The Smiley Smile Message Board

Ok, let's play a game, if you wish.

 You can choose 10 Beach Boy related Albums for the REST OF YOUR EXISTENCE - outside of these you will never hear anything else related to the boys.

 The Paramaters

 No Box Sets
 No Live Concerts
 No Compilations
 No sprawling boots
 Unreleased albums allowed
 Collaborations and Solos included


 To give you an idea here's my 10 to start us off

Pet Sounds
SMiLE (disc 1 of the sessions) Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE
Wild Honey
Love You
Adult/Child
That Lucky Old Sun
Summer Days (And Summer Nights)
Slightly American Music
Sweet Insanity
I Guess I wasn't made for these times (A cheeky one, not strictly a compilation as all tracks were re-recorded a fresh)

Choose wisely - anything that doesn't make your cut you will never hear again…..
 

Your #2 choice is part of a box set, thus by your own rules ineligible... and no POB ?

Surfer Girl
All Summer Long
Today
Pet Sounds
Smile
Friends
20/20
Sunflower
Surf`s Up
Holland

It was also part of a 2CD version.
 Pacific Ocean Blue wouldn't even be in my top twenty. It's great if you like that kind of music but it's not for me.

Probably this, but swapping the last two for Summer Days and Wild Honey.

 I can accept that and would happily swap it for BWPS as for POS I considered it but it hasn't made enough of an impact on me (yet) to be deemed essential to me.

Also, Andrew, I genuinely would be really interested to hear your list….  :)

1. Surfin' Safari
2. Little Deuce Coupe
3. All Summer Long
4. Pet Sounds
5. Smiley Smile
6. Wild Honey
7. 20/20
8. Sunflower
9. Surf's Up
10. Love You

...that was surprisingly easy. Maybe I'd swap Sunflower or Surf's Up for POB, but who knows.

Pet Sounds
Sunflower
All Summer Long
Today !
Pacific Ocean Blue
That Lucky Old Sun
Holland
Love You
Summer Days...
Smile Sessions (2CD version)

Pet Sounds
SMiLE
Wild Honey
20/20
Sunflower
Surf's Up
CATP
Holland
Pacific Ocean Blue
L.A. Light Album

No game----this is serious stuff requiring serious thought. A provisional list:

Surfin' USA
Little Deuce Coupe
Today!
Pet Sounds
Smiley Smile
Wild Honey
20/20
Sunflower
Surf's Up
That's Why God Made The Radio

All Summer Long
Today
Pet Sounds
SMiLE
Wild Honey
Friends
Sunflower
Surfs Up
Love You
POB

Summer Days and Summer Nights !!!
Pet Sounds
Smiley Smile
Surfer Girl
Smile (2 CD)
Pacific Ocean Blue
Today!
All Summer Long
Friends
Imagination

Pet Sounds
Wild Honey
Friends
Sunflower
Pacific Ocean Blue
Brian Wilson
The unreleased collection of songs most commonly referred to as Landlocked
Love You
Summer Days (And Summer Nights)
Smile

Pet Sounds
Brian Wilson Presents Smile
Friends
Today!
Stack-O-Tracks
Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)
Love You
Shut Down Volume II (pretty much only for Don't Worry Baby)
All Summer Long
No Pier Pressure

I would possibly swap Stack-O-Tracks for Little Deuce Coupe.

Pet Sounds
Smiley Smile
Smile (1 disc version).
Friends
Summer Days
Today
All Summer Long
Sunflower
Surfer Girl
Love You

Surfin' USA
Pet Sounds
Holland
CATP
Love You
LA
SIP
TWGMTR
POB
NPP

FRIENDS
Smile (whichever incarnation counts)
Smiley Smile
Wild Honey
Today
Love You
Pet Sounds
Sunflower
Surfs Up
20/20

1- Holland
2- Surf's Up
3- Sunflower
4- Today!
5- Pet Sounds
6- 20/20
7- Surfin' USA
8- Carl & The Passions
9- Brian Wilson '88
10- Surfin' Round the World

In ascending chronological order:

I assume that we get to have the mono and stereo versions where applicable  :lol

I also show my work:

1. Surfin' USA (Classic. The filler is actually pretty enjoyable even though sometimes I skip songs if I'm listening digitally.)

