff. Just because they don't post here doesn't mean they don't care about it.

:)

True dat! Although, I wish Landy had the same success with Brian that Dr M had with Bob. Then Landy goes insane because of Brian's 1,000 takes on Shortnen Bread, and Brian marries his sister.

I agree w/ your second paragraph. I've always had a theory that males approach music (and entertainment in general) differently than females (sometimes) do. In my experience, when males like a particular artist or genre, it's b/c they like the actual sound of the music or the voices; maybe the beat gets them pumped up, or the lyrics speak to them in some way.  So they get into the whole thing of learning about the artist's or group's history, etc. Now don't get me wrong--I'm sure that there are a lot of women who are the same way, but I find that a certain kernal of women, when they get into an artist or group, it's not really so much about the music per se, though they may claim that it is. It's b/c they think the artist is "good-looking," or a "hunk," etc. If there's no eye-candy in a singer's or group's appearance, they don't care (Dennis was probably the closest thing to a "sex symbol" in the BBs). The music itself is kind of secondary to the appearance of the artist/group. At least that's been my experience w/ some women I've dated. 

I think you need to stop dating shallow women mate.

Actually can't say I have a "downer" comment at all - almost the other extreme. We have a pretty good size circle of close friends most of which really enjoy the Beach Boys with anyone else at least tolerating it. At our wedding reception (mid - 80's) some friends made a mix of Beach Boys and Beatles tunes that played during the dinner. Then as it was the 1st day of summer and we wanted a "party atmosphere" we told guests to bring Hawaiian shirts to change into after dinner. Many did so and, of course, more than a few BB songs were played. Well, that "tradition" has carried over to several of the weddings since then and, most recently, this spring when the daughter of one of our friends got married (her's included a 30 minute BB song set).

Plus, at any of our group's "events" (pool parties, summer camping weekend; winter camping weekend [more like chalets than camping]) the BB/BW music is being played - top its, deep cuts, whatever.

Nah.

I have found that most people (men or women) are not into music. They are into it for social reasons. They connect with people because it is the current hit. That is the only reason I can think of that everyone at clubs gets excited when a crappy song comes on. It also wouldn't surprise me if people like certain songs because they heard it in a movie. Like Kokamo, or Billy Joel's daughter like Don't Worry Baby because it reminds them of a certain scene or something. When I ask people what their favorite band is or what kind of music they like, 90% of them say they like all kinds of music and they like a lot of bands. Which probably means they just listen to top 40 on the radio and don't know the artists names half the time.

I'm friends with one girl that's been trying to convince me to be her boyfriend, despite me not being attracted to her as more than a friend.
She showed up at my house and before we headed out to go get food she handed me a used vinyl copy of TLOS that she had picked up as a thank you gesture for helping her out with putting a music playlist together for her job.

The fact that she puts up with my Beach Boys obsession and supports it is almost enough to win me over at times.

You should marry her, really.

Nahh. She likes Pet Sounds, Smile, Wild Honey, she just really hated that album. It's probably my favorite BB album so I like to play either the LP or a CD I have a lot. She asked me to put something on while driving one day and I put LY on knowing full well that she hated it, just to get a rise. Well, she one upped me and tossed it out. However, on a brighter note, we will both be attending the Eugene OR show together on July 14th. (We are still great friends).

The day I bought Pet Sounds on CD, I made the mistake of putting it on in the car.... my parents ACTUALLY turned it off, because "You Still Believe In Me" 'sucked' to  them.

Who the F**K turns off Pet Sounds?!

My boyfriend finds Pet Sounds boring  ::)

Guess what band I'm going to play every time he's out of the house? :D

It's funny how people who are turned on to Pet Sounds can't understand how others aren't (not a put-down, I'm like this too). Sometimes I have to step out of myself and realise that not everyone is going to relate to PS as much as I do. The first time I played my father Pet Sounds, he said "this sounds just like a normal Beach Boys album, I don't get the hype".  I realised that I was in a point in my life where the lyrics and mood hit me in the right spot, but for my dad, he was past that, didn't need it....I can come to grips with that.

