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Smiley Smile Stuff => Album, Book and Video Reviews And Discussions => Topic started by: Charles LePage @ ComicList on December 29, 2005, 04:34:18 PM



Title: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Charles LePage @ ComicList on December 29, 2005, 04:34:18 PM
Pick the 10 Beach Boy and BB solo albums you'd want if all you could have were 10.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Susan on December 30, 2005, 06:59:42 AM
Essential to ME, or essential to the BBs' history?


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Charles LePage @ ComicList on December 30, 2005, 07:14:44 AM
Essential to ME, or essential to the BBs' history?

Essential to you.  Your desert island picks.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Susan on December 30, 2005, 12:46:28 PM
Only TEN?!  I can't do that!


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: I. Spaceman on December 30, 2005, 12:51:28 PM
I know. For me it was literally painful. Interesting to see that Sunflower is ahead of Today.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Jason on December 30, 2005, 12:52:23 PM
Love You doesn't have enough votes. I guess there aren't enough believers on this board.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: I. Spaceman on December 30, 2005, 12:58:07 PM
SMiLEY has 4, which is hilarious, but just proves it's still the cool album.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Jason on December 30, 2005, 12:59:20 PM
Who the f*** voted for Going Public?


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: I. Spaceman on December 30, 2005, 01:01:19 PM
Whoever it is is a genius. I want to invite them to a party.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Jason on December 30, 2005, 01:02:43 PM
Some of these desert island picks are unsettling....Surfin' Safari? Shut Down, Volume II? Brian Wilson Presents Pet Sounds Live? Going Public? 15 Big Ones? Sheesh. People have no taste.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Charles LePage @ ComicList on December 30, 2005, 01:07:27 PM
I think I voted for Pet Sounds Live.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Jason on December 30, 2005, 01:18:06 PM
I think I voted for Pet Sounds Live.

Take the DVD! The DVD!


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Matinee Idyll on December 30, 2005, 01:27:38 PM
SMiLEY has 4, which is hilarious, but just proves it's still the cool album.

Seems like some of the people on here are desperate to impress you mate ;)


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: I. Spaceman on December 30, 2005, 01:29:17 PM
SMiLEY has 4, which is hilarious, but just proves it's still the cool album.

Seems like some of the people on here are desperate to impress you mate ;)

Well, forget it, it's impossible.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Matinee Idyll on December 30, 2005, 01:31:37 PM
Haha, Dammit.

* removes "Ian is God" T-Shirt and burns it in a symbolic gesture *

... Guess I'll get back to worshippin' Laurie then.

* lights the candles *


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Jim McShane on December 31, 2005, 11:15:27 AM
I think I voted for Pet Sounds Live.

Take the DVD! The DVD!

For sure! It's a million times better!


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Jason on January 02, 2006, 01:18:18 PM
Still not enough Love You votes........don't you people fucking GET IT?!


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Susan on January 03, 2006, 02:21:21 AM
Not enough Love You?!  How about not enough POB?!?

Nice to see Friends making such a strong showing, tho...keep those votes coming!


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Mitchell on January 03, 2006, 09:36:57 AM
That was surprisingly easy for me. I got through my 9 'essentials' and right when I wasn't sure if I could go through the rest, the Good Vibes Box was there. I think the only song I'd REALLY miss would be Lonely Sea.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: shelter on January 05, 2006, 02:09:56 AM
I seriously can't believe that there actually are people that think Pet Sounds isn't among the 10 best Beach Boys albums...


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: analogdemon on January 05, 2006, 04:34:38 AM
Why?  You can't believe that some Beach Boys fans might not like Pet Sounds?  Maybe orchestral style rock 'n' roll just isn't their thing.  Maybe they perfer a more traditional "rock band" sound like what you got on later albums and the very early albums.  I certainly love Pet Sounds, but come on, to each their own.  There's going to be people that don't like everything.  Hell, I could say "I don't understand how anyone could beleive that LA is not in the top 10 Beach Boys albums."


