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What do you think there are the five best BB songs in the 80s?

 I'd say:

 - Somewhere Near Japan ( I don't understand why don't have been included in MIC)
 - Goin' On
 - Getcha Back
 - Where I Belong
 - I'm So Lonely

For me, I would replace I'm So Lonely with It's Gettin' Late. Other than that I agree with you. Vocally, I think Kokomo and Chasin' The Sky rank up there, as well.

Goin' On
Kokomo
Some of Your Love
Still Cruisin'
In My Car

Getcha Back
Somewhere Near Japan
Goin' On
Keepin the Summer Alive
Santa Anna Winds

Endless Harmony
Getcha Back
California Calling
Kokomo
California Dreamin'
Plus.. Still Cruisin'

The whole of KTSA
Male Ego
It's Just A Matter Of Time
It's Getting Late
Getcha Back
Rock N Roll To The Rescue
Somewhere Near Japan
Kokomo
Still Crusin

Wouldn't It Be Nice, I Get Around, and California Girls

Santa Ana Winds
Getcha Back
Male Ego
Rock'n'Roll to the Rescue
Kokomo
Where I Belong
Livin' with a Heartache
Somewhere Near Japan
Goin' On

Lots of good stuff actually, always loved most of their 80s material even though it's somewhat incoherent overall.

Goin' On
Male Ego
Getcha Back
Where I Belong
Somewhere Near Japan

Sweetie and Stevie would probably be there, had they been released.

Speaking of unreleased songs, I forgot to mention Goin' to the Beach :lol

1. Where I Belong
2. Getcha Back
3. Livin' With A Heartache
4. Somewhere Near Japan
5. Goin' On

Honorable Mention: California Dreamin'

Did you notice how much easier to compile this list as opposed to the 60's and 70's... :o :'( :police:

My exact picks!

Maybe I Don't Know
It's Gettin' Late
Keepin' the Summer Alive
Goin' On
Endless Harmony

Somewhere Near Japan (single mix)
Santa Ana Winds (AGD mix without spoken intro)
Rock & Roll To The Rescue
Where I Belong
Keepin' The Summer Alive

Somewhere Near Japan
Goin' On/Santa Anna Winds  :)
Where I Belong
She Believes in Love Again
Rock N Roll To The Rescue

Where I Belong
Somewhere Near Japan (I really wish this had been remastered and included on MIC)
Santa Anna Winds
Kokomo
Goin' On

- Goin' On
- Getcha Back
- Somewhere Near Japan
- Livin' With A Heartache
- Keepin' The Summer Alive

Happy to see at least one other person mentioned Livin' With A Heartache which is a damn fine song and a damn fine vocal by Carl "Freakin" Wilson!

Where I Belong
California Dreamin'
Somewhere Near Japan
Getcha Back (and how about that C50 version? Stellar)
Goin' On

Keepin' the Summer Alive
Getcha Back
Rock and Roll to the Rescue
Crack at your Love
Santa Ana Winds


Who said this was easier than choosing from the 60s/70s?  :lol

1. 'Where I Belong'
2. 'It's Gettin' Late'
3. 'Goin' On'
4. 'Livin' With A Heartache'
5. 'It's Just A Matter of Time'


Kudos to those who have 'Livin' With A Heartache' on their lists.

I like Livin' With A Heartache, but it is a bit long and really could have used a bridge in the middle. I feel that way about Mona and The Night Was So Young, as well.

1- It's Gettin' Late
2- Chasin' the Sky
3- Getcha Back
4- In My Car
5- Oh Darlin'

In no particular order:

Getcha Back
Maybe I Don't Know
Keepin' The Summer Alive
Where I Belong
Rock and Roll to the Rescue

Special mention to: Endless Harmony. If not for the ending, it would have made the list

Where I Belong
Livin' With A Heartache
Goin' On
Santa Ana Winds
It's Gettin' Late

With special mentions going to....

Heaven
Love & Mercy
Rio Grande

Wipe Out
Wipe Out
Wipe Out
Wipe Out

and...


Wipe Out!