Hope they'll do a special setlist for that show and play Love You from start to finish.

HAHAHA I've thought about this.

You need to listen to Pet Sounds on headphones honestly. It's a really challenging album to appreciate, it takes a while listening to the backing tracks and vocals separately until you're able to pick apart all the sounds.

I obviously don't think this is true at all. It does take a certain something to get into Love You, but I don't think it has anything to do with gender. I was inspired recently to write an essay or something exploring why I like Love You. If I can ever capture some free time again I would really like to pursue that.

Love You is an album that can only be appreciated by males Brian Wilson fanatics.
There, that's bettah.

Indeed!  Your parents are probably very nice people, but wow they have really questionable musical tastes!

It took me about a year or two to get "into" Love You, but now, sweet jesus, I honestly think that album is one of the best albums of all time, by anybody.  Yeah that's what I said.

It's raw; it's emotional; it's right on the razor's edge.  There's one or two tunes there that leave me weeping every time.  And yeah it has a couple of funny tunes too.

Genius!

Yep there are plenty of women who are seriously into music, and I bet some of them are BB fans.

I'd buy that. Certainly I think the average man or woman on the Clapham omnibus isn't passionate about any genre of music or any musical artist.

Those of us who do passionately follow certain bands/artists probably have a deep emotional connection with them. But many people never form that deep a bond with music.

I like that the music is a lightening rod. You either like it or you don't. I think that tells you the intense artistry that is inherit within it.

I pretty much like "all things Beach Boys/Brian Wilson" but have never felt any love towards Love You. Over the years I've tried several times to change my feelings about it but it is today the same as when it was initially released. Maybe its the underproduction; maybe Brian's rough voice; maybe the lack of consistent harmonies - just does little for me. The least played album/CD by them in my collection. To all those who like it - sorry about that but I really did try...

I fully recognize how great Pet Sounds is. But there are many objectively worse BB albums that I enjoy listening to more.

"Love You" to me sounds like a completely different band doing their best Beach Boys impression.  It took me a while to warm up to it as well but once it settled in it was the third awakening in my fandom.  The first was"Pet Sounds:  "holy crap that was great!"  then SMiLE:  "What the hell was that??  I can't get enough!"  and then Love You: "I don't even know what the hell this is but it's so cool!."  And some people never want to get there..it's the weirdest-funnest-most-confusing-most-unBeach-Boys album but also at the same time: the most typical Beach Boys album ever made.  Yeah I don't know either!

I'm not sure I can, as much as I want to date only a girl that likes the Beach Boys or tolerates them, I would be happy if any girl I'm attracted to likes me. Unfortunately I look like Mike Love (1967) without all the money!

Agreed, which is probably why I prefer it in stereo (except 'I'm waiting for the Day', which is far better in mono). Really, though, to me all music is better with quality headphones.

When my wife & I first hooked up 15 years ago, she was into rap and 90s rock mainly.When I told her that the Beach Boys were my favorite band, she initially laughed and said 'I'm sorry'. Of course, the appearance on Home Improvement had recently aired, and she only knew of them from that, Full House, the Sunkist commercial (...), Problem Child (...), and the Crocodile Rock video (dammit). I then explained to her about why Brian's music was important to me (I'd had my own issues with severe depression, and she was my best friend for several years by that point, so she knew what I was going through). Upon learning that Billy Corgan, Sonic Youth, and Scott Weiland were huge fans, she asked me to play some of Brian's work apart from the BB. The only thing I had was an advance copy of the 'Your Imagination' single.She...hated it. 'Vocally, it's good, but the song itself kind of sucks, and the production is ass '. That was her reaction. Still remember that. Of course, she then *loved* the a capella mix , and 'Happy Days'. So, that was a start. One day, on the phone, I had Sunflower on my tape deck, and she asked what that was. 'It's about Time' was playing. She thought that was 'badass' (her exact words) and asked me to bring some of my favorite BB albums over next time I was at her place. First thing I played for her was 'Let Us Go On This Way'. Don't know what made me pick that, but there it was. She...loved it. 'This guy was doing New Wave before there was such a thing!' Long story not quite as long, she fell in love with all of the 66-77 stuff immediately. Her favorite material though (along with 'My Solution') turned out to be the Journals boot that had the Adult Child period stuff on it, along with the original 'My Diane' (which for years ended up being her favorite song by anybody).

