The Best Album is Friends

[adamghost]

FRIENDS is cool, but I personally prefer WILD HONEY and 20/20.  But it's all a matter of taste, they're all good in their own way.

[Louie Napoli]

It's funny. I was 17 when this album came out. Tough teenage years. Moody...smoking lots of cigarettes. Depressed over relationships. Not an easy time at all. Friends was there for me to get wasted...in a good way. The music brought me to a place where I could hide inside of it. Wrap myself in it and receive real comfort. What amazes me is that at that time Friends was considered to be such a bore to my own friends. A waste of time. The title song meant so much to me earlier in the year. And people couldn't understand why. It dropped off the charts with a bang and got such little airplay. And yet I loved it. And the album was so great. How wonderful to be able to read everyone's praises 42 years later. I guess I was right way back then. Not bad for a kid.

[phirnis]

Friends has been at the very top of my list for quite a few years now. In its own unassuming way I think it's just as good an album as Pet Sounds, though I can see why it won't make the top spot of your typical Rolling Stone "greatest records of all time" listing, minimal cultural impact by the time of its original release probably being the main problem here. Also this record doesn't hit you the way that most classic pop/rock albums do, but I really don't mind that at all. To me this album feels like a very beautiful and mellow version of many things I've always loved about the original Smile recordings. Probably the freshest-sounding music I've ever heard and quite adventurous too...

[CenturyDeprived]

Duplicate post

[metal flake paint]

Friends is one of my favorites, too. A while back a friend and I were hanging out, he was cruising the internet on my computer, and I thought, what a great time to introduce him to some great Beach Boys material...what album should I put on? - So I thought through many albums, Pet Sounds? No, too personal. Today!? No, too many ballads. Love You? . Then It hit me: Friends! The most lovable/chill album the Beach Boys ever created

I put that album on and my friend, who listens to virtually nothing but heavy-rock music, said that he really liked the album and loved its mellowness. It's, in my opinion, the most accessible Beach Boys album ever made.

Also, Bruce Johnston is entitled to his opinion, but like many of you I don't understand his criticism of Friends.

I'm curious, what criticism did Bruce level at Friends?

Apart from "Friends" (the song) and maybe "Transcendental Meditation" he basically dismisses the whole album, wondering how it even charted at #126, saying that #1026 would've been a more appropriate chart position.

During the The Beach Boys 30th anniversary program, he also said that Friends had an ugly album cover.

[Mahalo]

During the The Beach Boys 30th anniversary program, he also said that Friends had an ugly album cover.

Is it safe to assume Bruce is blind and just never told anyone? ...nah, if he was he probably would've wrote better music...unless he's deaf too, which might explain a lot....

[smile-holland]

Friends has been at the very top of my list for quite a few years now. In its own unassuming way I think it's just as good an album as Pet Sounds, though I can see why it won't make the top spot of your typical Rolling Stone "greatest records of all time" listing, minimal cultural impact by the time of its original release probably being the main problem here. Also this record doesn't hit you the way that most classic pop/rock albums do, but I really don't mind that at all. To me this album feels like a very beautiful and mellow version of many things I've always loved about the original Smile recordings. Probably the freshest-sounding music I've ever heard and quite adventurous too...

You might be surprised. A month back I posted this in a similar topic:

... which reminds me... Mojo Magazine August 1995 (nr. 21): 100 greatest albums ever made....

Nr.1 was Pet Sounds. And the only other Beach Boys album that was mentioned ... in the so-called "bubbling under"-list, at nr. 112 was - surprise! - Friends.

(and I almost forgot a 3rd “Voted for in vain”-list (30 of the personal passions that appeared high and hopeful on some contributor’s lists): one of them was Pacific Ocean Blue


but that’s just a list, I know…   

[phirnis]

Hope it's going to climb even further as time goes by, maybe becoming a bit of a cult classic... Always thought that the group missed out on a great opportunity by not releasing 40th anniversary editions of both Friends and Sunflower in 2008 and 2010 respectively (or Today! in 2005, for that matter).

[Rocker]

I just posted this in the youtube-thread but I guess it is of interest and fitting in this thread as well:


This was new to me. "Friends" in Holland. Playback but still interesting to see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-M6WdZ9yR0


And speaking of Friends, where does this come from ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tilogc9K2Ag&feature=related

[OneEar/OneEye]

During the The Beach Boys 30th anniversary program, he also said that Friends had an ugly album cover.

He's got a point about the cover though.   

[punkinhead]

During the The Beach Boys 30th anniversary program, he also said that Friends had an ugly album cover.

He's got a point about the cover though.   

What, that's it's ugly?

NO WAY

[Shane]

I recently found the (somewhat rare) reel to reel tape of the Friends album.  On the back cover, there's a caption that is nowhere to be found on the original LP. 

