Unpopular Beach Boys opinions

[urbanite]

Summers Gone has a wistful feel to it.  The tinkling sound effect, the sound of the rain, all help make that song work.  It is quite a dramatic change in style from the prior tracks, From There to Back Again is a vocal tour de force.

[Cyncie]

I think "Summer's Gone" accomplished what it intended to. accomplish. The Beach Boys didn't go out with a bang. They went out with a sigh.

[mabewa]

I'm not a fan of the 'Summer in Paradise' album at all, but I actually really like the title track...  though I wish Mike wouldn't use his trick of re-using past BB's titles so much. 

[KDS]

I'm not a fan of the 'Summer in Paradise' album at all, but I actually really like the title track...  though I wish Mike wouldn't use his trick of re-using past BB's titles so much. 

I really like the live version that they included on the MiC boxset. 

I think there's actually 4-5, maybe even six decent songs on the SIP album.  I listened to it recently, and it's not the disaster I thought it was (still the worst BB LP IMO).

And here's another unpopular opinion, I actually really like the version of Forever on SIP.  It's not as good as the Dennis original, but I don't think it deserves the thrashing it gets.  It's also one of the better produced songs on the album. 

[HeyJude]

If one tends to like stuff like "Kokomo" and "Still Cruisin'", then the SIP album might be much more palatable. It's really a continuation of that creative ethos.

SIP has horrendous production across the board; it makes the BB '85 album sound warm and analog in comparison. I'd say the live versions/arrangement of the SIP title track are better than either studio version. The first studio version is kind of limp and low-key, and the second version has a really uncomfortable-sounding Roger McGuinn.

"Strange Things Happen" and "Lahaina Aloha" are solid songs with good performances (still poor production). That's about it. A few others are listenable.

Stamos's "Forever" sadly *isn't* the worst track on the album; but it just doesn't need to exist, not on a Beach Boys album anyway. Cover versions are sketchy enough as is. A band covering *their own song* is even lamer, and having a non-member come in to sing it is pointless. It didn't even help sales of the album.

[Jay]

I think "Summer's Gone" accomplished what it intended to. accomplish. The Beach Boys didn't go out with a bang. They went out with a sigh.

That's a really interesting way to look at it. They didn't go out with a huge production, or really anything fancy. They just quietly...left. It's like they were saying "we said what we had to say, and did what we had to do. We've left our mark. We've made our peace."

[orange22]

This is an incredible thread. Catharsis and titillation all at once. Here's my addition.

The boys never matched the quality of their 60s vocal blend once the decade ended. The vocal blend/mix on Sunflower sounds quite strange and actually not really like the Beach Boys to me, which is one of the strongest reasons that I confusingly find this album to be disappointing compared to its stature, and this fact makes me sad. I would say I like their vocals better on Surf's Up, and especially CATP and Holland. Don't get me wrong, I actually listen to those 4 albums individually more than most of their 60s albums (probably because they feel more appropriate for a guy in his 30s to be listening to, I guess). But as in other ways, the loss of Brian as the creative leader of the band sped up the decline in the beauty of their vocal blend (in my opinion of course).

Of course there is the natural process of aging, which certainly played a large role. Yet without Brian's creativity in arranging, and perfection-demanding in performance/production (which defined their 60s output), they also were working in different eras, with different sound quality preferences, with what sounds like more discrete vocal recording (all on separate mics at times), and some, let's say, very dated sounding use of reverb, delay, and other effects. I would say that their last vocal blend that I really love is on Break Away.

Now I know all of what I say can be disputed, even the parts that I clearly state are opinions, and that Brian stopped producing to his previous standards well before the 60s ended, or that the opposite is true and he always cared about the vocal arrangements no matter what the era, and that I'm dead wrong and you'll name a song I love the vocal blend of from Love You, and I'll be like "oh year, right." And of course it could just be the drop in quality of the songwriting that's influencing my opinion, but I think this is just my particular relationship as a fan (with the stereotypical list of all the time and effort I've put into the band), and the natural feeling I get about the situation. Sometimes I'm an idiot though.

