Post Pet Sounds

[meetthesonics]

Not an era I'm terribly familiar with. Bought a vinyl copy of Surfs Up a couple of weeks ago and gave it a spin. Odd album, but not without merit. Lyrically, it's atrocious except for Disney Girls and one or two others. But the Life of the Tree and Student Demonstration Time,
The good stuff includes Disney Girls, a couple of others and Surfs Up. But, re: Surfs Up, once again with the goofy lyrics.
(Side note: I've got Surfs Up on a Smile bootleg, but it's instrumental. Was it originally - for Smile - supposed to be instrumental? Or did it have words and maybe what I have is just an early vocal-free take? If it had the same silly lyrics back then, it probably should have stayed an instrumental. Beautiful music.)
But I haven't completely made up my mind yet and think some of the other songs might grow on me after several plays.
Since I wasn't quite sure what to make up the album, I brought it up on Amazon to see what others thought of it. Pretty much the same as I do, a mixed bag in other words.
But post Pet Sounds records that got a lot of praise included Sunflower, Friends, 20/20 and Wild Honey. I remember, as a little kid, that my older brother had a copy of Wild Honey because I liked the album cover. And my cousin around the corner, annoying weird hippie girl about my brother's age, painted a picture of the cover. Don't remember ever hearing the album though, unless maybe long ago.
Anyway, I played the samples of songs from all four of these albums yesterday on Amazon. Pretty good stuff so far as I could tell from the 20-second snippets.
So. my question, sure it's been asked before here, is what's the essential stuff after Pet Sounds?
And, just as important, where's the line past which not to tread?
Whatever record "Kokomo" came off of has to be horrendous I'm guessing. But I'm also betting that pear shaped probably entered the equation well before that point.

[Muskrat]

The good stuff includes Disney Girls, a couple of others and Surfs Up. But, re: Surfs Up, once again with the goofy lyrics.

Do you expect lyrics that aren't goofy from Van Dyke Parks? Bruce Johnston wrote Disney Girls.

[B]

I like Friends

Here's one reason

[meetthesonics]

That's the thing though. I know Parks wrote with Brian around Smile time. But I've never knowingly heard Song Cycles or any of his solo stuff.
From what I've read here Song Cycles, and probably Parks, seem to be a love or hate proposition.
But right, I noticed Brian only wrote two or three songs on Surfs Up.

[Matt Wilson]

Beach Boys fans pretty much like everything from '62-'77 with maybe the exception of 15 Big Ones. (As ever) Opinions vary as to what's the best post Pet Sounds Beach Boys album. If you're not married to vinyl then the CD two-fers are a great value for your money. You really can't go wrong with all the '67-'77 CD two-fers: Smiley Smile/Wild Honey, Friends/20/20, Sunflower/Surf's Up, Carl & The Passion's "So Tough/Holland & 15 Big Ones/Love You. Sunflower, Surf's Up & Love You are probably the best, but again, opinions vary.

[meetthesonics]

No, I like vinyl but have no problem with CDs. Just ran across a vinyl copy of Surfs Up for $2 and couldn't resist.
How many albums did they make after 1977 then? Any of those good, or all junk?

[Muskrat]

That's the thing though. I know Parks wrote with Brian around Smile time. But I've never knowingly heard Song Cycles or any of his solo stuff.
From what I've read here Song Cycles, and probably Parks, seem to be a love or hate proposition.

Some people find Parks' unwillingness (or inability) to write a comprehensible lyric to be part of his charm.

I've always thought "It means whatever you think it means" to be bullshit.

The answer is probably somewhere in the middle.

[Matt Wilson]

No, I like vinyl but have no problem with CDs. Just ran across a vinyl copy of Surfs Up for $2 and couldn't resist.
How many albums did they make after 1977 then? Any of those good, or all junk?

I've never even heard one. The consensus is they're sheer shit. If you get the superb, five-disc box set Good Vibrations you get every US top 40 hit and most of the good album tracks from all their albums, even the post '77 ones. You might want to go that route if you can find it used (and you certainly can online). A great overview/introduction to their career.

Also, many find Dennis Wilson's 1977 Pacific Ocean Blue to be good (some say great). I like it but don't quite see what the fuss is about.

[The Modernist]

You're in for a fantastic treat. The post Pet Sounds era is the most interesting period of them all. Everything from Smiley Smile to Carl & The Passions:So Tough is essential. Yes it's true the albums can be patchy but there's always fantastic stuff on there somewhere and I like the more mature, adult tone of these albums.

[Diamond Dog]

Also, many find Dennis Wilson's 1977 Pacific Ocean Blue to be good (some say great). I like it but don't quite see what the fuss is about.

As you say, don't believe the hype.

It was much vaunted by many on here - it is, for me, an incredibly ordinary pile of naffness.

[Walk In My Shadow]

Also, many find Dennis Wilson's 1977 Pacific Ocean Blue to be good (some say great). I like it but don't quite see what the fuss is about.

As you say, don't believe the hype.

