Best Beach Boys studio album?

The Beach boys - Landlocked


Info from http://www.btinternet.com/~bellagio/unreleased.html, which refers to a different tracklist and release but covers the basic info:
"There never was going to be a Landlocked album. At best, it was the working title for Surf's Up, but a series of coincidences and misunderstandings led to the strongly rooted belief that the tracks listed above comprised Landlocked. Following the August 1970 sessions, engineer Steve Desper compiled a tape of tracks in the can that might be suitable for the second Reprise album (curiously omitting "Seasons In the Sun"). The later discovery of this tape, labeled "2nd Brother album", coupled with the tracks common with Surf's Up caused many to jump to the obvious conclusion, later disproved by the research of Brad Elliott (although as far back as February 1971, during a WLPJ interview, the band stated that the acetate they were playing "isn't an album… it's tracks that might be on an album"). Another factor in the longevity of the Landlocked myth was the printing in David Leaf's biography of Brian of an alleged advert for the album, complete with this track listing: "Big 'T' Water/I Was Born In Kentucky/Sally (Was A Gentle Woman)/Sneakin' In The Back Door Of Love/Statue Of A Fool/Mountain High/Long Lonesome Highway/Tie Me To Your Apron Strings/There's Been A Change In Me/Sing That Song Again". Leaf wisely remarked upon the possibility of a hoax, and many BB historians noted the decidedly country slant of all the titles. And so it proved, for the track listing was lifted wholesale from the 1971 MGM album The Best Of Michael Parks. Of the tracks not previously dealt with, "San Miguel" was first released in 1981 on the Ten Years Of Harmony compilation, also turning up, along with "HELP Is On The Way", on the 1993 box set. The version of "Big Sur" here is a completely different recording to the Holland track, and "Lookin' At Tomorrow" and "'Til I Die" were, of course released on Surf's Up.
Possibility of release: none, of course, but it's interesting to compile a tape/burn a CD."

Info from the back of this Capital BB70 release:
"All tracks assembled here were recorded in the years 1969-1972. Most of them are unreleased, recorded primarily for the aborted "Landlocked"-album (1969/70)(Tracks 1-11)

Tracks 12-17 are 1970/71-outtakes for "Surf's up". Tracks 18-20 recorded for "Holland" in 1972."

1. Out In The Country
2. Good Time
3. Lady (Fallin' In Love)
4. When Girls Get Together
5. Loop de Loop (original version)
6. San Miguel
7. I Just Got My Pay
8. H.E.L.P. Is On The Way
9. Over The Waves
10. Soulfull Old Man Sunshine
11. Games Two Can Play
12. Fourth Of July

The Monterey saga:
13. Looking Down The Coast
14. Big Sur
15. Santa Ana Winds
16. Winter Symphony
17. Holy, Holy
18. We Got Love (studio version)
19. Sound Of The Free
20. Sail On Sailor
Bonus Tracks
21. Awake (Brian Wilson demo - 1970)
22. My Solution (Brian Wilson demo - 1970)
23. Only With You (live in Chicago, 1972. Vocal performance by Carl Wilson)

http://mega-farsh.blogspot.com/2008/09/beach-boys-landlocked-unreleased-album.html

I acquired the following in the last 24 hours:

Surfin' Safari/Surfin' USA 2-fer
Little Deuce Coupe/All Summer Long 2-fer
Pet Sounds (I already owned this but lost my copy)
Smiley Smile/Wild Honey 2-fer
Summer Love Songs

d/ling right now from ITunes:

Today/Summer Days and Summer Nights 2-fer
Sunflower/Surf's Up 2-fer

these 2fers should be mandatory for every old act

you need Holland and 20/20 and Beach Boys Love You too.
then into the wilderness of Smile bootlegs.

and Friends, gotta get Friends.

