The Smiley Smile Message Board

After discussing the video for California Dreamin' the other week I thought I'd check out the other videos the group made back at the dawn of the MTV age.
These are all hilariously bad. Maybe we should have a vote on which one's the worst. Enjoy!   >:D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJDDzRG2UBk&feature=related                                           (Rock & Roll to the Resuce)        

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGYbvZ7OFX8&feature=related                                           (Crocodile Rock)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlET_XyiddQ                                                                     (Happy Endings)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EeSuuCwaQ4&feature=related                                         (Problem Child)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAZBbZ27xlM                                                                    (Getcha Back)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DwyYy3a_WY                                                                 (It's Gettin' Late)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAq0vvnjdJE&feature=related                                        (Hot Fun in the Summertime)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhUOvWxdb-s                                                                (Summer of Love)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt0LBlH3dAc                                                                   (Wipe Out!)

Odd, isn't it, that Stamos features in the really sucky ones ?

Actually, the "Summer Of Love" one is worth watching for Brian's permanent "WTF ?" expression.  ;D

This one's pretty tasteful, to be fair:

Somewhere Near Japan (45 mix) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LE3dpoTOvA)

The Summer of Love video makes me laugh at all the (by California Beach standards) average looking bikini babes they crammed into it. I wonder how many Mike hit on and got shot down by?  ;D

Are Carl's shades on the "Problem Child" video a homage to Roy Orbison, who had a hit with a song of the same name? Or did he just want to look like a prat?

All Myk Luhv inspired BS-totally embarrassing-anything for a buck all the while helping to make a mockery of the group. :angry

Whoa. Being very new to most of the Beach Boys catalogue, I never knew stuff like this existed....I knew about Summer in Paradise, but Jeesh, these videos are absolutely terrible, dreadful, and outright appalling.

Did I really just see The Beach Boys featured in a Fat Boys music video?  :o :thud

'

Making a mockery? By that point, the Beach Boys were a huge parody of themselves to begin with!

As a kid in the 80's, I watched a crap-load of Mtv, and I have to say that I only remember two of those videos-'Wipe Out' and "Getcha Back'. The others must have been played on video channels in 3rd world countries  :o

I wonder who was responsible? Group decision based on whose advice?  Melcher's?

The fact that the 1985 - 1995 period of Beach Boys history happened as documented in the videos above is one major reason why so many people think of the Beach Boys as a joke instead of as great artists who made a huge cultural impact. You know the look some people give you when you say the Beach Boys are your favorite band? The band in those videos are what has just popped into their mind. I look at that horrifically lame period knowing the one positive is that Dennis will never be associated with any of it.

I think it was to mask the look of abject misery in his eyes.

Why is Carl not in the Wipe Out! video? Actually I can pretty much guess why but I'd like someone like AGD to confirm it! The highlight has to be Bruce's hotdogging throughout the entire thing esp that face he pulls to the doorman at the Havana. Oh and a blinged up Al and Mike on the turntables. And that wide camera lens that zooms right in on that woman's tits........ there's just too much to mention on this one!


I think it's to cover the deep shame in his eyes at being involved in this tripe! At least Mike didn't punch that kid as we know he likes to do stuff like that.


Nope, but it didn't stop them from having a ghostly "Dennis like" figure appear from the surf in "It's Gettin Late" to show the nerd how to get the girl!

The Fat Boys (who were pretty big no pun intended0 with the young kids (pre-teens) appearing and singing with the Beach Boys, made my life much easier...It was contemporaneous with Still Cruisin' (cassette) in the car while car pooling to school...Admittedly, a little goofy, but it seemed the Boys had young kids at about that same time, and I bet their kids found it pretty cool to sing with the Fat Boys!

We look back, through a different lensbut clearly all for fun.  It does not make them a joke but sort of mixed it up racially in such a way that there was probably an enjoyed crossover in terms of sales...

People look at it as appalling but thinking about where and when it happened, almost in the Kokomo warp it is not that bad and kept them "out there" as it were.  If the intent was to make the Beach Boys "cool again" with the kids the effect was brilliant.

Let's not get too pompous here!  It is for fun!  Wah- Wah- Waahhh!   :lol  :lol  :lol

1980's was the decade for cheese and the 'Boys weren't the only or worse culprits by far.

