Why haven’t The Beach Boys gotten a proper 2 cd very best of?

I have my issues with sounds of summer but that’s another convo.

Aerosmith, allman bros, Chicago, doobie bros, the doors, Eagles, Fleetwood Mac all of gotten this treatment. Seems to me The Beach Boys deserve it. And 50 big ones doesn’t count.

Why wouldn't "50 Big Ones" count? Whether one likes the tracklisting or not, it's a career-spanning 2-CD "Best of."

And certainly, I'd say just combining "Greatest Hits Vol. 1 and 2" gets you a 2-CD comp, as does combining "Sounds of Summer" and "Warmth of the Sun." And "Endless Summer" and "Spirit of America."

The one thing I've figured most fans would agree on is that we don't need *more* compilations.

With the amount of Beach Boys compilations out there it would be easy to believe that whoever's in charge of new product might just not remember or be able to easily reference what all they've issued already.

Absolutely agree, it's no longer the album.

Your comment reminded me though of the Beatles Yellow Submarine album, which originally had the orchestrations as filler, but was reissued at some stage with stray singles/b-sides. It was no longer the album, but it was a better listening experience.

The "songtrack" version was probably an excellent purchase and listen for alot of people who saw the film or were looking for a greatest hits in 1999 but it never seemed like a necessary purchase with the main discography in hand.

In general I have a problem with reissues changing the core tracklist while retaining the same title and artwork. Just call it a compilation with a fresh title. For a more recent example, I'm a big fan of 90's shoegazers Lilys but am disappointedly skipping the forthcoming reissue of their second record due to bonus tracks at the expense of the original program.

Speaking of what's in a name, I wonder if anyone's ever ordered a stock-photo listed copy of BB85 only to find that 20/20 looking Pickwick comp in their mailbox. Entirely different circumstances I know, but the point is album titles create expectations.

Actually really enjoy this album, but the combination of 1987-1989 songs with 3 tracks from the 60s just never worked for me.

IMO it's a better experience to combine the 80s stuff with other similar era tracks like California Dreamin', Problem Child, and the often ignored Chasing The Sky (great Carl vocal, and really decent song) to create a more coherent "album". I think I'll go make a Playlist right now!

This might be one of the main reasons it hasn't been part of even a low effort digital rerelease. I mean, the repeated tracks on Little Deuce Coupe kind of contradict this line of thinking, but maybe they're between a rock and a hard place with presenting an album that is authentic vs. complete and cohesive. Those last three tracks could be swapped for Rock and Roll to the Rescue, California Dreamin, and Problem Child or others, but rights issues aside it just wouldn't really be the Still Cruisin' album anymore.

At most, some publications might have pulled clickbait thinkpieces from publication due to the optics of glorifying The Beach Boys in light of Mike's recent missteps, but who can really consider that as a loss or damage to their reputation? For a band that the world at large (read: not those who visit this site) sees in past tense, I think The Beach Boys can afford to let potential fans deal with their own cognitive dissonance as they see fit.

[amazing]

DCA's Club IRMA
presents
The Beach Boys

Tuesday
June 2, 1987

Marriott Marquis Ballroom

I picked up the [amazing] Stebbins/Rusten In Concert book after finding this unused ticket and noticed my edition doesn't list this show. Was this show cancelled? Perhaps an unadvertised private gig? I'm familiar with boardwalk style knock-off memorabilia where the show is fictitious or a KTSA-era picture is featured for a show from the 60's, but this ticket doesn't stick out as something you'd find at the OCNJ Surf Mall.

Anyone have thoughts or recollections of this event?

Currently about halfway through my second reading of Nancy Hertzberg's Frontier Inventory. What a chilling book. The second person narration really drives home the nightmarishness. On the back burner is Maxine Chernoff's short story collection Bop. That 80's series of Vintage Contemporaries with the Sega Master System box art looking covers was sure something.

Sorry I couldn't give more specifics, all the record shops I used to go for the good unreleased BB session material on CD and dubbed cassettes are probably gone too and not BB's related anyway, but I'm curious to see if you can dig up more!

Planet Records in Cambridge and In Your Ear at Boston University seem to be good spots for Beach Boys stuff these days, especially the former for unreleased material on CD. In Your Ear's the only place I've ever seen an original Stack O Tracks LP. Price was somewhat reasonable but I'd rather get one in better condition. They might even still have it.

Sometimes its fun to map and explore band history locations, as I'm sure many Beach Boys fans living in or visiting Southern California have done. Living in Boston I was able to come up with a map for the band Drop Nineteens but after reading "The Lost Beach Boy" and "Good Vibrations: My Life As A Beach Boy" it seems like there's at least some Beach Boys lore spread across town. Does anyone have recommendations for Beach Boys history related points of interest around Boston?