These days, she's as much of a die-hard as I am.  It took some time for her to appreciate the older work, though, and to this day she really doesn't care for the first album (especially 'Cuckoo Clock'), but otherwise she loves it. She likes pretty much *everything* BB related, (even Looking Back With Love)..apart from Carl's two albums and Bruce's disc. As mentioned many, many times, we went to the 8 June Woodlands concert, and had a blast. So, the other day I had a mix CD on, and 'We'll Run Away' came on (which she had not heard).  Surprisingly, she immediately began taking the piss out of it. So, you never know...

I've had damn good luck over the years... at least with the ladies in my life liking the Beach Boys.

My ex-wife fell in love with Pet Sounds when I purchased it in the late 90s. We still split up a year or so later, but she's still a fan and so are our 2 kids.

My girlfriend from '99 to '03 became a huge fan thanks to me. We flew to New Hampshire for one of the Pet Sounds shows, and she always said it was the most spiritual night of music she ever witnessed. She ended up loving a lot of the more obscure stuff... Please Let Me Wonder, Time To Get Alone, Breakaway (Brian's demo was the only version she would listen to), Wild Honey, Friends, Love You... the list goes on. I'll always remember her humming Country Air in the car one of the last times we spent together.

After her I was with a very talented classically-trained musician. She already knew what was up with Brian Wilson when we hooked up.

My next serious girlfriend laughed when I told her the Beach Boys were my favorite band, but it didn't take long until "This Isn't Love" became her favorite love song of all-time.


My current gal has probably impressed me the most. Took it upon herself to start collecting the Beach Boys on vinyl after I turned her on to a few things. She scored us killer seats to the Atlanta show in April, and she is about halfway done cross-stitching me the cover of Love You! I'm not gonna let this one get away. I will post a pic of her work once it's finished.


on the downer side... I dunno. I played the Gershwin album for my mom thinking she would really like it, but she couldn't get past Brian's voice. Can't win em all i guess.

check it out!!!!!

(http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/734131_10151345673703928_1317377732_n.jpg)

(http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/207631_10151345673563928_466243327_n.jpg)

My fiance is actually really cool about The Beach Boys. When we first started dating I made her a mix CD of most of what I considered their best stuff (and most likely to appeal to her). I also made mixes of Fleetwood Mac/Lindsey Buckingham, Elvis Costello, and Bob Dylan. Well anyways, I can tell she listened to The Beach Boys CD, cuz she has actually said how she really like "Heroes And Villains", "Surf's  Up", and "This Whole World". She also took to Fleetwood Mac and also Buckingham solo, and saw him live. Costello and Dylan for her, well not so much.


Well anyways, she accompanied me to the C50 concert and bought me a t-shirt and program. And then later said she would actually rather see a Brian solo show next instead of The Beach Boys. Anyways, she thought it was lame that everybody didn't get excited like I did when Brian started singing "Heroes And Villains" at the C50 show we went to. I mean, she's not a Beach Boys freak, but the fact that she once mentioned that she had a part of "Do You Like Worms" stuck in her head really is quite cool to me. So yeah. Who knows how these things work.

One Direction isn't bad at all.
My girlfriend and I listen to them all the time!

That looks fantastic!  I love it!   Does she take orders ;)   

Obviously not my spouse, but my mom said she "hated" "Surf's Up" after hearing it. I was hurt.

