The Smiley Smile Message Board

What music do you like the most of ?

The Beach Boys
Dennis Wilson

On a Side Note-  Why did Dennis want to break away from the Beach Boys and do his own music?

The Beach Boys, though they're hard to compare due to obvious reasons.

Most likely Dennis didn't like the direction that the band was heading to at the time and also felt that he had something to say, musically, outside the group.

C. David Spade

The Beach Boys. But because Dennis didn't live long enough to have a long solo career, just one album, and one album's worth of unreleased material.
And some of Dennis's Beach Boys songs are some of the best Beach Boys song!

If there were an even number of BB songs vs Dennis songs, then it would be a hard choice. But I choose Beach Boys, only because Dennis didn't publish very much music compared to BB's.

>>Where was this place we had the lamb wherever it was
 Oh that banquet we had
 Yeah Yeah
they brought in this big ol' lamb and Dennis and I had to sit there holding it up
Yeah but it had its you know they cooked the whole lamb and put its raw head back on<<

Brian is a much greater artist than Dennis ever was. The Beach Boys all the way.

Thou shalt not bear false witness against Brian

Brian is better of course. But by not too much. Dennis's work in the 70's beats Brian's 70's work easily. No contest.

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I agree, Dennis felt he had more to say musically than where the Beach Boys were headed mid to late seventies. Look at what he said about what he hopes happens to the MIU album. In terms of this era, it's essential to break down the group and view them as- Mike/Al: the TMers and not so creative/wanting to stick to the old old formula and then you have the Carl/Dennis faction: creative Wilson brothers...then there's Brian teetering back and fourth on how he felt on a day to day basis. When POB came out, I think Mike and maybe Al were flabergasted at what material he held for his own solo work...but if they wanted his music in the band, they'd have to put up with him. And I don't think Dennis wanted to put up with them anymore.

Brian was always a better composer than Dennis. His songs have stronger melodies and chords than Dennis's, even in the 70s and especially on Love You. IMO many of Dennis's songs sound unfinished.

Gabo, I know it's your opinion when you say "Brian is a much greater artist than Dennis ever was", but I have to respectfully disagree. Certainly not MUCH greater, at least it wasn't ALWAYS that way - in my opinion. As the 1970's progressed, so did Dennis. In some ways, Dennis "caught up" to Brian as an artist. And, I emphasize the phrase "in some ways". Just as Dennis couldn't come up with something as unique as The Beach Boys Love You, I don't think that Brian could've produced something like Pacific Ocean Blue. And, as much as is written about the Beach Boys rejecting Dennis's music, I think the group would've loved if Brian would've/could've come up with something as deep and emotional as Pacific Ocean Blue. If Brian did, the term genius would've been thrown out there again...

The full band rules. I'd choose that over any single member.

I just wrote this on another thread, but it seems equally relevant here...


In the sixties, no Dennis wasn't the equal to Brian - not even close.

In the seventies, yes I think he absolutely was, as the evidence shows:

Brian writes This Whole World and Our Sweet Love, Dennis writes Slip On Through and Forever.

Brian writes Til I Die, Dennis writes Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again.

Brian writes Marcella, Dennis writes Cuddle Up.

Brian writes Funky Pretty, Dennis writes Carry Me Home.

Dennis frequently matched Brian in terms of song quality in the '70's, and unlike Brian he maintained the quality (I mean honestly, was Brian capable of producing something as majestic as Baby Blue by 1978-9?).

I love Love You, but this is no longer a song writer in the same class as the one who wrote All I Wanna Do and Til I Die at the start of the decade. Meanwhile... Dennis was writing Thoughts Of You.

So of course Brian was overall the greater songwriter - his sixties peak is unmatched by anyone, let alone his brother - but I think it's a discredit to Dennis to claim Brian still had the edge over him in the 1970's. Dennis frequently matched him and occasionally outclassed him.

Agreed. But don't bother with Cuddle Up and possibly Carry Me Home. Gabo has a surprising hatred of the Chaplin/Fataar era of the Beach Boys, as well as most material from that era, including Cuddle Up.

This Whole World is a much better song than Our Sweet Love, Slip On Through and Forever, but the latter two are definitely my favorite Dennis songs.

Til' I Die is a much better song than To Live Again.

Marcella ain't much of anything, and neither is Cuddle Up.

Funky Pretty is a little better than Carry Me Home.

I honestly think all the songs Brian contributed to Carl and the Passions and Holland were throwaways. I don't understand the praise for Marcella, etc. I think he really rebounded as an artist with Love You, one of the most well written albums I've ever heard (at least from a musical standpoint).

I disagree with the Sunflower tracks and I strongly disagree with Til' I Die and WIBNTLA.
Til' I Die is a gem, but WIBNTLA may possibly be the best Beach Boys song ever made, along with Surf's Up. As much as I like Til' I Die, it's nothing compared to WIBNTLA!

Brian WAS the Beach Boys. Dennis was the Real Beach Boy. Six of one, half dozen of the other.

I used to feel the same way.  For years.

Perhaps it was as a result of seeing it rock out during the C50 tour, but I definitely appreciate this song now for some reason or another.

Strange thing.  Maybe the same will happen for you. :3d

I'll take

The Beach Boys AND Dennis Wilson

Thank you very much.  ;D

Amen!

Agreed! I thought the novelty would've worn off of WIBNTLA by now - but it's still as good today as the first day I heard it. Definitely in my top 10 favorite Beach Boys songs.

Dennis was a key member of the BBs in so many ways, even when he stood apart. Even as he moved into his solo career, that connection was never severed, only stretched into unusual directions and interesting shapes. He wanted to leave, but he also needed to stay. That adds some very significant tension and subtext to his later music. An either/or such as what's proposed here doesn't allow us to explore those ideas.

Ultimately your opinion is the best one. I second that!