Indeed, Louis Armstrong is to jazz as Elvis or The Beatles are to rock and roll. He may well be the most influential musician of the last 100 years, no hyperbole. Every jazz musician or singer that followed in his massive wake was influenced by him... EVERYBODY. He was the guy that was turned jazz into a soloist's art. There have been only a few all out geniuses in music since Mozart, Beethoven, etc. Brian Wilson is one. Louis Armstrong is another.
His 1920s Hot Five and Hot Seven records are the Magna Carta of American music. Or maybe the Dead Sea scrolls. Something like that. He and Duke Ellington are the first important, nay, essential figures in jazz.

Louis' 1928 record 'West End Blues' has always astounded me ever since I first heard it in Ken Burns Jazz documentary. Perhaps the greatest pre-swing era jazz recording.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4WPCBieSESI

The other Brian song that a lot of fans seem to dislike on '85 is 'It's Just a Matter of Time'. I actually like that one more than 'I'm So Lonely'. It's got a nice doo wop feel and Mike's vocals don't get on my nerves like his vocals during this era often do. In fact, it's pretty nice. I first heard a bit of the song in the 1985 An American Band documentary where Brian sings it onstage. Until I got the KTSA/BB85 twofer I didn't know what that song was. Neat little tune.

Now, 'Male Ego', I've tried to get into that one but to no avail. It's good for a laugh but not very many listens.

I've been a big big jazz fan for about 18 years now. As with so many, I started with Mike's Davis' Kind of Blue.

The tenor saxophone is my favorite jazz instrument and John Coltrane and Lester Young are my favorite players. Coltrane's My Favorite Things is one of my top 5 favorite jazz albums. It's beautiful.

From My Favorite Things, here's my favorite track, with Trane playing soprano sax:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B8cjojmC8sE

I think my favorite Pres (Billie Holiday's nickname for Lester) album is Pres & Teddy, with the Teddy Wilson Quartet.
Teddy is one of the best jazz pianists, but my favorite is Bill Evans, who, like Coltrane, I first heard on Kind of Blue. He has this lyrical, gorgeous and sensitive touch on the keys. Nobody like him. His trio albums Everybody Digs Bill Evans, Portrait in Jazz, Explotations, Sunday at the Village Vanguard, Waltz For Debby, Moon Beams, among others, are all outstanding.

Here's some Bill:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xiRRfKoNl50

I got an NES classic for my birthday. It has 625 games loaded in. I can't figure out how to hook it up though.

Jay, it hooks up through HDMI cable. I don't have an NES classic, so I don't know if it came with a cable. Did it?

You're right, Captain, I should've been more clear. Studio albums only. Otherwise, I'd have definitely picked the GV box or the Pet Sounds Sessions box for the '90s and probably the Smile Sessions box for the '00s/'10s (the Smile recordings definitely still count though, whether for the '60s or BWPS for the '00s/'10s.

Don't know if this has been asked before.

What is your five (5) favorite Beach Boys or Beach Boys-related (i.e. solo) songs of each decade? I'll even allow unreleased or previously unreleased tracks. And then what is your favorite album of each decade?

For me -

1960s:
1. 'Wouldn't It Be Nice'
2. 'Let Him Run Wild'
3. 'In The Back Of My Mind'
4. 'The Warmth Of The Sun'
5. 'God Only Knows'

Album: Pet Sounds

1970s:
1. 'This Whole World'
2. 'Surf's Up'
3. 'Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again'
4. 'Till I Die'
5. 'The Night Was So Young'

Album: Sunflower

1980s:
1. 'Where I Belong'
2. 'Melt Away'
3. 'It's Gettin' Late'
4. 'There's So Many'
5. 'Love And Mercy'

Album: Brian Wilson (sorry, Beach Boys '85, so close..)

1990s:
1. 'Soul Searchin''
2. 'Orange Crate Art'
3. 'She Says That She Needs Me'
4. 'Imagination'
5. 'Sail Away'

Album: Orange Crate Art, I guess (man, what a pathetic decade for the Boys)

2000s/2010s:
1. 'Southern California'
2. 'Midnight's Another Day'
3. 'One Kind Of Love'
4. 'Summer's Gone'
5. 'Mrs. O'Leary's Cow'

Album: That Lucky Old Sun (yes, I love it more than BWPS. Problem? )

Howsaboutu?

The '85 album fascinates me. I can't say I'm a fan completely; I only like 5 songs on it. But it is the last Beach Boys album with more than one good song on it (for me anyway) until TWGMTR. While there are two Brian tunes on '85 that I enjoy, the album really belongs to Carl.

Anyway, neat footage. 'I'm So Lonely’ is one of those two Brian tunes I mentioned above. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person that loves that song.

Sort of Beach Boys related, it give me a big laugh (dunno where else I could post this):




To keep this more on topic, here's a shot of Brian eating his shoe:

Anyone recognize what that is to Brian's right ( left of the picture on the table next to his dinner plate)?

Looks like a 45 record. Couldn't tell you by who, though. Doubt it's a new Beach Boys single since it's not a Capitol swirl label, unless maybe it's acetate.

Edit: Oh, you mean that white box thing with the knob behind his elbow? Looks like some kind of radio, possibly even a turntable with the lid closed. Looks to me that it's not on the table but against the wall. That 45 record next to Brian's plate made me think it was a 45 record player but it could be something else.

