The Smiley Smile Message Board

I'm trying to decide between which twofer I want to immerse myself into for the next few weeks. Obviously these twofers sound nothing alike, but I love it all. I was just wondering which you preferred, if you had to choose one that is. Thanks!

The latter, obviously.

As far as I know, there isn't any Shut Down Vol. 2/All Summer Long two-fer.  Even though that would make sense chronologically, Shut Down Vol. 2 is paired with Surfer Girl and All Summer Long with Little Deuce Coupe because Surfer Girl and Little Deuce Coupe have two of the same songs.

In any case, I vote for the latter.  I think it's not only the strongest of the two-fers but possibly the best collection of Beach Boys songs currently available on any single CD.

The Former is more of a June-July album. The latter has more of an August-Sept. groove.

Surfer Girl/All Summer Long. The latter has the end-of-summer vibe, mainly because of the connection with American Graffiti.

Agreed, that end of summer vibe is powerful considering the events in america that happened around and after all summer long was released.

See, I disagree: All Summer Long is excitement and fun of school letting out and adventure's laying in front of you, it's all 'Girls on the Beach' and Little Hondas and Drive Ins, etc...

Smiley Smile is for when the summer gets so hot and humid (in August, where I'm from) that you just sit around and move as little as possible and then only to swat flies away, you don't even speak too loud because it makes you hotter, you just sort of sigh and drink ice-water and sit in front of the fan wishing like hell it would end already.

 And Wild Honey is when the hot languid day cools off just enough that you can go out and party.

Shut Down II though is not a summer  album to me at all, it's back to school with Fun, Fun, Fun, Keep an Eye on Summer, In the Parking Lot and so on. Sure, there are cars and cruising but that is strictly a weekend affair; if you go cruisin' on a weekday your damn Dad takes the T-Bird away.

Why do you have to choose? Immerse yourself in all four - they aren't especially long albums or anything.

Yeah, but the empire was crumbling. That lends a subtext to the record that is powerful. That undertow of heaviness runs throughout most 60's music, even the most seemingly bubblegum and disposable. This is what retro-60's music misses, why it will never hit the same mark.

I like to hear everything.
Soak it all in.
That takes time for me.

Concur!

I definitely like what you're saying and agree that many of those songs have a sad, wistful undercurrent even divorced from context; considering the context that way(which I really hadn't done before) makes it even richer. Nevertheless it's still an early summer album to me. Compared to Smiley Smile. But I definitely hear where your coming from; in a way the heaviness in those songs is more poignant than 'Summer's Gone.'

SS/WH is by far superior in every aspect except perhaps when it comes to being commercial radio friendly... oh wait GV/H&V and Darlin'. They beat most radio hits.

I went with Smiley Smile and Wild Honey.
These two albums are definitely worlds apart.