The Smiley Smile Message Board

With so many talented songwriters in the band, you wouldn't think it was necessary for them to cover other artists' songs. But I think they have been very smart and judicious over the years, in choosing, and mostly improving, on songs by other artists, so much that they have made them their own, the highest accolade for a cover.

Sloop John B is the masterpiece, one of the best things on Pet Sounds. Don't understand why some people find it ill fitting on there.

What's your favorite and least favorite by the Beach Boys? I don't have a least favorite, okay, maybe Walking in the Sand or hot Fun in the Summertime, but other than those, I can't really point my finger at any others.

Best: Battle Hymn of the Republic. Worst: Never Learn Not To Love.

I'm So Young is my favorite of the many excellent covers they recorded.    

Louie Louie or Hot Fun In The Summer Time would be two of least favorites.

As to your worst, how is this a cover?

Best: Do You Wanna Dance. I love Denny's vocal and Brian's version of the Wall of Sound.

Worst: Under The Boardwalk. Though, I do like Carl's part.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRObQ3AojC0&feature=related

I am quite aware of Manson's version. The Beach Boys released it first, therefore not a cover.

That is like saying the Monkees' "I'm A Believer" is a cover, because Neil Diamond decided to record a version too?

NLNTL is not a cover, because I believe Dennis wrote the music. And part of the lyrics.

Best: I Can Hear Music, School Days

Worst: Come Go With Me, Babarann

Best: Sloop John B

Worst: In the Still of the Night and Chapel of Love

Best: Sloop John B, followed by "I Can Hear Music".  Whoa!

Worst... hell I don't know.  I don't focus on negativity. If it sucked I forgot about it.



Edit: I may have to go with Barbara Ann for worst.  I had mentally blocked that song, until some WEIRDO above mentioned it!!!!

Best: I'm So Young (great call OneEar/OneEye)

Worst: Blueberry Hill

That's not how covers work. Is Manfred Mann's recording of Bob Dylan's "Mighty Quinn" not a cover then, because Mann's version came out first two years earlier than the first released Dylan version?

IS DYLAN'S VERSION A COVER?

It's all kind of slippery, if you think about it.  You could make a pretty damn good argument that anything they didn't write is a cover, even if the songwriter never recorded it.  


I think traditionally, 'cover' means "Hey, you know that song.... that everybody's familiar with?  Here's our version!"

Dylan of course would be excused since he wrote it, he can't cover something he wrote.

Yes, and Dennis' name is the composer on NLNTL. He basically bought the song, finished it and released it first. I have never seen Manson's name on that particular title. So, again, not a cover.

Best: Sloop John B
Worst: Rock and Roll Music

Well, now that the response to my wisecrack has moved all the way over to discussing "I'm A Believer" and "Mighty Quinn" - about the last two places I thought it would end up from NLNTL or Cease To Exist or Resist or whatever - I might as well give my serious choices:

Best: Sloop John B or Cottonfields (first version)

Worst: Peggy Sue or Moon Dawg.

I've never heard Moon Dawg.... I accidentally heard Peggy Sue earlier (it's on one of the greatest hits albums... believe it or not).  I hadn't heard it in years.  I thought it was really good.  I'm a big Buddy Holly fan, and I think they did him justice. 

Best:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uieE43uxur0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmXGGlUaoOw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAfcnS4VfDQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrbzTBosjA4


Worst:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEpziUuHr6U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo4wtBE0AGw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzyMeoLwMrA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3gLb_V20hQ

:) well i don't hate WDFFIL it's just after i heard the original then heard this i had to put it in the worst..they shouldnt even perform that song when they have way better covers they could've done
i'm suprised so many bb fans hate "never learn not to love" :/

wow well you have good taste because it's a magnificent song :D..didn't charles manson confront dennis after they did that song?

i know charles was a lunatic and manipulator but i think dennis could kick his ass if it was a fist fight ;) lol

Manson: "Dennis Wilson was killed by my shadow because he took my music and changed the words from my soul."

What a loser.

wtf he really said that? :angry

I don't think that many Beach Boys fans hate NLNTL, it's more that some people feel uncomfortable with it because of its origins. Speaking for myself, I love it, strongest non-Smile song on 20/20.

As for best and worst covers - Best: Do You Wanna Dance?, Cottonfields (45 version)
                                          Worst: Remember (Walkin' In The Sand), Surfin' (SIP version)

i think it's easily one of the strongest on that album the awesome thing is dennis had the best songs on 20/20 :) it's definitely his shining moment...