2. Surfer Girl (Classic of course. No explanation needed.)

3. Little Deuce Coupe (Love the album but luckily Surfer Girl already has some of my favorites like "Our Car Club" and the few obvious others. Am missing out on "409" though :( .)

4. Shut Down Vol.2 (I love just about all the tunes on this album. "Keep an Eye's" bridge is so haunting (?). It's difficult, in a good way, to adequately describe that feeling in Brian's voice. "This Car of Mine" is one of my favorite Dennis vocals. "Louie Louie" is not too bad of a tune and the the "Shut Down" instrumental is pretty enjoyable IMO.)

5. Today   (I love Side A's rockers and Side B is ethereal. I could (and have) sit and listen to "Please Let Me Wonder's backing vocals over and over again.)

6. Summer Days  ("Help Me, Rhonda" is my "Be My Baby." I think it's a perfect pop song and deservedly was a number 1.)

7. Pet Sounds ("You Still Believe in Me", stereo version, still sends chills down my spine.)

8. Smiley Smile (I like the homespun lo-finess of this album. I get "GV" and I get "With Me Tonight." I love the tripiness and fullness organs bring to pop/rock and the whole chill aspect of this album serves to complement this.)

9. Wild Honey (Perfect album for late fall, early winter. Love sitting by the record player blasting my duophonic copy with a good beer surrounded with good people or if I'm alone jamming along on the piano.)

10. Friends (From this point onwards it gets really tough. I love the cheesy/homespun side A with the cheesy organ lines like "When a Man..." and I love how Brian ends "Wake the World" with his trademark falsetto with "When you're calling MEE.  I'm not a huge fan of side B when listening to individual cuts but I do think all the tracks work as a whole.)

11. Sunflower (I LOVE this album for the obvious killer tracks but I guess I could live without it even though it isn't spring time without having listened to it on vinyl at least a handful of times.:( )

12. Surf's Up (Definitely going to miss "Feel Flows," "Tree," and the final two cuts.  It was between this and Carl but what the heck.)

13. Carl and the Passions (I know this is a love it or leave it album but I like how it's not a complete work like Holland with the South Africans and the Boys trying to figure it out. I love the spiritual music, "Marcella" is such a good song and I love the fade out with Brian's new voice in the left channel singing away at "Heeeey Marcella."  Dennis's two songs are absolutely gorgeous.  "Make it Good" to me is like the meaning of life and love all in the span of like two minutes.  I love hearing that song while walking on a cold dark night at the top of a hill where I can see the lights of the city miles away and having that song envelope me while I close my eyes and feel the cold air on my face and in my nose.)

14. Holland (Going to miss "Funky Pretty" and especially it's fade out. I love this album though. Hard one to let go of.)

No order...

Surf's Up
Holland
Pet Sounds
Today
Friends
POB
Smile 1 CD
Wild Honey
Sunflower
20/20

No order...

Pet Sounds, of course
Smile (the complete version, of course, from 2004)
Sunflower
Holland
The Beach Boys Love You
Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin (am I allowed to fix the EQ on the opening track?)
Pacific Ocean Blue (although, TBH, I can only imagine myself listening to "River Song" and "Time" -- the rest of the album sounds dated to me, TBH)
Friends (especially if I can get a completely remastered version of it)
Brian Wilson (mainly for "Rio Grande")
Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)

If we're listening on vinyl then surely the Smile 2011 lP is fair game. Therefore my list as follows:

Smile 2011 LP
Pet sounds
Wild Honey
Friends
Sunflower
Surf's Up
Love You
Today
Pacific Ocean Blue 3lp set
Summer Days Summer Nights

These are listed in no specific order...other than what I have to have from Brian and then in order of release...and then the 'others' category...of which there is but 1 choice for me.

