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Author Topic: Favourite, least favourite, overrated, and underrated Beach Boys album  (Read 7942 times)
SpanoItaliano
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« on: March 23, 2020, 03:46:12 AM »

Favourite: Sunflower
Least Favourite: Summer in Paradise
Overrated: Holland
Underrated: 20/20

What do you guys think?
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RubberSoul13
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« Reply #1 on: March 23, 2020, 07:10:05 AM »

Agreed...I'd be pretty similar:

Favorite: Sunflower
Least Favorite: Summer in Paradise
Overrated: Friends*
Underrated: L.A. Album

*within Beach Boys fan circles...of course the general public doesn't give a damn.
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thr33
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« Reply #2 on: March 23, 2020, 09:55:14 AM »

Favorite: Friends
Least Favorite: Keepin' The Summer Alive
Overrated: Holland
Underrated: 15 Big Ones
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positivemusic
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« Reply #3 on: March 23, 2020, 01:48:25 PM »

For me, this might be the toughest question ever!

Favorite: Pet Sounds
Least Favorite: L.A. (Light Album) - Unless you count Stars and Stripes, Vol. 1 as a "proper" Beach Boys' album
Overrated: Holland
Underrated: The Beach Boys (1985)
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luckyoldsmile
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« Reply #4 on: March 23, 2020, 03:23:17 PM »

Favorite: Love You. I can play it in any mood and get the highs and the comforts and the excitement and the "what the durka?" moments from all the best Beach Boys records on this one LP.
Least favorite: Still Cruisin' (cop out, perhaps, but I'll stick with it). Reusing the old songs and the mixed quality of the "new" songs makes it the album I play least.
Overrated: hmm, this one hurts ... um ... I'll go with 20/20. I like the outtakes and B-sides more than most of the "new" material on it. Always felt like a hodge-podge album to me.
Underrated: I'll go Holland. I know it tends to be hit or miss with fans (and several already have it in their overrated pile) but it was nice to see the Beach Boys try to be progressive and stretch out a bit. It also felt like the logical progression from Sunflower, Surf's Up and Carl and the Passions - So Tough. It's the best distillation of the Blondie and Ricky years in terms of weaving their songs and vocal / instrumental contributions into the sound, Carl and Dennis are providing top-notch material, Al and Mike challenge themselves and Brian's material still packs a wallop and shows inventiveness and spark (how much of that is Brian and how much of it is Carl / the rest of the band, well ...)

I'll even do an honorable mention for "least necessary" album, with the Royal Philharmonic album. I want to love it. I promise I do. I want to enjoy it. I just find it so underwhelming and even occasionally aggravating. I love remixes, alternate takes, live versions, demos ... but letting others slather orchestral arrangements over classic recordings definitely blunted a lot of my emotional energy for these recordings.

Like many of you, I am not sure I could ever go so far as to say I hate a Beach Boys album ... even "Summer in Paradise" has a few good vocals and a couple songs that could be salvaged with better production. I figure a least favorite can still be a favorite, even if it's in the bottom 10 instead of the top 10. Wink





« Last Edit: March 23, 2020, 03:26:26 PM by luckyoldsmile » Logged

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Tony S
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« Reply #5 on: March 23, 2020, 03:38:36 PM »

Favorite: Sunflower
Least Favorite: Of the original, non SIP, hate to say it but maybe Smiley Smile
Overrated: Beach Boys Love You
Underrated: tie between In Concert(which I think absolutely rocks and gets little credit for it), and L.A.
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The Nearest Faraway Place
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« Reply #6 on: March 23, 2020, 04:19:40 PM »

Oh boy, here we go...
Favorite: always changes, but probably either Wild Honey or sunflower
Least favorite: this is really difficult, because I think that every album has redeeming qualities. SIP is an easy answer for most people, but I like about half of it so thats not it. I would say MIU, but it has 2 or 3 really really good songs on it. So I’m going Keepin' the Summer Alive. Even though it has 3 amazing songs with the title track, Livin' With a Heartache and Goin' On, it also has one of the worst songs ever written with When Girls Get Together. I’m serious, my mind boggles why When Girls Get Together was put on this album. It’s terrible. I would rather listen to Summer of Love on a 10 hour loop than When Girls Get Together. When Girls Get Together is just an atrocity of a song.