For starters:

Appeal To The Great Spirit (Brother Records logo inspiration) - Museum of Fine Arts, Fenway
David Marks' 1970's apartment - Commonwealth Avenue, Back Bay

It is hard to imagine how inspired a new album with or without the guys in the same room could be in these circumstances.
We live in hope, first for everyone's health and comfort, and secondly for any more gifts they may be able to give, no matter how unlikely.

I'd imagine each one of them has at least considered over morning toast what a 60th anniversary album would sound like and feel like making. Even though many would agree its happened many times throughout their career, they probably don't want to go lower than the bar set by the previous album. Not saying there isn't still songwriting talent there (at least on Brian's part. I'll take 311's This Too Shall Pass over Mike's any day), but maybe there just isn't the collective confidence to come to a functional agreement and make a better swan song than they already did. I'd love to be proven otherwise.

Never got to see the Beach Boys with Carl, though I do remember taking interest in a TV commercial for a show they were playing at Six Flags NJ between 94 and 96. I was too small to ride any roller coasters, so I probably didn't think my parents , fans as they were, would agree to drive three hours.

The first show I got to attend was a Mike and Bruce outing in Lancaster, PA on 8/26/2000. Didn't find out they also played in Atlantic City later that day for many years. It was an early birthday present (thanks Mom and Dad).  In the lead up to the show I felt really self-conscious cause I didnt expect anyone else my age would be there, which is funny to think about now considering how many shows I've attended by myself over the years. I wonder if the local health and racquetball club would still honor the free "Beach Boys VIP" pass I got at that show.

I returned the favor when C50 came up and took them to the Camden, NJ show, which exceeded my expectation by a mile and a half. Almost didn't go to save money but, well, I'm glad I changed my mind in time.

I saw this on CDNow around the time An American Family aired but didn't actually get to hear it for another nine years or so. I appreciated it as a gateway to Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her and Melt Banana, but overall I feel like the most of the artists present take too many liberties with the compositions (though in relativity to the 2012 Mojo Magazine covermount "Pet Sounds Revisted" I'd say it's pretty faithful.) Particularly disliked the Wind Chimes cover with added original lyrics, but really liked the synthed out version of Let's Go Away For A While.

At some point within the past year or so, while looking for vintage ticket stubs, I came across a 1982 leaflet given away at Wendy's that made reference to the then-forthcoming but ultimately unrealized "Cousins, Friends, and Brothers" LP. Unfortunately, I didn't buy the leaflet and it doesn't appear to be available anymore.

Has anyone else seen this? I know the project fell apart but it seems strange for it to have earned even this kind of mention so early on in development. Did this have anything to do with the Wendy's/Sunkist co-branded Surfing Classics comp?

Hi, 'Cousins,Friends and Brothers' was in fact the muted/working title for what became the 'Keepin' The Summer Alive' album in 1980

Wasn't it also the working title for the '85 abum? I seem to remember reading something along those lines.

Well they at least refer to Dennis as their "cousin, friend and brother" on the back cover dedication. The aforementioned leaflet was from after KTSA but before they cut BB85. Still I suppose its accuracy (as of publication) shouldn't be taken for granted anyway.

Al's wishful optimism is appreciated here. Still, I can't help but read this with a grain or two of salt like in 2013 when he said, "I’d like to do the whole Love You album. Man, those are some of the best songs we ever did." Times like these I wish he had more clout in the whole thing.

Lately it's been an even mix of old favorites and recent discoveries, with particular emphasis on revisiting old local bands I came up on.

Top 10 listens lately seems to be:

Hiromitsu Agatsuma - Eternal Songs
American Football - LP1
Arms of Orion - This Is It
The Beach Boys - Made In California (last 2 discs)
Culture CLub - Waking Up With The House On Fire
Le Volume Courbe - I Killed My Best Friend
Living In A Box - self-titled
Mundo Rojo & The Domino Theory - split
Nina Ryser (Palberta) - Paths of Color
Weezer - Green era b-sides

Sega Saturn is the console that separates the men from the boys

Saturn's great. Found one on Craigslist in about eight years back. Seems like i got in at the right time cause prices have gone so sky high since then.

At some point within the past year or so, while looking for vintage ticket stubs, I came across a 1982 leaflet given away at Wendy's that made reference to the then-forthcoming but ultimately unrealized "Cousins, Friends, and Brothers" LP. Unfortunately, I didn't buy the leaflet and it doesn't appear to be available anymore.

Has anyone else seen this? I know the project fell apart but it seems strange for it to have earned even this kind of mention so early on in development. Did this have anything to do with the Wendy's/Sunkist co-branded Surfing Classics comp?

duplicate thread

The Big Wave film is recommended viewing on YouTube (not sure I'd recommend the DVD given the average eBay asking price). An array of action sports montages (including but not limited to surfing) with English narration.

Hi everyone,

Longtime Beach Boys fan and less-longtime Smiley Smile forum browser here. Apparently I signed up a while ago but didn't realize it worked the first time. Just wanted to say thanks everyone for keeping this place full of interesting info and insights.