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Post by mattbbtalk on Jun 3, 2021 20:35:15 GMT -5
I hate how Pet Sounds is held up as the one time the Beach Boys made a classic album. Ask Beatles fans, which album is their greatest, and you're likely to get a response of Abbey Road, The Beatles, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, Revolver or Rubber Soul. I wish the wider world appreciated the BB's catalog as they do the Beatles. Beach Boys Today, Summer Days, Pet Sounds, Wild Honey, Sunflower - all of these should be regulars on all time greatest album polls. I think Summer Days is the most underrated of the bunch, because, at least among the hardcores, we're all praising Today. I think the consensus here is spot on - more mature themes on Today - at least on side two; bigger productions on Summer Days; and then it all comes together on Pet Sounds. Agreed! The BB have so many classic albums and because Pet Sounds is so celebrated I think the other albums get overlooked, especially "Today".
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Post by mattbbtalk on Jun 3, 2021 20:38:20 GMT -5
I don’t think Today is as good as Pet Sounds, even just side two. I love both records of course- but I think there’s a final bit of what you might call a 1950s-type influence that puts Today firmly between the early Beach Boys and Pet Sounds. I think Pet Sounds is a psychedelic record- that is the primary difference to me. The only song on Today that I think is on par is “In the Back of My Mind”- that track alone is leap and bounds ahead of most anything in 1965. On some days, I prefer Summer Days over Pet Sounds however. That to me is the runner up. Interesting. I love Summer Days and it has it's standouts for sure! But I think the first step towards Pet Sounds was Today in regards to it being a flowing, cohesive concept album. Summer Days seems to be a lot of amazing songs put on a record, if that makes sense.
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Post by mattbbtalk on Jun 3, 2021 20:43:55 GMT -5
I have been a fan of this band since 1964 and while I like Pet Sounds, it has never been a favorite, nor would I include it in my Top 5 albums. It’s weird, because I like every song on the album and Wouldn’t It Be Nice is my favorite song by anyone. For some reason, I need to be in a certain mood to enjoy the album as a whole, whereas any of the other albums can be listened to at anytime. With Today, I enjoy the fast side, slow side and the general vibe of the album. There is something for everyone on The Beach Boys Today. It’s a growing up album that is mostly fun and positive, but also has the angst that comes from finding your way as a teenager. I totally agree! Pet Sounds is marvelous and certainly worthy of all its adulation. But I agree with what you said. It is not an album I can just turn on all the time and enjoy. I have to be in a "Pet Sounds" mood. Today I can listen to anytime.
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Post by mfp on Jun 4, 2021 1:25:45 GMT -5
For me, the compressed sound quality of some of Today’s tracks disappoints me. I was most impressed to hear the SOT sessions in superior quality. A shame that it didn’t progress to the final product.
In comparison, Summer Day’s sound is much more open and clear.
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Post by northcoast on Jun 5, 2021 8:38:28 GMT -5
Summer Days is often regarded as the lesser of the two albums compared to Today but flash forward a few years when artists began delivering one album per year. Now combine Today and Summer Days into one 12 track (or even 14 track as was done in the UK) album. Good luck in whittling songs out to make that work. It is amazing what Brian Wilson could do when he was at the peak of his game.
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robin
Kahuna
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Post by robin on Jun 6, 2021 22:38:01 GMT -5
My Dad's take, which I pretty much endorse, is that TODAY started a process that reached complete fruition with PET SOUNDS, during which time Brian pushed past the influences of others (Spector et al) and became a singular force in what my dad called "progressive pop." As Joshilyn said, it's the mastery of the production/arrangement process that puts PET SOUNDS in a class by itself. SMiLE was something beyond all that, and maybe (as Brian claimed after its shelving) just too far beyond what mainstream audiences could digest, "Good Vibrations" notwithstanding. My Dad said he knew folks who would not ever compile any of the PET SOUNDS songs onto a compilation tape because they felt it was so much "of a piece" that it always needed to be heard in its entirety. I don't know if I'd go that far, but I can understand how folks could feel that way.
TODAY is a great record, and it's a major leap forward. But PET SOUNDS is a big leap forward from TODAY, filtered through some really interesting work in 1965 (a process that should also include "The Little Girl I Once Knew," another uniquely dynamic track that I didn't fully appreciate 'til my Dad pulled out a rare copy of the session tape for it, which blew my mind).