The Wipeout video (and song) was very successful, I thought. It isn't cool in the least, but it was very fun. It got a lot of airplay. It crossed audiences. I can see why older fans who had first-hand memories of where the band had been (and ideas about where they still could be), not to mention who maybe weren't quick to embrace hip-hop, might hate it. But as a child of the '80s, I had no problem with it whatsoever. Still don't. If you were wanting another Pet Sounds--or even Holland ... or even LA--you were going to be disappointed. But if you were 12 and liked a catchy song and silly video, it was great.

You may be right, but afaik they were the only major rock-act that inspired countless other artists, that was once being hailed as one of the greatest groups in the world with a legacy second to none, that got down to that level of cheese. Of course I could be wrong but I don't know of another act of that caliber to go down this way and f*** with it's own legacy.

I wonder how a major act as the Beach Boys couldn't get a decent music video done. Still good to see them in high quality during those years. There's not too much other stuff...

I asked Bruce that very question this summer and he said it was because Carl thought the whole idea was silly.

No arguments there! But as Luther pointed out good fun!

Yep. #12 Stateside and #2 in the UK according to Mr. Doe.

I think you could extend this back to 1978 or so without much argument (from me, at least ;) ). It was, without pause, all downhill from thereon out seems to me. Luckily Dennis also had enough sensibility to abstain from much of that while he was still alive too, and the contributions he did made were not unlike those he provided The Beach Boys with in the late 1960s and '70s: about the only thing keeping the Boys compelling during those times.

Part of the reason was simply that most of those other acts that fit that category either ceased to exist (Beatles) or weren't being played in mtv (Dylan).

Looking through this topic makes me wonder, did the group do any music videos for KTSA? Other than the footage from the documentary, I mean. Did they make any videos for any of the songs that were shown on tv?

You could, I suppose. But MIU and LA were much gentler blows to the reputation than Kokomo ever was. At least the previous two had the sensibility to flop, sparing anyone but die-hards like us, or reviewers, from actually listening to it. The 80's disasters were everywhere, and you couldn't escape hearing it unless you didn't go out in public.

Please don't libel me by suggesting I've listened to any of The Beach Boys' albums in their entirety beyond Love You. (I admit that I've tried but... I just can't do it!) I guess this doesn't make me enough of a hardcore fan. I'm sorry y'all. :(

I gotta take up for that one.  They're just having some fun, they made a rediculous video to go with the equally rediculous song.  I love it.  The background vocals (It sounds like a wall of Brian production) are so god awful that it's great. 

 ;D I knew someone was going to mention that.


Agreed. And I kinda like the  California Dreamin' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-ThPN8ZY4I) clip as well.


But what about  Status Quo and the BB doing Fun Fun Fun  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwzWNziYZmU) ?

I left out SNJ and CD because I consider them good videos.

For the tiny few that made it that far, at the end of It's Getin' Late Brian has a quick cameo. He picks up the magic shell left by the surf genie and holds it to hs ear. A brief snatch of Callifornia Calling is heard. Strong evidence that this was at one time intended to be the next single?

Guilty...

The only one I couldn't physically get to the end of was "Happy Endings" even with the sound off. The animation budget looked like they had about $20 to spend. Still it will go down in history as being the only place you can watch a cartoon Mike Love meditating on a lillypad before he's interupted by a frog leaping into his lap which he then proceeds to cuddle. Seriously I am not making this up.

Don't forget this "gem." The song is classic, but the first minute or so is about as painful as you can get. The Landy years keep offering up treasures ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFFGvqSBoAk

Keep watching for the tiny shorts at the very end ...

I haven't listened to a whole album past Beach Boys '85, so no problems there. :)

Ron.  I'm sory but this just drives me crazy.  'It's ridiculous', not rediculous.  Just so you know.

A while ago i saw on YouTube a vid that had Mike singing a Christmas duet with a female singer, possibly from a TV show. The song and vid were bad enough but puffed-up Mike was singing well out of tune, making it unlistenable. Can't recall the title... anyone?

May the Lord look sideways on my soul (a saying of my grandmother's...) but I know what that is without even thinking about it.  ???  It's from the 1983 Hitbound album Christmas Party and the track is "Do You Hear What I Hear ?" with Mary McGregor. The video is Scrooge's Rock & Roll Christmas, starring Jack Elam and all the artists on said album.

Landy: "Come on Brian, two more miles and then I'll let you have a few hits off a joint!"

