I always loved the Beach Boys, but felt somehow vindicated when Frank Black released HOTYE as a single. Whenever anyone says the pre-PS BBs aren't hip, I usually roll my eyes. If, however, a smack-down is required, these eight little words do the trick:
The Jesus and Mary Chain Covered Surfin' USA.

When I discovered Yo La Tengo covered Little Honda and Farmer's Daughter I felt the same way. In addition to some other groups mentioned here, Daft Punk, surprisingly enough, adored the Beach Boys.

I dislike brilliant music with a world of unique charm like Luhv Yew and sMiLeY sMiLe.

Me, the record buying public, and the critics have been disliking both albums for longer than ruhnerdyilezeeroh has been a fanboye.

Except...critics have wonderful things to say about both albums, would you like some examples?

I post this only as a defense and not as a means to be negative or tell people I think their opinion is wrong:

I call it junk because I greatly dislike everything about it and can't really even appreciate most of it (not all of it) as art even outside my own dislike for it. I don't think that's lazy. I like many an awkward artist (we are on a Beach Boys forum) and probably many a pretentious artist (it comes with the territory, often), this guy's approach and style as a musician, producer, singer - everything, just grate me beyond words. I know he's not trying to be hip or something he's not and it doesn't surprise me that they've been over the top pretentious even pre-fame. I don't doubt they have technical ability as musicians. The only similarities I've heard in their work to the Beach Boys is the occasional "Hey, this guy is trying to sing like Brian did in the 60s and isn't doing a very good job."

I didn't initially approach their music with "Bunch of pretentious assholes, this is gonna be horrible" because I didn't know anything about them. Truly, they're one of those bands that each time I'm sent in the direction of a new song, I think "Maybe this will be the one where I finally get why all my friends go on about them." I want to like what my friends like and relate to them because I don't relate to them on much anymore, but when I listen and give it another chance, it's only been further affirmation that they're just not for me at all. I should stress that, I guess - they're not for me, but if they do something for you, then that's honestly cool and I'm not gonna take issue with art affecting someone in a positive way.

No moar negativity on my part after this - I don't want to go there and I don't want to take anyone else with me.

Hey, fair enough. You can see why I called it lazy in the first place though, right? I guess it was sort of lazy for me to assume that it was lazy of you to call it junk, and for that I apologize. You made a lot of legitimate, fair points, and I respect your opinion. I much rather have people say stuff like this about things they dislike than, like you said, "I hate these guys because they're a bunch of pretentious jerks". 

I'm disappointed in you guys hating on Animal Collective. They're honestly very good (one of the few modern bands that I really like) and I think Avey Tare is one of the greatest songwriters on earth right now (Gustav Ejstes in Dungen being number 1).
You should try to listen to them without thinking they're pretentious hipsters trying to sound cool, because they're not. They're just trying to write honest music, and you can definitely hear that, especially with Avey's songs. Some of his best songs have that Brian mid-60s feel where it seems like the melody just popped out from his heart and you're like "why hasn't anyone written this perfect melody before?".
I don't know, it's hard to explain, but I think it's kinda easy to tell which songwriters truthfully write melodies from their heart and soul and don't TRY to sound like something cool, or something they like. I think it's a hard thing to do and only some very gifted songwriters are able to.
Animal Collective have a way of confusing people to think that they're pretentious douchebags, but if you truly get into their music you find that it's the absolute opposite.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvIryVxmyy0 - This is one of my favorites. Listen twice or more to find the song underneath the mess. The melodies are incredible.

This. Animal Collective ain't pretentious, folks. Noah Lenox is just an awkward guy, as is pretty much the group. They've never tried to be "hip", at the beginning of their career they did all this weird chant stuff. Before anybody cared or noticed. Of course, theyve grown to be much more melodic, but the point being they're not trying to be a band they're not. Avery Tare is a brilliant songwriting, and to simply dismiss their music as junk is lazy. They're a talented group of experimental musicians with slight pop sensibilities that resemble the Beach Boys.

The Beach Boys are a very hipster band believe it or not..

The pitchfork - animal collective - Panda Bear scene look at them as gods, well more so Brian Wilson

I feel like The Beach Boys are a hipster band at the moment, but I know a lot of hipsters and they don't know/care about them - must haven't of heard the Pet Sounds genius hoopla. I see a lot of hipster love on the internet, though.

PS - never really got any of the people comparing Brian and Panda Bear/Animal Collective. I don't hear his influence in that music at all, despite what I read...

Yeah, Panda Bear just sounds like some guy whining over music that sounds like farts.

