When in their career, if ever, do you stop listening to the beach boys?

[Wirestone]

I don't think trumpeting your purposeful ignorance of a band's catalog is really a good idea on a board devoted to that group.

[BillA]

I don't think trumpeting your purposeful ignorance of a band's catalog is really a good idea on a board devoted to that group.

I am aware of the catalog, I just chose not to buy the material that I did not care for.

[OneEar/OneEye]

I don't think trumpeting your purposeful ignorance of a band's catalog is really a good idea on a board devoted to that group.

I don't think it's about trumpeting ones ignorance.  It's just a question, which essentially is asking, "have you actually really listened to everything the band has put out or are there periods/albums that you have passed on."   One can be a fan of a band/performer and still not enjoy and/or choose not to take part in the purchase and listening of certain releases.   With the Beach Boys for me it was LA.  I heard certain songs after that upon their initial release - Keepin' The Summer Alive, Getcha Back, Still Cruisin', Kokomo (for example), but none of them particularly made me want to go buy the album.  Some of them in fact made me afraid to buy the album.   A lot of people liked those songs though, and some people bought the albums and I'm guessing enjoyed them.  Kokomo as a song was obviously a huge hit - many people loved that song.  I'm glad they enjoyed it, and in all honesty, it is a good pop song, just something about it makes me want to throw up (but that's my problem). 
I have been crossing my fingers that should they actually do a reunion album they will come out with something really classy, something that will cap off their career in a beautiful way.   I want this as much for them as I do for myself as a fan.

[SMiLE Brian]

KTSA- Death of the Beach Boys in my opinion.

[drbeachboy]

I'm interested OneEar as to what you consider as "classy"? I hope it is something like Imagination, because I think that will be what it comes closest to. I'll be happy if it is just halfway decent.

[drbeachboy]

KTSA- Death of the Beach Boys in my opinion.

For albums, maybe, but they could still sing their asses off long after that. Had Brian been able to take fuller control back then, I think things would have turned out quite differently on an album level.

[SMiLE Brian]

KTSA- Death of the Beach Boys in my opinion.

For albums, maybe, but they could still sing their asses off long after that. Had Brian been able to take fuller control back then, I think things would have turned out quite differently on an album level.

I agree, the Beach Boys doing BW88 would have been amazing. The touring group just lost a lot with Dennis gone and them doing greatest hits tours in autopilot until 1993 with the box set tour.

[anazgnos]

I don't think trumpeting your purposeful ignorance of a band's catalog is really a good idea on a board devoted to that group.

I don't know...it would be just as easy to argue that someone who purposely ignores the Beach Boys career after 1980 is more of a fan than someone who makes no distinction.

For me it's not about being incurious or uninformed or a dilettante, it's that as a fan, I've thought long and hard about what particular blend of ingredients go up to really define the Beach Boys for me, and then identifying the point at which, for myriad reasons, those ingredients stopped going together in any meaningful way.  Opinions can differ as to the location of that point, but I can't believe it's a controversial idea.  I believe it's an inevitable process to go through with any long-running band.

FWIW I'm just talking about new albums under the group name.  Still dig some Brian solo stuff, would have loved to have seen the group live while Carl was still around, etc.

[BillA]

I agree, the Beach Boys doing BW88 would have been amazing. The touring group just lost a lot with Dennis gone and them doing greatest hits tours in autopilot until 1993 with the box set tour.
[/quote]

I don't know, the touring group in 1993 sounded awfully good.

[Wirestone]

I don't know...it would be just as easy to argue that someone who purposely ignores the Beach Boys career after 1980 is more of a fan than someone who makes no distinction.

It doesn't have to do with refusing to make distinctions -- only the deaf could do that. But if you're going to talk about the band and its history in a serious way, it's worth gaining at a passing familiarity with the 80s and 90s albums, if only to be able to laugh about them here. And the combined cost of doing so, at least according to Amazon, is about $15. (I exclude Summer in Paradise, which is for some reason considered scarce these days. You may download it illegally.)

I would also argue, quite seriously, that if you're at all interested in Mike's creative contributions to the band over the years, Summer in Paradise is surprisingly instructive. It's an album full of hooks without the songs to hang them on. Fascinating.

[drbeachboy]

I agree, the Beach Boys doing BW88 would have been amazing. The touring group just lost a lot with Dennis gone and them doing greatest hits tours in autopilot until 1993 with the box set tour.

I don't know, the touring group in 1993 sounded awfully good.

