Beach Boys vs Velvet Underground
Beach Boys vs Velvet Underground
Pretty simple.
And whether this means third-best band ever (after The Beatles and The Rolling Stones), you might want to add your thoughts....
And whether this means third-best band ever (after The Beatles and The Rolling Stones), you might want to add your thoughts....
- BARON CORNY DOG
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Re: Beach Boys vs Velvet Underground
Well it's the Beach Boys by almost any measure. Next.
take5_d_shorterer wrote:If John Bonham simply didn't listen to enough Tommy Johnson or Blind Willie Mctell, that's his doing.
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Re: Beach Boys vs Velvet Underground
Beach Boys, easily.
BCB turns me off to bands I used to love like the Velvets or the Stooges.
I mean, if so many fools love those bands then they can't be all that good, right?
BCB turns me off to bands I used to love like the Velvets or the Stooges.
I mean, if so many fools love those bands then they can't be all that good, right?
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Re: Beach Boys vs Velvet Underground
The Velvets did the impossible by being virtually the only major band to have NO bad songs. I don't know of anyone else who has that sort of success rate. But the best Beach Boys stuff, as tired as I am of the band at the moment, is just too sublime not to vote for. The VU were the better band in a lot of ways, but The Beach Boys just move me emotionally more. It's probably fair to say that the VU didn't try to "move" people emotionally in the same way Brian and co. did, so maybe it's a little unfair to cite that reason. You could just as easily say that The Beach Boys didn't freak me out or rock me as much as the VU did. They certainly were no match for the VU's droning powers.
Anyway, speaking of droning powers, I'm rambling a bit. I guess I'll say The Beach Boys, even though I'd rather listen to The Velvets.
Anyway, speaking of droning powers, I'm rambling a bit. I guess I'll say The Beach Boys, even though I'd rather listen to The Velvets.
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- Jeff K
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Re: Beach Boys vs Velvet Underground
The Velvets, of course. Next.
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Re: Beach Boys vs Velvet Underground
I've loved the Beach Boys since I was a kid, and I've been digging into their work off and on the entire time. I still continue to find new things to discover and love in their music.
I've loved the Velvets nearly as long, but I got pretty much everything there was to get by digging into their work decades ago.
The Beach Boys...by miles.
I've loved the Velvets nearly as long, but I got pretty much everything there was to get by digging into their work decades ago.
The Beach Boys...by miles.
Last edited by Davey the Fat Boy on 03 Nov 2011, 01:34, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Beach Boys vs Velvet Underground
Take a guess.
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Re: Beach Boys vs Velvet Underground
I'd rather have the first 22 seconds of "California Girls" than the whole Velvet Underground catalog.
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Re: Beach Boys vs Velvet Underground
Lance Matthew wrote:Beach Boys, easily.
BCB turns me off to bands I used to love like the Velvets or the Stooges.
I mean, if so many fools love those bands then they can't be all that good, right?
I like how the Velvets always get dismissed as a band only loved by music message board members. And the Beach Boys aren't? They had a ton of hits but that was in the early stages of their career. The Beach Boys you guys champion is the Pet Sounds/Smile/Sunflower era and that's every bit as music nerd-ish as the VU.
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Re: Beach Boys vs Velvet Underground
Jeff K wrote:The Beach Boys you guys champion is the Pet Sounds/Smile/Sunflower era and that's every bit as music nerd-ish as the VU.
That's not really true at all, is it, Jeff?
take5_d_shorterer wrote:If John Bonham simply didn't listen to enough Tommy Johnson or Blind Willie Mctell, that's his doing.
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Re: Beach Boys vs Velvet Underground
Jeff K wrote:Lance Matthew wrote:Beach Boys, easily.
BCB turns me off to bands I used to love like the Velvets or the Stooges.
I mean, if so many fools love those bands then they can't be all that good, right?
I like how the Velvets always get dismissed as a band only loved by music message board members. And the Beach Boys aren't? They had a ton of hits but that was in the early stages of their career. The Beach Boys you guys champion is the Pet Sounds/Smile/Sunflower era and that's every bit as music nerd-ish as the VU.