Sort of Beach Boys related, it give me a big laugh (dunno where else I could post this):




To keep this more on topic, here's a shot of Brian eating his shoe:

I think SMiLE-addict meant the Buckingham McVie album, which wasn't a FM album.

I can't believe this. Lindsey is a close second to Stevie as my favorite FM band member. The dude is up there with Brian Wilson himself as one of my favorite producers and he might be my favorite guitarist too. I can't believe this.

Both. But Stevie is my #1 favorite woman in music and one of my favorite songwriters. The Rumours lineup of Fleetwood Mac is one of my top 5 favorite bands ever and though I love everyone in that band, I have a big preference for Stevie and Lindsey. I love the music they make whether in the band or solo.

[Help!]

Ooh, my second favorite band, I need to get in on this now.

I pick Help!

Strawberry Fields Forever, If I Fell and In My Life are (in that order) my top three very favorite Beatles songs so I'll be sad if/when any of these get voted off.

Well, dellydel makes his stuff basically from scratch, I believe. Customink.com has a large selection of images that I have used here. Plus dellydel has been smart by not really using The Beach Boys' name, a copyright, unlike me here. Nobody has ever bought them and I first started designing these for only myself to buy (though I haven't yet), so that way I'm not entirely making money off the band. My new Murry shirt, the POB one and the smileysmile.net shirt I made (if I took the band's name off of it) would be totally legal.

Thanks, RangeRover. More soon, just as soon as I have a good idea.

Thank you.
Couple of new ones:

Smiley Smile - front


back


Murry - front


back

Hi! Been a little while.
Anyway, I've always wanted more Beach Boys apparel then the fairly small amount we get. With that in mind, for a year or two now I've been fiddling around with my own designs at CUSTOMINK.COM. Here are some (I apologize in advance for the large size of the images):

Surf Logo - front


back



Hawthorne California- front


back



I Love Pet Sounds - front


back



Pacific Ocean Blues - front


back



Wild Honey - front


back



Wouldn't it be Nice - front


back



That Lucky Old Sun - front


back



Do it Again hat (someone buy Mike Love one for his birthday)



and finally, a Smileysmiley.net shirt - front


back




Enjoy.

'Lana' is nothing special but it has some charm. I like Brian's vocal.

3.

Eh. *shrugs*

3, barely.

"Noble Surfer" is definite 5. Best song in the album.

    I really like 'Noble Surfer', but best on the album? The title track, 'Shut Down', 'Lonely Sea', 'Farmer's Daughter' and even 'Lana' and 'Finders Keepers' are better. Opinions are fascinating.

I'll give 'Noble Surfer' a 3.

Classic. I still marvel at how exciting and simple-yet-complex the track is. I like that Brian and Roger mention the brand-new Corvette Stingray.

5.

For me it's a big stretch to call the '85 album "good". There are only 5 songs on the whole album I like, and most of what's left is either really mediocre or really awful. Still, I'd rather listen to this album than Still Cruisin' or SIP or 15 Big Ones and MIU.

Second best track on Love You, I love everything about it. The vocal interplay between the three Wilson brothers is outta site (especially Carl's wonderful bridge vocal). Like 'The Night Was So Young', I don't know if the lyrics are true or not, but it doesn't matter. Charming as all hell.

'The Lonely Sea' is *g o d d a m n* majestic. Months before 'In My Room', Brian was already exploring inner feelings instead of surfing and racing and miscellaneous juvenile pursuits. I love the fun in the sun stuff more than some people do, but I still appreciate Brian branching out this early in other thematic territory, the kind of stuff that'd lead to Today, Summer Days and Pet Sounds. And I really like the spoken part. Great all around.

5.

It's difficult to pick five good songs on this album. I just don't care for it at all. I'll try:

1. 'Had to Phone Ya'
2. 'It's OK'
3. 'Back Home'

---gap in quality---

4. 'Just Once in My Life'
5. 'In the Still of the Night'

Thought of another one.

'Mt. Vernon & Fairway (A Fairy Tale)' is, to me, just about essential Brian Wilson. Magic, offbeat sure, but still magic pure and simple. A wonderful journey into the mind and heart of my favorite Beach Boy. This was, in a weird way, Brian's original Autobiography. If you love the childlike nature of Love You and the uniqueness of something like 'A Day in the Life of a Tree', then I can't see why you wouldn't love this one.

I'm with OSD, the entirety of Summer in Paradise is garbage. I'll never understand why some of the songs on this album are popular with a number of people.

'Getcha Back'. I, like a lot of others, really dig a handful of songs on BB85, but this one is a contrived, nasally mess with an unfinished chorus. It sounds like a dry run at 'Kokomo' but misfired. A waste.

While I know a lot of other posters dislike 'Hey Little Tomboy' like I do, it still gets a lot of praise. I just don't see it. I always picture Mike, Brian and Carl leering at a preteen girl with big stupid grins on their faces when I hear this song. That is unforgivable. On top of that it sounds terrible. This song can rot in hell.

'Here Comes the Night' 1979 disco. Look, just because the harmonies are okay doesn't mean it's a good idea. This stupid track and 'Sumahama' should've been kicked off L.A. Light Album in favor of something better. I can't abide anything trying to bring down a nifty album like LA.

'That Same Song'. Dumb as a box of rocks but not in a fun Love You kind of way. Just no.