If You Could Choose One Post Pet Sounds Album For A New Listener To Check Out...

[drbeachboy]

it's one of the four decent tracks on BB 85 - the others being Male Ego, It's Gettin' Late and Where I Belong. The rest, unfortunately, is utter guff. Crazy how much Timothy White raves about BB 85 in his Newest Faraway Place book. 'Almost as good as Sunflower' - methinks not.

I remember upon release that reviewers were fairly fond of it, especially the vocals and it being recorded digitally and all that. To me, the vocals sound scratchy, like everyone has a sore throat. The background vocals sound nice and clear, but nothing challenging like on past albums. Best songs for me are Getcha Back, It's Gettin' Late, Maybe I Don't Know, Male Ego and when I'm in the mood, I Do Love You. Better Brian tunes and no Boy George song would made this CD more enjoyable.

[Outtasight!]

C'mon BB85 sounds like sh*t, you'd never play it to a novice as their introduction to the Beach Boys. It's wimpy and cold sounding and the songs bar Male Ego are lifeless. Even Neil Youngs Landing on Water sounds better, very 80's but at least committed and idiosyncratic not just bland.

[drbeachboy]

C'mon BB85 sounds like sh*t, you'd never play it to a novice as their introduction to the Beach Boys. It's wimpy and cold sounding and the songs bar Male Ego are lifeless. Even Neil Youngs Landing on Water sounds better, very 80's but at least committed and idiosyncratic not just bland.

You are correct, it is not an album to play for a novice fan. Now, tell us how you really feel. Really, depending what a new fan wants to hear, it is usually always better to start with either mid-60s or early 70s material.

[Liamo]

mmm.. must check out I Do love you again.
It's not my favourite post Pet Sounds album but the one that seems to make the best impression on non Beach Boys fans is Carl & The Passions. Not sure why but it's been my experience.

please check it out it was one of the songs that made me realize the beach boys werent washed up completely by the 80's

true, a very nice track. Not sure why it passed me by to begin with. Think their 80s stuff left me a little cold - they didn't put out that much good stuff in the 80s but then who did?

the only people i listen to that was strong in the 80's were...the smiths,michael jackson,prince,the cure,even a little bit of the rolling stones (my guilty pleasure) lol

I'll give you The Smiths :)They were pretty amazing. Some REM and being Irish.. The Pogues As for the BBs ..It's Gettin Late, Where I belong.. Rock 'n' Roll to the rescue is fun and its nice to hear McGuinn playing guitar on California Dreamin. And now I'd add I do Love You (converted!)

[Roger Ryan]

As far as the 80s are concerned, check out the tracklisting to Rhino's LEFT OF THE DIAL: DISPATCHES FROM THE 80s UNDERGROUND.

Virtually all of this material is excellent and many of these bands/performers represented the best material of that decade. I would only add the work of Talking Heads, The Call and Lloyd Cole to the Rhino selections to complete the list.

I find "Rock and Roll To The Rescue", "In My Car", "Male Ego", "Getcha Back", "Where I Belong" and, I suppose, "Kokomo" to be the only 80s tracks by the Beach Boys I would even want to listen to (unless we're counting KEEP THE SUMMER ALIVE in which case I would add a few more). Thank goodness Brian released a pretty strong solo album in '88, so the decade wasn't a complete wash for the band!

[drbeachboy]

As far as the 80s are concerned, check out the tracklisting to Rhino's LEFT OF THE DIAL: DISPATCHES FROM THE 80s UNDERGROUND.

Virtually all of this material is excellent and many of these bands/performers represented the best material of that decade. I would only add the work of Talking Heads, The Call and Lloyd Cole to the Rhino selections to complete the list.

I find "Rock and Roll To The Rescue", "In My Car", "Male Ego", "Getcha Back", "Where I Belong" and, I suppose, "Kokomo" to be the only 80s tracks by the Beach Boys I would even want to listen to (unless we're counting KEEP THE SUMMER ALIVE in which case I would add a few more). Thank goodness Brian released a pretty strong solo album in '88, so the decade wasn't a complete wash for the band!

I would add "Somewhere Near Japan", "Make It Big" and "California Dreamin'" (AC Hit) to that list.

[bluesno1fann]

Going to have to go with Sunflower for this. Dennis at one of his best, as well as Bruce; as well as Carl, Brian, Mike and Al doing a great job on this. A true team effort, which you can't say for too many BB's albums.

Though 20/20, Surf's Up and Holland do come close, it's gotta be Sunflower. No doubt in my mind!

[JK]

[Myk Luhv]

Yeah, Surf's Up is what got me into this group hardcore too, because it absolutely shattered my preconceived notions of what music by "The Beach Boys" was supposed to sound like -- and I, like most casual listeners, was at that point only familiar with the early hits (and maybe I had heard Pet Sounds but it didn't immediately resonate with me) -- that it was honestly shocking to me. This album is almost the antithesis of everything that this group is musically, at least to most people I would imagine. Look at that gloomy, defeated cover! Hear those socially-conscious, mystic, or downright depressing lyrics! Behold the musical psychedelia of much of the material, and the complexity as well! Even "Take A Load Off Your Feet" and "Disney Girls", if not exactly fitting into any of those other proclamations, provide a nice respite from the heaviness of the rest of the album, the nostalgia and humour are in these cases appreciated!

I don't think this album is The Beach Boys conforming to trends so much as it is making the trends conform to The Beach Boys, and having it work very well indeed by putting their own spin on what was popular at the time as only this group could have done.

[Orange Crate Art]

I guess Sunflower or Surf's Up. Maybe even 20/20. Although for me it was Smiley Smile that did the trick...

[Adult Child]

It would depend what they listen to regularly.

It really does. If it was someone not so sold on Pet Sounds (basically not head over heels over Pet Sounds), then probably Sunflower. If they're obsessed with Pet Sounds, I'd say Surf's Up if it had to be one album. Or the Smile sessions if they haven't heard those. That's a huge part of the story (obviously). Maybe just every album after PS & Smile in chronological order for them to get the full story, to see the transition.