Doin' It Again DVD/Blu-ray due August 28

[Rocky Raccoon]

How is that better?  That's like a completist's nightmare.  What the Beatles did was take all their core studio material and put it in a reasonably priced box set.  The Beach Boys have never done anything like that and I think it's about time they did.

[I. Spaceman]

How is that better?  That's like a completist's nightmare.  What the Beatles did was take all their core studio material and put it in a reasonably priced box set.  The Beach Boys have never done anything like that and I think it's about time they did.

What do you think would be a reasonable price for a box set containing every Beach Boys master?

[Rocky Raccoon]

How is that better?  That's like a completist's nightmare.  What the Beatles did was take all their core studio material and put it in a reasonably priced box set.  The Beach Boys have never done anything like that and I think it's about time they did.

What do you think would be a reasonable price for a box set containing every Beach Boys master?

Somewhere around $100 to $150 I suppose?

[DonnyL]

How is that better?  That's like a completist's nightmare.  What the Beatles did was take all their core studio material and put it in a reasonably priced box set.  The Beach Boys have never done anything like that and I think it's about time they did.

What do you think would be a reasonable price for a box set containing every Beach Boys master?

Somewhere around $100 to $150 I suppose?

ha !

[DonnyL]

What a missed opportunity.  When I first watched this I thought they finally got it right, doing it Beatles Anthology style with no narration and the band doing all the talking.  But to keep a 50 year career down to less than an hour is a CRIME.  The Beatles had 10 hours plus bonus material for their 1956-1970 career and it was great (even better if you see the pre-Yoko veto version).  I'm probably going to skip this one until I have plenty of disposable income again!

The Beatles also had a proper re-issue campaign..

Oh sh*t, yeah I went there

Well actually, The Beatles re-released, what, all 12 of their official albums plus the American version of Magical Mystery Tour and the Past Masters collection rounding up the stray tracks.

And now we have The Beach Boys getting 12 of their official albums plus Fifty Big Ones, the Greatest Hits album, and Made In California. And that thing called The SMiLE Sessions. And then there's That's Why God Made The Radio, along with the zinepak, the QVC bonus CD, and the Reader's Digest "chronicle" edition or whatever of the new album too. So I'd actually The Beach Boys did it better than The Beatles. And honestly, it's kinda ridiculous to re-release 30 or so albums at once. I don't mind that they are splitting it up a bit. I only have so much money!

QVC doesn't belong anywhere near this conversation !

[I. Spaceman]

How is that better?  That's like a completist's nightmare.  What the Beatles did was take all their core studio material and put it in a reasonably priced box set.  The Beach Boys have never done anything like that and I think it's about time they did.

What do you think would be a reasonable price for a box set containing every Beach Boys master?

Somewhere around $100 to $150 I suppose?

The Beatles' stereo box retails for around $180. Considering that The Beach Boys have at least three times the amount of masters that The Beatles recorded, that is either a very lowball estimate from someone who doesn't wish to pay more than that for a lot of music, or it severely underestimates the band's musical-monetary value in comparison to the Fabs.

[Rocky Raccoon]

So if you count the Capitol cash-ins (the zinepak, the Reader's Digest thing, the QVC disc) plus the two official greatest hits albums, the Beach Boys will have released five different hits compilations.  Doesn't anybody else find that absolutely ridiculous?

[Jim V.]

How is that better?  That's like a completist's nightmare.  What the Beatles did was take all their core studio material and put it in a reasonably priced box set.  The Beach Boys have never done anything like that and I think it's about time they did.

What do you think would be a reasonable price for a box set containing every Beach Boys master?

Somewhere around $100 to $150 I suppose?

Sorry if this is mean, but ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!?! If you include the core live albums (Concert, Live In London, and In Concert) and also include Stack o' Tracks and The SMiLE Sessions (as they're considered official studio releases by them I guess), you end up with what? Without looking closely, that's probably about 35 discs! The Beatles set costs around $180 on Amazon. And that, including the DVD I think is what, 16 discs or so? So double that, and you have a $350 to $400 Beach Boys set. How many of those you think they'd sell? I don't know if I could rationalize that purchase to my girlfriend, and she understands my Beach Boys fandom. We have to be realistic here.

[I. Spaceman]

It could be done for under $300 if they went the by-album-with-bonus-tracks route, ala the Johnny Cash Columbia albums box. But certainly no less than that. Strangely, I would think twice about purchasing a box containing Still Cruisin', Summer In Paradise and Stars And Stripes.

[Rocky Raccoon]

If you put two albums on one disc (and I'm just talking about the core studio albums from Brother and Capitol which means no live albums, no Stack-o-Tracks, no Smile Sessions, no Summer in Paradise or Stars and Stripes), that's about 16 discs and that's perfectly reasonable.

[DonnyL]

If you put two albums on one disc (and I'm just talking about the core studio albums from Brother and Capitol which means no live albums, no Stack-o-Tracks, no Smile Sessions, no Summer in Paradise or Stars and Stripes), that's about 16 discs and that's perfectly reasonable.

but why do you want this? because you don't want to buy the individual albums? just buy them all, and put them in a box.

