Any fellow Beach Boys/Brian Wilson fans here?

[Guest Groove_Ghost]

As the title says just wondering if anyone shares my love of The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson's solo albums?

I've been collecting the BBs albums from their debut to their seventeenth album 'Holland' *this was effectively where to quote Brian in his album 'That Lucky Old Sun' stated he "closed his eyes" and Mike Love ran the band in to the ground churning out pop music* and am amazed at the depth of the lyrics, beautiful harmonies and of course how Brian Wilson in his prime could play the studio as an instrument with unmatched virtuoso skills.

I suffer with Psychosis and got in to them when I read that Brian Wilson is afflicted with it as well and I purchased 'Pet Sounds' and just sat in complete and utter silence, listening to the sheer melancholic beauty of the album, tears kept streaming down my face at points. After that I was hooked, I needed more and more of this beautiful, inspiring music, I am always amazed at their ability to write sometimes light lyrics and yet put it to music that seems to speak even with no lyrics, only Brian Wilson with his wonderful soul can do that in my opinion.

And of course I read about SMiLe and was intrigued at what the musical landscape would have been like if it had been completed at least now Brian and Van lesbian Parks went back and finished it in 2004 I believe, though they said the original would have been darker and I suppose more akin to 'Pet Sounds'

So any fans knocking around here?

[Carolyn Marie]

Jessica, I was a BB fan waayyyy back when. I've only been to a couple of their concerts, though, but they were awesome! "Good Vibrations" and "I Get Around" and "When I Grow Up To Be A Man" (yeah, lots of irony there, all right ) are still my favorites.

HUGS

Carolyn Marie

[Guest Robin Winter]

"God Only Knows" is pretty much the only song I like :/

[Guest Groove_Ghost]

Jessica, I was a BB fan waayyyy back when. I've only been to a couple of their concerts, though, but they were awesome! "Good Vibrations" and "I Get Around" and "When I Grow Up To Be A Man" (yeah, lots of irony there, all right ) are still my favorites.

HUGS

Carolyn Marie

OMG you've seen them live? you are officially the coolest woman on here!!!! When did you see them live? Was Brian Wilson back to touring then?

I love them so much, my favvy album of theirs at the minute is either the amazingly chilled out 'Friends' or the dark, brooding 'Surfs Up' I can't stop listening to 'Till I Die' on repeat, its so sad and yet it perfectly expresses how I feel inside right now. Oh and 'Disney Girls' makes me cry! "What a perfect life, with a forever wife" how can that not make someone well up?

LOL I read that on the recent union tour they sang 'When I grow Up' and in the middle of the song Al Jardine started laughing to himself and shook his head singing at their ages must feel so ironic

[Guest LizMarie]

For pure cruising fun in a '69 Pontiac Firebird with a 350 cubic inch engine, Holley 850 4 barrel carb, and manual 4 speed that, with one of my best friends driving couldn't be beat in a drag race, we'd always listen to "Help me, Rhonda" and "The Ballad of Ole Betsy". And of course, "409" and "Little Deuce Coupe". And then "Car Crazy Cutie" and "Surfer Girl" spoke to me personally about my dysphoria, only I had no words for it back then (other than being told it was an "abomination" and "crazy").

[Carolyn Marie]

OMG you've seen them live? you are officially the coolest woman on here!!!! When did you see them live? Was Brian Wilson back to touring then?

LOL!! I've been called lots of things around here, Jessica, but never before have I been called "cool." Thanks very much.

I can't recall the date for certain, but the first concert was around 1972 when they appeared at the Forum in Inglewood. The second time was in the early to mid-'80s when they were getting a little long in the tooth, but still sounded great. As I recall, they had two drum sections, and it was awesome.

HUGS

Carolyn Marie

[Guest filmgirl92]

AHHHHHHHHHH! I LOVE THE BEACH BOYS!!!

I just saw them in concert last weekend!!!