 :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

I've got to admit, I don't blame the Beach Boys for thinking a collaboration with the Fat Boys was a good idea.  I think the one they did with Chubby Checker was actually a lot of fun.  But whoever was at fault was whoever thought it was a good idea to have the group who although had done some surf instrumentals early in their career were pretty much exclusively a vocal group by this point to cover an instrumental like Wipe Out and think the best way to make a vocal arrangement was to have the guys repeat "WIPE OUT WIPE OUT WIPING OUT WAH WAH WAH" over and over and OVER again.  Oh my god, it's just terrible (but still not the biggest trainwreck that came from the guys during the Terry Melcher produced years).

Mike's deal, re the Fat Boys - the original plan was to record it with Run DMC. That's what I've read.

Somewhere Near Japan
California Dreaming
Chasing the Sky
It's A Beautiful Day
Keeping The Summer Alive

What BBs/ Chubby Checker collaboration was that?  I missed that one!

Ok to compromise Livin' With A Heartache is actually very good in its 45 edit. Perfect length and Steve Desper once told me that Livin' is his favorite Beach Boys recording he ever did.

Oh sorry, the wording was a little weird.  I meant the Fat Boys had done a collaboration with Chubby Checker where they re-recorded The Twist together and as weird as that sounds, it kind of worked and it was a pretty big hit, hence why it would make sense that the creatively bankrupt Beach Boys would also want to do a similar sort of collaboration with the Fat Boys.  Hope that clears it up.

EDIT: Correction.  The Fat Boys actually collaborated with the Beach Boys first.  Interesting.

Probably because he seems to have fond memories of recording Carl's mellow vocal...mellowed after a beer or two.

I still haven't heard the single edit of Livin'....wonder if it is on Youtube.

It is mixed to have a sharper intro, and some of the endless repetitions of the chorus are cut out.

Seems that yes it was a enjoyable session.

1. WHERE I BELONG (By far their greatest song of the '80's!)

2. It's Gettin' Late
3. I Do Love You
4. Livin' With A Heartache
5. Male Ego

Group material only:

Santa Ana Winds
Somewhere Near Japan
Where I Belong
It's Gettin' Late
KTSA (or She Believes in Love Again)

If you're including solo stuff:
Rio Grande
Melt Away
Meet Me in My Dreams Tonight
Santa Ana Winds
Love and Mercy

I doubt they were thinking about critical acclaim with this one.

They wanted a hit and they got one. A big one at that.

I was listening to Still Cruisin' earlier today and I have to say I really like the way Milke, Alan and Carl's voices sound on that album, despite some of the singing being buried in not the most tasteful of sound effects. Personally I think they still had it in them to produce another Sunflower sometime in the 1980s. They got pretty close with some of the very best material on BB85 but sadly it's not one of their best albums overall. I'm pretty sure they could have pulled it off.

Where I Belong
It's Gettin' Late
Livin' With a Heartache
Somewhere Near Japan
Goin' On

Yep, and according to the Wilson Project it was Brian's vocal arrangement (which, whatever you think of the collaberation, I think were some of his best vocal work of the decade)

This is really difficult, since I like many songs from the band's 80s era. Anyway, for now it is next:

1. In My Car (one of those songs that you forget every time but when it comes on shuffle you realize that it's jolly good & catchy)
2. Island Girl (since 1st time I heard that intro, I was amazed forever by this contagious song. Well done, Al!)
3. It's Gettin' Late (one of Carl's best composing efforts. The harmonies are splendid!)
4. East Meets West (great song with Frankie Valli among The BBs. I don't mind cheerleading noises)
5. Problem Child

I would name Santa Ana Winds & Sunshine instead the last 2, however, technically, the 1980 year is still 70s.

RangeRover, you really enjoy using the word "jolly", don't you?  :)

Anyway,

Goin' On
Some Of Your Love
Where I Belong
It's Gettin' Late
It's A Beautiful Day - if it counts, otherwise...

...uhm...

...nothing else seems to come to my mind that I would call "good", sadly.

I read the thread title "Beach Boys in the 80s" and immediately cringed. First thought that came to mind was "parody of themselves."

I'm enlightened!

My posts frequently have that effect on people.

Problem Child is 1990's, not 1980's

1. Where I Belong
2. Santa Anna Winds
3. Keepin the Summer Alive
4. Male Ego
5. Goin On

I think RangeRover is counting the decade as going from 1981 to 1990, and thats why Santa Ana Winds wasn't on their list, as it would've been from 1971-1980.

Getcha Back
Santa anna winds
Rock n roll to the rescue
Kokomo
endless harmony

This was hard as I like many from the 80's!