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Smilin Ed H on January 05, 2006, 05:32:30 AM
Today
Sounds of Summer (Euro edition!)
Pet Sounds
Wild Honey
Sunflower
Surf's Up
Holland
POB
BW
BWPS

and... my reserves are Friends, 20/20, Smiley and Love You.  In fact, I'd bump BW for Friends and move it into the reserves. D'Oh! Pity I'd already voted.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: shelter on January 05, 2006, 07:16:26 AM
Why?  You can't believe that some Beach Boys fans might not like Pet Sounds?

I can understand it if Pet Sounds isn't your favorite BB album. I can even understand it if it's not in your top 3. Maybe I can even understand if it's not in your top 5. But not in your top 10? No way...

But each his own I guess.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Sir Rob on January 06, 2006, 06:14:38 AM
Some of these desert island picks are unsettling....Surfin' Safari? Shut Down, Volume II? Brian Wilson Presents Pet Sounds Live? Going Public? 15 Big Ones? Sheesh. People have no taste.

Surfin' Safari ia great album.  It's my favourite 'under-rated' Beach Boys album.  I'm a much bigger fan of BBs pre-PS than after.  The only post-PS ones I voted for were Love You and BWPS. 


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Sir Rob on January 06, 2006, 06:19:59 AM
So who, given the choice above, votes for these?:  ???

Mike Love, Bruce Johnston and David Marks Salute NASCAR  1 (0.3%)
Summer In Paradise  1 (0.3%)


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: shelter on January 06, 2006, 08:53:42 AM
So who, given the choice above, votes for these?:  ???

Mike Love, Bruce Johnston and David Marks Salute NASCAR  1 (0.3%)
Summer In Paradise  1 (0.3%)


Mike Love is probably an anonimous poster here. I can't think of another explanation.  ;)


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: liam on January 09, 2006, 01:18:12 AM
That was surprisingly easy.

1 ) Pet Sounds
2 ) The Beach Boys Love You
3 ) Good Vibrations - Thirty Years Of The Beach Boys
4 ) The Beach Boys Today!
5 ) Surf's Up
6 ) Sunflower
7 ) Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE
8 ) 20/20
9 ) Brian Wilson
10 ) Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)

The only other one I'd really miss would be Friends... so I'd smuggle that to the desert island in my pants.

Pity the results aren't shown in popularity order...

Liam


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Andrew G. Doe on February 19, 2006, 03:11:36 AM
Pity the results aren't shown in popularity order...

[koff]