It was much vaunted by many on here - it is, for me, an incredibly ordinary pile of naffness.

It is, indeed, not very good. I'm glad I've got a cd-r from the bootleg years ago so I could skip on buying the official release.

[di Maio]

(Side note: I've got Surfs Up on a Smile bootleg, but it's instrumental. Was it originally - for Smile - supposed to be instrumental? Or did it have words and maybe what I have is just an early vocal-free take? If it had the same silly lyrics back then, it probably should have stayed an instrumental. Beautiful music.)

"Surf's Up" was intended to have lyrics from the best I can tell. Brian Wilson was filmed singing it before SMiLE fell apart by CBS in 1966 (ignore Van Dyke's annoying voice at the end)

[Piggly Wiggly]

Generally speaking, I'll never see the appeal of anything post Friends (bar a handful of scattered songs - "Til I Die", "This Whole World", a few others).

The idea that Carl, Bruce, and Mike (and Jack Reilly, I'm guessing) filled in for Brian admirably and capably is...it's a popular notion, but...to this day I don't hear it.

[Matt Wilson]

Generally speaking, I'll never see the appeal of anything post Friends (bar a handful of scattered songs - "Til I Die", "This Whole World", a few others).

The idea that Carl, Bruce, and Mike (and Jack Reilly, I'm guessing) filled in for Brian admirably and capably is...it's a popular notion, but...to this day I don't hear it.

Brian contributed songs to plenty of post Friends albums and he's all over Love You.

[The Modernist]

Generally speaking, I'll never see the appeal of anything post Friends (bar a handful of scattered songs - "Til I Die", "This Whole World", a few others).

.

Many, many others..what about Feel Flows, Long Promised Road, The Trader, All I Wanna Do. There are so many great songs from this era and not all of them from Brian. They were on an incredible creative roll in this period.

[Matt Wilson]

Generally speaking, I'll never see the appeal of anything post Friends (bar a handful of scattered songs - "Til I Die", "This Whole World", a few others).

.

Many, many others..what about Feel Flows, Long Promised Road, The Trader, All I Wanna Do. There are so many great songs from this era and not all of them from Brian. They were on an incredible creative roll in this period.

Yep, and why make Friends the cut off? Why are the Brian songs on that album any better than his contributions to Sunflower for instance?

[The Modernist]

Yep, and why make Friends the cut off? Why are the Brian songs on that album any better than his contributions to Sunflower for instance?

I didn't understand that point either.

[Phenomenal Cat]

Generally speaking, I'll never see the appeal of anything post Friends (bar a handful of scattered songs - "Til I Die", "This Whole World", a few others).

.

Many, many others..what about Feel Flows, Long Promised Road, The Trader, All I Wanna Do. There are so many great songs from this era and not all of them from Brian. They were on an incredible creative roll in this period.

Yep, and why make Friends the cut off? Why are the Brian songs on that album any better than his contributions to Sunflower for instance?

I think Friends is the last front-to-back classic. It's consistent, inspired, and very short. Albums like Sunflower are too hit-or-miss (you're either praising Dennis or blushing at his "sexy" songs"; let's not even get into "Deidre"). Surf's Up suffers from the same (songs about feet; the infamous "Student Demostration Time"). Besides "Sail On, Sailor", I like Brian's stuff least on Holland. "The Trader" is a key track. Carl is the man.

The Beach Boys Love You is so bizarre, and yet the strongest since Friends. It's more like a Brian solo album, but I wouldn't recommend it to a new listener.

As Matt mentioned, the box set is solid. It convinced me to venture past 1968.

[Shagger Dave]

Also, many find Dennis Wilson's 1977 Pacific Ocean Blue to be good (some say great). I like it but don't quite see what the fuss is about.

As you say, don't believe the hype.

It was much vaunted by many on here - it is, for me, an incredibly ordinary pile of naffness.

OK< I thought it was me. A co-worked gave it props so I bought the re-issue this past year. The slower, ballad type songs work well in many places. the uptempo rockers are what makes me cringe. His delivery on those just sounds so. . . . hammy?

[Matt Wilson]

I think Friends is the last front-to-back classic. It's consistent, inspired, and very short. Albums like Sunflower are too hit-or-miss (you're either praising Dennis or blushing at his "sexy" songs"; let's not even get into "Deidre"). Surf's Up suffers from the same (songs about feet; the infamous "Student Demostration Time"). Besides "Sail On, Sailor", I like Brian's stuff least on Holland. "The Trader" is a key track. Carl is the man.

The Beach Boys Love You is so bizarre, and yet the strongest since Friends. It's more like a Brian solo album, but I wouldn't recommend it to a new listener.

As Matt mentioned, the box set is solid. It convinced me to venture past 1968.

So Friends is a front-to-back classic, huh? And I guess "Deidre" is supposed to be worse than "Transcendental Meditation?" And exactly which Dennis songs on Sunflower are so blush-worthy, "Got to Know the Woman?" Why is that any worse than "Anna Lee the Healer?"

It's all very subjective, as we all know. I think Sunflower is twice the album Friends is.