So Sad About BB's Career After "Smile" Incident :'[

[Chocolate Shake Man]

Erik H, it's the total lack of respect for other's opinions that was bugging people. Not his actual opinion. 

I get that, but I don't really read that from newguy's posts. He just seems young and with an attitude like any other 14 year old.

I've certainly seen much worse here by much more "mature" gentlemen.

Agreed. Give the guy a break.

[Newguy562]

Thanks You Guys I appreciate it ..i should've known the consequences for saying the stuff i said.

[Pretty Funky]

I can not believe this thread has lasted 10 pages.

[Newguy562]

I can not believe this thread has lasted 10 pages.

I can't believe how many people i pissed off..and this was a good subject so i'm not suprised.

[18thofMay]

I can not believe this thread has lasted 10 pages.

I can't believe how many people i pissed off..and this was a good subject so i'm not suprised.

n't

[DonnyL]

My musical world would fall down without Smiley Smile, Wild Honey & Friends ... in some ways, I prefer them to Pet Sounds and certainly prefer all of them to Smile ... so to each their own ... there is just something special about '65-'68.  i don't see the transition from Pet Sounds to Smiley as being the big crash it's played up to be ... more like a natural transition and 'cooling out'.

and uh ... yeh, Summer in Paradise is just plain bad.  But Mike's '81 solo album is pretty decent.  Curt Boetcher (sic?) was a very talented guy.  His record "There's an Innocent Face" is super good.

[Summertime Blooz]

I can not believe this thread has lasted 10 pages.

I can't believe how many people i pissed off..and this was a good subject so i'm not suprised.

I can. As soon as I read you post I thought "Hooo Boy! Run for cover"

[Iron Horse-Apples]

My musical world would fall down without Smiley Smile, Wild Honey & Friends ... in some ways, I prefer them to Pet Sounds and certainly prefer all of them to Smile

Yes, I treat Smiley Smile and SMiLE as two separate entities. Each are groundbreaking, and I couldn't tell you which I prefer. And as for Friends......as far as I'm concerned that was his pinnacle as a songwriter. I'm talking about the bare-bones of a song, chords, melody, and most importantly structure. This is a guy at the height of his powers, and I think the decline began, for Brian anyway, after Friends, not SMiLE.

[shelter]

Yes, I treat Smiley Smile and SMiLE as two separate entities. Each are groundbreaking, and I couldn't tell you which I prefer. And as for Friends......as far as I'm concerned that was his pinnacle as a songwriter. I'm talking about the bare-bones of a song, chords, melody, and most importantly structure. This is a guy at the height of his powers, and I think the decline began, for Brian anyway, after Friends, not SMiLE.

I agree. On Friends he clearly wasn't trying as hard anymore as he used to, but that doesn't mean that he wasn't still writing brilliant music.

[AllIWannaDo]

i kinda agree (in part)

its basically 2 bands

i love songs like little bird, forever, busy doin nothing, till i die, breakaway etc

however, it has to be acknowledged alot more substandard music here as well, sure theres still some nuggets to be mined but theres alot more quantity of meh on the later stuff.

to be honest outside 'Pet Sounds, Here Today, SMiLE, Sunflower' the beach boys blew hot and cold over the course of an albums length - thats not to say there isnt any music thats incredible because there is, however i think there is a wider sliding scale of great - bad, quality - cheese or whatever you wanna call it

hey there, interesting read this thread (for a variety of reasons )
seems like its cooled alittle on here now so thought id give this comment a bump, it seemed to get lost in the flames that came after, thought id pull it out and see what people thought about it

[I. Spaceman]

i kinda agree (in part)

its basically 2 bands

i love songs like little bird, forever, busy doin nothing, till i die, breakaway etc

however, it has to be acknowledged alot more substandard music here as well, sure theres still some nuggets to be mined but theres alot more quantity of meh on the later stuff.

to be honest outside 'Pet Sounds, Here Today, SMiLE, Sunflower' the beach boys blew hot and cold over the course of an albums length - thats not to say there isnt any music thats incredible because there is, however i think there is a wider sliding scale of great - bad, quality - cheese or whatever you wanna call it

hey there, interesting read this thread (for a variety of reasons )
seems like its cooled alittle on here now so thought id give this comment a bump, it seemed to get lost in the flames that came after, thought id pull it out and see what people thought about it

Like so many people, you are making the mistake of judging The Beach Boys by their album output.

[AllIWannaDo]

i kinda agree (in part)

its basically 2 bands

i love songs like little bird, forever, busy doin nothing, till i die, breakaway etc

however, it has to be acknowledged alot more substandard music here as well, sure theres still some nuggets to be mined but theres alot more quantity of meh on the later stuff.

to be honest outside 'Pet Sounds, Here Today, SMiLE, Sunflower' the beach boys blew hot and cold over the course of an albums length - thats not to say there isnt any music thats incredible because there is, however i think there is a wider sliding scale of great - bad, quality - cheese or whatever you wanna call it

hey there, interesting read this thread (for a variety of reasons )
seems like its cooled alittle on here now so thought id give this comment a bump, it seemed to get lost in the flames that came after, thought id pull it out and see what people thought about it

Like so many people, you are making the mistake of judging The Beach Boys by their album output.

