The Smiley Smile Message Board

I've really been enjoying the new boxed set, but [aside from substituting Then I Kissed Her for Salt Lake City] I think there is nothing I'd like to change more than the first 10 tracks on Disc 5.  Granted, it's difficult to cover the highlights of 1980-2012 (32 years!) in 10 tracks, without leaving SOMETHING out, but I think some of the selections are rather quirky.  Here's what I would pick, to try to appeal to the hardcore fans, casual fans, and new fans alike:

1. Keepin' The Summer Alive
2. Goin' On
3. Chasin' The Sky (Not the best song, but deserves a CD release, and is much more deserving than WDTLUFIL and DDRR)
4. Getcha Back
5. Rock And Roll To The Rescue (Shouldn't be out of print!)
6. California Dreamin'
7. Kokomo
8. Still Cruisin'
9. Soul Searchin'
10. You're Still A Mystery
11. That's Why God Made The Radio
12. From There To Back Again

To accomodate the additional tracks, I'd drop the live "I Can Hear Music", which is pretty anticlimactic coming off the heels of the previous three tracks (Wild Honey, Only With You, It's About Time), and also "Sail On Sailor", which proves to be not as great as one might think.  There's also a case to be made for the inclusion of "Happy Birthday America (Live)"...that's un underrated gem.

thou jest surely?

No, I really like it!!

1.Goin' On
2.Stevie
3.Getcha Back
4.Kokomo
5.Somewhere Near Japan
6.Soul Searchin'
7.You're Still A Mystery
8.That's Why God...
9.Isn't It Time (pick your version)
10.From There To Back Again
11.Summer's Gone

Naw, this isn't accurate. Brian Wilson was still in bed after the devastation of Smile and only "Kokomo" happened in the 80s.

Naw, but ideally, 7 discs with more respect given to their 80-2012 output and a live disc. I wil acknowledge I don't like a lot of their stuff from 80-2012, but shoot, a lot of decent stuff from this period didn't make it for the sake of fitting six discs. Include things ever-so-slightly out of scope ("Don't Fight The Sea", for instance) and stuff from the fabled "ready to go" 2013 album Al spoke of a couple months ago and iit would've been easy.

I agree with most of this, but I really dig WDTLUFIL. It's like a lost Love You/15 Big Ones type song with those synths, and I cannot get enough of BW's sounds from that era. Must be the last known example (to my knowledge) of BW's songs in that style...

WDTLUFIL is definitely an earworm...and it definitely beats DDRR.  But it's just a demo, and reminds me more of Mike & Dean's Rock And Roll City than it does Love You or 15BO.  Very early 80's, but not in a good way.  And it's kind of weird to hear 2 guys in their early 40s lamenting not being old enough to go steady...

He didn't write it!

What a treat it would have been to have a whole disc for 1980-2012, PLUS a whole disc of live tracks!  Assuming a limit of 25 tracks, here's what I'd choose for the 1980-2012 disc. (I would take Goin To The Beach off of Disc 4 and replace it with Endless Harmony).

1. Keepin' The Summer Alive
2. Goin' On
3. Goin' To The Beach
4. Why Don't They Let Us Fall In Love
5. Chasin' The Sky
6. Getcha Back
7. Where I Belong
8. I Do Love You
9. Rock And Roll To The Rescue
10. California Dreamin'
11. Happy Endings
12. Wipe Out
13. Kokomo
14. Still Cruisin'
15. Somewhere Near Japan (45 Version)
16. Problem Child
17. Hot Fun In The Summertime
18. Summer In Paradise
19. Lahaina Aloha
20. Soul Searchin'
21. You're Still A Mystery
22. That's Why God Made The Radio
23. Isn't It Time
24. From There To Back Again
25. Summer's Gone

santa anna winds, Where I belong and Somewhere near japan should have been on it...

Here's 11...

Goin' On
Getcha Back
Where I Belong
California Dreamin'
Kokomo
Somewhere Near Japan (45 version)
Lahaina Aloha
Soul Searchin'
You're Still a Mystery
That's Why God Made the Radio
Summer's Gone

Really wish that 45 version of Somewhere Near Japan made it on there.  Not only is it easily one of the best songs of that era, but the single version is rare.

I agree with that list! I admit to a soft spot for the 80's Beach Boys as that's when I became a fan. Always listened for the new songs on the radio.

The "Why Don't They Let Us Fall In Love?" recording is a lot of fun, but I'm surprised it was included in the "career retrospective" portion and not disc 6 (if they really had to do it that way).

