Discuss & Rate Beach Boys Songs Day by Day

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

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  1. jwb1231970

    jwb1231970 Ordinary Guy

    Location:
    USA
    Favorite of all their songs?
     
  2. Aftermath

    Aftermath Senior Member

    The Elements Part 1, Fire:
    Amazing piece of music, and the flown in vocal harmonies validate the whole thing. The Beach Boys as we'd never heard them. Incredible. 5/5.

    I don't like the H&V intro, but I use it because the track seems to need some sort of intro, and it kinda sounds like a fire engine, albeit a toy one on Mr. Rodgers.

    Water? I use Water Chant---Seems like a good, creepy segue. Water Chant would have fit right in on Smiley Smile, IMO.

    Earth? Not sure what this would have been. Vegetables is it's own song on the tracklist, but the booklet says "'My Vega-tables' The Elements," so there's a conflict that would need to have been resolved before this album was released, probably by editing the caption for the drawing. I've heard that "Fall Breaks" has been proposed as Earth, but I'm not sure why.

    Air? Whispering Winds does seem like a convincing candidate, although I've never used it in that context.

    The diversity of sounds and musical textures on the Smile tracks, I can't help but wonder if Brian was reacting subconsciously to the Beatles' Revolver.
     
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2018
  3. Mr. D

    Mr. D Forum Resident

    Fire. Pretty integral to the SMiLE story but not necessarily a piece I'd listen to outside the context of the album. 3/5
     
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  4. Will Harris

    Will Harris Forum Resident

    "Fire" - Creative, and works well on sessions, but I was too used to the re-make by the time I heard this. One of Smiley Smile's stand-outs. 4/5 for the sessions version.
     
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  5. gd0

    gd0 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies

    Location:
    Golden Gate
    Fire 5/5. Almost as good as Jimi's. :)

    Largely for its status as part of the Elements suite. Back in pre-internet 66, what little media coverage there was reported that such a titled suite was part of the upcoming album. I don't recall mention of anything called Heroes and Villains.

    I saw the Leonard Bernstein Surf's Up segment and my jaw dropped. Thoughts turned immediately to Elements, and the mind reeled with what this suite might be. Of course I didn't hear anything until the 90s, but it didn't diminish the impact decades later. Especially the freaky Fire.
     
  6. S. P. Honeybunch

    S. P. Honeybunch Presidente de Kokomo, Endless Mikelovemoney

    "Holidays": It's no "Trombone Dixie", that's for dang sure. 1/5

    "Wind Chimes": Always dug this since I heard the 1993 box set version, even if the edit there sounded pretty forced. The edit here sounds a bit better and not so abrupt. The parts after the verse sound majestic. 4/5

    "Fire": this is some scary stuff, like the Gmork music from The Neverending Story.

    5/5
     
  7. Wata

    Wata Poller Thread Starter

    Location:
    Japan
    Your ratings for The Elements: Fire:
    1-0 vote
    2-0 vote
    3-2 votes
    4-3 votes
    5-7 votes
     
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  8. Fleet Fox

    Fleet Fox Forum Resident

    Location:
    Waterford, Ireland
    yes it's a personal favourite. I just love it
     
  9. Wata

    Wata Poller Thread Starter

    Location:
    Japan
    Today's song is Love To Say Da Da:
     
  10. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus

    "Da-Da". My favorite variant of this is the "Cool Cool Water alternate" from Sunshine Tomorrow. But "I Love to Say Da-Da" definitely has the SMiLE magic all over it. 4/5
     
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  11. Daniel Plainview

    Daniel Plainview God's Lonely Man

    Dada

    In natural state unfinished little ditty. I will rate the song itself, which is a 2/5. Needs work.

    Presented here with stupid sped up fly ins it is unlistenable.

    I like the new vocals parts of "in blue Hawaii". I rarely revisit BWPS anymore, but when I do its to hear this song.
     
  12. cincyjim

    cincyjim Senior Member

    Location:
    Cincinnati, Ohio
    +1
     
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  13. Uncle Ernie

    Uncle Ernie Forum Resident

    An intriguing unfinished track, but I rarely listen to it. Cool, Cool Water represents the full and final realization of this musical idea, so that is what I use for my personal Smile mix. CCW is a great song and fits the modular style of the other Smile songs. LTSDD—interesting as it is—is just an early draft. My revisionist approach to Smile is that it was finished in 1971. Makes for a much more satisfying listening experience.

