Beach Boys after the 1970s: what's worth hearing?

I only have the original of this one, and inspired by all the Beach Boys talk of late here on the forum I got the idea that I should get finally get myself the revised version, but it seems it has recently gone out of print and is very hard to find and expensive...

 

I don't like the Summer In Paradise UK- Version. US is much better.
The live version is great.

 

Really love Brian Wilson's 1988 debut. Thanks, all, for recommending. Tempted to work through all of them now, even though his voice seems to have worsened in recent years.

 

That Lucky Old Sun is wonderful as a next step, with Midnight's Another Day the album highlight. Well worth your time. Imagination and Getting In Over My Head have their moments but aren't as strong as albums, personally speaking.

 

The self-titled album from 1985 and 2012's "That's Why God Made The Radio" should be in everybody's collections.
The 1985 album has delicious melodic pop and the layered mid-80s production gives a sparkling atmosphere to the wonderful melodies and chords.

The "That's Why God Made The Radio" album has so much spiritual beauty in the harmonies and melodies. There's quiet a few places on the album that make me weep from the sheer spiritual beauty of it.

Though far from a great album there are some things on "Summer in Paradise" that are worthwhile listens like Al Jardine's vocal on "Strange Things Happen"....Bruce's lovely "One Summer Night"...the joyful, upbeat remake of Surfin'........and the Bon Jovi-ish power ballad-ish remake of "Forever" is very melodically and aesthetically enjoyable. I've only ever had this album on cassette but it justifies all the bookshelf stereos and Sony walkmans I'm still using.

 

Keepin' the Summer Alive is very hit or miss. Half of it is decent, half of it is dreck. The 1985 self-titled album is definitely worth owning. Still Cruisin' is another KTSH. Half decent, half dreck. Keepin' the Summer Alive should only be owned if you're a die hard and want to complete a collection. There are a few OK tracks but it's mostly just regurgitated crap. Stars & Stripes Vol. 1 is essential, IMO. There are some fantastic tracks on that record and some of the guest country stars really make it worth hearing. That's Why God Made the Radio is pretty good too.

 

That's Why God Made The Radio album...........that's it!

 

Worth hearing ?
Complete albums imo NO.

 

Yep.

 

What happened to Mariachi Girls? It sounded excreble, but I’d still’ve hoovered it up in my desire to get new BB product.

 

I like Timothy B. Schmit's cover of Caroline No from the 'Stars & Stripes' album.



Darryl

 

That's Why God Made the Radio should be heard by any fan of the band. It's not without fault, but it's also way better than I expected it to be. As for everything else, I'm a major Beach Boys fanboy, so my opinion should be taken with a grain of salt, but I'll try to be objective. I think that there are moments on all of the albums you mentioned that are worth hearing and/or owning, but if you're a casual fan, I don't think you'll be satisfied with any of them as a whole. They just aren't good albums. That being said, if you can find them used and cheap, each one has it's enjoyable moments. But again, be sure to pick up That's Why God Made the Radio. It's very good.

 

That would sum up my feelings. IMHO, there is a great playlist to be made from the post 70's stuff, but there is not a single really strong album in the bunch.

 

This may be true, but the final result is a collection of songs that are often just awkward and ugly and bring no enjoyment to me. If asked to play some Beach Boys to someone unfamiliar with the band, the very LAST album I would choose to turn them onto the band is Love You. At least M.I.U and LA have several good tracks each to enjoy. You wont catch me honkin' down the gosh darn highway listening to Love You anytime soon.

 

So, do Beach Boy fans like “Kokomo” off the Cocktail soundtrack? Serious question. I’ve always liked it but assume others might think it too commercial.

 

I like it!

 

That's real talk? I had no idea. Just threw up in my mouth a little bit. I really like that song.

 

I agree that Love You would not be the best introduction to the band. I, too, like M.I.U. (despite the fact that Dennis had nothing good to say about it). With a few exceptions like "Baby Blue", to my ears, L.A. has a real downer vibe.

 

I consider "Love You" to be a low point in their catalog, but I know it has a lot of fans. The synth bass and rough vocals give the songs an unfinished feel to me, and the lyrics are for the most part embarrassing. Still, I have to admit when I combined "15 Big Ones" and "Love You" to make one album I could listen to, I used seven songs off of each.

 

they do a nice cover of California Dreaming!

 

I don't like it.

 

I adore this cover.

 

I like this one better...



Darryl

 

Don't like. Not very "Beach Boys" for me, and Brian wasn't given time to show up for the sessions, it seems, so he is not included in the recording. Mike Love's doing?? "Hang on to your ego!"

Be it "health" issues or whatever, I miss Brian's signature touch.

 

Blame Eugene Landry for Brian’s absence. The Beach Boys tried to invite Brian to the sessions more than once, but Landry was the go between that kept Brian in th dark. After Kokomo was a big hit, he did allow Brian to sing on the Spanish version.