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I dont get why the beach boys are so revered. It just all sounds like overly happy fluff to me. Why are they held in such high esteem?
Probably because of Pet Sounds.
Cos they weren't the Beatles?
Time/place means everything when it comes to popular culture.
Perfect pop music!
Listen to Pet Sounds nothing overly happy or fluffy about it. Sheer genius.
I'd have said watch this on the iplayer...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/proginfo/2016/30/classic-album-the-beach-boys-pet-sounds
... but you're about a day late.
Yes. Listen to Pet Sounds and even Brian Wilsons resurrected Smile album.
I once heard a great interview with Ozzy Osbourne when he stated that if Sabbath had been brought up in sunny California they would have sounded like the Beach Boys. But they were from Birmingham where it always rains, so they sounded like Sabbath.
loddrik - Member
I dont get why the beach boys are so revered. It just all sounds like overly happy fluff to me. Why are they held in such high esteem?
Those are the obvious hits, there's more to them than that; Surf's Up' isn't so chirpy, but the thing is, when a band does so much music with close harmonies, even darker songs tend to seem cheerful.
'God Only Knows' is quite possibly the most perfect piece of popular music ever written, Paul McCartney says that, and the Beach Boys were driven to write even better music because of the perceived threat from the Beatles.
The trouble is, there are far too many who, having no historical perspective, or real knowledge of music, happily dismiss the likes of The Beatles or The Beach Boys as rubbish, which is in itself, utter rubbish.
Tens of millions of albums and singles sold proves that.
But then, pretty much everything that's been played on Radio 1 for the last twenty years is utter rubbish as far as I'm concerned, I couldn't name a single top ten song or artist from the last fifteen, apart from Adele, and I'm hardly out of touch with music in general.
Holland is a superb album. Sail on , Trader, Leaving this town. Not a surf song amongst them.
God only knows is surely one of the best pieces of music created by a human being in our entire history. I can't believe it is less than 3 minutes long it packs so much in. Perfection.
Sorry, but I love this
Trader is very nearly as good as God Only Knows. The vocals are better.
Smiley Smile
Heroes and Villains AND good vibrations...If i'd made either of those two, I'd have retired!
Read this for a great insight into Brian Wilson, the Beach Boys and a whole host of other artists - the Stones, Iggy Pop, Prince, Morissey, Neil Young. Fascinating insight into all of them though he doesn't hide who he likes and who he thinks are sh*te.
Poor Brian Wilson - treated horrendously by those that should have loved and cared for him, and ****ed up most of his adult life as a result!
The Dark Stuff: Selected Writings On Rock Music by Nick Kent
Love loads of old artists but the Beach Boys do nothing for me. Mainly because the lyrical content of the songs I've heard is utter drivel. It all just sounds like cheese to me.
Can't be arsed to listen to Pet Sounds, there's just too much other great music in the world that I haven't heard.
If you don't love God Only Knows then you have no soul
Pet Sounds was groundbreaking in so many ways, modern musical production just wouldn't be the same without it.
If anything I don't think Brian Wilson gets anywhere near the credit he deserves
Can't be arsed to listen to Pet Sounds
Go and sit in the corner, have a think about what you've just said, then listen to Pet Sounds.
There will be a test.
The only thing that mystifies me about it is why you would drive yourself mad producing something so sublime, then allow the record company to release it with this cover...
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Its frankly unforgivable!
Brian Wilson is a genius, a flat out genius.
😆 That album cover is like something from Father Ted.
[i]Brian Wilson is a genius, a flat out genius.[/i]
So we're told.
[i]If anything I don't think Brian Wilson gets anywhere near the credit he deserves[/i]
Who from?? Every top blah blah albums of all time ever has Pet Sounds as number 1 or 2! Isn't that enough credit.
No way am I giving up any of my listening time to that whiney yank! 😆
DezB quite frankly if you don't get it you don't get it. But if you know anything about music (clearly you don't) you'd at the very least appreciate the craft.
Moron.
Has anyone yet done a Beach Boys/Beastie Boys mashup cover band named 'The Beachie Boys'?