I was thinking about this topic and managed to find this thread which covered precisely what I was thinking.  It's an interesting period because there seems to be enough to compile a few standout tracks but not enough that the decisions are particularly agonizing (as they would be in the 60's and 70's).  Unlike the 90's, it's not a complete wasteland and you don't need to rely on solo material.

Personally, a top 5 would probably consist of...

1. Where I Belong
2. Somewhere Near Japan
3. Getcha Back
4. Goin' On
5. It's Gettin' Late

That mirrors very closely with the results of this thread, which I couldn't resist running through.  I think I'm most surprised to see a song like Santa Ana Winds be as popular here as it is.  As much as Kokomo takes heat, I think I'd have it higher.  It actually would have narrowly missed my cut alongside the quirky Male Ego and In My Car.

1. Where I Belong: 65/17
2. Somewhere Near Japan: 56/15
3. Goin' On: 53.5/18
4. Getcha Back: 50/14
5. It's Gettin' Late: 31/11
6. Santa Ana Winds: 28.5/10
7. Keepin' the Summer Alive: 22/10
8. Livin' With a Heartache: 16/6
9. Rock and Roll to the Rescue: 12/4
10. Kokomo: 10/4

California Dreamin': 9/3
In My Car: 8/3
Maybe I Don't Know: 8/2
Endless Harmony: 7/3
Male Ego: 7/3
Chasin' the Sky: 7/2
Some of Your Love: 7/2
Island Girl: 4/1
California Calling: 3/1
I Do Love You: 3/1
East Meets West: 2/1
Still Cruisin': 2/1
Crack At Your Love: 2/1
I'm So Lonely: 1/1
Oh Darlin': 1/1
It's Just a Matter of Time: 1/1
She Believes in Love Again: 1/1

Gawd how did I miss this thread first time around? My five:

Where I Belong
Somewhere Near Japan
Goin' On
Santa Ana Winds
In My Car
Keepin' the Summer Alive
Rock and Roll to the Rescue
Some of Your Love

… erm, and that makes five… aye?

Oh Darlin'
Goin' On
Getcha Back
I Do Love You
Chasin' The Sky

No love for Make it Big?
It's not short on cheese, but I still think it's mighty underrated.

Right you are, Mr. Corn. Before reading this board, I didn't know there are folks not aware of the decade limits. It's a well-known scientific fact, hence 2001 is the beginning of the new millennium.

Hmmm.... Had I written this recently, this list would be different.
Here's my revised list, in no particular order:

Maybe I Don't Know
Getcha Back
I Do Love You
She Believes In Love Again
Make It Big

So the first year of my life wasn't part of my first decade?

Well, if you remember the math scale it goes like this:

-...... -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 ........ Nil is a starting point of your life, I don't know how to describe it rightly, but it doesn't count as a 1st decade. Don't blame me for that, I only give out facts here.

That's okay… it explains why I don't remember anything from that first 12 months though!

I'm only really familiar with Still Cruisin' so my five (which I sincerely like) are from that album:

Title track
Somewhere Near Japan
In My Car
Wipe Out
Make It Big

One day I'll give KTSA and TBB a closer listen----promise! :=)

It surprises me (though it really shouldn't, I guess) how few of you included Kokomo on your lists.  Was the band's biggest seller really that bad?  Personally, I don't think so.  If it had no other redeeming value, Carl's vocal contribution was sufficient to vault that record to the top of the charts.  I still love hearing, "We'll get there fast and then we'll take it slow."  Ah, that voice was sublime!

Some of Your Love
Goin' On
Somewhere Near Japan (Single Mix)
Island Girl
In My Car

It could just be a matter of hearing it a thousand times over. As much as I like the Beach Boys and don't mind "Kokomo", it's hard for me to even mentally associate the two given how often I heard "Kokomo" when I was about 3-4 years old and how I got into the Beach Boys when I was about 22. If I were able to make a list, I don't know if "Kokomo" would even occur to me to include unless I went through album tracklists.

I'm making a playlist right now.  This is awesome.

Off-topic... but, I'm also wondering about the 90s.  I feel like I don't have a good handle on all the stuff they did in 90s.  Seems like a lot of odds n' ends -- singles (?) and movie trax.  Just stuff.  Obviously not much in the way of albums.

There's actually a great big whopper of an album they released in the very early 90s!!!!

