The Smiley Smile Message Board

I have been an active BB fan since about 2011 (before that was just a general liking of 60s music).  Since that time I've built a small collection of stuff.

50 Big Ones
TWGMTR
Concert CD
TLOS
Plus a song here or there from other albums.

At this point I feel I have all of the mainstream stuff that a casual fan might have, so where do I go from here?  For my birthday I plan to ask for MiC, and TSS for Christmas (I assume the box set is worth getting over the 2 CDs?).  At some point I'll also get Gershwin and Disney.  Other than that, is there anything I'm missing?

I also want to start reading some books about them.  There are so many of them and I obviously won't read them all.  So if you had to pick three, what would you choose?

Finally, what videos should I watch aside from Endless Harmony?  Any concert videos worth watching?

I hear tell a certain "Pet....something or other" is pretty good..... :P

Yeah, so have I.  :p  I was leaving out the albums (aside from Brian's stuff) because I already have most of the music I want and MiC and TSS will cover pretty much the rest of it.  In other words I don't want to pay for what I already have.  Not right now anyway. 

Although a lot of my childhood was spent listening to the BB, I have only been a fan since about 2007. That means I was too late to see Carl and Dennis perform but I've now seen the different combinations of the band five times. Seeing them live is an absolute must! I feel the Mike and Bruce combo is the most fun.

I've kinda looked for what I want to know (books and videos) and taken recommendations from here and that's served me well so far. Some videos are more interesting than others but it depends what you want to get out of them.

Album-wise, for me, you can't go wrong with the following - 20/20, sunflower, surfs up, friends but that's just my personal taste. Oh and you must listen to Time To Get Alone at least once - an absolute gem of a song!

If you want to immerse yourself completely into the world of The BB I would pick up whatever you can but it will change the way you listen to them forever!

Oh man, you got way to go.

I'll just say this, make your next step everything from all summer long up to love you

Any ideas as to how much I should expect to spend on an original album in good condition?  Obviously Pet Sounds will be more expensive than the others, but is there a general price range?  Or is it just one of those things where if I wait long enough, a good deal will pop up.

Well, so far, everything I've purchased (if you're talking about original vinyls) has been under $30 (well, other than that sealed, $200 Pet Sounds).
Usually, if you look for them, they're there. Quite a bit of the albums were made back in the day and they aren't usually in too high demand - other than Pet Sounds. If you want to get an idea of what something in general costs, check out discogs.com. They have info on numerous different pressings and there's a market place to check out prices. Here's what it looks like for an original copy of Friends: this link (http://www.discogs.com/marketplace?release_id=1567876&ev=rb).

Thanks, that will be very helpful!

The two-for-one full album CD's can be picked up for very cheap off of Amazon.  Some for less than $5 (used, in good condition). It's a good way to get a complete collection of all the albums from the '60s through the '80s.  The vinyls can be obtained later, and some of the albums you might not even want on vinyl.

You've GOT to go buy Love You.  "The Beach Boys Love You", it's awesome. 

I would say "Friends" is one of the most easily accessible albums for a new fan, it's different enough from their other stuff that it'll expand your knowledge of the band, but not so hard to appreciate that you won't get the genius of it. 

You need to hear Pet Sounds in full, as Brian intended and not sliced & diced on compilations. Seriously.

Also, Spotify is your friend.  ;D

Either Pet Sounds, Sunflower or Holland

+1, not to mention you get some pretty spiffy liner notes and commentary (especially KTSA/BB85, of course) in these collections.

I'd go for the classic albums before I'd get Made In California (or any BW solo albums except maybe "...presents SMiLE"). MiC has a lot of cool rarities and previously unreleased tracks, and the hits you already have on 50 big ones, but it doesn't do very well at representing the albums. You'll want to get them eventually anyway.