P.S. Imaginary 7 disc version must include Stars And Stripes backing vocal montage on the 1980-2012 disc (imo imo imo)

I know :) I was talking strictly in terms of BW's production style. Guess my wording was vague/odd.

I thought about that after i left the computer. I was going to suggest a version of don't worry baby without Lorrie Morgan, and with a flown in Carl vocal from a live show.

That's a great list (tho I've noticed you and I agree more than we disagree).  The only addition I'd make is to include "Caroline No" from Stars And Stripes, losing "Rock And Roll To The Rescue" if something had to go in order to accommodate it.  I also think "Isn't It Time" fits more in the context of the boxed set than "From There To Back Again" (fantastic song that it is).



Absolutely genius.  It's still lacking in the glaring absence of the five great unreleased Blondie and Ricky or Dennis songs but the one change you mentioned would have gone a long way to making up for ALL of its shortcomings.

I really like "Why Don't They Let Us Fall in Love." It's not the best cover song the group ever did, but it's pretty enjoyable. Although, it is weird to put an unreleased track (four!) on the disc with the smallest space and the widest range of years to cover.

As for the extended list, I'd lose "Summer In Paradise" (keeping the live version on the live disc), "Lahaina Aloha", and "Happy Endings" (which I dread), and replace them with the Stars And Stripes versions of "Caroline No", "I Can Hear Music", and "Don't Worry Baby".

Like Summer In Paradise, Stars And Stripes isn't great (tho it does beat SIP) but shouldn't be completely ignored.

I like those suggestions! Yeah, I completely forgot about stars and stripes until later, while i was at work. With that said, I'd also drop happy endings and summer in paradise, and add don't worry baby and Caroline no, but fly a Carl live lead in on dwb, and have no lead vocal at all on Caroline no. Or better yet...put in my room with Tammy wynette on there!

Thanks!! Yeah that one exclusion bothers me more than any other.  It's a concert staple, it was a worldwide hit (outside the US), one of all al's best leads, and just an overall great track!

My take.  Not that I like all of them, but they give a representation of their 80's-90's-00's output:

- Keepin' The Summer Alive ("live" at Knewborth '80)
- Going To The Beach
- Goin' On
- Santa Ana Winds (original version)
- It's A Beautiful Day
- Chasing the Sky
- Getcha Back
- Where I Belong
- California Dreamin'
- Rock & Roll To The Rescue
- The Spirit of Rock'n'Roll ("BB live" version '86)
- Crocodile Rock
- Problem Child
- Kokomo
- Somewhere Near in Japan
- Lahaina Aloha
- Summer in Paradise (live at Wembley '93)
- You're Still A Mistery
- Soul Searchin'
- vocals-only montage from Stars&Stripes
- Don't Fight The Sea
- Do It Again (2011)
- (untitled TWGMTR outtake / I'd Go Anywhere / She Believes in Love Again / vocal montage)
- That's Why God Made The Radio
- Isn't It Time (single version)

Personally I think there should have been a disc from 1976 to the present day as this is the 'wilderness era'. Something with plenty of rarities like:

1, Rock and Roll Music (Alt)
2, It's OK (Alt)
3, Shake, Rattle and Roll
4, Glow Crescent Glow
5, My Diane (Alt)
6, It's Trying to Say
7, Still I Dream of It
8, It's Over Now (Alt)
9, The Night Was So Young
10, Come Go With Me
11, Lady Lynda (movie version)
12, California Feelin
13, Good Timin
14, Baby Blue
15, Goin On
16, Goin to the Beach
17, Always Love You
18, Getcha Back
19, Rock and Roll to the Rescue
20, Kokomo
21, Somewhere Near Japan (Alt)
22, Summer in Paradise (U.K.)
23, Soul Searchin
24, You're Still a Mystery
25, That's Why God Made the Radio
26, Isn't It Time
27, Anything else from the TWGMTR sessions

Sticking to the first ten tracks, I'd like to have seen this (with Goin' On ending CD 4):

1. Keepin' the Summer Alive
2. Stevie 
3. Chasin' The Sky
4. Getcha back
5. Where I Belong
6. California Dreamin'
7. Soul Searchin'
8. You're Still A Mystery
9. That's Why God...
10. Summer's Gone

Now THAT is a damn good selection of songs!

A separate live disc would have been even better. Disc 5 is quite odd. Going from 2012 back to a live recording from 1965.

1. Goin' On'
2. Stevie
3. Heaven
4. California Dreamin' ('83 version)
5. Getcha Back
6. Male Ego
7. Love and Mercy
8. Soul Searchin'
9. You're Still A Mystery
10. It's Not Easy Being Me
11. That's Why God Made the Radio
12. From There to Back Again