Discuss & Rate Beach Boys Songs Day by Day

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Wata, Jun 18, 2018.

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  1. Daniel Plainview

    Daniel Plainview God's Lonely Man

    Bull Session - fun to hear the guys talking about stuff and eating but would prefer another song. 1/5

    20 minute version on 'Sea of Tunes' set is even better! Should have filled a whole side with it.
     
  2. nick99nack

    nick99nack Forum Resident

    Location:
    Spotswood, NJ
    Bull Session. 1/5. I don't think I need to say anything more about it. (I do listen to it as part of the album, though. I don't turn it off after "Back of My Mind")
     
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  3. gd0

    gd0 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies

    Location:
    Golden Gate
    BSwBD: negative 27.

    Even as a kid, I was insulted to be handed this on a hard-earned LP.
     
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  4. Wata

    Wata Poller Thread Starter

    Location:
    Japan
    Your ratings for Bull Session with "Big Daddy":
    1-6 votes
    2-2 votes
    3-0 vote
    4-0 vote
    5-0 vote
     
  5. Wata

    Wata Poller Thread Starter

    Location:
    Japan
    Today we'll discuss the whole Today! album.
     
  6. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus

    Not even Bull Session could sink it. 5/5. Their second in a row if I don't count Christmas Album and Conert!, which I should. I put "Guess I'm Dumb" on my playlist right in front of In the Back of My Mind, and I replace "All Dressed Up for School" in place of "Help Me Rhonda". These changes make it better, but even without my customization it's still a 5/5. All the way.

    Baby.
     
  7. Parachute Woman

    Parachute Woman Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    Today!
    Maybe it doesn't deserve a perfect score because of 'Bull Session,' but it's hard not to give it one. Today is a masterpiece of songwriting and arrangement. The vocal harmonies are epic, as always with the band, the emotions are real and palpable (Brian was really beginning to let his humanity and vulnerabilities shine through) but the album also mixes in that classic Beach Boys fun on the dance songs. It is easily one of my most played Beach Boys albums and one that always fills my heart with joy.

    5/5
     
  8. Rock66

    Rock66 Forum Resident

    If we gave fractions it would miss a 5, but we use whole numbers, so 5/5. It is probably one of the Beach Boys top 5 albums.
     
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  9. Daniel Plainview

    Daniel Plainview God's Lonely Man

    Lots of people say "Today" is second only to "Pet Sounds". They Say "Summer Days (and Summer Nights)" was a step backward from "Today". I am not one of those people. I say the trajectory remained upwards. Just because "Summer Days" wasn't as melancholy as "Today" doesn't make it a lesser record.

    What can I say about "Today"? It's a great record. Sophisticated. Great. All that sort of thing. I wish it had better sound, maybe, that would be my only beef. And the stereo remix did not succeed with my ears. When they first remixed "Kiss Me Baby" way back on the "Endless Harmony" soundtrack (my God, was that really 20 years ago!?!?) I was blown away. I thought we would be getting a remix of the entire album that would be as magnificent as the Pet Sounds remix. But it didn't come out quite right. I don't know why.

    I love the album cover, with the autumn colors. I have an autographed LP that Brian signed when I went backstage into his fortress of solitude (I also had him sign "Summer Days", I just couldn't decide which to bring so I brought both). A very special memory for me.

    So yeah, I love "Today", but I would also say there are a good few albums I place ahead it in the catalog. Not sure why as I love all the songs, but that's the way it is. Still a 5/5. Treat the interview like a bonus track.

    (Speaking of The Christmas Album.... why was it skipped? I can definitely wax philosophical about "Frosty The Snowman"!)
     
  10. Chemically altered

    Chemically altered Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ukraine in Spirit
  11. S. P. Honeybunch

    S. P. Honeybunch Presidente de Kokomo, Endless Mikelovemoney

    Today

    Side one is incredibly strong, but side two is incredibly weak with only one or two highlights.

    3/5
     
  12. nick99nack

    nick99nack Forum Resident

    Location:
    Spotswood, NJ
    Today! overall rating: 4/5. It's one of my favorite Beach Boys albums. A lot of solid 4s on this album and one 5, with one average track and 2 that didn't quite meet the mark.

    Recap of my answers:
    Bull Session - 1
    I'm So Young - 2
    Kiss Me Baby - 4
    Please Let Me Wonder - 4
    Dance, Dance, Dance, - 5
    Ronda - 3
    When I Grow Up - 4
    Don't Hurt My Little Sister - 4
    Good To My Baby - 4
    Do You Wanna Dance - 4 (I missed the original discussion of this track, but I'm filling it in now)

    I want to discuss the Christmas album too! Maybe we're waiting until it gets closer to the holidays?
     
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  13. Wata

    Wata Poller Thread Starter

    Location:
    Japan
    Sorry, but we're going to discuss the Christmas album this December. When I did this thread at a Beach Boys forum, I did it chronologically, and discussing Christmas album in April didn't engage people's atttention at all. So I thought December, when people are more likely to pick up a Christmas record and give it repeated listen, would be better to discuss those stuff.
     
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  14. Will Harris

    Will Harris Forum Resident

    We should wait until sometime after Halloween, at least, to do the Christmas album.
     
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  15. Will Harris

    Will Harris Forum Resident

    Ya beat me by a minute!
     