I really love 20/20 even though it's a disparate collection of Friends out-takes, Smile songs, singles, etc. It's hard to believe that Time To Get Alone and I Went To Sleep didn't make it on to Friends and Never Learn Not To Love is gorgeously creepy even without the Manson connection. The two-fer with Friends may be my fave BB release.

this poll is pretty much OTM until we get to "still cruisin" territory

and also this:

these 2fers should be mandatory for every old act

― Phoenix in Flight (Cattle Grind), Saturday, 10 April 2010 23:31 (Yesterday) Bookmark

colino otm

+ the 20/20 friends bonus tracks are all solid album-worthy stuff.

agreed.

Of those I've heard, my ranking would go like this:
1. Sunflower
2. Today!
3. Pet Sounds
4.All Summer Long
5. Wild Honey
6. Shut Down Vol 2
7. Friends
8. Surf's Up
9.Love You
10. Smiley Smile
11. Summer Days (and Summer Nights)
12. Party!
13. Surfer Girl
14. Little Deuce Coup
15. Surfin' USA
16. Holland
17. 20/20
I love the first nine and like all the rest quite a bit. I should check out 'So Tough' one of these days. Hell, I should check out the post-Love You stuff considering I kind of like 'Kokomo.'

I wish I could see the thing others see in 'Love You.' I mean, I even like '15 Big Ones' better than it and that is damning with strong damns.

maybe it's just cuz i'm still up cuz I'm hydrating from the beer, but I just listened to the 40 minute help me rhonda outtakes where Brian fights with Murry.

damn the boys had a really good sense of humor, judging by the sarcastic quips. ie, Murry saying he has "3,000 words to say" and one of the Wilsons (I presume) replying that he only said 82 words.

I think that was Mike.

ok so should I buy Smile by Brian Wilson now

btw, at the 'beach boys' show featurin Mike Love and Bruce Johnston a few weeks ago...John Stamos was there and the show seemed more about him at times, but the ultraLOL moment came when Mike Love announced the Beach Boys would be backing Stamos up on "Forever", which he sang on Full House...and then promptly did.

yeah stamos has been doing this on and off for years. he has a hard on for dennis wilson and clearly wants to be him. it's too be he sucks.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/photos/stylus/114989-beachboys_stamos_large.jpg
what a weird world

he did a nice job drumming, altho it was kinda weird that they had two drummers drumming at the same time....

happy birthday Bruce
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4m5SfdZ_n4&feature=player_embedded#at=25

The song's subtitle notwithstanding, that made me long for the 70's.

Great performance tho.

prime geir crazy itt

meanwhile love you deserved at least one vote

record is completely fucking bonkers

Can't believe there isn't more love for the great Summer Days and Summer Nights. Also All Summer Long is great.

Did I mention ... great??

the filler is pretty bad

I accept that for All Summer Long. But not much filler on Summer Days imo. You have to hand it to Salt Lake City just for its lunatic novelty value. And aside from that you can really see Brian reaching for Pet Sounds but fascinatingly its through a series of genre (if that's the right word for it) experiments. The songs are more distinct than on Pet Sounds, and a bit more rock. I love that record.

oh yeah the good stuff is 100% classic but salt lake really does suck the life out of things

Still Cruisin' 2

wtf

pretty sure those were jokes, I think those people would have made themselves known

unless they're keeping a low profile out of shame

I mean, I can totally sympathize w/ u if u love Kokomo unironically, but to rate that album as their career high is just ludicrous.

yes

xps

imho the first half of Summer Days and Summer Nights is pretty weak. I have no use for the Girl From New York City, Amusement Parks USA, or Salt Lake City, really. It's weird that they loaded the first side with covers and put the real genius tracks on side 2. The peaks of the album are REALLY high though - Let Him Run Wild! omg that song.

as far as filler goes, I'm Bugged at My Old Man is probably my favorite filler track of theirs hands-down.

LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!

