I love the whole California Saga. Sure, out of context something like 'The Beaks of Eagles' is oddball and skip-able, but not on this album. Still, my favorite is 'California'.

Agreed! California Saga is very impressive. Listening to it now, I think I've unfairly maligned Big Sur in the past as inextricable from the Saga, but I can definitely hear it now as an enjoyable standalone track. Still, what's the best part? I say California.

Yeah, it wasn't until I really got into the Beach Boys that my interest in vocal harmonies piqued. Ever since then I've been singing along and (conveniently) experimenting with harmonies where my limited range (on both ends) runs out. Not so much wordless background vocals, but most often I'll sing lower harmonies to Brian's mid-60s leads that effortlessly transition to falsetto leaving me in his dust!

Bulls made the playoffs...

I was kind of rooting for the Heat to make it these last few games. I watched some of the Pacers-Hawks last night hoping for a Pacer loss, which would have moved the Bulls up to 7th and the Heat to 8th. At this point, who would you have preferred to face as a Bulls fan, Celtics or Cavs? Cavs have been terrible defensively (since all-star break) and have developed some bad habits (lack of focus; turnovers). The Heat, Bulls, and Pacers were playing for their playoff lives and all three opponents were sitting their guys! I get it, but it doesn't make great TV.

So much for my comment about the Cavs being in a position where they couldn't rest their guys. Although, in my defense I took Lue at his word (he had said a week earlier that he wasn't going to rest his players until they clinched). You'd like to think that being the #1 seed means something to them, but it obviously doesn't. With that said, I don't think having home court advantage is necessarily a big deal. Still, it sure doesn't hurt.

Random thoughts on the playoffs...

-Rockets/Thunder should be entertaining
-I'd like to see the Jazz defeat the Clippers
-I think the Cavs are vulnerable. I can see numerous teams giving them trouble in the East
-I'll be watching all the Spurs games and hoping they win it all
-Really looking forward to this weekend, and watching some teams I haven't paid close attention to this season

Btw, Captain, I noticed Windhorst has KAT All-NBA 3rd team. Agree?

I Want To Tell You

You guys who are voting off "For No One" are breaking my heart. That is in my top three for this album.    

It's definitely a good song, just that the competition is keen.

What gets me is people voting for She Said She Said. That's in my top 3 for this album!

There's definitely going to be a lot of this. Honestly, there are probably only 4 songs on this album that I would be surprised by someone listing one of them in their top 3. Even then, I'd only be remotely surprised and I'd probably think it was cool. Arguably the strongest album 1-14 ever made.

I understand people voting for Yellow Submarine, but it's really annoying me!   I used to kind of dismiss this song when I was younger as "uncool" and not belonging on Revolver, but that same 'me' also considered For No One an after-thought (now I consider it a masterpiece!). It probably wasn't rockin' enough for me as a teen. I also considered I Want To Tell You a bit of a favorite. I connected with it. I still love the guitar lick and Paul's Indian-style vocalization at the end, but now I'm appreciating other songs more. It's funny, I just listened to the album a few times and made a list from favorite to least, but every time I listened to a song I'd look at it's placement on the list and think, "nah, that can't be right" and I'd want to bump it up 5 spot! and I'd just go round and round like that...

I vote for I Want To Tell You. I'm far too mesmerized by George's harmony vocal in Yellow Submarine (and everything else about it). Anyone think it's too uncool for Revolver? I think it's badass to include it! Not to mention Side 1 is a collection of different genres/styles, in that sense it fits. And it's iconic...

That's right, they've lost to ATL back-to-back. Obviously, it hurts that Tristan is out, but the Hawk's bench won those two games (on paper, anyway). Also, Atlanta won the 3 in the first game. Cavs are in a position now where they can't afford to rest guys. They're home against TOR in their final game (not on national TV either). Makes for an interesting close to the regular season and a potential playoff matchup. I sometimes wonder if T. Lue is the right fit for the Cavs...the playoffs are getting close, I can feel it!

Too bad CLE @ MIA tmw isnt on national TV. CLE lost in ATL today. Were up 26 after 3 quarters! Starters played huge minutes. BOS got a win lined up against Nets.