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Departed
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2021 13:07:44 GMT -5
Today! may be overlooked by the general public, but I don't think any true fans of the band are missing it. When you do album polls on sites like these, Pet Sounds usually dominates. Fans tend to like it the best and I think that's perfectly fine, everyone is entitled to their opinion. I'm not sure it needs to be so close like it is with Beatles albums, there is just more of a consensus with this fan base and album.
The idea that is underappreciated by the general public or music critics is a seperate issue. I would probably agree with the latter notion.
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Post by mattbbtalk on Jun 7, 2021 22:52:22 GMT -5
I agree Summer Days sounds better production wise. But I think a lot of the accolades Pet Sounds receive should go to Today. It was the first album to abandon surfing and cars.
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Post by mattbbtalk on Jun 7, 2021 22:53:27 GMT -5
Today! may be overlooked by the general public, but I don't think any true fans of the band are missing it. When you do album polls on sites like these, Pet Sounds usually dominates. Fans tend to like it the best and I think that's perfectly fine, everyone is entitled to their opinion. I'm not sure it needs to be so close like it is with Beatles albums, there is just more of a consensus with this fan base and album. The idea that is underappreciated by the general public or music critics is a seperate issue. I would probably agree with the latter notion. I agree. Pet Sounds dominates, but again, I think that Today was the first album to change the BB and their creativity. Pet Sounds might be superior, but Today was the first great departure.
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Post by mattbbtalk on Jun 7, 2021 22:54:34 GMT -5
You are correct to say Pet Sounds is a big leap. My argument is that Today was a huge leap artistically and commercially from the surfing and car songs, and the BB image at the time, and it seems to get overlooked because of Pet Sounds.
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Post by mattbbtalk on Jun 7, 2021 22:56:13 GMT -5
Summer Days is often regarded as the lesser of the two albums compared to Today but flash forward a few years when artists began delivering one album per year. Now combine Today and Summer Days into one 12 track (or even 14 track as was done in the UK) album. Good luck in whittling songs out to make that work. It is amazing what Brian Wilson could do when he was at the peak of his game. I love this idea! Both albums together would have been their best ever!
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Post by mattbbtalk on Jun 7, 2021 22:58:14 GMT -5
I don’t think Today is as good as Pet Sounds, even just side two. I love both records of course- but I think there’s a final bit of what you might call a 1950s-type influence that puts Today firmly between the early Beach Boys and Pet Sounds. I think Pet Sounds is a psychedelic record- that is the primary difference to me. The only song on Today that I think is on par is “In the Back of My Mind”- that track alone is leap and bounds ahead of most anything in 1965. On some days, I prefer Summer Days over Pet Sounds however. That to me is the runner up. Interesting perspective. I think Summer Days is great, but it is not cohesive. It has more hits than Today, but I think Today as a concept album is much better. I suppose it depends on the parameters for comparison.
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Post by Emdeeh on Jun 9, 2021 16:23:34 GMT -5
While I am less fond of Pet Sounds than many others here are, I recognize its importance in the canon. (Make no mistake, I do love some of the songs on PS -- GOK and CN, for example.)
After all these years, I still wonder why there is a continual tendency to view eveything before and after PS through the lens of PS as pinnacle of the BB's and especially Brian's career. For me, the track of their career has multiple high (and some low) musical points. I love early albums like All Summer Long and Little Deuce Coupe. Today! appears regularly in my top five BB albums. Summer Days... is another classic. My favorite era of BB music is post-PS, which is one reason I'm eagerly anticipating the upcoming box set.
I tend to view the BB's catalog as a mountain range rather than a journey, even though I experienced their music as new releases along the way.
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Post by hankbriarstem on Jun 9, 2021 17:10:38 GMT -5
A few thoughts...
Today and All Summer Long compete closely to be my favorite Beach Boys album. In an upbeat mood, Summer Days always fulfills. In a downbeat mood, Pet Sounds never fails me.
One of the message board greats, Stan Shantar, made a detailed and I thought persuasive argument, back in the day, that the spoken word humor tracks on the early albums were unfairly maligned. Essentially he felt that those tracks -- in their time -- provided fans a kind of connection to the band members, their personalities, their sense of humor, and their interests.
Remember, we can't remove people and events from their own time. Those tracks were a pretty inventive way to connect with fans. While Brian Wilson left some good songs unreleased, and such decision is hard to understand, now, one suspects that even at his confident peak, given the insane demands of product release, he needed to have a few songs and ideas in his quiver in case they were needed, at some point.
