how many albums have the beach boys sold?

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crawling across the web i came upon wikipedia's best selling artists list, and their figure for the beach boys seems extraordinairly low, have they really sold only a third of what status quo have?

― chris andrews (fraew), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 02:59 (twenty years ago)

Well their albums didn't really sell that well. I think Pet Sounds was a failure if I have it right (which I probably don't). They weren't really known as a "Album" band back then. Their singles were big.

― Voodoo Child, Tuesday, 13 September 2005 03:06 (twenty years ago)

I picked up an issue of Rolling Stone about three years ago that had featured their all time top 500 albums - from memory I think they put Pet Sounds sales at about 1 million compared to about 15 million for Sgt Pepper.

― wombatX (wombatX), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 05:21 (twenty years ago)

They have sold 2 to me. And my dad has 2 or 3, so that's like 5 right there. Anyone else?

― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 05:24 (twenty years ago)

It's actually only album i've bought on all three formats, but the tape was 2nd hand so i guess that doesn't count.

― wombatX (wombatX), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 05:37 (twenty years ago)

How many copies of "Looking Back with Love" were sold? I bet at least four.

― rjordan, Tuesday, 13 September 2005 06:53 (twenty years ago)

i wonder if the two-fer albums are counted as two seperate albums?

― dog latin (dog latin), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 07:28 (twenty years ago)

...and both Will Young and Paul Young have sold more than Neil Young. Frightening.

― avery keen-gardner (avery keen-gardner), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 10:21 (twenty years ago)

I get the feelign that Beach Boys are one of those bands who's albums have sold more copies over the last 15 years as CD reisuues than they sold when orinially released. A bit like a famous version of Nick Drake that had hit singles, if that makes sense. I'm sure that Pet Sounds must have sold more than a million copies since it was re-issued on CD

― Robin Goad (rgoad), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 10:22 (twenty years ago)

VU are multi-platinum now, right?

― chris andrews (fraew), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 19:42 (twenty years ago)

Only if you count selling records to nerds.

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 19:45 (twenty years ago)

This gives you some idea:

http://www.riaa.com/gp/database/search_results.asp

From a quick glance, Beach Boys have never had an album sell more than 4 million. Endless Summer had to have sold the most.

― Mark (MarkR), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 19:46 (twenty years ago)

This gives you some idea:

http://www.riaa.com/gp/database

From a quick glance, Beach Boys have never had an album sell more than 4 million. Endless Summer had to have sold the most.

― Mark (MarkR), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 19:46 (twenty years ago)

Aren't albums only certified if certification is requested by the artist/label/management?

― Huk-L (Huk-L), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 19:52 (twenty years ago)

all their albums prior to pet sounds were top 10 hits, and each of their 50+ records have been reissued, and/or compiled in large volumes...

― chris andrews (fraew), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 19:57 (twenty years ago)

No idea. Per the RIAA list, though, the Beach Boys are way down the list of all-time sellers. They've had too many dead years in their career compared to Beatles or Floyd or Zeppelin, who continue to sell year after year. Certain Beach Boys albums were out of print for years at a time.

― Mark (MarkR), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 19:58 (twenty years ago)

Perhaps the fact that many of their records were reissued as two-fers many explain something. And that-Pet Sounds and complations notwithstanding-the band really doesn't have an Abby Road or ZOSO or Dark side of The Moon or Purple Rain in the catalog.

― Marxism Goes Better With Coke (Charles McCain), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 20:03 (twenty years ago)

Even those two-fer reissues, though, were only bought by serious fans, don't you think? My guess is almost everyone is OK with Endless Summer or one of the later hits collections.

― Mark (MarkR), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 20:43 (twenty years ago)

would pet sounds be their biggest toal seller these days?, its certainly a well-known brand as an album - though their initial sales were poor (peaked at 160 on billboard, apparantly)

― chris andrews (fraew), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 20:49 (twenty years ago)

---Even those two-fer reissues, though, were only bought by serious fans, don't you think?---

nah they're totally mom albums bought from budget stores - 'oh wow look!, summer nights summer days / beach boys today! has ALL their best songs!' etc etc

― chris andrews (fraew), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 20:50 (twenty years ago)

"It's good value for the money!"