A really good friend said "Busy Doin' 'Nothin'" was "too Cabana Club" for her. I was hurt.

My girlfriend doesn't seem to be into them at all sans some of their hits. It hurts.

P.S. No really, these things sincerely hurt.

At Christmas I put TSS disc one on to show my family, everybody seemed kinda bored through Our Prayer and my mom moaned through Gee, once we got to the H&V Chorus she screamed to turn it off. Lame.

Most of my friends when I say I like them are all LOL CALIFORNIA GIRLS REALLY :(

That's called...........love right there, man.  She's definitely a keeper!  Dean Torrence would really appreciate this.

IT'S NOT CONVENTIONAL ROCK MUSIC AS MY BRAIN EXPECTS WHAT THE HELL THIS IS STUPID IS THERE EVEN A GUITAR SOLO IN THIS SONG LOL JESUS PUT ON SOME ROLLING STONES

I've found it interesting that my exes haven't liked The Beach Boys but have ended up liking the girl group stuff I play more. It's not that they've disliked the group, just that they've never been into them anywhere near as I am. Surprising, right?

Well my first Girlfriend absolutely despised them to the ground - I made sure never to pass it past her ears, but she's gone now thank god. Her and My dad were simultaneously ganging up on me over it! Then again, we had no musical taste correlation. Nor much else actually. I still cite our break-up as 'Musical Differences' though ;D

Second/current one on the other hand is far more accepting of it overall. The fact I played her Please Let Me Wonder early on went down well, and I figured as long as I keep doses regulated and small, it should be plain sailing from here.

My first ex, who I'm still friends with, actually bought me Surf's Up on vinyl -- and that album started my obsession, so she was there when I was just getting into the group hardcore which meant lots of BBs music! I was mistaken when I posted last: The first ex hates The Beach Boys thanks to me running them into the ground for her, haha.

It's bizarre to me that someone could find something to "hate" about that song, but I guess there's no accounting for taste. What does she usually listen to?

That's A LOTTA LUCK with ladies for a BBs fan's life, bro.  :o :)

I want one so much.

Back when I was young(er) and fancy-free, on a couple of occasions girls I was out for a drink with turned up with copies of Pet Sounds in their handbags.  I suspect they were trying to impress (I was three stone lighter, nine years younger and had just got back from walking Mexico to Canada).

Still with the second and she's been to see the M&B band, BW and BB50 with me and we've produced a couple of kids together, one of whose favourite song is TWGMTR.

She despairs of the fact that I collect the BBs so avidly though.  Like, Pet Sounds – one copy, FSS – should be enough!!!!!!

OK, boring story here...When I was growing up, my bedroom was right next to the bathroom. My Dad would give himself his own haircuts, and he would stand in front of the mirror, cutting his hair, whistling to the records blaring from my bedroom. He was a great whistler; his favorite song for whistling was The Doors "L.A. Woman". He mastered Robby Krieger's guitar part, and he'd do a counter whistle to the "Mr. Mojo Risin" part.

Anyway, he also loved whistling to The Beach Boys; he knew all the hits. So, I buy Love You in early 1977 and I play it constantly. My Dad's favorite song to whistle to was "Roller Skating Child" and Carl's guitar part in "The Night Was So Young". So, after playing Love You for a solid month, and my Dad mastering the album for whistling, he says to me, "Who is that album by?" :o

You probably could have shown him a recent promo photo of the boys in response and he still wouldn't have recognised them.  ;D

Whilst I was listening to Holland the other night, my other half walked into the room, rolled his eyes and said 'if I hear this album one more time I'm going to move into the shed".  Misson complete, I think  ;D

Leaving this shed for another one...

Used to bother me when my peers/family dogged on the Beach Boys.  These days I could care less.  I'm confident in my own self not to take other people's opinions personally like some whiny 13-year-old girl scout. 

My wife likes what I tell her to like.

Out in the barnyard...