In reality, the humor tracks probably would have been replaced with throwaways, such as some of the instrumentals on the earliest albums. Inevitably some of the insurance policies went into a drawer and were forgotten - or he lost interest - but they were probably needed. He had a major panic attack as it was. One could argue the humor tracks represent some pretty impressive creativity. I found myself listening to them and smiling a bit immediately after the loss of Dennis and Carl. A bit of comfort.
Today versus Pet Sounds... I don't like to compare my children. But I wouldn't change the production of Kiss Me Baby, Please Let Me Wonder, She Knows Me Too Well, etc. Nor would I change the production of God Only Knows or Wouldn't it be Nice.
Pet Sounds is a pinnacle - a brilliant showcase of Brian Wilson's talent - but I'm not sure I could bear the thought of a world without Kiss Me Baby.
As for Summer Days... nothing wrong with good ol' rock n roll, delivered at its finest. Mozart probably would have loved to play Roll Over Beethoven.
Finally, only Brian Wilson could have satisfied a record company, bought himself time to create a masterpiece and almost invented Unplugged album concepts as inventively as he did by conjuring Party. Talk about creativity...
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Post by mattbbtalk on Jun 9, 2021 18:29:41 GMT -5
A few thoughts... Today and All Summer Long compete closely to be my favorite Beach Boys album. In an upbeat mood, Summer Days always fulfills. In a downbeat mood, Pet Sounds never fails me. One of the message board greats, Stan Shantar, made a detailed and I thought persuasive argument, back in the day, that the spoken word humor tracks on the early albums were unfairly maligned. Essentially he felt that those tracks -- in their time -- provided fans a kind of connection to the band members, their personalities, their sense of humor, and their interests. Remember, we can't remove people and events from their own time. Those tracks were a pretty inventive way to connect with fans. While Brian Wilson left some good songs unreleased, and such decision is hard to understand, now, one suspects that even at his confident peak, given the insane demands of product release, he needed to have a few songs and ideas in his quiver in case they were needed, at some point. In reality, the humor tracks probably would have been replaced with throwaways, such as some of the instrumentals on the earliest albums. Inevitably some of the insurance policies went into a drawer and were forgotten - or he lost interest - but they were probably needed. He had a major panic attack as it was. One could argue the humor tracks represent some pretty impressive creativity. I found myself listening to them and smiling a bit immediately after the loss of Dennis and Carl. A bit of comfort. Today versus Pet Sounds... I don't like to compare my children. But I wouldn't change the production of Kiss Me Baby, Please Let Me Wonder, She Knows Me Too Well, etc. Nor would I change the production of God Only Knows or Wouldn't it be Nice. Pet Sounds is a pinnacle - a brilliant showcase of Brian Wilson's talent - but I'm not sure I could bear the thought of a world without Kiss Me Baby. As for Summer Days... nothing wrong with good ol' rock n roll, delivered at its finest. Mozart probably would have loved to play Roll Over Beethoven. Finally, only Brian Wilson could have satisfied a record company, bought himself time to create a masterpiece and almost invented Unplugged album concepts as inventively as he did by conjuring Party. Talk about creativity... Very good points. You are correct that humor tracks were popular for the time. I love all of their music, I just feel like Today gets overlooked sometimes as a creative step forward.
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Post by Paul JB on Jun 9, 2021 19:46:24 GMT -5
I hate how Pet Sounds is held up as the one time the Beach Boys made a classic album. Ask Beatles fans, which album is their greatest, and you're likely to get a response of Abbey Road, The Beatles, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, Revolver or Rubber Soul. I wish the wider world appreciated the BB's catalog as they do the Beatles. Beach Boys Today, Summer Days, Pet Sounds, Wild Honey, Sunflower - all of these should be regulars on all time greatest album polls. I think Summer Days is the most underrated of the bunch, because, at least among the hardcores, we're all praising Today. I think the consensus here is spot on - more mature themes on Today - at least on side two; bigger productions on Summer Days; and then it all comes together on Pet Sounds. A lot of great posts in this thread but yours is the one I can really relate to. It’s funny because I was just thinking about this thread today (no pun implied) and I didn’t know it existed! I never take part in polls or favorites because it’s so hard for me to pick but with the upcoming boxset it had me really thinking about the Beach Boys albums I think are the absolute best. Sunflower is up there.... but if I really, really had to try and rank them it would have to be Today on top. All Summer Long, Pet Sounds, probably Surfer Girl and Holland would be the top five. There are great things in all of the eras of the Beach Boys but I think Today is the bridge that ties them all together. There are things on Today that carried right through to TWGMTR. Also, for me anyway, side one is as stellar as side two. Do You Wanna Dance kicks it off with one of the all time greatest covers of a song I know of. Good To My Baby, When I Grow Up, Don't Hurt My Little Sister are lyrically timeless themes that any teen to twenty something could relate to then or now.... and that is who these records were created for, just as Pet Sounds and Rubber Soul were created for young people as well. The harmonies and musical arrangements and production, as well as the lyrics, on Today are damn near perfection. I would argue Today was as good as anything at the time and it holds up better than tons of records that typically make it on all time greatest lists. It absolutely should ALWAYS be in the conversation with Pet Sounds, Smile ect.
