Where Do I Start With the Beach Boys?

..oh..yeah..rolling stone....and the fab magazines or twitters......hah.....hoodwinded again?...
i know i know i know..but all of these are after the fact...and not what it was going to be in '66..come on, let's face it....it never fruitioned then...and it's all conjecture afterwords........i know..let's go into picasso's upward attic...and take what we feel should have been his "statement" or "work"...nope..doesn't fit or work.....but that is only in my realm of things.......i understand other's feelings on this........but..let's be honest...smile was never released of it's time.....and one can pretend......but then again....if someone likes the music..then....what's wrong with that?.......it's just not for me.......by the way..i have john and yoko's fart box.....with subliminal phrasing from a wind element that was pointed towards the sky during the half-eclipse......and if you listen to it backwards..at 45 rpm.....you can here it.........OM............

 

just get the album, dude....that's how it came out....that was the piece....that was the "statement".......remember..that's all it was...1 album....2 sides...probably 35 or 40 minutes of your time....screw all of the out=takes and alternate versions..and vocals only and stereo/mono mixes and blah ablah blah.......****..just get the album....where have we gone as a species?...when we have forgetten, or never knew...what it once was?....did the internet steal our brains and common sense?....

 

You know even with the production Still Surfin' and Lahaina Aloha are my 2 favourite BB songs.

 

Just bought Pet Sounds 50th anniversary cd (stereo and mono mix). What was their 2nd greatest hits album called (with the mono mix)?

 

Love Pet Sounds and have done for years. Just gave Surf:s Up a first listen and wow it’s horrendous. But hey, that’s only on first listen. I have no doubt my ooinion will change greatly on second or third.

 

I'd start by listening to the Beach Boys podcast. They follow their career more or less chronologically. After that you should have a pretty good idea what you want to get.

Sail On: The Beach Boys Podcast

 

I've no doubt this will be controversial, but I'd recommend the 2004 "Brian Wilson presents SMiLE" over the later released "The SMiLe Sessions".
OK, the Brian Wilson release is not really the Beach Boys, but (a) it's probably closer to how the final album would have been had they eventually released it, and (b) I just think it sounds better.

My recommendations:

SMiLE (choose your version)
Pet Sounds
Sunflower
Surf's up
Holland

but that really just reflects my own preferences. Follow my earlier advice and check out the podcast.

 

Exactly. And in so many discussions about albums I want to say exactly this.

One or two "bonus tracks": OK, fine, especially if they are good songs not available elsewhere. Out-takes, "director's cuts" and the like... I really couldn't care less.

"The SMiLE sessions" is great to have, but I could have done without 24 (yes TWENTY-FOUR) takes of the main motif from Heroes and Villains, or the delights of "Brian Falliing Into a piano). And that's just the 2-CD version which I have. The mind boggles at what cutting room floor stuff they put on the 5-CD set.