[Guest Groove_Ghost]

For pure cruising fun in a '69 Pontiac Firebird with a 350 cubic inch engine, Holley 850 4 barrel carb, and manual 4 speed that, with one of my best friends driving couldn't be beat in a drag race, we'd always listen to "Help me, Rhonda" and "The Ballad of Ole Betsy". And of course, "409" and "Little Deuce Coupe". And then "Car Crazy Cutie" and "Surfer Girl" spoke to me personally about my dysphoria, only I had no words for it back then (other than being told it was an "abomination" and "crazy").

*Looks extremely confused* O_O I know thats a car, right?? Hmm not really big on or know much about cars, but cool!! ahh 'Help Me Rhonda' is an amazing song, either version from Today! or Summer Days (And Summer Nights!) are both some of the best pop ever commited to tape. OMG I love Surfer Girl and when I first heard it I just sighed all through it, it really spoke to me as well. I do often lay back in bed listening to their stories of sun, sand, sea and surf and beautiful girls and wish I was one of them except being one of those beautiful and scoping out other beautiful girls

While I do like the Little Douce Coup album and contrary to a lot of other fans whose favourite material is the 70s stuff I do like their older, 60s albums, despite lyrically not being too deep the music most certainly was and who cannot appreciate the infectious surf rock of I Get Around?! but I get sad when thinking of how the pressures put on Brian Wilson by Capitol for more material helped his breakdown

AHHHHHHHHHH! I LOVE THE BEACH BOYS!!!

I just saw them in concert last weekend!!!

Well now your all just rubbing it in aren't you? awww never seen them live *sobs* that would have been one of the reuinion concerts right? So Brian Wilson was there too!!! OMG sooeess jealous, not fair at all..

[Guest filmgirl92]

It was part of the reunion tour. It was pretty spectacular and yes Brian Wilson was there! Here are a few pictures I took. I'll post more tomorrow

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicfornario/7469001678

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicfornario/7438522598

[Guest Groove_Ghost]

Those pics look amazing, I am seriously soooeess jealous of you right now I'd give anything to have been there, and now Mike Love is doing a tour without Brian Wilson and considering he didn't tell him and Brian found out during an interview, well, I don't think those two will be talking again for a while. Least I still have a chance to see Brian Wilson solo

Look forward to seeing those pics though and feeling more jealous LOL

[KathrynJulia]

Jessica, I was a BB fan waayyyy back when. I've only been to a couple of their concerts, though, but they were awesome! "Good Vibrations" and "I Get Around" and "When I Grow Up To Be A Man" (yeah, lots of irony there, all right ) are still my favorites.

HUGS

Carolyn Marie

OMG you've seen them live? you are officially the coolest woman on here!!!! When did you see them live? Was Brian Wilson back to touring then?

I love them so much, my favvy album of theirs at the minute is either the amazingly chilled out 'Friends' or the dark, brooding 'Surfs Up' I can't stop listening to 'Till I Die' on repeat, its so sad and yet it perfectly expresses how I feel inside right now. Oh and 'Disney Girls' makes me cry! "What a perfect life, with a forever wife" how can that not make someone well up?

LOL I read that on the recent union tour they sang 'When I grow Up' and in the middle of the song Al Jardine started laughing to himself and shook his head singing at their ages must feel so ironic

I've seen the original BB in concert in Milwaukee, Chicago, and Frankfurt West Germany. I know, I know, I'm the same age as Carolyn.

Kathryn

[Guest Groove_Ghost]

I'm sooeess sad now, never seen The Beach Boys and will never see the original line up live *cwies* NOT FAIR! I was born too late *anyone who gets the reference is my friend for life and is welcome to marry my sister any day, as is anyone who gets this reference* I would have loved to have seen them around the time of Surfs Up and Carl and The Passion's as well! My favvy era of them, they made such interesting albums around this time

Has anyone listened to Brian Wilson's 2004 version of SMiLe?

[Guest blackcoffee_redwine]

I loooove the beach boys. i saw brian wilson a while ago when he was doing the SMiLE album in its entirety. Amazing. Truly amazing. That being said, the recent SMiLE Sessions LP bleeeeew that '04 album out of the water. Pet Sounds is an absolute masterpiece in pop music. Even their GOOFY songs rule! I dare you to not dance to sing-a-long with Kokomo. srsly.

