"I Can't Feel the Beach!": The Beach Boys Album Poll

You missed out "BB Party" but never mind.

Wild Honey

"Smiley Smile" ftw!

The ones I play most are prob'ly "Wild Honey", "Smiley Smile" and "Sunflower"

But "Today!" might be the best

I didn't miss nothin - studio albums only!

OK.

Although, strictly speaking, it was recorded in a studio and not round their house like they pretended...

I think I will go for the one that has no skippable/bad songs on it - not sure which one that is tho (maybe Friends or Wild Honey)

Stack-o-tracks

Pet Sounds. Today is #2.

weird using my "no bad songs" criteria winner is actually Carl & the Passions (So Tough) and/or Pet Sounds. Although honestly I can't remember the last time I listened to Pet Sounds.

surf's up

If the best possible single LP version of Smile was released then it would be that. Failing that I guess I'm voting Pet Sounds.

pet sounds, followed by summer days/summer nights or friends. I think these are the only ones I can listen to all the way through; most other albums have at least two songs I hate.

Best Beach Boys studio album?

That was over a year ago!

friends, with sunflower a close second

...shud do a poll of best bb twofers...

oh shit I didn't see that poll - did a search but didn't turn up, weird

apparently last year I voted for Sunflower. altho I really can't stand the two Bruce Johnston songs on that one.

Holland!!!

SMiLE

yeah i would vote smile, did vote wild honey

Sunflower

voting smile is a total cop out. it's not even an album.

beach boys party is a studio album and should have been on here.

/pedant

last year two people voted for "Still Cruisin'" and "Keeping the Summer Alive". Weird!

20 Golden Greats duh

Pet Sounds is always hard to argue with

Sunflower is overrated

Friends is great

at least two post-Surf's Up albums are totally great
at least two pre-Pet Sounds albums are totally great

I always forget to vote in polls, anyhow...

Not voting Pet Sounds feels like some kinda music-nerdier-than-thou move. Of course it's Pet Sounds.

I mean, so many of those records have their moments, and some have a buncha moments, but there's no better Beach Boys *album*. IMO.

I guess. I tend to listen to their post-Pet Sounds material way more. That counts for something.

#2 - Surf's Up, probably

Smiley Smile these days. Most underrated in their catalogue.

I think Wild Honey is the best, as in most consistent and magical, to my ears--as an album-as-album. Summer Days!! and Today are the group at their most virile. Actually, I voted for Wild Honey but my favorite, forever and always, is Love You, which is up there with the Miracles' City of Angels in my list of records that say so much more with their total lack of insight into the "real world" than any number of other more sensible records...I guess the whole BBs output is like that or gets like that more and more. I guess too that I love Pet Sounds but it's arty compared to WH and Love You's aural universes...

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

compare/contrast:

Best Beach Boys studio album?

Beach Boys Christmas Album 2

lolz

meh, sunflower and surf's up are overrated!

I didn't vote, but I would've voted for Pet Sounds. I listened to it today. Man I love You Still Believe In Me.

^^^^

And shit, Wilson was a great arranger. The Beach Boys legacy is sullied every time someone invokes it to describe some goofy indie pop band without a smidgen of the sophistication of the BBs.

didn't vote, would've picked "wild honey", mainly for title track and also because of the "i was made to love her" cover. and i'm sorta burned out on "smile" and "pet sounds".

Even the contrian ILM couldn't prevent "Pet Sounds" from getting its obvious top position here.

I mean, as much as I absolutely love "Surf's Up" and "Sunflower", you just cannot top "Pet Sounds" really.

True, but I still listen to them far more nowadays.

i don't get what's so great about wild honey. aural loveliness? really? maybe I should give it another shot, it just sounded like a hamfisted attempt at rock music to me.

I can't beleive how few votes Today! got in both polls!

i don't get what's so great about wild honey. aural loveliness? really? maybe I should give it another shot, it just sounded like a hamfisted attempt at rock music to me.

its their "soul" album. there's something in the liner notes about how this was "music for brian to relax with by the pool" which is a good summation of its appeal. its low-key but still energetic, it sounds like it was made by 5 guys in a rec room, and there are some pretty weird/goofy bits poking through here and there ("I'd love just once to see you... in the nude" etc.)

True, but I still listen to them far more nowadays.

So may I too, but that is because they were unavailable for ages. However, it isn't until recent years (well, the past 10 years or so) that "Pet Sounds" has been available in stereo either, and that surely brought a new dimension to that masterpiece.

And "Wild Honey" is of course horrible. Better than "Keepin' The Summer Alive" and "L.A", yes. But not by a lot....

I can't beleive how few votes Today! got in both polls!

"Today" was a great album, but I would believe those who like "Today" because of the first side would go for some singles compilation with the early stuff while those who like it because of the second side will vote for "Pet Sounds".

"How She Boogalooed It" is the only really weak song on Wild Honey and even that is at least partly redeemed by a totally fun farfisa solo

they're cover of "I Was Made to Love Her" is better than the original imho, but I don't really go in for Li'l Stevie Wonder

their