Ten Underappreciated Beach Boys Albums

[Autotune]

(HEAD'S UP: Working writers/authors use their real names.)

Do they?
Always?
C'mon!
There's enough "insider" bullshite here to doubt that statement.

Besides, I don't think Stebbins needs others playing assistant for him. He's a grown up and articulate guy who can take care of himself.

Gee, this Dennis Wilson faction is so protective of itself!

Let the 26 year old blogger praise the Surfer Girl LP (which ain't no The Wall, or Revolver, or Spector's Christmas, btw)
and move on!

[shelter]

We can continue this discussion for weeks, but this is really all there is to be said here:

I think the idea of highlighting Beach Boys favorites is always a good idea, and your presentation of the Surfer Girl LP seems genuine. But maybe the premise is actually "Ten Beach Boys LP's other than Smile and Pet Sounds that are good"...or "Ten Beach Boys LP's that people with only minor knowledge of the Beach Boys might under-appreciate"...or "Uninformed critics and modern fans who only acknowledge Pet Sounds and Smile when thinking of the Beach Boys should check some of their other albums out too...here's ten of them." Just a thought.

[SMiLE Brian]

I don't think surfer girl is underappreciated because this was the first album where Brian's gift for music really began to stand out. I just think time goes on and people forgot these albums because Capitol put out so many greatest hits albums later on the market that cut out the filler (which i like by the way).

[hypehat]

Of course we're going to say this, being the hardcore nuts who own everything on vinyl, 1990 twofer, 2001 twofer, Starline reissue and wax cylinder, but I certainly don't listen to Surfer Girl a lot besides the famous ones. Imo, it's a perfectly appropriate Beach Boys album to write about for that reason. There are hidden depths. And yeah, no-one I know has heard of it. 

Might I suggest for another, more festive approach, The Christmas Album? The dichotomy of the (ropey) band side and the lushly arranged second side is probably worth talking about.

And then, there are the 70's & 80's....... maybe avoid Love You, as that's had a critical renaissance. Although probably still not in the public eye.

[rocksucker]

We can continue this discussion for weeks, but this is really all there is to be said here:

I think the idea of highlighting Beach Boys favorites is always a good idea, and your presentation of the Surfer Girl LP seems genuine. But maybe the premise is actually "Ten Beach Boys LP's other than Smile and Pet Sounds that are good"...or "Ten Beach Boys LP's that people with only minor knowledge of the Beach Boys might under-appreciate"...or "Uninformed critics and modern fans who only acknowledge Pet Sounds and Smile when thinking of the Beach Boys should check some of their other albums out too...here's ten of them." Just a thought.

As I said earlier, none of those otherwise splendid suggestions will fit into a headline on the sidebar menu of a blog. "Underappreciated" was just a convenient umbrella term/shortcut to a snappier title and, to be honest, I wasn't expecting to be met head-on with extreme pedantry.

I think a lot of people use the internet to take out their irritability on unimportant but easy targets. I daresay I do as well.

[Autotune]

We can continue this discussion for weeks, but this is really all there is to be said here:

I think the idea of highlighting Beach Boys favorites is always a good idea, and your presentation of the Surfer Girl LP seems genuine. But maybe the premise is actually "Ten Beach Boys LP's other than Smile and Pet Sounds that are good"...or "Ten Beach Boys LP's that people with only minor knowledge of the Beach Boys might under-appreciate"...or "Uninformed critics and modern fans who only acknowledge Pet Sounds and Smile when thinking of the Beach Boys should check some of their other albums out too...here's ten of them." Just a thought.

I think it's uncalled-for to make people suffer the geek heat every time someone comes up with an essay about a rock group.

[drbeachboy]

We can continue this discussion for weeks, but this is really all there is to be said here:

I think the idea of highlighting Beach Boys favorites is always a good idea, and your presentation of the Surfer Girl LP seems genuine. But maybe the premise is actually "Ten Beach Boys LP's other than Smile and Pet Sounds that are good"...or "Ten Beach Boys LP's that people with only minor knowledge of the Beach Boys might under-appreciate"...or "Uninformed critics and modern fans who only acknowledge Pet Sounds and Smile when thinking of the Beach Boys should check some of their other albums out too...here's ten of them." Just a thought.