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Post by Al S on Jun 9, 2021 21:09:28 GMT -5
A few thoughts... Today and All Summer Long compete closely to be my favorite Beach Boys album. In an upbeat mood, Summer Days always fulfills. In a downbeat mood, Pet Sounds never fails me. One of the message board greats, Stan Shantar, made a detailed and I thought persuasive argument, back in the day, that the spoken word humor tracks on the early albums were unfairly maligned. Essentially he felt that those tracks -- in their time -- provided fans a kind of connection to the band members, their personalities, their sense of humor, and their interests.
Remember, we can't remove people and events from their own time. Those tracks were a pretty inventive way to connect with fans. While Brian Wilson left some good songs unreleased, and such decision is hard to understand, now, one suspects that even at his confident peak, given the insane demands of product release, he needed to have a few songs and ideas in his quiver in case they were needed, at some point.
In reality, the humor tracks probably would have been replaced with throwaways, such as some of the instrumentals on the earliest albums. Inevitably some of the insurance policies went into a drawer and were forgotten - or he lost interest - but they were probably needed. He had a major panic attack as it was. One could argue the humor tracks represent some pretty impressive creativity. I found myself listening to them and smiling a bit immediately after the loss of Dennis and Carl. A bit of comfort.Today versus Pet Sounds... I don't like to compare my children. But I wouldn't change the production of Kiss Me Baby, Please Let Me Wonder, She Knows Me Too Well, etc. Nor would I change the production of God Only Knows or Wouldn't it be Nice. Pet Sounds is a pinnacle - a brilliant showcase of Brian Wilson's talent - but I'm not sure I could bear the thought of a world without Kiss Me Baby. As for Summer Days... nothing wrong with good ol' rock n roll, delivered at its finest. Mozart probably would have loved to play Roll Over Beethoven. Finally, only Brian Wilson could have satisfied a record company, bought himself time to create a masterpiece and almost invented Unplugged album concepts as inventively as he did by conjuring Party. Talk about creativity... I tend to agree with the role the talk tracks played in terms of forming connections and the alternate creative outlet/hair-down-let provided to the band - the contention is more their inclusion on full LPs, causing a bit of a bump in the old road. The Beatles got it right holding onto the gag tracks for inclusion on their Xmas fun-club discs. While team BB didn't necessarily need to go to that lengths, it may have been better to limit the gag-takes to the 4 cut EPs or B-sides.
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Post by hankbriarstem on Jun 9, 2021 22:17:48 GMT -5
A few thoughts... Today and All Summer Long compete closely to be my favorite Beach Boys album. In an upbeat mood, Summer Days always fulfills. In a downbeat mood, Pet Sounds never fails me. One of the message board greats, Stan Shantar, made a detailed and I thought persuasive argument, back in the day, that the spoken word humor tracks on the early albums were unfairly maligned. Essentially he felt that those tracks -- in their time -- provided fans a kind of connection to the band members, their personalities, their sense of humor, and their interests.
Remember, we can't remove people and events from their own time. Those tracks were a pretty inventive way to connect with fans. While Brian Wilson left some good songs unreleased, and such decision is hard to understand, now, one suspects that even at his confident peak, given the insane demands of product release, he needed to have a few songs and ideas in his quiver in case they were needed, at some point.