What was this video shot for?

I am soooooo going to youtube to check this out the second I have posted this.

The opening credits explain (if you're as old as I am and cursed with a pointlessly retentive memory for complete trivia) - there was this odd collection of 'new' videos for classic songs called Deja View - The Ultimate 60s Party Video, released about 1990. Don't think it ever made it to DVD (well, legally, anyway). It's on amazon.

I couldn't find it! However I did manage to uncover this little beauty.............

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RryIroTqs-k

Couldn't find the visual, but the track's there:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRyuASnwoD4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRyuASnwoD4)

Visual must have been taken down (by the health authorities, maybe). That's all I could find too.

It played fien for me. They are just having some fun in this one.

Yes, Brian is listening to my favorite track from their 1985 album. too. "California Calling". I wish they made a video for THAT one.

You know how one of the main gripes people have against Mike is his willingness to rewrite Kokomo again and again? Well gentlemen I give you.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6U2ubpBd28

Ok, no more after this one I promise, but this just HAD to be shared.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMx-2Aasrpg&feature=related

Not BB's per se but... sorry words can't begin to describe this. .. Not only will I never be able to view the original classic in the same light again, but it's making me question the sanctuary of the whole universe.....  

would it make you feel better if I removed it?  ::)

Too late. Already scarred for all eternity!!!

Well, just so YOU know, it's "sorry", not "sory".  Also, you put the apostrophe in the wrong place to begin the second sentence, but I'm willing to let that one slide. 

No offense taken... but maybe you should lighten up a bit :)

LOL

The Rolling Stones had some videos. Although not necessarily works of art, they're videos managed to keep them looking kinda good at least. Or didn't try to make them look like something they obviously weren't. just my opinion of course

Wow, I sat through ALL of those videos this afternoon and I'm still in shock, not sure which one is the worst but at this point I'm leaning toward Crocodile Rock with Problem Child a close second.

Also, before today I had never heard Happy Endings, Crocodile Rock and Problem Child and now i wish I never had, I can only take the fanboy thing so far!

I don't think "Happy Endings" is that bad... by Bruce Johnston's standards anyway. Could've been a decent song with a slightly different set of lyrics.

What did you make of that Do it Again cover? I'm still in shock that they managed to rope Brian into the video.


I think this is the worst song the group has ever been connected to! Worse than any Problem Child, Solar System or Mike Love solo track.

It was  - "Brand New Old Friends".  :)

The Do It Again cover made me feel that somone had spiked my cup of tea with some particularly strong LSD, the intro is terrifying!

Not a fan of Solar System then I take it? The lyrics might not be amazing but I love them and the song itself uses some pretty cool chords.

What company owns all those videos anyways?

Even the promos like Good Timin'?

Our Team (MIU doc)?

Goin Platinum (KTSA doc)?

no matter how bad or dorky the videos are, I'd buy em if they were released

I was just thinking, did Brian(read: Landy) do any music videos when his first solo album came out?

They made a very lame video for "Love and Mercy" that is just cobbled together studio footage. "Brian" (read: Landy and Todd Gold) bitches that the record company didn't finance a music video in Wouldn't it Be Nice. How much of that is true remains to be seen.

I love the "Problem Child" video if only for the number of times Bruce Johnston gets injured and looks cranky.

I've often said this before, but "Happy Endings" is to me like the kind of dream you have after eating Taco Bell right before you go to bed.  It is really surreal in the "did I really see that or was I just really stoned?" kind of way.

I did follow the "Santa's Going to Kokomo" link and I literally got through 10 seconds of it before I had to bail.

"Summer of Love" is revolting.  Plus...they spend so much time diverting their attention away from the older BBs (except Mike) that you can't tell who's actually in the band half the time!

You know one late period BBs video I do enjoy is their duet with Status Quo. There's a certain degree of energy to it and I even like Mike Love's new verse (for once).  I don't think it's amazing or anything, but I like it.

Summer of Love video to me is like the song itself - so bad it's good! It actually transends it's awfulness to become entertaining. Where else can you see an ancient looking Mike trying to "get jiggy with it"? I also genuinely like John Stamos's drumbeat for it. It is funky.

wow! I never heard about that do it again video before.  Its amazing   :hat

Summer of love is about as bad as it gets for the beach boys i'd say. I never heard problem child before  - surprisingly decent song compared to some of the others listed here.