Or even one trifecal step further: 'Beachie Boyz II Men'? 8)
Beachie Boyz II Men at Work and their only hit "God only fights for your right to get to the end of the road down under"
Can't be arsed to listen to Pet Sounds, there's just too much other great music in the world that I haven't heard.
Sorry how do you know exactly that Pet Sounds isn't worth listening to if you haven't listened to it and there is other great music out there to listen to if you haven't listened to it either.
That would be like me saying I think you are a bit of a closed minded ignoramus without having listened to your opinions..... 🙂
For what it's worth actually we all have things that we feel the same way about, it's just some of us are aware that they are stupid and uneducated views so we keep our mouths shut, well we try to.
[quote=zippykona ]Holland is a superb album. Sail on , Trader, Leaving this town. Not a surf song amongst them.
Criminally underrated album and very un-Beach Boys. In fact I played it one night to a supposed Beach Boys fan and he didn't even know it was them...
Probably because of Pet Sounds.
Agree with loddrik in that
. Having said that it would be a pretty dull place if we all liked the same stuff. Each to their own and all that.It just all sounds like overly happy fluff to me
Can't be arsed to listen to Pet Sounds, there's just too much other great music in the world that I haven't heard.
You can't be arsed to listen to an album that is regarded by pretty much everyone who'd know as at least one of the top 5 of all time. Sure there's loads of other great music out there but if you can spare an hour then I'd recommend giving it a spin.
You've probably spent longer on this thread discussing...
I dont get why the beach boys are so revered.
🙂
[i]But if you know anything about music (clearly you don't) you'd at the very least appreciate the craft.[/i]
Yeah, I know nothing! I know what I like and what I don't like, that's enough for me.
I appreciate the craft, just don't want to listen to it. I've got a "best of" the Beach boys and it's just uninteresting trashy pop. Give me the Beatles any day (of the week).
I've just read Uncut magazine and there's a band called Quicksilver Messenger Service who I've never heard - I'll check them out before any more Beach Boys stuff.
A Beach Boys best of is probably no more representative than a Beatles best of would be.
I would be embarrassed if, as an adult, I had to admit in conversation that I hadn't heard Pet Sounds and had no intention of doing so.
Embarrassed at not liking the Beach Boys? You're certainly an odd fellow Bob.
I've heard 4 out the the 10+ tracks : fluff
You fellas reall y have no grasping of musical taste, do you? You think someone [i]should[/i] like things because they're [i]supposed to[/i]. Bizarre.
Anyway, there's tons of stuff I like that I can't understand why other people don't, and I don't care... Can't fathom why it bothers you so much 😆
Can't fathom why it bothers you so much
Yet you are still banging on about it 🙄
Just replying Pigface. Isn't that what we're supposed to do during a discussion? 🙄
Yes it is but you have pretty much stated your position again and again and again, you haven't listened to something you are criticising so your position on this subject is stupid.
Not everything is for everyone. But...
Smile and Pet Sounds are two of the best albums ever.
Brian Wilson brought to his writing and to production an understanding of polyphonic harmonies which was way ahead of its time and referenced Bach and other classical composers. Interesting key changes and tempo shifts. The Beatles came pretty close on Sergeant Pepper. But not quite there.
And their influence continues today, not just obvious things like the Magic Numbers, but Fleet Foxes and others.
I would be embarrassed if, as an adult, I had to admit in conversation that I hadn't heard Pet Sounds and had no intention of doing so.
I've never listened to it.
Obviously heard all the popular songs, but I've never listened to a Beach Boys album.
[the-muffin-man age 47]
{pointless}!
Smile and Pet Sounds are two of the best albums ever.
In your opinion.
I don't like the Beach Boys and IMHO Pink Floyd are almost entirely as dull as ditchwater.
I appreciate that a few people disagree with that though. 🙂
I don't like the Beach Boys and IMHO Pink Floyd are almost entirely as dull as ditchwater.
Well, you're wrong about the Beach Boys anyway.
[i]I don't like the Beach Boys[/i]
+
[i]Well, you're wrong about the Beach Boys[/i]
Obviously makes more sense than what stupid ol me has been saying.
