The Smiley Smile Message Board

Do you ever feel that you're too into The Beach Boys to the point that it hampers your enjoyment of the music?

I'm excited about the new Star Wars movie. I visited a Star Wars message board and I notice some of the fans are griping about minutiae in the new trailer such as the sound of Kylo Ren's voice not being Star Wars enough and so forth. It occurred to me that I was similarly fussy when the Smile box was released. I was so aware of sessions, and fly in vocals, and how long pauses should be in H&V and so on that it was incredibly easy to find fault in the end product.

It's the 'I see the strings' effect when you're so savvy about the mechanics of an illusion that you're immune to the magic itself.

I'm glad I'm removed enough from Star Wars that I will be able to enjoy a lot of The Force Awakens at face value. I wish I could be the way with the BBs sometimes.

There are times when I won't listen to them for months at a time but when I put them on I still get that vibe I had when they originally clicked with me. If anything I enjoy the music more now than I did back then.

I can't really say I've gotten to the point where there's any bands I can't listen to or movies I can't watch due to the effect you're speaking about. 

Although I will admit that I'll be avoiding the new Ghostbusters movie like the plague when its released next summer.  Luckily, it's not part of the original franchise. 

I'm good.  NEVER got lost 'in the Beach Boys'...although I must admit...I do think about what a 'dick' a certain member of the band is from time to time and that interferes with the enjoyment factor but only sometimes.  I can still separate the 2 by and large.  I do take it personally when he fucks with the happiness formula though.  Takes me a while to let it go.  But I do...'til 'he' does it yet again.

No generally I enjoy all that which I loved from the get-go and for the rest I am still trying to figure out how others enjoy [what to me are obvious] substandard releases.  The level of GREATNESS is still sky-high.  With the 'iffy' stuff the level of less great is often still 'pretty' good.   [with a few exceptions]

I will never shower all things Beach Boys and then internalize that water.  Hey!!!  They aren't the Ohio Express. :lol

That's no way to talk about Brian Wilson.

Without a doubt, my ludicrous degree of fandom has affected my simple enjoyment. Can't say it's actually ruined it, but l frequently long for the days when l could listen to a track and think, "yeah, like it" as opposed to " well, considering what was going on, it's not too shabby". Wish l knew less.

Definitely.  Back when I was more active in Endless Summer Quarterly there were three or four "incidents" that involved differences of opinions, someone being unhappy with something that was printed, etc., that just spoiled it for me.  There was a period of 18 months or so around 2001-2002 where I just couldn't bear to listen to any Beach Boys or Brian Wilson music -- which also coincided with my withdrawal from the editorial aspects of ESQ.  I had to slowly ease myself back into the music.  It was 2004, and BRIAN WILSON PRESENTS SMILE, before I fully recovered my enjoyment of the music.

Lee

Fandom has so far had next to no impact upon my enjoyment of the music.  Reading YouTube comments on the other hand...

Personally, I don't think my fandom of the Beach Boys have anything to do with how I cringe at most of what occured withe band in the 80s and 90s! The 2000s have been a resurgence, thanks mostly to Brian's solo career. I know there have been other good things, but when I look back to the late 90s, I was resigned to a corn fest involving anything new by the band. Brian's backing band, the willingness to do deep cuts live, the entire Pet Sounds album, really got the ball rolling. And from what I've heard, Mike and Bruce concerts have improved since then as well.

I find the more know the more it enhances my enjoyment. I do agree that there is a limit and maybe I've just not reached it yet. Occasionally I'll have a week off from the music, and here, but it doesn't take long for me to return.

A small addendum: whilst the degree of my fandom hasn't ruined the music for me (yet...), the faux fandom of others has come damn close on occasions. And if you think you know what l'm talking about - you don't.  ;D

God no. No amount of self-appointed expert blowharding, family squabbles, soap opera drama, humorless right-wing Hawaiian shirt sh*t, or grueling glimpses into the sausage-making process can ever touch those harmonies or emotions they invoke. When BW and his crew go into Our Prayer, all is right with the universe.

No. Nothing ever ruins the good music. Fandom only ruins my opinions of some of the people directly involved and many times fans and historians.