In this thread yes i am, but your quite right it is a mistake to judge them solely by their albums.

To add a little twist though, i think the crux of the issue is... the level of sorting  'wheat from the chaff' pre and post SMiLE that is to be had from their albums - which is of course where most of their single material originates (discounting bsides).

There are great songs to be found post SMiLE, Pet Sounds,
ie when the band dynamic changed from a songwriter/producer (Brian Wilson) to a more democratic/band involved period

BUT there is a heck of a lot more varied styles, some good some bad, and writers, some good some bad, and producers/musicians (ditto some good etc) post SMiLE.
Personally however, the intergrity of the music begins to suffer the more the band begins to ape that big comeback single to relaunch them as their popularity ebbs n flows.

Upto and including SMiLE the production/arrangements/musicianship/writing is progressive (broadly speaking), however post SMiLE, this artistically harmonious  progression then starts to take a backseat, with popularity/survival/band democracy taking the lead.

i think its an interesting area, whether selection by commitee/popularity begins to compromise the overall artistic expression of the band, and so is more open to becoming more fragmented, less unified, artistically diluted, regressive, retrospective. That is a sweeping generalisation, and its not just related to the BB's either, its an artistic question of what the finished work represents/aspires to/connotes to the general public as well as to the smaller number of informed public like ourselves

i love alot of post SMiLE songs, albeit they're mainly Brian & Dennis songs as these seem to have better artistic intergity & higher quality writing/arranging to them - however there are ALOT more weaker,ill fitting songs & less melodic unity on these albums, they can often seem fragmented/uneven to listen to, I'm not sure if its a band vision or a collection of individuals trying to ape a collective vision which is something that i feel is more regressive than progressive?

bit of a ramble but heyho, im ready to have buttocks lightly toasted now 

hope this makes sense, i have manflu and am highly dosed up on medication

[Newguy562]

My musical world would fall down without Smiley Smile, Wild Honey & Friends ... in some ways, I prefer them to Pet Sounds and certainly prefer all of them to Smile

Yes, I treat Smiley Smile and SMiLE as two separate entities. Each are groundbreaking, and I couldn't tell you which I prefer. And as for Friends......as far as I'm concerned that was his pinnacle as a songwriter. I'm talking about the bare-bones of a song, chords, melody, and most importantly structure. This is a guy at the height of his powers, and I think the decline began, for Brian anyway, after Friends, not SMiLE.

seriously i don't see the big deal with friends..i only like the 2nd side of it...what songs on the 1st side are great? besides passing by..

[rab2591]

My musical world would fall down without Smiley Smile, Wild Honey & Friends ... in some ways, I prefer them to Pet Sounds and certainly prefer all of them to Smile

Yes, I treat Smiley Smile and SMiLE as two separate entities. Each are groundbreaking, and I couldn't tell you which I prefer. And as for Friends......as far as I'm concerned that was his pinnacle as a songwriter. I'm talking about the bare-bones of a song, chords, melody, and most importantly structure. This is a guy at the height of his powers, and I think the decline began, for Brian anyway, after Friends, not SMiLE.

seriously i don't see the big deal with friends..i only like the 2nd side of it...what songs on the 1st side are great? besides passing by..

Pet Sounds was Brian's symphony to teenage love life.
Friends is his acceptance of adult life and the responsibilities and fun times that come with it....raising a child, teaching the child about life, learning new ways to experience your consciousness.

It's just an adult version of Pet Sounds in my opinion. It takes idealistic adolescent love and makes it grow up. I don't think young people (including me) can fully grasp everything this album relates to, but it sure is fine music.

[Iron Horse-Apples]

My musical world would fall down without Smiley Smile, Wild Honey & Friends ... in some ways, I prefer them to Pet Sounds and certainly prefer all of them to Smile

Yes, I treat Smiley Smile and SMiLE as two separate entities. Each are groundbreaking, and I couldn't tell you which I prefer. And as for Friends......as far as I'm concerned that was his pinnacle as a songwriter. I'm talking about the bare-bones of a song, chords, melody, and most importantly structure. This is a guy at the height of his powers, and I think the decline began, for Brian anyway, after Friends, not SMiLE.

seriously i don't see the big deal with friends..i only like the 2nd side of it...what songs on the 1st side are great? besides passing by..

As far as I'm concerned, side "a" is the killer. Listen to the contrasting dynamics in "Wake The World", the harmonies in "Friends". Listen to the structure of "When A Man Needs A Woman", no simple verse /chorus here. I could go on and on and on. Really it's the subtlety of this album. Brian isn't shouting as loud, but everything that makes a great BB's album is here in spades. You need to listen.

But in all fairness to you, it took me awhile to get into Friends. The 61 - 66 period is more accessible. The albums from Pet Sounds on demand a bit more work as a listener, but if you do that work, you will be rewarded.

