holland/end if an era,,

[wantsomecorn]

no reference to there roots or the fact they were reuniting for there 50th.

That's the best part of the title.

Absolutely. Yeah, the title might be a little cheesy, but I'd rather that then "The Beach Boys Reunite For About Five Months".

And their roots are a love of music and harmony; a spiritual tribute to music, "That's Why God Made the Radio".

[lostbeachboy]

What is why god made the radio? What is what...

[wantsomecorn]

What is why god made the radio? What is what...

If you go by the song, "for falling in love".

[Magic Transistor Radio]

I think there have been end of eras, but to me, of the majority of surviving Beach Boys get together and put their voices on an album and they call it a Beach Boys album,  then O consider it legit. That doesn't mean I like them all. But I see many eras that have ended. This is how I split it.

1. Genius Brian Wilson in sole charge of their songs ended when he abandoned Smile.
2. Brian still a major influence,  but allows for more imput by the band. Ended after Friends.
3. Brian is no longer in charge.  The band period,  mostly led by Carl as the producer. This era ended with Holland or In Concert.
4. The Brian is back period.  A rehabbing Brian takes charge again.  Ended after the Adult/Child sessions.
5. Second group period,  but fractured.  Ended after BB85.
6. The Mike Love period.  It seems that most of the new songs released were Love/Melcher through this time. But I will include the Nascar and Country albums on this.
7. TWGMTR is it's own thing really.  

[donald]

After Holland they just became an oldies act. Hmmm wonder how that happened.....

My thoughts on post Holland.

15 Big Ones: 4 songs I like. Poor follow up to Holland.
Love You: Better than 15 BO. 5 songs I like.
M.I.U. Album: Very soft rockish. 5 I like.
L.A. (Light Album) 5 I Listen to.
Keepin' The Summer Alive: Not a good album. Endless Harmony is the only one I like. Dennis's last.
The Beach Boys:  Getcha Back & California Calling is it for me.
Still Cruisin': Eh. The title track is the only good thing, well that  and


Best thing on still cruising is SNJ and it was the best/last BB song UNTIL TWGMTR.   Just had to add that. 

[Cyncie]

What is why god made the radio? What is what...

"He waved His hand, gave us rock 'n roll
The soundtrack of falling in love
That's why God made the radio."

For me, the whole song is a call back to the band's roots as young people cruising around town, listening to the radio and being influenced by the sounds they heard. Youth. Rock 'n roll. Falling in love. That's why God made the radio. The Beach Boys carried on that tradition.

You also mentioned that the title didn't mention their roots or 50th. I guess they could have just called it "The Beach Boys 50th reunion album." But, I liked the more poetic approach.

The Beach Boys: That's Why God Made the Radio.

Yes. Yes, it is.

[kookadams]

This whole premise is wrong - the Beach Boys were a singles band. The last real Beach Boys record was probably Kokomo - it was a record (although promo copies of Still Cruisin' exist). TWGMTR might count, if we include 45's sold with t-shirts.

calling the beach boys a singles band then so werw the beatles, stones etc, it was is and always will be bou the singles...the BBs made two dozen albums ,half of them integral and quintessential,,, surfer girl, all summer long, today, summer days, pet sounds, smiley, sunflower and so on jus like meet the beatles, rubber soul, revolver, the stones aftermath etc........

[Lonely Summer]

This whole premise is wrong - the Beach Boys were a singles band. The last real Beach Boys record was probably Kokomo - it was a record (although promo copies of Still Cruisin' exist). TWGMTR might count, if we include 45's sold with t-shirts.

calling the beach boys a singles band then so werw the beatles, stones etc, it was is and always will be bou the singles...the BBs made two dozen albums ,half of them integral and quintessential,,, surfer girl, all summer long, today, summer days, pet sounds, smiley, sunflower and so on jus like meet the beatles, rubber soul, revolver, the stones aftermath etc........

My attempts at humour are too subtle for this board.

[drbeachboy]

This whole premise is wrong - the Beach Boys were a singles band. The last real Beach Boys record was probably Kokomo - it was a record (although promo copies of Still Cruisin' exist). TWGMTR might count, if we include 45's sold with t-shirts.

calling the beach boys a singles band then so werw the beatles, stones etc, it was is and always will be bou the singles...the BBs made two dozen albums ,half of them integral and quintessential,,, surfer girl, all summer long, today, summer days, pet sounds, smiley, sunflower and so on jus like meet the beatles, rubber soul, revolver, the stones aftermath etc........

My attempts at humour are too subtle for this board.

Emoticons are your friends. Use them.

[37!ws]

All this talk about TWGMTR makes me want to share this anecdote from August...

My wife and I are in the Psychedelic Garage Ensemble group at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. We had a gig at a church picnic in August (hmm....isn't that pretty much how the Beatles started?....just sayin'....), and before one song, our instructor/leader announced something like "Some of you older folks might be familiar with this song." I said, "I was born almost ten years after it was a hit and I'M familiar with it!" She said, "That's why God made the radio!"   

[lostbeachboy]

All this talk about TWGMTR makes me want to share this anecdote from August...

My wife and I are in the Psychedelic Garage Ensemble group at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. We had a gig at a church picnic in August (hmm....isn't that pretty much how the Beatles started?....just sayin'....), and before one song, our instructor/leader announced something like "Some of you older folks might be familiar with this song." I said, "I was born almost ten years after it was a hit and I'M familiar with it!" She said, "That's why God made the radio!"   