The only thing that bums me out sometimes is listening to songs that didn't chart or were very low on the charts.  It makes me think what could have been if it were released at a different time or promoted properly.   Sometimes it also gives me the feeling of being the only one to like a particular song aside from the more hardcore fans. A lonely feeling, if that makes sense.  Breakaway is a good example of what I'm talking about.

Funnily enough, for me it's reversed. I have the problem with Star Wars but not Beach Boys. I think it has to do with timing. I started listening to the BBs from my dad's records when I was a kid but by then their record was already spotty, so I learned from the beginning that we just hope for the best and, sorry to say, I meet good stuff with pleasant surprise and not-so-good with a shrug. With Star Wars, I'd seen all 3 originals well before the second three came out, so my disappointment with the latter ones was huge. I anticipate anything new regarding Star Wars with cynical dread. It's really bad.

It's a self-inflicted wound if it does. For me personally, the key is keeping perspective. If the Beach Boys, or a Beach Boy, has a release I don't like, oh well. If one says something stupid, oh well. The greats remain great: no subsequent release or bad behavior affects great recordings.

I fall into this category. My happiest time as a Beach Boys' fan was when I was a relative newbie. In 1974-75-76, all I owned was Endless Summer and an import comp called The Beach Boys Best 40 Greatest Hits which filled in the gaps. I read one book by Ken Barnes, there was no internet, and my favorite publication was the TV Guide which I scoured weekly for any TV appearances. But most importantly, all I knew was the prevailing stereotypes. Brian was the shy, sensitive genius who wrote all the songs; Mike was flashy, outgoing "front man", Dennis was the athletic, rowdy "real Beach Boy", Carl was the quiet Beach Boy with the tender voice, and Al was the gentleman farmer who liked folk music. And that was all I needed to know - for a little while at least. But, that was the simplest, purest, happiest time I ever had as a Beach Boys fan!

Seriously, it was 99% about the music on those records. That was about to change with the "Brian's Back" campaign, David Leaf's book, and all the other drama - actually tragedy - from 1977-1983. But even with all of that soap opera stuff, the music won out. I did get to know more about the individual Beach Boys. I did get to know about the genesis of the songs I was listening to. I did get to see the original group in concert. And, I did live and die with each crazy thing that I read in a magazine or saw on TV. It was quite a fascinating ride. And, up until Dennis' death and Brian's second stint with Landy, the fandom didn't ruin my enjoyment of the music, and in some instances, it actually added to the depth. Then things started to change, slowly but surely.

Starting with The Beach Boys 1985, things just "felt" different. Things in the Beach Boys' world  seemed contrived. Who was really calling the shots, who was really writing and producing the songs, do these guys even like each other, do they even care, why are they still a group, WHO ARE THESE GUYS? The purity of the Beach Boys started to fade for me. As crazy as that 1974-1982 period was - and it was crazy - it still felt like the real Beach Boys, warts and all. And maybe because of those warts you knew it was real. I mean, what other group could possibly come up with the stuff that was coming out of The Beach Boys. You couldn't dream this stuff up if you tried. Maybe I was starting to know too much. Maybe, no, I WAS becoming jaded. Skeptical. But, I mean, how many "Brian Is Really Back This Time" campaigns can one fan endure? ;D

Which leads to Brian's solo career. I won't get too much into that because I'm familiar with many of the posters on this board; they won't get it (my perspective) anyway, they won't allow themselves to get it. They would rather sling insults and name call. Their love of Brian Wilson, or who they think he is, and because his music has given them so much happiness, I think - I THINK - makes people very defensive of him. I'm curious to see or read their perspectives as the years go by and they learn even more about Brian and The Beach Boys. One thing we've all learned on this board is that over time, myths are dispelled and truths will come out. That knowledge (if you want to call it that) has to change one's perspective.

On a recent thread (I don't recall the exact thread or the exact poster), somebody posted and I paraphrase, "I'm tired of all the smoke and mirrors with Brian's solo career." Again, I'm not going to elaborate because I don't need any War And Peace-length lectures/responses, but Brian's "career" has worn me down, not out but down. It is difficult for me to get full enjoyment from Brian's solo music starting way back with Imagination in 1998 because I will find myself, sometimes subconsciously, asking, "I wonder who wrote that part?", "I wonder who really produced that track/album?", "Does Brian really care about this project?", "Who's idea was this to begin with?", and the most asked question, "If Brian was left to his own devices, would he have really done this song/album/concert/etc." There was a time when it wasn't necessary to ask those questions. But, when that time came, yeah, things changed...