[Coach Of The Year]

I have resorted to rooting against the Knicks in hopes of a better draft pick. With a little luck we could net a top 5 pick. Seriously, every night i check the box score hoping for a loss! They actually won 3 out of 5 recently  . Anyway...

I read this article a few weeks ago and thought it was worth posting...https://16winsaring.com/history-suggests-mike-dantoni-will-win-coach-of-the-year-4d560efc3fc

It has some nice stats about recent COY winners. Excluding the '11-'12 lockout season, COY winner's teams averaged preseason O/U of 45 wins. They ended up winning an average of 59 games. It's not shocking in the least that the stats follow this good-to-great pattern, but I still found it interesting. Particularly, the differential rank among winners. I really only skimmed the text, so I can't attest to his analysis. I was really just interested in the numbers and thought some of you may be too. By the way, the article was published March 24th but the projected differentials are still quite accurate.

Coach Of The Year predictions?

Whenever I think about this I seem to focus on 7 coaches...
Western Conference: D'Antoni, Popovich, Kerr, Snyder.
Eastern Conference: Stevens, Spoelstra, Brooks.

At the mid-point of the season the Heat were 11-30. They are current 39-41 and may make the playoffs. I'm a big Spoelstra fan, but as incredible of a job that he has done, the season starts in November not mid-January. Stevens will probably get overlooked because his team isn't overachieving, but I really started to consider him as a possible winner when BOS overtook CLE for the #1 spot momentarily. I think that's probably what it would take for him to win COY. But hey, they're only a 1/2 game out! Similarly, people were high on Utah, so they aren't perceived to be overachieving. Still, a hell of a job. Kerr won't get any sympathy, but Durant has been out and they may still win 68 games! Popovich has had a great year with one great player. Another 60+ win season. And if he were to win that would be 4, which I believe has never been done. D'Antoni will probably win the COY. He has exceeded expectations more than the other coaches. Houston is having a great year. I think he deserves it, but not necessarily more than Popovich or Kerr, or possibly even Stevens, but not less, either. Personally, I'd like to see D'Antoni or Popovich win it, but those are just my biased thoughts. What do you guys think?

MVP?
Westbrook or Harden or co-MVPs

All year I felt like Harden had the edge, but I'm not so sure anymore. OKC will win between 45-48 games, that may just be enough to honor the incredible 31-10-10 (and that's rounding down ) season Westbrook has had. Honestly, I wouldn't mind co-MVPs, though it seems like a cop-out. There have been numerous co-ROY winners.

I think Kawhi should finish 3rd, ahead of LBJ.

Does Kawhi win Defensive Player of the Year again?
I think so.

This has been a lost season for me, but I'm really looking forward to watching some basketball once the playoffs start!

I agree with RR, bummerinparadise, and Unreconstructed Wilsonite...enjoyable song, with an endearing vocal by Dennis. Unfortunately, for me, Mike's vocal seems a bit off. I think he could have sung it better. Still, I rate it a 3.5. It's right at home on Surfin' Safari. Very charming.

2 B.E.: You enjoy "Ten Little Indians", yet gave it 3.5. Therein lies difference - I rate songs seclusively, i.e. don't compare between them. You seem to do this: like song, it can be even favorite album track but give it 3.5 as "5" is songs like GOK etc. Correct?

That's right, RR. If I'm reviewing or rating a song or album, whether it be in this thread or the album reviews section, I am trying to think more-or-less objectively and am comparing them to other songs on the album, other BB albums, and even other popular music. However, in threads such as Beatles Survivor and Battle of the Songs, my only concern is my preference. It's entirely subjective. I voted against Drive My Car 11 times in a row because it literally is (by a VERY slim margin) my least favorite song on Rubber Soul, not because I necessarily think it's the "worst".

[album version]

I don't have very strong feelings about this, but I most certainly prefer the album version of Cotton Fields. I love the bass sound and it's prominence in the mix. The main sticking point for me is that, while subdued, the production of the album version does seem to serve the song better. It may be an instance of Brian leaving you wanting more, in a good way. The trademark BBs harmonies finally swelling to the forefront starting at 1:59. I always look forward to that. Conversely, the single version sounds jammed packed with  every idea Al (and whoever else) had at the time, regardless of how it served the song. From first listen the 'Loop de Loop' bit sung by Mike bothered me. How does that fit? I suppose it wouldn't bother me as much if I hadn't ever heard it in another context, but still... there are changes/additions to the single version that a think work wonderfully and others that sound out of place (some of the 'wahh-ooos'). I don't wanna sound like I'm coming down too hard on the single version. It's nice. It was successful and I'm glad it was. I like to listen to it from time to time. The album version would not have excited people like the single version did.

