Why would anyone be obsessed/so very much into The Beach Boys?

[Freddie French-Pounce]

Okay, before I start, let me make this clear - this is not my question, but it is more something my dad asked (not quite the same wording but ah well), and I couldn't quite answer. What is it that draws us in so much to this band when, on the face of it, as my dad says, songs like little Deuce Coupe are more secondary in the music world, coming down more as 'bubble Gum Pop' according to him. I also tried the later stuff he knows - 'What about Sail On Sailor?' - apparently that still counts as typical Radio 2 fodder - a station that, judging by his reports, plays Sail On Sailor and Lady Lynda on loop with the odd 'I Can Hear Music' thrown in. He does, however, indicate that 'Good Vibrations' is an incredible piece of musical everything (not quite his words), but from what he has heard he doesn't like Smile (No-one I know does!)

(On a side note, he does also like some stuff he has heard from Pacific Ocean Blue, and Forever, along with a few off of Summer In Paradise, which, according to him, sounds very AOR-ish)

But after all that, I was still stuck. Conversation moved on, more food was consumed. But the question stayed in my head, and it's really bugging me. So I figured the guys (and Gals) here at the Smliey Smile Message Board (my goodness that sounds cheesy) may help me out here - explain to my dad what it is that makes us delve so deeply into the Beach Boys' history and recorded sound, when they are at heart a typical radio pop band?

(Smile is not a valid argument I'm afraid)

As a bonus point, we were also deliberating - if 15 Big Ones is reverting back to the old formula, does it count as a sell out?

[sidewinder572]

If he doesn't get it so be it. There's no sense in trying to convince him. I'm sure there's stuff your dad's into that you don't get either.

[EgoHanger1966]

For me, it's the knowledge of Brian Wilson's personal history, his struggles and demons, and the Pet Sounds/SMiLE era. His creativeness and inventiveness in the studio. I enjoy (at least a little bit of) each era of the Beach Boys recorded history, but it was Pet Sounds and the reverence Brian Wilson that brought me to them. So if there was no Pet Sounds to obsess over, I don't think I would be geeking out on albums such as 20/20 or Sunflower, or on the other hand, All Summer Long or Summer Days. YMMV.

[runnersdialzero]

Because everything they wrote is "bubblegum pop" along the lines of "Little Deuce Coupe" or even "Sail On Sailor".

Even if he dislikes Smile, I'd think he could at least recognize how ambitious and different it is, and that it's very much not your typical "bubblegum pop".

[myonlysunshine]

For me it's the sheer emotion Brian Wilson put into his music, as well as his inventiveness in the studio. It goes into many different directions over the course of time, from fun times, to the fear of loss, Pet Sounds/Smile, etc. Beach Boy music is feel-good music, and for whatever reason people have this weird idea that feel-good music is "lesser music."

For the life of me I have never understood why people think this. What do people listen to music to be emotionally disturbed? I don't get it. Of course music is meant to make you feel good.

[shelter]

I think I could write a 100 page essay about all the reasons why I love The Beach Boys. But I'll stick to the short answer. There are bands that I like because they have a couple of songs that I think are really, really good. Some bands have a dozen of those songs. A few bands even have two dozen. The Beach Boys have about ten dozen.

[Ron]

As much as nobody will agree with me, it's the positivity, lol. 


Here's a guy who was born June 20th, just in time for the first day of summer, right?  Supposedly (maybe, maybe not) lost hearing in 1 ear on his birthday (the day before summer, right?); suffered from mental illness, likely his entire life (althought it manifested more in his later years)... and then went on to write beautiful song after beautiful song about the summer we all love. 

As sad as his life was at times, the music was nearly always positive, and even when the music was sad it had hope in it. 

[othereric]

Positive, sincere music with intricate harmonies and instrumentation written by a troubled genius who was able time and again to overcome adversity. It's such a compelling and uplifting story. Not to mention the Beach Boys are interesting historically as well. They are a symbol of everything American--not just the music but also the personalities within the band and the way those personalities interacted with one another. I mean, someone could write a whole book on that aspect of the band. 

More people should be obsessed with The Beach Boys. The fact that a lot of people don't understand the appeal is evidence of the ignorance and moral decay of the society we live in.

[Alan Smith]

I am at a loss to provide any concrete reasons for being obsessed with the BBs - I just am...

[ohthosegirls]

There's just so much to obsess over. On top of their seemingly endless albums, there's a ton of unreleased stuff that's remarkable. It's shocking that it was never put out. If you have the time and want to, like Sean Lennon said "It's rewarding."

[I. Spaceman]

The perfect combination of light and dark. Bright surface, dark undertow. Joy and sadness in equal measure. They serve the need for both light pop entertainment and serious art worthy of study. You can't find too many other modern musical artists that the same thing could be said of.

[oldsurferdude]

Curious-what is your father's age?

[SMiLE Brian]

The perfect combination of light and dark. Bright surface, dark undertow. Joy and sadness in equal measure. They serve the need for both light pop entertainment and serious art worthy of study. You can't find too many other modern musical artists that the same thing could be said of.

This

[Aegir]

Curious-what is your father's age?

I'm going to guess his father is around 60/65.

[Mahalo]

The perfect combination of light and dark. Bright surface, dark undertow. Joy and sadness in equal measure. They serve the need for both light pop entertainment and serious art worthy of study. You can't find too many other modern musical artists that the same thing could be said of.

This

That.

[SG7]

They are like the Greek tragedy of rock and roll. Everything you can think of has happened to this band. Yet they are still going.

[JohnMill]

Plain and simple: The are one of the finest bands in the history of music.  If you enjoy listen to music that is highly enjoyable, creative and timeless, The Beach Boys would be one of the bands that you would naturally gravitate to.

[Wild-Honey]

I don't know where, but they send me there 

[NHC]

Bubble gum pop does not last half a century.  My dad was in his 50's during the BB hey-days, younger than I am now, and he always seemed to get it, at least on what it meant to me.  Made life easier for me., I can tell you that, back on the ranch.  The music had substance, had relevance, was well crafted and simply struck a chord  - yes - with its audience.

[Freddie French-Pounce]

Curious-what is your father's age?

I'm going to guess his father is around 60/65.

49 

[Aegir]

nah, Ian's father definitely ain't that young, Ian's like 35 at least.

[Exapno Mapcase]

Pity you can't choose your parents.

[Lonely Summer]

My dad never understood my obsession with music, period. But especially Bob Dylan. "The guy can't sing, he's a terrible harmonica player, blah blah blah".

[hypehat]

The perfect combination of light and dark. Bright surface, dark undertow. Joy and sadness in equal measure. They serve the need for both light pop entertainment and serious art worthy of study. You can't find too many other modern musical artists that the same thing could be said of.

This

That.

And allllllll this is that

[Amanda Hart]

I think my Beach Boys obsession comes down to two things:

1. The feeling I get when I listen to Beach Boys music. It's able to move me in many different ways. Brian especially was every good at conveying all kinds of emotions in his music. When you add the knowledge of the back story to those songs, it really enhances the experience. Of course it's great pop/rock music that you can bob along to while you're going about your day, but if you really listen to almost any Beach Boys song, there is so much going on, so much being expressed, that I can't imagine someone whose really listened to the music not getting enraptured and wanting to get deeper into the music.

2. My brain is wired in such a way that I am prone to obsession, and probably everyone else here is the same way. People whose brains don't work that way, won't understand it at all. This is probably the root of other people thinking we're all a bunch of weirdos, not that they think it's weird to like the Beach Boys specifically. They just can't understand that obsessive drive to know, have and listen to everything.