Absolutely. I know I can get pretty anal about what I believe SMiLE should be, which hampers my enjoyment of BWPS/TSS. Regarding the latter, I have trouble enjoying the extra discs considering how much was left off in favor of a disc of GV as well. Not that Im not grateful for what we got, but my total enjoyment is definitely hampered by how much I love even the more obscure pieces and want more of those.

Conversely, as much as they have nostalgia for me and get my head bobbing...the old songs kinda make me cringe. I hate how people assume thats what I must be talking about when I fawn over Brian Wilson or recommend SMiLE or Pet Sounds("who's the artist?" "the beach boys" "...oh.") Similarly, I now think of the older songs as "glimpses of what was to come" so to speak instead of great works in their own right. That kinda thing

For me, I think the question is not so much fandom as the accumulation of background facts and general BB knowledge. It's possible to be a "fan" and at the same time not know too much of the various goings-on. For the most part, being familiar with long-accepted BB facts has enhanced my enjoyment and appreciation of the music. Love You might be a good example of this; Leaf wrote that Love You was a tough listen "unless you are involved in Brian Wilson’s musical and personal psychodramas," and I think that's more or less true for lots of people. I had to spend a little extra one-on-one time with this album before I got it. There are also a number of older Brian/BB songs and more recent ones that become more engaging and interesting if you can follow the back story.  Gotta also say that "Never Learn Not To Love" is more interesting (if not more enjoyable musically) the more you know about that song's origins. By the same token, while I recognize that "Break Away" is a darn good track, I have a hard time with it, considering who co-wrote the song and what he was very likely planning on doing (and of course did ) not long after the song was released to less than resounding success.

While you don't need to know a thing about Brian/Beach Boys to appreciate Smile, a listener's appreciation can only increase the more he knows about Brian's story, and what had been going on in Beach Boys land going back to at least the end of 1964.  And BWPS is inseparable from the personal story; musical content aside, there's so much going on there just with the completion of the project itself.

I'll be really really surprised if that movie doesn't blow. They ruin every other franchise, why not this one.

  My fandom makes me wonder if I sometimes overrate The Beach Boys.

Very intelligent post.  I find myself doing this all the time, I think however since you're realizing the phenomena you've already won the battle.  

One thing I've noticed over the years is that it's hard to see anything with fresh eyes.  I can remember how the Beach Boys sounded to me the first time I heard them in any depth (not just on the radio)... I can remember the first time I listened to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and my friend explaining to me how this does this, and that's Ringo singing, etc.

It's really hard to go outside of your own fandom though, and see something the way a casual fan would see it.  

Another thing I've often thought about too, is how knowing all the minutiae, if your mind is right, really makes you appreciate it that much more.   I think it's because if you know, or think you know, Brian better, then you enjoy his music.  His family, and ultimately his mother was likely his biggest fan.  Why?  ... because she knew him better than anybody.  Today, Melinda is his biggest fan.  She knows him better than anybody on the earth, and is his biggest cheerleader.

So ultimately, yes the fandom can ruin it sometimes, but if you're conscious of it like you are, and if you try to just let it go, the fandom really makes you appreciate the music so much more.  There may be a happy medium, not sure... For instance I was talking on the other forum about how I don't know anything about ELO except that their music is great, and I really like the few songs I know of theirs... if I go listen to their greatest album, it'll probably blow me away!  Will I be an even bigger fan if I learn every little thing about ELO?  Not sure, I may be in the 'happy medium' right now; interested, but not obsessed.  

No, not yet!  I'm only at the beginning and just starting to gather the songs into their actual albums, apart from the obvious ones.  Everybody says that it's a pretty special time for me.  I'm lucky, I really got clobbered with the Brian Wilson Musical Appreciation Stick 

The funny thing about TBB and BW fandom is it's wonderful intensity.  I have often mused that mentioning Brian Wilson can barely raise an eyebrow (who?), when other artists that are much less successful or talented are household names.  Now, I like that he is quite unknown, it's like he's a secret from all the numbskulls out there who aren't tuned in.  This feeling was particularly strong when the movie came out, I felt a little weird just giving him up to the public like that.

