Party Gets No Respect

[Juice Brohnston]

No Gold certification for Party! But lots of evidence that it should have been very close.

[Michael Edward Osbourne]

It's a fun album and all, but I prefer their original tunes over the covers. I've never been too crazy about Barbara Ann. I like Dennis' lead on You've Got To Hide Your Love Away, and I like Brian & Mike's mellow Devoted To You. The Medley cracks me up    But this album along with the Christmas Album are the BB '60s albums I listen to the least.

[Micha]

Barbara Ann is actually my oldest Beach Boys recollection. In the 70s my father used to listen to an oldies radio show, and they had Barbara Ann as their intro jingle.

[CenturyDeprived]

I wonder if The Beatles heard The BBs' covers of their songs on Party... what do you all think? Less than a year later, The Beatles would be swooning over Pet Sounds, so I'd be surprised if they never went back to hear covers of their songs on a very popular album.

Also wonder if The Beatles ever heard The BBs' cover of A Little Help From My Friends, for that matter.

[ppk700]

I'm 25 years old, my friends are all approximately the same age, and none of them care much for The Beach Boys. Oh sure, a few think "Smile" is a great album, but beyond that I cannot convince them to give the Boys a fair chance. It drives me crazy.

"Party," however... is a different story. One night I was in my room ( ), listening to "Party," and one of my buddies popped in and was wondering who/what I was listening to. When I told him it was The Beach Boys, he reacted in surprise, and said "This is actually pretty good."

Bottom line, I don't think "Party" gets the respect it deserves (or The Beach Boys in general, for that matter, but that's a different story). It is an album that may appeal to many musical sensibilities. I go to a few festivals each summer, packed with hippies and Dead Heads. Lots of people bring stereos and what-not to play their music on when there are no bands performing. If there is one Beach Boys album I'd play for them, it'd be "Party," and this summer I likely will bust it out. They'll never know it's The Beach Boys until "Barbara Ann" plays, and by then it will be too late to stop it!

Definitely an underrated album.

If the Beatles released the exact same type of album, complete with lots of covers (let's say swap out the Beatles cover for a Beach Boy cover), party sound overdubs, and a handful of goofy renditions of Beatles songs, it would be heralded as much more of a classic than the BB album. Just because that's the way it always is with the BBs.

I'd wager you're 100% correct, sir.

I disagree completely. In your world, was the Magical Mystery Tour movie heralded as a cinematic  masterpiece? Did critics in general fall over themselves to praise tracks like Revolution #9 and You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)?

My world is a dark, messed up place, Chocolate Milkshake Man. A chocolate milkshake would make me violently ill, and that is a travesty because I love milkshakes.

Valid point though, I do seem to recall that the MMT movie received bad reviews, so I suppose not everything the Beatles did was lauded. I don't know my Beatles history very well... so perhaps I'd lose the wager then? 

I guess it's difficult for young folks like myself to imagine The Beatles taking some heat from the critics in the 1960s when 50 years later everyone kisses their butts and their music is praised as if Jesus himself wrote it.

"Party" doesn't get enough respect, but in my opinion, the overall body of work of The Beach Boys doesn't get even close to enough respect. An album like "Sunflower" is absolutely as good or better than anything The Beatles ever did, and yet the album bombed. Sure, "Sunflower" was rereleased a few years ago along with a bunch of other albums, and that was nice, but I can't find a copy of it anywhere now. Albums by The Beatles can be found in abundance, anywhere (at least here in Central New York).

End of my rant. Sorry for going a bit off topic... just had to get that off my chest.

[ppk700]

I wonder if The Beatles heard The BBs' covers of their songs on Party... what do you all think? Less than a year later, The Beatles would be swooning over Pet Sounds, so I'd be surprised if they never went back to hear covers of their songs on a very popular album.

Also wonder if The Beatles ever heard The BBs' cover of A Little Help From My Friends, for that matter.

I'd imagine they heard the covers on "Party," but I find it doubtful they heard the cover of "With a Little Help from My Friends." That cover wasn't formally released until 1983, right?

[CenturyDeprived]

I wonder if The Beatles heard The BBs' covers of their songs on Party... what do you all think? Less than a year later, The Beatles would be swooning over Pet Sounds, so I'd be surprised if they never went back to hear covers of their songs on a very popular album.

Also wonder if The Beatles ever heard The BBs' cover of A Little Help From My Friends, for that matter.

I'd imagine they heard the covers on "Party," but I find it doubtful they heard the cover of "With a Little Help from My Friends." That cover wasn't formally released until 1983, right?

I'd wager you are correct about that guess.