Ignore the lyrics if you like, listen to the sounds - they set the template for a lot that came after, the combinations of novel sounds, the 'just so' attention to detail, the non- '4 blokes with guitars and drums' instrumentation. If it sounds familiar now it's because they've since become part of the language of pop.
it's just uninteresting trashy pop. Give me the Beatles any day (of the week).
I think you may have the Beatles and the Beach Boys mixed up. It's understandable though as they both start Bea.
I used to love them in my younger day's but so many of their lyrics are cringe worthy. I suppose it just reflects the period.
Dennis Wilson produced one of the best Beach Boy's spin off albums "Pacific Ocean Blue'
On a positive note, this post has made me get copy of 'Surf's Up' 🙂
DezB I'm impressed at how well you've managed to hold onto that petulant inner teenager considering your age!
Or maybe it's inner toddler?
"Don't like it."
"Have you tried it?"
"Don't like it, don't like green things."
"But this green thing is completely different."
"Only like red things."
Cos that's exactly what I said in each of my stupid posts... 😆
Fact is, I listen to lots of music. Lots of NEW music. Lots of music I haven't heard before and I like discovering new and interesting sounds. Not old stuff that I don't find interesting. If that's stupid and petulant, so be it.
I don't know much Beach Boys to be fair, but for fluffy pop that's actually profoundly good I do rate ABBA.
Pacific Ocean Blue is immense!
I dont get why the beach boys are so revered. It just all sounds like overly happy fluff to me. Why are they held in such high esteem?
Because they produced some ground breaking and hugely influential albums, pinnacle of which was Pet Sounds. Widely regarded as one of the best albums ever.
i can't be bothered to listen to that. It's old music. I've got loads of other stuff I want to listen to.
Ok 🙂
Tell us what you do like at the moment.
There's no law saying you must like the Beach Boys.
I really don't get Nevermind. Bleach was better but it's the one that always tops the polls.
Beatles wrote Revolver
Brian Wilson thought it was unlike anything he'd heard before so he wrote Pet Sounds in competition
Beatles heard Pet Sounds, thought it was amazing - especially all the multi-tracking and production quality which was years ahead of anything else at that time - and came up with Sgt Pepper...
That's where Pet Sounds sits in the pop music pantheon - right at the top.
Problem with judging Pet Sounds now is we're judging it 50 years after it was written, which is 50 years of other artists being inspired by it and copying a lot of the ideas and techniques that Brian Wilson pioneered - so it doesn't sound quite so amazing as it did back in the 60's when nothing like it had ever been heard before...
Oh and listen properly to Brian Wilson and you'll hear one of the most eloquent writers on depression and finding life hard there's ever been in pop music - for that alone he should be revered...
As much as like the early surf stuff, it's deeply misrepresentative of his wider talent, so if all you get is a Beach Boys Best Of and then slagging them off for being sugary pop, you're massively missing the point...
Fact is, I listen to lots of music. Lots of NEW music. Lots of music I haven't heard
Isn't all music new to the ears if you've not heard it?
I'm surprised that anyone could call BB lyrics simplistic or naive. Granted, the following was written by Van Dyke Parks, but: man. Its perfect, rich in imagery, dazzling little bits of wordplay too.
A lyric about the end of the Beach Boys, written and performed by...the Beach Boys? Bold.
Anyway:
A diamond necklace played the pawn
Hand in hand some drummed along, oh
To a handsome mannered baton
A blind class aristocracy
Back through the opera glass you see
The pit and the pendulum drawn
Columnated ruins domino
Canvass the town and brush the backdrop
Are you sleeping?
Hung velvet overtaken me
Dim chandelier awaken me
To a song dissolved in the dawn
The music hall a costly bow
The music all is lost for now
To a muted trumpeter swan
Columnated ruins domino
Canvass the town and brush the backdrop
Are you sleeping, Brother John?