Are we a 'normal' fan base?  For example, do Rolling Stones fans get together like this to talk about stuff, extol the intricacies of each song, and moan about Mike Love?

Not yet, Ive only been into the group seriously since earlier this year.

However, some other groups this has happened to me. I got that way with Guns N Roses and Led Zeppelin.

Beatles fans can make this place look like a kindergarten. That said, l doubt any other band is so accessible to their fans.

Also, l'd question that Brian is quite as unknown as you think...

Agreed 100%.  But, call me close minded, I don't care.  I'll never find out.  I'm not a fan of Paul Feig.  I'm not a fan of Melissa McCarthy.  And I'm not a fan of 2000s SNL.  So, to me, there's nothing to entice me to want to spend two hours of my time with this movie.  Time is finite after all. 

I'm just glad this is a remake and not a third entry to the original franchise.  Easier to dismiss that way. 

I'd guess the vast majority of people who saw Love and Mercy are already BB fans or are music geeks or film geeks, of which there's a huge overlap and shared knowledge, so most of them were already well aware of BW.
Also yeah there are lots of artists that inspire obsession among fans. Certainly Presley, The Beatles, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Jim Morrison/The Doors, ummm and I'm sure a ton between the 60's and 2000's but they aren't coming to mind (Edited to add: Oh yeah, like Nirvana, Tupac, Jay Z, Kanye [but now I'm getting back into the 2000's]).
Though I do think a special thing with the BBs is that for most of the fans, it's a lot more about the music than the personalities. I mean, sure, the drama can be fascinating in a soapy way, and BW inspires a lot of compassion, but I don't think anyone's into the BBs in a big way without the music being the primary and deepest draw. And they've provided such a deep well of varied and complex music that discovery can continue for years.
I've known a lot of Beatles obsessors who like lots of their songs, but don't really listen very deeply, and are attracted by the personalities, either the whole peace and love thing or more simply having a crush on one or the other. And I don't mean original 60's fans; I mean new fans, still. Now, don't get me wrong, I think the Beatles as a group and as solo artists have created amazing music well worth obsessing over, but a big percentage of the obsession is about personality.
 With Jim Morrison I think there's a kind of morbid fascination. With TS and Gaga I think teen girls are sometimes desperate for a role model that isn't just pretty eye candy maybe pretending to be smart on TV.  And etc with other icons.
I do think there's something special with the BBs and I don't think I'm just patting myself on the back.
Also, after the R&R Hall of Fame thing, I suppose Rolling Stones fans do some moaning about Mike Love, but probably not much.  :p

Hell no. I have not been there from 61 but long enough that they have been a big part of my life for decades and the music has only grown for me as the years go by. When Denny and Carl were alive, and they came to town, it was like they were my RELATIVES that I saw once a year. I knew these guys. As soon as the show ended I was already looking forward to our next meeting. There were many bumps along the way and losing Denny and Carl really sucked.....but then....Brian....in '99 at the Pabst theater in my hometown...with this band that sounded EXACTLY like the records. That was like a resurrection. Then TSS and 2012 with David Marks....Brian and the boys have endured beyond even their own expectations I'm sure. And when the last Beach Boy leaves this world the gift they left us will live on for people who have not even been born yet. My 7 year old daughter asked me to sing Surfer Girl to help her fall asleep a couple of years ago. That was incredible for me. My fandom has apparently come full circle.

The Beatles fan base is pretty intense, you don't even need to be near them to feel it.

Chick with the rainbow hair (sorry, haven't even tried the quote button), you are probably right in that the music attracted us first.  When I looked up BW on day two or three of my discovery, I was so disappointed to see what had happened to him throughout his life.  I thought it might cast a shadow on his music, but there is a certain enrichment that comes from these struggles, as sad as that sounds.  I'm glad I found the music first, and the rest later.

Andrew, In America Brian Wilson may be a well known name, but where I'm from, not so much. One of the few people who knew who BW was, was a guy called Brian Wilson.  He was fairly non-plussed about sharing his name with a total legend.  (I was even stupid enough to ask if his mother named him after Brian.  Apparently not.)

