Black Cat Bone

I find the melodies quite similar:

'She's got a ticket to ride'
'Girl don't tell me you'll write'

Not exact but kinda similar, and a similar girl angst theme in each.

Another fav of mine is 'This Whole World'. Genius. To be honest I could fill 5 discs with what I would consider 10/10 songs by the Beach Boys.

Pretty Boy Floyd wrote:Another fav of mine is 'This Whole World'.

I saw them play that song live, in the 80s, after they'd already been an oldies jukebox for ages. I was actually kind of astonished it was in their set.

I'm sorry, and I'm probably going to embarrass myself here, but I just can't see what's meant to be quite so good about them.

Sure there are a large number of catchy, mainly feelgood singles prior to Pet Sounds. Pet Sounds is pleasant enough as well, but regardless of how complex it was to make it doesn't sound like a breathtaking leap forward to my ears. And after Pet Sounds everything I have heard, which is not that much to be honest, is patchy to say the least.

Clearly there are a lot of fans on here so I accept I am probably missing something. Normally i would try to rectify that as I do try to approach music with an open mind. With The Beach Boys though it's got to te stage where I am happy to just accept the fact that they are not for me.

Beno wrote:Clearly there are a lot of fans on here so I accept I am probably missing something. Normally i would try to rectify that as I do try to approach music with an open mind. With The Beach Boys though it's got to te stage where I am happy to just accept the fact that they are not for me.

No I'm like that too. I appreciate that they have great melodies, that each song is an individual masterpiece of construction, that they were friends with Charles Manson, all that, but for some reason most of their stuff just leaves me cold. There's a handful of songs I do like and I don't dislike them, I've just never really got into them at all.
The songs do have a tendency to get stuck in my head whenever I hear them and if I had to pick a favourite it would most likely be I Get Around, but I couldn't name an album as I don't have any and have never really been inclined to get one, Pet Sounds is the only one I've actually heard.

Well, it can only be Pet Sounds really, but I also love Today, Summer Days, Friends, 20/20, Sunflower and Surf’s Up as complete albums. Smiley Smile and Wild Honey have very good individual songs, but don’t work all the way through: in fact Smiley Smile now turns out to be a bit of a joke when compared to what should have been released. Favourite song would be the original SMiLE version of Surf’s Up, which always gives me the chills.

.

Friends is the only one which I think sounds a bit too goofy, a complete twee-fest.

FEEEEELLL THAAAAA WEEEEEND BERRRRN THOOOOO MYYY SKEEEEENN

aaahh the best..crazy stuff..."lets get the manager to sing this one..we're too stoned"...those were the days.

Album: Pet Sounds (I don't get as "precious" as some about it, but it still the one that works best as an album)

Track(s): Heroes and Villains (extended version), Surfs Up, Surfer Girl

Th' trouble you had/wasn't so bad

Album: Smile (in all its incarnations, but especially the jigsaw-snippets of the original sessions)
Song: God Only Knows or Surf's Up. Really can't decide between the two...

Album: Well the Smile Sessions kill it, but if those are off it's very hard to choose between their successors Smiley Smile and Wild Honey. Masterworks of soulful minimalism.
Song: Holy fuck. Could it be Let Him Run Wild?

Snarfyguy wrote:Album: Friends

Song (currently): Can't Wait Too Long instr. outtake on Unsurpassed Masters V. 19

Y'all who are saying Friends can't be serious. How in the world do you explain "Anna Lee the Healer"? You can't actually like it!

catboy wrote:FEEEEELLL THAAAAA WEEEEEND BERRRRN THOOOOO MYYY SKEEEEENN

aaahh the best..crazy stuff..."lets get the manager to sing this one..we're too stoned"...those were the days.

Song: That could be my favorite track of theirs. (Too?) It really shouldn't be as moving as it is, but The Beach Boys have ways of being painfully sincere and naive but making it work. "Surf's Up" is possibly their greatest, as opposed to my favorite.

Album: The myriad Smile tapes that constitute the first truly modular, do-it-yourself album. Of the early stuff, it would be All Summer Long, even though I don't know why.

Well, I never answered this one because I really couldn't make a decision. I was torn between Pet Sounds, Surf's Up and the various SMiLE permutations... not to mention a whole handful of songs. But now it's time to buck up and make a choice:

Album: Pet Sounds

Song: "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" (I know, Brian. I feel more and more like that every fuckin day!)

di Maio wrote:

Snarfyguy wrote:Album: Friends

Song (currently): Can't Wait Too Long instr. outtake on Unsurpassed Masters V. 19

Y'all who are saying Friends can't be serious. How in the world do you explain "Anna Lee the Healer"? You can't actually like it!

It's not one of the better tracks, but I like the vibe of the album overall. It's kind of an inconsequential affair, thematically, but it has a whole lot of charm and a slew of overlooked gems: Passing By, Diamond Head, Little Bird, Transcendental Meditation, Busy Doin' Nothin'; those are killer tracks. The material doesn't match the scope or sonic impact of the best Beach Boys singles, and it's not as satisfying a song cycle as Pet Sounds, but on its own terms it's a great album and I never tire of it.

Snarfyguy wrote:

di Maio wrote:

Snarfyguy wrote:Album: Friends

Song (currently): Can't Wait Too Long instr. outtake on Unsurpassed Masters V. 19

Y'all who are saying Friends can't be serious. How in the world do you explain "Anna Lee the Healer"? You can't actually like it!

It's not one of the better tracks, but I like the vibe of the album overall. It's kind of an inconsequential affair, thematically, but it has a whole lot of charm and a slew of overlooked gems: Passing By, Diamond Head, Little Bird, Transcendental Meditation, Busy Doin' Nothin'; those are killer tracks. The material doesn't match the scope or sonic impact of the best Beach Boys singles, and it's not as satisfying a song cycle as Pet Sounds, but on its own terms it's a great album and I never tire of it.

It's like Ry-Krisp instead of birthday cake. It's a lot easier to take on a daily basis, even though of course it's not as good.

I can't believe I never got into this thread before...

Favorite album - 1. Pet Sounds 2. Today! 3. Wild Honey

Favorite song - 1. God Only Knows 2. Please Let Me Wonder 3. She Knows Me Too Well

The songs change so often, but those three come to mind right now.

Album: Pet Sounds
song: Help me, Rhonda