[Rick5150]

1. Always loved Barbara Ann. When I heard it on the radio, I turned it up. When I got the Party! album I gained a new appreciation for it just by hearing it in context. The false start and the extended ending sounded like the boys were having so much fun. Of course, back then, I did not know it was ‘staged’. Once I found that Dean Torrence doubled Brian’s part, I can clearly make out his falsetto in the mix. The harmonies for this song are surprisingly full. I still like the song because people immediately start singing along. You do not need to know many words to do this.

2. People say that Blondie and Ricky added so much energy to the group, but the In Concert album sounds slow and plodding sometimes compared to the Beach Boys Concert and Live In London. I do not care for CATP much except for a few songs like You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone, Marcella, All This Is That and Cuddle Up – my wife’s favorite Beach Boys song.

3. Never liked Rock n Roll Music, but love It’s OK. Susie Cincinnati too. Susie Cincinnati has goofy lyrics but the love the chord progression coming out of the solo just prior to the “She’ll always pick you up” part. The guitar solo starts out sounding all over the place, then comes together as the notes descend, but end perfectly one step higher than the previous verse. Love how that was done. And the background gets stronger each verse which adds an intensity to the song. Love Al’s voice here too.

4. I love how Carl can take lead vocals on such goofy songs as Shortenin’ Bread and put so much passion and energy into them. Almost like he is not a grown-up singing a kids song.
 
5. People complain that the SMiLE album does not have many songs that are humorous, but I find myself smiling for so many reasons when I listen to the original recordings. Something does not have to be funny to make me smile. The harmonies do it.

6. I don’t like when Jeff Foskett (or anyone else) sings lead vocals on songs like Don’t Worry Baby or Why Do Fools Fall In Love. Jeff has a great voice and I like the way he blends with Brian so it sounds as if Brian hit some high notes but I would like to see the Beach Boys sing their own songs.

7. People complain that some Beach Boys albums are inconsistent, but nobody ever said an album had to be consistent.

8. I love “Chasin’ The Sky”

9. The piano bit in SMiLE is the most disturbing, haunting piece of music I have heard. I love it and it would be right at home in a horror film rather than an album called SMiLE.

10. People who hate the early 60’s Beach Boys surfing and car songs usually do not understand or realize the aspects of the songs that are brilliant, like unexpected chord changes or key changes. Often when you hear a chord progression get to a certain point, you anticipate a resolution with the next chord and Brian almost always has an interesting twist that makes the song unique and fresh.

11. The word “over-rated” is over-rated on this board.

12. Rio Grande sounds amazing with headphones and the chant section gives me goosebumps

13. I think that the vocal blends from the early albums until the 70’s were far superior to anything after. What they did in the SMiLE vocals montage is nothing short of breathtaking. Once the vocals were recorded separately or enhanced with ProTools and AutoTune they went from warm and beautiful to colder and more sterile. They still sound good and their voices are amazing together, but it is not the same.

14. Bruce adds slightly more than zero to the shows. He was a gifted songwriter, keyboard player and singer, who sits around and claps his hands a lot now.

15. Mike’s Rockin’ The Man In The Boat is both voyeuristically creepy and hysterical at the same time. Humming and strumming indeed. Imagine if they added to the current setlist.

16. I like Help Me Rhonda more than Help Me Ronda but would have preferred the short instrumental introduction on the single version. When I first heard the single version, I thought the guitar solo sounded out of place, but have grown used to it. Never cared for the fade-outs and fade-ins of the album version. Glad they did not use the “wah, wah, wah, wah, wah” version. Brian’s falsetto is amazing but he was right to leave it off.

[KDS]

This is an incredible thread. Catharsis and titillation all at once. Here's my addition.

The boys never matched the quality of their 60s vocal blend once the decade ended. The vocal blend/mix on Sunflower sounds quite strange and actually not really like the Beach Boys to me, which is one of the strongest reasons that I confusingly find this album to be disappointing compared to its stature, and this fact makes me sad. I would say I like their vocals better on Surf's Up, and especially CATP and Holland. Don't get me wrong, I actually listen to those 4 albums individually more than most of their 60s albums (probably because they feel more appropriate for a guy in his 30s to be listening to, I guess). But as in other ways, the loss of Brian as the creative leader of the band sped up the decline in the beauty of their vocal blend (in my opinion of course).

