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Smiley Smile Stuff => General On Topic Discussions => Topic started by: mikeyj on August 10, 2008, 07:31:41 AM



Title: Beach Boys songs - the same?
Post by: mikeyj on August 10, 2008, 07:31:41 AM
Every so often I will show my friends a Beach Boys song. I don't want to go too over the top and bombard them with song after song but every few months I will just play one or two lesser known cuts. Well anyway, every time I show them a song a lot of the time they will say "this song sounds exactly the same as Song A".. For example I played The Warmth of the Sun to one of my friends and he just said "this sounds like Surfer Girl"... now to me and you guys those two songs couldn't be more different!! But why does he think that? I mean even the backing vocals aren't totally trademark Beach Boys in that they sound a lot more melancholy than usual. But the song is an all time classic as far as I'm concerned. Of course he doesn't have to like it but to say "this is just like Surfer Girl is a little puzzling"....it just seems that once they know its Beach Boys they just write it off before it's even been played. I could be wrong but I think that is probably true in a lot of cases. Does this happen to anyone else? Just a bit annoying!!...


Title: Re: Beach Boys songs - the same?
Post by: the captain on August 10, 2008, 08:06:00 AM
I write it off to unfamiliarity, just as people often think people of other races all look the same, or say all rap sounds the same, or think an unfamiliar sport is just pointless running around. They hear something characteristic--most likely Brian's high voice or close harmonies, because they are immediately identifiable whether you understand music or not--and that's all the whole is to them. If someone isn't paying much attention or doesn't have much background in it, you can expect that reaction, not just with Beach Boys, but with anything.


Title: Re: Beach Boys songs - the same?
Post by: 37!ws on August 10, 2008, 08:21:34 AM
Ditto with Luther. Hell, the first time I heard "Cabinessence," I thought they were just trying to do another "Good Vibrations" and rolled my eyes. Wow, if only I knew then what I know now!


Title: Re: Beach Boys songs - the same?
Post by: mikeyj on August 10, 2008, 08:24:26 AM
I write it off to unfamiliarity, just as people often think people of other races all look the same, or say all rap sounds the same, or think an unfamiliar sport is just pointless running around. They hear something characteristic--most likely Brian's high voice or close harmonies, because they are immediately identifiable whether you understand music or not--and that's all the whole is to them. If someone isn't paying much attention or doesn't have much background in it, you can expect that reaction, not just with Beach Boys, but with anything.

Yeah very true Luther. I suppose everyone does it. I was just talking to my friends the other day about how a lot of people think that all other races look the same. Of course that ain't entirely true but there is some truth to it because the first thing you notice is "hey they are Black" or "Asian" or ______ whereas when I see a Caucasian I have to look for some other difference in them like "hey look they have blond hair" or whatever it may be. So that is very true Luther and I even said to my friend "I think it's partly cause of the lead singers voice as he is the same guy on Surfer Girl"... But still it is very annoying even if I do it too!!


Title: Re: Beach Boys songs - the same?
Post by: sockittome on August 10, 2008, 10:52:25 AM
I think it's just the way we process things that are unfamiliar to us.  We try to relate to it by comparing it to something else.  A good example for me is the first time I listened to 20/20, and I thought it was strange that they put "Time to Get Alone" right after "I Went to Sleep".  They're both basically the same song I thought.

Needless to say, I think much differently about it today!


Title: Re: Beach Boys songs - the same?
Post by: Beach Boy on August 10, 2008, 11:09:30 AM
I thought that about "California Girls" and "California Saga 3" too, but they both are 2 different songs, right?  ;)


Title: Re: Beach Boys songs - the same?
Post by: Aegir on August 10, 2008, 09:03:38 PM
My girlfriend, who has heard such songs as "She's Goin' Bald" and "Hold On Dear Brother", claims that all Beach Boys songs sound exactly the same.


Title: Re: Beach Boys songs - the same?
Post by: Amy B. on August 11, 2008, 05:03:32 AM
I think it's also because if you're unfamiliar with a certain band, you focus on one thing, like Brian's voice or Mike's voice, both of which are very distinctive, of course.

I remember my sister playing They Might Be Giants music all the time when I was in middle school. I couldn't stand John Linnell's voice, and it was all I heard. So I thought all their songs sounded the same (even though John L. doesn't even sing lead on all the songs). Then I later became a fan, and of course, all their songs do not sound the same. For non-fans, a band is background music. Non-fans don't care enough to listen for the differences.



Title: Re: Beach Boys songs - the same?
Post by: MBE on August 14, 2008, 04:51:08 AM
My aunt's mentioned that the Beach Boys all sound the same, but I think when someone says that they just don't care for the music.


Title: Re: Beach Boys songs - the same?
Post by: Amanda Hart on August 14, 2008, 05:22:47 AM
I can kind of see where people would think the early stuff (61-64) sounds the same.  Especially the more up beat songs.  A person might be familiar with Fun, Fun, Fun so when they hear Catch A Wave or Hawaii for the first they just hear "the formula" and not the sutble differences.


Title: Re: Beach Boys songs - the same?
Post by: MBE on August 14, 2008, 06:58:26 AM
Well the Beach Boys, Beatles, Dylan, Temptations, Jackson 5, etc. all had a defined sound when they first came out. What made these groups so good though is the quality of each song and performance was in and of itself.