Which Four Beach Boys Tunes Would You Add to Endless Summer?

Endless Summer has only 20 tracks. If you were to add four, to create a 24-track album, which would you choose?

For the purposes of this poll: Let's pretend that Spirit of America or Sunshine Dream don't exist.

Let's also limit the choices to pre-Pet Sounds material, although I've made an exception for "Sloop John B," since it pre-dates Pet Sounds and arguably fits well with the earlier era.

I tried to pick what I consider to be the better surf/hot rod songs from the early albums, and I have also included an assortment of Today tracks.

If you choose "other," please specify, but please keep within the aforementioned parameters.

I have played this game over the years, and the choices are harder than I might have thought. At this point, I don't know which four I would choose.

Have fun!

 

"Johnny Carson"

 

Lonely Sea
Farmer's Daughter
Summer Means New Love
And Your Dream Comes True

 

I'd say the four best Brian/Beach Boys songs that aren't on "Endless Summer" and precede "Pet Sounds" would be:

1. When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)
2. Your Summer Dream
3. The Surfer Moon
4. We'll Run Away

The last song is really my "left field pick", yet I think it's one of the most beautiful songs Brian ever wrote. I rarely see it mentioned yet I made a "Songwriters of the Century" disc for Brian Wilson and I included that one. I've always loved it.

I'm ashamed that I had to leave off tracks like "Please Let Me Wonder", "Kiss Me Baby", etc.

 

1. Barbara Ann
2. Little Honda
3. Sloop John B
4. Good Vibrations (which did appear on a CD reissue)

 

1.) Peggy Sue
2.) Kona Coast
3.) Shortnin' Bread
4.) Livin' With A Heartache

 

Of the song listed:

409
Kiss Me Baby
She Knows Me Too Well
When I Grow Up To Be A Man

 

I picked songs like 409, that were singles that should have made the first cut.

 

I would add:

1. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On my Shoulder)
2. Lonely Sea
3. Surfers Rule
4. Summer Means New Love--instrumental but I love it. Simple but yet complicated. A work of genius for a young Brian.

 

Technically I certainly should have voted "Other", but I stuck the list instead...all from "The Beach Boys Today"... love the choices, but I could have picked 4 others honestly...
"Please Let Me Wonder"
"Kiss Me Baby"
"She Knows Me Too Well"
"When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)"

 

Side A: add "Surfers Rule"
Side B: add "This Car of Mine"
Side C: add "When I Grow Up"
Side D: add "Little Honda"

 

Barbra Ann (#2 Billboard)
Sloop John B (#3)
Dance, Dance, Dance (#8)
When I Grow Up (#9)

Endless Summer basically rewrote the Beach Boys’ history in the minds of the general public. By omitting these top 10 hits, and including non-charting B-sides “The Warmth of the Sun”, “Girl Don’t Tell Me” and “You’re So Good To Me”, as well as a couple of B-sides that managed to chart in the lower regions - “In My Room” (#23) and “Don’t Worry Baby” (#24) - the people who assembled this collection displayed a keen appreciation for the group’s best (if not best-selling) songs.

Although clearly not at the level of the songs that were included, these four songs were hits and could have been included.

 

1. Good Vibrations *
2. Sloop John B
3. Wouldn't It Be Nice
4. Barbara Ann

* As has been mentioned, Good Vibrations was NOT on the original album, only appearing later on the CD release. If I don't count Good Vibrations, then I would choose Dance, Dance, Dance.

 

I added:

409
Barbara Ann
Little Honda
Sloop John B

Not because I think they are the best of the songs listed, but because I think they fit best with the songs currently on Endless Summer.

 

Barbara Ann
When I Grow Up
God Only Knows
Good Vibrations

 

Lonely Sea
Your Summer Dream
Don't Back Down
Please Let Me Wonder...
Obviously nearly all those songs are contenders (though nobody needs to hear Barbara Ann again!) but PLMW is my all time fave song.
Don't Back Down shoulda been a single and would be considered another classic had it been.
And I can never get enough of BW's ballads, especially when he's singing them.
Great topic BTW!

 

Okay, using the old vinyl 5 songs per side, I would add the following:

Side One: Lonely Sea
Side Two: Dance, Dance, Dance
Side Three: When I Grow Up
Side Four: Kiss Me Baby

 

Well, I'd let Pet Sounds be it's own thing* so "Sloop John B" is out**. I voted for "Dance, Dance, Dance", "Do You Want to Dance" (only Joey sang it better than Dennis), "Kiss Me Baby" and "The Little Girl I Once Knew".

*Now that I think about it, a while back I did a Beach Boys mix that was a hybrid of Endless Summer and Spirit of America but it ended with "Let's Go Away for Awhile" so can that be my honorable mention?

 

I left Sloop John B off for about the same reason as above. Seems the start of a new era. Picked Custom Machine, Spirit America, Dance Dance Dance, Please Let Me Wonder.

 

I don't view Pet Sounds as the start of a new era. I view Pet Sounds (and "Good Vibrations") as the end of an era.

 

- Why Do Fools Fall In Love
- Keep An Eye On Summer
- Do You Wanna Dance
- She Knows Me Too Well

also, they're basically my favorites

 

Hang On To Your Ego

 

Very intricate question. I would have to pass. I only know a couple of those songs.

 

Considering that Capitol at one disowned Pet Sounds and gave everything from that point on to Reprise, I can't erase that giant line in the sand drawn by Capitol.

 

Thanks all for participating.

At this point, it looks like the winners are "Barbara Ann," "Sloop John B," "Dance Dance Dance," and "When I Grow Up."

I still haven't voted. I can't decide!