I've never heard East vs West. any youtube link for that?

I seem to recall Billy H doing the rap part of wipe out in concert.   Is my memory correct?

Indeed it is... and his suit lit up like those disco ropes - it was hilarious.

BW's vox on "Rock n Roll to the Rescue" sound like Ozzy Osbourne to me. 

Now that you mention it they do sound like 1980's Ozzy somewhat.

Good song and the video would have been fine if not for those "swaying heads in the sand", hence it's inclusion.

"East Meets West" used to be on youtube somewhere... In my humble estimation it's just as catchy as it is cheesy. Nothing spectacular though.

I love this version!! WALL OF VOODOO!! Mexican Radio!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhfGEFkf3UY

Brian's not bad, but the intro is fucking awful and goes on for a minute and a half.

I love this, too, and can't believe I completely missed this one before.  Always wondered about the connection between Brian & Stan Ridgeway...  He played with Brian & Van Dyke in that fund raiser in Topanga Canyon years ago, then showed up at something Brian did right after that.  I knew there had to be another connection.

This is only tangentially Beach Boys related, but it really has to be seen to be believed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2CyQ7Eslg4

Actually, there's a direct BB connection (beyond Brian & Mike writing it, of course).

Carl sings on it.

Yeah, a terrific background vocal by Carl. :)

Its a terrific song too and video! Doesn't belong with the rest of these.

But that could just be my undying love for all things Roth...

I have to rate it as my favorite Beach Boys remake. Every time I see the video Dave reminds me of Brian as the Good Humor man on Sunflower.

It's astonishing the number of records Carl sang backup on.

I still can't get over the fact that Bruce sang background on Pink Floyd's The Wall.

Actually, though, Wall of Voodoo recorded and released this song in '87, four years after Stan left the band. Brian is crazy cool in this video - a nice contrast to the BB's cheesy videos of this era.

Brian was great here. He can't sing live like this anymore.

Seems to be playing keys properly too.

What is Brian playing at the piano? Is he playing anything special, or just fooling around?

Oops! I meant the DOn't WOrry Baby video.  ;D

Here's some more crap Landy made Brian participate in from the late 80's.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQMAgWZIHkI&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re-Xt6ic_MU&feature=related

After viewing these the Wall of Voodoo clip doesn't seem that bad after all.

ow, c'mon, at least one can't deny that letting him play the role of a teacher named "mr. Hawthorne" was a clever move (not talking about BW's acting qualities here)  ;D

Ron.  I'm sory but this just drives me crazy.  'It's ridiculous', not rediculous.  Just so you know

Touche buddy.  You got me dead cold on that one.  I know better.  I think the comma is correct, however.  Anyway...  Thanks for pointing out the eror in my ways.  It just means I have to proofread before hittin the Send button.

I hope all is well with you


































Ron -- Touche buddy.  You caught me dead to rites on that one.  It just shows I have to proofread anything that I type.  I think the apostrophe is correct though.  Anyway, thanks for pointing that out.  I live and I learn.

I hope all is well at your end of the spectrum!

Greg

Never saw those, thanks.

The first with with just Brian is not bad until the kid starts to sing.  Brian can act!  Who knew!  I hope he got credit for the Screen Actors Guild.  He is really pretty good playing that teacher. 

The other promo was sort of lame but it was a "cause" thing so what difference...at least he was doing something.  ;)

I'd rather the whole Rainforrest be chopped down than to ever have to sit through that song again.

Agreed, it was pretty bad but did Brian have control of the music or was he just lending his "celebrity" to the cause?

Some of those videos I actually found pretty "entertaining" - but generally don't care for the ones without the Boys in them. I might have even used that "Santa...Kokomo"...for the kids in school... 8)

I'm pretty sure Brian was told he was appearing in it. I read somewhere that the single sold about 4000 copies. World-wide.

Whether Brian was "told" to or not, he had the perfect "teacher look" - the looking out into the class without moving, giving the kids "the eye" and then standing up when the "note" was not forthcoming and seemed to be very relaxed. 

The first minute, where Brian is featured is priceless!  He could have walked into any classroom.  There is a certain "attitude" to command the attention of the kids...He looked confident and really assertive...

Wow that must have been sufficient to save about one branch and a couple of twigs!!