Brian Wilson Presents Smile
No Pier Pressure
Little Deuce Coupe
Pet Sounds
Friends
20/20
Sunflower
Surf's Up
Holland
Pacific Ocean Blue
----------------------------------------
Just bubbling under but not quite making it...

Brian Wilson
All Summer Long
Summer Days and Summer Nights
Wild Honey
Carl and the Passions So 'F'n' Tough

Thank goodness we don't have to list the 10 we absolutely don't want or need. :lol  [but I could ;)]

1. Friends
2. Today!
3. Wild Honey
4. Pet Sounds
5. Sunflower
6. Surfer Girl
7. Surf's Up
8. Holland
9. Love You
10. POB

1.  Surfer Girl
2.  Shut Down Vol.2 (while not in my top 10, I really couldn't go to the rest of my life without hearing Warmth of the Sun again)
3.  All Summer Long
4.  Beach Boys Today
5.  Summer Days and Summer Nights
6.  Pet Sounds
7.  Sunflower
8.  Surf's Up
9.  Holland
10.That's Why God Made the Radio

**Note - While Friends is in my Top 10 BB albums, I had to swap it out for SDV2 since the criteria states that I can't listen to the other records again. 

Let's see

  1. Sunflower
  2. Today!
  3. Holland
  4. All Summer Long
  5. Love You
  6. Wild Honey
  7. Shut Down Vol. 2
  8. Little Deuce Coupe
  9. Pet Sounds
10. Pacific Ocean Blue

11. In Concert - It was an official release. I listen to this album more than the studio albums listed above. I would really be lost without it. It is my go-to for songs such as Darlin', Heroes & Villains, Marcella, Caroline No & Funky Pretty.

Friends
Orange Crate Art
L.A. (Light Album)
Sunflower
Carl & the Passions - So Tough
Pacific Ocean Blue
Surf's Up
Summer Days (and Summer Nights)
Brian Wilson presents Smile
Pet Sounds

Wow that was difficult...there were some albums I rescued just for one or two key songs that I can't imagine never hearing again.

Almost made the cut:
Wild Honey
That Lucky Old Sun
20/20

In no particular order:

1. Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!)
2. Smiley Smile
3. The Beach Boys Love You
4. The Beach Boys Today!
5. Pet Sounds
6. Shut Down Volume 2
7. All Summer Long
8. Wild Honey
9. Friends
10. Sunflower

If comps had been allowed, Endless Summer would have been in there...

All Summer Long
Today
Pet Sounds
Wild Honey
Friends
Sunflower
Surf's Up
The Smile Sessions
That's Why God Made The Radio
That Lucky Old Sun

1.   Pet Sounds
2.   Little Deuce Coupe
3.   Surfer Girl
4.   Smiley Smile
5.   Holland
6.   Sunflower
7.   Summer Days (and Summer Nights)
8.   Friends
9.   Love You
10.   All Summer Long

So far, ranked by number appearances, the top 25 are as follows:

Pet Sounds 26
Sunflower 21
Today 17
Friends 17
Smile    16
Love You 15
Wild Honey 14
Surf's Up 14
Summer Days and Summer Nights 13
Pacific Ocean Blue 13
All Summer Long 12
Holland 12
20/20 8
Smiley Smile 8
Surfer Girl 7
Little Deuce Coupe 5
Carl & The Passions 5
Shut Down Vol. II 5
Surfin USA    4
That’s Why God Made The Radio 4
That Lucky Old Sun 3
L.A. Light Album    3
Brian Wilson 3
No Pier Pressure    3
Summer In Paradise    1

So if we are being democratic about it, we are taking these 10 to the desert island with us:

Pet Sounds
Sunflower
Today
Friends
Smile   
Love You
Wild Honey
Surf's Up
Summer Days and Summer Nights
Pacific Ocean Blue

Would have been nice if everyone had ranked theirs also so I could have weighted the results that way as well but, hey, that's still a pretty good 10 albums to take to the island.

