The Smiley Smile Message Board

Are unappreciative of music in general and when asked what they do listen to its always somethin AWFUL, anyone notice this?

no

I know quite some people who are very seriously into good quality music, but who don't care for The Beach Boys at all because it's just too soft and sweet for their taste. And that's perfectly fine. Different strokes for different folks.

Steeping slightly sideways from the original question, I'm convinced that there's a fairly large number of people who listen to - or claim to listen to - certain artists & genres not because they actually like them but because they're currently hip to appreciate/name drop.

It's the only plausible explanation for some musically dire bands having any following at all.

No.

I also think that people who don't like the bbs may not be aware of their varied catalog. If all you know of them is long tall Texan and little deuce coupe it might be understandable. Even I switch the station when those come on

No, why would you assume that? The Beach Boys are not the be-all end-all of popular music.

I think there are people who are aware of the varied catalog bus still don't care for it. I'll take an uncle on mine as an example. He's seriously into music (mostly blues, folk and classic rock), he used to own an awful lot of records and he gave the Beach Boys enough of a chance to find out that he in fact does like the Holland album quite a bit. But he's not into the other stuff at all. It's just not his style. And I get that.

There's a whole lot of music that I do recognize as brilliant, but that I still don't really care for personally. The Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Jimi Hendrix: I own their most important albums, I tried to get into them, I think I understand why other people like them so much, but it's simply not my cup of tea. Same with pretty much the entire blues and jazz genres. So how could I "blame" any serious music lover for not being able to "get" The Beach Boys?

See, you're on the wrong board.....

There are two kinds of music fans in this world:

1.Social (they tend to listen to whatever is hot at the time and is common among teens. But also people that just want music to dance to no matter how simple and cheesey. It doesn't make a difference to them if there's a watered down remake version of a track because the hook is still there)

2. Invested ( They appreciate good arrangements and music that touches the soul. They listen to what they like and moves them emotionally and don't care if it's a hit or cool. )

I don't think it's fair to say that they are number 1 if they don't care for the Beach Boys. In fact, many Beach Boys fans are in the social category. They like the hits, and they go to BB concerts wearing Hawaiian shirts and a beach ball. They take their restroom break when a song like All This is That is performed. Which if that's what they want to do, to each their own.

But I agree that music fans aren't aware of the BBs deeper cuts. A lot of them become fans when they do. Some don't. Because they are stupid f***king morons!!! Ha ha just Kidding.

You ought to swap it back because whatever's on the other channel is likely worse.  You're missing some good sh*t.  Little Deuce Coupe makes your sh*t list?  Really?  WTF is wrong with you?

I agree with Ian. LDC might be one of the worst big hits by the Beach Boys. However, I'm not sure how many people immediately think of Long Tall Texan.

Most people think of Fun, Fun, Fun , Kokamo and Full House because they are f***king morons!!  :banana

I have to question your entire musical taste, then.  Also I'll bet you're into fat chicks. 

I have found that once certain people have decided they don't like a band - be it the Beach Boys or otherwise - they'll automatically dismiss their music almost out of habit. I've a friend who's very into his music - albeit one of those who owns one album by every bloody artist rather than being really into anyone in particular - and he just will not give the BB's a chance. He says 'it's not my thing'. I recently put on Feel Flows and said 'see what you think' and he was pulling a face like i'd wiped sh*t under his nose literally within ten seconds of the song starting, yet he likes experimental bands, psychadelia, '70's music, etc. It's just become 'it's the BB's, I don't like it'. I imagine my going on endlessly about how wrong he is probably doesn't help... 

I have seen some discerning music people turned off by the insecurity of hardcore Beach Boys fans. This certainly included me as I was for whatever psychological reasons very attached to the narrative that the band were misunderstood, under-appreciated and definitely better than whatever other more critically and publicly adored outfit. The thing is I don't think that's at all true. They are appreciated very much so by a lot of people. That a person might prefer other stuff or might not end up listening to Love You on repeat for weeks on end doesn't mean they don't realize that The Beach Boys did some great stuff. I think there is a conflict that sometimes runs through being a Beach Boys fan: being pleased by the notion that your full appreciation of the music marks you as a singularly inspired human being, while being slightly desperate to prove to the world that you are not a freak show loon for listening to M.I.U. I think this creative insecurity ran through Brian Wilson and the band at different times in their career - for much of it - and accounts for a good portion of why it was so hard for them to commit to one approach or another. Had Brian Wilson been as certain in his work as John Lennon was in his, the audience would have followed along with him far more than they did. Hell we are about the biggest fans of the music he did and there is still a pervading attitude that a fan mix could somehow represent his intentions better than his actual intentions.  