A few especially recommended ones:
Wild Honey
Friends
Pet Sounds
All Summer Long
Smiley Smile
Today!
Sunflower
Surfer Girl

MiC is obviously a fine collection but you could probably get pretty much all of the band`s studio albums (which would obviously be a lot more music) for the same price so it depends which way you want to go. Even if you do get MiC then there are still several studio albums that really need to be listened to in their entirety so I would suggest gradually working your way through them rather than buying the box set in all honesty...

In terms of books, Catch a Wave by PA Carlin is probably one of the best to date.

Agreed.  In fact I only ever listen to Pet Sounds as an album, and usually on vinyl.


Agreed again.  Aside from the vinyl I've culled mostly from second-hand stores, I own no Beach Boys material.  But I've got a Spotify playlist with every album, which I've conveniently downloaded to my iPhone.  I have every released track at my disposal at any time.  It's quite glorious.

Listen to Pet Sounds.

Then slowly dig into the less commercially successful albums like Friends, Smiley Smile, Surf's Up, Sunflower.

Listen to those exclusively for a while.

Then get into their earlier stuff circa "Today!"

Then stumble upon Love You and become obsessed with it, which will make you want to find the weirdest stuff Brian Wilson ever made. You will then want to scour the internet and small record shops hoping to find b-sides, rarities, demos.

Realize that it can be difficult to find some of the gems that Brian created and buy Made In California.

That's essentially what I did and I think it's a good "next step"

After all those suggestions... have you listened to Pet Sounds yet? What did you think of it?

(Come to think of it, it's rather unusual to join a BBs board before having listened to Pet Sounds -  I guess. Different strokes for different folks.  ;) )

TAMI show, Lost Concert and Knebworth are my favorites.

The Fuzzy pet zounds CD also has a DVD inside. I would say thats a must have.

I'll 2nd that!  ; )

the TAMI show especially, probably one of the best live footage caught on tape of the guys  :rock

I second all of this. I had so much fun buying the albums one by one (or two by two, really) and listening to them, discovering which songs I'd want to hear again and again.

COMMENT:  It is fans such as yourself for whom I built the study-videos now on my website, and others pending. It may take some time, like reading a book, but watch and listen to the songs outlined. You will gain insight and understanding about how some songs are created and put together -- all the while being entertained. I would encourage you to conform your listening position to your speakers as illustrated in the video. This will give you the best spatial perspective --- and it's all fun!

Beach Boy Study-Videos >>> http://swdstudyvideos.com

Welcome to Good Listening, ~Stephen W. Desper

Before joining I had listened to every song on Pet Sounds, but not all at once.  I listened to the whole thing at once as AGD suggested, but it didn't do anything more for me than listening to the songs separately.  Maybe I'm just not far enough into my interest of music yet to "get" whatever I'm missing.

Thanks for all of the suggestions, guys!  I think I'm still going to get MiC soon since I'm won't have to pay for it (birthday or Christmas).  As for buying the albums, I've decided that I'm just going to start with Surfin' Safari and go from there.  Listening to some of their lesser known stuff has taken time for me to get used to and I enjoy browsing youtube and coming across a song I haven't heard before.  Just within the past month I discovered Time To Get Alone and now I can't get enough of it!  But if I would have found it two years ago I wouldn't have been interested. 

I'll definitely check out that website, Stephen.  Thanks!

If you're rather into 60s type of sounds, you may think it's horrible. Most people on this board love it, to me it sounds gross. Which is a pity, as the songs are quite good.



Good decision IMHO. :)

In my humble opinion, anyone who considers himself a Beach Boys fan needs to own, besides the hits, at least Pet Sounds, Smile (in any form), Friends and Sunflower. I always liked the familiar stuff (the 50 Big Ones material), but it wasn't until I heard those albums that I started thinking: wait, now it's really getting interesting... So many incredible gems on those albums that you won't hear on a lot of compilations, if any.

Anyway, do yourself a huge favor and don't spend your money on the Gershwin and Disney albums yet. Those are nice enough but not that relevant. Get the albums I just mentioned, then get everything else they released until 1974 (plus Love You), and then you can start thinking about Gershwin and Disney.