Dove nested towers the hour was
Strike the street quicksilver moon
Carriage across the fog
Two-Step to lamp lights cellar tune
The laughs come hard in Auld Lang Syne
The glass was raised, the fired-roast
The fullness of the wine, the dim last toasting
While at port adieu or die
A choke of grief heart hardened I
Beyond belief a broken man too tough to cry
Surf's Up
Aboard a tidal wave
Come about hard and join
The young and often spring you gave
I heard the word
Wonderful thing
A children's song
See?
Don't know much about the Beach Boys, but I know enough to say that I don't like. I have other music that I'd rather listen to, but believe that they had an influence in the manufactured band pop world.
Don't know that much about the Beatles either except that I don't like. Followed a taxi today that sported a Beatles tour sticker. I started wondering when the last time the (surviving)Beatles visited the place. I do believe that they had an influence on the modern day manufactured pop culture.
I don't like tomatoes either.
Old lyrics are old.
Check this:
[Justin Bieber & MØ:]
[i]You won't let go (I won't let go, no, no, no, no, no, no)
I'll be your lifeline tonight
You won't let go
I'll be your lifeline tonight[/i]
[Justin Bieber:]
[i]I won't let go
I won't let go[/i]
Someone said I should 'listen to Nina Simone'. I said 'How old?? There's too much new stuff first, why would I?' They rolled their eyes at me, just like an old person would!
You've convinced me.
Surprised there's no mention of the "Love & Mercy" film in this thread. I was far from a fan of theirs, but it opened my eyes a bit to the fact they weren't just the pop I thought they were.
Keep taking the pills Malvern Rider. They keep you talking shit just like an old person would!
Beatles wrote Revolver
Brian Wilson thought it was unlike anything he'd heard before so he wrote Pet Sounds in competition
Beatles heard Pet Sounds, thought it was amazing - especially all the multi-tracking and production quality which was years ahead of anything else at that time - and came up with Sgt Pepper...That's where Pet Sounds sits in the pop music pantheon - right at the top.
The version of this that I've read does start with the Beatles massive respect for what Brian Wilson did on Pet Sounds, but finishes along the lines that Beatles released Sgt Pepper in the same year... Brian Wilson feel deeper into depression realising Sgt Pepper completely eclipsed Pet Sounds in every way. From album cover design (first time this style had ever been used), open out sleeve with lyrics printed therein (first time this had ever been done), poster included (first time this had ever been done) to music, lyrics, production methods etc etc.
Much like on that daft thread [url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/naughty-girl-at-the-track ]naughty-girl-at-the-track[/url] I'm prepared to accept the judgement of people who know better than me re Pet Sounds, but I just can't get past the early 60's Surf music, much like I can't get past Depeche Mode in the early 80's even tho they went onto more challenging music. Like Dez I've always been aware of Pet Sounds reputation, but never felt compelled to listen and still won't be despite this thread and I've always been a big 60's west coast music fan. There's so much more interesting and unusual stuff out there from that period IMO.
Fact is, I listen to lots of music. Lots of NEW music. Lots of music I haven't heard before and I like discovering new and interesting sounds. Not old stuff that I don't find interesting. If that's stupid and petulant, so be it.
Fact is, I listen to lots of music. Lots of NEW music. Lots of music I haven't heard
Isn't all music new to the ears if you've not heard it?
I'm not 100% sure, but I think it was Rick Wakeman, talking about when he played a concert in Eastern Europe and was approached by this very young lad with a copy of one of his early albums, and when he asked why this lad was listening to this old stuff, the lad looked him straight in the eye, and said, "well, it's new music to me!"
Said artist felt well and truly put in his place!
I'm constantly checking out new artists, 6Music and Uncut Magazine being my main source, along with festivals like Green Man, but I'd have to be remarkably stupid to discount anything earlier than five years ago as having no merit, because, despite whatever age that music may have come from, it's still new bloody music to my ears!
Uncut have a feature on Van Der Graaf Generator, a band from my youth, that I am totally unfamiliar with, so my interest has now been driven to check out their music. I've just downloaded two albums by Greenslade, a prog band from the early-mid 70's, who I haven't heard for over thirty years; it's not 'old' music, it'll be fresh and new, because I have no recollection of what their music sounded like.