It says, "The Beach Boys... one of the very few group efforts to remain constantly in the forefront of musical creativity, ingenuity and popularity.  Friends... their newest excursion into the sounds and meanings of a uniquely different generation of people and "friends."

Discuss.   

[Mahalo]

I recently found the (somewhat rare) reel to reel tape of the Friends album.  On the back cover, there's a caption that is nowhere to be found on the original LP. 

It says, "The Beach Boys... one of the very few group efforts to remain constantly in the forefront of musical creativity, ingenuity and popularity.  Friends... their newest excursion into the sounds and meanings of a uniquely different generation of people and "friends."

Discuss.   

Whaddyamean, "Found"...like you were walking down the sidewalk and you found it?

[metal flake paint]

This was new to me. "Friends" in Holland. Playback but still interesting to see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-M6WdZ9yR0

One of nine songs performed on Twien TV show, 1968.

And speaking of Friends, where does this come from ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tilogc9K2Ag&feature=related

Undisclosed TV studio in 1968. Apparently includes an interview where Dennis, of all people, really raps enthusiastically about TM!

[OneEar/OneEye]

During the The Beach Boys 30th anniversary program, he also said that Friends had an ugly album cover.

He's got a point about the cover though.   

What, that's it's ugly?

NO WAY

I like the album covers concept, but not the execution.   

[Rocker]

This was new to me. "Friends" in Holland. Playback but still interesting to see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-M6WdZ9yR0

One of nine songs performed on Twien TV show, 1968.

And speaking of Friends, where does this come from ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tilogc9K2Ag&feature=related

Undisclosed TV studio in 1968. Apparently includes an interview where Dennis, of all people, really raps enthusiastically about TM!

Thank you ! Would love to see the whole interview with Dennis about TM.

I've seen GOK from that Twien TV show on youtube. Was also playback. So I guess they just mimed to the recordings and there's no chance of a live version frrom then, is there ?

[metal flake paint]

So I guess they just mimed to the recordings and there's no chance of a live version frrom then, is there ?

To the best of my knowledge, no chance.

[smile-holland]

So I guess they just mimed to the recordings and there's no chance of a live version frrom then, is there ?

To the best of my knowledge, no chance.

The complete performance circulates (and was added to the Not For Broadcast DVD of a couple of years back). But - although I've seen several recordings - all of them seem to be playback. Too bad, as they did perform live that day.

[metal flake paint]

So I guess they just mimed to the recordings and there's no chance of a live version frrom then, is there ?

To the best of my knowledge, no chance.

The complete performance circulates (and was added to the Not For Broadcast DVD of a couple of years back). But - although I've seen several recordings - all of them seem to be playback. Too bad, as they did perform live that day.

Oh ok...so the guitar leads were actually plugged in then, not just for looks?

[smile-holland]

Oh ok...so the guitar leads were actually plugged in then, not just for looks?

That's what I always understood, that I was a live-performance in front of an audience. Someone must have been doing some editing afterwards. One can hear the applause between the songs and the boys introducing the songs, but the songs you hear are the studio-versions

[metal flake paint]

Very interesting. Thanks.

[hypehat]

I just posted this in the youtube-thread but I guess it is of interest and fitting in this thread as well:


This was new to me. "Friends" in Holland. Playback but still interesting to see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-M6WdZ9yR0


And speaking of Friends, where does this come from ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tilogc9K2Ag&feature=related

That wee Friends clip is seriously wonderful. Thanks for finding it!

Did they play Friends often in '68 then? How did it sound?

[metal flake paint]

I just posted this in the youtube-thread but I guess it is of interest and fitting in this thread as well:


This was new to me. "Friends" in Holland. Playback but still interesting to see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-M6WdZ9yR0


And speaking of Friends, where does this come from ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tilogc9K2Ag&feature=related

That wee Friends clip is seriously wonderful. Thanks for finding it!

Did they play Friends often in '68 then? How did it sound?

On TV, at least twice more: The Mike Douglas Show (live vocals over studio track) and a live version from an unidentified television show.

In concert, one performance confirmed so far- http://members.tripod.com/~fun_fun_fun/7-13-68.html. Possibly more though I don't think it was a setlist fixture for long.

[Jon Stebbins]

Undisclosed TV studio in 1968. Apparently includes an interview where Dennis, of all people, really raps enthusiastically about TM!

Nothing unusual about that since Dennis was the one who introduced the others to Maharishi and was the first of the BB's into (and out of) TM.

[metal flake paint]

Undisclosed TV studio in 1968. Apparently includes an interview where Dennis, of all people, really raps enthusiastically about TM!

Nothing unusual about that since Dennis was the one who introduced the others to Maharishi and was the first of the BB's into (and out of) TM.

Sure, nothing unusual. What I meant to write was that it was more to do with the manner in which he was talking about TM, i.e. maybe a put-on.