Off-topic, but what was the purpose (if known) for recording the cover of With a Little Help from My Friends? Was it a contender for a late '60s album track, much like I Was Made to Love Her?

[Magic Transistor Radio]

My two favorite songs on here are You've Got to Hide Your Love Away and Times Are a Changin. It is a one of a kind album. Has anyone else done an album that sounds like a party? Smileysmile has moments with chatter as well. Although, this is one of the few BB albums I don't own, I appreciate it for what it is.

[bgas]

... An album like "Sunflower" is absolutely as good or better than anything The Beatles ever did, and yet the album bombed. Sure, "Sunflower" was rereleased a few years ago along with a bunch of other albums, and that was nice, but I can't find a copy of it anywhere now.

Try EBay/Amazon/Musicstack/Gemm to name a few. Paraphrasing  Chickenman :    It's Everywhere, It's Everywhere

[ppk700]

... An album like "Sunflower" is absolutely as good or better than anything The Beatles ever did, and yet the album bombed. Sure, "Sunflower" was rereleased a few years ago along with a bunch of other albums, and that was nice, but I can't find a copy of it anywhere now.

Try EBay/Amazon/Musicstack/Gemm to name a few. Paraphrasing  Chickenman :    It's Everywhere, It's Everywhere

I bought a copy of the reissue back in 2012, right when it came out; that was a must have for me. I was mainly referring to my local stores; unfortunately, here in Syracuse NY, it is not possible to find a brand new copy of any Beach Boys album (CD or vinyl), except for greatest hits stuff and "Pet Sounds," and even "PS" is rare. I could probably find a couple BB CDs in the used bin at the one and only independent music store we have here, but that's it, and that store has been overrun by hipsters so I tend to avoid it. We do, however, have an amazing record fair hosted here twice a year, and that's where I got all my BB vinyls from. Collectors from all over the country come and sell their vinyl, CDs, DVDs, bootlegs... so it ain't all bad  Even some bookstores carry vinyl now... I bought my copy of "MIU" for $3 at one particularly crappy bookstore.

And now I know who Chickenman is... you learn something new everyday!

[SBonilla]

... An album like "Sunflower" is absolutely as good or better than anything The Beatles ever did, and yet the album bombed. Sure, "Sunflower" was rereleased a few years ago along with a bunch of other albums, and that was nice, but I can't find a copy of it anywhere now.

Try EBay/Amazon/Musicstack/Gemm to name a few. Paraphrasing  Chickenman :    It's Everywhere, It's Everywhere

discogs.com is the better place to go

[bgas]

... An album like "Sunflower" is absolutely as good or better than anything The Beatles ever did, and yet the album bombed. Sure, "Sunflower" was rereleased a few years ago along with a bunch of other albums, and that was nice, but I can't find a copy of it anywhere now.

Try EBay/Amazon/Musicstack/Gemm to name a few. Paraphrasing  Chickenman :    It's Everywhere, It's Everywhere

discogs.com is the better place to go

Must be a personal preference sort of thing... 
Me, I don't hit Amazon as much as the other 3 (4 counting discogs) but  ebay tends to have the bestest/mostest for what I seek

[SMiLE Brian]

Bgas, I heard you bought Al Jardine.

[guitarfool2002]

Bgas, I heard you bought Al Jardine.

Great line! 

I'll bet he'd trade Al for an opened bag of 'Party!' promotional potato chips, though. 

[donald]

Teen parties,  especially in  suburban basements were way cool amongst kids back then.  It was a great inspiration for the Beachboys to try such a thing as a concept at the time.   No doubt at all on this.    I just got tired of the casual fan confusing this silliness with serious Bb music. Esp bababababaran with those bad j&d falsetto off key parts.   Loved the everly bros song with the party noise deleted.    The ruby baby oink thing is still a bit weird and juvenile.

[Micha]

50 years later everyone kisses their butts and their music is praised as if Jesus himself wrote it.

That's not true. They're more popular than Jesus.

[CenturyDeprived]

Bgas, I heard you bought Al Jardine.

Great line! 

I'll bet he'd trade Al for an opened bag of 'Party!' promotional potato chips, though. 

Would anyone dare eat an unopened bag of Party!  promotional potato chips today? Sort of reminds me of the predicament I had when buying sealed Garbage Pail Kids packages years after the fact. To chew a 10 – year old stick of gum, or not to chew...

[bgas]

Bgas, I heard you bought Al Jardine.

Great line! 

I'll bet he'd trade Al for an opened bag of 'Party!' promotional potato chips, though. 

