Dennis' song 'Forever' and maybe a couple others of his come pretty darn close for me. But Yes, I know what your sayin'.
Yes, I came into it all much the same. I didn't even like the Pet Sounds stuff much when I first learned about The Beach Boys. It's been a life long discovery however. Maybe being a 'muso' helped with that a little bit too...?..... You are most certainly not alone in your thoughts at all, even band member Mike may agree on that from his point of view. All I can say is don't give up on it. One day, it just may 'click'.
Sunflower is more than the sum of its parts. A great album, one of the few where the Beach Boys were firing on all cylinders (Holland and maybe 20/20 being the others. The incredible amount of high quality outtakes they had from this era more than justify a release; I for one don't care if it's physical or not!
When people mention "the Capitol years", that means nothing to me. I'd have to consult Wikipedia or something to find out what was released on what label. It's not the kind of thing I tend to notice. Not to mention the fact that half the time an album comes out on different labels because of releases in different countries. Re "Cottonfields", that was on the original vinyl album that I owned. I don't mind it, in fact it's quite good as an album opener, but I'm also glad that it was the first track, because it does not quite seem to "go" with the other tracks.
The first four Warner Brothers years are just as good as "The Capitol Years", when you count the high quality outtakes from those years, they are almost even better.
Don't think I would go that far. Surf's Up had its moments, but was spotty, and things went downhill from there.
I'll go out on a limb and say! Sunflower, Surfs Up, CATP and Holland are the best Beach Boys albums ever made. Pet Sounds isn't too shabby either...
This may be the last chance for a physical release of copyright material - combine Surfs Up and Sunflower outtakes, alt mixes, instrumental and vocal only tracks. These two albums are highly regarded and reviewed well by the critics and Surfs Up started their resurgence in popularity (along with Jacks management and the revamping of their live shows). If these don’t rate a physical release then I don’t see anything else down the line that would. One thing that might help sell these as a physical release would be a 5.1 surround mix for both of them- I believe they already have done Surfs Up. I know Stephen is opposed to this and I understand his position but this has been a part of the Beatles Sgt Pepper and white album boxes and without some new mix of the albums a physical release may be a hard sell. I know Alan and Mark will do their best to lobby for a physical release.
Big Sur circa 1970. This one has been a fan favorite for many many years. Complete with the vocal chops of Brian in the mix... Still! can't believe this one hasn't seen an official release.
But without Him, they wouldn't have lasted and had the legacy. To this day! He still carries the torch. Whether people like it or not. No Mike, No 'Beach Boys'.
Yeah I'm tired of the Mike bashing. Brian would probably be dead without his interventions over the years. You can question his methods and motivations, but at least he wasn't the one out of his mind on drugs like Dennis and even Carl at times. No Mike isn't perfect but he's an integral part of The Beach Boys and was their most commercial voice in the early days. It's possible without him, they wouldn't have ever been popular enough to have a legacy.
Absolutely! Mike has said and done stupid things over the years. But! The golden goose 'Brian' has also said and done some stupid things too. Nobody gets out of this without fault. Mike was and will always be the front man for the group on stage. Anyone that denies that isn't in the sound mind or knows what they are talking about. Brian had the luxury of 'staying home' and still being paid in terms of 'live performance' royalty without being there, while the rest of the guys were hauling their behinds all over the world. Let's not forget that. As you say, Mike is an Integral, let's put that in bold and capital's, INTEGRAL part of the group. Without him, no way would Brian Wilson, as great and wonderful as he was and is, would have never succeeded without a Mike Love.
Well perhaps, but Mike is also at a 'Creaky' age himself. Let's not forget he is 78! Good gosh! Amazing he still tours the way he does. What a soldier.
I don't question Mike's substantial contributions over the years, nor Brian's limitations. Given the inevitable ravages of time, I think they should honor the legacy they each have created, pass on the easy touring money, and call it a day. Ironically, the only Beach Boy who can still deliver live is the old hired hand Al, who missed the boat with the photographer with the flu over 54 years ago.
Al may be one of the lucky one's of the group, although the crap he must have watched and seen go past him being a straight and sober guy, is worthy of a book. However, his memory in interviews seems to have become 'sketchy' over the years. It's funny watching Brian and Bruce tell Al about lyrics they recorded, when you think Brian's mind would be fried up.... This is an example 14:11 The other lucky guy of the group is Bruce. While not being an official member of the Beach Boys, he has always been an auxiliary member. He gets paid well and can come and go as he pleases. A hired gun. He has done well with this arrangement and has put his kids through school/college etc etc.... Being involved but not 'BEING ' involved.... Smart man.
IMO, "Sunflower" is one of the few instances where a record company's 'Suggestions' (e.g. Demands) really improved the final release. Artistically a high point though it didn't garner nearly the sales WB or the BB's hoped for. If they had delayed the release for a year or so, when the BB's were on the upswing and gaining credibility as a live act, it might have broke through to the commercial success it deserved.