Thanks for tallying! Also, there was also at least one vote for Orange Crate Art! :-)

Yeah...of the remaining that got 1 vote I just picked my fave to make it an even Top 25!  :hat

Apparently I'm late to the game.  I'd have to say, I could live with this list for the most part.  Although I would want a few picks from the early years....I think I would swap out Love You and POB for All Summer Long and Surfin' USA.  Yeah, that would be perfect!

BTW, I find it rather interesting that Smiley doesn't make the cut!   >:D

The only reason why it didn't make the cut for me is because my five favorite songs on it are also on The Smile Sessions.

So, if I'm right.....with this consensus list we would never ever hear again songs such as:

Do It Again, Love & Mercy, Shortenin’ Bread,  I get Around, The Warmth of the Sun, Surfin’, Cuddle Up, Sail on Sailor, Mt. Vernon and Fairway, Rock and Roll Music, Rio Grande, Little Deuce Coupe, 409, My Diane, She’s Goin’ Bald, Somewhere Near Japan, Surfer Girl, Catch a Wave, Hawaii, Midnights Another Day, Fun Fun Fun, Surfin’ Safari, That Same Song, I can Hear Music, Cotton Fields, Surfin’ USA or even Smart Girls...

 Scary.....

If you didn't vote before the tally, does that mean you can still pick your own 10 for the island?   :)

Chronologically:

1. Shut Down Vol 2
2. All Summer Long
3. The Beach Boys Today!
4. Summer Days & Nights
5. Pet Sounds
6. Smiley Smile
7. Wild Honey   Spring (if that's eligible)
8. Love You
9. BW Presents Smile

I was going to give up there and deem this task too hard, but I want to hear "In My Room" again, so:

10. Surfer Girl

Surfin' USA
Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)
Pet Sounds
Smiley Smile
20/20
Sunflower
Surf's Up
Holland
L.A. (Light Album)
No Pier Pressure [Target version]

In no particular order...

All Summer Long
Today!
Pet Sounds
Smiley Smile
Wild Honey
Friends
Sunflower
Love You
Pacific Ocean Blue
Brian Wilson

Honorable mention would be either Summer Days, LA, or The Fragile Thread.

An alternative strategy would be to choose ten albums that for one reason or another are proving troublesome----albums you don't "get" in varying degrees (from just slightly to not at all). Left with just these albums, they might make more sense after repeated hearings----or not.

Mine would probably be:

Beach Boys' Party!
Friends
Carl and The Passions----So Tough
15 Big Ones
The M.I.U. Album
Keeping the Summer Alive
Youngblood
Imagination
That Lucky Old Sun
No Pier Pressure


     

No order of preference:

Friends
Smiley Smile
Wild Honey
Pet Sounds
20/20
Holland
Little Deuce Coupe
Summer Days...
CATP
Surf's Up

In better versions, for the most part.

1. Friends
2. BWPS
3Love You
4. Pet Sounds
4. Today
5. Bw 88
6. Lucky old sun
7. Sunflower
8. Surfs Up
9. Paley Sessions
10. All summer long.

I'd like to fit in Gershwin, what I would switch out I don't know.

You've already got eleven so good luck with that  ;D

Damn this Glengoyne 18 yr old!

Haha, so now....which will you cull and never hear again????

Summer Days (and Summer Nights) - For California Girls and Help Me Rhonda
Today
Pet Sounds
Friends
CAPST (All This Is That)
Sunflower
Surfs Up
BWPS
That's Shy God Made the Radio (for the closing three songs)
Smiley Smile (Can't do without Good Vibes).