You have to hand it to Salt Lake City just for its lunatic novelty value.
it is so fucking dumb that it transcends dumbness. i imagine that if they'd let him, mike love would have written 40 "city" songs, just so that they'd get regional airplay. i'm sure they still jam "salt lake city" in SLC regularly. and everytime they do, mike love kills a puppy.

imho the first half of Summer Days and Summer Nights is pretty weak. I have no use for the Girl From New York City, Amusement Parks USA, or Salt Lake City, really. It's weird that they loaded the first side with covers and put the real genius tracks on side 2. The peaks of the album are REALLY high though - Let Him Run Wild! omg that song.

Agreed that the first half isn't as good, but Salt Lake City has an amazing Steve Douglas sax break. And for some reason, I used to fantasize about recording Girl From New York City in a Cupid & Psyche-era Scritti Politti style.

Remember when you spilled coke all over your blouse?

ugh stop it

All Summer Long (the album, not the song) is one of my least favourite Boys albums. I don't know why - it has some great singles, and a couple of nice ballads, but it doesn't hang together as a record for some reason. Am I being unfair?

Summer Days is so, so good though. Absolutely adore it, even the stupid songs.

Maybe my perception of these two albums is affected by how they're backed as CD two-fers though. All Summer Long has a lot of great songs so I don't understand why I'm harsh on it. Then I realised it's b/w the rather hotchpotch Little Deuce Coupe (never really liked the car songs). Whereas Summer Days is really a handful of brilliant songs propped up by fillery nonsense, but it's backed by Today, which is the best pre-Pet Sounds record in terms of production and songwriting.

I've always thought Today's production didn't hold a candle to Summer Days -- but it might be the mix/mastering. For sure, the arrangements on the former are incredible (again, particularly on the second side).

not sure of much, but I will always know that Smiley Smile my answer to the thread question

Smiley Smile is my answer too. Not many people agree, but I love the Autumnal psychedelic vibe and the cover and the helium etc...

i love the imperfection

also almost zero drums (apart from Good Vibes/Heroes)

This is hardly original, but I always thought of Summer Days/Nights as something like the Revolver to Pet Sounds' Sgt Pepper. I mean that in the sense that it's the last time that the record really sounds like it's made by a band (at least until after Brian cedes control of the group some years later). So I forgive the filler the way I forgive the crappy Paul songs on Revolver, since he's so obviously integral to what makes everything else great on the other tracks. Likewise there are tons of great individual and group performances on Summer Days -- in this way "California Girls" is for me the high point of their career (also David Lee Roth's but that's another issue). But all this with the added bonus of Brian's evolving arrangements.

Although it is an amazing album, "Summer Days and Summer Night" was in a lot of ways a bunch of singles and single tracks hastily pulled together to make an album. It is still great, yes, in fact one of my fave Beach Boys albums, but a lot of the tracks were already known, some actually quite old. "Revolver" was much more of a cohesive work meant as a whole.

"Amusement Parks USA" and "Salt Lake City" are both classic early Beach Boys to me. Great songwriting.

Would have voted for Love You.

Although it is an amazing album, "Summer Days and Summer Night" was in a lot of ways a bunch of singles and single tracks hastily pulled together to make an album. It is still great, yes, in fact one of my fave Beach Boys albums, but a lot of the tracks were already known, some actually quite old.

Thanks for the info. Interesting and I can believe that its albumness is in a sense ersatz. It nevertheless does sound like a GROUP in a way that the next few records (great as they are) do not.

Well, "Pet Sounds" wasn't really the work of a group, considering most of the instrumental backing was done by sessionist while the band (minus Brian Wilson) were on tour. It still is their best work though. :)

"the crappy Paul song on 'Revolver'"

Can I just

whatever song that is, I'm sure it would be improved with some Mike Love lyrics

I mean whatever planet on which "Got to Get You Into My Life" and "For No One" are crappy must have some GREAT fucking music otherwise. I hope I can visit it one day.

