The Smiley Smile Message Board

We all know Brian was really into track sequencing, up til Smile or so....So which albums have the worst sequence in your opinion?   To me, it's gotta be 15 Big Ones...idk why it wasn't one half oldies/one half originals...but to include oddities like Everyones in Love & Susie Cincinnati are baffling as well. I'll put together the perfect tracklist, if there is one for this cluttered album.   I'd rather have an album from 1976 of ALL the Beach Boys, giving them all a chance to submit something, like 20/20.  We all know Dennis had some tunes bursting to see the light of day.

I also always thought Love You's 2nd side wasn't as good as the first.

Still Cruisin' is good until the oldies, it's like the label just got lazy.

I think Imagination could benefit a re-tracking list.

Wild Honey...but honestly, I don't know what I'd do to improve it, either.  I'd start with the production, then worry about song sequence once that was improved.

Of their early albums I'd say Shut Down, Vol.2 is the worst offender.  
To me 20/20 doesn't flow all that well, though the individual songs are all, for the most part, excellent.
Carl & The Passions, though a favorite of mine, could also flow better...

Good call Paul, I was thinkin of So Tough earlier when I thought about this thread at work...couldnt think of a way to improve....also, I agree about Shut Down 2 as well....it sounds like a 'hurry up and release album.'

Still Cruisin' easily has the worst flow. It's obvious that these songs weren't recorded together and the oldies at the end just make it that much worse.

Hmmmm...Yeah, Still Crusin' probably wins hands down.  I wasn't able to bring myself to buy that one...even used...so I'd forgotten about it.

The mention of that brings to mind one that might be even worse...the insane early 70s pairing of Carl and the Passions...So Tough with a reissue of Pet Sounds as a double LP set...totally senseless...

The last two tracks on Little Deuce Coupe should have been swapped with A Young Man Is Gone as the closer. Custom Machine just sounds jarring when it comes blasting in just after those heavenly voices have faded, it took me a long time to appreciate Custom Machine as a song due to the, IMO, poor sequencing at the end of the album.

I'd class "All Summer Long" as a very frontloaded record. All the good stuff is upfront. Very soon into side 2 the filler comes creeping in. Still very enjoyable filler I must stress but filler all the same.  Most would say the same about "Shut Down Vol 2" but I love the last few songs on that one. "Shut Down Pt2" is their best surf instrumental IMO.

Sunflower and 15 Big Ones. I actually believe those two albums could improve by almost one full grade with better sequencing.

Really? Sunflower?

I thought it flowed well with the Dennis tunes intertwined with BW songs and others....I hate how It's about Time and Tears in the Morning are right next to each other....they're polar opposites.... How would you improve it?

Side A

1. Add Some Music To Your Day (start the day)
2. Got To Know The Woman (meet the girl)
3. Slip On Through (our love is growing)
4. Our Sweet Love (could last Forever)
5. Forever (so I'm going away)
6. Cool Cool Water (off into the ocean complete with storm)

Side B

7. Tears In The Morning (reminding me I'm missing you)
8. All I Wanna Do (and when I close my eyes - let's make up)
9. This Whole World (now here comes another day for your love)
10. Deidre (good things turn bad, but it's over now - you're back again)
11. At My Window (a little brown sparrow came fluttering down - poof!)
12. It's About Time (end with a rocker - I'm singin' in my heart, I'm singin' love...)

Yeah, that sounds pretty much perfect, I like it a whole lot

It's not so bad on vinyl because you have to flip the side.

I'd say Holland.  Side 2 is pretty weak, even though The Trader is one of my all time favorites...Only With You gets lost in the shuffle, and it's obvious that Sail On Sailor is out of place on the album, kind of like Good Vibrations on Smiley Smile...both great tracks that are very different from the rest of the album.  Not sure how I'd re-sequence it...let's give it a try:

Side A
1. We Got Love
2. The Trader
3. Only With You
4. Leaving This Town
5. Sail On Sailor

Side B
1. CS - Big Sur
2. CS - Beaks Of Eagles
3. CS - California
4. Steamboat
5. Funky Pretty



Not sure if that's really an improvement...it's hard to improve it with Leaving This Town on there...but I think that adding We Got Love on there adds something to it.

Another one that has a poor flow is "Pet Sounds Live"...not because of the track order but because of Brian's commentary in between...

I agree with those who say "Still Cruisin"...maybe they could have just put one more new song on there and dumped the oldies...

Discs 1 & 4 of the GV Boxed Set flow terribly..."All This Is That" into "Rock & Roll Music" is probably the worst transition I could possibly think of on any album or compilation.

There's so many other songs that could have been included for "movie soundtrack" possibilities: It's a Beautiful Day, Almost Summer, Chasin' the Sky, etc.

Some of those songs on Still Cruisin weren't even in movies...I'd say that ANY newer songs would have fit better than the 3 oldies.

My only problem with this is that I think Slip On Through is the best opener on any Beach Boys album. I always start BB mixes that I do for other people with SoT. It's just kicks things off with such a bang.