That's actually part of the appeal of NLNTL for me. I listened to some of Manson's albums regularly when I was a freshman in college. It's very interesting to listen to them in chronological order because you can actually hear the descent into madness from what once just seemed like an eccentric guy.

I don`t know about that. Firstly I would say that half a dozen of the songs on 20/20 are superior to Dennis` contributions. But I`m also not sure how it can be considered `definitely his shining moment` when Sunflower and POB are taken into consideration.

Completely forgot about Under The Boardwalk, which is easily worse than Peggy Sue. So is Remember (Walking In The Sand) for that matter. So either of those two can replace the Holly song as my choice.

NLNTL is a recording I never cared much for...though after watching Dennis perform it with a fair amount of soul in that Mike Douglas (or is it Merv Griffin?) clip, I might have to rethink that sometime.

Having never heard the original version of Remember,  Walking In The Sand, what is so horrible about the Boys' version? I ask, because I happen to like Carl's lead vocal on it.

I can understand that as in itself it is just a rather drab, plain, average pop song.

TThe original though was innovative, atmospheric and very different. It was a bizarre choice of cover version and I`m not sure what Terry Melcher was thinking really. Maybe the intention was to just transform it into a straightforward pop song which is fair enough I guess.

Well, Carl's vocal is all right, but the rest of the production is far below the Shangri-Las's original. But then again, that 1964 record is about as spectacular a debut as there's ever been in rock'n'roll. (For my money, in terms of mad genius, Shadow Morton tops Uncle Phil most any day.)  Whether Billy Joel really played piano on it, in what is supposed to be his first appearance on record, or whether he was only on a demo and someone else was copying his part, he should have retired from music the day it came out because he could never top a beginning like that. That's sort of how I feel about T-Bone Burnett, whose very first appearance on record was his drum solo on the Legendary Stardust Cowboy's "Paralyzed."

never learn not to love and be with me are the best songs on 20/20 imo..besides the smile songs of course..
and sunflower is a great contestant but no cigar imo..

Best : I Can Hear Music
Worst : Rock and Roll Music

My understanding of the situation was that it was agreed upon before hand that Manson would not be credited on the record and received an up front fee for the song. His only request was that they lyrics weren't changed; they were, and that's what he was upset about. I also don't think Manson ever attacked Dennis, per say, but he definitely threatened him to the point that Dennis was afraid to deal with him or testify during the trial.

wow manson scared dennis? i wonder what's so scary about that dude it's like he had the whole country terrified of his ass

I heard he had bad BO, maybe that was it.

Nah.  Dennis was a sweetheart, at heart, Charlie didnt' fight fair and would have had 10 women with him LOL

I agree wtih you that the Boys should have never tried to record a Shangri-Las song, it's just too awesome to be tinkered with... but Billy Joel went on to do many great things, come on man!

A lot of it was: he was a hippie, and at the time, there were a shitload of hippies all doing weird sh*t that a lot of people didn't really understand.  So Chuck made everybody think "I wonder if they're all like this?"

Dennis was just afraid of the guy because he was a psycopath, and Dennis, for all his failings, was not a psychopath.  He was, or at least wanted to be, a decent human being like most people.  Charles Manson had long gave up wanting to be a decent human being. 

Best: Sloop John B and I Can Hear Music
Worst: SIP Surfin'

what's so scary about manson though?

... you do know who he is, right?

Also (actually on-topic):
Best - I'm So Young I Can Hear Music (a toughie) ... or maybe There's No Other
Worst - Chapel of Love (great song, but the Boys version seems lazy)

yes i heard stories about him but i don't understand why he's so scary there is plenty of murderers scarier than him...wait idk if i should label him a murderer since he never murdered anyone..

Well, there is more to the story than just the Tate-LaBianca murders, and he was convected of those, even if he didn't actually stab them. If some morally deficient psychopath with a group of kids blindly following him that you kicked of your house walked up to you and handed you a bullet, implying you or little boy might be receiving another one in the skull, you'd probably be pretty scared.

Anyway, bringing this back on topic: It's a really tough choice for best and worst. Brian has an amazing ability to take a song and really make it his own, and on the other side of the coin they have recorded some absolutely embarrassing covers. I guess I'll go...
Best - Sloop John B - Totally amazing, that track is something else.
Worst - Blueberry Hill - Possibly my least favorite to ever see release, for whatever reason I really hate this cut

It's scarier that he wasn't doing the murders himself and that he could convince other people to do them for him. There was some serious mind control going on with Manson that obviously let to some scary stuff.