The Smiley Smile Message Board

While re-watching the Anthology DVDs again the other night, I started thinking about how most pop writers and fans seem to use the Beatles and Beach Boys almost as a single entity. For example, they'll write that some current band that uses vocal harmonies is inspired "by the Beatles and Beach Boys."

But really, in my opinion, there are very few Beatles songs that sound as if they could've been Beach Boys songs, and vice versa. Which of each band's songs do you think could have been written and performed by the other band without it sounding like a stretch?

DON'T USE the oft-cited examples of "Girl Don't Tell Me" or "Back in the U.S.S.R." Too easy.

"Because" sounds like it could've been a BB song.

Penny Lane & Here Today backing tracks. follow the bass line.
verse of PL sounds like chorus of HT. as well as the bridge/prechorus of PL sounding like the same of HT.
She's Leaving Home & God Only Knows.
change the rhythm and SHL resembles GON during the verses. vocals of SHL during chorus resemble tag vocals of GON.

Well since Mike Love is an unaccredited co-writer and the inspiration for "Back in the USSR" it is obviously going to sound like a Beach Boys song.

Uncredited.

And I said other than...

Theres A Place / In My Room

Arent You Glad/ Wild Honey i always thought sounds like a Beatles song. Musically and the lead vocal. Be With Me off 20/20 has a slight Beatles vibe but only during the psychodelia period.

Celebrate The News has a Rolling Stones Vibe to it as well, and its arguably better than anything the Stones had released up to '68.

dontcha mean "ticket 2 Ride"?

Are you Shittin' me? shes a rainbow, dandelion,etc?? those Stones classic, Boyeee

No. And I'd never use a "2" for a "to" or "too" unless I were Prince. And even then, I'd feel bad about it.

Eye agree.

 :p

I agree Shes A Rainbow is really good but i thought John Lennon was helping with RS songs around then. I know the Beatles contributed vocals, plus the RS never had that sound before or after the Beatles helped out, so i figured it was more of a supergroup.

alrite, im gonna use Girl Dont tell me, but not for ticket to ride...i think GDTM and If I needed Someone sounded alike

FYI, the intent of the question wasn't to pick a song that sounds like another specific song, but that sounds like it could've been written and recorded by the other.

Oh, I get it now. Well, I think "I Should've Known Better" and "Tell Me Why" from The Beach Boys' Party album fit that qualification. :police:

For me the two closest Beatle cuts are the Anthology versions of Got To Get You In To My Life and Eight Days A Week. Total Brian Wilson arrangements that they made more Beatley for release.

We Love You is the only track the Beatles were on. They may have been on Dandelion but She’s a rainbow is Mick and Keith sped up. Brian Jones also played on a few Beatles cuts.

Sorry but while I enjoy the Stones work post Brian, at least through the 70s, he IS the stones to me. Mick was basically the Mike Love of the band, good for public purposes, a good lyricist, but not the genius that Brian was. Brian just never got the chance to publicly show all he was capable of. He wrote Ruby Tuesday with Keith and all their Nanker Phelge stuff too. His singing wasn't bad either. Keith was good for who he was but despite having a great sound, he didn't have Brian's versatility. Keith always sounds the same. The sound is good but other then a track here he hasn't changed except vocally and facially. It was Brian who was the innovator. Mick Taylor was quite amazing too, but he never got enough room to breathe in the Stones either. Still he's never matched his work with them either. The Beach Boys may have not given enough time to Dennis, but compare how he was treated to how Brian Jones was.

I could hear the early Beatles singing "Surfer Moon".

Flying by The Beatles would've fitted perfectly on Friends.

I know it's not circulated but I would LOVE to hear Lennon doing Lonely Sea.

The octave-long downwards climb opening Heroes & Villains (once at night) compared to Lucy in the Sky With
Diamonds (when the title is sung).
Rasmus

Well, he's not doing "Lonely sea" really. He just plays the chord-pattern, which is a pretty basically one. There's no singing, so it's probably not "Lonely sea" but a jam,

It is. "Everybody Hurts" by REM also sounds a lot like "Lonely Sea" (the guitar parts at least).