What songs should have been singles?

[doinnothin]

Glancing through AGD's discography (thanks!) my draw dropped when I saw that "Time to Get Alone" was never released as a single. It seems like a pretty obvious pick considering how much time was spent on it, the fact that it was snatched from Redwood (presumably because The Beach Boys thought it could be a hit), and that it's one of their best songs ever.

Looking through the rest of the discography, I came across a few other neglected tunes. "Vegetables" (Smiley Smile) was something Brian thought had real single potential a few months earlier, than it comes out on Smiley Smile and gets left as an album track while "Gettin' Hungry" (no offense) gets single status.

What songs strike you all as odd exclusions from their singles catalog?

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

I also don't understand their weird insistence for pretty much only putting a random album track on most of their B-Sides!

For a band with heaps of unreleased stuff, you'd think they'd want to make their singles an attractive purchase for their fans who already owned the albums that the songs on the 45s were pulled from.

[Jason]

More value for the dollar? In America? Really?

 

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Well, it's a concept!

You'd think with the Lovester's $$ savvy, they'd think "Hmmmmm, we've sold 100 copies of Sunflower, so how bout we put out a 45 of Slip On Through with this cool song "I Just Got My Pay" we have sitting around in the garage on the backside and then perhaps those same 100 people will buy the disc for the B-Side and, dang, we might be on our way to selling 200 copies of the 45 and Sunflower combined"!!!!

Or..... we can put out a 45 of Slip On Through with This Whole World as the B-side and none of the 100 people who bought Sunflower will give a crap about the 45 because...... they already have both those songs on Sunflower, and we can hope all the people who never hear Slip On Through on the radio, because the radio won't play it, will flock to the shops to pick up this single from an album the have no interest in buying either!"

[bgas]

Well, it's a concept!

You'd think with the Lovester's $$ savvy, they'd think "Hmmmmm, we've sold 100 copies of Sunflower, so how bout we put out a 45 of Slip On Through with this cool song "I Just Got My Pay" we have sitting around in the garage on the backside and then perhaps those same 100 people will buy the disc for the B-Side and, dang, we might be on our way to selling 200 copies of the 45 and Sunflower combined"!!!!

Or..... we can put out a 45 of Slip On Through with This Whole World as the B-side and none of the 100 people who bought Sunflower will give a crap about the 45 because...... they already have both those songs on Sunflower, and we can hope all the people who never hear Slip On Through on the radio, because the radio won't play it, will flock to the shops to pick up this single from an album the have no interest in buying either!"

Or we can wait 40 years, when we won't be getting any royalties from the singles but they'll all be collectors items and people will be paying a large premium to own them.
Can you say $150-200 for Cool Cool Water?

I think Chug-A-Lug b/w Visions would have been a good single.

[oldsurferdude]

Well, it's a concept!

You'd think with the Lovester's $$ savvy, they'd think "Hmmmmm, we've sold 100 copies of Sunflower, so how bout we put out a 45 of Slip On Through with this cool song "I Just Got My Pay" we have sitting around in the garage on the backside and then perhaps those same 100 people will buy the disc for the B-Side and, dang, we might be on our way to selling 200 copies of the 45 and Sunflower combined"!!!!

Or..... we can put out a 45 of Slip On Through with This Whole World as the B-side and none of the 100 people who bought Sunflower will give a crap about the 45 because...... they already have both those songs on Sunflower, and we can hope all the people who never hear Slip On Through on the radio, because the radio won't play it, will flock to the shops to pick up this single from an album the have no interest in buying either!"

Or we can wait 40 years, when we won't be getting any royalties from the singles but they'll all be collectors items and people will be paying a large premium to own them.
Can you say $150-200 for Cool Cool Water?

I think Chug-A-Lug b/w Visions would have been a good single.

CCW is worth that much?? I have  a promo copy-could it be worth more?

[Mooger Fooger]

Hmmm. Methinks I need to look at my significant 45 collection. I have a picture sleeve 45 of Mess of Help, and I'm pretty sure a picture sleeve of "Surf's Up. Not to mention the Mexican H&V 45 _with_ the planned Smile 45 cover....

Anyone looking on spending a few hundred $?

[bgas]

Well, it's a concept!

You'd think with the Lovester's $$ savvy, they'd think "Hmmmmm, we've sold 100 copies of Sunflower, so how bout we put out a 45 of Slip On Through with this cool song "I Just Got My Pay" we have sitting around in the garage on the backside and then perhaps those same 100 people will buy the disc for the B-Side and, dang, we might be on our way to selling 200 copies of the 45 and Sunflower combined"!!!!

Or..... we can put out a 45 of Slip On Through with This Whole World as the B-side and none of the 100 people who bought Sunflower will give a crap about the 45 because...... they already have both those songs on Sunflower, and we can hope all the people who never hear Slip On Through on the radio, because the radio won't play it, will flock to the shops to pick up this single from an album the have no interest in buying either!"

Or we can wait 40 years, when we won't be getting any royalties from the singles but they'll all be collectors items and people will be paying a large premium to own them.
Can you say $150-200 for Cool Cool Water?

I think Chug-A-Lug b/w Visions would have been a good single.

CCW is worth that much?? I have  a promo copy-could it be worth more?

