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Post by zooeyhall on Jan 4, 2022 19:09:37 GMT
I'm an 18 year old guy who would like to learn more about the Beach Boys and their music. Other than knowing that they were famous for those "surfer and car songs" back in the 1960's, I really don't know much about them.
They seem to have a large body of musical work--both as a group and individuals. Doing Google searches and randomly cruising the Internet for information about them is, I feel, not the best approach for a newbie. Because one can easily miss the important stuff, and get lost in trivial things that really don't give one a true appreciation for their music.
I was wondering if any "experts" here could advise on a sort of "Beach Boys 101" syllabus. A list of songs and albums that provide a good introduction to the group. A "must listen to" list of their best works.
There also appear to be quite a few books about the Beach Boys and some of the members. Some of them written by actual Beach Boy members themselves. Are there any that you would put on an "essential reading" list?
There seem to be several movies about the Beach Boys. Can anyone advise if any of these are worth watching?
Also--YouTube has a ton of videos and channels about the group. There are also quite a few blogs and discussions about the BB. However, I am always cautious about YouTube and Internet sources of information. Too often it is people trying to push an agenda, and not giving an unbiased view of things.
Any other help/advice is much appreciated!!
PS--(I posted this on another BeachBoys discussion group awhile back. But for some reason that discussion site seems to have become unavailable lately. So doing a repost here.)
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 4, 2022 19:20:44 GMT
Welcome!
I think you've come to the right place, in that many of us here would probably LOVE the "projects" you've set before us, of coming up with an intro to the band, lists of books, and so on.
First of all, I'll say this: the Beach Boys, with so many members having come and gone and come and gone again, and with so much time passed across eras, are endlessly fascinating, and have a body of work that is hard to whittle down to a single playlist or narrative. And their fans all have favorites, whether it's the early surf/car stuff, the lush Pet Sounds era, the experimental psychedelia of Smile and Smiley Smile, the progressive pop of the early '70s, the rootsier sounds of the early-mid 70s ... you get the idea!
My personal story began with fascination for Pet Sounds and Smile (before that was released, back in the late '90s, when I was not much older than you are now). So I started there, and went incrementally both back and forward in time. If you have something you love now, I'd recommend something along those lines, but starting from whatever it is you love. That way, you are using an entry point you KNOW you'll like, and following its threads where they lead.
Glad to post more to be of help. Our of curiosity, what got you into the band, and what of their music do you like (or like most) now?
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 4, 2022 19:24:56 GMT
I should add, we've been doing ratings (voted on by members of the board), first with albums and then (and still ongoing) with singles. So if you want to see the general consensus among our members for both albums and singles, check our ratings thread here.
But that's just the average/consensus. I'm sure it doesn't represent anyone's personal taste, just the averages of all our tastes.
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Post by kds on Jan 4, 2022 19:35:17 GMT
I'm not sure I'd start with the movies about The Beach Boys as, and this isn't just with The Beach Boys but with biopics in general, they can often be pretty inaccurate. Generally, I find that music biopics tend to be a little more entertaining if you've already invested some time in the band.
Until something better comes along (and apparently that could happen this year), the 1998 documentary Endless Harmony is a pretty good starting point.
The compilations that really piqued my interest in the band are compilations from the 2000s that compliment each other. The 30 track Sounds of Summer (released in 2003) gives you a great overview of most of their most beloved hits. The 28 track second volume, titled The Warmth of the Sun (released in 2007) includes several of the hits that didn't make Sounds of Summer and goes a little deeper into the catalog, most notably their 1968-1973 period.