I'm listening to modern bands like The Drink and Moulettes, and I'm hearing strong hints of another prog band, Gentle Giant, in the complex rhythms they use, so should GG be written off just because it's 'old' music?
Only if you're really daft.
^ funny you should mention GG - I'd not actually heard them until recent months but they too were namechecked on some youtube comment. I love the music family tree that youtube's suggested videos feature opens up - it's switched me on to loads of stuff past, near and present. May it never stop.
Gentle Giant's rhythm section live was jaw-dropping by any standards. Vocals are marmite and I'm not a fan - but have watched 'Free Hand' loads, just gobsmacked by the performance:
Took a quick pic for, was it zippykona who asked? This is a stack of recently played Cds, waiting to be tidied up on top of my stereo. Obviously doesn't reflect most of the new stuff I'm absorbing on digital, but a good representation of my narrow minded tastes. Wot, no Beach Boys? So why aren't you listening to any, or all, of that? I think you should!
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The Beach Boys lyrics can best be appreciated by being young and sitting on a surf beach in a hot climate with skimpily clad young lovelies tripping around.
I like the Beach Boys but prefer Jan and Dean.
At this remove it's probably worth pointing out that their music still had to sound good when played over low fidelity speakers as well as hifi. That takes skill.
Just read through CountZero's post - just so irrelevant mate! I've [i]heard[/i] the BBs and don't like them much. I already said in a previous post that I'd check out other "old" new music before listening to their stuff again.
This is a stack of recently played Cds, waiting to be tidied up on top of my stereo
Haha I thought it was only me who still has an AuPairs LP
🙂 That was an eBay purchase - wondered why I didn't have it as they were amazing live and "Playing With a Different Sex" is one of the best albums ever!
Sense and Sensibility not so great 😆
i'm still reeling at discovering someone hasnt heard of Quicksilver Messenger Service. Happy Trails is essential listening.
There's so much more interesting and unusual stuff out there from that period IMO.
There is a lot of interesting other stuff from that period and location, whether it's "[i]more interesting[/i]" is surely hard to judge until you would have experienced Pet Sounds too...? I like a lot of garage bands from that time - but are they more interesting than the garage bands I haven't heard? I couldn't tell you.
Happy Trails is essential listening.
I tried to like it (20 years ago), read critical acclaim of Happy Trails, liked Who do you Love from a 'Best Of' Psychedelia box set, a musician friend raved about it, bought the album, didn't do much for me, unfortunately.
That was an eBay purchase - wondered why I didn't have it as they were amazing live and "Playing With a Different Sex" is one of the best albums ever!
Sense and Sensibility not so great
Interesting, I'll give that a listen. I've got Sense and Sensibility, but only cos a friend played Sex without Stress constantly at a party in the early 80's, so I bought it many years later for nostalgia reasons.
I love The Birthday Party singles and EP's, but didn't get Prayers on Fire, their only album I bought at the time, it was just too obscure for me, didn't buy any other albums. I don't know if this is the case, but I decided he released more commercial goth orientated stuff only on singles/EP's and then did the music he actually wanted to do on albums. I don't think any singles stuff appeared on albums at the time (they've been released on compilation albums since), could be wrong about this tho.
I'm still reeling from someone using the phrase "essential listening" in 2016. 🙂
Well on the strength of this thread I downloaded "Pet Sounds" yesterday afternoon, played it in the garden whilst fiddling with my surf boards and the Mrs did the garden.
To be honest I used to listen to this stuff whilst back in the States, always played on FM radio, these days it does nothing for me. The Mrs asked I turn it off, I persevered but eventually caved in and changed it for some 90's HipHop/Rap.
I don't envisage listening to it again either.
Enjoy it though, for some it's a classic, for me it's just naval gazing pop.
Let's face it, we're all too old to enjoy the Beach Boys music now. "Two girls for every boy" doesn't have the same resonance now. 🙂
One of the first ever albums I bought from Woollies was a surf compilation.
Still love it now.
And be honest, The Who are basically a surf band.
🙂
I like Pet Sounds, but I love the cheesy stuff.