Just a suggestion: try again, but now at night, in the dark, with headphones on. That should do the trick.  :)

As a long time fan, I was recently knocked out, once again, by these guys when I took several hours cleaning and redecorating my house while listening to the entire Made In California box.....every disc, every song, in order from beginning to end.   I recommend this (not necessarily the cleaning part) to anyone who has yet to do it.   The pace and sequencing, the scope of the music over the years, makes for quite an experience.

Does it matter what headphones I'm using?  I don't have any that I would consider high quality.

I definitely plan to do that!

Yeah I don't think I'm ready for Love You just yet.  :tiptoe

Yup, as I said before, I love discovering the rare gems on YouTube.  I'm not looking forward to the day when I've finally heard every released Beach Boys song known to man lol.

Is Endless Summer Quarterly a must have?  And is the $30 for year's worth of issues?

IMO, yes, and yes, for four issues if you live in the U.S. The most recent issue includes an early glimpse into Craig's sessionography :thumbsup

I had Pet Sounds for about 9 years, and listened to it once in a while, before I "got" it. There were 3, maybe 4, good songs, and the rest were just OK. I didn't "get" it until after I had really gotten in TSS in spring of 2012. Sometimes you have to listen to some other stuff before you figure out why a certain work is particularly good.

.

I didn't get Pet Sounds for a while after buying it either. I was a kid and while I appreciated the fact that the songs were deep and orchestral I wanted the rocking summer themes of the earlier hits and 15BOs.  Then my girl dumped me and Pet Sounds told me everything was okay!

Agree you should listen to it in darkness, either with headphones or the volume cranked up (not too loud though). Dig it in mono first with your heart, then pull it apart in stereo with your head, to get inside Brian's.

You're welcome to borrow my Seinheiser 'phones.

As for listening to MiC from end to end while cleaning, you're welcome to use my Seinheisers for that too. You can start in the kitchen - that's always filthy - and work your way through to the bathroom which is disgusting.

I'd add Today! to Shelter's list of must-have albums.

I don't know what C-Kid needs, but I absolutely prefer the pre-Friends albums in mono. I remember when about 8 years ago a kind soul sent me mp3 needledrops of the mono albums, and I listened to Shut Down Vol.2, which I until then thought was a minor effort of Brian's, but listening to the mono version I thought "God, what a beautiful album!"

Endless Summer Quarterly [ESQ] is essentially $7.50 an issue with a one year subscription.  Since the individual issue are sold @ $10 each, it makes sense to subscribe (as opposed to paying individual prices).  More than ever — as we enter into a VERY interesting period in Beach Boys history — ESQ will be worthwhile (with the 50th anniversaries of Concert, Christmas, Today, Summer Days, Party, Pet Sounds, Smile [period], Wild Honey, etc., in the coming years). 

Each issue offers:
•  exclusive interviews
•  previously unpublished images
•  48 pages of BB-related content
•  access to all members of the group

Over the last few years it has been a really cool to be around Mike, Bruce, David, Al and Brian.  It is sooooo cool to hear them wax nostalgic about these songs and albums that (on some level) have defined my life.  I don't have a favorite camp, as there were no camps when the music was being created in the beginning.  When I fell in love with The Beach Boys sound in 1979 / 1980 all I knew was the music, and that's what drives the spirit of every issue of ESQ. 

The best thing about ESQ is no one is trying to re-write history.  In fact, over the last several years they kind of rely on me to fill in the gaps of their memories…considering that this stuff happened over 50 years ago.  The great thing about that is the great research provided by Jon Stebbins, Ian Rusten and Domenic Priore in various books (in addition to information, etc., as provided by David leaf, Peter Reum, Craig Slowinski, AGD, etc.).  There are a lot of great books out there, and it is ESQ's mission to create companion pieces to those that already exist.

For example:  The Summer 2014 edition of ESQ celebrates the All Summer Long, Ride The Wild Surf and little Old Lady From Pasadena albums.  The idea is to put these albums on while you are reading.  Since we all already have the records, these are essentially "collectible books" to accompany those albums.  Thanks to Craig Slowinski's sessionography on the All Summer Long album (accompanying) Mike's interview we are all more informed.

