Foda Me!! Wild Honey is the best album ever!!!!

[buddhahat]

Every time I listen to this album (probably at least once a week for the last 10 years or so) it just gets better and better. The songs are great. They're effortlessly catchy in the same way that, say, Barnyard from Smile is. Songs like Wild Honey also remind me a bit of the driving energy of Heroes & Villains. Darlin is just phenomenal. And wow, how cool is the baseline to I was Made To Love Her?

Overall I think I love this album because it is BW at the peak of his throwaway pop tune period where he comes up with a melody but can't be bothered to turn it into a fully developed song so you have this gorgeous sort of half developed tune like Country Air (which is possibly my favourite BB song of all time). I think WH succeeds where Smiley Smile fails because it has non of the self consciousness of the latter. It is not overshadowed by Smile. It's just Brian trying to write unpretentious funky R & B type tracks and as a result, it's a really care free and honest album. It doesn't feel like it's trying to be hip which is maybe a fault of some of the 70s output such as Surf's Up.

Also I never hear much love for Here Comes The Night, or How She Boogalooed it - The organ break in the latter is funky beyond reason, ditto the title track - is that Brian playing those organ solos?

Anyway, for me Wild Honey is my favourite Beach Boys album or maybe a tie with Pet Sounds. I love PS but it can be a bit heavy at times whereas Wild Honey seems so much lighter - maybe more in line with what BW was trying to achieve with the more humorous tracks from Smile. I wish we could get a stereo mix of WH.

I know I should probably put this post in the WH review thread but I thought it'd be interesting to hear current opinions on this if anyone wants to share their thoughts. I know it's a favourite of many but that there are lots here who are not so keen if memory serves me ...

[Aegir]

I know Bruce did the organ solo on the title track.

[lance]

Its my favorite record by them too. I figure Bruce did the solo in "Boogaloo" too.

[Wrightfan]

It's nice but I wouldn't even say it's my favorite BB album. I'd put Pet Sounds, Sunflower and maybe even Love You ahead of it.

[John]

Heh, it'd do well to scrape my Top Twenty. My disregard for this and Friends are so counter to this board's stance that it's been a dark, dark secret til now.

For the record, I prefer: Today!, Holland, Pet Sounds, Surf's Up, Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!), Surfer Girl, 20/20, All Summer Long, Love You, Sunflower, Little Deuce Coupe, L.A. Light, Party!, Shut Down Vol. 2, Smiley, Surfin' USA and 15 Big Ones to it. It just seems thin to me. I'm not saying there's not some great stuff on there, like "Darlin'", but most of it - I don't know - I guess I don't think much of the slice of life post-Pet Sounds Brian until the Reiley years. You're all free to call me mental now.

[Wrightfan]

Crap! How could I forget today. I might as well give my list also (Studio albums only):
1. Pet Sounds
2. Today!
3. Sunflower
4. Love You
5. Wild Honey
6. Surf's Up
7. Holland
8. L.A
9. Friends
10. Summer Days (and Summer Nights too!)
11. All Summer Long
12. Party!
13. Surfer Girl
14. 20/20
15. Shut Down Vol. 2
16. Surfin' USA
17. Carl and the Passions: So Tough
18. Smiley Smile
19. Little Deuce Coupe
20. Surfin' Safari
21. Christmas Album
22. Keepin' The Summer Alive
23. 15 Big Ones (This album is growing on me a bit believe it or not.)
24. M.I.U.
25. Still Cruisin'
26. Beach Boys 85'

Summer in Paradise is not on here as I don't own the album and haven't heard the whole thing. It'd probably be last or next to last (Beach Boys 85' is fucking horrible! I haven't been able to listen to the whole thing yet.)

[elnombre]

I love that album too. The production is occasionally jarring, but there's some killer songs that are really backed up by the loose, hootenanny feel of it all.

[mtaber]

Country Air is perfect, every time I hear it I wonder why I don't play it more often... just about the happiest feel on record...

[Aegir]

My current Top 5:

1. Sunflower
2. Holland
3. Friends
4. Wild Honey
5. Pet Sounds

[Compost]

I know it's a favourite of many but that there are lots here who are not so keen if memory serves me ...

These people also dislike 'Adult/Child'.  These are dire days indeed...

[Compost]

1.  Friends
2.  Wild Honey
3.  Smiley Smile
4.  Pet Sounds
5.  In Concert

[Alex]

I love the version of "Let The Wind Blow" from In Concert!! And the live version of "Wild Honey" with Blondie doing the lead vocal. I think Wild Honey could've been even more awesome than it already is if it had been recorded with bigger, fuller, arrangements and mixed into stereo.

