I don't know about songs but in terms of albums I'd add WIBNTLA and 4th of July to Surf's Up

Yes. I absolutely agree.

Write less cheesy lyrics (or bring in a lyrical collaborator) for the songs Friends and When a Man Needs a Woman. Record better vocal for the verses on Be Here in the Mornin'. Friends is a brilliant album at times musically, but the lyrics on a couple of the tracks are downright embarrassing.

In no particular order:

I Get Around
Surfer Girl
California Girls
Wouldn't It Be Nice
God Only Knows
Don't Worry Baby
When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)
You're So Good To Me
Good Vibrations
Help Me, Rhonda

To me, all of these songs are perfect in every single way -- writing, performance, production, etc. I'd argue that it's impossible for anyone, whether casual fan or diehard, to not love them. Miraculously, none of them sound even the least bit dated today, and are just as fresh as they were 40 years ago. I'm a huge fan of the Wild Honey to Surf's Up era, but I can't in good conscience claim that any of those songs are better than the ones I've mentioned above. But this is also kind of like saying that Abbey Road isn't as good as Revolver or Rubber Soul, for 2 reasons: (1) It's incredibly subjective; (2) Something can still be amazing even if it's not as good as something else.

Honorable Mentions: Don't Back Down, In My Room, Sloop John B, Caroline No, Heroes and Villains, Surf's Up.

Don't Worry Baby.

Last GREAT song? Sail On Sailor.

Hawaii
Don't Back Down
Good to My Baby
When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)
*Amusement Parks USA
Let Him Run Wild
You're So Good to Me
With Me Tonight
Gettin Hungry
How She Boogalooed It
Passing By
Little Bird
Diamond Head
Be Still
At My Window
Long Promised Road



A few notes:

- Amusement Parks USA gets an asterisk because of the awful carnival sounds added. Without those, it's wonderful.
- One can't really say that any part of Pet sounds is underrated, but I think Here Today and I'm Waiting for the Day are two of the more overlooked gems on that record.
- Side 2 of Friends might be the most underrated single side in their catalog. I actually don't much care for Side 1, except for Passing By and Meant For You.
- I strongly prefer the era up to and including Surf's Up, so those are the only ones I included in my list.
- I'm looking at this list now and wondering why these tracks aren't held in the same regard as many of the initially lesser-known Beatles deep cuts that are now considered classics. Nothing against the Beatles, of course.

the production is WAY too slick. Joe Thomas has no soul in his technique.

Agreed. I like the song itself, but the production actually kills it for me. It feels empty. The song has similarities to the songs on Today! (for example), but that album had so much energy -- not just in the vocals, but the music itself. Crisp, warm, alive. TWGMTR sounds like a cheap karaoke mix to me. I know that times and technologies have changed, but TLOS had a much better feel to it.

Heroes and Villains, Don't Worry Baby, When I Grow Up (To Be a Man), This Whole World, Wouldn't It Be Nice.

Sub-question: favorite lead vocal?
You're So Good to Me, I'm Waiting for the Day, Help Me Rhonda, Little Bird, God Only Knows.

No favorite by Mike or Bruce?

True. I should add Mike's lead on Meant For You and I Get Around, and Bruce's on Disney Girls.

Heroes and Villains, Don't Worry Baby, When I Grow Up (To Be a Man), This Whole World, Wouldn't It Be Nice.

Sub-question: favorite lead vocal?
You're So Good to Me, I'm Waiting for the Day, Help Me Rhonda, Little Bird, God Only Knows.

Shucks, I'm new here and didn't realize there was already someone named LittleBird. My apologies! I'll see what I can do about changing mine.

Easy:
1. Beach Boys Today
2. Summer Days (And Summer Nights)
3. Pet Sounds
Bim, bam, boom: the height of Brian.

I'm inclined to agree with this, and really if one includes All Summer Long and SMiLE at the beginning and the end of that list, there is a very clear progression. Parts of Summer Days were a bit of a step back, but they are more than made up for by California Girls.

Friends and Sunflower are two my favorite Beach Boys albums, but they don't capture Brian at his then-peak. All Summer Long is when they really started putting together cohesive albums that were strong from start to finish. So if we begin there and continue through SMiLE (excluding Beach Boys Party and parts of the Christmas album), we see Brian continually topping himself, as each consecutive album was better than the last.

If we're only talking three pillars, then I'd have to put Today! as the third one -- I've always considered it as sort of a little brother to Pet Sounds.

Love You is very interesting, however, so I can see why some people like to put that in their Big Three.