The Smiley Smile Message Board

Discuss, review and rate Ten Years Of Harmony, released November 1981.

(http://www.smileysmile.net/images/albums/tyoh.gif)

Decent overview of the Reprise/Caribou years. Fills in all the holes, and even has some surprises. Sea Cruise can be dealt with under pressure.

The only 70's version of "Surf's Up" without the background noise at the end.
Even the 1st "remastered" Caribou CD had the background stuff. I wrote Caribou
a nasty note and complained about the CD price and took it back (what an idiot!).

Some of the songs selected are far from ' best of'.  Pity, because some of the others are amongst the best in the business.

At the time, it introduced me to a lot of stuff I was unfamiliar with- Beautiful Day is great. Sea Cruise- needs a mess of help to stand alone.

A decent overview, but so many gems are not included.  A remastered and expanded (to fill up both discs un-like the LP era time limit) could make a rerelease a great buy

I just scored a UK copy on CD for only $4 (if you can believe that!).  I can confirm AGD's notes (as if I needed to) for the US collectors -- the single versions of the key songs are on the UK CD, as opposed to the US CD which used the album versions.

AGD, what label was this?  I can't see it on the CD label clearly.  Was it another graphic for Caribou?  And is it just me or was this a cheap attempt to get the original notes into the book?  Still nice to have this version around.  Now I just need the UK version of Summer In Paradise (though I won't be looking all THAT hard....).

Look a bit hard, it's a lot better than the American version.

That's not saying much.  The only reason I would care is I love Roger McGuinn.

I just have to say -- River Song is a work of genius.  Can't live without it, I think.

worth it aswell for the gatefold sleeve photo,

Good comp on vinyl that had the 45 mixes. Criminally short on Dennis' stuff. Not one comp gives him enough space.

I agree. He is without doubt the most under-rated member of the band. I like this collection (I own the UK version on CD) because it has the different mix of Come Go With Me etc.. as well as the only place that I own River Song on Cd (though I do have POB on vinyl) Its A Beautiful Day is fantastic aswell and Sea Cruise isnt great but still nice to have.

I mean when I read an interview with Brad Elliot when they did the Brother Years best of I wanted to hit him when he said Dennis stuff wasn't commerical enough to include. Without his stuff the so called Brother Years would not have been half as interesting.

i got this on vinyl a little while ago, it's cool to hear san miguel on vinyl

I've got the vinyl too. It's a well done summation of the 70's period with a good balance of singles, album cuts and rarities.

Odd that the one Dennis song included is from POB, instead of the many great tracks he did with the group. Certainly they could've dumped She's Got Rhythm or Woncha Come Out Tonight in favor of Slip On Through, Cuddle Up, or Forever.

Amen, brother!  Dennis still doesn't get the respect he deserves as a performer and songwriter.  It's almost criminal in how his work has been neglected.  I've heard several times that there is a lot of his songs in the can that have never seen the light of day.  My biggest hope is that we get to hear Wouldn't It Be Nice to Live Again sometime soon!  I've only heard the great cover but to believe that various parties cut that track and 4th of July off of Surf's Up is criminal.  There had to be so much jealousy leveled towards Dennis as he developed.  The story of the band giving him an ultimatum of quiting his solo career or quiting the group is really sad (and sadly typical of the history of the group).

This Comp was also my introdution to It's a Beautiful Day, Sea Cruise, She's Got Rhythm, River Song and some of the other Caribou era tunes.

For the life of me, I canNOT understand how It's a Beautiful Day failed to get to #1.  God what a great tune!

and... continuing on

This was a great comp for me at the time, learning about the Boys' Caribou/Brother years.

The live version of Darlin' is just DY-NO-MITE!  Jaw drops, rolls down the hall.

The Trader, Don't Go Near the Water, Feel Flows, Long Promised Road, Till I Die, JEEZ this comp is marvelous.  It was my entry into exploring all the rest of the BB's catalog.

I actually was not a BB's fan until the late 90's (my loss I know) but as I delved into this comp, I wondered, and I still wonder  why the Boys did not have more "chart success" with the Brother records.  I just can't wrap my head around how Sunflower got ONLY to #151.  THAT album is every bit as good as Abbey Road.  C'mon.

What songs on here are different mixes than the album they were released on?

Not a bad album at all. Worth getting if you're a collector for the few tracks that are only available here.
Track listing could have been a little better though.
I wonder if we'll ever see a 70's dominated Beach Boys compilation again?
4 out of 5.

Well, they did in 2000:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greatest_Hits_Volume_Three:_Best_of_the_Brother_Years_1970%E2%80%931986

I bought this mostly for the cover art and "Sea Cruise", which is one of my favorite lead vocals by Dennis.

Biggest flaw is its lack of Love You material (aside from "Roller Skating Child") and the album probably would've been a great opportunity to release "WIBNTLA".

Oh yeah, I forgot about that. But other than that one compilation, there really hasn't been any 70's Beach Boys compilation since this one, as all the focus is on the pre-Pet Sounds material. It's a shame, really

Ten Years of Beards

5/5  I know there is stuff that should be  on here that isn't but still I find this to be an excellent compilation.. Shouldn't have been deleted either.. A favorite for my car.

So, just to clarify:
A: Only the EU version has the Single Mixes, and only the US version has the alternate Come Go With Me? I picked up the EU CD yesterday (for £6!) and this was the case.
B: Single versions included:
         1) California Saga/California
         2) It's OK
         3) Rock 'n' Roll Music
         4) Cool, Cool Water
C: Plus the exclusive Sea Cruise
D: It also apparently includes "Long Promised Rad" on the EU CD. Hmmmm.

But yes, swap out School Day with another Love You track and I'm down with this compilation.

I made my own version of this album, with the long versions of Cool, Cool Water and the complete California Saga. Eliminated a few of the lesser tracks - She's Got Rhythm, Woncha Come Out Tonight, Dierdre.

Put this on again tonight, some of these songs sound better in this context than on the original albums. A pretty good blend of the commercial (Rock & Roll Music, Good Timin', Sail On Sailor) and the artistic (Long Promised Road, Feel Flows, River Song) material.

Right on! :) I got my vinyl copy only recently, had never owned it on a physical medium - and I kept blasting it all through the weekend. A fluent compilation of great semi-forgotten or under-appreciated tracks. It even has "It's A Beautiful Day"!  :rock

Definitely one of the highlights of this album. I tried to watch the movie it's from on late night tv, but it put me to sleep.

a brilliant compilation, that should still be in print.  It's the best 'other' side of the
greatest hits, best of compilation albums out there that every general listening
public should hear.