Oh yeah, even without The Beach Boys, it is a Beach Boys album through and through.

[drbeachboy]

Double post

[OneEar/OneEye]

I'm interested OneEar as to what you consider as "classy"? I hope it is something like Imagination, because I think that will be what it comes closest to. I'll be happy if it is just halfway decent.

I mean something age appropriate, not more of the same "we're 70 but we're talkin' 16" kind of thing, something just true, honest, "them", something that isn't about the "image" as much as the music and who they really are in relation to it (not expressing myself well, but anyway...) - I just think they could do something that would be awesome, even at their age, etc.  I want to hear these old friends get around a microphone and sing - as Murry would say - from their hearts.

[drbeachboy]

I don't find the age appropriate thing an issue. To this day all four sing mostly non-age appropriate stuff on stage most of every year. What is the difference whether it is a new song or old song? It is still 69 & 70 year old men performing those songs. I don't really want to hear them singing about age appropriate things such as constipation, taking Geritol, prostate examinations, playing bocci ball and shuffle board, etc.. Know what I mean?

[sockittome]

Sunflower is the last album I can listen to in its entirety.  After that, it's a song here, a few songs there, etc.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Damn! I thought we were supposed to be Beach Boys FANS!!!!!

[hypehat]

Us? Definitely not 

[OneEar/OneEye]

I don't find the age appropriate thing an issue. To this day all four sing mostly non-age appropriate stuff on stage most of every year. What is the difference whether it is a new song or old song? It is still 69 & 70 year old men performing those songs. I don't really want to hear them singing about age appropriate things such as constipation, taking Geritol, prostate examinations, playing bocci ball and shuffle board, etc.. Know what I mean?

Well, as I said, I ddn't think I was expressing my thoughts very well,  however - do you really think I was meaning to say they should sing songs about Geritol, prostate examinations, shuffle board and constipation???   

[Newguy562]

Even though there are a few gems that i love to death...I pretty much stopped listening to their music after 1970.
The songs that standout after 1970.. are "Til i Die".."All This is That".."The Night Was So Young" & "I Do Love You".

[Alex]

I have no BBs cutoff. I`m a shameless SC and SIP whore.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

I CAN'T WAIT TILL SUMMER CAUSE IT'S GONNA BE A SUMMER OF LOVE!

HEY NOW - IT'S A LOVE THING!


Who the hell can argue with that?

Aside from Problem Child, in my heart of hearts I actually love EVERYTHING the Boys have ever done.

[Curtis Leon]

It depends on how the new album fares.

[Eric Aniversario]

I listen to it all! And like it all!  But I do have to admit that BW's Pet Sounds Live never did hold my attention...great musicianship, and great to see live, but if I'm going to listen to Pet Sounds, I'm gonna listen to the original album.

[drbeachboy]

I listen to it all! And like it all!  But I do have to admit that BW's Pet Sounds Live never did hold my attention...great musicianship, and great to see live, but if I'm going to listen to Pet Sounds, I'm gonna listen to the original album.

I agree, and furthermore there is footwear out there with better performances than what was used for this CD. I don't think I've played it since I bought it that release week.

[buddhahat]

I don't think trumpeting your purposeful ignorance of a band's catalog is really a good idea on a board devoted to that group.

I totally disagree with this. If this board was narrowed down to only those that are well versed with every phase of the band's career, you'd have a much less diverse and interesting bunch of people here.

There are those fans, and their global perspective on the band is most valuable, but I'd argue not more so than the guy that just digs the early 'garage band' incarnation and can tell you exactly why he gets so fired up by it, or the stoner who stumbles on here to share his/her freaky ideas about Smiley Smile. It takes all sorts!

It's also worth remembering that The Beach Boys, more so than any other group, have an incredibly diverse array of manifestations from striped shirt all-Amercian boys to beardy hippies to tennis short-wearing Reaganites. It's just not realistic to expect fans to research every inch of the band's career. As far I'm concerned, Still Cruising might as well be by a different group and, as a result, I have no urge to listen to it .... (yet!)

Edit: As an afterthought, I think it is realistic to expect board members who don't like the 80s period to not thread crap every KTSA topic. I tend to keep my nose out of those threads, or the ones about the modern day Mike/Bruce incarnation of the band, because it's just not my thing. I may be wrong, but I think the board naturally functions this way anyway where people generally respect other's tastes. However topics like this one are a kind of grey area so we shall see