jdm56 Posted August 12, 2006 Share Posted August 12, 2006 I've been on a major Beach Boys kick here lately, at least partly brought on by repeated viewings of my new DVD that has both "THE BEACH BOYS: AN AMERICAN BAND" and "BRIAN WILSON: I JUST WASN'T MADE FOR THESE TIMES" on it. The first title came out a few years ago and is a good overview of the band's history, while the second is fairly new and of course focus's on Brian Wilson. The "two-fer" DVD is a good value and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has at least a passing interest in "America's Band". Also fueling my BB-jones: going back and listening to all my CD two-fers of the original Capital albums that started it all back in the early 60's. Man, what a fantastic sound they created and captured! Those double-tracked vocals, the intricate harmonies and great melodies. Killer guitar riffs and "teenage symphonies to God" -- how do ya beat that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Robinson Posted August 12, 2006 Share Posted August 12, 2006 I do love the BB's, but in a blanket on the beach with an FM radio kind of way. They're kind of like Jimmy Buffett -- a good partner at a party or a casual get together. For my lean "listening budget", I'll go with newer, better recorded stuff, but nothing's going to replace "wouldn't it be nice ..." by the pool with a drink in one hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted August 12, 2006 Author Share Posted August 12, 2006 Oh Chris, you gotta pick up the re-issues! You WON"T be talking about "better recorded stuff" then, I promise. The sound quality is outstanding! Maybe a bit noisey, but that is the only weakness. Of course, I'm a huge fan of that late fifties / early sixties sound anyway. I'll gladly trade some digital sparkle and polish for that life-like, reach out and touch it sound thay got back then with their simple tubed recording techniques. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audible Nectar Posted August 12, 2006 Share Posted August 12, 2006 Two words for ya: PET SOUNDS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted August 12, 2006 Author Share Posted August 12, 2006 Pet Sounds...love the music, but my CD's sound is only so-so on that particular title. Actually, it's a song by song thing. Some tracks are thin and murky while others sound clean, but still a bit lifeless. I wonder if there is a stereo CD version out there and if it sounds better. It's not that I am so against mono, I'm just FOR good sound whether mono, stereo or surround. For my money, the earlier BB music actually sounded better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted August 12, 2006 Share Posted August 12, 2006 One word.......................NO............NO..........NO..........NO........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted August 13, 2006 Share Posted August 13, 2006 Ditto the buckster for the most part. I still maintain their Christmas Album is the worst ever of its kind (Kenny G's is a close second). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted August 13, 2006 Share Posted August 13, 2006 Ditto the buckster for the most part. I still maintain their Christmas Album is the worst ever of its kind (Kenny G's is a close second). First thing, the Beach Boys do hold a place in Rock History, they were flying high on the charts when the British Invasion Hit............ah yes, California, the beaches, the cars, the sun, the surf, and the Beach Boys............the 60's.......Surf Music, Car music, whatever you choose to call it.............12, 13 years old, what the hell did I know,...........the Beach Boys could sing.........Girls in Bikini's, Hot Rods, and Surf Music, what could be any better?.....Well, now I'm 14, heard Otis Redding, Sam and Dave, Wilson Pickett, and don't forget, Miss Arthea Franklin..........SOUL MUSIC.........I still love it.............This is it, there just can't be anything better out there............then lo and behold........for some reason I picked up Are You Experienced, Jimi Hendrix...........that changed my world forever........then came Cream.....the Who...........Good Bye Beach Boys......don't come around here no more..............So at 16 the Beach Boys faded into the sunset of their California beaches, never to be listened to again, unless it was on the Radio........I'm not here to say they were bad, or blah, I'm just saying my taste changed, and in the words of Mr. Hendrix..........."I don't care if I ever hear surf music again"....................... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted August 13, 2006 Share Posted August 13, 2006 Hmmmmnnnnnn....... 16, 'an Jimi Hendrix ...... Do Tell, oldbuckster ..... was there a " Purple Haze " .. around you ...???..........[] [] [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted August 13, 2006 Share Posted August 13, 2006 Hmmmmnnnnnn....... 16, 'an Jimi Hendrix ...... Do Tell, oldbuckster ..... was there a " Purple Haze " .. around you ...???..........[] [] [] Cuse Me While I Kiss The Sky........................at 16,..NO....after 20........I'll take the 5th Amendment................................ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted August 13, 2006 Share Posted August 13, 2006 I have real nice copies of The Greatest Hits, Vols. 1 and 2 along with Pet Sounds. All I'll ever need. If there are any doubts about the recordings, "Don't Worry Baby" from Vol. 2 is pretty amazing. Not all the songs sound that great but that one is pretty darn good and this is an old album. I love Pet Sounds too but the current reissue in mono is the one to have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev313 Posted August 13, 2006 Share Posted August 13, 2006 I have real nice copies of The Greatest Hits, Vols. 1 and 2 along with Pet Sounds. All I'll ever need. If there are any doubts about the recordings, "Don't Worry Baby" from Vol. 2 is pretty amazing. Not all the songs sound that great but that one is pretty darn good and this is an old album. I love Pet Sounds too but the current reissue in mono is the one to have. I'll have to check that out. My parents were huge fans and so that made me one as well. Sort of like comofort music for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish Posted August 13, 2006 Share Posted August 13, 2006 The Beach Boys,great band,great songs,fun stuff that did not bring me down.I listen to the Boys sometimes when I work out,very upbeat.Some of the recordings were quite good quality.No,they don't rock like Zepp,the music don't move me on the same level.I would be happy to live in the time of the Beach Boys forever,those were the days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted August 13, 2006 Moderators Share Posted August 13, 2006 I love the BB! Pet Sounds, then Smile, then Sunflower, then Wild Honey are my favorites. I posted the following comments on a previous thread about Pet Sounds, they reveal what a hugh influence Brian Wilson and Pet Sounds had on music at the time. With regard to the significance of Pet Sounds, this is what a few folks have said about Brian Wilson and Pet Sounds:George MartinIf there is one person that I have to select as a living genius of pop music, I would choose Brian Wilson. Without Pet Sounds, Sgt. Pepper wouldn't have happened... Pepper was an attempt to equal Pet Sounds.Paul McCartneyIt was Pet Sounds that blew me out of the water. I love the album so much. I've just bought my kids each a copy of it for their education in life ... I figure no one is educated musically 'til they've heard that album ... I love the orchestra, the arrangements ... it may be going overboard to say it's the classic of the century ... but to me, it certainly is a total, classic record that is unbeatable in many ways ... I've often played Pet Sounds and cried. I played it to John so much that it would be difficult for him to escape the influence ... it was the record of the time. The thing that really made me sit up and take notice was the bass lines ... and also, putting melodies in the bass line. That I think was probably the big influence that set me thinking when we recorded 'Pepper', it set me off on a period I had then for a couple of years of nearly always writing quite melodic bass lines. "God Only Knows" is a big favorite of mine ... very emotional, always a bit of a choker for me, that one. On "You Still Believe In Me", I love that melody - that kills me ... that's my favorite, I think ... it's so beautiful right at the end ... comes surging back in these multi-colored harmonies ... sends shivers up my spine." Speaking of Deja Vu and CSYN:David CrosbyHe was the most highly regarded pop musician in America, hands down. Everybody by that time had figured out who was writing and arranging it all. "In My Room" was the defining point for me. When I heard it, I thought "I give up - I can't do that - I'll never be able to do that."Eric ClaptonAll of us, Ginger (Baker), Jack (Bruce), and I consider Pet Sounds to be one of the greatest pop LPs to ever be released. It encompasses everthing that's ever knocked me out and rolled it all into one. Brian Wilson is, without a doubt, a pop genius. Travis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted August 13, 2006 Share Posted August 13, 2006 The Beach Boys were important in the early 60's, but they let the Music World pass them bye. Great harmonies for Men singing, their musicianship left alot to be desired, and the main catalogue of songs was at best simple, Surf, Cars, fun in the sun, be true to your school sixties garabage, and oh yes, Girls............all fine and good, but the World was erupting around them, and they didn't know what to do..............Viet Nam, the Watts riots, Protest's, and where were the Beach Boys, still on the Beach, and not the one's in South East Asia.............Wouldn't it be nice, indeed................I loved the Beach Boys, had the Albums, the 45's, but they got stuck in the times, and hide in their room...........Maybe Brian should have thought more about the content of his music, than the sound of his music.................Funny thing is we all grew up, maybe Brian didn't or couldn't, I don't know, and don't care...................The Music was good for a short time, and many of you still like it, but answer this, are you discovering the Beach Boys now, or like me, did you grow up with them, and outgrew them...................Their Music is Good.........just not for me.....ENJOY after all it is SUMMERTIME................... Do you really think the Beach Boys version of "California Girls" is better than David Lee Roth's version?..................Doubt that.............Diamond Dave brings it home............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdm56 Posted August 13, 2006 Author Share Posted August 13, 2006 Pop music changed after the Beatles and the "summer of love"; The Viet Nam war and all the social upheaval with drugs, race and sex, but that does not diminish the classic beauty or lasting significance of what Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys accomplished. After all, everyone relates to songs about girls and cars and summertime fun. Geez, I wish we still lived in such a relatively innocent world! I was born in '56 so I was just a pup when the Beach Boys first hit, but I remember playing my sister's "Good Vibrations" 45 single about a million times as a kid. But I was 17 years old in 1975 when the "Endless Summer" compilation came out, and I was one of the reasons it went to number one on the charts, which is pretty unheard of for a collection of "oldies". I remember listening to that music "in my room" well into many nights. It is great tonic for teenage angst. I think the Beach Boys did grow and change as time went on. It's just that their original sound was so unique and distinctive that there is only so far they could go without losing their fans in the process. Even the rest of the band balked at singing Van Dyke Parks' lyrics for the "Smile" album. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted August 13, 2006 Moderators Share Posted August 13, 2006 The Beach Boys were important in the early 60's, but they let the Music World pass them bye. Great harmonies for Men singing, their musicianship left alot to be desired, and the main catalogue of songs was at best simple, Surf, Cars, fun in the sun, be true to your school sixties garabage, and oh yes, Girls............all fine and good, but the World was erupting around them, and they didn't know what to do..............Viet Nam, the Watts riots, Protest's, and where were the Beach Boys, still on the Beach, and not the one's in South East Asia.............Wouldn't it be nice, indeed................I loved the Beach Boys, had the Albums, the 45's, but they got stuck in the times, and hide in their room...........Maybe Brian should have thought more about the content of his music, than the sound of his music.................Funny thing is we all grew up, maybe Brian didn't or couldn't, I don't know, and don't care...................The Music was good for a short time, and many of you still like it, but answer this, are you discovering the Beach Boys now, or like me, did you grow up with them, and outgrew them...................Their Music is Good.........just not for me.....ENJOY after all it is SUMMERTIME................... Do you really think the Beach Boys version of "California Girls" is better than David Lee Roth's version?..................Doubt that.............Diamond Dave brings it home............ Well, I don't think that they didn't grow up, it was just that Brian went into seclusion. I don't think there were every a band you wanted to see live. Pet Sounds was all played by studio musicians produced by Brian, only the singing was done by the Beach Boys. Brian had his choice of the best studio musicians in LA. It is unfortunate that he had such a terrible struggle with depression where he was locked away all of those years. The good part is his new band, the one he toured with for Pet Sounds and Smile is incredible. If you missed either of those concerts you missed a heck of a show. I do agree that a lot of what they did is hokey and too corney for me to even listen to. Put Pet Sounds and Smile are so far away from the classic BB formula. In fact, Smile was so much so that when the band returned from their tour and Brian showed them the VanDyke Parks lyrics they just couldn't break away from their mold and wouldn't do it. The thing got shelved for 30 years but I was sure glad I was around when he brought it back out Travis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted August 13, 2006 Share Posted August 13, 2006 If the Beach Boys did not play instruments on the album, shouldn't it be a Brian Wilson album, not the Beach Boys? Brian could not sell the album on his name alone, so he had the others sing, and different Pro's play the Music...................Uncool.......but......Brian being Brian...................Please don't mis -understand me...............the Beach Boys were good.........a big time act..............but for whatever reason they didn't grow as a group, and that's the main point of my posting.......................Pet Sounds, Smiley Smile, were not the Beach Boys, they were Brian Wilson's Albums with the Beach Boy Name...............No reason not to Enjoy them........................ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Travis In Austin Posted August 13, 2006 Moderators Share Posted August 13, 2006 If the Beach Boys did not play instruments on the album, shouldn't it be a Brian Wilson album, not the Beach Boys? Brian could not sell the album on his name alone, so he had the others sing, and different Pro's play the Music...................Uncool.......but......Brian being Brian...................Please don't mis -understand me...............the Beach Boys were good.........a big time act..............but for whatever reason they didn't grow as a group, and that's the main point of my posting.......................Pet Sounds, Smiley Smile, were not the Beach Boys, they were Brian Wilson's Albums with the Beach Boy Name...............No reason not to Enjoy them........................ No, I do agree with what you are saying, they all, with a few minor exceptions, Brian Wilson songs, with him as producer. What I am saying is that Wilson grew but the Beach Boys didn't. They were making gizillions and Pet Sounds, for all of it's critical aclaim, didn't sell worth beans. Brian could sell anything he wanted to, he was majority owner of his own label, Brother, Unfortunately, he just sunk further into obscurity after Smile was rejected by the band, specifically Love. The whole thing about studio musicians sittin' in with band opens up a whole nuther can of worms. One of the most famous guitar intros in Rock is on the Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs lp, it was played by Greg Allman, not Eric Clapton. With no credit. I don't think who plays it, regular band members or studio musicians makes a difference with a band like the Beach Boys. It was never about musical ability with them as a band. Travis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbuckster Posted August 13, 2006 Share Posted August 13, 2006 Part of the Beach Boys fame was live shows with the Boys playing their instruments, all TV shows they were on, American Bandstand, they weren't just a bunch of guys singing, they played instruments...............in the end it doesn't matter.............Go to a Beach Boy show today, there will be alot of people there. They are still popular,and have no trouble drawing crowds..............even though there are only 1 or 2 real Beach Boys left, Mike Love won't quit................Enjoy them.........I mean no disrespect..........just my opinion...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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