[MBE]

In my top five along with Sunflower, Pet Sounds, Today, and All Summer Long.
I like the raw production and sound. I think it wasn't done out of sloppiness, it was done to give it an authentic rock and roll edge. I don't care about stereo on it because any mix until Friends is only interesting in mono to me. That how Brian cut it and I think he was terrific at mono mixes. Sure you can hear different things in stereo, but to really grasp Brian's total creative pallate the way his mixing talents are important to hear too.

[lance]

I would definitely jam to a good stereo version of it, but the sound is actually part of the charm to me.

My top five:

Wild Honey
Friends
Pet Sounds
Sunflower
Holland

[Shane]

The album has some occasionally good songwriting on it, but as for me.... I just can't get into Wild Honey.  I think the reason is because production is why I like the Beach Boys.  I love music that has multiple layers to disect.  I love complexity, and I love music where you can just hear how much thought, pre-planning, and work went into it.  On Wild Honey, the production element is nearly gone (with maybe Darlin' being an exception).  Of the 1960's albums, I think its my least favorite.

On the other hand, I do enjoy Friends because I think its a time where we begin to see those production values return.

[phirnis]

Wild Honey never really worked for me - yet!
It took me years to get into Today! (which now is among my very favorites), so I'm fairly confident that one day I'll be really appraciating WH as well. Right now, it just seems like such a transitory record to me and it sounds like they didn't really know what they wanted to do (which isn't necessarily a bad thing as far as I'm concerned).

[chris.metcalfe]

1. Surf's Up
2. Wild Honey
3. Sunflower (plus everything that could have gone on it)
4. Pet Sounds
5. Friends

[KokoMoses]

Heh, it'd do well to scrape my Top Twenty. My disregard for this and Friends are so counter to this board's stance that it's been a dark, dark secret til now.

For the record, I prefer: Today!, Holland, Pet Sounds, Surf's Up, Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!), Surfer Girl, 20/20, All Summer Long, Love You, Sunflower, Little Deuce Coupe, L.A. Light, Party!, Shut Down Vol. 2, Smiley, Surfin' USA and 15 Big Ones to it. It just seems thin to me. I'm not saying there's not some great stuff on there, like "Darlin'", but most of it - I don't know - I guess I don't think much of the slice of life post-Pet Sounds Brian until the Reiley years. You're all free to call me mental now.

Well, I LOVE the album, but I can understand being put off by it's sound and stripped down-ness.

We should also, by this time, stop crediting and praising everything as BRIAN BRIAN BRIAN..... By Wild Honey, Carl and Mike were singing  lead on almost everything, you have Bruce doing celebrated organ solos, Mike writing just about all of the lyrics..... I'd say it's fair to praise Wild Honey as a Beach Boys group effort all the way!!!!! This album was created by a BAND!

[SG7]

My only wish is for Wild Honey is that it was less freakin' muddy sounding. I liked that clear version of County Air on All This is That. How about a remaster of the album please??

I still hate Let the Wind blow though.

[Emdeeh]

I still hate Let the Wind blow though.

I'm the exact opposite. I LOVE "Let the Wind Blow" -- what an amazing song, straight from the heart! It's one of the highlights of *Wild Honey* imho.

*Wild Honey* is not only my favorite BB album, it's my favorite album of all time. I love the stripped down production, the singing (leads and harmonies), and the way this whole album lets Brian's songwriting chops shine. It's also where I became a Carl fan.

My top five BB albums are:
1. Wild Honey
2. Sunflower
3. Surf's Up
4. Today
5. All Summer Long

[elnombre]

In my top five along with Sunflower, Pet Sounds, Today, and All Summer Long.

Same here, although All Summer Long occasionally makes room for Carl & The Passions.

[DonnyL]

it seems like a lot of people here have very similar top albums, mine are:

1 sunflower
2 friends
3 wild honey
4 smiley smile
5 surf's up
6 pet sounds
7 20/20
8 holland
9 love you
10 so tough

i guess that most of us can agree that 65-73 is pretty much where it's at, with LOVE YOU being the shining moment from the later years

i'm glad that WILD HONEY and SMILEY have not been re-mixed, those dense, murky mono mixes are part of the charm for me

[SG7]

I'm the exact opposite. I LOVE "Let the Wind Blow" -- what an amazing song, straight from the heart! It's one of the highlights of *Wild Honey* imho.

Well it takes all kinds to make a world 

I just always thought the song sounded too whiny and just pure fluff. I think Games Two Can Play has more thought then that song did. Probably the highlight of WH is Aren't you Glad and Darlin' definately. Thing or Two is also great also. Gotta love that organ!!

[Big Bri]

I still have to go with:
1.Sunflower
2.Surf's Up
3.In Concert(1973)
4.Holland
5.Pet Sounds

Big Bri

[Aegir]

Let the Wind Blow is much better on In Concert. I love that guitar solo.