I used to think that "Ten Little Indians" was a poor choice of follow-up single to 'Surfin' Safari" although after hearing the entire album it's obvious that Capitol didn't have an awful lot of potential hit material to choose from!

I remember seeing it briefly in the "bubbling under" section of the Cashbox charts in an UK music mag at the time...

It's innocuous enough, I suppose. And like most BB stuff it's brief. I'll give it a 4.        

I was thinking about this very topic yesterday. I've always enjoyed Ten Little Indians. After Surfin' Safari and Surfin', it's right up there with Little Girl (You're My Miss America) and Chug-A-Lug as one of my favorites on the album. As you can guess, I'm particularly fond of Side 1.

Ten Little Indians / County Fair was indeed the follow-up single to Surfin' Safari (#14, 17 weeks) and Surfin' (#75, 6 weeks) and was a moderate success. It reached #49 and spent 8 weeks on the charts. It was quite successful (top 30) in certain regions of the US, such as, the Midwest and Philly/AC. The only other song that I would have considered off the already released Surfin' Safari album would have been Chug-A-Lug. I started considering this once I read that, apparently, Brian was in favor of releasing it as the 3rd single. It's a fun song (especially to sing-a-long to) with great bass vocals. As Summer_Days points out, it's (oddly) charming. Also, it veers away from surfing, but not so much from their target audiences everyday life and the California image (as Ten Little Indians does). It's a fun way to introduce the general public to the members of the band before introducing their trademark sound with Surfin' USA a few months later. I don't think Chug-A-Lug would been a huge hit, but I think it may have inched a little closer to the top 40. While, it's fun to think about it, I also don't think it matters! Nothing was going to change what was about to happen.

Additionally, you are right, JK, Ten Little Indians is brief. Clocking in at just under 90 seconds. That seems a little too short for a single. Chug-A-Lug was more appropriately about 2:00 minutes long. That got me curious about the shortest songs to chart and I found this article...
http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7549893/longest-shortest-hot-100-hits-kendrick-lamar-beyonce
According to this article, the fifth shortest song to chart clocked in at 1:20 and the article further states that "Stay" (which went to #1) narrowly missed the top 5 at 1:38, so no matter how you look at it, Ten Little Indians was one short, somewhat successful single.

I give Ten Little Indians and Chug-A-Lug 3.5

Well, after voting for Drive My Car 11 straight rounds...

This is basically a 3-way tie. I'll go with In My Life. I guess.

Revolver is going to be impossible.

I don't think there will be a harder decision for me to have to make, then to decide between Norwegian Wood, Nowhere Man, and In My Life!!! Incredible. John is my all-time favorite musician and these are 3 of his absolute finest songs. Norwegian Wood has grown on me a lot since picking up the Mono Box last summer (and I always loved it!). I'm not sure the Beatles harmonies ever sounded better than on Nowhere Man and I love the lyrics. I've also long considered In My Life to be one of John's greatest musical achievements. Gotta love that falsetto ending!

So, basically a 3-way tie, but I'll go with In My Life. I think that's the song I'd most consistently choose.

Terrific. John's 3 in the finals. Surprise! Thanks to everybody dumping last Paul's song.

Refuse to vote. See you at Revolver.

Don't worry, Paul will have his time to shine. He simply wasn't as prolific as John during this period. I'm actually surprised that Michelle didn't stick around a little longer. I thought it was more of a fan favorite for some reason. I love those backing vocals. I just zero in on them. What can I say? For me, there's nothing like Beatle and Beach Boy harmony. Nothing.


By the way, isn't John's vocal delivery in the verses of Girl incredible?! The timing of it? John peaked during this era. Truly great.

I really like this song, but it's not one I'd suggest listening to on a loop! I rate it a 3.5, but for the purposes of this thread I'll give it a reluctant 3. I think Andrea's and Mike's voices were perfect for this song. Mike's vocal perfectly reflects the mood of the song. Goodbye muscles, indeed!