I've been a BB fan since childhood (mid 60s).  No other group has had so many songs that affect me emotionally. Can't listen to Warmth of the Sun, God Only Knows, or Forever without choking up. There probably are a few more like that.  Plus wow songs like Don't Worry Baby and wouldn't it be Nice, and exhilarating  songs such as GV. Plus ones that affect me  on so many other levels such as those on PS, TSS, Today, etc (particularly Surfs Up). Thought Brian and especially Carl had the most gorgeous voices.

Was aware that there were 'troubles' with the band but didn't want to hear  or read about them- fingers in ears singing 'la la la la'. Had learned to feel sorry for poor Brian; whenever I'd see him on TV it was painful as he was so out of it.  Not an expert on the band but when Carl died I remember exclaiming 'oh no, not Carl' as if I knew instinctively how devastating that was.

Saw Love and Mercy so finally found out a lot of painful stuff I didn't know before. So decided that I had no choice but to read about the troubles. My God!!  Driving me batty!

So to make it brief the knowledge I'm getting as a fan doesn't ruin the music but sometimes tempers the good feelings, particularly the baggage behind songs such as Surfs Up and H&V

Elizabeth

In England, where l'm from, Brian's pretty well known.

once you realize that brian and mike are both dicks in their own way you can be free to enjoy the bbs again.

Never

Andrew, In England, where you are from, there is clearly a huge musical appreciation of Brian's work.

I'm thinking minnows and swimming fast right now, just in case...

The UK seems to have a better appreciation for Brian's full body of work.  They "got" Pet Sounds long before the US.  And there seems to be a greater appreciation for the post surf/car stuff. 

Ron, you're absolutely right. In the run up to the release of Smile in 2011, I was dreading the possibility that they'd fly the humble harv demo lyrics into Great Shape, Barnyard and other stuff. When it came out, and they did that, I realised I had a choice - I either spent the rest of my life bemoaning what could've been, or I accepted that they needed to flesh sections like Barnyard out to make the Smile album a bit more accessible, accept it, and enjoy the album. It worked for me and the officially release Beach Boys Smile became the Smile for me. It was a relief to stop the fan mixes to be honest.

I love your point about seeing stuff with fresh eyes (or hearing with fresh ears, I guess). It's so hard to do, especially with stuff as overplayed as Sgt pepper, but I think it is possible to have that 'aha' moment still when something you've played a billion times can still sound fresh. For The Beatles, Strawberry Fields is the song that does it for me still. For The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds still knocks me out every now and then. And the Smile material of course. I'm sure I read a quote from VDP where he talked about them trying to create stuff that would stand up to repeated listening. I think a lot of Beach Boys music has that quality.

Yeah I think with Brian Wilson, knowing the back catalogue (and back story) can detract from the enjoyment.

When you know that 50% of whatever newly released album happens to be stuff he wrote 20+ years ago it takes the enjoyment away a bit. But then, should it matter? If we didn't know any different we could enjoy the music at face value right? I think with Brian and the ever-present "does he still have *it*?" question looming large, whether the material is new or not seems all the more pertinent.

Considering Brian and The Beach Boys have had a history of resurrecting older songs for new tracks, this kind of thing doesn't bother me, as long as the songs are good.  Other bands have done the same.  Some of the tracks on Van Halens 2012 comeback album date back to the late 70s.   The Beatles resurrected One After 909 for Let It Be.   

When I listen to TWGMTR or NPP, it really doesn't matter to me if some of the songs were written in 1977, 1998, 2011, or 2014.  I still enjoy most of them. 

sorry about that blank response.     Just wanted to respond that I agree with, endorse your perspective and always enjoy your postings.      but I still enjoy random rediscovery of pieces of the catalogue.   today, re listened to NPP and enjoyed most of it and listened to disc 4 of the MIC box and just loved the sound quality and sequencing.    and also enjoyed much of it on a more visceral, just joyful level.     It IS  a different experience than it was when I was rediscovering the band the first or second time,  but continues to reward and comfort on a number of levels.   I probably now listen more to other OLD music in between BB listenings

Here is a good example of fan knowledge making an album less enjoyable: Surfs Up lp! It is a great album and in my opinion, the best songs are better than anything on Sunflower in my opinion. But also has weeker tracks as well. But since we know the week cut could have been replaced by a few Dennis songs, it can ruin it for a lot of people.

