To make an album better

[punkinhead]

Alright, lets have a good discussion on what could have been done to improve a BW/BB album...I'll start with the Surf's Up album...I'd leave it called Landlocked...I'd take out Student Demonstration Crap, replace it with I'm going Your Way (California Slide). I'd also take out Take a Load off Your Feet, and put Wouldnt it Be Nice to Live again...think of how good this album would have done on the charts...

[Magic Transistor Radio]

I would include Fourth of July and Soul of Free

[matt-zeus]

MIU should have had 'Almost Summer ' on it, what a great song!
Sunflower should have been a sprawling double album with all the appropriate songs on it.
Holland should have had 'We got love' and 'Carry me Home' on it, excising the California saga parts 1 and 2.
15 Big ones (if it exists at all in the parallel universe we are discusing) should have been an all oldies album and should have also included - 'Shake Rattle and Roll', 'Sea Cruise' and 'Ruby Baby'. The craziness of this album would be amplified even more!

[Pretty Funky]

Pet Sounds add GV's, plus a better cover, although in 2007 it's kind of cool in a un-cool way.

[matt-zeus]

'Guess i'm dumb' and 'Sherry she needs me' on Summer Days.
'Time to get alone' and 'I went to sleep' on Friends
'Marilyn Rovell' on Love You

[chris.metcalfe]

'Loop de Loop' and 'When Girls Get Together' on Sunflower.

[No. Fourteen]

'Guess i'm dumb' and 'Sherry she needs me' on Summer Days.
'Time to get alone' and 'I went to sleep' on Friends
'Marilyn Rovell' on Love You

Perhaps tempting controversy.....Would you take anything off those albums?

Bugged at My Old Man?  (too "tossed off"?)

Transcendental Meditiation?  (Which I actually like, but others seem put off by it)

Love is a Woman?  (Sometimes I think it the album would end better with Airplane)

[Roger Ryan]

"Transcendental Meditation" should have been saved for 20/20.

Obviously, "Bull Session With Big Daddy" should have been dropped from TODAY; add "Guess I'm Dumb" right after "Please Let Me Wonder" to fill out the side.

Oh yeah, on "Smiley Smile" replace all the "SMiLE" material with the actual "SMiLE" versions and replace "Fall Breaks", "She's Goin' Bald", "Little Pad", "With Me Tonight", "Gettin' Hungry" and "Whistlin' In" with "Do You Like Worms?", "Look", "I'm In Great Shape","Child Is Father Of The Man", "Cabin Essence", "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow", "I Love To Say Dada" and "Surf's Up". 

[Bicyclerider]

It's easy to improve any Beach Boys album post Friends - add some unreleased Dennis songs, take out the weaker non Dennis tracks.

[Sheriff John Stone]

Just a general answer to the question without addressing any specific albums...

The biggest problem with the Beach Boys' albums was not the songs that were included on the album(s), but the songs that were EXCLUDED. They didn't necessarily have to delete any of the songs that ended up on the albums, but they should've added some of the superior songs that were left in the can. The Beach Boys' albums were too short to begin with. You could improve almost all of The Beach Boys' albums by an entire grade by simply adding a song or two.

[Emdeeh]

I figure y'all ain't gonna like this one, but here goes:

The Beach Boys should have been the vocalists on the Brian Wilson album. Why do I say that? Because so many of the songs on BW sound like they were written for the Boys' leads and bg vox, subconsciously if not intentionally. And yes, I mean it should have been a BEACH BOYS album, not just a BW one.

And remember, that's just my opinion; I don't think it would have been a particularly feasible scenario, given the times. Landy would have never let it happen, even if everyone else had been amenable (with all other politics being set aside).

[punkinhead]

one of the most superior songs that is mind boggling as to why it was left off an album is Soulful Old Man Sunshine

[Sheriff John Stone]

I figure y'all ain't gonna like this one, but here goes:

The Beach Boys should have been the vocalists on the Brian Wilson album. Why do I say that? Because so many of the songs on BW sound like they were written for the Boys' leads and bg vox, subconsciously if not intentionally. And yes, I mean it should have been a BEACH BOYS album, not just a BW one.

And remember, that's just my opinion; I don't think it would have been a particularly feasible scenario, given the times. Landy would have never let it happen, even if everyone else had been amenable (with all other politics being set aside).

Ain't gonna like it? I AGREE with it 100%

With the exception of Pacific Ocean Blue, none of the Beach Boys had anything to say - musically - outside of the Beach Boys. And that includes Brian's solo albums. Especially Brian's solo albums.

With this band, the whole is absolutely greater than the parts. The Beach Boys' solo albums have proven that. And I have a feeling Al's new album will fall into that category also. I will continue to beat the proverbial dead horse. Each Beach Boy - Brian, Mike, Al, Bruce AND DAVID, should contribute their three or four best songs to a single Beach boys album. Get a producer to unify the sound, use all of the guys' voices, and you have a legitimate new Beach Boys album.