    That said, I do love the instrumental part of LTSDD with the woodblocks and kettle drum. Really effective at creating that watery feel. I might use it as a little segue piece somewhere in my mix. Short and sweet. Overall, I give LTSDD a 4/5.
     
  14. Luke The Drifter

    Luke The Drifter Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    Love to Say Dada - 2/5

    The Water Chant is a 5/5 for me, as Brian figures out how to vocally create the feeling of water just as musically he was able to create the feeling of Fire. The actual Love to Say Dada part just doesn't do anything for me at all.

    I also forgot they put a snippet of Our Prayer on the end of this version. I discard that as well.
     
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  15. Tristero

    Tristero In possession of the future tense

    Location:
    MI
    I really enjoy the feel of "Dada", but it's pretty rudimentary in its original form. When you bring in the lovely water chant and then the "Cool, Cool Water" sessions from later in the year, it becomes a worthy elemental track. I've stitched together a nice extended custom mix for my personal Smile, so at that point, I give it a 4/5, but the original "Dada" on it's own is 3/5. I also really like what they did with this on BWPS.
     
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  16. Will Harris

    Will Harris Forum Resident

    My first listen, too. April 1967, I had turned 15 earlier in the month. Inside Pop was great! B.P. (Before Pepper's) - that was the one we got, then the long wait. Not just pre-internet, pre-everything, pre-first: love, drink, smoke (of any kind). I didn't see a major rock act before late 1966 - the year they built a Civic Center in my home town. When I first heard "Fire", I could hear "Fall Breaks and Back to Winter" in there somewhere, but it was nothing like that "sitting by the fire place" feel. Both are moody and experimental pop at its best. I tried desperately to prove to my friends that this Beach Boys music was as good as The Beatles. Maybe if I had had "Fire" in its first-form.
     
  17. Will Harris

    Will Harris Forum Resident

    Yeah, that's nice. For the reason it's more developed. Difficult for me to give 5/5 for something like "Love to Say Dada" knowing what it became, "Cool, Cool Water". I can do a 4/5.
     
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  18. Aftermath

    Aftermath Senior Member

    Not on my Smile mix, but I absolutely love the music and the positive feel of this track. 5/5
    The 20 second part (right after Water Chant) with the swinging bass reminds me of the bass on California Girls. Hearing it puts me out on a sailboat somewhere.
     
  19. Mr. D

    Mr. D Forum Resident

    My thoughts are articulated above. To me, Da Da is the first (musical) step to Cool, Cool Water. 2/5
     
  20. S. P. Honeybunch

    S. P. Honeybunch Presidente de Kokomo, Endless Mikelovemoney

    "Love To Say Da Da"

    Pretty good. The mix sounds like it compares favorably with the version on the 1993 box, even if it is overly bright. Is the intro part from 1970 recordings from Sunflower? If so, I can't really go for that, no can do. Feels fraudulent, as the 1993 box set doesn't have those parts tacked on. Still, all and all a satisfactory track with a good gentle groove.

    3/5
     
  21. Wata

    Wata Poller Thread Starter

    Location:
    Japan
    Your ratings for I Love To Say Da Da:
    1-0 vote
    2-3 votes
    3-1 vote
    4-3 votes
    5-1 vote
     
  22. Wata

    Wata Poller Thread Starter

    Location:
    Japan
    Today's song is Good Vibrations [SMiLE Ver.]:
     
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  23. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus

    5/5. Still great even after hearing it ten billion times. I dig the hum-de-hums here, but think Brian made the smart move by taking them out. Less is more and there is a lot packed into this song. Love the production, the playing, the atmosphere. He could have gone a million ways with this and it would still have been a hit. It's the anti-Heroes and Villains, in that sense.
     
  24. Aftermath

    Aftermath Senior Member

    Good Vibrations:
    The cello, excitations, the organ. What a sensation 5/5
    I prefer the hit version as well on my Smile mix. Feels right at home there.
     
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  25. EdogawaRampo

    EdogawaRampo Senior Member

    Prefer the hit version of GV, but it's still a 5/5 no matter how you look at it.
     
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