I think it's uncalled-for to make people suffer the geek heat every time someone comes up with an essay about a rock group.

It's not the essay, but the promotion of the essay. Using "Underappreciated" (such a sh*tty overused term) without something else attached to the term, makes it sound like it is that way to everyone, and that simply is not the case. Now, "Underappreciated By Those Under 30 Years Old" might hold more weight. Seems to me that the writer should be absolutely clear about what he is writing and to whom it is directed.

[Jason]

I think if one were to write about "underappreciated" Beach Boys albums, they'd have to write about the ones that are almost universally regarded as sh*t, like 15 Big Ones, MIU, Keepin' the Summer Alive, Summer in Paradise, Stars and Stripes...

[Jon Stebbins]

I love how things get argued out on this board. Yes at times it can be aggravating, and we all have our moments of impatience or overreaction, but usually as a thread winds on there are truths revealed, and even a consensus will occasionally emerge. While doing interviews to promote my latest book I often site the Smiley board as a source of inspiration and fuel. I'm busy, a working writer, with a young family to care for etc.. etc.. However, i routinely take the time to read this board because it simply is the smartest group of Beach Boys fans gathered in one place, everyday. Even though I am considered (by some) to be some kind of expert on the subject, i can often find people here who know something I don't...or who have an enlightening perspective on some Beach Boys minutia, and even insight into things that are essential to understanding the larger popular culture...and art in general. I'm a fan of this forum. And in the case of Mr. Rock Sucker...if I actually engage, and post, that means you got my attention. I think if you read my orig. post there is at least one compliment among the smorgasbord of criticisms, and tongue in cheek suggestions. I do think its worthy to think about things like a flawed premise, or a lack of nuance. Its absolutely subjective, but brings into focus the idea of Frame of Reference. Under-appreciated as in the now, or from a more nuanced and historical perspective. That was my point. I was suggesting a widening of the frame of reference might be in order to truly dial in Mr. Sucker's essay topic. The Surfer Girl LP IMO, and from my frame of reference... is a well appreciated entity. I have a good many reasons to be comfortable with that opinion, the Rolling Stone guide being one of the least meaningful to me. I'm not that old...really...but I remember a time, as a wee lad, when Surfer Girl LP's were incredibly common. The cover image is an iconic sight. The music is known. It was a saturation level commercial hit...yada yada yada. That's my perspective. The thought of it being under-appreciated seems to come from a foreign point of view...again, IMO. There are numerous other worthy perspectives many of which have been nicely voiced. The board doing its job. BTW...Howie Edelson has a valuable perspective on whether a certain vein of oldie is under-appreciated in the real world, as his involvement with national syndicated radio is his day job, and therefore he's aware of the inherent business implications of whether the four songs he mentioned from Surfer Girl are still viable today from a commercial standpoint. Hard to believe with radio formats shedding '60's material daily, but Surfer Girl still has a presence in radio.

What subsequently transpired in this thread is fairly typical of this board, although Mr. Rock Sucker's 15 posts certainly have some notable moments...

I think you could use some fresh air.
Dude I live right on the Pacific Ocean.

Critique away. If you're happy to stay clear of unnecessary sarkiness
Take your own advice brother

Just a thought/Hope this helps/Some other such condescending sign-off
See above


Without wanting to end this post with a sly dig, I hope that the above clarifies why I was somewhat less than cordial in responding to what came across (and I accept I could be wrong about this) as a haughty and patronising response from Mr Stebbins.
First time I've been called 'haughty"

I don't mind people taking exception but if they choose to do so in an unnecessarily sarky manner then I'll give it short shrift, whether on the internet or in real life (to put that particular mini-debate to bed).
See above again

To be honest, I hadn't figured that a blog post about one person's love of Surfer Girl (which is basically what it is, regardless of the finer semantics of how it's packaged) would attract such opprobrium on a Beach Boys message board. Either way, it's nice to see it stirring debate, even if it is the "ill-informed and naive" ramblings of a noob.

Does that count as "snippy"?
It counts as sarky

…inspired by the music itself rather than any need to document events that I'm sure have already been endlessly documented by the Right Hon. Mr Stebbins and the like. … The Beach Boys are so sacred that to write about them in anything less than meticulously-researched and sourced academic terms should see the author scalded like an errant child.
Feeling like a victim?