  1   Pet Sounds - 57 (9.5%)
  2   Sunflower - 48 (8%)
  3   The Beach Boys Today! - 47 (7.9%)
  4   Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE - 39 (6.5%)
  5   Wild Honey - 28 (4.7%)
  =   Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) - 28 (4.7%)
  =   Friends - 28 (4.7%)
  =   The Beach Boys Love You - 28 (4.7%)
  =   Good Vibrations - Thirty Years Of The Beach Boys - 28 (4.7%)
10   All Summer Long - 27 (4.5%)
11   Surf's Up - 25 (4.2%)
12   Smiley Smile - 20 (3.3%)
 =   20/20 - 20 (3.3%)
14   Holland - 18 (3%)
 =   Pacific Ocean Blue (DW solo) - 18 (3%)
16   Surfer Girl - 15 (2.5%)
17   The Beach Boys In Concert - 10 (1.7%)
18   Hawthorne CA - 9 (1.5%)
19   Brian Wilson - 8 (1.3%)
20   Little Deuce Coupe - 7 (1.2%)
21   Shut Down, Volume II - 5 (0.8%)
 =   Surfin' USA - 5 (0.8%)
 =   Carl And The Passions- So Tough - 5 (0.8%)
 =   Endless Harmony - 5 (0.8%)
25   Beach Boys' Party! - 4 (0.7%)
  =   Sounds Of Summer: The Very Best Of The Beach Boys - 4 (0.7%)
  =   What I Really Want For Christmas - 4 (0.7%)
  =     Imagination - 4 (0.7%)
  =   Live At The Roxy Theatre - 4 (0.7%)
  =   Going Public (BJ solo) - 4 (0.7%)
31   Stack-O-Tracks - 3 (0.5%)
  =   Still Cruisin' - 3 (0.5%)
  =   Good Timin': Live At Knebworth 1980 - 3 (0.5%)
  =   Orange Crate Art (BW/VDP solo) - 3 (0.5%)
  =   Looking Back With Love (ML solo) - 3 (0.5%)
36   Surfin Safari - 2 (0.3%)
  =   The Beach Boys' Christmas Album - 2 (0.3%)
  =   Beach Boys '69 (Beach Boys Live In London) - 2 (0.3%)
  =   15 Big Ones - 2 (0.3%)
  =   L.A. (Light Album) - 2 (0.3%)
  =   Endless Summer - 2 (0.3%)
  =   Made In USA - 2 (0.3%)
  =   Ten Years Of Harmony - 2 (0.3%)
  =   Stars And Stripes Volume I - 2 (0.3%)
  =   Mike Love, Bruce Johnston and David Marks Salute NASCAR - 2 (0.3%)
  =   Summer In Paradise - 2 (0.3%)
  =   I Just Wasn't Made For These Times - 2 (0.3%)
  =   Live In Las Vegas (AJ solo) - 2 (0.3%)
49   The Beach Boys' Concert - 1 (0.2%)
  =   Spirit Of America - 1 (0.2%)
  =   The Beach Boys - 1 (0.2%)
  =   Gettin' in Over My Head - 1 (0.2%)
  =   Brian Wilson Presents Pet Sounds Live - 1 (0.2%)
54   Lost And Found (1961-1962) - 0 (0%)
  =   The M.I.U. Album - 0 (0%)
  =   Keepin' The Summer Alive - 0 (0%)
  =   Beach Boys Rarities - 0 (0%)
  =   The Beach Boys Classics Selected By Brian Wilson - 0 (0%)
  =   Youngblood (CW solo) - 0 (0%)
  =   Carl Wilson (CW solo) - 0 (0%)


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: RobtheNobleSurfer on February 19, 2006, 10:58:22 AM
I chose (in chronological order):

All Summer Long
The Beach Boys Today
Pet Sounds
Smiley Smile
Friends
Sunflower
The Beach Boys Love You
Pacific Ocean Blue
Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE





Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: I. Spaceman on February 19, 2006, 12:16:36 PM
I chose (in chronological order):

All Summer Long
The Beach Boys Today
Pet Sounds
Smiley Smile
Friends
Sunflower
The Beach Boys Love You
Pacific Ocean Blue
Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE





That was mine, except I had 20/20 in for BW88.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: RobtheNobleSurfer on February 19, 2006, 02:24:20 PM
The way around that?

Hmmmmm.

Burn my choices onto CDrs and make room for 20/20! ;D

But I do love the 88 album. A lot.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: TV Forces on February 27, 2006, 12:59:54 PM
Why?  You can't believe that some Beach Boys fans might not like Pet Sounds?  Maybe orchestral style rock 'n' roll just isn't their thing.  Maybe they perfer a more traditional "rock band" sound like what you got on later albums and the very early albums.  I certainly love Pet Sounds, but come on, to each their own.  There's going to be people that don't like everything.  Hell, I could say "I don't understand how anyone could beleive that LA is not in the top 10 Beach Boys albums."

Wow..  even Dr. UNH, Esq. aka Jason was wondering why not a lot of people were voting for LOVE YOU.  If you want him to respect others opinions, you gotta respect his, mate.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Fantastico! on February 27, 2006, 01:08:27 PM
it's nice to see Today gets the respect it deserves.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: analogdemon on February 27, 2006, 01:52:08 PM
Wow..  even Dr. UNH, Esq. aka Jason was wondering why not a lot of people were voting for LOVE YOU.  If you want him to respect others opinions, you gotta respect his, mate.

My post had nothing to do with disrespecting someone's opinion.  The quote that I was responding to was:

"I seriously can't believe that there actually are people that think Pet Sounds isn't among the 10 best Beach Boys albums..."

That's not stating opinion. That's taking your opinion and stating it as fact and degrading people to go along with it. That's not cool.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: shelter on March 01, 2006, 08:00:02 AM
"I seriously can't believe that there actually are people that think Pet Sounds isn't among the 10 best Beach Boys albums..."