Rationalize it all you want.
Go ask 50 random people on the street if they've even heard of the VU, then ask them if they can name a Beach Boys song.
Then come back and tell us both bands are for music nerds.
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Re: Beach Boys vs Velvet Underground
I like the "popular" Beach Boys every bit as much as the music nerd Beach Boys.
Fuck...Little Deuce Coupe is as great as anything.
Fuck...Little Deuce Coupe is as great as anything.
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Re: Beach Boys vs Velvet Underground
I never champion the Sunflower-era Beach Boys. They were going in umpteen directions at once, each member other than Brian trying to put their stamp (with varying levels of failure) on the proceedings. It's no wonder they either had to coax Brian to write new material or dig into the vault to find material from the SMiLE era to bolster the records. The best Beach Boys stuff is '63-'67.
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Re: Beach Boys vs Velvet Underground
Looks like the Beach Boys may win, and that's fair enough, altho' it's early days.
What's interesting to me is that, with the Beach Boys, you haven't got much to work with beyond the music. There aren't especially strong images there - apart from the legendary stuff about BW in his sandbox. So it's all about the songs.
With the Velvets, there are strong mental images that are stirred up with or without the music. And that darkness, that complexity, attracts people, and adds another level to their legend.
The surfer/preppy/short-sleeved-shirt stuff you get with the Beach Boys is as likely to put people off as reel 'em in. So a win for them here would be more significant than normal with these things.
What's interesting to me is that, with the Beach Boys, you haven't got much to work with beyond the music. There aren't especially strong images there - apart from the legendary stuff about BW in his sandbox. So it's all about the songs.
With the Velvets, there are strong mental images that are stirred up with or without the music. And that darkness, that complexity, attracts people, and adds another level to their legend.
The surfer/preppy/short-sleeved-shirt stuff you get with the Beach Boys is as likely to put people off as reel 'em in. So a win for them here would be more significant than normal with these things.
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Re: Beach Boys vs Velvet Underground
Brer Baron wrote:Jeff K wrote:The Beach Boys you guys champion is the Pet Sounds/Smile/Sunflower era and that's every bit as music nerd-ish as the VU.
That's not really true at all, is it, Jeff?
Why isn't it true? That is the era that most fans, make that fans that frequent music forums, enjoy talking about the most.
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Re: Beach Boys vs Velvet Underground
Davey the Fat Boy wrote:I like the "popular" Beach Boys every bit as much as the music nerd Beach Boys.
Fuck...Little Deuce Coupe is as great as anything.
One of my very favourites.
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Re: Beach Boys vs Velvet Underground
Put on "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" for the uninitiated and ask what kind of imagery comes to them.
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Re: Beach Boys vs Velvet Underground
Brian Wilson wrote:Put on "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow" for the uninitiated and ask what kind of imagery comes to them.
Lick the boot, Brian. Lick the boot.
take5_d_shorterer wrote:If John Bonham simply didn't listen to enough Tommy Johnson or Blind Willie Mctell, that's his doing.
Re: Beach Boys vs Velvet Underground
Brian Wilson wrote:I never champion the Sunflower-era Beach Boys. They were going in umpteen directions at once, each member other than Brian trying to put their stamp (with varying levels of failure) on the proceedings. It's no wonder they either had to coax Brian to write new material or dig into the vault to find material from the SMiLE era to bolster the records. The best Beach Boys stuff is '63-'67.
Of course.
Next you'll be having people saying Sunflower is better than Loaded!
Ho ho ho, BCB!
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Re: Beach Boys vs Velvet Underground
Lance Matthew wrote:Go ask 50 random people on the street if they've even heard of the VU, then ask them if they can name a Beach Boys song.
How about I ask them to name a song off of Sunflower or Surf's Up instead? If we're polling random people for their favorite BB song Kokomo would probably come out on top.
the science eel experiment wrote:Jesus Christ can't save BCB, i believe i can.