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Best Beach Boys Song?

Wouldn't It Be Nice is the rare pop song with mature lyrics. Hey, let's get married and be happy. A future-forward look at love rather than being obsessed with young, new love. Which is pretty remarkable for a pop hit in 1966. McCartney and Lennon focused more on the family love songs in the 70s (I don't think you can count The Ballad of John and Yoko, because while it details their wedding, it's not really ABOUT an adult love, it's about media pressures). Maybe Julia from the White Album would count.


ANYWAY, back to the Beach Boys. I don't know that I have a fave but a smattering of my faves would include the aforementioned plus:

Good Vibrations
Don't Talk (Put Your Head on My Shoulder)
Caroline, No
Surf's Up
Vega-Tables
Feel Flows
'Til I Die
In My Room
Surfer Girl
 
Couldn't I just listen to Endless Summer? That was the soundrack of my youth.

I love Sloop John B.

Edit: I have the vinyl album.
 
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orthophonic said:
For me it would be:

Caroline No
Girl Don't Tell Me
Let Him Run Wild
Click to expand...

Caroline No - did anyone ever hear that originally that may have been intended to be "Carol I Know" - and that the lyric in the song "....oh Caroline you" - could be "oh Carol I knew"

Another one of my favourites.
 
I'd have to go with "Good Vibrations". I'm in my late fifties so I grew up with this music. The thing that I didn't like was that too much of their music all sounded the same.
"Good Vibrations" was really different and that really stood out for me.
 
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Partly inspired by this thread and a need to hear something calm and delicate at a very late hour, I decided to spin my original mono copy of Pet Sounds last night and realized I also really (really) like the number "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times".
 
Pretty much anything on the Endless Summer and Holland albums, but if I had to choose three:

1. Don't Worry Baby
2. Fun, Fun, Fun
3. Sail on Sailor
4. Add Some Music
 
I Get Around
Surfer Girl
Don't Worry Baby
California Girls

I love Pet Sounds and the stuff after as much as any Brian Wilson freak but these 4 songs at least deserve spots in the front of the line.

It appears that Surfer Girl is a pretty underrated song. I'm surprised.
 
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orthophonic said:
Let Him Run Wild
Click to expand...

Great choice. Another incredible track from the same album is You're So Good To Me.

Here is a Beach Boy's harmony that will melt your heart. Brian's lead vocal is beautiful at the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1rd9I_Wk6I&feature=related

It's that youthful tone of his voice that I love so much. Every time I'm reminded of how cool his voice was I get bummed out about the whole Smile thing all over again. Goddammit.
 
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So many:

God only knows, Good Vibrations, Wouln't it be nice, guess you could tel i really like "Pet Sounds". Of course their earlier stuff: Help Me Rhonda, I Get around, Barbara Ann.
 
So many:

God only knows, Good Vibrations, Wouln't it be nice, guess you could tel i really like "Pet Sounds". Of course their earlier stuff: Help Me Rhonda, I Get around, Barbara Ann.
 
I listened to the original version of Barbara Ann by the Regents last night, as well as Hushabye by the Mystics. Brian sure had a thing for good Doo Wop.

The Beach Boys' version of Barbara Ann, while a throwaway, sure is infectious.

Endless Summer is a great selection of tunes and introduced kids like me to the Beach Boys in the 70s.
 
So much great music from these guys, I'm still partial to their whole catalog - in particular:
1. California Girls
2. I Get Around
3. God Only Knows
4. Caroline, No
5. Til I Die (perfection!)
6. Surf's Up
7. Our Prayer
8. California Saga
9. Good Timin'
10. This Whole World
11. Heroes and Villains
12. Sail On Sailor
13. I Can Hear Music
14. Do It Again
 
three favorite 'obscure' songs (not in Pet Sounds, Endless Summer etc.)
*'Getcha Back' (1985 BB album)
*'Let us go on this Way' (1977 'BB Love You' album)
*'Lonely Sea' obscure older one. would be really great without the talking in the middle.

(p.s.; speaking of 'Endless Summer' there's an awesome single by the Jezabals by that title; nothing to do with the BBs)
 
"Surf's Up" has been my favorite for many years. "Catch a Wave" is another -next time you hear it, listen to the instrumental.
 
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