Good title for a song. Bad title for an album.

[37!ws]

If what I'm told is true, Brian wanted to call the album Summer's Gone but the rest of the guys convinced him to give it a happier title.

[job]

If what I'm told is true, Brian wanted to call the album Summer's Gone but the rest of the guys convinced him to give it a happier title.

Wow...that would have been perfect.  What a missed opportunity.

[lostbeachboy]

My old ideas for the reunion album title.


Tales From Hawthorne

1961

Made In California

3701 W. 119th St.

Americana

[phirnis]

I'm sure they gave it their best at least up until BB85... and even after that there are some moments of actual brilliance. KTSA is not a great album (which is perplexing because some of the songs are really quite good on their own) and M.I.U. is totally lightweight (if somewhat pleasant and very listenable from time to time) but other than that I think they did pretty fine. I have a bit of a soft spot for their 80s singles and I actually think Still Cruisin' is very similar to Carl and the Passions, although it's probably not even half as good; both albums relied on past glories (CATP/Pet Sounds, Still Cruisin' containing a couple of old hit songs) as well as creative forces from the "outside" (The Flame and Terry Melcher, respectively); also, both albums had an artwork somewhat related to cars and in both cases, Brian's involvement was limited (big fan of He Come Down, by the way!). Anyway, personally I love Kokomo, Somewhere Near Japan and, to a certain extent, even the cheesy stuff such as Island Girl or Make It Big.

[job]

Last night I listened to BB85 and MIU (both of which I roundly dismissed for years) and really enjoyed it.

[Jim V.]

My old ideas for the reunion album title.


Tales From Hawthorne

1961

Made In California

3701 W. 119th St.

Americana

Except for Made In California (which I'm not gonna believe you thought of before the box set), those are all kinda weak titles. The title would be just 1961? What would that mean? Would the album be about that year? Makes no sense. Tales from Hawthorne is a little too "inside baseball" and nostalgic. I personally like the fact that the album title has no reunion connotations or nostalgia inducing elements.

[lostbeachboy]

My old ideas for the reunion album title.


Tales From Hawthorne

1961

Made In California

3701 W. 119th St.

Americana

Except for Made In California (which I'm not gonna believe you thought of before the box set), those are all kinda weak titles. The title would be just 1961? What would that mean? Would the album be about that year? Makes no sense. Tales from Hawthorne is a little too "inside baseball" and nostalgic. I personally like the fact that the album title has no reunion connotations or nostalgia inducing elements.

Sorry your not a believer.

1961. The year they were formed...

I thought the guys were all about nostalgia. So it would have been a perfect title.

[startBBtoday]

Who agrees that holland was the last true BB album? Love you being brians album with the BB name on it,,,miu, light album and keepin the summer alive were made up from mixed sessions from previous yrs..

Your use of commas infuriates me and makes no sense.

And I have no idea what a "true BB album" is. It seems like, based on your vague criteria, 15 Big Ones is a "true BB album."

[alf wiedersehen]

miu, light album and keepin the summer alive were made up from mixed sessions from previous yrs..

no

[37!ws]

Uhhh...partially yes, actually. (And that's true for a LOT of Beach Boys albums, come to think of it.)

MIU includes leftovers from 15 Big Ones and Adult/Child with a few new tunes from a skeletal Beach Boys crew.

KTSA -- "When Girls Get Together" dates back to Sunflower, and Santa Ana Winds was re-produced from the L.A. sessions, if Bruce is to be believed, although I wouldn't be surprised if it were actually completely rerecorded.

[SamMcK]

The thing is, the Beach Boys were largely a singles band. But by god they were arguably one of, if not the greatest singles bands ever! Of course post-Pet Sounds they were more of an album band, but i've always loved/preferred picking out the gems on most of their albums. Its almost like the box set was invented just for the Beach Boys.

[GhostyTMRS]

For me, the last true Beach Boys album was "Sunflower". Brian had a big hand in the songwriting, was enthusiastic, etc.

"Holland" is an interesting album but Brian only makes a couple of cameos. I can't consider it a true Beach Boys record in the way I view "Sunflower".

As for TWGMTR and as (shockingly) great as it is in parts, it's missing Carl. That's an enormous hole in the talent pool to fill. They did their best under the circumstances but...

[alf wiedersehen]

Uhhh...partially yes, actually. (And that's true for a LOT of Beach Boys albums, come to think of it.)

MIU includes leftovers from 15 Big Ones and Adult/Child with a few new tunes from a skeletal Beach Boys crew.

KTSA -- "When Girls Get Together" dates back to Sunflower, and Santa Ana Winds was re-produced from the L.A. sessions, if Bruce is to be believed, although I wouldn't be surprised if it were actually completely rerecorded.

Obviously, yes, there are leftovers, but he constantly says that those three records are made entirely of old material that they threw together three times to make those albums. Or that 20/20 is made up of leftovers and singles. They're not.

[SamMcK]

Surfs Up feels like a real end of an era for me. In my opinion I don't think the following albums (C&TP and Holland) are anywhere near as good and it closes perfectly with the trio of Day In The Life of A Tree, Til' I Die & Surfs Up. You can also still strongly feel Brian's shadow looming over the album. When you think of the path they took from 1961's 'Surfin' to 1971's Surf's Up that would have arguably been a brilliant time to call it a day. I'm glad they kept on going though.