Hello everyone, hope this finds you well. One or two of you might remember that I started writing a series of articles (to coincide with the SMiLE Sessions release) titled Ten Underappreciated Beach Boys albums, which mostly just sparked a semantics debate as to the precise definition of 'underappreciated'.

Anyway, I only got up to 5, so to go with That's Why God Made the Radio I've done the rest and bundled them together with reviews of TWGMTR and SMiLE as what I suppose you could call (and we are indeed calling) Beach Boys Month on Rocksucker!

On the off chance one or two of you might be interested, here is a list of links to all of the articles in question:

http://jonnyabrams.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/its-beach-boys-month-on-rocksucker.html

All the best,
Jonny
Rocksucker.co.uk

Thanks for the message, fdp. I completely agree about historical context being intrinsically linked with any music - it can't help but seep into the appreciation one way or another, helps you to look past facets that are a bit dated, emphasizes others as being 'ahead of their its time' and therefore that much more dazzling. It's something I've always wandered about with music, even from a much younger age when I used to treat it with suspicion.

That's perhaps not what you meant - just thinking aloud But I appreciate your comments, and shall endeavour to do a little more digging. I will say that each of my remaining 'underappreciated' selections is liable to attract howls of derision...

5. Smiley Smile...

http://jonnyabrams.blogspot.com/2012/01/ten-underappreciated-beach-boys-lps.html

Happy new year everyone

Don't feel bad, RS.  It wasn't till my 50's that I FINALLY got into Sunflower and Surf's Up.    OOF!

Each to their own, eh How long had they sat with you before they clicked? It has to be the sign of a great band, when so many different albums/songs change so many people's lives at so many different times.

I happen to quite like Maxwell's Silver Hammer

wow! you're one of the very few that does like it.

I like it all right too.  It's just a catchy little, fairly inconsequential ditty - but so what?  It's silly, stupid fun.  Nothing wrong with that really.  I think part of the stigma of it is that it's McCartney.  If it were a Lennon song I bet people would be more approving.

I don't hate it but Abbey Road has better songs.

Thanks for clearing that one up

I wasn't worked up, and care very much what you and everyone think of me!

Most of my posts are meant to be light hearted and irreverent, but I did find lunarjetman's post mildly annoying, prompting me to reply.

Really, don't take me seriously,

I don't.

And to be honest, I don't take drugs anymore, few beers at the weekend, literally.

HOWEVER......

Listening to SMiLE on acid is the closest I've ever come to a spiritual experience. I'm always happy to discuss my experiences with LSD. Some positive but most negative. To say it is not a tool to unlocking immense creativity is a ridiculous and indefensible argument, which is what annoyed me about lunarjetman's post.

But I'm chill man. 

I've never actually listened to SMiLE on acid, and haven't taken it for a few years, but the few trips I did have definitely coloured the way I approach music in every sense. A few tokes tends to do the trick these days (not in terms of inducing rapture, I might add, just setting up a synaesthetic/technicolour listening experience!).

I documented my 'non-trip' trip here - http://jonnyabrams.blogspot.com/2011/11/albums-omonth-beach-boys-smile.html - God Only Knows what the lysergic SMiLE experience must be like!!

I bought Today! in vinyl at a record store in my hometown for 18 bucks, newly pressed and in mono.  I was really surprised to see it...it was sitting right next to a vinyl Pet Sounds!

@ the author, I love the blog by the way.  I feel bad for the harsh criticism you've gotten here, being sixteen and constantly struggling to convince my "musically oriented friends" to embrace the Beach Boys leads me to sympathize with your cause.  So many people my age, and into their twenties, who may even call themselves fans, simply know nothing of the beautiful albums the Beach Boys created.  It's really a shame some of the older members on this board jumped at you so quickly.  Personally, knowing your intention to inform the "outside" world of some of the Beach Boys work and exposing the modern record buying public to the music, I think your choices are great.  I'm looking forward to seeing Surf's Up, do you think you'll end up writing about that one?

Thanks Zach. It does seem unfair that these albums weren't 'canonised' in the way that, say, The Beatles' back catalogue has been (not that that didn't deserve to). Each album is quietly monumental in its own different way, none more so than Surf's Up which is indeed on the list. In fact I'd wager that most on here would be able to predict the remaining choices quite easily!