In reality, the humor tracks probably would have been replaced with throwaways, such as some of the instrumentals on the earliest albums. Inevitably some of the insurance policies went into a drawer and were forgotten - or he lost interest - but they were probably needed. He had a major panic attack as it was. One could argue the humor tracks represent some pretty impressive creativity. I found myself listening to them and smiling a bit immediately after the loss of Dennis and Carl. A bit of comfort.Today versus Pet Sounds... I don't like to compare my children. But I wouldn't change the production of Kiss Me Baby, Please Let Me Wonder, She Knows Me Too Well, etc. Nor would I change the production of God Only Knows or Wouldn't it be Nice. Pet Sounds is a pinnacle - a brilliant showcase of Brian Wilson's talent - but I'm not sure I could bear the thought of a world without Kiss Me Baby. As for Summer Days... nothing wrong with good ol' rock n roll, delivered at its finest. Mozart probably would have loved to play Roll Over Beethoven. Finally, only Brian Wilson could have satisfied a record company, bought himself time to create a masterpiece and almost invented Unplugged album concepts as inventively as he did by conjuring Party. Talk about creativity... I tend to agree with the role the talk tracks played in terms of forming connections and the alternate creative outlet/hair-down-let provided to the band - the contention is more their inclusion on full LPs, causing a bit of a bump in the old road. The Beatles got it right holding onto the gag tracks for inclusion on their Xmas fun-club discs. While team BB didn't necessarily need to go to that lengths, it may have been better to limit the gag-takes to the 4 cut EPs or B-sides. No doubt the talk tracks are a thorny issue in any retrospective of those LPs and in hindsight should have found somewhere else to reside. In the mid-Sixties, though, I doubt many conceived of the notion that people would still treasure the work more than 50 years later. They were just churning out product they hoped would sell. And I bet a lot of teen girls listened to those tracks over and over. I'm not sure the spoken tracks should be used to evaluate the albums one way or another. I think the musical content is all that matters. But I understand those who disagree.
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Post by Al S on Jun 9, 2021 22:32:10 GMT -5
I tend to agree with the role the talk tracks played in terms of forming connections and the alternate creative outlet/hair-down-let provided to the band - the contention is more their inclusion on full LPs, causing a bit of a bump in the old road. The Beatles got it right holding onto the gag tracks for inclusion on their Xmas fun-club discs. While team BB didn't necessarily need to go to that lengths, it may have been better to limit the gag-takes to the 4 cut EPs or B-sides. No doubt the talk tracks are a thorny issue in any retrospective of those LPs and in hindsight should have found somewhere else to reside. In the mid-Sixties, though, I doubt many conceived of the notion that people would still treasure the work more than 50 years later. They were just churning out product they hoped would sell. And I bet a lot of teen girls listened to those tracks over and over. I'm not sure the spoken tracks should be used to evaluate the albums one way or another. I think the musical content is all that matters. But I understand those who disagree. Teen girls lol...hell, I thought Bull Session With Big Daddy was hilarious when I first heard it as a pimply 12 year old boy in the early '80s. And the subsequent 50-1000 times
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Post by jk on Jun 10, 2021 15:27:06 GMT -5
I don’t think Today is as good as Pet Sounds, even just side two. I love both records of course- but I think there’s a final bit of what you might call a 1950s-type influence that puts Today firmly between the early Beach Boys and Pet Sounds. I think Pet Sounds is a psychedelic record- that is the primary difference to me. The only song on Today that I think is on par is “In the Back of My Mind”- that track alone is leap and bounds ahead of most anything in 1965. That's fascinating! As someone who was around (and musically aware) when Pet Sounds was first released, "psychedelic" is the last word I would use to describe it. Most records I did consider psychedelic were of their time -- Pet Sounds was timeless. Agreed about "ITBOMM", although I can't remember hearing it back then. It was and still is in a field of one. No wonder it was followed by a talk track!
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Post by jk on Jun 10, 2021 17:07:47 GMT -5
One of the message board greats, Stan Shantar, made a detailed and I thought persuasive argument, back in the day, that the spoken word humor tracks on the early albums were unfairly maligned. Essentially he felt that those tracks -- in their time -- provided fans a kind of connection to the band members, their personalities, their sense of humor, and their interests.Remember, we can't remove people and events from their own time. Those tracks were a pretty inventive way to connect with fans. While Brian Wilson left some good songs unreleased, and such decision is hard to understand, now, one suspects that even at his confident peak, given the insane demands of product release, he needed to have a few songs and ideas in his quiver in case they were needed, at some point. In reality, the humor tracks probably would have been replaced with throwaways, such as some of the instrumentals on the earliest albums. Inevitably some of the insurance policies went into a drawer and were forgotten - or he lost interest - but they were probably needed. He had a major panic attack as it was. One could argue the humor tracks represent some pretty impressive creativity. I found myself listening to them and smiling a bit immediately after the loss of Dennis and Carl. A bit of comfort. Wise words indeed. And of course the note that Brian forgets in "Our Favorite Recording Sessions" is the first pitched note of the next track, the album closer "Don't Back Down".