Here's a challenge I've been working on: how best to re sequence Holland including both We Got Love and Carry Me Home, without taking anything off.  I love both those songs (live version of We Got Love...so far as I know the studio version isn't around?) but I just can't seem to make Holland flow with both of them and sail on sailor.  Funky Pretty becomes particularly tough to place, and I start to appreciate how Carry Me Home actually is pretty depressing compared to what's around it.  This is what my current mix is:

A:
 
1. Trader
2. Steamboat
3. CS - Big Sur
4. CS - Beaks Of Eagles
5. CS - California
6. We Got Love

B:
1. Sail on Sailor
2. Funky Pretty
3. Leaving This Town
4. Only With You
5. Carry Me Home

but im still not satisfied...I don't like all the slow songs piled up at the end...unlike say Surf's Up, which uses that technique to great effect, these three songs don't really build together.  and I don't like Funky Pretty buried in the middle of the second side.  but I also don't like funky Pretty after Carry me Home...thats a bit too jarring...

thoughts?

Friends has Transcendental Meditation on it. Do not discount this.

I don't mind said song, but think it would've been cool to add "I Went to Sleep" after that...a great little closer.

I'd say Keepin' The Summer Alive. First off is the title track. It's a little to smoothly produced, but it's a rock song. The Beach Boys talking about summer and having fun! Yay! Then comes Oh Darlin'. Carl had such a beautiful voice. It almost makes up for the lackluster production. Then out of nowhere, you hear honking saxophone, and a disco drum beat. Some Of Your Love has started, and by the time Mike's vocal comes in, it's to late to go back and it's all downhill from here, folks. Al's oddly growling vocal on School Days is just plain scary. Mommy???

Sea Cruise should've been on there for sure, and the single mix of Rock n Roll Music

SJS,

I sequenced the album in iTunes based on your list above and listened to it yesterday.  It works really, really well!

My mix

SIDE A
1. Sail on Sailor
2. The Trader
3. Leaving This Town
4. Carry Me Home
5. Only With You
6. We got Love

SIDE B
1. Steamboat
2. Big Sur
3. Beaks Of Eagles
4. California
5. Funky Pretty
6. Mt. Vernon and Fairway

This mix might be long for a single LP.  If so, as a double album, SIDE A is Sail-Leaving, SIDE B is Carry-We Got, SIDE C is Steamboat－California, and SIDE D is Funky Pretty-Mt. Vernon. this is best as far as I think.

It's out there.

It's also a bit of a let down compared to the live version, imo. Like some other BB songs, it's too slow and plodding, not performed with enough energy in the studio. Still a great song that should've been on the album though.

the 2nd half of love you was better then the first half..."the night was so young" was clearly the best song on the whole album.

I actually think the Beach Boys have always been absolute geniuses when it comes to choosing the perfect lead-off track to an album!

Think about it!

Shut Down 2: Fun Fun Fun
All Summer Long: I Get Around
Today: Do You Wanna Dance
Summer Days: Girl From New York City
Pet Sounds: Wouldn't It be Nice
Smiley: Heroes And Villains
Smile: Our Prayer
Wild Honey: Wild Honey
Friends: Meant For You
20/20: Do It Again
Sunflower: Slip On Through (best album opener ever)
Surf's Up: Don't Go Near The Water
CATP: You Need A Mess Of Help
Holland: Sail On Sailor (perfect)
15 Big Ones: Rock N Roll Music (considering the situation, it works)
Love You: Let Us Go On This Way
MIU: She's Got Rhythm :)
LA: Good Timin
KTSA: Keepin The Summer Alive
BB 85: Getcha Back :)
Still Cruisin: Kokomo :)
Summer In Paradise..... uh....

Aside from SIP: ALL awesome first song choices!

Incorrect with Still Cruisin'. The title track opens the album, not Kokomo.

"I Get Around", while a great song, never felt like an album opener to me. I always thought "California Girls" would've been a brilliant opening track for Summer Days, too. Otherwise, yeah, mostly good choices for openers.

Yikes! You're right!!!

Well, I still count Still Cruising as a great opening track/statement of purpose

Funny you say that: the CD back cover for the Little Deuce Coop/All Summer Long two-fer makes it look like I Get Around is the last song on Little Deuce Coop and, for a while I had all my vinyl packed away and actually thought it ended that album, and it felt like THE perfect album closer!

still cruisin and kokomo is both amazing :)

I was reading this thread, and thinking about what to write, when I noticed that I had already contributed to it...LAST YEAR!  :-D

What's with all the dead threads being resurrected

It's okay. I first downloaded the Smiley Smile/Wild Honey twofer (FOR SHAME, I KNO) and it was missing "Wild Honey". I knew Smiley Smile well, split them up into two different folders, and for at least a few months thought Wild Honey began with "Aren't You Glad?" which I thought was a really nice opener. Then I discovered there was a song called "Wild Honey", too  ::)

Some new guy was spamming old threads with requests for songs to be put on youtube.

bro let it go already..lol

Stack Of Tracks-it  just feels like something's missing. ;)

"L.A. Light album" just because of "here comes the night" personally i think something from "adult child" or a couple more dennis wilson songs would have filled the album out nicely..they could have put three songs in place of the one song..the second one that has a bad flow IMO is "carl and the passions" just because of the lack of songs and the length of the ones that are on it..

It's a ZOMBIE thread, bro.

 :hat

(sorry)