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Post by The Cincinnati Kid on Jan 4, 2022 20:41:11 GMT
I'm an 18 year old guy who would like to learn more about the Beach Boys and their music. Other than knowing that they were famous for those "surfer and car songs" back in the 1960's, I really don't know much about them. They seem to have a large body of musical work--both as a group and individuals. Doing Google searches and randomly cruising the Internet for information about them is, I feel, not the best approach for a newbie. Because one can easily miss the important stuff, and get lost in trivial things that really don't give one a true appreciation for their music. I was wondering if any "experts" here could advise on a sort of "Beach Boys 101" syllabus. A list of songs and albums that provide a good introduction to the group. A "must listen to" list of their best works. There also appear to be quite a few books about the Beach Boys and some of the members. Some of them written by actual Beach Boy members themselves. Are there any that you would put on an "essential reading" list? There seem to be several movies about the Beach Boys. Can anyone advise if any of these are worth watching? Also--YouTube has a ton of videos and channels about the group. There are also quite a few blogs and discussions about the BB. However, I am always cautious about YouTube and Internet sources of information. Too often it is people trying to push an agenda, and not giving an unbiased view of things. Any other help/advice is much appreciated!! PS--(I posted this on another BeachBoys discussion group awhile back. But for some reason that discussion site seems to have become unavailable lately. So doing a repost here.) Welcome aboard! My advice for a new fan depends on how deep you're wanting to go and how much you already know. I'll give a brief list and from there you can tell us if it's too much or not enough. Albums: All Summer Long Today! Pet Sounds Sunflower 50 Big Ones is a good compilation that does a pretty good job of covering the band's major songs. Love and Mercy and the recent Long Promised Road documentary are both must-watches. Both Brian and Mike's autobiographies books are good reads, but they have their own biases.
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Post by kds on Jan 4, 2022 20:45:42 GMT
Speaking of books, Peter Carlin's 2007 book Catch a Wave is a really good read, and probably the best biography of The Beach Boys / Brian Wilson I've read to date.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 4, 2022 20:52:55 GMT
I was going to say the same thing about books: Carlin's is the best, but it is a Brian Wilson book more than a Beach Boys book. Frankly I don't think "the definitive" full-band book has been written yet. The best are all primarily about (or by) one member.
That said, I do really like "Back to the Beach: a Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys Reader," edited by Kingsley Abbott (rev. 2003). It isn't a newly written history of the band, but a collection of articles, reviews, and interviews from over the years. That means a LOT of the information is inaccurate, but it accurately represents what was being said at the time by this or that person.
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Post by kds on Jan 4, 2022 21:08:13 GMT
John Stebbin's Beach Boys FAQ is a good one, though it's not a linear biography, but a collection of different relatively short chapters by Stebbins that are informative, fun, and entertaining.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jan 4, 2022 21:32:15 GMT
Welcome to the board, zooeyhall! I agree with the suggestions above, but I'll still bombard you with some of mine. I'd also like to ask a favor you. After you get a chance to settle in and sample the board, please feel free to contribute by posting. We're always looking for new opinions and points of view - and we certainly welcome yours.
CD:
Book:
DVD:
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 4, 2022 21:36:17 GMT
I just put together a 60-song, 3-hour playlist. I know that's a little excessive to absorb, but...
It goes roughly in chronological order (though some songs are placed roughly where they were recorded, not released), and does not pretend to be a greatest hits collection by any means. It's a combo of best work and a showcase of the diversity of the work, but leaning toward the better stuff (so something unusual but awful isn't included). When I say "diversity of the work," I mean both styles/sounds as well as composers and singers. So you'll get a decent dose of not just Brian, Mike, and Carl, but Dennis, Al, Bruce, and Blondie.