[Jim V.]

If you put two albums on one disc (and I'm just talking about the core studio albums from Brother and Capitol which means no live albums, no Stack-o-Tracks, no Smile Sessions, no Summer in Paradise or Stars and Stripes), that's about 16 discs and that's perfectly reasonable.

but why do you want this? because you don't want to buy the individual albums? just buy them all, and put them in a box.

Exactly. And I'm also of the opinion that making them two-fers kinda sells the group a bit short. Every album should be its own thing. And especially if they were gonna do a box, you'd probably want the artwork and everything to be close to the original releases. And if you do two-fers then, you really can't get that.

[The Shift]

If you put two albums on one disc (and I'm just talking about the core studio albums from Brother and Capitol which means no live albums, no Stack-o-Tracks, no Smile Sessions, no Summer in Paradise or Stars and Stripes), that's about 16 discs and that's perfectly reasonable.

They already did that with the Capitol albums - twice - and we weren't overly happy!

[The Shift]

So if you count the Capitol cash-ins (the zinepak, the Reader's Digest thing, the QVC disc) plus the two official greatest hits albums, the Beach Boys will have released five different hits compilations.  Doesn't anybody else find that absolutely ridiculous?

Utterly and completely so. On at least two occasions in the past we've had GH sets which would and could (and perhaps should) have stayed in catalogue for a decade or more and seen off any idea of another GH project: the three GH discs which included a Brother Years Vol, and the Sounds of Summer-cum-Platinum Collection.

A few folk here are speculating that the hits will also be on the Made in California box but I hope to God that, if they are, the opportunityY is taken to feature them in versions/formats with which we're unfamiliar.

If the 50 Big Ones/GHs discs do well though, chances are the Capitol execs will take serious note, re-evaluate their opinion of the Beach Boys... And release a similar GHs set next year, with the track list re- arranged!

[Rocky Raccoon]

If you put two albums on one disc (and I'm just talking about the core studio albums from Brother and Capitol which means no live albums, no Stack-o-Tracks, no Smile Sessions, no Summer in Paradise or Stars and Stripes), that's about 16 discs and that's perfectly reasonable.

but why do you want this? because you don't want to buy the individual albums? just buy them all, and put them in a box.

Too expensive that way.

[TV Forces]

So double that, and you have a $350 to $400 Beach Boys set. How many of those you think they'd sell? I don't know if I could rationalize that purchase to my girlfriend, and she understands my Beach Boys fandom. We have to be realistic here.

Girlfriends come & go.  Luckily I don't have to justify anything to my wife.  She has her own hobbies.

By the way, this thread is about the new DVD, not a nonexistant complete catalog box set.

[Ram4]

My comment that somehow got turned into the Beatles CDs vs The Beach Boys CDs was about the documentaries (Do It Again and Anthology).  The box set/reissue thread is elsewhere.  As far as the CD reissues - there is no comparison.  BB are like an idie group by comparison in the minds of the masses.  They want BB Greatest Hits and that's it.  I'm not ever going to be able to go to Target or Costco and be able to buy Friends or Surf's Up but With The Beatles or Beatles For Sale will be there.

Again, I think the BB blew it by limiting a 50 year career to a less than one hour documentary.  They should not only have done a 3-4 hour or longer documentary, it could have included videos and performances gallore (not the 2012 tour stuff).  What's more annoying is that I LOVE how they did this one like the Anthology, with no pre-rehearsed dialog or phony narration.  They could have included plenty of Carl and Dennis interview commentary too (ala Lennon's). 

[Rocky Raccoon]

Again, I think the BB blew it by limiting a 50 year career to a less than one hour documentary.  They should not only have done a 3-4 hour or longer documentary, it could have included videos and performances gallore (not the 2012 tour stuff).  What's more annoying is that I LOVE how they did this one like the Anthology, with no pre-rehearsed dialog or phony narration.  They could have included plenty of Carl and Dennis interview commentary too (ala Lennon's). 

Well they did attempt an Anthology-like documentary.  That's what Endless Harmony was.  A little bit more comprehensive but still lacking in my opinion.  I think if somebody did a fan-edit of Endless Harmony, American Band, Doin' It Again, and the Brian Wilson A&E biography; that would be the ultimate Beach Boys movie.

[Paulos]

Again, I think the BB blew it by limiting a 50 year career to a less than one hour documentary.  They should not only have done a 3-4 hour or longer documentary, it could have included videos and performances gallore (not the 2012 tour stuff).  What's more annoying is that I LOVE how they did this one like the Anthology, with no pre-rehearsed dialog or phony narration.  They could have included plenty of Carl and Dennis interview commentary too (ala Lennon's). 

Well they did attempt an Anthology-like documentary.  That's what Endless Harmony was.  A little bit more comprehensive but still lacking in my opinion.  I think if somebody did a fan-edit of Endless Harmony, American Band, Doin' It Again, and the Brian Wilson A&E biography; that would be the ultimate Beach Boys movie.