By the way, in a totally non-patronising way, well done for having such fine taste so young Think I'd have been closer to 18 when I first ventured past Pet Sounds and started listening to Sunflower/Surf's Up. I remember I was doing work experience at a book publishing company, photocopying, that kind of thing. The work was stultifying but the music makes that week strangely significant in retrospect (it's when I first started listening to Pixies as well).

This reminds me that I was likely switched onto Sunflower/Surf's Up after seeing them mentioned in conjunction with my favourite band at the time (and still one of them), Super Furry Animals. Anyone else here a fan?

You have to wonder what he was expecting. Being unimpressed is one thing, but I think it's wrong to judge anyone suffering from mental illness. People who haven't experienced it can't even begin to imagine what it's like, and it comes off as incredibly ignorant. I would no sooner mock someone with a physical handicap for not getting around as well as I do.

This is a salient point, insomuch as I've always had the feeling that it's not something that Wayne has a grasp of. I actually applaud Wayne for speaking his mind about people who he feels to be lacking in basic humility, but despite his 'freakiness' he comes across as a very well-balanced individual and I've got the impression with things he's said in the past that he doesn't quite understand that not everyone is as fortunate as he is in this respect.

It sounds like he probably suffered from clinical depression.

But instead of getting his condition treated medically, he turned to excessive drug abuse. This appears to have made things much worse and triggered further (and even more serious) mental health problems which eventually ruined his life. Because of his success, he could financially afford drugs and afford to live in a "bubble" away from the outside world. This would not have happened to an ordinary person. Its a miracle that he is still alive.

Undoubtedly, had he stayed away from drugs and sought medical help in 1967 he would have had a much better chance of leading a completely normal and mentally healthy life. I think we would have then seen his musical progression go beyond Pet Sounds / Good Vibrations / Smile and into an even more creative world.

Drugs destroyed his life, wasted his talents, and deprived you and me of even more brilliant music.

What utter sh*te

Obviously written by someone who a) isn't creative, and b) has never taken drugs.

Drugs were a symptom of his problems, and exasperated them without question, but the problems were there already.

The creative burst between that began with Today were completely inspired by psychoactive drugs. This and subsequent albums would not exist without them. How could his music go beyond a world it never would have reached?

How can you possibly listen to and experience SMiLE without a spliff in your hand? Short answer, you cannot.

Why don't you just go and put on your Grange Hill " Just Say NO" single, and leave the Beach Boys to those who appreciate them properly.

Interesting post, Iron Horse-Apples. I completely agree with the main thrust of your argument, but the way you presented it reflects so badly on you. I'm sure you don't care what I think and will be happy to tell me so, but if you can get so worked up about something like this then perhaps you ought to either find a new dealer or stop taking drugs altogether.

Wayne has sucked since Soft Bulletin.  Totally disappeared into his own schtick.  

His constant chatter charmed me at first but it does get a tad wearying after a while, especially at live shows and when he's banging out on about drugs/drug culture in interviews.

*However* the last couple of Flaming Lips albums (At War With the Mystics and Embryonic) have absolutely floored me, so I have no criticisms from a creative point of view. It might be the case that there continued excellence is more down to Steven Drozd but I'm prepared to give the benefit of the doubt.

"Kiss Me Baby” flaunts the xylophone and clacking percussion that would become so key to the Pet Sounds experience, but it is “She Knows Me Too Well” that truly sits alongside “Please Let Me Wonder” as the album’s melancholic highlight."

This is crazy to pick PLMW over KMB. KMB is better musically, it's stylistic, the "orchestration" is perfect, a stronger chorus, the back and forth between vocals and guitar.....it's more significant than PLMW.

It's taken a while to get there, but *this* is the kind of debate I was hoping for

My good man: I wouldn't say it was "crazy" to proffer an opinion, but then I see I did use the word "truly" so I guess we're quits! For what it's worth, I place SKMTW ahead of both of them, as I would "Let Him Run Wild" (I know it's not on the same album but, heck, it could have been).

Also disagree with KMB having a stronger chorus than PLMW. If anything, I feel that its chorus lets it down a touch, at least compared to the splendour of the "late late last night" breakdown.

Gotcha Dr BB.

Wow, pretty rude for just your third post. So, it's OK for you to write about and critique Beach Boys albums, but not OK to critique your blog?