That's not stating opinion. That's taking your opinion and stating it as fact and degrading people to go along with it. That's not cool.

You're right, that's not cool. If you found my post offensive, I hereby apologize.

I should've said 'understand' instead of 'believe'. If English isn't your first language you sometimes make a bad choice of words, I guess.  :)


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Bubba Ho-Tep on March 01, 2006, 09:54:42 AM
Say! This is fun! I actually had a real easy time picking my ten.

Love You and Shut Down II all the way, baby!


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Paul Childs on May 09, 2006, 01:33:03 PM
God Only Knows what we'd be without PET SOUNDS.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: MBE on May 24, 2006, 04:07:38 AM
Shut Down 2
All Summer Long
Today
Summer Days
Pet
Wild
Friends
20-20
Sunflower
POB

Others I like a lot but didn't make it
Surfin USA
BWPS
Rarities (killer stuff from late 60s on there)
Ten Years Of Harmony
Surf's Up
Holland
So Tough
and all 3 BB live LPs


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Eric Aniversario on June 27, 2006, 02:03:41 AM
I picked (in no particular order):

Friends
LA Light Album
Sunflower
Carl & The Passions
Orange Crate Art
Pacific Ocean Blue
Summer In Paradise
20/20
Love You
In Concert (73)

Then I saw that the Boxed Set was an option...I'd probably drop 20/20 for the boxed set, in retrospect.  I wish that GH2 & GH3 were options...I probably would've chosen GH3 for sure.

Good vibes,
Eric



Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Eric Aniversario on June 27, 2006, 02:06:29 AM
I had the privilege of being the 100th voter, so I got to see exactly what percentage of people voted for what (for example 94% of the voters voted for Pet Sounds).  I'll reprint that here below for those who are interested:

Pet Sounds  94 (9.8%)
Wild Honey  44 (4.6%)
Smiley Smile  34 (3.5%)
Stack-O-Tracks  3 (0.3%)
Surfer Girl  21 (2.2%)
Surfin Safari  4 (0.4%)
Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)  39 (4.1%)
20/20  35 (3.7%)
Friends  51 (5.3%)
The Beach Boys Today!  71 (7.4%)
Shut Down, Volume II  9 (0.9%)
Beach Boys' Party!  5 (0.5%)
Lost And Found (1961-1962)  0 (0%)
Surfin' USA  6 (0.6%)
The Beach Boys' Concert  1 (0.1%)
The Beach Boys' Christmas Album  3 (0.3%)
All Summer Long  43 (4.5%)
Little Deuce Coupe  7 (0.7%)
The Beach Boys Love You  43 (4.5%)
Beach Boys '69 (Beach Boys Live In London)  3 (0.3%)
Carl And The Passions- So Tough  12 (1.3%)
The M.I.U. Album  3 (0.3%)
Sunflower  79 (8.2%)
Holland  33 (3.4%)
Surf's Up  44 (4.6%)
15 Big Ones  3 (0.3%)
Spirit Of America  1 (0.1%)
L.A. (Light Album)  5 (0.5%)
Endless Summer  4 (0.4%)
The Beach Boys In Concert  12 (1.3%)
The Beach Boys  1 (0.1%)
Made In USA  2 (0.2%)
Still Cruisin'  5 (0.5%)
Keepin' The Summer Alive  2 (0.2%)
Ten Years Of Harmony  4 (0.4%)
Beach Boys Rarities  0 (0%)
Endless Harmony  10 (1%)
Good Vibrations - Thirty Years Of The Beach Boys  41 (4.3%)
Stars And Stripes Volume I  2 (0.2%)
Mike Love, Bruce Johnston and David Marks Salute NASCAR  2 (0.2%)
Summer In Paradise  4 (0.4%)
Hawthorne CA  12 (1.3%)
Sounds Of Summer: The Very Best Of The Beach Boys  6 (0.6%)
The Beach Boys Classics Selected By Brian Wilson  2 (0.2%)
Good Timin': Live At Knebworth 1980  4 (0.4%)
What I Really Want For Christmas  8 (0.8%)
Brian Wilson  11 (1.1%)
Gettin' in Over My Head  3 (0.3%)
Orange Crate Art (BW/VDP solo)  5 (0.5%)
I Just Wasn't Made For These Times  3 (0.3%)
Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE  62 (6.5%)
Brian Wilson Presents Pet Sounds Live  2 (0.2%)
Imagination  6 (0.6%)
Live At The Roxy Theatre  7 (0.7%)
Live In Las Vegas (AJ solo)  3 (0.3%)
Looking Back With Love (ML solo)  4 (0.4%)
Pacific Ocean Blue (DW solo)  30 (3.1%)
Going Public (BJ solo)  5 (0.5%)
Youngblood (CW solo)  0 (0%)
Carl Wilson (CW solo)  0 (0%)