Hmmm. Methinks I need to look at my significant 45 collection. I have a picture sleeve 45 of Mess of Help, and I'm pretty sure a picture sleeve of "Surf's Up. Not to mention the Mexican H&V 45 _with_ the planned Smile 45 cover....

Anyone looking on spending a few hundred $?

The promo iis worth less than the stock, by quite a bit.
The non US PS's vary, of course,  on country.

[CarlTheVoice]

Glancing through AGD's discography (thanks!) my draw dropped when I saw that "Time to Get Alone" was never released as a single. It seems like a pretty obvious pick considering how much time was spent on it, the fact that it was snatched from Redwood (presumably because The Beach Boys thought it could be a hit), and that it's one of their best songs ever.

Looking through the rest of the discography, I came across a few other neglected tunes. "Vegetables" (Smiley Smile) was something Brian thought had real single potential a few months earlier, than it comes out on Smiley Smile and gets left as an album track while "Gettin' Hungry" (no offense) gets single status.

What songs strike you all as odd exclusions from their singles catalog?

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks TTGA should have been a single! The more I hear it the more I think it fits in nicely with SMiLE. I believe it was Jon Stebbins in another post who said that this was the direction Brian would have gone in if SMiLE had been released and done well. If that is true, I think we missed out on a lot!

[Nicko1234]

I don't think Time to Get Alone would have really done anything commercially. No more than Bluebirds did anyway.

Where I Belong should have been a single IMO.

[onkster]

Loop de Loop, Our Sweet Love, Soulful Old Man Sunshine all sound like singles to me.

And Let Him Run Wild should have been a separate A-side.

[Myk Luhv]

I would have put "Winter Symphony" out as a single backed with "Morning Christmas", I think. Probably not so commercially viable but, then, well, I suppose I'm in good company considering the band (and time period) we're discussing!

[Sound of Free]

I think "God Only Knows" should not have been stuck on the B side of "Wouldn't It Be Nice." It sounds amazing that GOK was only No. 39 on the charts, but that's because it was the B side.

I think if GOK had been a A-side after WIGN, it definitely would have been a top-10 and boosted sales of Pet Sounds with another hit.

I think "Kiss Me Baby" could have been a single. And I may be crazy, but I could see "Angel Come Home" doing all right on the charts in 1979 – certainly better than the disco abomination.

For solo songs, I think "Rainbows" would have been a better single choice than "You and I" off Pacific Ocean Blue.

[smile-holland]

I think if GOK had been a A-side after WIGN, it definitely would have been a top-10 and boosted sales of Pet Sounds with another hit.

....

For solo songs, I think "Rainbows" would have been a better single choice than "You and I" off Pacific Ocean Blue.

In Europe they switched the A- and B-side, and GOK was a big hit in most countries.

And in a couple of European countries River Song was the DW single. Didn't chart anywhere as far as I know.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Angel Come Home, hell yeah. A portion of the track was cut during the 15BO sessions, but it sounds current for its time period, and IMHO the last time the BB sounded commercial without really trying to. Throw in Love Surrounds me as a followup single.


Good Timin'->Angel Come Home->Love Surrounds Me.   That would've boosted album sales considerably.

[CarlTheVoice]

It amazes me how poorly some of the single releases did worldwide. Basically, after around GV, nothing did as well as it should have done. It would have been interesting to see if songs like TTGA, Our Sweet Love etc would have done better. Would this have in turn changed their sound and progression?

[onkster]

TTGA wasn't a single? Wow. That seems like such an obvious choice! Post-Smile single to the rescue!

[Bleachboy]

Fire would have made a brilliant single

[SamMcK]

Agree with God Only Knows being an A-side, I don't really think with a few exceptions they would  have had any more hits in the late 60's/early 70's with songs that weren't chosen as singles. Remember they were forgotten about by the public at that time. That actually goes for a lot of their best work today in fact.  (Sunflower and Friends)

[Emdeeh]

"Keepin' the Summer Alive" (the song) should've been a single, imho. It fit right in with what was playing on rock stations at the time.

[smile-holland]

TTGA wasn't a single? Wow. That seems like such an obvious choice! Post-Smile single to the rescue!

B-side for the Cottonfields 45 in the Netherlands and Germany though.

[smile-holland]

"Keepin' the Summer Alive" (the song) should've been a single, imho. It fit right in with what was playing on rock stations at the time.

It was a single in several countries in Europe (and didn't chart as far as I know)

[oldsurferdude]

Salt Lake City-would  have bought it back in the day.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

There were a lot of bad executive decisions made by The Beach Boys over the years, but I think that they typically got it right in the singles department. You have to remember, of course, that the song that you like won't necessarily make the best single. The Beatles never released some of the best songs as singles. That being said, Time To Get Alone would have probably made a better showing that #61 that was achieved by Bluebirds Over The Mountain but maybe not significantly so. I Can Hear Music is a great choice for a single and even that only made it to #24. Their singles make for a pretty good collection.

[BillA]

Soulful Old Man Sunshine
This song just puts a smile on your face.

All This is That
The best Beach Boys song without Brian Wilson.  This is a strong fit with a lot of the songs of the era. 

Maybe I Don't Know
This is a good marrage of the sound of the times (love it or hate it) with the Beach Boys.  'Getcha Back' (like to many Mike Love songs) tries too hard.