Is it me, or are us Beach Boys fans a dysfunctional lot?  Whilst I don't see the logic in how some of the albums mentioned in this blog are exactly "under-appreciated", why must we get so worked up over this? 

But I'll have some fun with this: I think Summer In Paradise is a pretty under appreciated album.  Largely because it sucks. 

I think the confusion about "under appreciated" lies in the fact that maybe those albums are to the general public under 40 years old, but claiming they are under appreciated on a Beach Boys forum didn't make a lot of sense. The blog's author didn't take kindly to being critiqued, himself. I think when a person creates such a thing, they need to know their audience.

Author here. I don't mind the critique at all - there's been a lot on this thread and I've taken it on board - but I do take exception to discourtesy. Just to clarify, these articles are intended more for the general public/non-Beach Boys fans than for the people on here - it's pretty obvious that these albums aren't underappreciated by hardcore Beach Boys fans - but nonetheless I figured that some people might have got a kick out of reading about Beach Boys albums that aren't often written about beyond these realms. Perhaps I didn't do a good job of presenting it from that angle, but I'm going to keep writing them and posting them because I enjoy it and would love it if even one person who hadn't otherwise considered listening to these records did so upon my recommendation.

If you still take issue with this, then just ignore it. (I mean that in a friendly, non-snippy way by the way!) I like writing about bands and albums I love and thought others might enjoy reading them - that's about it. "Underappreciated Beach Boys albums" (by the world at large, as mentioned in the brief intro) does not mean "crap Beach Boys albums", to answer to one or two others, so expect to be exasperated by the remaining choices if this is how you see it

4. Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!)

http://jonnyabrams.blogspot.com/2011/12/ten-underappreciated-beach-boys-lps.html

Hello there, hope this finds all you denizens of this board good and well. I've just finished reviewing SMiLE (in isolation from The SMiLE Sessions as a whole, as that would take years), as I told myself I would but kept putting it off through a lack of ideas as to how to approach reviewing such a unique piece of music.

As such, I decided to take a bit of a different approach to it, seeing as the particulars of the whole SMiLE story have been ironed out how many thousands of times over elsewhere. So I thought I'd just listen to it and try to put into words where it 'takes' me. It ended up something of a psychedelic children's story a la Alice in Wonderland and Yellow Submarine - so, if you're an easily irked purist, or that kind of thing just sounds like it will bug the hell out of you, please avoid!

http://jonnyabrams.blogspot.com/2011/11/albums-omonth-beach-boys-smile.html

I'd be interested to know if SMiLE has a similar effect to anyone else on here. Maybe I'm just losing my mind.

All the best,
Jonny
Rocksucker.co.uk

The most under-appreciated Beach Boys album?  At this point, "Smiley Smile" ... I wonder what fate has in store for this record?

Disagree. I appreciate it

Stay tuned for Part four: Pet Sounds

Sorry, low blow but I was on your side until Today!

I qualified my stance in the intro with "underappreciated by the world at large". Maybe it's the talk of your town but I'd be amazed if all but maybe two or three people I've ever known know about Today! and how good it is, and do not do so upon my recommendation/insistence.

I post this genuinely in a non "snippy" way by the way I'm just very sure of my ground on this one and am more than happy to debate it. Today! is not, by the world at large, held in even a thousandth of the esteem that Pet Sounds - and SMiLE to an extent - is/are. If it was rereleased with bonus material etc tomorrow, there wouldn't be much fanfare beyond these message boards.

Happy to be proven wrong, mind.

Part three: Today!

http://jonnyabrams.blogspot.com/2011/11/ten-underappreciated-beach-boys-lps.html

"GRR ALL SUMMER LONG IS NOT OVERRATED IT HAS I GET AROUND DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY KIDS IN THE SIXTIES BOUGHT THE ALBUM JUST FOR THE SINGLE, LISTENED TO IT A FEW TIMES, AND THEN SOLD IT AT A GARAGE SALE THIRTY YEARS LATER"

I'll give you a bunch of fives, you rapscallion! *Puts 'em up, bounds about a bit, shuffles off quietly*

Easy to see why Q only gave TSS three stars - after all, it wasn't released by any of Coldplay, U2, Oasis or Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

Good old Q, eh?

I think a lot of people use the internet to take out their irritability on unimportant but easy targets.