I'm not an obnoxious chap in the slightest, but I'm always prepared to bite back (in "real life" as well, I might add) so call me what you like and I'll respond in kind. Deal?
If you say so.


Oh and I couldn't care less about Rolling Stone's opinion, or even if Surfer Girl was so beloved and successful at the time that aliens landed on Earth demanding to see the great Brian Wilson so that they could whisk him away for the Greatest Surf-Pop Album in the Universe awards ceremony…
Bordering on sarky

Mr Stebbins' suggestion of "Ten Beach Boys Albums that aren't Pet Sounds or SMiLE but are still pretty good, even though you don't know anything about them, you inferior specimen" was all well and good but unfortunately it won't fit in the sidebar menu on my blog so I had to go with something a bit snappier.
Space is at a premium, we get it

I don't know what else to say, Parrot Man. I just hope you don't enforce such stringent levels of pedantry on your own children. "Let Them Run Free", to paraphrase a great man.

Yours,
Blogger Boy
(Although, at 26, I'm not sure I constitute a 'Boy' in the eyes of the many any more. How about "Blogger Young Man", "Blogger Mid-Twenties Guy" or, to satisfy The Great Stebbins, "Blogger Homo Sapiens With a Y Chromosome Who is Approaching His Thirties but Still Derives Pleasure from Irking Grumpy Old Gits who Must Surely Have Other Things in Their Life More Worthy of Their Attention than the Semantics of a Blog Post Made by a Homo Sapiens With a Y Chromosome Who is Approaching His Thirties")

Whoo, this is fun!

Fun is in, its no sin.

[Andrew G. Doe]

to be honest, I wasn't expecting to be met head-on with extreme pedantry.

Hoo, boy did you ever come to the wrong place ! 

[Heysaboda]

Hey, I come here for ALL my extreme pedantry needs...... 

Seriously, as Jon S. and Howie mentioned, there is no doubt that the LP Surfer Girl was a massive commercial and artistic smash in its day.

But, more to Jon Abrams--Mr. Rocksucker's point, what about the under age 30 casual listener TODAY?

Has the "branding" of many of the Beach Boys' LPs been "diluted" by excessive compilations?

For me: I would be unhappy if I thought some of the Boys' most important (early) work was "underappreciated" by younger listeners.  I hope that doesn't happen.

[Bubba Ho-Tep]

To me, the term "underappreciated" speaks of an album that is generally overlooked by the masses and dismissed by the hardcore. And to me, there is an album in the Beach Boys catalog that shoots right to the top of that list.

M I U

I don't care, dammit. It's good! It's a throw-back to pre-Pet Sounds un-heavy-ness. Fun and sun of teenaged youth filtered through the eyes of creepy old men with addictions to transcendental meditation and cocaine. Aside from a couple of stale croutons, this album is a garden salad of delicious delight. Wontcha Come Out Tonight, My Diane, Pitter Patter, Bells of Paris, She's Got Rhythm, Kona Coast, Hey Little Tom Boy....all good stuff. Sure, Carl and Dennis were sorta MIA, but why not let the sober people take the lead for once? And how about Brian's voice? Nice and smooth like tapioca pudding. Hell, I can't understand how anybody could loathe this wonderful record. It's a trampier older sister of "All Summer  Long", post-hysterectomy.

[shelter]

I think a lot of people use the internet to take out their irritability on unimportant but easy targets.

Don't see it like that. Would you rather have insincere compliments, or honest opinions? I agree that some people can be a bit harsh on this forum sometimes, but in the end almost everyone is here just to share their knowledge and honest opinions. And if you're looking for people who have something to say about all things Beach Boys, you'll find some of the greatest experts and most loyal fans on the planet right on this forum. So just use that for your advantage.

[rocksucker]

I think a lot of people use the internet to take out their irritability on unimportant but easy targets.

Don't see it like that. Would you rather have insincere compliments, or honest opinions? I agree that some people can be a bit harsh on this forum sometimes, but in the end almost everyone is here just to share their knowledge and honest opinions. And if you're looking for people who have something to say about all things Beach Boys, you'll find some of the greatest experts and most loyal fans on the planet right on this forum. So just use that for your advantage.