THIS x1 million.

What is even more frustrating is when speaking of certain artists when asked their musical influences/preferences, they will name drop a "given popular band" that everyone would be aware of and maybe one of their most popular songs and yet fail to tell the audience anything significant about the band that supposedly was such an influence on their personal life and professional career.  Add to the fact that they rarely get called on this because the person interviewing them knows that if they do get into a confrontational situation with the artist they are interviewing, they likely won't get another interview.

Who cares? Chacun a son goût! (Yes, <<a>> needs an accent!) means "each to his own taste." and I can't figure out on the ipad how to add it!

Andrew has a point about looking "cool" by listening to certain contemporary music.  Fakers aren't cool.

Good that those of similar tastes can discuss this music, that wasn't often considered "cool" during certain eras.  Some remained steadfast in their belief that this music would withstand the test of time.  As long as I have the freedom to listen to what I want, others are free to do the same.  I love running a string of YouTube C50 intros of "Do It Again," to make my morning Joe. 

Bonaroo is one of my favorites, seeing all those kids rockin' out to our (my) summer of 1968!  ;)

Dial it down a bit, Ron. That's not cool at all. Consider that a warning.

I agree with a lot of what you're saying here, particularly your point about "the insecurity of hardcore Beach Boys fans." Of course, it's not true of every hardcore fan, but there's certainly of strain of insecurity that's glaring at times. On Beatles message boards you almost never see people comparing the Beatles to another band to highlight how much better the Beatles are than band X.

What's wrong with being into fat chicks? ;)

The post from Ron crossed the line, personal insults or attacks are not allowed here. Again, consider it a warning.

And LDC is a great song

No. I know lots of people who listen to some great music but don't care for the Beach Boys. And to someone else's point, there's definitely music that others consider great that I don't care for. The BBs have a varied catalog, but there's NOT something for everyone. Some people like hardcore guitar stuff, for example. Some people aren't into all the harmonies, or maybe the particular blend of the BBs' voices.

Yes, there are many people who claim they don't like the BBs but really just haven't given them a chance. But there are also people who just don't really like that sound.

BTW, there are people who claim they don't like the Beatles, too. And the response is often, "Oh, that person is just being contrarian" because who could dislike the Beatles? Well, maybe some people legitimately do.

I'm insanely into The Beach Boys but you would have gotten the same result with me... ::)

Did you ever manage to sneak a Beach Boys song onto him without him knowing it's The Beach Boys?

I was only joking. I was hoping the emoticon would convey that. I understood what you were doing.

I'll tell you, 9 time out of 10, when pre-40's people find out that my favorite band is the Beach Boys, they look at me like I have a third eye and they usually shake their heads. These youngins don't like that clean four part harmony singing.

I like LDC better than 409... but I have noticed that people who I have known who don't like them they don't like them because they call them "Surfing music"... I don't think they realize that they are more than just a surfing band..it's like the movie "American Graffiti" where they are listening to the Beach Boys in the car and the dude turns it off saying that he doesn't like "Surfing s#it" I think there are people with that same attitude like it's a lower form of music to them or something..I have an uncle who thinks they are a surfing band and once commented on how they aren't any different from the other surfing bands and that he doesn't like surf music.. so I think it's a matter of people not understanding their music..

I've also heard the opposite. I know of people who don't like anything from Pet Sounds forward because they feel "the Beach Boys were just copying The Beatles" or they were trying to be artsy fartsy. In a weird way, that's retroactively affected the early stuff for them too ("they didn't even surf!!") and their entire career is dismissed as a fraud or something. That's bizarre but that mindset is out there.

