Ultimate Album Era Poll: All Time (1962-2012)

[smilethebeachboysloveyou]

1.) Wild Honey
2.) Pet Sounds
3.) The Beach Boys Love You
4.) Friends
5.) The Beach Boys Today!
6.) Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!)
7.) All Summer Long
8.) Sunflower
9.) Smiley Smile
10.) 20/20

Runners Up: Surfer Girl, Shut Down Vol. 2

I'm not really sure where to rank The Smile Sessions since I don't think of it as an album in the same way that I think of the others.  Perhaps because it's not really a completed album.

[Gabo]

My fave is Love You, followed by Pet Sounds

[slippingonthrough]

3 votes for Summer In Paradise?! 

[TimeToGetAlone]

I'm not sure if Pet Sounds is my favourite, but I voted for it anyway because it's clearly excellent.  For now let's go with this...

1. Pet Sounds (1966)
2. The Beach Boys Today! (1965)
3. The Smile Sessions (1967/2011)
4. Sunflower (1970)
5. Friends (1968)
6. Love You (1977)
7. Surf's Up (1971)
8. Holland (1973)
9. The Beach Boys In Concert (1973)
10. 20/20 (1969)
11. Wild Honey (1967)
12. Surfer Girl (1963)
13. Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) (1965)
14. All Summer Long (1964)
15. Smiley Smile (1967)
16. Carl and the Passions - "So Tough" (1972)
17. Shut Down Vol. 2 (1964)
18. Live in London (1970)
17. That's Why God Made the Radio (2012)
18. The Beach Boys' Christmas Album (1964)
19. Good Timin': Live at Knebworth 1980 (2003)
20. Surfin' USA (1963)
21. Beach Boys' Party (1965)
22. The Beach Boys (1985)
23. 15 Big Ones (1976)
24. The Beach Boys' Concert (1964)
25. Songs from Here & Back (2006)
26. Little Deuce Coupe
27. M.I.U. Album (1978)
28. L.A. (Light Album) (1979)
29. Still Cruisin' (1989)
30. Live - The 50th Anniversary Tour (2013)
31. Keepin' the Summer Alive (1980)
32. Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 (1996)
33. Surfin' Safari (1962)
34. Summer in Paradise (1992)

[Blue2013]

1. Pet Sounds
2. The Beach Boys Today
3. Wild Honey
4. The Smile Sessions
5. Smiley Smile
6. All Summer Long
7. Sunflower
8. Friends
9. Summer Days And Summer Nights
10. Love You

[RiC]

3 votes for Summer In Paradise?! 

I will not confess! 

[kookadams]

It hard for me to putem in any order but chronilogically- surfin usa surfer girl lil deuce coupe shut down vol2 all summer long today summer days pet sounds smiley smile wild honey 20/20 sunflower surfs up holland and love you.                                   ALL phenomenal, all strong. Their weaker albums were surfin safari friends so tough and anythingpost-77.                                                                                               

[scooby1970]

I chose Pet Sounds, but in reality, it could be Today, Summer Days, Smile or Sunflower.

Mark

[slippingonthrough]

As we can see from the poll these are the rankings so far

1. Pet Sounds (19)
2. The SMiLE Sessions (7)
3. Friends (5)
4. Wild Honey (4)
    Sunflower
    Surf's Up
5. Today! (3)
    Really?
6. All Summer Long (2)
    Love You

[zachrwolfe]

‍

[WesB8302]

Wow...this is tough!  My list outside the top 5 or 6 will probably vary based on my moods, but I dare say it will be unique.

1. The Smile Sessions
2. Today!
3. Pet Sounds
4. Sunflower
5. The Beach Boys '85
6. That's Why God Made The Radio
7. Surf's Up
8. All Summer Long
9. In Concert
10. Still Cruisin'

[Les P]

I chose The Smile Sessions on the basis of Surf's Up, Cabinessence and Heroes and Villains alone.  But another time I might have chosen Pet Sounds.

[JK]

Surf's Up!, with Pet Sounds a close second.

[kookadams]

Love You is the only post-Sunflower album thats integral as far as Im concerned/ Holland with Sailor and California, Surfs Up with Til I Die... every album from Surfer Girl thru Wild Honey are essential for sure , not counting the xmas album, concert and party,,,

[Lonely Summer]

Love You, MIU, SIP, S&S, and 15 BO

[kookadams]

In order by yr: primary:: surfer girl, all summer long, today, summer days, pet sounds, smiley smile, wild honey, and sunflower/ secondary:: surfin usa, lil deuce coupe, shut down vol2, 20/20, surfs, up and holland; love you is bw solo with the bb name.

[slippingonthrough]

I've posted an updated list on ratemymusic.com .

https://rateyourmusic.com/list/bgw8/ranking_the_beach_boys_albums__my_favourites_/

[Ovi]

If there's one decade of music I dislike the most it's the 80s. I've never liked the crappy electronic drums or keyboards that almost every 80s song had.

You probably mean every 80's mainstream song, and even that would be a false generalization.

[celticsurfer]

my top 5 is: Pet Sounds followed by Smile Sessions then Today, Wild Honey and Holland.

[Summer_Days]

Pet Sounds, Today and Sunflower as the big three, followed by Summer Days, Wild Honey, Holland and Love You. Somewhere in there is the Smile music.