First off, what Animal Collective are you listening to? There's no whining, and certainly no farting, nor anything that resembles either of those. Animal Collective's music is filled with childlike melodies and harmony driven chants, if you will. Panda Bear's solo work is filled with much of the same. Listen to All I Wanna Do and then Guys Eyes. Between the two groups, I hear so many similarities.  I like to think that Animal Collective are the Beach Boys had they grown up in the late 20th century.  Their music is very trippy, very psychedelic, and quite similar to the Boys post 66 material, in my opinion.

I said this earlier, and I really think the new mono Today! mix is clearer and sharper than the original, muddy mix I've come to be familiar with. Again, I'll ask, does anyone else recognize this?

I think it sounds really good too, better than the twofer for sure. With one exception - something is wrong with the mono Please Let Me Wonder. It sounds like it was transferred with a stereo head and not summed to mono - there is the illusion of different frequencies in each channel, much like a rechanelled recording.

Good stuff. I wanted to make sure I wasn't losing it. Because I was really impressed with the mono mix.

I said this earlier, and I really think the new mono Today! mix is clearer and sharper than the original, muddy mix I've come to be familiar with. Again, I'll ask, does anyone else recognize this?

Today I heard friggin Wipeout on American Top Forty while at work. Ew. 

In terms of center vocals and wide panned vocals on Today's stereo mix, it's a fairly even combination of both. About half the songs are either way. I have to say, I'm really happy with the Today! mix. There's quite a few nuances I've noticed that I never heard before. The mono mix sounds terrific as well, I'm curious if Mark touched these up a bit as well.  I did a side by side comparison with the old remasters and I think I hear a much sharper, clearer mono mix on say, DYWD. Can anyone else confirm this?

Woo! I finally received my cd's, not that anyone was particularly worried. But if you were, fear not, they have arrived.  

I'm about to call cdbanq. I still haven't gotten my cd's...

Why did that one guy get grabbed by the security guard and practically thrown out of the way?

[what they thought it was worth]

And I think there's no question that it is stealing.  You would be depriving somebody of their property without compensation and without authorization, even if it's temporary.  The question is whether it's morally permissible stealing.

I'm not arguing past this picture because the topic is really boring, so here you go

Go mow my lawn. I'll tell you afterwards if you did a job that is good enough to be paid for.

My father operated under that principle. He's a bit Murryish.

I think everyone's did! Don't know if he could have picked a better example than mowing lawns. Heart surgery? Oh wait, no, that's just another thing nobody should have to pay money for.

I'm not some huge capitalist or anything, but I think it's absolutely pathetic that people think that all this music is basically owed to them.

Watch who you're calling pathetic. David Byrne might read these boards. Or Thom Yorke. Or Brian Eno. Or just about everybody from within the last thirty years that isn't a total hack... They might come to your house one night and show you what it really means to steal.

A lot of artists feel justified by their sales and chart placements. Therefore, if they feel like nobody wants to bother to listen to them, they might lose heart. I wouldn't doubt that this is part of what fueled Brian's exile from the music scene for a while. The Beach Boys' records weren't doing as well as they used to, and he figured if people aren't even bothering to listen to this stuff I put my heart and soul into, then what's the point?

And if you are trying to say that Thom Yorke advocates stealing music, I'm not sure what you are getting after. Last time I checked, he still has his albums sold in big corporate stores, which he hopes will sell. He did experiment with the idea that people would buy his group's album and pay what they thought it was worth. Therefore, if most people downloaded it for $0.00, well then that must have told Mr. Yorke that quite a few people were interested in his music, but not enough to say it's worth anything. And I don't know about you, but music is worth something to me. In fact, I don't mind spending money on music, because it is something I love.

Too racist! I'm gettin' outta here!

Not racist. Just mocking your super white person music tastes.



*I like both bands but it's just funny you took two of the most self serious, egotistical pricks to prove you point, whatever that point was supposed to be.

And, the incredible thing is, the majority of people did in fact pay for In Rainbows, proving that people clearly valued Radiohead's music.

I'm sorry but this needs to be stickied.

Haven't received mine from cdbanq yet, I'm beginning to worry. I can't seem to find a tracking number either, so who knows where my shipment could be.

My discs also have yet to arrive from CD Banq. Today, it will be two weeks since they were shipped.

Mine showed up today, but no one was home to sign for them. Have to wait until tomorrow and pick them up at the post office.

What the heck! You're in the northeast, right?

Yeppers, in south New Jersey. They shipped out on 8/2. My shipment email provided a 13 digit tracking number beginning with RR.

I'm in upstate New York. My shipment email, also saying my order shipped out on 8/2, had a blank space after "tracking number:" 

Haven't received mine from cdbanq yet, I'm beginning to worry. I can't seem to find a tracking number either, so who knows where my shipment could be.