I always say the same thing about the Surf's Up album.  I like the great songs on Surf's Up better than most of Sunflower, but Sunflower is a much better record song for song. 

I've suffered Beach Boys Burnout in the not too distant past, mainly through a surfeit (no pun intended) of alternative takes and sessions, but seem to be back on track now, to the point of playing their albums again (and loving them).

I'm not anal, as they say, but always ready to learn new facts about the music. Who hit whom, why and with what, however, is wasted on me.

My fandom doesn't, but some other people's does.

Yes, I definitely think my fandom has ruined much of the Boys music for me.  I have simply heard it too much.  The magic for the most part is gone.

Actually listened to NPP quite a lot on release, too much probably, as now I am tired of it too.  Haven't listened to any BBs albums now for probably six months.  May take a few years off, hopefully that will renew them to me upon later listening, but really don't think so, unless Alzheimer's has kicked in by then.....maybe one of its only benefits?

How long had you been listening to them before it became too much?

Give it time.  There are bands that I've burned myself out on, but after a while - sometimes a year, sometimes five years - I always go back. 

Ok bud, hows Brian a dick in his own way? Hmmmm did he listen to the session musicians and incorporate their ideas as well as the other Beach Boys into the music? Yes. Did he tell Mike I don't ever want to work with you again? No. Did he try to take publishing rights from Mike and the other Beach Boys? No. Did he beat up Rocky Pamplin when he caught him sleeping with his wife, no once again. Did he hit his brothers for anything at all? Brian was a gentle soul like Carl. You are here to spread your bs but, the fans and fact finders are going to piss on your parade. Here's a good idea quit lying or leave!

Actually have listened to them for decades, pretty much faithfully since the mid-sixties.  Have listened in particular to 20/20/Friends twofer and Sunflower/SU 2fer over the last year.  Guess I will have to amend this somewhat, will listen to the new Party album, just to hear the unheard (at least by me) tracks, but otherwise, I'm out of here listening wise for a good long spell.   And yes have taken prior sabbaticals from listening, but I am truly just kinda sick and tired of listening to the group anymore.  Though I still enjoy reading about them.

Oh, as an aside, started to read the Paul Williams book about them (How Deep, not Outlaw), had read of course the Brian Smile articles long ago, but the overall tone of his in regard to the BBs was so adulatory and in the tank, I simply could not respect it or enjoy it so I stopped reading it.  It was shocking to me to realize that Williams was only 18 when he visited Brian during the Smile sessions and was talking about the good dope they had smoked and hanging out in the pool with Brian at his home overlooking the city lights of LA.  I'm thinking, how can his criticism (if you could call it that) ever be taken seriously at least in regards to the BBs and especially Brian.  It is obvious that was a seminal moment in his life and that he forever had lost any objectivity regarding the group, as the rest of the book showed.

Because he was a helluva guy and an enthusiastic writer who is sorely missed. Hell, he put up with my teenage letters nagging him about Philip K Dick for YEARS and would send me xeroxes of unpublished work... anybody talks sh*t about Paul Williams, i'm gonna scream like a stuck pig! He was a lovely man and the planet isn't as fun without him on it.

What's to be objective about? He was doing reviews and a bit gonzo so obviously his opions are subjective, but his enthusiasm for topics he loved was infectious. Not the writer to read for dry facts and figures, he loved sharing his passions with the world. It radiated from everything he wrote, and I wish I was into BW's music as much back when we corresponded... what a missed opportunity! I could've mixed in rhapsodizing about Wild Honey with theorizing about Phil's bonkers Exegesis. RIP, Paul Williams!

Carburetors man, thats what life is all about!
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8q2ejKAsHg

beyond whether music was played technically as scored, is there such a thing as objectivity with music?

Hahahah different Paul Williams. It's a shame Paul had that accident, I would've loved to have read his thoughts on everything that happened in Beach Boys/BWorld in the 00s and 10s. Paul was a FAN who wouldn't even have known the meaning of "ruining the music," it was cruel and downright vicious of this universe to curse that brain with dementia.