Don't see it like that. Would you rather have insincere compliments, or honest opinions? I agree that some people can be a bit harsh on this forum sometimes, but in the end almost everyone is here just to share their knowledge and honest opinions. And if you're looking for people who have something to say about all things Beach Boys, you'll find some of the greatest experts and most loyal fans on the planet right on this forum. So just use that for your advantage.

Fair comment. And I'm delighted that Mr Stebbins has decided to base his latest tome on me

Anyway, here's part two of the series in case anyone's interested: All Summer Long...

http://jonnyabrams.blogspot.com/2011/10/ten-underappreciated-beach-boys-lps-all.html

We can continue this discussion for weeks, but this is really all there is to be said here:

I think the idea of highlighting Beach Boys favorites is always a good idea, and your presentation of the Surfer Girl LP seems genuine. But maybe the premise is actually "Ten Beach Boys LP's other than Smile and Pet Sounds that are good"...or "Ten Beach Boys LP's that people with only minor knowledge of the Beach Boys might under-appreciate"...or "Uninformed critics and modern fans who only acknowledge Pet Sounds and Smile when thinking of the Beach Boys should check some of their other albums out too...here's ten of them." Just a thought.

As I said earlier, none of those otherwise splendid suggestions will fit into a headline on the sidebar menu of a blog. "Underappreciated" was just a convenient umbrella term/shortcut to a snappier title and, to be honest, I wasn't expecting to be met head-on with extreme pedantry.

I think a lot of people use the internet to take out their irritability on unimportant but easy targets. I daresay I do as well.

@ Howie and rocksucke:

Different opinions allowed, conflicting opinions ditto. But both please calm down a bit. We've had enough hassle here lately, and I don't want another fuss for no important reason at all. No namecalling (even if the other one started first), and no remarks that could offend others.

Apologies SMiLE. I'll wind my neck in now.

[Surfer Girl - On the U.S. charts for 50 WEEKSSurfer Girl - 9th highest charting Beach Boys albumSurfer Girl - Ties for 4th highest rated Beach Boys LP in Rolling Stone Album GuideSurfer Girl - Appreciation rating 84%]

My reply (per Stebbins)...

Surfer Girl - On the U.S. charts for 50 WEEKS
Surfer Girl - 9th highest charting Beach Boys album
Surfer Girl - Ties for 4th highest rated Beach Boys LP in Rolling Stone Album Guide
Surfer Girl - Appreciation rating 84%

I don't know what else to say, 'Sucker.

Haha..."appreciation rating 84%"? Was that figure randomly generated by an arcade machine? Oh and I couldn't care less about Rolling Stone's opinion, or even if Surfer Girl was so beloved and successful at the time that aliens landed on Earth demanding to see the great Brian Wilson so that they could whisk him away for the Greatest Surf-Pop Album in the Universe awards ceremony before delivering back to his home planet through an intergalactic fleet of aircraft lined up in a Guard of Honour formation.

These days - ie. now, the present, the world we currently live in - Surfer Girl is never even considered for 'Greatest Albums Ever' lists beyond the realms of Beach Boys fans (or should I say Beach Boys academics?), thus I deem it to be "underappreciated", that being the particular loose umbrella term which I selected as an excuse to wax lyrical about one of my favourite bands. Mr Stebbins' suggestion of "Ten Beach Boys Albums that aren't Pet Sounds or SMiLE but are still pretty good, even though you don't know anything about them, you inferior specimen" was all well and good but unfortunately it won't fit in the sidebar menu on my blog so I had to go with something a bit snappier.

I don't know what else to say, Parrot Man. I just hope you don't enforce such stringent levels of pedantry on your own children. "Let Them Run Free", to paraphrase a great man.

Yours,
Blogger Boy
(Although, at 26, I'm not sure I constitute a 'Boy' in the eyes of the many any more. How about "Blogger Young Man", "Blogger Mid-Twenties Guy" or, to satisfy The Great Stebbins, "Blogger Homo Sapiens With a Y Chromosome Who is Approaching His Thirties but Still Derives Pleasure from Irking Grumpy Old Gits who Must Surely Have Other Things in Their Life More Worthy of Their Attention than the Semantics of a Blog Post Made by a Homo Sapiens With a Y Chromosome Who is Approaching His Thirties")

Whoo, this is fun!

Sorry - accidental double post! Guess I don't "know my sh*t" after all