The Smiley Smile Message Board

Long time lurker new time joiner :).  Let's start with some controversial or not points about how I feel about the Beach Boys

1. Carl was by far the best singer in the band just as how Dennis was the worst by far
2. Pet Sounds is a far better album than SMILE
3. Holland is vastly overrated as an album while Love You is genius
4. Mike Love's solo albums do contain some good moments and are not nearly as bad as people make out
5. Brian is completely responsible for SMILE not being completed
6. SMILE would be a critical favorite but would take decades to go platinum
7. Brian would be far healthier today had he quit the Beach Boys and gone solo in 1966/67
8. The Beach Boys would be just as successful if Mike Love never wrote any lyrics
9. Most of the problems between Mike and Brian were actually caused by Brian
10. Mike Love would have had zero success and be a complete unknown without Brian

Welcome to the board...I disagree with most of what you posted but welcome anyway 8) :lol

I'll play:

1. Carl was by far the best singer in the band just as how Dennis was the worst by far - No
2. Pet Sounds is a far better album than SMILE - mmmmmmaybe I dunno that's a tough one. I guess if I had to choose one for the desert island, I'd take Pet Sounds over Smile... right now. Ask me that tomorrow and I might change my mind.
3. Holland is vastly overrated as an album while Love You is genius - Holland not overrated, but yes, Love You IS genius
4. Mike Love's solo albums do contain some good moments and are not nearly as bad as people make out - there's something good in everything, LOL
5. Brian is completely responsible for SMILE not being completed - No No No
6. SMILE would be a critical favorite but would take decades to go platinum - you mean had it been released in 1967? I could maybe get on board with that.
7. Brian would be far healthier today had he quit the Beach Boys and gone solo in 1966/67 - interesting... but no. External pressures played a role but he had internal stuff going on that would have happened regardless. I think as much as they disagreed about things as a band, they supported him and if he went alone he wouldn't have had that support.
8. The Beach Boys would be just as successful if Mike Love never wrote any lyrics - doubt it. Mike's contributions are important to the band. I don't think he's as great a lyricist as he thinks he is, but especially in the early years, he helped create some hits.
9. Most of the problems between Mike and Brian were actually caused by Brian - f*ck no
10. Mike Love would have had zero success and be a complete unknown without Brian - I'm more yes than no on this one, but I can't even imagine a timeline in the universe where Brian doesn't include Mike in his musical endeavours at some point.

Ha, that was fun :-D and welcome.

I'll agree that Carl was the best singer in the band, but as to your second point.... no. Just no.

Listen to Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again and come back.

Welcome, MM! I'll bite:
1. Carl was the best singer in the band, but not by far. The Beach Boys had no "worst" singer. That's heresy! :)
2. There is only one thing in the world of pop music better than Pet Sounds. It's called SMILE.
3. Holland is actually UNDERrated, like all BB albums after Pet Sounds and up to Love You included. Yes, Love You is genius, as Adult Child would have been (sigh).
4. Yes, Mike's solo albums have a few moments.
5. Brian is responsible for SMILE not being completed only because he had to shelf it to survive. The real responsibility is shared by many people. Whatever his fans may say, "Don't f... with the formula" Mike IS one of them (though not the only one).
6. SMILE would be a critical favorite but would take decades to go platinum? Who knows, on both halves of the sentence. Sometimes critics are clueless jerks. Sometimes Joe Public is. Sometimes neither. Sometimes both.
7. Brian would be far healthier today had he quit the Beach Boys and gone solo in 1966/67? Who knows?
8. Yes, the Beach Boys would be just as successful if Mike never wrote any lyrics. He wrote some good/very appropriate lyrics, but others could have done that (and actually, others did in many cases). What really sold those songs was the music, and the singing.
9. NO, the problems between Mike and Brian were, and are, 99% caused by Mike.
10. Yes, Mike Love would have had zero success and be a complete unknown without Brian. This is what both he and his fans should always remember. On the other hand, he'd probably be rich all the same, as he is a great worker with a real instinct for money. He'd have still sued family and friends, with varying outcomes. ;D