Overrated: I’m going to get hate for this, but Smile.
Underrated: L.A. (Light Album) and BB85
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PickupExcitations
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« Reply #7 on: March 24, 2020, 02:25:49 AM »

Favourite: Pet Sounds
Least Favourite: Keepin' the Summer Alive?
Overrated: Not sure (Friends maybe?)
Underrated: Sunflower (Removed from the updated version of 'RS 500')
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Joel Goldenberg
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« Reply #8 on: March 24, 2020, 08:21:19 AM »

Favorite: Smile (even in its unfinished state)
Least favorite: The Beach Boys (1985), except for Male Ego and Getcha Back.
Overrated: All Summer Long
Underrated:Friends (from outside the fan base)
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Steve Latshaw
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« Reply #9 on: March 24, 2020, 08:45:56 AM »

" it also has one of the worst songs ever written with When Girls Get Together. I’m serious, my mind boggles why When Girls Get Together was put on this album. It’s terrible. I would rather listen to Summer of Love on a 10 hour loop than When Girls Get Together. When Girls Get Together is just an atrocity of a song."

WHEN GIRLS GET TOGETHER made the cut for two reasons:
1. Because of the fragmented nature of LA Light Album, CBS required a specific number of Brian Wilson compositions on KTSA. It may even have been six; I don't know for sure.  Various tracks from the vault were considered, among them SAN MIGUEL.  But Girls was written by Brian and Mike, so fit the label criteria.
2.  Bruce Johnston LOVED the song.  I had a conversation with him about it back in 1982, in Paducah, Kentucky.  He said when he was going through vault tracks he listened to it and was floored by the song, particularly the Tympani part.  He said to me, and I quote, "I told Carl it just HAD to be on the album."
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« Reply #10 on: March 25, 2020, 12:28:03 PM »

Favourite: Friends
Least Favourite: Summer in Paradise
Overrated: Pet Sounds (it's overrated but i love it)
Underrated: Sunflower
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Summertime Blooz
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« Reply #11 on: March 25, 2020, 01:04:36 PM »

Favorite:  Pet Sounds

Least  favorite: Surfin' Safari

Most underrated: The Beach Boys (1985 album)

Most overrated: Holland
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NateRuvin
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« Reply #12 on: March 25, 2020, 02:10:50 PM »


Favorite: Sunflower  (Close second Love You)

Least Favorite: Stars And Stripes

Overrated: BB85

Underrated: SIP (That's not to say it's gold, but I don't think it deserves the hate it gets- there are some nice gems hidden in there)
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phirnis
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« Reply #13 on: March 26, 2020, 11:42:15 PM »

Favorite: right now, probably Today
Least favorite: Summer in Paradise - no competition
Ovarrated: none
Underrated: Wild Honey, Surfin' USA, Love You...
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Doobidoo
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« Reply #14 on: March 27, 2020, 08:14:12 AM »

Favorite: The Beach Boys Love You

Least Favorite: There's a lot I haven't listened to (for a reason). I would say Stars&Stripes or SIP.

Overrated: 20/20

Underrated: The Beach Boys' Party! (With 15 big ones as a close contender)
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CarlWilsonfan101
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« Reply #15 on: March 27, 2020, 03:55:27 PM »

Favorite: Surfin' USA
Least Favorite: Stars And Stripes
Overrated: Beach Boys '85
Underrated: Pet Sounds
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« Reply #16 on: March 28, 2020, 02:30:40 PM »

Favorite: Pet Sounds
Least favorite: Summer In Paradise
Overrated: Surf's Up
Underrated: Party
« Last Edit: March 28, 2020, 02:42:04 PM by B.E. » Logged

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« Reply #17 on: April 09, 2020, 08:36:14 AM »

Favorite: Pet Sounds

Least Favorite: Summer In Paradise

Overrated: I don’t know, but I’m leaning towards SMiLE. It’s astonishingly brilliant and I adore it, but it’s been built up like the second coming of Christ here. It’s not better than Pet Sounds. Nothing is.