[Newguy562]

My musical world would fall down without Smiley Smile, Wild Honey & Friends ... in some ways, I prefer them to Pet Sounds and certainly prefer all of them to Smile

Yes, I treat Smiley Smile and SMiLE as two separate entities. Each are groundbreaking, and I couldn't tell you which I prefer. And as for Friends......as far as I'm concerned that was his pinnacle as a songwriter. I'm talking about the bare-bones of a song, chords, melody, and most importantly structure. This is a guy at the height of his powers, and I think the decline began, for Brian anyway, after Friends, not SMiLE.

seriously i don't see the big deal with friends..i only like the 2nd side of it...what songs on the 1st side are great? besides passing by..

Pet Sounds was Brian's symphony to teenage love life.
Friends is his acceptance of adult life and the responsibilities and fun times that come with it....raising a child, teaching the child about life, learning new ways to experience your consciousness.

It's just an adult version of Pet Sounds in my opinion. It takes idealistic adolescent love and makes it grow up. I don't think young people (including me) can fully grasp everything this album relates to, but it sure is fine music.

no wonder i can't connect with it lol..maybe in 15 more years or something.

[Iron Horse-Apples]

There's more to music than lyrics. The words are a tiny part. Friends is full of wonderful, musical moments. I always found it very sonically similar to SMiLE, beyond the obvious.

[DonnyL]

My musical world would fall down without Smiley Smile, Wild Honey & Friends ... in some ways, I prefer them to Pet Sounds and certainly prefer all of them to Smile

Yes, I treat Smiley Smile and SMiLE as two separate entities. Each are groundbreaking, and I couldn't tell you which I prefer. And as for Friends......as far as I'm concerned that was his pinnacle as a songwriter. I'm talking about the bare-bones of a song, chords, melody, and most importantly structure. This is a guy at the height of his powers, and I think the decline began, for Brian anyway, after Friends, not SMiLE.

seriously i don't see the big deal with friends..i only like the 2nd side of it...what songs on the 1st side are great? besides passing by..

sorry, there's no way I'm gonna defend 'Friends'!  It's simply an essential '60s record.  Listen to it on the first Sunday morning of the spring.

[Newguy562]

My musical world would fall down without Smiley Smile, Wild Honey & Friends ... in some ways, I prefer them to Pet Sounds and certainly prefer all of them to Smile

Yes, I treat Smiley Smile and SMiLE as two separate entities. Each are groundbreaking, and I couldn't tell you which I prefer. And as for Friends......as far as I'm concerned that was his pinnacle as a songwriter. I'm talking about the bare-bones of a song, chords, melody, and most importantly structure. This is a guy at the height of his powers, and I think the decline began, for Brian anyway, after Friends, not SMiLE.

seriously i don't see the big deal with friends..i only like the 2nd side of it...what songs on the 1st side are great? besides passing by..

sorry, there's no way I'm gonna defend 'Friends'!  It's simply an essential '60s record.  Listen to it on the first Sunday morning of the spring.

I'm listening to it now :] the songs that leave me stuck are "Friends/Be Here in the Morning/Transcendental Meditation" ...They just don't do it for me musically...I gave them so many changes but no. :[

[shelter]

seriously i don't see the big deal with friends..

The best way for me to describe 'Friends' would be: if the early Beach Boys albums are like cruising down the boulevard in a cool car on a hot Summer day while you're checking out beautiful young women in bikinis, then 'Friends' is like chilling out in your back yard on a warm Summer evening with the woman you love and a cold beer.

[drbeachboy]

seriously i don't see the big deal with friends..

The best way for me to describe 'Friends' would be: if the early Beach Boys albums are like cruising down the boulevard in a cool car on a hot Summer day while you're checking out beautiful young women in bikinis, then 'Friends' is like chilling out in your back yard on a warm Summer evening with the woman you love and a cold beer.

Or out sailing on The Harmony.

[rab2591]

both of the above posts.

[Newguy562]

seriously i don't see the big deal with friends..

The best way for me to describe 'Friends' would be: if the early Beach Boys albums are like cruising down the boulevard in a cool car on a hot Summer day while you're checking out beautiful young women in bikinis, then 'Friends' is like chilling out in your back yard on a warm Summer evening with the woman you love and a cold beer.

i like that what about wild honey?

[Sam_BFC]

Wild Honey is munching p*ssy...as I'm sure you are aware really 

[Mr. Wilson]

Surfer Girl.
All Summer Long.
Concert.
Today.
Summer Days.
Pet Sounds.
SMILE.
Wild Honey.
20/20.
Sunflower.
Surfs Up.
Holland.
Love You.
LA Album.
Still Crusin .
In concert.
93 box set.
Live In London
And ive listened to every BB album in order AS THEY CAME OUT... Been a life long BB fan + i can allways find good stuff to listen to on any album.. .. To each their own.. I dont connect well with Friends like most people on here do..I suppose growin up in that time period there was so much better stuff to listen to.!...I dont think ive ever played that LP for anyone in my life..!