Can't agree that EH and Anthology are similar. Anthology = 8 part documentary series spanning 10+ hours and 3 double CDs. Endless Harmony = 1 2.5 hour documentary and 1 CD.

[EgoHanger1966]

Again, I think the BB blew it by limiting a 50 year career to a less than one hour documentary.  They should not only have done a 3-4 hour or longer documentary, it could have included videos and performances gallore (not the 2012 tour stuff).  What's more annoying is that I LOVE how they did this one like the Anthology, with no pre-rehearsed dialog or phony narration.  They could have included plenty of Carl and Dennis interview commentary too (ala Lennon's). 

Well they did attempt an Anthology-like documentary.  That's what Endless Harmony was.  A little bit more comprehensive but still lacking in my opinion.  I think if somebody did a fan-edit of Endless Harmony, American Band, Doin' It Again, and the Brian Wilson A&E biography; that would be the ultimate Beach Boys movie.

Can't agree that EH and Anthology are similar. Anthology = 8 part documentary series spanning 10+ hours and 3 double CDs. Endless Harmony = 1 2.5 hour documentary and 1 CD.

Well, barring the time lengths, they set out to do about the same thing. don't they? Present a documentary of a 60s band internally.
And....let's get real here, as much as we love, adore, and worship The Beach Boys, they don't warrant a 10 hour documentary.

[Paulos]

Again, I think the BB blew it by limiting a 50 year career to a less than one hour documentary.  They should not only have done a 3-4 hour or longer documentary, it could have included videos and performances gallore (not the 2012 tour stuff).  What's more annoying is that I LOVE how they did this one like the Anthology, with no pre-rehearsed dialog or phony narration.  They could have included plenty of Carl and Dennis interview commentary too (ala Lennon's).  

Well they did attempt an Anthology-like documentary.  That's what Endless Harmony was.  A little bit more comprehensive but still lacking in my opinion.  I think if somebody did a fan-edit of Endless Harmony, American Band, Doin' It Again, and the Brian Wilson A&E biography; that would be the ultimate Beach Boys movie.

Can't agree that EH and Anthology are similar. Anthology = 8 part documentary series spanning 10+ hours and 3 double CDs. Endless Harmony = 1 2.5 hour documentary and 1 CD.

Well, barring the time lengths, they set out to do about the same thing. don't they? Present a documentary of a 60s band internally.
And....let's get real here, as much as we love, adore, and worship The Beach Boys, they don't warrant a 10 hour documentary.

Blasphemy! The Beach Boys warrant at least a 10 hour documentary for each album, imagine the Summer In Paradise documentary! 

[Heysaboda]

So if you count the Capitol cash-ins (the zinepak, the Reader's Digest thing, the QVC disc) plus the two official greatest hits albums, the Beach Boys will have released five different hits compilations.  Doesn't anybody else find that absolutely ridiculous?

Yes, I do!  But the BB's have always been comp-crazy.

Did anyone here buy the Reader's Digest thingy?  I did not.

[HeyJude]

Can't agree that EH and Anthology are similar. Anthology = 8 part documentary series spanning 10+ hours and 3 double CDs. Endless Harmony = 1 2.5 hour documentary and 1 CD.

The EH doc wasn't even 2.5 hours long. The extended DVD edit was only about 1 hour and 45 minutes. That doc was about as good as an "authorized" documentary made in 1998 and made to be only one feature length could possibly be.

[HeyJude]

Well, barring the time lengths, they set out to do about the same thing. don't they? Present a documentary of a 60s band internally.
And....let's get real here, as much as we love, adore, and worship The Beach Boys, they don't warrant a 10 hour documentary.

Perhaps the comparable period of 1961/62-ish to 1969 doesn't warrant 10 hours for the BB's, if for no other reason that less extant footage of them seems to exist as compared to the Beatles (although that may not even be true; I don't know what's out there).

But considering the BB's continued in various forms through, well, the present, I think now that they have clocked 50 years, they warrant more than 90 mins or two hours for a documentary. Yes, there are vast periods where little needs to be covered. We don't need an hour covering the harrowing tour years of 1993 to 1997.

But I hope they do something more along the lines of the Beatles Anthology, some sort of multi-hour documentary, and get the surviving guys to sit down for thorough interviews while they're still around.

[gsmile]

The EH doc wasn't even 2.5 hours long. The extended DVD edit was only about 1 hour and 45 minutes. That doc was about as good as an "authorized" documentary made in 1998 and made to be only one feature length could possibly be.

One thing I've always loved about the EH doc is the fact that it gave a few seconds to the "Love You" album.  I absolutely LOVE Brian's description of the album: "It just hit the spot, y'know?"  Using "The Night Was So Young" was inspired, as that small snippet of the chorus enchanted me until I finally found a used copy of the album (this was before the 2000 reissues of course).  For some reason, it's always the album I put on after coming home from the bar.  I still like using the expression "hits the spot" when it comes to albums.