Underrated: That depends. I’d normally say Sunflower or Wild Honey, but among us hardcore fans here, I’d say LA Light Album. It’s decidedly not a really great album but it more than has it’s moments. ‘Baby Blue’ and ‘Good Timin’’ are about as good as anything on one of their more celebrated albums.
« Last Edit: April 09, 2020, 08:41:32 AM by Summer_Days » Logged

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« Reply #18 on: April 09, 2020, 01:21:08 PM »

Favorite: Pet Sounds
Least Favorite: Summer in Paradise although 85 is real bad too. That at least has Getcha Back though.
Overrated: I guess 20/20? Doesn't have good album flow.
Underrated: Surf's Up. Might be better then Sunflower.
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« Reply #19 on: April 09, 2020, 09:39:41 PM »

Favorite: Right now it's Friends
Least favorite: 15 Big Ones
Over rated: Sunflower
Under rated: Love You
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"Over the years, I've been accused of not supporting our new music from this era (67-73) and just wanting to play our hits. That's complete b.s......I was also, as the front man, the one promoting these songs onstage and have the scars to show for it."
Mike Love autobiography (pg 242-243)
Lonely Summer
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« Reply #20 on: April 09, 2020, 09:45:33 PM »

Favorite: Sunflower
Least Favorite: Stars and Stripes
Overrated: The Beach Boys Love You
Underrated: L.A. (Light Album)

Although I did have Pet Sounds on a few nights ago, and far from being tired of it, I found myself marveling at the inventiveness of the instrumentation, and agreeing with the POV of the lyrics.
Sunflower has been my favorite for a number of years, though. In fact, I might put it in the underrated category, but at least the die-hards know it's a great album.
Yeah, I could have put Summer in Paradise in the least favorite category, but at least it has a few new songs on it, even if most of them are crud. S&S has nothing to recommend it, other than Willie's version of Warmth of the Sun, and Timothy B. singing Caroline, No. I Can Hear Music is pretty good.
I will never understand the cult of LY - a damaged artist cranking out a crude, Crayola textured album featuring the worst vocals every by the band. L.A. gets a bad rap because of the 10 minute disco atrocity, but it's actually a very strong album that finally brings Dennis and Carl onboard as songwriters again. This is what the followup to Holland should have sounded like.
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« Reply #21 on: April 10, 2020, 08:39:37 AM »

I never count Stars & Stripes as a legitimate Beach Boys album. They may be on it vocally, but it’s not their album. As it’s a tribute album, none of them sing lead and it of course doesn’t feature any new songs.
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Wouldn't it be nice if we were older, then we wouldn't have to wait so long
And wouldn't it be nice to live together, in the kind of world where we belong?
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Doobidoo
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« Reply #22 on: April 15, 2020, 05:34:51 PM »

I will never understand the cult of LY - a damaged artist cranking out a crude, Crayola textured album featuring the worst vocals every by the band.
<3 - My friend, you just wrote the reason!

This album is a celebration, a fantastic sarcastic show of an album.

Copying Bangs famous quote, from Wikipedia:
Lester Bangs said the Beach Boys were "a diseased bunch of mo'fos if ever there was one…But the miracle is that the Beach Boys have made that disease sound like the literal babyflesh pink of health…Maybe it’s just that unprickable and ingenuous wholesomeness that accounts not only for their charm, but for their beauty—a beauty so awesome that listening to them at their best is like being in some vast dream cathedral decorated with a thousand gleaming American pop culture icons."

« Last Edit: April 16, 2020, 04:13:57 AM by Doobidoo » Logged

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Doobidoo
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« Reply #23 on: April 15, 2020, 05:52:02 PM »

wrong post
« Last Edit: April 16, 2020, 04:12:53 AM by Doobidoo » Logged

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www.lastfm.se/user/fehyv
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« Reply #24 on: April 15, 2020, 06:04:15 PM »

His words absolutely nail the deeper appeal of The Beach Boys. What listening to albums such as Smiley Smile, Wild Honey, Friends and Love You is like. This is not normal music by not normal people (as if there’s such thing as normal). These albums are unique and outsider and I thank the stars above for that. This band is like no other and Bangs nailed just why. Thanks Lester.
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