10 best Beach Boys albums

1. Pet Sounds
2. Sunflower
3. Today
4. All Sumer Long
5. Wild Honey
6. Summer Days and Summer Nights
7. Holland
8. Surf's Up
9 20/20
10. Love You

I prob could change a few as some are tied for me. But this is my take. Do love the second half of That's Why God Made The Radio. I just realized I left Surfer Girl out!!! damn.

 

No Friends ?

 

1. Pet Sounds
2. Smile
3. Friends
4. Sunflower
5. 20/20
6. Smiley Smile
7. Wild Honey
8. Surf's Up
9. Holland
10. Love You

 

Pet Sounds
Summer Days (and Summer Nights)
Surfer Girl
Little Deuce Coupe
Smiley Smile
Holland
All Summer Long
Friends
Sunflower
Today

 

1. Sunflower
2. Pet Sounds
3. Today!
4. Holland
5. Surf's Up
6. Friends
7. All Summer Long
8. Wild Honey
9. 20/20
10. Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)

Then:
11. Carl & the Passions -- So Tough
12. Surfer Girl
13. Smiley Smile
14. Shut Down Vol. 2
15. Love You

SMiLE is in a different category for me than just a regular album.

 

Great selection, the only one I'm hesitant about is 'Little Deuce Coupe'.
Maybe it's the length of the album and the lack of new songs....
Not sure. Sounds like a rush compilation to me, which it probably was.
Maybe it's the 'clocking in' at 25: something minutes that annoy me....
The other albums are absolutely greatness!

 

1. Smile. My version. Or almost any version. Except the official Linnett/Boyd one.
2. Pet Sounds
3. Friends
4. Sunflower
5. Holland
6. Surf's Up
7. Wild HOney
8. 20/20
9. (three way tie)Love You, Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!!!), All Summer Long
10. Today! . Sorry, I need at least 12.

 

I don’t think I could do it.

Pet Sounds is technically the best production, but the songs on Today cover many of the same thenes more successfully and Holland and 20/20 contain more of my favourite songs. Sunflower and Friends make for strong cohesive wholes. And then you have the early stuff. And That’s Why God Made The Radio. And Love You, which doesn’t do much for me but is absolutely unique.

It’s an impossible task.

 

Putting it's origins aside, as a record it's all-killer no-filler from start to finish. The inclusion of a few previously car songs relieve the Boys of having to resort to including a novelty track. Only a third of the album is previously released stuff. It's best not to think about what transpired to get here and let the record speak for itself.

"No Go Showboat" and "Custom Machine" are a couple of my favorite deep cuts. "Ballad of 'Ol Betsy" rules. Even though it's recycled I'm glad to have "Shut Down" here as it's one of my very favorite BB songs. If only "This Car of Mine" had been available at the time! But yeah... I reach for this all the time. I have an insane number of copies of this record in a variety of formats. I love this record. But I understand why it's a controversial choice.

 

Big fan of 'this car of mine'... just too darn short!
I do like the album of course, but it's a short cut album for me.

 

Maybe like "Friends" this album is just the right length to listen to during a TM session. Meditation with engines revving in the background makes for total bliss.

"HEY YOU! WILL YOU GET OFF MY FRONT LAWN WITH YOUR CAR!" "Whew it's time for me to meditate." It all ties together now, doesn't it?

 

1 - pet sounds

2 - 10 - just about anything else in any order.

 

1. Friends
2. Smiley Smile
3. Surf’s Up
4. The Beach Boys Today!
5. Pet Sounds
6. California Girls
7. 20/20
8. Wild Honey
9. Sunflower
10. Holland
11. Carl and the Passions - “So Tough”

 

1. Pet Sounds
2. Today!
3. Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)
4. Friends
5. Smiley Smile
6. That's Why God Made The Radio
7. The Beach Boys' Christmas Album
8. Sunflower
9. Surf's Up
10. Wild Honey

I'm not including SMiLE because it was never finished.

 

What’s wrong with the official SMiLE release? And what’s your preferred version? I am not at all acquainted with unofficial SMiLE material, so I’m genuinely curious.

 

Pet Sounds
Smile
Today!
Surf's Up
Smiley Smile
20/20
All Summer Long
Friends
Surfer Girl
Sunflower

 

Of the ones I know well:

1. Pet Sounds
2. All Summer Long
3. Sunflower
4. Holland
5. Surfer Girl
6. Today!
7. Surf's Up
8. Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)
9. The Beach Boys' Christmas Album ('64)
10. Carl and The Passions (So Tough)

...still need to hear Smile, Smiley Smile, 20/20, Friends, etc...

 

1. Friends
2. Pet Sounds
3. All Summer Long
4. Today!
5. Summer Days
6. Surfer Girl
7. Smiley Smile
8. Wild Honey
9. Sunflower
10. 20/20

Honorable Mention:

11. Shut Down Vol. 2
12. Surf’s Up
13. Holland
14. Little Deuce Coupe
15. Love You
16. Carl & The Passions

Note: If we were counting SMiLE it would probably make my top 5.

 

I agree, Smile can't really be added.

 

Pet Sounds
Sunflower
Today!
Surf's Up
All Summer Long
20/20
Wild Honey
Smiley Smile
Holland
Friends

 

Friends
Pet Sounds
Sunflower
20/20
Surf's Up
Smile
Today! (why are you yelling??)
Summer Days (And Summer Nights!) (again with the yelling)
Holland
Love You

 

SMiLE
20/20
Today!
Friends
Surf's Up
Holland
L.A. (Light Album)
Smiley Smile
Love You
Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)

 

Pet Sounds
SMiLE
Holland
Surf's up
Friends
Love You
Wild Honey
Smiley Smile
20/20
So Tough

 

Can't resist, but I participate knowing full well that the order may change...

Pet Sounds
Surf's Up
Friends
Sunflower
Holland
Today
Wild Honey
20/20
All Summer Long
CATP

 

The best songs on it are some of my favorite songs of all time. But I guess I think it's overlong. Historically it couldn't have been more than 40 minutes or so. But I don't care so much about the historicity, just the listenability.

I think it's overlong and drags a bit. Some of the unfinished snippets like "I'm In Great Shape" are infuriating. (But maybe that acetate has turned up?)

Don't get me wrong, I still like it. Best archival release every by anybody, as far as I'm concerned. Heck, it would still probably be in my top 10 and maybe at number one.

I think it needs some judicious cutting.

I know the concept behind it: base it on BWPS, and this is not at all a criticism of Mark and Alan's work or their choices: I fully get what they were going for; and BWPS was a great live show-turned-album in it's own right.

I don't really have a favorite mix, there are many good ones out there. I mainly just listen to my own cobbled together mix.