Thanks for the heads-up! I nearly dismissed this as a belated April Fools joke.

[We move to the next song every 9:00 p.m.]

Surfin' Safari: 5/5 Classic. Love everything about it.

And we'll have a poll to rate the song from 1 to 5 every day. After finishing doing an album, we'll have a discussion for the whole album for one day. We move to the next song every 9:00 p.m.

What time zone?

Not as easy as it would seem. It's the two R(h)ondas all over again!

The 45 version is more guitar-fuelled (i.e. those opening chords), has The Honeys, the school tune on flutes, a modulation and is pretty over-the-top really.

The album version has a great wall of saxes, simple rising harmonies between verses and a doo woppy Hawaii-style coda. And it's more sedate.

I like 'em both but I'll vote for the album version as it looks likely to be the loser in this round...     

Spot on observations, JK! (although I have no difficulty choosing Rhonda over Ronda )

There are so many differences between the album and single version of Be True To Your School that inevitably there will be aspects of each which we will prefer over the other. As a result, I'm glad we have both! I wouldn't be surprised if many fans prefer the album version out of familiarity, which is sort-of counter intuitive considering the single version was the hit. In regard to the coda of the album version, I prefer it. In addition to the falsetto, Mike's bass vocal is so crisp. It sounds fantastic. I also like that they sing the title as the song fades. Conversely, I think the backing vocals during the verses are better arranged and mixed in the single version. I also prefer the lower key and slightly faster tempo of the single version. I certainly understand how some people might feel that the single version is "over-the-top", but I just find it more interesting and fun. Although, during the intro, Mike sings the line "I tell him right away" MUCH better in the album version. It distracts me when listening to the single version. There are other differences, but I'll stop there. In the end, I'd miss the single version far more.

After we get through to the end of "Let It Be", are we doing the "Past Masters" set?

I may slit them up and do them after major sections. ie. Past Masters Vol1 after Revolver and Vol 2 after Let it Be.

In fact, volume one has so many tracks on it I was thinking of splitting into two and running them concurrently.

Sounds good!!

I guess I'll vote for....hmmm.... Drive My Car? Yes. Drive My Car.

[Marcella]

Sorry I'm late... I'm surprised no one jumped in to declare the 'In Concert' version of Marcella the best! That's a popular opinion around here.

Anyway, my favorite song of these three is Marcella and my favorite version is the CATP version.  If you had asked me a few years ago I would have responded Marcella right away, without a second thought, but my appreciation for All Dressed Up For School and I Just Got My Pay continues to grow...

I don't understand why ADUFS wasn't released back in the mid-60s (same with I Do). I feel bad for any fans who may have passed away before having the opportunity to hear this track in 1990. It wasn't even B-side worthy? Talk tracks were superior? I really don't get it. Carl's vocal, the harmonies, the way the bass slides in during the intro, the energy, everything about it...this is pure Brian Wilson and fits right in with his other work during this era. Although, for this reason, I do find Marcella to be more indispensable.

I understand that I Just Got My Pay was lost in the shuffle during the Sunflower sessions, and I do find Marcella to be superior, but it is one cool track worthy of appreciation. You know, I realize EPs weren't as popular in the US, but I often wish the BBs had experimented more with that format. The left over Sunflower tracks could have been released as an EP sometime during the '70-'74 period when the bands output slowed down. Why not release the songs? Also, it could have aided the group when you consider that it became more and more difficult for Brian and the boys to record an album of new material. It was simply too daunting for Brian at that time. Perhaps if he focused his efforts on an EP, instead of an LP, it would have seemed more manageable.

By the way, when I first discovered songs like I Just Got My Pay, you realize as a fan, that Brian was more involved during this era than their studio albums would lead you to believe.

Drive    My   Car

Okay, jig's up! Time to vote for...

Drive My Car

D r i v e M y C a r

Think they've conflated two incidents (having to leave a tour & being hospitalised as a teenager) but it's in the earlier editions of Scott's book - (Son Of A Beach Boy - Scott Wilson/Karen Powell 2015) from information provided by Carole (Scott's mum & Dennis first wife).

