What *Beach Boys* Are You Listening To Right Now?

[Bean Bag]

Pet Sounds. Stereo.


 

[Gertie J.]

Wild Honey! Without Mama Says though.

[Steve Mayo]

bruce's 1976 bbc radio interview on "my top twelve". i find it interesting.

[Cabinessenceking]

Wild Honey! Without Mama Says though.

this made me laugh 

[phirnis]

Heavily into both Holland and TWGMTR right now.

[Luke_Barshack]

Just got 'Today!' on vinyl.

Cranked ‘Do You Wanna Dance’ right up. There's some moments on there where there's so much stuff swirling around it's phenomenal!

Listening to the TWGMTR suite a lot. I couldn't be more happy with that. It's almost perfect.

[Shady]

Still Cruisin, I love it..

Don't judge 

[EgoHanger1966]

Still Cruisin, I love it..

Don't judge 

There are some good songs on that album!

[Wah Wah Wah Ooooo]

Listening to various mixes I compiled myself. They're broken down as follows:

Vol. 1: 1961-1965
Vol. 2: 1966-1969
Vol. 3: 1970-1974
Vol. 4: 1976-1989
Vol. 5: 1991-TWGMTR
Vol. 6: The best of the solo careers

[Reddiwhip]

Still knee deep in SMiLE.  Been here for twelve or thirteen years.

[D409]

Today's choice is Holland

[Johnston65]

I downloaded it recently and it's turning into one of my favorites. I also downloaded Friends but I'm having mixed reactions on it.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

I downloaded it recently and it's turning into one of my favorites. I also downloaded Friends but I'm having mixed reactions on it.

Mixed reaction to Friends, eh Johnston? Hmmm???

[Letsgoawayforawhile]

Friends

[Letsgoawayforawhile]

"e author=Johnston65 link=topic=14060.msg310068#msg310068 date=1344612990]

I downloaded it recently and it's turning into one of my favorites. I also downloaded Friends but I'm having mixed reactions on it.
[/quote]"


Just keep listening. It will pull you in.

[Bean Bag]

I downloaded it recently and it's turning into one of my favorites. I also downloaded Friends but I'm having mixed reactions on it.

Your first exposure to Friends?  Or are you referencing the quality of the download?

I'm assuming it's the former.

Friends is a little weird.  From a "dark period" which began with Smiley and ended (sorta) with the more dynamic Sunflower.  I place the albums: Smiley Smile, Wild Honey, Friends and 20/20 in this period.  Very small, dark sounding albums.  If I may say, they're among the favorites of many fans.  Honest, low-key and natural.  To me, they're very sublime.  The work of a starving artist or recluse -- introducing an aesthetic of creative suffering -- which had not been associated with the Beach Boys.

They also became essential and dear to fans because, sans-SMiLE, they were all we had to go on and scour through for clues regarding Brian's lost masterpiece.

[Bean Bag]

SMiLE Sessions, Disc 1.  H&V Sections.

[Shady]

SMiLE Sessions, Disc 1.  H&V Sections.

Nicccceee..

I play that disc quite often. What a joy

[Johnston65]

I downloaded it recently and it's turning into one of my favorites. I also downloaded Friends but I'm having mixed reactions on it.

Your first exposure to Friends?  Or are you referencing the quality of the download?

I'm assuming it's the former.

Friends is a little weird.  From a "dark period" which began with Smiley and ended (sorta) with the more dynamic Sunflower.  I place the albums: Smiley Smile, Wild Honey, Friends and 20/20 in this period.  Very small, dark sounding albums.  If I may say, they're among the favorites of many fans.  Honest, low-key and natural.  To me, they're very sublime.  The work of a starving artist or recluse -- introducing an aesthetic of creative suffering -- which had not been associated with the Beach Boys.

They also became essential and dear to fans because, sans-SMiLE, they were all we had to go on and scour through for clues regarding Brian's lost masterpiece.

No it's a CD quality download, just the songs are not really resonating with me on Friends. I love all the other albums from this "dark period" on the other hand.

[Shady]

I downloaded it recently and it's turning into one of my favorites. I also downloaded Friends but I'm having mixed reactions on it.

Your first exposure to Friends?  Or are you referencing the quality of the download?

I'm assuming it's the former.

Friends is a little weird.  From a "dark period" which began with Smiley and ended (sorta) with the more dynamic Sunflower.  I place the albums: Smiley Smile, Wild Honey, Friends and 20/20 in this period.  Very small, dark sounding albums.  If I may say, they're among the favorites of many fans.  Honest, low-key and natural.  To me, they're very sublime.  The work of a starving artist or recluse -- introducing an aesthetic of creative suffering -- which had not been associated with the Beach Boys.

They also became essential and dear to fans because, sans-SMiLE, they were all we had to go on and scour through for clues regarding Brian's lost masterpiece.

No it's a CD quality download, just the songs are not really resonating with me on Friends. I love all the other albums from this "dark period" on the other hand.

Not surprised. You didn't have that much to do on "Friends", did you Bruce?

 

[Justin]

At work: "Smiley Smile" new Japan remaster.

At home:  Hawthorne, Disc 2

[stack-o-tracks]

I downloaded it recently and it's turning into one of my favorites. I also downloaded Friends but I'm having mixed reactions on it.

Your first exposure to Friends?  Or are you referencing the quality of the download?

I'm assuming it's the former.

Friends is a little weird.  From a "dark period" which began with Smiley and ended (sorta) with the more dynamic Sunflower.  I place the albums: Smiley Smile, Wild Honey, Friends and 20/20 in this period.  Very small, dark sounding albums.  If I may say, they're among the favorites of many fans.  Honest, low-key and natural.  To me, they're very sublime.  The work of a starving artist or recluse -- introducing an aesthetic of creative suffering -- which had not been associated with the Beach Boys.

They also became essential and dear to fans because, sans-SMiLE, they were all we had to go on and scour through for clues regarding Brian's lost masterpiece.

No it's a CD quality download, just the songs are not really resonating with me on Friends. I love all the other albums from this "dark period" on the other hand.

It's a grower. Give it another listen and then put it on the shelf for a month or two. It will call back to you when you're ready.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vAICnFZA6I

IT'S GOOD

[Justin]

"Friends" took me a whiiiiiile to warm up to.  A long while.  Couldn't get into it at first so I just put it aside and then one day, went back to it and things began to click.  Love it when that happens.

[EgoHanger1966]

Friends is perfect for a lazy day, or late at night when you want something to listen to before you go to bed. There may not be as many standouts as on Sunflower or a similar album (although I would beg to differ), it's a wonderful, unified listen. Not that it's perfect, because I don't think there's a perfect BB album in the canon, but it captures the Beach Boys at that time in their career, and it has loads of Brian. I could probably write a whole essay on how Friends is more of a 'concept album' than Pet Sounds or SMiLE, but I won't.

[ivy]

I've also had the experience of Friends growing on me. I thought the title track was an earsore when I listened to greatest hits playlists and the album seemed cartoony to me. Now it's one of the most versatile listens for me.


I find myself always getting into Pacific Ocean Blue at the end of the summer. But I don't like to listen to it anywhere but the car.  At home and at the office I've been listening to Country Air on repeat and Holland.