Fair comment. And I'm delighted that Mr Stebbins has decided to base his latest tome on me

Anyway, here's part two of the series in case anyone's interested: All Summer Long...

http://jonnyabrams.blogspot.com/2011/10/ten-underappreciated-beach-boys-lps-all.html

[Aegir]

"GRR ALL SUMMER LONG IS NOT OVERRATED IT HAS I GET AROUND DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY KIDS IN THE SIXTIES BOUGHT THE ALBUM JUST FOR THE SINGLE, LISTENED TO IT A FEW TIMES, AND THEN SOLD IT AT A GARAGE SALE THIRTY YEARS LATER"

[rocksucker]

"GRR ALL SUMMER LONG IS NOT OVERRATED IT HAS I GET AROUND DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY KIDS IN THE SIXTIES BOUGHT THE ALBUM JUST FOR THE SINGLE, LISTENED TO IT A FEW TIMES, AND THEN SOLD IT AT A GARAGE SALE THIRTY YEARS LATER"

I'll give you a bunch of fives, you rapscallion! *Puts 'em up, bounds about a bit, shuffles off quietly*

[rocksucker]

Part three: Today!

http://jonnyabrams.blogspot.com/2011/11/ten-underappreciated-beach-boys-lps.html

[Smilin Ed H]

Today? LMFAO

[drbeachboy]

Part three: Today!

http://jonnyabrams.blogspot.com/2011/11/ten-underappreciated-beach-boys-lps.html

You forgot about "In The Back Of My Mind". Also, I love how this album begins and ends with Dennis singing the leads to both songs.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

Stay tuned for Part four: Pet Sounds

Sorry, low blow but I was on your side until Today!

[harrisonjon]

Replying to the question, "And even though the early albums have popular hits, how many people (including Beach Boys fans) really love those albums as albums?", I think BB fans are aware of how Today works as an album, with the rockier tracks on one side and the sensitive songs on the other. The latter is often considered a precursor of Pet Sounds. All the other early albums are hits + patchy but Today was definitely a masterpiece album, not just a collection of great tracks.

[SMiLE Brian]

Underated?, Today was the testing ground for Pet Sounds with deep lyrics and production.

[rocksucker]

Stay tuned for Part four: Pet Sounds

Sorry, low blow but I was on your side until Today!

I qualified my stance in the intro with "underappreciated by the world at large". Maybe it's the talk of your town but I'd be amazed if all but maybe two or three people I've ever known know about Today! and how good it is, and do not do so upon my recommendation/insistence.

I post this genuinely in a non "snippy" way by the way I'm just very sure of my ground on this one and am more than happy to debate it. Today! is not, by the world at large, held in even a thousandth of the esteem that Pet Sounds - and SMiLE to an extent - is/are. If it was rereleased with bonus material etc tomorrow, there wouldn't be much fanfare beyond these message boards.

Happy to be proven wrong, mind.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

To me, the term "underappreciated" speaks of an album that is generally overlooked by the masses and dismissed by the hardcore. And to me, there is an album in the Beach Boys catalog that shoots right to the top of that list.

M I U

I don't care, dammit. It's good! It's a throw-back to pre-Pet Sounds un-heavy-ness. Fun and sun of teenaged youth filtered through the eyes of creepy old men with addictions to transcendental meditation and cocaine. Aside from a couple of stale croutons, this album is a garden salad of delicious delight. Wontcha Come Out Tonight, My Diane, Pitter Patter, Bells of Paris, She's Got Rhythm, Kona Coast, Hey Little Tom Boy....all good stuff. Sure, Carl and Dennis were sorta MIA, but why not let the sober people take the lead for once? And how about Brian's voice? Nice and smooth like tapioca pudding. Hell, I can't understand how anybody could loathe this wonderful record. It's a trampier older sister of "All Summer  Long", post-hysterectomy.

Ha! THIS needs to be the blurb on the back of the next MIU CD reissue, if it ever happens!!!!

[Rerun]

The only reason I could accept "Today!" as underappreciated is because, as some have stated here, it's a near-masterpiece, but most of the world doesn't appreciate it that way.  Still, with that said, it is one of three albums to make the RS Top 500 (along with PS and Sunflower...pretty sure there's not a 4th), so it does garner some level of acknowledgement, unlike, say, Summer Nights!