Being sent home from tour
Page 1, & page 2

Last rehab & being hospitalised as a teenager

Wow! Thank you so much for taking the time to post these. I really appreciate it! And I'm sure many other readers do as well.

Honestly, I was pleasantly surprised by this show. Yes, it would have been cool to hear a snippet from POB or Bambu, but I don't typically expect it in programs of this nature. They did play a snippet of Never Learn Not To Love. And, as far as Manson goes...I think it's possible to tell The Beach Boys story without ever mentioning his name, but can we really say the same about Dennis? Unfortunately, it's part of his life. If we are going to speculate about the factors that contributed to his emotional state later in life (such as being abused by Murry or losing his voice), I don't understand how anyone can be expected to ignore that connection. It most likely haunted him the rest of his life.

I didn't mind the approach the show took (considering numerous possible scenarios before reaching a conclusion), in fact, I commend it. Most people don't know the details of his death and it explains how he reached his conclusion. I was actually in suspense during that last commercial. I didn't know he was going to say Shallow Water Blackout. It gave me something to think about. I do believe that is the most plausible explanation of his death and it conforms to the general understanding that alcohol/drugs/cold water contributed to his accidental drowning.

It was interesting, no mention of Dennis hitting his head or being found curled up.  The reason for the drowning was very plausible and certainly well explained.  I learned something about Shallow Water Blackout and it is easy to see how it could happen.  As the pathologist said Dennis probably swan under the influence before so it was more than that.  The technique used for holding his breath over a prolonged period, led to the reduced oxygen, coupled with a reduction in CO2 means the body doesn't realise it needs more oxygen and just blacks out.  The damage to the brain has already occured and leads to brain damage or death within a few minutes, unless the victim is pulled from the water.  Then after the blackout the lungs open for air and get flooded with water, leading to drowning.  At least Dennis probably didn't suffer or know much about it.

People have speculated in the past about Dennis giving up.  It would be possible for a person to knowingly put themselves at risk of SWB but I don't think this happened with Dennis.  It was a tragic accident.

Here's more on SWB

http://www.shallowwaterblackoutprevention.org/how-it-happens/

I also found it interesting and read up on Shallow Water Blackout. ^This is a good link. I recommend anyone to check it out. It's particularly plausible, because it doesn't necessarily hinge on Dennis being aware of (as an experienced swimmer) and utilizing that technique (something we will never know) because overexertion can have the same effect. I was also curious to find out to what extent the cold water contributed to his death and Dr. Hunter explained that. That water was cold! I'd need a wetsuit to stay in for more than a minute or so.

There's a difference between going surfing a couple of times and actually being a surfer, I guess. Dennis was the only one who was actually taken as authentic by the surf community.

Bruce was (and still is) of course also a surfer. But he's not an original Beach Boy. The story of Dennis being the only surfer in the group focuses on the original 5/6 guys.

I totally agree, Rocker. My problem is when people dismiss the Beach Boys music by saying, "they never even surfed!" or something like that. But Dennis was the only surfer in the group. I still prefer that people acknowledge that other members did surf on occasion, but oh well. I honestly don't see the relevance anyway. Did they go to the beach? That's enough for me.

Yeah, there was a lot of talk about Garland during the hearings. I wonder how out-of-bounds that really was (the non-hearing). I don't doubt that it was, just interested. It does seem to me that Garland and Gorsuch are both qualified and deserving of nomination/confirmation.

Anyone have any thoughts on the Gorsuch hearings? I realize it's not the most popular political topic of the week, but I listened to most of the proceedings on Monday and Tuesday and have read numerous articles in recent days. I was kind of surprised at the democrats incessant use of the phrase "little guys". I found it condescending. Also, there was a lot of (in my mind) inappropriate questioning by democrats that had little or nothing to do with Gorsuch. I guess they scored some political points? Congrats. Based on the actual questions, many democrats just seemed to be interested in determining whether Gorsuch would rule in favor of their interests (the actual law and separation of powers being of secondary concern, if at all). That was their litmus test. Granted, there could be other motivations for that line of questioning, but it didn't feel like it to me. There were certain senators I found particularly annoying and dishonest, but Hirono was an embarrassment. I literally had to mute my phone, I couldn't take it.

As for Trump's ultimatum...well I guess he's looking for a win...how about getting it right? Seems entirely childish.

Drive My Car