Would anyone dare eat an unopened bag of Party!  promotional potato chips today? Sort of reminds me of the predicament I had when buying sealed Garbage Pail Kids packages years after the fact. To chew a 10 – year old stick of gum, or not to chew...

If somehow someone were to find an unopened bag of Party Chips that person would have  to be crazy to chance the eating when they could command a fortune on the collectibles market!

[Rick5150]

The Party! album is amazing and a lot of fun. The sparse instruments sound great and really allow the harmonies to shine. And shine they do - even on goofy songs like Alley Oop they sound rich and full.

As much as I was growing tired of Barbara Ann, hearing it in context with the false starts and extended ending made me like the song all over again. I found it very interesting how the feeling of the "solo" is created more by the chatter as is by the instruments. "Pick it and grin Carl, stretch Carl, stretch baby, a little lower." Dean's voice, once you know it is there and can hear it, is a bit annoying when he is not singing along with Brian, especially near the fade of the single version. It is even more annoying on the outtakes, but I love the "Hey Dean, sing on key... Jesus!"

They should have left off the "I Get Around/Little Deuce Coupe" medley and used Ruby Baby & Satisfaction to balance the Beatles covers a little.

Riot in Cell Block #9 should have told Mike he was not cut out for this type of song, and maybe he would not have revisited it as Student Demonstration Time.

[phirnis]

Not half as interesting as their other material from 1965. That said I love Devoted to You and Barbara Ann and the overall concept is nice and very original for its time.

[joshferrell]

it would have been better if they all got drunk and recorded it, slurry speech and all, maybe some swearing and burping, and then shoot an album cover of a frat party with members of the beach boys passed out on the floor with beer bottles in their hands.. 

[rab2591]

My only problem with this album is the laughing/party sounds during 'The Times They Are A Changing'...kinda ruins the mood of a very somber and beautiful song. But otherwise it's a fantastic album with some really beautiful moments on it. The harmonies on I Should Have Known Better, There's No Other, and Barbara Ann are some of the best they ever recorded together.

[NHC]

It's a fun album. Nothing to complain about.  Good songs, good playing. They were having a good time, or at least they sounded like they were having a good time. Didn't bother me in the least when I found out 20 years later it was contrived. Who cares?  I don't think they were trying to impress anyone with some sort of high artistic  achievement, which can be fairly overblown anyway. Wish I still had the baseball-type photo cards from the album cover that disappeared a few decades ago (the cards, not the album cover).

[TMinthePM]

So who are they quoting in the song selection, both released and unreleased? This only a partial listing:

1. Beatles - I Should Have Known Better, Tell Me Why, You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
2. Rolling Stones - Satisfaction
3. Bob Dylan - The Times Are A Changing
4. Phil Spector? - There's No Other
5. The Everly Brothers - Devoted To You
6. - Ruby Baby
7. - Barbara Ann
8. - Papa Oo Mow Mow
9. - Ally Oop
10. - One Kiss Led To Another
11. The Coasters - Riot in Cell Block No. 9

[Lee Marshall]

Not sure what you're asking.

Ruby Baby...Dion.  I think Dennis was a significant Dion fan.  I STILL am.  The guy's still makin' music.  I always liked him...quite a bit more than Elvis actually.  He had SOUL.  Elvis didn't.  RCA cleansed him or something.  Sorry Elvis fans...that's just MY take...for my personal tastes.  [That and 'the king' couldn't write a decent rock 'n' roll song on his own.]
Babara Ann...The Regents.  Never really liked their version.  Thin and kinda gutless.  Beach Boys made it their own...and I'm not big on Dean's sound here.
Papa Oo Mow Mow...Was it the Rivingtons?  I think so.  I know diddly about them.  Don't really 'dig' the song.  Brian does it well here though.  The In Concert version?  NO thanks.  Not ever.   In fact this, coupled with Long Tall Texan and a fake I Get Around...along with all that awful screaming keeps me from listening to that album anymore. (***)
Alley Oop...Hollywood Argyles.  A song about a so/so newspaper cartoon by a bunch of guys in dorky socks..  Ehhh.  Part of the 'fun' I guess.

One Kiss Led to Another?  No clue.
-------------------------------------------

Looked it up...Says it was a very risque song back in the day.  The Coasters.  1956.  Parents must have gone nuts.  I dunno.  I was only four then.  Kissin' girls?  When I was 4?  BARF!!!  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A684CpJlZv0

That would have been seen as pretty risque in early '66 too.  [in spite of the Stones]

(***) The WORST live album I ever heard for sreaming was 'Got Live If You Want It'....Stones.  Gawd no.  Not with YOUR ears.