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Post by hankbriarstem on Jun 10, 2021 18:05:23 GMT -5
One of the message board greats, Stan Shantar, made a detailed and I thought persuasive argument, back in the day, that the spoken word humor tracks on the early albums were unfairly maligned. Essentially he felt that those tracks -- in their time -- provided fans a kind of connection to the band members, their personalities, their sense of humor, and their interests.Remember, we can't remove people and events from their own time. Those tracks were a pretty inventive way to connect with fans. While Brian Wilson left some good songs unreleased, and such decision is hard to understand, now, one suspects that even at his confident peak, given the insane demands of product release, he needed to have a few songs and ideas in his quiver in case they were needed, at some point. In reality, the humor tracks probably would have been replaced with throwaways, such as some of the instrumentals on the earliest albums. Inevitably some of the insurance policies went into a drawer and were forgotten - or he lost interest - but they were probably needed. He had a major panic attack as it was. One could argue the humor tracks represent some pretty impressive creativity. I found myself listening to them and smiling a bit immediately after the loss of Dennis and Carl. A bit of comfort. Wise words indeed. And of course the note that Brian forgets in "Our Favorite Recording Sessions" is the first pitched note of the next track, the album closer "Don't Back Down". Perfect segue.
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Post by moretuba on Jun 10, 2021 19:27:52 GMT -5
Hi. I am a fairly new Beach Boys fan. I would say the Today album is close behind Pet Sounds. It is in my top five. Pet Sounds is probably number 1. There is not a single song on Pet Sounds that I don't like. There are maybe one or two on Today that I don't like. As someone mentioned, the level of production and instrumentation on Pet Sounds is through the roof.
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Post by mattbbtalk on Jun 11, 2021 8:49:24 GMT -5
I hate how Pet Sounds is held up as the one time the Beach Boys made a classic album. Ask Beatles fans, which album is their greatest, and you're likely to get a response of Abbey Road, The Beatles, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, Revolver or Rubber Soul. I wish the wider world appreciated the BB's catalog as they do the Beatles. Beach Boys Today, Summer Days, Pet Sounds, Wild Honey, Sunflower - all of these should be regulars on all time greatest album polls. I think Summer Days is the most underrated of the bunch, because, at least among the hardcores, we're all praising Today. I think the consensus here is spot on - more mature themes on Today - at least on side two; bigger productions on Summer Days; and then it all comes together on Pet Sounds. A lot of great posts in this thread but yours is the one I can really relate to. It’s funny because I was just thinking about this thread today (no pun implied) and I didn’t know it existed! I never take part in polls or favorites because it’s so hard for me to pick but with the upcoming boxset it had me really thinking about the Beach Boys albums I think are the absolute best. Sunflower is up there.... but if I really, really had to try and rank them it would have to be Today on top. All Summer Long, Pet Sounds, probably Surfer Girl and Holland would be the top five. There are great things in all of the eras of the Beach Boys but I think Today is the bridge that ties them all together. There are things on Today that carried right through to TWGMTR. Also, for me anyway, side one is as stellar as side two. Do You Wanna Dance kicks it off with one of the all time greatest covers of a song I know of. Good To My Baby, When I Grow Up, Don't Hurt My Little Sister are lyrically timeless themes that any teen to twenty something could relate to then or now.... and that is who these records were created for, just as Pet Sounds and Rubber Soul were created for young people as well. The harmonies and musical arrangements and production, as well as the lyrics, on Today are damn near perfection. I would argue Today was as good as anything at the time and it holds up better than tons of records that typically make it on all time greatest lists. It absolutely should ALWAYS be in the conversation with Pet Sounds, Smile ect. I am in your camp on this. I think Pet Sounds is marvelous. But I don't think there is Pet Sounds without Today. And the second side, minus the last track, to me is a better sequence of songs than anything on Pet Sounds. Today is so good. I get the production is not as good as Pet Sounds, but the songs are so good.
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Post by jk on Jun 12, 2021 14:32:10 GMT -5
Salt Lake City may have desperately unhip lyrics but I defy anyone to find an analogous production from anywhere before that. You all make listening to music seem complicated. 😉 For me, who is not a musician, all I need to make me happy are good songs sung well with instruments and a nice arrangement. We got all that in the album. Surely everyone listens to music in their own way and every way is equally valid, whether it's Joshilyn's, Donny's, yours or mine (which is somewhere in between yours and theirs). As for "Salt Lake City", that was the track that leapt out at me when I bought the Party!/ Stack-O-Tracks twofer. What a simply stunning arrangement!
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