― Marxism Goes Better With Coke (Charles McCain), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 20:54 (twenty years ago)

'Pet Sounds' made Number Ten, but faded fast.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 21:42 (twenty years ago)

nah they're totally mom albums bought from budget stores - 'oh wow look!, summer nights summer days / beach boys today! has ALL their best songs!' etc etc

This is sooo off the money. Those people buy bargain bin hit comps when what they really want is Endless Summer. Summer Days/Summer Nights b/w Today is for serious Beach Boys fans to ramble about how side 2 of Today is proto-Pet Sounds while overlooking the gems on SD/SN (e.g. You're So Good to Me, etc.) stating how that album was "a step back".

― PappaWheelie B.C., Tuesday, 13 September 2005 21:45 (twenty years ago)

dood Summer Days/Summer Nights is fantastic. "She's Not the Little Girl I Once Knew", "You're So Good to Me", "I'm Bugged at My Old Man"(!!!so classic!!), "California Girls" but especially one of the first "weird" non-hit Beach Boys I ever heard and still am deeply moved by to this day, "Let Him Run Wild".

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 21:50 (twenty years ago)

hmm, actually "She's Not the Little Girl I Once Knew" isn't on that is it...? that was a single from around the same time...?

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 21:51 (twenty years ago)

Not to mention the rarities thrown at the end...for serious fans.

Moms would just complain how Help Me Rhonda is on it twice, and one of them has a weird volume problem. They would also be more annoyed with tracks such as Salt Lake City and Amusement Park USA than even I.

"She's Not the Little Girl I Once Knew" is one of those rarities at then end of the twofer, no?

Let him Run Wild very well may be my fave BBoys song ever!

― PappaWheelie B.C., Tuesday, 13 September 2005 21:53 (twenty years ago)

It's a bonus track.

― Marxism Goes Better With Coke (Charles McCain), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 21:54 (twenty years ago)

agreed about Amusement Park USA and Salt Lake City, but there's a couple stupid "topical" songs like that on pretty much every Beach Boys album. I personally find Amusement Park USA kinda funny ... I ain't afraid of no rollycoaster...

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 21:56 (twenty years ago)

Fave classic SD/SN track: "Girl Don't Tell Me". That's a cold little song, in league w/early Costello.

Lost Classic: "The Girl From New York City"

X-post

Amusement Park USA is cool. I like the barker (Hal Blaine?) on the break.

― Marxism Goes Better With Coke (Charles McCain), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 21:58 (twenty years ago)

"Let him Run Wild" and "Girl Don't Tell Me" are killer. Those songs give me a weird creepily-nostalgic end-of-summer feeling that reminds me of when I was 10 years old.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 22:05 (twenty years ago)

hahaha - oh yeah, that cruel little girl I had a crush on, how could she break my heart! Only the Beach Boys understand! how could I have forgotten "Girl Don't Tell Me"...

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 22:07 (twenty years ago)

Well, I meant that I actually listened to that stuff a lot in the summer when I was around that age. I suppose the lyrics must have spoken to me in some way though.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 22:10 (twenty years ago)

I alone have purchased about 20 Beach Boys albums (11 vinyl, 9 cd), and since there are approximately 300 million Americans, that makes like 6 billion records sold, right? Math is easy.

― polyphonic (polyphonic), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 22:26 (twenty years ago)

wtf The Sugarcubes sold 30m records?

― robertw, Tuesday, 13 September 2005 23:10 (twenty years ago)

where do you get that robertw?

― Matos-Webster Dictionary (M Matos), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 23:27 (twenty years ago)

Michael Bolton: 52,000,000

52,000,000 fans can't be wrong...

*snicker*

― Gerard (Gerard), Tuesday, 13 September 2005 23:47 (twenty years ago)

Matos: from that Wikipedia link--they're listed down at roughly 230th best selling. Something wrong there surely?

― robertw, Wednesday, 14 September 2005 01:11 (twenty years ago)

I think Today is a better record then SD/SN, but Girl Don't Tell me is my top 5 fave Beach Boys songs.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 01:31 (twenty years ago)

I swear there's a line in that song about "laughing at all the crazy n1gg3rs" in that song. Please put me right.

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 06:14 (twenty years ago)

I swear there's a line in that song about "laughing at all the crazy n1gg3rs" in that song. Please put me right.

Haha, no doubt some Brianbore will use this as another excuse to attack Mike Love

― Raymond Douglas Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 14 September 2005 08:34 (twenty years ago)

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