Given your obsession with all things Beach Boys related Andrew, I'm going to go out on a limb and presume that you are one of the proud 4000 who owns a copy of this.  ;D

Ironic that we had Mike & Dean in the 80's
and in 2010 we have Al & Dean

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JymIKz-IbBA

Is that the melody of "New Girl in School" in the incidental music at around 3:26?  8)

Jon I couldn't have said it better myself. I also would go back earlier to 76 and extend it to 1997. The relatively little good work they did in 1976-80 hurt their image a lot too. Dennis' stuff excepted of course.

Mike, how is the book coming along??

And never would have allowed himself to be associated with!  This had a lot to do with why he would exit the stage for certain segments of their live shows in his later years.

It is just this type of Dennis Wilson fact that should be in any DW movie and why people like Ed need to be involved.

I've got the main part done but am still not sure what to add at the end. I've been working on some Presley books and set up an Ebay store but I will get back to it soon.

I found the video of "Summer In Paradise":
http://vimeo.com/2774491 (http://vimeo.com/2774491) ;D

I was at the gig when they recorded that - the audio, not the video.

Well, I hope you're OK now. Did you recieve the appropiate counselling? Are you entitled to legal action? etc, etc  ;D

Jeez Mike, cover it up please!

My thoughts exactly. It's a good thing Brian wasn't there. The sight of Mike dressed like that could have seriously set back all the psychological progress he had made.

All these videos remind me of one of the few good things about having been born in 1992, I didn't have to live through the 1980s.

So the Summer In Paradise "performance" was an actual Beach Boys concert? I've always wondered about the concert scene in that episode of Full House, where the family comes out to sing with the group. Was it an actual show? Was the audience told that part of the concert would be filmed for a tv show?

Actually, that was a great, great gig. Two years earlier in 1991, the band played one of the shoddiest shows I've seen. Turned up, pressed the auto-pilot button, went home. I think the mixer levels were still set to 'stadium'.

1993, I'd primed my then girlfriend, who insisted on coming, that they'd probably be pretty average if not actually bad... and they were outstanding ! Blew me away. About 30 minutes in, she turned to me, smiled sweetly and said "when do they start getting crappy, I wouldn't want to miss that".  ;D

Matt Jardine's falsetto was just incredible.

Check the setlist (of course, in the US a few months later they did the unplugged set, but even so, this was great for the time):

1. California Girls
2. Cottonfields
3. I Can Hear Music
4. Do You Wanna Dance?
5. Rock & Roll Music
6. Do It Again
7. Catch A Wave
8. Hawaii
9. Come Go With Me
10. Be True To Your School
11. Then I Kissed Her
12. Darlin'
13. Surfer Girl
14. Hushabye
15. Under The Boardwalk
16. Hot Fun In The Summertime
17. Still Cruisin'
18. Little Deuce Coupe
19. 409
20. The Little Old Lady From Pasadena
21. Shut Down
22. Little GTO
23. I Get Around
24. In My Room
25. The Warmth Of The Sun
26. Little Lady (remake of "Lady Lynda")
27. Heroes & Villains
28. California Dreaming
29. Summer In Paradise
30. God Only Knows
31. Sloop John B
32. Wouldn't It Be Nice
33. Good Vibrations
34. Kokomo
35. Help Me Rhonda
36. Barbara Ann
37. Fun, Fun, Fun

ENCORE:
38. Wipe Out - with Billy doing the rap in a jumpsuit that LIT UP, and I mean pulsing disco light ropes. Hilarious !!
39. Surfin'Safari
40. Surf City
41. Surfin' USA

ENCORE 2:
42. Summer In Paradise

Played with the obvious attempt to make people hurry up and leave the venue so the janitor could start cleaning.

Had more to do with the fact that the first performance of SIP earlier that evening didn't go smoothly. And as they had the plan to record a live-version, they did another (more successful) attempt at the end of the show.

After so many years of just listening to the CD version, this live version is so different. Thanks for the link. That is one tight band right there.

I've never seen that video before. Very cool! Except for the hilariously bad dolphin animation.  ;D When I made my previous comment(wondering if it was a real concert), for some reason I was thinking of the Still Cruisin video. I don't care what anybody says...Summer In Paradise is a really good song.  ;D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RA5rg_C7Ja0&feature=grec_index

In the scene where Stamos plays guitar to that women outside, close your eyes and tell me that doesn't sound like a Dennis Wilson song.  ;D