Edited July 14, 2012 by Carolyn Marie
Word filter work-around removed, per the T & C's

[Guest Groove_Ghost]

I loooove the beach boys. i saw brian wilson a while ago when he was doing the SMiLE album in its entirety. Amazing. Truly amazing. That being said, the recent SMiLE Sessions LP bleeeeew that '04 album out of the water. Pet Sounds is an absolute masterpiece in pop music. Even their GOOFY songs rule! I dare you to not dance to sing-a-long with Kokomo. srsly.

Why has everyone here seen them or Brian Wilson live except for me? *cwies* I adore his 2004 SMiLe album as while as The SMiLe Sessions but I can't pick a favourite, to me they are similar but very, very different, the '04 version has an air of happiness, of overcoming the great emotional struggle of battling his demons and I listen to either one depending on my mood. Pet Sounds is a masterpiece but listening to their 70s output I've come to love those albums far, far more than the early stuff. But IMO from Surfin' Safari to Holland they never made a bad album. After that it was patchy with my Dennis and Carl's solo albums being really what I mostly listen to from that point on.

Their goofy, Mike Love songs are good too, I feel I am one of a very small minority who enjoyed Summer in Paradise, its good sunshiney music and yes its not Pet Sounds or Today! but its good to throw on when you want to enjoy some stunning vocals and happy lyrics, Van lesbian Parks 'acid alliteration' doesn't do it for me all the time

[Guest Groove_Ghost]

Soooo..... yeahhhh.... Van's name didn't come out quite right thar O_o I am sure anyone interested in reading this topic would know his full name anyway, but I wonder if he ever gets annoyed trying to type his own name in to stuff like this? I bet he drinks late at night on his own and glares at his birth certificate LOL

[Guest blackcoffee_redwine]

the '04 version has an air of happiness, of overcoming the great emotional struggle of battling his demons

i completely agree. i like the smile sessions better tho because it has the demons imbued in it. the dark side of such a happy looking band is soooo appealing.

[Guest Groove_Ghost]

Thats why I adore Smiley Smile, it was filled with that sense of longing, desperation and is almost a document to Brian Wilson's descent in to mental illness *not that I am not filled to the brim with joy at his new found health, he is my personal hero* but as someone who suffers with Psychosis and has done all her remembered life I can relate to the mood of the album. To me Wind Chimes perfectly describes my experiences with it, it reminds of being so exhausted physically and mentally and falling to sleep as the voices speak to me, such a beautiful and harrowing experience, I am not sure if that was his intention, though I have read it was inspired by Psychosis, but its the memories and feelings it evokes within me at least.

But I do find his happier songs were an attempt to cling to a life that doesn't exist, a perfect, happy world and his later music was a crippling realisation that he won't find a world full of Disney girls so to speak.

Oh and right now I am listening to 20/20, Nearest Farway Place is still the most beautiful instrumental I have ever heard

[Guest blackcoffee_redwine]

this is very true about smiley smile. thats wiiiiicked dark. little pad is my favorite on that. sums up the melancholy in his music that i greatly relate to.

nearest faraway place is wonderful, but my FAVORITE beach boys instrumental is diamond head off Friends. thats such a good song to shut off your brain to.

ps i love that this topic has become a nerd-off between you and me XD

[Guest Groove_Ghost]

If it is a nerd off that you want, then a nerd off you shall have *glove slaps* I shall see you at dawn, bring your twelve sided dice and we shall have at each other!

It is so very dark and dry, before Brian Wilson completed SMiLe or the sessions were compiled I too was upset about not getting to hear this legendary album, especially after bits and pieces were released on ensuing albums like Cabin Essence on 20/20 or Surfs Up on the album of the same name, but taking it as it is its a beautiful album, and the follow up Wild Honey is easily one of my most played albums.

Friends is a very special album to me, such love and warmth permeates it, I adore every song on there but I could Nearest Faraway place makes me feel like I am falling in to velvet

Its nicey to have someone to talk to about The Beach Boys, I tried getting my girlfriend to listen to them but she was having none of it