Questions for older fans here who actually experienced the BBs as they evolved and changed in the 1960s:
1) What was the reaction among your peers/fellow BB fans/general music fans to Pet Sounds, and then Smiley Smile as it happened?
2) What genre were the Boys considered to be in the 60s/early 70s?
3) Was the fandom of The BBs (in the late 60s) a different subculture than those were listening to stuff like the Stones and whatnot? Basically my question is, were BB fans more Hippies, or more "Square"? I ask given the Boys' image as a clean-cut, All-American group.
4) Was it hard to be a BB fan after 1967; if so, why?
Unfortunately, compared to many of their contemporaries, The Beach Boys are considered a nostalgia act by many, some band that is only notable for surf songs back in the early 60s. Unlike say, The Rolling Stones, they haven't really remained a popular, relevant mainstream act as the decades have gone by; they don't have the same level of respectability outside of their 60s hits. Unlike The Beatles, they're best remembered arguably for their surf singles more than anything else (It would be like The Beatles only being remembered for "She Loves You" and "I Wanna Hold Your Hand"). I'm a BB fan, but this is the perception I've seen from outsiders.
My question is several-fold: When did it happen? If you were the manager of the Boys in 1966, what would you have told them to do? Were they considered as kitschy as they are now by many in the 70s, or did this sort of thing come later?
I ask because posts in other threads made me ponder this, and related questions.
I wanted to ask: Is anyone here old enough to remember the time prior to Beatlemania? The era from around 1960 to 1963? I am curious as to how that era differed in terms of pop culture and such from what we know as "the 60s." I feel The Beach Boys was a big part of the early '60s zeitgeist. Am curious to hear any/all memories and thoughts.
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