The Smiley Smile Message Board

This is just off the top of my head. Since reading BB literature (late 70s) I've not come across a mention of this possibility, but it may have been thrashed out on this forum for all I know.

What interests me is that 'The Beatles' double-LP (aka White album, though only since sometime in the 70s) has for the last decade or so been far more highly regarded than I believe it has a right to be - on a straightforward level, the songwriting is variable, the production quality is less than sparkling by Beatles standards and the overall flow lacks coherence. Yet it has been in most critics' top 10s or 20s since 1990, despite George Martin's assertion that it should have been a single album containing better-produced versions of the best 15-odd tracks. You could argue that it's precisely because of its ragged nature that it's now regarded so highly.

Contrast with Sunflower, where a double-album's worth (and the rest) was pruned down (several times) to make the nearest to a cohesive and commercial single album for 1970. It didn't work (i.e. wasn't commercial), and hasn't necessarily survived as a critics' fave (unless you count the diehard fanbase). SO - what if it had been released as a great, sprawling, warts and all double-album (using the fab double cover which we were given).... would it now be the Beach Boys' White Album and as highly rated? And your track listings....

I've always thought this and mentioned it in a couple of threads. It could have been one of THE great double lps. Of course there is more than enough material and some of it would be filler, but filler is what makes a great double LP because its tracks that you might not get away with on a single LP. Hence some stuff on the white album and Physical Graffiti. Not mentioning the Whos double LPs cos they're concept albumsa and a different thing

I think the tracks, while all individually brilliant in the main, would have been too musically diverse to make a cohesive entity. The one uniting factor they all had was Desper's superb engineering, and hence the magical sound of the album. Beautifully clear.

I love The White Album but think Sunflower overall, aside from 4 tracks, is over-rated.

For a double album, I'd leave Sunflower as one LP, than add on :

1. Cottonfields (single)
2. Loop de Loop
3. I'm going Your Way
4. Good Time
5. Back Home
6. Break Away
7. Over the Waves

1. San Miguel
2. Games Two Can Play
3. I Just Got My Pay
4. Soulful Old Man Sunshine
5. The Lord's Prayer
6. Celebrate the News

I just made a similar CD-R mix; minus "The Lord's Prayer", but adding "Walkin'", "Slip on Through" (the alternate early instrumental track) and "Our Sweet Love" (backing track + bw harmonies).  Comes out real close to 80 minutes and sounds fantastic.  The only (minor) glitch is that "Soulful Ol Man Sunshine" is mastered so much louder than anything else-- I have to reach for the volume button on the remote everytime it comes on!  (I know I could edit the volume in Pro Tools, but I was just looking to do a quick and easy mp3 mix.)

I agree.

I don't like:

1. Got To Know The Woman
2. Deidre
3. It's About Time
4. Tears In The Morning


Those songs drag the album down and don't even seem like they have the same production and engineering as This Whole World & Add Some Music.

But...Our Sweet Love is like, beautiful, man.

Yeah, it's beautiful but its cheesy enough where I'd be embarrased if anyone caught me listening to it.

Who gives a foda who is listening?

I don't give a foda what people think. I was just saying that the cheese level was abnormally high on Our Sweet Love.

I'm going to give it another listen to gauge whether the beauty outweighs the cheese factor. I'll report back.

I take back what I said before. Our Sweet Love is fucking beautiful, a great song. I'm gonna take it off the list of songs I think suck.

"Cheese" or "Cheese Not." There is no "Cheese Try."

Show us the way, Master Foda!

I like:

1.) This Whole World
2.) Add Some Music
3.) Forever
4.) Cool Cool Water

Things like 'Our Sweet Love' just a bit saccharine for my taste, which was never the case with tender classics like God Only Knows, Warmth of The Sun etc previously.  It's a fine line to cross but I think that's what's happened here.  The 'rockier' things like Slip On Through, Got To Know The Woman etc just don't do anything for me at all.  They sound forced, like they're trying too hard to fit in with the musical mood of the era.

This Whole World and Forever, however, are two fantastic tracks IMO.

The Dennis rockers don't do much for me either, they just feel somewhat un-beach-boysy on there.  Saying that, I like Slip on through plenty and think it works fine, just not the other two.

I like the rest.  My fave is All I Wanna Do.  Saccharine's fine with me.  It sounds nice on a Sunday morning with a cup of tea.

I never realized there was such an Our Sweet Love backlash, especially since its easily one of my favorite tracks on the album.  I think it's superior to Forever, which is much more "cheesy."

I like Our Sweet Love, though it seems very similar to God Only Knows to me. I don't think it's too cheesy or anything like that. Plus, it has a Beatles guitar solo in it!

I also added another "album" to the package. I understand one or two tracks may be a bit off the mark chronology-wise.

Side 3
13.  Loop de Loop
14.  I’m Going Your Way
15.  Big Sur
16.  Games that Two Can Play
17.  Fallin’ in Love
18.  Suzie Cincinatti

Side 4
19.  Soulful Old Man Sunshine
22.  I Just Got My Pay
21.  San Miguel
20.  Good Time
23.  Sound of Free
24.  Back Home