Shall I send you some links?  >:D

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/db/SummerParadiseCover.jpg)

Sorry, yes... I have this one.  ;D

Turns out I don't have these two:  East Meets West, Chasin' The Sky.

I got some learnin' to do.  :smokin

"East Meets West":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6ce4pff8jY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6ce4pff8jY)

"Chasin' the Sky":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI-Lway3bdM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI-Lway3bdM)

right on!  thanks bw!

Getcha Back
Kokomo
Santa Ana Winds
Goin On
Make It Big

Jet without wings

In no order because I cant :
getcha Back
still cruisin
kokomo
rock n roll to the rescue
and gulity pleasure... Wipeout!

I feel like the Beach Boys would have been so much better in the 1980s if Dennis had beaten his demons and continued to play & write songs for the group. The "what could have beens" for this fuckin' band.... The massive amount of beautiful, timeless music we have and massive amount of missed opportunities by this band have got to be some sort of Guinness World Record.

It's a period I mostly ignore, the last album before the band died for me was Light Album after that I'm not interested. With Brian not on his A game and Dennis a non-factor, the quality just isn't there for me. though Somewhere Near Japan is a nice song. A lot of their music from that decade, including/especially Brian's solo LP, just sounds so 1980s. The production kills it. The timelessness is just lost with that sterile sound. I think the 90s was supposed to be the decade where they came back with the good sh*t but we all know how that turned out.  :)

1. Goin' On
2. Getcha Back
3. Keeping The Summer Alive
4. Somewhere Near Japan
5. In My Car

Sumahama
Sumahama
Sumahama

I get the sense that you're joking, but Sumahama was from the late-70's, not 80's.

Not too far off from how I feel either, Stack.  The Beach Boys definitely hold the record for wasted years/lost opportunities.  Personally, I extend it back to the 70s.  Their sound was so "in" in the 70s.  Groups like Chicago utilizing the sweet, sophisticated harmonies -- while the Beach Boys just sat on the sidelines.  Wasting the best years of their lives.

1970s
Pop music was developing and growing in the 70s, becoming more intelligent and sophisticated and layered.  I feel a lot of that was rooted in what the Beach Boys first created and pioneered.  The era could have really fit them well, had they been able to contribute.  Sail On, Sailor for example.  That's the song where I can really imagine how great they could have been in the 1970s.  (I do prefer Brian's lead from the 2012 Live album.  Better sense of the lost potential).

It coulda, shoulda, woulda been their best decade.  I do love what we have, mind you.  But much of it only shows signs of the greatness.  Creeping in was this odd sense that they were becoming stuck in eternal puberty or something.  A condition that was fully cemented in the 1980s.

1980s
Especially from '83 on.  They were so lean and limp, it makes the 70s look epic.  After Dennis died, the group (with some exceptions) was available only to damage their image.  The band took on an opportunistic sheen.  Appearing to shamelessly harvest the exterior surface from their past and youth.  Adding nothing new.

Coupled with the synthetic sound of mid/late-80s pop -- it made for one of the lamest and shallowest musics ever to exist.  Like layers of embarrassingly bad plastic surgery, in hopes of reclaiming their youth.  Or wearing a "Best Party Ever" t-shirt to a quiet, boring party -- without any sense of irony.  The Beach Boys became weak.  Even though I like what we have from the 80s and 90s -- it's only because I'm a hopeless fan.  Otherwise, it's tough stuff.

Can we be honest about Dennis? Let's say he did clean up and contributed to the band in the '80s. No, I don't think he'd rock the cheesy "TV dad" look of Al or try to act like the cheeseball that Mike Love was. But I do think, judging by his work in the '60s and '70s, that he would have made super '80s material that woulda fit in perfectly on the 1985 album. Probably stuff like Carl's mid '80s material. I'm sure Dennis woulda been into the Steve Winwood, Genesis, whatever super produced sound. sh*t, I wouldn't doubt he woulda liked stuff like "Kokomo" and "Still Cruisin'." He definitely was a guy who dug the "adult contemporary" thing, and he also loved "keeping up with the times", and while I think it woulda been great if he lived and started producing material again, I have my reservations that it woulda been been anything more than Carl's contributions to the 1985 album, which though nice, are incredibly guilty pleasures.

Wow, one of the best metaphors I've ever read to describe their descent into permanent "adolescence," even as they grew older and older.