 
Total Votes: 100

Cool to see that over half (51%) consider "Friends" to be essential.  That is the essence of Desert Island Music right there...

Interesting that What I Really Want For Christmas was essential enough for 8% of the voters...much higher than I would expect.  It made me notice, however, that Ultiimate Christmas is missing from the list.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Compost on June 27, 2006, 06:14:37 AM
WIRWFC = 0.8%


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Aegir on June 27, 2006, 04:05:05 PM
It's divided by ten because there's 10 to choose from.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Eric Aniversario on June 29, 2006, 02:19:51 AM
WIRWFC = 0.8%
That means it got 0.8% of the total votes.  What I was referring to was that (at that point) 8 out of 100 voters had voted for it, which is 8%.

Good vibes,
Eric


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Summer_Days on September 14, 2006, 01:02:00 AM
I picked:
Pet Sounds
Today!
Summer Days...(And Summer Nights!!)
Sunflower
Wild Honey
Love You
Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of the Beach Boys
Friends
20/20
Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE

Where's the 3-volume Greatest Hits comps up on there? I enjoy the first two, imperfect though they are. I mean, you got wickedly out of print stuff like Made In USA and Endless Summer on there, but not these still in print GH albums? Hmm...

And who the f*** voted for MIU?


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: briancarldennisal on September 18, 2006, 11:09:49 PM
i'm glad dennis's pacific ocean blue got a good amount of votes. not that anyone cares but my 10 top were in no order:
1. pet sounds
2. sunflower
3. surfs up
4. carl & the passions
5. holland
6. love you
7. pacific ocean blue
8. bw presents smile
9. 20/20
10. friends


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Shady on November 26, 2006, 04:44:18 AM
My top 10..I'n order of favourite...At the moment...This list can change pretty fast

Pet Sounds..
Wild Honey..
Sunflower
Today!!
Smiley-Smile
Surf's Up
Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)
Surfin' USA
Sounds Of Summer
BWPS


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Malc on November 26, 2006, 04:53:40 AM
Current top 10 would be ...

Pet Sounds
Sunflower
Surf's Up
All Summer Long
Pacific Ocean Blue
BWP SMiLE
20/20
Today
Concert (1974)
and ... wait for it ... Summer In Paradise !  ;)


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Magic Transistor Radio on April 09, 2007, 04:17:11 PM
Current top 10 would be ...

Pet Sounds
Sunflower
Surf's Up
All Summer Long
Pacific Ocean Blue
BWP SMiLE
20/20
Today
Concert (1974)
and ... wait for it ... Summer In Paradise !  ;)

I didn't realise that a person in the world would like both BW Smile and Summer in Paradise! One or the other, but not both.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Jay on September 28, 2007, 08:51:10 PM
The Beach Boys albums I picked are Wild Honey, Smiley Smile, MIU, and L.A. Light album. I already forget what the other ones I voted for were.  :lol


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Beach Boy on October 01, 2007, 08:59:21 AM
Still Cruisin'
KTSA
LA
Pet Sounds
20/20
MIU
Surfer Girl
Sunflower
All Summer Long
Today

I wonder that I didn't vote for Knebworth.  ???


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Alex on October 02, 2007, 10:44:25 PM
I can't believe Summer in Paradise got more votes than Rarities and BB85.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: MBE on October 03, 2007, 04:16:26 AM
I can't believe Summer in Paradise got more votes than Rarities and BB85.

