Most people love the Giles Martin remix of Sgt. Peppers for the 50 year anniversary. There was initially speculation that we would get a White Album. Is it coming?

You have to admit that it's a little humorous that you say this in a thread titled "Does Mike Love realize he is despised by millions of fans?" 

Apart from the surely fruitless task of trying to parse whether the group actually constitutes "millions", I think the question of how Mike perceives his reputation is a *hugely interesting* and on-topic issue. It's not a particularly easy topic to discuss, because it can quickly become somewhat "meta" and fans start talking about fandom itself, etc.

If the title of this thread was "I despise Mike Love", and the first post was simply tearing Mike a new one personally, then perhaps there would be some irony here. But in actuality, the topic poses a very germane question (whether you "despise" or otherwise think poorly of him or not) and the first post makes it clear that it's not about bashing Mike, but more about discussing his level of self-awareness.

There are MANY reasons why Mike's level of self-awareness and humility is an important and interesting topic. It's fascinating for numerous reasons.

That was exactly the intention. Thank you.

Don't get me wrong, I love many of Dennis Wilson's songs. But do a lot of his songs sounds somewhat incomplete to you? What I mean by that is that the main part of the song is brilliant but then it doesn't really change or go anywhere. It stays similar throughout. Wouldn't It Be Nice to Live Again and 4th of July come to mind as examples. Whereas Brian's music keeps moving in interesting and fascinating ways ways, Dennis has songs don't. But they seem like they are a few transitions away from becoming all-time classics.

I realize it's not fair to compare Dennis to Brian, perhaps pop music's greatest songwriter, but I guess I did anyway.

It also may not be fair to use semi-incomplete songs as examples. But I think his completed, released material has the same quality.

Does Mike Love realize that he is despised, loathed, or (in some cases) hated by millions of music fans? What is this guy's level of awareness that so many people dislike him?

Sometimes he may say something like "well some people may not like such and such thing I did, but cousin Brian was on drugs and I needed to... blah blah blah."

There seem to be some quick acknowledgments that people may not like a couple of isolated acts of his. But does this dude realize how widely despised he is by so many people?

[Becoming The Beach Boys 1961-1963]

Becoming The Beach Boys 1961-1963 by James B. Murphy is one of the most incredible books on the band I have ever had the pleasure of reading. The amount of details crammed into it, especially given its relatively limited temporal focus, is absolutely insane.

I second that. This would be my #1 pick. Kind of like Lewisohn's Tune In for Beach Boys fans. 

Is it THAT good? Lewisohn's book is incredible.

I've considered that one, but wanted to hear what people thought about it.

If someone wanted to get their hands on the best books ever written about the Beach Boys, what would you recommend? Are there any documentaries, films, or other resources that are considered essential?

I realized that I never recall a thread of this nature on this board (I'm sure there has been at some point). Thought I would get people's top picks.

Does anyone know? I'm asking we use 1960s Brian as a point of assessment. 

https://www.16personalities.com/personality-types

I've never heard the demo for this song. Is it available somewhere?

This is a thread dedicated to things that Mike Love may not have actually said, but very easily could have said. While listening to Pet Sounds and thinking of potential friction that took place among the band, this Mike-could-have-said-it quote popped into my head:

"Art belongs in a museum. This is rock n'roll. Don't f*** with the formula, Brian."

Smiley Smile

Love You

Summer In Paradise

Is Summer in Paradise a joke? I thought it was universally panned even by the most ardent BB supporters.

Smiley Smile is definitely polarizing and always inevitably compared to Smile.

Brian brought so many musical influences including jazz and (especially) classical into his beautifully symphonic work, Smile.

I know there is no way to answer this, but do you think he would have built on this direction had Smile been released to at least moderate success? It's interesting that in the mainstream a lot of bands namingly The Beatles retreated from more of an art rock approach of 1967 to a back-to-the-basics Rock sound in 1968.

I've always felt Brian was still at a point of untapped potential and could have been like a George Gershwin of pop music. I believe he could have brought us some absolutely amazing things beyond what we would ever dream of for pop/rock music. He viewed music so broadly and wasn't confined by conventional pop music constructs. I think Pet Sounds and Smile are unparalleled. He may have continued in that direction of Smile had worked and I think it would have been mesmerizing.

I'm going to say the most polarizing album is Love You, which I personally love.  What do you say?

This is a very interesting question! I can't contribute but look forward to hearing more insight.

I think Dennis was the worst singer in the group, and didn’t become very good at all until 70s. I don’t think he should have had more lead vocals. If anything, he should have had less.

There were a few bad ones, most notably the deaths of Dennis and especially Carl, because of what he meant to the authenticity of the band. But the one most devastating moment to me, at least performance wise, was the live broadcast from Long Beach in 1981. One of the worst performances, if not the absolute worst, by the band, or any band for that matter. I watched in horror, no Carl, Brian attempting lead vocals on Don't Worry Baby and God Only Knows, that were just so awful. I thought I was watching the end of the band.

That's a very good point. Absolutely horrible and sad to watch.

Mike being allowed to use the name is such a farce. The Beach Boys will never achieve their rightful place in history in the minds of the masses until his jukebox touring band is put to rest.  

Might it have been the misspelling in the title of this topic?

Hahaha! Good catch. I'll fix. 

[Smile]

What happened in 1966-67 robbed the music world of not only possibly the best album ever released but also decades of music from one of the very, very few bona fide genii in the pop/rock field. Brian was never the same after Smile was scrapped. There were odd sparks and flarings of the flame, but compared to the upwards curve of 1963-66, it was dim stuff. Nothing compares. Nothing ever will.

That the band not only survived that but also came to produce music of genuine quality is hugely to their credit. But just imagine what could have been. The two saddest words in the English language: if only...

Completely agree. This has always been so difficult. Had Smile been released, the band's career and Brian's endeavors would have probably continued on such an amazing trajectory.

Yes, Mike's hall of fame speech couldn't have been much more embarrassing.

When did the band and its perception hit the absolute nadir of its existence? When you were most embarrassed to be a fan of this band?

Sometime in the 90s? 80s? Other?

When were the Beach Boys considered by the general music-listening populace to be "cool"? When were they "uncool"? Some of this may vary based on how each generation perceives the band.

Here's my breakdown:

COOL: 1962-1966, 1971-1976, maybe a slight uptick of coolness every now and then afterwards, like the 2012 reunion.

UNCOOL: 1967-1970, 1980s-present, with a few exceptions.

Seeing as these fetching items are modeled by none other than Michael, Bruce and David I have been highly surprised to find that there are no Beach Boys baseball caps in the official store.

I want one, I need one, where the hell do I get one?

I'm not too bothered about the colour scheme or anything like that I just want that gosh darned hat.

Do you really want to look more like Mike Love?

If you had pick one single moment that is the most negative/devastating to the band's career, what would you choose?

filledeplage, you're really citing "Wouldn't It Be Nice" as a Wilson/Love collaboration? That was a song Brian wrote with Tony Asher that Mike got a credit on for one line at the end, if that.

Murry was a jerk, Landy was evil.

Exactly what I was saying earlier.