With the Internet, we are not able to "break any story," but we do have plenty of exclusives.  In the Spring 2014 edition of ESQ I interviewed Joe Thomas about the song "Sail Away" from Brian's upcoming solo / duets album.  Brian even submitted a lyric passage.  I ran the interview (w/out lyrics) on Brian's birthday on Beach Boys Examiner over two and half months after the segment ran in ESQ.  All the interviews are new and exclusive.  There may be context that is repeated, but the goal in every issue is to provide the reader with an insightful / valuable firsthand reading experience.  For the record: All surviving members are invited every issue to comment on the current edition topic.  Schedules often dictate those decisions.   

ESQ is a two-man operation.  I do all the fun creative stuff (interviews, layout, design, formatting, etc.), and Lee Dempsey maintains the database and mails out individual issues.  I handle the quarterly mailings.  It is ESQ's mission to provide the reader with direct access to the Beach Boys (and Dean), and you will get that in every issue.  Maybe, with a little help from this board, we can convince Lee — in what ever little bit of free time that he has — to write (again) in ESQ. 

Here are a few links:
http://www.esquarterly.com/merchandise.html#top
http://www.esquarterly.com/order.html
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.456655387486.254920.183982922486&type=1

   

  If I PM my address, can you mail them to me?

Pet Sounds is an amazing album.  It took me four years to wrap my mind around it, but when it hit me there was no looking back.

They're available at BeachTorrent

Way back in the mid-90's when I just started getting into the band, I picked up a few greatest hits compilations, and even admitted to enjoying their most recent studio album at the time, Summer In Paradise (No really.  Scout's honor.).  Then for Christmas I received the 30th Anniversary box set, and I became a diehard fan.  

But I want to use YOUR phones!  And Since I'm not at/near your crib, it'd be easier if you just mailed them to me....

It's interesting to me how Pet Sounds does not appear to be an album that instantly appeals to people.  I remember not thinking all that much of it when I first listened to it.  I've also had friends listen to it and didn't get anything out of it.  Whereas there are a number of other classic albums that people immediately enjoy, this one has always been a grower.

Really?  I see this posted here alot. definitely can be a "grower"  I'm certain
All I can remember, and yes it's been a LONG time, is loving this album from the first time I l heard it.

Bgas, how did your collection begin?

Hmm, Good question.  Built on the base of some early LP buys, I suppose, and the quest to have more!  The desire to have as much "stuff" as I could find from the band I loved more than any other.
 I remember having 1 or 2 of the early LPs as my own( not my brothers) having Pet Sounds (enjoying lots of other bands also), and once I could Drive!!  finding BBs records in many little stores/ buying as many copies as I could afford, thinking one day I'd own them all( delusional  : every copy of every record) 
Funny, I have this "memory" of seeing an LP " Play Along with the BBs" in a store, but not having the $$ to buy it. Returning later (  a week? two?)the Lp no longer being there.  problem being my "picture" of the LP nothing at all like SOT, but more along the lines of the "BTTYS" Reissue LP cover...  Oh well. what else is a mind for? 

 Is that the answer?

At what stage did you click up to buying the non-store stuff, ie, test pressings and accetates?

You should have your own ask the honoured guest page, ya know.

I think some of you may be misunderstanding what I'm saying when I say I don't "get" Pet Sounds yet.  I recognize the greatness of it, but listening to it all at once didn't make it seem any better for me.  Maybe listening to it in the dark with my headphones will change that as some of you said. 

Also on the mono vs stereo issue, I never really thought anything of it until coming here.  Could someone give me some links of a mono and stereo recording of a song an tell me what to look for?