Of course there is the natural process of aging, which certainly played a large role. Yet without Brian's creativity in arranging, and perfection-demanding in performance/production (which defined their 60s output), they also were working in different eras, with different sound quality preferences, with what sounds like more discrete vocal recording (all on separate mics at times), and some, let's say, very dated sounding use of reverb, delay, and other effects. I would say that their last vocal blend that I really love is on Break Away.

Now I know all of what I say can be disputed, even the parts that I clearly state are opinions, and that Brian stopped producing to his previous standards well before the 60s ended, or that the opposite is true and he always cared about the vocal arrangements no matter what the era, and that I'm dead wrong and you'll name a song I love the vocal blend of from Love You, and I'll be like "oh year, right." And of course it could just be the drop in quality of the songwriting that's influencing my opinion, but I think this is just my particular relationship as a fan (with the stereotypical list of all the time and effort I've put into the band), and the natural feeling I get about the situation. Sometimes I'm an idiot though.

I'll agree the BB vocal blend was never as good as it was in the 1960s.  But, I think they came close to it a few times on the Surf's Up album in particular (ie.  Til I Die and the tag on Don't Go Near the Water).

[thorgil]

I guess this is the most unpopular of my opinions: I hate "I Get Around". Listened to it many times and tried to like it. Hated it more at each listen. It's my least favourite among all the BB songs, including their post-1980 output.

[KDS]

I guess this is the most unpopular of my opinions: I hate "I Get Around". Listened to it many times and tried to like it. Hated it more at each listen. It's my least favourite among all the BB songs, including their post-1980 output.

I think you won the prize. 

 

[HeroesandVillains]

I prefer Pet Sounds (The song) over Let's Go Away for Awhile

[KDS]

I actually prefer The Nearest Faraway Place over the Pet Sounds title track. 

[RangeRoverA1]

2 HeroesandVillains: it's understood you meant the song. But I'm with you - performing LGAFA live didn't help, it's still terribly boring.

2 Rick5150: agree with 1, 3 (about Susie Cincinnati), 7, 10, 13 to an extent. No.9 is interesting, will listen to Smile to see what you say.

[Robert James]

I'm game!!

1)  the "slice of life" songs generally bore me

2)  I can only take so much of Brian's "Sunflower" era falsetto...it starts to sound a bit whiney to me. Not his fault, obviously, as his voice got deeper..but just a preference. By the end of "Where Is She?" I'm a bit over it.

3) The older I get, the more into the EARLY songs I'm getting. I know, typically, it's the other way around. BUT..there are still some older songs I'm not fond of:

4)  Our Car Club, Be True To Your School, Amusement Parks USA, Barbara Ann... I skipem

5) "It's Over Now"..I can't get passed Carl's voice. I know it's the speed of the song, but it's still not pleasant to listen to.

6)  I'm not a fan of brass instrument solos in songs (except for Feel Flows, for some reason). It's cheesy or annoying. Even at the end of WIBNTLA

[kwebb]

There's a version of It's Over Now that was on MIC that has the speed corrected, IIRC

[Michael Edward Osbourne]

I think the band looked better with the beards.

[Moon Dawg]

The long sleeved untucked striped shirts of 1966-67 actually looked pretty cool.

[RangeRoverA1]

BUT..there are still some older songs I'm not fond of:

4)  Our Car Club, Be True To Your School, Amusement Parks USA, Barbara Ann... I skipem

4 of my favorites. Not fond of Car Crazy Cutie, Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow, Chug-a-Lug, LDC, Moon Dawg, Long Tall Texan, Do You Rmbr, Let's Go Trippin' (Surfin' USA), Auld Lang Syne (boring speech).

[KDS]

I'm not sure how unpopular this opinion is, but I'm glad I got the expanded edition of Beach Boys Party as a Christmas gift.

It's not without its charms, but I'd be very surprised if either disc winds up in my CD player again anytime soon. 

After all, it's an expanded version of 1960s BB album that only trails Smiley Smile as my least favorite from their best decade. 

[HeyJude]

I'm not sure how unpopular this opinion is, but I'm glad I got the expanded edition of Beach Boys Party as a Christmas gift.