With a career as long and varied as The Beach Boys there are bound to be parts of it that are annoying to people.

I remember playing "That's Why God Made The Radio" for my boss (a baby boomer with a Beatles fixation) and he laughed me out of the office. "You think that crap is actually good?" he asked.

I've also heard from more than one person that their "high voices" are a big turn off. For me (and presumably us) Brian's falsetto is a thing of beauty. For these other people it's a nails on a chalkboard.

Pretty much everyone agrees that Al sounds great after all thee years, however. 

Honestly, I don't get into debates on musical taste. Or the types of women we are into. Also, I hope it is understood that me calling people f***king morons was a joke. I said as much on the post. But I will dial down my jokes as well.

I just always figured that a lot of people are tone death.  It really explains why a lot of music is popular.

You're right about this in part.   there are two types of music fans.  those who like Neil Diamond, and those who don't.  ;)

No.

??

Music is a highly personal and subjective experience. There's no wrong or right. I go with what resonates with my spirit, ignore those who don't understand, and don't make it my mission to convert them.

Damn, didn't see blind devotion among the board rules. I'm primarily a music fan, the Beach Boys just happen to be one of my very favourite bands (on many days my absolute favourite). But there's a lot of music out there and many listeners, I wouldn't expect everybody to agree with me nor would I think any less of their musical tastes if they didn't.

I think theres a lot of confusion here...any and every REAL music zealot as an appreciation for the BBs to some extent, seriously. Its VERY rare to find someone who claims to be into music that doesnt dig em. Theres a lotta charlatans out there, many dolts as far as the eye can see!

I see where you are coming from but disagree. It really is subjective and if people don't get Brian and the Beach Boys, so be it. Three huge names that bore me to death.... Hendrix, Dylan, Springsteen. Hendrix was a great guitarist but I can't stand his singing, Dylan a great poet but I cant stand his singing, Springsteen I just can't stand anything about.

Not to be unkind but I think zealot is the appropriate word here.

There is an almost unbelievable amount of good things to experience in music and obsessions follow in all genres and styles. When I realized for instance that Classical music offered way more of the involved and sophisticated musical ideas than I could handle I stopped believing that the reason some people didn't like Pet Sounds or Smile is because it was too advanced. It is a small, small fraction of what people have done in music. That I could jaw about Pet Sounds without anywhere near the musical knowledge that discussing Debussy required was also a big plus. As much as I love a lot of Jazz, my lack of ability to truly understand the fundamental creative things happening also means I am less comfortable arguing this or that about Know What I Mean than anything with an easily identifiable cultural hook.

It isn't all relative of course. There is a unique emotional and aesthetic quality to Pet Sounds and to the time in which it originated. This is not about higher or lower or whatever else and if it IS a higher or lower, more or less sophisticated argument then the best of BW is well below anything done by those who did that classical stuff. This idea that BW or the BBs are these way in front musical geniuses, ignored by masses without the brain power to understand their sophisticated work is unfortunate and phony as all hell. They worked in a genre and they did good things in that genre. They did great pop music that was above and beyond a lot of pop music. They weren't the most versatile and they weren't the most innovative musicians to ever live but that is OK. Inside of their framework they did a lot of beautiful, brilliant things. To open up to the idea that there are people in a genre you cant stand who think you are CRAZY because you don't appreciate that a leader in that style has done meaningful things  is to become aware that being the sole voice of reason is only fun for so long. There are a lot of things to love and become obsessed about.

In my opinion Brian often dealt with the finer points of music which  sometimes resulted in staggeringly minimalistic music or music that dealt with some very subtle elements or music that was simply too sophisticated for the average ear. What blows my mind is that a lot of people have just the opposite viewpoint of Brian which is a result of not really sitting down to absorb the music properly or an inability to do so.

Beatnickle I concur...it just.boggles.my mind how anyone could undermine ANY BBs effort from 63 to 73 cuz even tho there were other great groups NONE of em even came close, in that time frame.EVERY BBs album was solid, and no other group had that consistency...and the 8 or 10 orig beatles.albums from 64 to 69 werent perfect yet some claim they were...