I also went VERY light on early hits, because I think they're pretty well known by everyone. If that's not the case, I'm sure anyone here (myself included) would be happy to spend more time on something from those years. But I spend only about half a dozen songs on pre-Pet Sounds.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 4, 2022 21:59:47 GMT
I just remembered Sheriff John Stone recently proposed a greatest hits comp to celebrate the band's 60th anniversary. So it would be a good counterpoint to the playlist I made, being more focused on the popular music and with a much heavier emphasis on the early stuff. If I had my druthers - Iconic, are you listening - to recognize and celebrate The Beach Boys' 60th anniversary in 2022, I would release a 3CD "Best Of" set comprised of 60 songs with 20 tracks per CD. This would be my desired tracklist: The Beach Boys - 60 Big Ones
CD1 01 Surfin' Safari 02 409 03 Shut Down
04 Surfin' U.S.A. 05 Surfer Girl 06 Little Deuce Coupe 07 Be True To Your School 08 In My Room 09 Don't Worry Baby 10 Fun, Fun, Fun 11 The Warmth Of The Sun 12 I Get Around 13 All Summer Long 14 Do You Wanna Dance 15 Please Let Me Wonder 16 Dance, Dance, Dance 17 When I Grow Up (To Be A Man) 18 California Girls 19 Help Me, Rhonda 20 Barbara Ann CD2 01 Wouldn't It Be Nice 02 God Only Knows 03 Sloop John B 04 Caroline, No 05 Good Vibrations 06 Heroes And Villains 07 Darlin' 08 Friends 09 Do It Again 10 I Can Hear Music 11 Cabin Essence 12 Breakaway 13 Forever 14 This Whole World 15 'Til I Die 16 Surf's Up 17 Disney Girls 18 Marcella 19 Sail On, Sailor 20 California Saga: California
CD3 01 Rock And Roll Music 02 Back Home 03 It's OK 04 Susie Cincinnati 05 The Night Was So Young 06 I'll Bet He's Nice 07 Come Go With Me 08 Good Timin' 09 Lady Lynda 10 Keepin' The Summer Alive 11 Goin' On 12 Getcha Back 13 California Calling 14 Where I Belong 15 Kokomo 16 Still Cruisin' 17 Summer In Paradise 18 From There To Back Again 19 Pacific Coast Highway 20 Summer's Gone
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Post by lonelysummer on Jan 5, 2022 3:44:45 GMT
I'm an 18 year old guy who would like to learn more about the Beach Boys and their music. Other than knowing that they were famous for those "surfer and car songs" back in the 1960's, I really don't know much about them. They seem to have a large body of musical work--both as a group and individuals. Doing Google searches and randomly cruising the Internet for information about them is, I feel, not the best approach for a newbie. Because one can easily miss the important stuff, and get lost in trivial things that really don't give one a true appreciation for their music. I was wondering if any "experts" here could advise on a sort of "Beach Boys 101" syllabus. A list of songs and albums that provide a good introduction to the group. A "must listen to" list of their best works. There also appear to be quite a few books about the Beach Boys and some of the members. Some of them written by actual Beach Boy members themselves. Are there any that you would put on an "essential reading" list? There seem to be several movies about the Beach Boys. Can anyone advise if any of these are worth watching? Also--YouTube has a ton of videos and channels about the group. There are also quite a few blogs and discussions about the BB. However, I am always cautious about YouTube and Internet sources of information. Too often it is people trying to push an agenda, and not giving an unbiased view of things. Any other help/advice is much appreciated!! PS--(I posted this on another BeachBoys discussion group awhile back. But for some reason that discussion site seems to have become unavailable lately. So doing a repost here.) Welcome to the board. You are embarking on a journey full of discovery, joy...and occasional frustration and disappointment. Enjoy the ride!
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Post by carllove on Jan 5, 2022 11:45:57 GMT
Welcome zooeyhall! You could start where I did, with the movie Love & Mercy and the box set Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of The Beach Boys. I think I paid $30 or so plus shipping for the set on eBay and it gives you a nice overview of the music of The Beach Boys. Then you can decide what road you want to travel, based on what you like. Mine lead straight to Pet Sounds and Sunflower. You might decide -“ Wow - that Smile stuff is cool” or “ Friends is so relaxing, I want to chill to more of it”, who knows? That is the fun of the journey of discovery of the Boys. Also - I agree with the recommendations to watch Endless Harmony: The Beach Boys Story. It’s on YouTube, and it includes some rare recordings. I have three books, Heroes and Villains, Long Promised Road and I am Brian Wilson. I’m not sure I can recommend any of those though. You might want to wait awhile before reading Gaines’ book, however. It’s a juicy one, written just after the death of Dennis Wilson.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 14, 2022 17:54:30 GMT
Hey zooeyhall, I know it's only been a week or two, but out of curiosity, have you begun to dig into anything? Any first impressions on songs/albums/books/movies?
I think there's something about Beach Boys fans--maybe fans of anything, though--that we get interested, or even invested, in other new fans' journeys!
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