If it helps Rarities is my favorite comp. Plays good as an album.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: pobbard on June 19, 2008, 07:04:42 PM
BW88 gets no respect...


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: John on June 20, 2008, 01:51:28 PM
I picked:

Surfer Girl - Because they took a quantum leap in my eyes here from the first two. It's actually a little less filler-y than some of the later ones, and features the first appearance of the close-sung harmonies for any great length of time. It's also notable for Brian's emergence as co-lead singer, and also the beginning of the Mike on verses, Brian on choruses "formula".

All Summer Long - ASL is to 1964 what Surfer Girl is to 1963. Compare Girls On The Beach to the title track of SG. All Summer Long is the definitive early BBs album, the apex of the "what-the-man-on-the-street-thinks-the-Beach-Boys-are" stereotype. But it's a beautiful thing for all that.

Beach Boys Today! - Because it's damn near perfect.

Pet Sounds - Obviously.

Surf's Up - The album that heralded the resurgance of the Boys, and as serious artists too. Plus it's the best Side Two of any Beach Boys record since Today. Or since.

Holland - The studio album that heralded the end of the resurgance of the Boys, and one of their most underrated works. But it's an aural watercolour, it really is.

Love You - For I'll Bet He's Nice. And a half-dozen others. But also because it's a pure Brian statement.

Pacific Ocean Blue - Repeat the "Love You" spiel, but replace "I'll Bet He's Nice" with "River Song" and "Brian" with "Dennis".

Thirty Years Of Good Vibrations - Simply for having (nearly) of it in there.

Brian Wilson Presents Smile - This one is as self-explanatory as Pet Sounds in my eyes.



Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Bedroom Tapes on November 14, 2008, 10:35:57 PM
Tough to cut it down to 10 but here it goes...

1.  Sunflower
2.  Friends
3.  Surf's Up
4.  Pet Sounds
5.  The Beach Boys Love You
6.  Holland
7.  Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE
8.  Summer Days
9.  Keepin' the Summer Alive
10.  Pacific Ocean Blue


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Andrew G. Doe on November 15, 2008, 01:27:02 AM
I think the compilations should be removed - once you've chosen the 1993 box, Pet Sounds & POB, you still got seven picks to fill in the gaps.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Smilin Ed H on November 15, 2008, 02:29:14 AM
Pet Sounds
Today
Wild Honey
Sunflower
Surf's Up
Holland
POB
Friends
BWPS
20/20
All Summer Long

My outsiders would be Summer Days..., Love You and BW88 and Smiley Smile and Surfer Girl and...


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Aegir on November 15, 2008, 12:52:53 PM
I think the compilations should be removed - once you've chosen the 1993 box, Pet Sounds & POB, you still got seven picks to fill in the gaps.
Yeah, but some people see albums like "Endless Summer" as holding historical, emotional significance.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Malc on November 16, 2008, 04:18:55 AM
Current top 10 would be ...

Pet Sounds
Sunflower
Surf's Up
All Summer Long
Pacific Ocean Blue
BWP SMiLE
20/20
Today
Concert (1974)
and ... wait for it ... Summer In Paradise !  ;)

Hmmm - a few months down the line and I'm-a-thinkin' that just MAYBE I should've gone for "Holland" or "CATP" instead of "SIP"  ::)


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: southisland on June 23, 2011, 10:47:22 AM
picked (chronologically):

Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)
Pet Sounds
Wild Honey
Friends
Sunflower
Surf's Up
Holland
Pacific Ocean Blue
Love You
BWPS

summer days is a MONSTER album for me. it seems criminally overlooked compared to today. all in a row -- girl don't tell me, help me rhonda, california girls, let him run wild, you're so good to me. mindblowing.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: onkster on June 28, 2011, 01:59:15 PM
I have this hole in my heart where Bambu and SMiLE (even in its unfinished, unreleased state) should be on this list.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Freddie French-Pounce on May 13, 2012, 02:07:07 PM
And now we have the problem that The Smile Sessions is A: Missing and B: Has no Votes. TWGMTR (Album) will also be lacking a spot.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Cabinessenceking on June 02, 2012, 05:19:02 AM
Picked:


PS - obviously
BWPS - come on, its SMiLE (i woulda added TSS instead perhaps if it was on the list)
Smiley Smile - because that transition is spectacular, and the album is very good if not very weird
Wild Honey - gotta show that diversity in style and man those Carl vocals!
Sunflower - obviously
Holland - show that progressive touch they had in the ealy 70's
In Concert - shows how kickass they were live at this time (very important part of their history!)
Love You - shows how things went when Brian returned from the abyss, essential to understand Brian after his absence
Today! - most solid predeccesor of PS, many wonderful ballads and upbeat tracks (+ some filler...)
Endless Summer - because it sums up their early image very well with all the known songs (woulda been cool if it had a few deeper cuts but since this was 1974 cant blame them!)


I feel I balanced it out well? Some of the picks might be debatable, I chose no GV box because that is cheating right?


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Gabo on May 07, 2013, 09:55:31 PM
A good compilation to the cover the early surf and sun songs
Today!
Pet Sounds
The Smile Sessions (I know it's not on the list, but come on)
Smiley Smile
Sunflower
Surf's Up
Love You





Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Please delete my account on May 07, 2013, 11:58:40 PM
Wild Honey
Smiley Smile
Pet Sounds
Friends
All Summer Long
Today
Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!)
Sunflower
Surfer Girl
Brian Wilson presents "Smile"

Very 1960s-slanted.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: SenorPotatoHead on May 15, 2013, 07:12:11 PM
My favorite albums(in no particular order and excluding comps, live and solo, so there's less than 10)

Pet Sounds - a perennial of course.  Not (IMO) the "greatest album ever", but a great one amongst many great ones that have been through out recorded musical history.   To this day it stands as a unique work.  There's nothing else, including anything in the Beach Boys catalog, that sounds quite like it.  

Smiley Smile - The SMiLE project distilled and corked for public consumption; too bad no one was thirsty, because they missed one of the most sublime little freaky nuggets ever, and I am guessing, the first album to really illustrate what one can achieve via a home recording studio.  

Friends - Such a pure, sweet album, comfort food, peaceful vibe....  This album might have done better had it come out in the mid 70's, it has that feel to me.

Today - This is, start to finish, one of the best albums of the 60's, and because they were wise enough to put the "audio verite'" ("...Big Daddy") track at the end of side 2 (instead of in the midst of the album as the previous two LP's had), it acts more as a coda, or bonus track to the album and not as a part of it.  This album is fantastic.  

Carl & The Passions - So Tough - Quite possibly more derided than even Smiley Smile, but this is my favorite album of theirs during that early 70's period.  First off it is the first post SMiLE debacle which does not recycle some piece of that project, and it's lack of cohesiveness, or flow makes me think of the Beatles White Album.  This is the Beach Boys White Album (albeit truncated), and I like all the songs on it.  I dig the gospel of "He Come Down" and the etheral "All This Is That", the Brian songs, "Marcella" and "Mess Of Help" are raunchy little rockers, and Dennis' tunes are two of the greatest and best examples of the "So Overwrought It's Nearly Ridiculous, But Somehow Still Inescapably Gorgeous And Touching" variety - and even the Fataar/Chaplan songs are decent.  

Surfer Girl - IMO their best early album.  Every song is enjoyable, it's young and fun and steeped in the classic image of the band.  Some of the lyrics are a bit sickeningly corny, but I'd still take "Surfer Girl", "Your Summer Dream" and "Surfer Moon" any day over "Girls On The Beach".    This is the classic early Beach Boys at their album oriented best.  

Wild Honey - Though I'm not a fan of Carl's karaoke run throughs of "Wild Honey" and "I Was Made To Love Her" (Al or Mike should have sung those IMO) this is a helluva great album.  


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: TimeToGetAlone on May 17, 2013, 12:47:18 PM
My 10 were...