  It wasn't until I started seeing collector's ad sheets and Goldmine mag( 1974) That everything broke open! That's when I started trading mails( the snail kind) with other BBs collectors around the USA. Earliest ones I can find  were from a Kevin Arnold in San Antonio. (Wonder whatever happened with him and his collection....  )

I'm thinking I got my first test press from one of the WB sales guys here( St Louis MO) in 76-77( I'm fuzzy on this)  They were pretty good about getting me BBs records once they knew that's all I wanted.
Funny, I remember that when their new releases would come in, most of the boxes of the last month's promos would hit the dumpster. I remember digging thru once and giving up, because there were hundreds of boxes of 45s out there... (Maybe it was only every couple of months)

 I think I've posted previously about buying my Red/yellow vinyl Kenny & the Cadets from Derek Bill ( Still missing him!) in what I thought was 73-74; just found the winning auction notice from his August 19th 1978 listing.  
 

The BBs collector circuit back in the day seemed to have a great group of guys.

Bgas, is your entire collection indexed? How much storage space does it occupy?  And what's the Holy Grail for you in terms of still-outstanding in the collection?

Not all indexed, every time I think about it, I look around and say "Forget It!  too much time"    
As for space, not all that much, it's mostly all in one 14 X 16 feet room, part of my mancave; I don't have most of it "displayed" tho. some on shelves, some in files, posters are mostly rolled in a storage box  

Ahh the grail!  Thats a tough one; I'd of course KILL to actually find that (postulated)full poster with the Smile cover as a portion, but of the items that I keep on my search list I'd venture one of two, neither of which do I think I'll ever see:  
 
A bag of BBs Party Potato Chips  ( as I've stated before: if these were actually made, why has nobody ever seen ANY? )  

The BBs Deluxe 3 Pack set on 8 Track tape  ( capitol 8X3T-359) in the original box.  ( I have the cassettes, there have been other cassette sets sold, Beatles sets (both)are known to exist but other than a Billboard mag ad, there's never been any physical evidence of a BBs 8 Track set)  



Now if someone here/anywhere has  one of the Glen Campbell "Guess I'm Dumb" pencils, I'd love to be able to hold one....

Blimey… a Glen Campbell pencil? I guessed the chips would be high on that list but never even heard of the pencil. Anything you wouldn't collect? Would a pair of "Going Public" oven gloves have any attraction*?







* made them up as a figurative example.

Well ya know, I really stopped collecting their CDs some years back, and I don't collect backstage passes, and while I bought a bunch of packs and several boxes of the Panini cards I'm not actually searching all of them;   I once had my sights set on getting every magazine, but it's along with the non-USA 45s/EPs/LPs it's just something that I forced myself to "get over" as there are just TOO many....    
  Going Public Oven Gloves, tho, That could be cool! Maybe they come with residue from Bruce's kitchen?    I'm certain if they were out there Jim Burke in Australia would just HAVE to have them!!  ( I think he may have the best collection of their shirts/hats/ whatever there is along those lines)  
 which is to say, SURE , there are lots of items I don't have my sights on !!   Gotta love those CD Trader guys tho....  
  I know I posted a pic (I found somewhere) of the  I like to believe it's legitimate and somewhere there really are a few examples in some DJs collections....  



All of which means I'll probably be collecting in this lifetime AND the next !!  

Many thanks Bgas! One more question if that's okay - is there any one (non-bootleg) track you're still seeking - any format, whether test pressing, DJ-only sampler, record company reps' promo, in-house comp etc etc etc.

The collection has begun!  I got it for a steal (IMO) at $1.81 and it plays very well.

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/10678734_756126214443479_9117475163847540656_n.jpg?oh=f8146e10e0d43679c4d989c33ef35c94&oe=54C8D280&__gda__=1422368561_4c6ebc237045b46e6d2d7680e6a4289d)

Surfin' USA
Pet Sounds
Love You
L.A. Light Album

Barest essentials:

Surfer Girl
All Summer Long
Concert !
Today !
Summer Days...
Pet Sounds
The Smile Sessions (2CD version)
Wild Honey
Friends
Sunflower
Surf's Up
Holland
Love You
TWGMTR
50 Big Ones (to fill in the gaping holes !)