It's not without its charms, but I'd be very surprised if either disc winds up in my CD player again anytime soon. 

After all, it's an expanded version of 1960s BB album that only trails Smiley Smile as my least favorite from their best decade. 

I don't think you're alone in feeling that while any archival release of that nature is welcomed, that particular release was kind of underwhelming, more in concept (in terms of which album to focus on) than the actual compilation and mixing and mastering, which was all just fine. That's the best 2-disc "Party" archival set we could hope for. The issue is whether something else (e.g. a deluxe set with outtakes focusing on just about any other album, certainly anything post-1962 other than PS and Smile and especially the 70s) would have been far more interesting.

[HeyJude]

I think the band looked better with the beards.

I think it would depend on which era of beards, and which BBs. The early 70s look kinda worked for some of them. The only Mike beard look that I think worked was his first circa 1966 PS-era look.

I think they hit a wall around 1976 where even though they were all in the early-mid 30s, some of them (e.g. Brian, Al, Mike) all looked at least ten years older than their actual age. When Al shaved in 1983, he looked literally 10-20 years younger.

I suppose Carl always wore the beard well, but I'd also say that perhaps the only time post-1970 that he shaved it off, in 1976, he also looked much younger. It's weird that in 1976 Carl was only 30, and by the time he hit 35 or so, with the beard and the grey hair, he looked much older than he was. Kudos to him for not needing or wanting to look younger (perhaps part of the beard thing was to keep from looking so young).

[HeyJude]

I'll agree the BB vocal blend was never as good as it was in the 1960s.  But, I think they came close to it a few times on the Surf's Up album in particular (ie.  Til I Die and the tag on Don't Go Near the Water).

I think the BBs had capability of doing great group vocals even way later into their career. It took on somewhat of a different tone and timbre, having more to do with simple aging than anything else.

They were all between 17 and 22 or so in 1963, so even later 60s stuff and certainly early 70s stuff would exhibit a different sort of vocal blend.

But their actual group vocal ability was still fully intact. I think it still shines on later era stuff like "Endless Harmony." I'd put the vocals on "Surf's Up" and "'Til I Die" up against anything they ever did. I think they took on a great vocal blend; I never needed that teen rasp from Dennis in the vocal blend on everything for decades. It sounded vibrant and was a key to the early era sound, but 1963 Dennis wouldn't have sounded the same on some of those key group vocals on the coda to "Surf's Up" for instance.

Starting especially in the 80s, and even on some later 70s stuff like "Good Timin'", I think they processed the vocals too much. I'd love to hear a 100% dry vocals-only mix of "Good Timin'."

[KDS]

I'll agree the BB vocal blend was never as good as it was in the 1960s.  But, I think they came close to it a few times on the Surf's Up album in particular (ie.  Til I Die and the tag on Don't Go Near the Water).

I think the BBs had capability of doing great group vocals even way later into their career. It took on somewhat of a different tone and timbre, having more to do with simple aging than anything else.

They were all between 17 and 22 or so in 1963, so even later 60s stuff and certainly early 70s stuff would exhibit a different sort of vocal blend.

But their actual group vocal ability was still fully intact. I think it still shines on later era stuff like "Endless Harmony." I'd put the vocals on "Surf's Up" and "'Til I Die" up against anything they ever did. I think they took on a great vocal blend; I never needed that teen rasp from Dennis in the vocal blend on everything for decades. It sounded vibrant and was a key to the early era sound, but 1963 Dennis wouldn't have sounded the same on some of those key group vocals on the coda to "Surf's Up" for instance.

Starting especially in the 80s, and even on some later 70s stuff like "Good Timin'", I think they processed the vocals too much. I'd love to hear a 100% dry vocals-only mix of "Good Timin'."

I'm not saying they didn't have great vocal blends in the later years.  Even as late as TWGMTR.  But, to my ears, you can't beat the 60s blend. 

[HeyJude]

I don't make a huge distinction between, say, the early 70s vocal blend and the late 60s. The music itself was more different than their vocal blend was. I'll put ""Til I Die" purely as a group vocal performance up against anything from the 60s.

The vocals-only mixes around of both "'Til I Die" and "Surf's Up" are revelatory and as enthralling as any 60s vocal performance.