I also came up with The Beach Boys, Jan&Dean, The Beatles, The Dave Clark 5, Dylan  The Four Seasons, The Stones, Motown, and other pop artists. I think one generation's music is usually set aside by the next  generation. As I dug deeper into  my parent's music, I developed a huge interest in jazz, Western , and Blues music. Then I took courses in tribal music and classical music in college.Before grad school, I spent about  7 years managing a small group of record stores. I heard  a truckload of music on the stores' audition  systems.

The adventure for me in listening is hearing a recording that knocks me out the first few times I hear it.Having listened to group and solo Beach Boys music extensively throughout the years, I may not hear BN/BW music for months.I will be playing other music of different genres,and I'll come back to Beach  Boys/Brian music when I crave it. It's kind of like touching my musical base and then striking out for more new discoveries. That formula  for listening has always kept BB/BW music  fresh for me.

Well, having a remarkably short attention span, I do take breaks from anything and everything, including this music - unless it pops up, and then I can't help but enjoy it.  Beyond that, I'd say that when it gets too personal - when one gets too involved with anything beyond the music, it can get tougher yet, for awhile.  The breaks from listening get longer.

But the music always wins because it's that remarkable - at least it has been for the past 50 years.  

As far as the swipe at Brian's solo career...Yawn...Few, if any will bite at this point, because it's such a boring little game by now.  Trust me, we "defensive" Brian fans don't care.

what ruins it for me sometimes is knowing what else they could have achieved musically if it werent for bad management/decision making

Don't burn out, Buddahat! It's better to fade away! Summer will be gone for each and all of us all too soon. Let the details wash in and out of your life like the ebb/flow of the tidal sea, and remember that the BBs embody all of life's triumphs AND contradictions--and, thanks to the very different flavors of tenacity exhibited by the group's two great antipodes, have managed to do so in some form or another for more than half a century. It's maddening, but it really represents life lesson's writ large.

Every time I am forced by circumstance to be apart from the music for more than 2-3 weeks, the return to it is always a tidal wave of joy. This despite whatever else has gone on behind the scenes. It's the music that has the primal power to soothe, rouse, radiate, rejuvenate, laugh, cry, and make you more alive than you were the moment before you heard it. You just need to let go of the details and get back to the Cabinessence!  :3d

I don't know such thing as fandom ruining music. I am not easily influenced by what other fans say here. If they call my favorite song - let's say, At My Window - bad/boring - fine, I'll go on thinking it's great because that's how I hear it, that's my perception & taste in music. The band's own drama doesn't affect me one bit either. It isn't my business, they're adults, they can solve it themselves, without fans' help. That goes to any thread where people fight about this 'n' that, such as in post-C50 threads. who fired who etc. - I don't care for any of that full stop. As long as they still exist- good. This year is 5 year jubilee of listening to BBs. 5 enjoyable yrs. I listen to other groups & singers but everytime I go back to our Boys.

That is what I wanted to write. Here's a good example of those people's "fandom":


Like, "WE are in possession of the ABSOLUTE TRUTH, if you're not with us, you're against us, leave!" I'm kind of embarrassed I'm into the same music as such "fans". Even though that is inevitable.

Over here in Germany, only music journalists and certain music enthusiasts have ever heard of Brian Wilson. I remember very well a few years ago in a circle of friends I mentioned, "Hey, you know what? Today is Brian Wilson's birthday!" The others looked at each other to find if anybody else knew what I was talking about, until one of them concluded, "Must be one of the Beach Boys!" :-D

Bella, where are you from?



Everybody who joined this forum overrates The Beach Boys, including me! ;D

I tend to go through my music in phases so that I don't get sick of it.  When Brian's latest album came out I was listening to a lot of Beach Boys.  Haven't listened to them too much lately.  I'll come back to them eventually.  Right now I'm on a Clapton fix. 

Same here (Montreal, Quebec, Canada). Only one of my friends, the one who took me to see Love & Mercy last summer, knew who Brian Wilson was. None of my co-workers know him. To my great shame, the only thing I knew of BW before L&M was that he was "in" the Beach Boys and... oh yes, he was Carnie and Wendy Wilson's father. (!)

So since I've become a fan, a short, short time ago, I've read a lot about the band and individual members... I do admit sometimes It has affected the way I perceive the perfect Beach Boy world I had initially made up in my mind, just listening to the music. But if anything, knowing more makes me love them even more, because when you can get past it, it just enhances your experience of it.