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  16. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus

    I totally agree, I think that Summer Days is superior,in nearly every way, but that's not to say that Today doesn't rock to the uttermost. I think people just say that because Rolling Stone hates that album but they also hate All Summer Long: clearly they are idiots.
     
  17. Hardy Melville

    Hardy Melville Forum Resident

    Location:
    New York
    Today! is clearly 5/5. Overall it is not perfect thanks to Bull Session, and I did give it some 4's. But it's a great listen up til Bull, and is my favorite Beach Boys album. It has it all, from the lead off great Denny vocal up to the peak of She Knows Me Too Well, before Denny closes out the songs. It's almost a concept album without intending to be one, the common thread being questions.

    Looking back at it in terms of where the band was in dealing with the music market and the developing changes, it's obvious how Brian was upping his whole approach. It fit so well in their arc of development, reflecting its time. But also for me anyway in their most timeless effort.
     
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  18. nick99nack

    nick99nack Forum Resident

    Location:
    Spotswood, NJ
    What for? The stores already have Christmas stuff set up :laugh:
     
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  19. Daniel Plainview

    Daniel Plainview God's Lonely Man

    They've had it up since September 7th. Put away the Back To School stuff, bring out the trees. They year is now 25% holiday seas0n. Christmas in July isn't even a joke anymore, it's business as usual.
     
  20. Will Harris

    Will Harris Forum Resident

    Beach Boys Today! is a testament to how Brian didn't miss a beat as 1965 began. 23 December 1964 was just a stressful day. The group was at the top of their game. "Dance, Dance, Dance" b/w "The Warmth of the Sun" was released 26 October '64, and waved across America. The a-side hit #8 in the U.S. and #24 in the U.K. (where the album wouldn't be released until 1966). The single was really competing with Beach Boys Concert, which had come out on 19th October '64 - riding the #1 Billboard position for four weeks. It was all over the radio play-lists. The single would have done better if not for those pesky British Invasion groups.:laugh: Yeah, yeah, yeah - I loved The Beatles, too! Capitol was flooding the market with product, much the same way that was done in the U.K. in 1966. So in the middle of the frenzy they released the Beach Boys Christmas Album on 9th November, and "The Man With All The Toys" single the same day. That did pretty well, too. And "Little Saint Nick" was getting a lot of air time.

    While not getting to the top of the charts every time, I can't stress enough how popular the group was in America going into 1965. They released another single, "Do You Wanna Dance" b/w "Please Let Me Wonder" in mid-February 1965. For me that meant I had most of the album on singles before it came out on 8 March '65. They had this puppy primed for release. Then of course in short order came the single version of "Help Me Rhonda", and they were on tour to boot - documented on the Live In Chicago copyright extension release.

    I give Beach Boys Today! an 8/10 (so 4/5), even though I gave out a lot of 5 votes - it is not a match for Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!). That was my first 10/10 Beach Boys album. 1965 was the year I became a mega-fan. Prior to that I mostly looked at them as a singles group, and didn't have all of their albums until later in 1965. I never missed one after that, tho. They were a week of release buy for the rest of their time with me.

    That puts it into perspective from my point of view, but I know many of you got everything dumped in your lap all at once somewhere in the 1970s and later. Really too bad we are skipping the live '63/'64 stuff, because there is so much more that could be discussed.
     
  21. Will Harris

    Will Harris Forum Resident

    Overall lists are hard for me to put together, because there are so many ties. I can do it album by album.

    My Top5 from Beach Boys Today! :

    "She Knows Me Too Well" is #1

    "Kiss Me, Baby" is a very close second, but #2 it is.

    "Dance, Dance, Dance" at #3. This song blew me away on first listen, those top two grew into favorites.

    "I'm So Young", that's right, #4. Brian and the group sing their hearts out. It is one of my favorite Brian leads.

    This is where I get into the 'too many of these are a tie" area, but I've listened to this album twice in the last week.
    #5 this week is "Good To My Baby"
     
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  22. Will Harris

    Will Harris Forum Resident

    Good post. The only thing I don't agree with is that you only gave the song a 4/5. I love Doo-Wop. It influences my play-lists, and who I look at as the best artists ever.

    So I'll leave this wonderful album behind for now on your thoughts... sometimes it's the vocal that matters most, not just who wrote the song.
     
  23. EdogawaRampo

    EdogawaRampo Senior Member

    I'd have given it a 5/5 were it original.
     
  24. gd0

    gd0 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies

    Location:
    Golden Gate
    Today! – 4/5

    Several state-of-the-art classics, but too many misses* (Don't Hurt, So Young, Back Of My Mind) and an unforgivable Bull S***sion filler negate a 5.

    The dopey cover art doesn't do it any favors either.

    Still, a fine prelude to whatever the Next Step would be.

    *Ah, the proud tradition of requisite BBoys Clunkers; no album is complete without them. IMO, the only 3 to buck that trend were Pet Sounds, Smile (at least the one that exists in the canyons of my mind o_O) and Holland.**

    **Mt Vernon doesn't count, it's on a separate disc. Right? Right? :laugh:
     
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  25. Wata

    Wata Poller Thread Starter

    Location:
    Japan
    Your ratings for the album Today!:
    1-0 vote
    2-0 vote
    3-1 vote
    4-3 votes
    5-5 votes
     
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