Got to Get You Into My Car

Shut Down Vol. 2 has gotta be the most "uneven" album I've ever heard, timeless classics share space with utter dreck

what you don't like an entire track of Mike Love and Brian Wilson making fun of each other

What is it with Mike Love going "oink oink" on tracks he presumably doesn't like?

Beach Boys' Party "Ruby Baby", which doesn't make the album...

and something off Smile, qed.

Can I just

I don't know which songs broom air was talking about, and I would never call them "crappy", but I skip Eleanor Rigby and Here There and Everywhere every time.

What is it with Mike Love going "oink oink" on tracks he presumably doesn't like?

you should hear the Lei'd in Hawai'i outtake where he rambles about how shitty "Heroes and Villains" is over "Heroes and Villains"

Is there a decent 'Revolution in the Head' type book for the Beach Boys? Or any good bio that goes into who wrote what in depth?

Here, There and Everywhere was my and my wife's first dance at our wedding :(

Steven Gaines' "Heroes and Villains: the True Story of the Beach Boys" is amaaaaaaazing but it glosses over a fair amount of musical details. There's several Brian Wilson-centric ones (including one devoted exclusively to Pet Sounds iirc) but yeah muso-scholarship seems kinda lacking in general. Dominic Priore's "Look! Listen! Smile! Vibrate!" is a pretty amazing overview of the Smile period.

Also David leaf's mystifyingly out of print book

yeah I've never seen a copy of that

Although it is an amazing album, "Summer Days and Summer Night" was in a lot of ways a bunch of singles and single tracks hastily pulled together to make an album. It is still great, yes, in fact one of my fave Beach Boys albums, but a lot of the tracks were already known, some actually quite old. "Revolver" was much more of a cohesive work meant as a whole.

― Hongroe (Geir Hongro), Wednesday, June 29, 2011 4:44 PM (2 days ago)

http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/9996/120578034005.jpg

a month after that album came out, "Salt Lake City" was released as a promo single (b/w "Amusement Parks USA") exclusively in Salt Lake City stores.

but you're wrong about Summer Days being made up of a bunch of old single tracks. none of the tracks on that album were released as singles (or b-sides) prior to the album's release apart from an alternate version of "Help Me Rhonda". I agree though that's it's not a very cohesive album compared to something like Today.

yeah I've never seen a copy of that

I read it from the library years ago, but it's about the best book I've seen on the BBs. Another good one (with some pretty awesome illustrations and pics) is Byron Preiss' book

Thanks for the answers, will check out that Steven Gaines one.

How did Holland only get one single vote? It's not the best, but still. Is it the spoken-word narration?

I'd have to say:

1. Friends
2. Sunflower
3. Surf's Up
4. Holland
5. Pet Sounds

Or some variation of that, usually.

yeah i was gonna argue that maybe it was due to ppl picking one but in the ilx beach boys poll that had a different voting system it didn't even finish in the top 17 albums - It's About Time: Beach Boys Poll Results. it might not make my top five either tbh but it's a very solid album.

yeah, holland is weirdly absent in that album poll. i like it a lot.

because Bruce Johnston writes the songs that make ilx sing

lol Wikipedia

"Genre - Progressive rock"

Mike Love will not be pleased

He'd have been fine if we just held the poll results until he'd had a chance to compose an essay about them.

Bob Dylan as well!

I'd rate the new one (not on either poll) over everything since Love You. Best closing three songs since Surf's Up.

The one-two punch of "Honkin' Down the Highway" and "Ding Dang" are really making me favor Love You these days.

I would have went with Sunflower... Surf's Up seems to be the album that gets cited from The Beach Boys early '70s era, and while I like the album a lot and the highlights on it are amazing, I think Sunflower is more consistent in quality from start to finish (I never was a bit fan of 'Student Demonstration Time' or 'Take A Load Off Your Feet', for example).

*bit=big

I listened to some youtubes of the new one the other day and I gotta say it was much better than it had any right to be