The Beach Boys should've become a punk band

[Mitchell]

After Endless Summer made them famous for their early hits again, they should've taken a cue from the Ramones and just played those hits louder and faster. That would have been amazing. Listening to Be True To Your School live in 1964 confrims that the sound and energy were there, they just needed to have the delivery changed to more distorted guitars. This way, Brian's gruff voice would have fit in, and they could have been cool (or at least pretended to be and failed miserably).

[I. Spaceman]

Totally agree. BTTYS and USA from Sacramento are purely Ramones.

[windchimes]

Dude Mitchell.........


I was trying to convince my little brother that the Beach Boys could have been a hard rock band. I used that same Be True To Your school as an example. Carls guitar sounds totally punk, its bad ass. lol

[Rocker]

The Ramones were in fact influenced very much by the Beach Boys. They even covered "Surfin' Safari" and "Surf City". I even heard that they started out as a Beach Boys-cover-band, but I don't know if this is true.
And those Sacramento-concerts from '64 and the T.A.M.I.-show-performance could easily be described as punk imo, not least thanks to Dennis (and Brian; compare those performances to the ones in Michigan which were to years later but without Brian, and which sound very lame). 

[Reverend Joshua Sloane]

Ever hear "Heroes and Villains" covered by The Apples In Stereo?  That's very punk rock. The way that song is performed by Brian's band now, and the Beach Boys of their touring set is very tame compared to how it was intended to be. Remember that, "Greatest rock and roll single of all time" tag some journalist called the song after having Brian play it for him?

[Rocker]

Remember that, "Greatest rock and roll single of all time" tag some journalist called the song after having Brian play it for him?

No....

But I can understand that someone would call it that....

[Reverend Joshua Sloane]

Remember that, "Greatest rock and roll single of all time" tag some journalist called the song after having Brian play it for him?

No....

But I can understand that someone would call it that....

Brian played it on the piano, banging away on the chords. I THINK it's the version we have on Endless Harmony.

[Chris Brown]

Yea the version on Endless Harmony is indeed the version he played for Humble Harv, who was the one who said "that's gonna be the greatest song anyone's ever heard". 

[Reverend Joshua Sloane]

Yea the version on Endless Harmony is indeed the version he played for Humble Harv, who was the one who said "that's gonna be the greatest song anyone's ever heard". 

I agree with him too. The ambituous montage of sound which was supposed to be "Heroes and Villains" turned into a pityful, watered down peice of music. We've all heard those AMAZING pieces recorded which were to fit with the song --- truly REVOLUTIONARY things in the music scene of 1967 ---- would've THROWN the Beach Boys into the most groundbreaking spot avaiable in music.

[Big Bri]

If you listen to the bass in "Catch A Wave" it's a pure Punk riff.What a cool idea if there was a  Tribute CD of beach Boy songs made Punk!!!
Big Bri

[donald]

there is a sort of insider conection between the Ramones and the Beachboys....Joey was a big fan, and friend of Ronnie Spector and he did a duet with her on the Rainbows EP ...the same one where she finally did her cover of Don't Worry Baby.

We could do a musical six degrees of Brian Wilson the influences were so wide spread and far reaching....

[voxnut]

The Ramones were never a Beach Boys cover band, but Joey Ramone made a career out of re-writing Little Honda countless times over.  That's not a dig either - I love the Ramones first 5 or so albums! They totally got it- plus Denny's live drumming in the early years was very proto-Ramones: keep time and attack with all the adrenaline your youth can provide!

Dean

[Rerun]

Yeah, we need a punk version of Surfer Girl or Lonely Sea or something...

Actually, if those exists, please PM a copy, that'd be hilarious.

[voxnut]

I do know the Descendents did a pretty cool punk version of Wendy 15 or 20 years ago, and The Cynics did a killer version of "Be True To Your School" about 15 years ago as well...

Dean

[Mitchell]

Pennywise did I Get Around.

[Rocker]

Blind Guardian did "Surfin' USA" and "Barbara Ann"

[mike8902]

Yo La Tengo covers little honda

[Rocker]

Yeah, we need a punk version of Surfer Girl or Lonely Sea or something...

Actually, if those exists, please PM a copy, that'd be hilarious.

How about "Good vibrations" ?    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT2HQx6zIT4&search=beach%20boys

[Aegir]

One of the worst covers of any song I've ever heard.

[shelter]

Besides "I Get Around", Pennywise also did "Surfin' USA".

Me First & The Gimme Gimmes did a great cover of "Sloop John B"

The Queers actually did three Beach Boys songs: "Little Honda", "Don't Back Down" and "Hawaii".

[kookadams]

After Endless Summer made them famous for their early hits again, they should've taken a cue from the Ramones and just played those hits louder and faster. That would have been amazing. Listening to Be True To Your School live in 1964 confrims that the sound and energy were there, they just needed to have the delivery changed to more distorted guitars. This way, Brian's gruff voice would have fit in, and they could have been cool (or at least pretended to be and failed miserably).

when you think about it the ramones sorta picked up where the BBs left off in the mid 70s and its been said b4 and bares reiterarion- the love you album was punk in the sense that it was raw strip down rock and the last quality album the BBs did period.

[Micha]

Pretty old thread, but I'd like to point out that the first guitar on "Little Honda" is a pure punk guitar. I'd like to be able to mix that recording with that guitar more up front.

How about "Good vibrations" ?    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT2HQx6zIT4&search=beach%20boys

Hey, is that Carol Kaye on bass? That must be the version she remembers playing on!

[punkinhead]

Thinking of the latter 70s songs (post Endless Summer), there's definitely some material that could have gone punk with the way their vocals were and the production value, songs like:
Let Us Go On This Way
Palisades Park
Sea Cruise
Friday Night
Mona
Almost Summer
Shortnin Bread (of course!)
Everybody Wants to Live
Rollin up to Heaven
What's Wrong
She's Got Rhythm
They're Marching Along
He's a Bum
Hey Little Tomboy (maybe it'd fit in better?)
Roller Skating Child
Under the Moonlight
We Gotta Groove
Ding Dang
Match point of Our Love
School Girl

Maybe these aren't the right type of tunes, I'm not a huge punk nut, but I was trying to hear these tunes in my head in a punk vibe...but in my opinion, these types of songs/lyrics would rock in a punk way.

[joshferrell]

"Love You" seems very punk, in a very weird way.instead of heavy guitars we get heavy fart  synths,, Raspy cigarette voices with strange lyrics and fart synths, it's the beach boys version of punk...lol

[shangaijoeBB]

Thinking of the latter 70s songs (post Endless Summer), there's definitely some material that could have gone punk with the way their vocals were and the production value, songs like:
Let Us Go On This Way
Palisades Park
Sea Cruise
Friday Night
Mona
Almost Summer
Shortnin Bread (of course!)
Everybody Wants to Live
Rollin up to Heaven
What's Wrong
She's Got Rhythm
They're Marching Along
He's a Bum
Hey Little Tomboy (maybe it'd fit in better?)
Roller Skating Child
Under the Moonlight
We Gotta Groove
Ding Dang
Match point of Our Love
School Girl

Maybe these aren't the right type of tunes, I'm not a huge punk nut, but I was trying to hear these tunes in my head in a punk vibe...but in my opinion, these types of songs/lyrics would rock in a punk way.

You forgot the most punk song the BBs ever recorded  : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mS_uO7hVOn8