I can't do it. They are all essential. If pushed All Summer Long. Gershwin's missed the list. Tough choices!

in no particular order:

That lucky old sun
Smiley smile
Friends
Sunflower
Today
All summer long
Pet sounds
Surfer girl
That's why god made the radio
Holland

This is my first post so please be gentle!

My ten albums are (not in any particular order):

Today
Pet Sounds
No Pier Pressure (18 track version)
The Beach Boys Love You
Holland
The Smile sessions (2cd) can this be included? If not BWPS.
Summer Days
All summer long
15 Big ones
Sunflower

Makes no sense to me why ANY post Holland album would be in any list, sept Love you..and So tough is weak too.  I say 1 summer days 2 all summer long 3 pet sounds 4 surfer girl 5 smiley smile 6 wild honey 7 sunflower 8 20/20 9 holland 10 lil deuce coupe or surfin usa.

Today and shut down vol2 in there too..

With all the new voting the Top 25 changes a bit:

Pet Sounds   34
Sunflower   26
Today   24
Friends   24
Smile   21
Surf's Up   19
Summer Days and Summer Nights   19
All Summer Long   19
Wild Honey   18
Love You   18
Holland   16
Smiley Smile   14
Pacific Ocean Blue   14
Carl & The Passions   9
20/20   9
Surfer Girl   7
That’s Why God Made The Radio   6
That Lucky Old Sun   6
Surfin USA   6
Shut Down Vol. II   6
No Pier Pressure   6
Little Deuce Coupe   6
Brian Wilson   5
L.A. Light Album   4
15 Big Ones   2

Smiley Smile
Love You
Pet Sounds
20/20
Surf's Up
Sunflower
Friends
15 Big Ones
Holland
Party

That's why the thread is called "You have 10 albums..." and not "You have 10 albums to force on everyone else." Y'dig.

Are votes for Smile and BWPS being combined?

1. Pet Sounds
2. The Smile Sessions (1 disc version)
3. Today!
4. Sunflower
5. Friends
6. Love You
7. Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)
8. That Lucky Old Sun
9. All Summer Long
10. Shut Down Volume II

1-7 was easy. 8-10 was super difficult and many albums could have made the cut instead of the ones listed. Usually depends on my mood.

1.Pet Sounds
2. Smile
3. Today
4. Summer days
5. Friends
6. Wild honey
7. Love you
8. little deuce coupe
9. Shut down vol2
10. Smiley Smile

As a BBs zealot I sold my LPs of 15big ones, MIU, Light album and KTSA. Theyre thrown together collections of outtakes and rewrites...nowhere on the same level as their 63-73 output, those were perfect albums, esp-surfer girl-all summer long-today-summer days-pet sounds-wild honey and sunflower. Lil deuce coupe, shut down vol2 and 20/20 were/are killer too.

SMiLE? You said unreleased albums allowed...so..?

Pet Sounds

Love You

Pacific Ocean Blue

Holland

Today!

Smiley Smile

Sunflower

(after this point, I really dont care. The Boys werent really album artists in my view)

Friends, I guess...

maybe Bambu? idk

here is my secret fantasies list...

1. Country Love
2. SIP
3. First Love
4. Looking back with Love
5. any Mike and Dean album (at random)
6. Stars and stripes vol1
7. Nascar
8. Mike love not war
9. The Cocaine Sessions
10. The Hotel Tapes...

But now another person has to suffer through these even though they're just collections of outtakes. :(

had no idea you felt this way  ;D

No zealot sells part of their canon because they are collections and rewrites. Hell, my DCC Endless Summer and Spirit of America comps are important to me for sound, as well as being part of their release history. Did you sell off any treadwear too? They are just collections of songs and studio banter too. Just my opinion, of course. ;)

Here my list, not in order.  Also with the knowledge that I still haven't listened to most of their albums in full.

Pet Sounds
Today
Summer Days/Nights
Smile (TSS disc one)
That's Why God Made the Radio
All Summer Long
Surfer Girl
Little Deuce Coupe
No Pier Pressure
Sunflower