[No. Fourteen]

I figure y'all ain't gonna like this one, but here goes:

The Beach Boys should have been the vocalists on the Brian Wilson album. Why do I say that? Because so many of the songs on BW sound like they were written for the Boys' leads and bg vox, subconsciously if not intentionally. And yes, I mean it should have been a BEACH BOYS album, not just a BW one.

And remember, that's just my opinion; I don't think it would have been a particularly feasible scenario, given the times. Landy would have never let it happen, even if everyone else had been amenable (with all other politics being set aside).

I like that album a lot, anyway, but YES!!!!!!  Just thinking about how that would've sounded has made my day! 

[John]

I've long thought this, and I think with some songs - like Night Time; it sounds like it was written for Mike.

I think Love And Mercy, Melt Away and Little Children would have Brian vocals no matter what.
Walkin' The Line would have been Mike on the verses, Al on the choruses.
There's So Many - Bruce on the verses, Carl on the rest.
Let It Shine sounds like an Al song.
Baby Let Your Hair Grow Long and Meet Me In My Dreams would've been Brian and Carl.
Night Time like I said sounds like a Mike.
Rio Grande - Al and Brian mostly, but with Mike on Night Blooming Jasmine and Carl [with Brian] on the "I wanna tell you that she's so fine" bit.

[the captain]

I like the idea of "fixing" Beach Boys albums because, to me, every one of them except possibly Pet Sounds (and maybe even that...) could've been improved with as little as one or two replacements--using existing material, no less. (In fact, I think I did a thread on this topic months, maybe years ago. Funny how we return to things.)

TTGA and I Went To Sleep both would've sounded perfect on Friends, with Transcendental Meditation kept off.

Sunflower and Surf's up both could've been dramatically improved any number of ways. The latter, to me, only really NEEDS SDT removed, but there could've been other changes made. Sunflower, for me, is about 50-50. I would have loved Good Time and Susie Cincinnati, at least. But I also like some of Brian's silly ones from the time: HELP is on the Way, I Just Got My Pay, etc.

And Soulful Old Man Sunshine should've been finished and put on there, too.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

With all the *finished* tracks in the can, there's no way in hell So Tough should've only had 8 songs. Anything from the  Sunflower & Surf's Up time period  could've been put on there. SO what if, say, "Games Two Can Play" doesn't sound anything like the rest of the disc. "Good Time" sure didn't sound like the rest of Love You!

[the captain]

With all the *finished* tracks in the can, there's no way in hell So Tough should've only had 8 songs. Anything from the  Sunflower & Surf's Up time period  could've been put on there. SO what if, say, "Games Two Can Play" doesn't sound anything like the rest of the disc. "Good Time" sure didn't sound like the rest of Love You!

Really, C&TP is nothing but songs that don't sound like each other. You can really tell the guys were just working on their own projects with the Flame-based stuff, the Dennistuff, the Mike/Al based stuff and the Brian songs. So I'm with you: toss in two others and you're good to go.

On the Good Time thing, though, I really, REALLY think it should've been on Sunflower (perfect fit) or Surf's Up....not a perfect fit in terms of its silliness compared to the "serious" (I hate "serious" Beach Boys sometimes) ecological topics on the album, but still similarly good sounding with that amazing engineering and production the Boys had in those years.

[Pretty Funky]

This thread has got me interested in something I have been meaning to do for awhile now. Burn off a CD of released 67-early 70s material, minus a lot of the songs discussed here.

May work out a play list  over a bottle or two this weekend.

[the captain]

That is similar to a few things I've tried to do. Things like, OK, pretend the Beach Boys only released one album in the span in which, in reality, they released Wild Honey, Friends and 20/20. (In other words, a more modern timeline, when bands take a lot longer.) What could that album be? Or do a "better" (meaning Lutherized) version of [album] using songs that were available.

It is a lot of fun, and I have historically found myself listening to those more than real albums, even to the point of being surprised at the track orders when I put the actual albums back on.

Not to mention, the "over a bottle or two" part sounds REALLY good.

[Pretty Funky]

You're right about listening to your own album more than the original. About two years ago I did a "Best Live" mix and I have not played Live in London or BB Concert since. In Concert still gets a turn now and then.

I'll know when I have had too many brews. It will be when that well known Mike/ BB hit from 67 makes the cut. "Back In The USSR".

[Bicyclerider]

It would be easy to  combine tracks from So Tough and Holland to make one killer album (with an unreleased track like It's a New Day or Barbara from Dennis thrown into the mix).

[MBE]

This thread has got me interested in something I have been meaning to do for awhile now. Burn off a CD of released 67-early 70s material, minus a lot of the songs discussed here.

May work out a play list  over a bottle or two this weekend.

Great cartoon

[Aegir]

Or how much better would Still Cruisin' have been with Spirit of Rock and Roll and Love Ya on it?

Or Imagination with the Beach Boys on vocals? That would've been great. If there's ever a reunion concert (which there won't be) I hope they do some Brian solo tracks, especially from Imagination. I love Imagination, but it would've easily been on of my favorite albums ever if it were a Beach Boys album.

[punkinhead]

i'd love to hear a BB version of South America & Cry