My discs also have yet to arrive from CD Banq. Today, it will be two weeks since they were shipped.

Mine showed up today, but no one was home to sign for them. Have to wait until tomorrow and pick them up at the post office.

What the heck! You're in the northeast, right?

The Japanese get all the special treatment!

I'm a minister, too, and have twice presented a four-week series called The Gospel According to the Beach Boys, most recently last summer. I could not have dreamed that this year would provide so much material I could have used; the reunion tour and album are beautiful examples of redemption, forgiveness, perseverance. I'm gonna have to add a fifth session next time!
As for songs, I find 'Til I Die very spiritual (and have already specified I want it played at my funeral), and in recent years, Brian has surprised me with things like Happy Days Are Here Again (with its quote from O Happy Day: "...when He washed...") and Walking Down the Path of Life.
He famously said at the RnR Hall of Fame ceremony that music is God's voice. His lifelong commitment to producing beautiful music, even when his life was in torment, is very inspirational. Add Some Music is also a good spiritual song...not to mention the early recording (on the flip of a hit single!) of The Lord's Prayer.
I can't check it at the moment, but isn't there something in the liner notes of Love You about the album being in recognition to the presence of Jesus in the world? Or something like that?
I think the BBs are perhaps the most spiritual band to achieve massive popularity.

The inner sleeve of LA Light Album reads, "The word 'LIGHT' refers to the awareness of and the presence of God here in this world as an ongoing, loving reality".

Haven't received mine from cdbanq yet, I'm beginning to worry. I can't seem to find a tracking number either, so who knows where my shipment could be.

Brian co-produced Stars and Stripes. All of the boys sing on every track, including some lead bits (by Mike, Carl and Brian).

It is therefore a Beach Boys album.  

Eh...you haven't got me convinced. I wouldn't really include it in a discography, though I would have to include Summer in Paradise, sadly. 

Are you guys both west coast? I didn't receive mine today, I'm up in New York, could that be it?

Indeed! Just 12 more shows and that completes the entire tour...

Now I'm depressed. 

My friend just gave this to me on vinyl, I hadn't "technically" listened to the album through full, until tonight.  And I've got to say, I've never heard an album quite so bizarre.  Not really in a good way, but not necessarily in a bad way either.  Just, bizarre.  The first side is quite neutral.  Nothing offensive there; Good Timin' is absolutely gorgeous and clearly the highlight, Lady Lynda is harmless enough, Full Sail is an above average Carl composition, Angel Come Home plods along, again, inoffensive, and then Love Surrounds me caps off the normal string of songs wonderfully, I really enjoy that track.  But then, and take remove yourself from your Beach Boy fandom for a second and view this objectively, you've got some weird mellow Japanese song to close out the first side.  That, coupled with the ridiculous Japanese artwork for the song (hilarious, by the way) begins the bizarre-ness of the record.  The track is good enough, I suppose, but the Japanese parts coupled with the Oriental music just makes for an...interesting track.

Then you flip over the record and you know its coming...(I didn't know what to think, I admit I never actually listened to all ten minutes)...and you drop the needle and the funky groove starts playing and you've got perhaps the downright craziest track by the Beach Boys.  This song's listening experience is something to behold.  You're not staring at a computer or anything so you've got no idea where you are in the song besides the fact that you know there's another freaking verse to Here Comes the Night but where the heck is it! And then the monkey! What?! But when those dee dee dee dee dit dit dit vocals come in, you can't help but get excited for Carl to come roaring in with his lines!  And after ten minutes of utter confusion and mayhem Carl's back with a gorgeous vocal and another brilliant track and you can't believe what just happened.  Bizarre.  Here Comes the Night into Baby Blue.  A clueless decision that somehow is brilliant.  Goin' South is another inoffensive, if not slightly boring, track. And Shortenin' Bread is...well, Shortenin' Bread.  Another bizarre double take track.  I gave the album a 3.   Yeah, it's just about mediocre.  But I love it, if not only for the incredible listening experience it provides you with.  You better be prepared for a ride when diving into LA Light Album. 

The best single for me was 'Isn't It Time' despite a few lame lines. Seventy year old's going steady anyone? But Brian, Mike, Al and Bruce sharing the lead nudged it ahead of 'Radio' in my book.

Maybe that track should have been tested before the tour and the lyric altered plus Jeff toned down mid tune. Both these are being done for the 'Big Ones' release it seems. Would it have got some airplay? We will never know I guess but still my favorite potential single. 

Well it hasn't been released as a single yet, but the recent press release said it would be coming shortly.

The chords preceding "I want to go home" from PCH.