Today
Pet Sounds
Sunflower
Surf's Up
Holland
In Concert
Love You
Pacific Ocean Blue
Good Vibrations - 50 Years of the Beach Boys
Brian Wilson Presents Smile

Of course, the Smile Sessions would probably take BWP Smile for me now.  Felt bad for shutting out the 1962-1964 and 1967-1969 periods, but the boxset makes up for it a bit at least.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Sutter Cane on June 26, 2013, 10:49:12 PM
My Top 10

1.  Pet Sounds
2.  Smiley Smile
3.  Holland
4.  The Smile Sessions
5.  Shut Down Vol. 2
6.  Sunflower
7.  Today
8. Surf's Up
9.  Pacific Ocean Blue
10. Love You



Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Gabo on August 20, 2013, 02:59:54 PM
Essential:

Sounds Of Summer
Pet Sounds


If you're a fan:
The Smile Sessions
etc


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: MBE on August 20, 2013, 04:35:47 PM
Shut Down 2
All Summer Long
Today
Summer Days
Pet
Wild
Friends
20-20
Sunflower
POB

Others I like a lot but didn't make it
Surfin USA
BWPS
Rarities (killer stuff from late 60s on there)
Ten Years Of Harmony
Surf's Up
Holland
So Tough
and all 3 BB live LPs

Top ten is still the same, my comps and second choices would replace BWPS with TSS, but otherwise these are still favorites.


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: bluesno1fann on August 20, 2013, 05:13:39 PM
Pet Sounds. Greatest BB's Album, although it is not my favourite lol.
Wild Honey. Nice Rocker. Another favourite, should be listened to by people who are just getting into the Beach Boys.
20/20. Love the Variety. Slightly Underrated.
Sunflower. Another all-time favourite. Like Pet Sounds, but more Beach Boys than Brian Wilson.
Surf's Up. Love It! Such an excellent album, but it would have been better with the Dennis Wilson songs!
Carl And The Passions - "So Tough". Second-most underrated Beach Boys album. Love this album!
Holland. Very slightly overrated, but still a great album. Don't much care for California Saga, however.
Love You. Their second-best album of the 70's. Didn't like it much at first, but it grew on me. Gotta love the rockin' Mona!
Pacific Ocean Blue. Hands down the best Beach Boys solo album. Sadly forgotten and therefore highly underrated to non-Beach Boys fans.
The Beach Boys. Easily their most underrated album. Love most of the tracks. Other than the then-contemporary production, what the hell is so bad about this album?!

I really wanted to include the Smile Sessions, but that isn't an option, so I replaced that with Holland.
Other albums that came close to making this list, but ultimately fell short:
Surfer Girl
Shut Down Volume 2.
The Beach Boys Today!
Smiley Smile
Friends
L.A. Light Album
Rarities
Brian Wilson
Imagination
That's Why God Made The Radio (although that isn't an option anyway)


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: JK on March 17, 2014, 06:13:20 AM
Surfer Girl
Today!
Pet Sounds
Smiley Smile
Wild Honey
Sunflower
Surf's Up!
Holland
Pacific Ocean Blue
Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE


It would be nice if SS/WH could be the 2fer (as in "Can't Wait Too Long")


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: Adult Child on February 06, 2017, 03:58:24 PM
Today!
Summer Days
Pet Sounds
Smiley Smile
Sunflower
Surf's Up
Love You
Good Vibrations boxset (for as much as I can salvage from the albums I didn't choose)
Endless Harmony soundtrack (can't live without 'Soulful Old Man Sunshine')

I only chose 9 because the 10th would be The SMiLE Sessions
Or, in a world where things had gone better,
SMiLE


Title: Re: Pick the 10 essential Beach Boy and BB solo albums
Post by: RangeRoverA1 on February 06, 2017, 10:36:18 PM
1. The Smile Sessions, definitely.
2. Smiley Smile (barebones, back-to-basics BBs)
3. Pet Sounds (in best album lists blah blah blah)
4. Sunflower (each BB songwriting showcase)
5. Sounds of Summer (the sonic quality is top here, every hit single compilation)
6. M.I.U. (Al Jardine-produced)
7. LU (unconventional)
8. Holland (Chaplin/ Fataar)
9. Surfin' Safari (the debut)
10. Party! (nobody before & after made sth. like this)