I'm a little late on my comment but Stamos Was Blocking John while John was singing Darlin there is a Video of it Then Stamos bought his kid out putting him on BONGOS ! completely Blocking John , John he had the Right to talk to Stamos about it ! STAMOS WENT RUNNING TO MIKE LOVE ! That's when John.was Fired ! Mike Love will do Anything For STAMOS ! YES STAMOS PICKED NEW DRUMMER ! A HARD ROCK DRUMMER YES THE 50TH WAS JOHN ON DRUMS 🥁 OVER BRIAN'S DRUMMER PICKED & SCOTT WAS MUSICAL DURECTOR OVER BRIAN MD ! Too I have also seen Jon Bolton on drums with BB we had tickets for months so we went He isn't a Fit for BB songs He Stands up playing hits his head with his sticks ! No talent or Stage Presence as John ! We left at Intermission with a lot of Other People I'll say Half Audience couldn't take Bolton Drums ! Loud my son always did to See John he had been a Drummer since he was 11 now he is 44 My sin said Bolton Didn't have his Drums Tuned & bet he doesn't know how too !! A lot of Front Rows Audience were Empty !! Think because knew John Cowsill & Scott Totten weren't going to be there ! John Scott the Back Bone of the Band !! They recorded on BB New song God Made the Radio Mike new album too Scott Arranged songs for Mike Here Cones the Sun ! More

I’ve always loved this album. Santa Ana Winds was often played on BBC radio 2 here in the UK in the afternoon, I always thought it was a hit song of theirs! Always sad to see the album at the bottom of people’s lists.. It isn’t innovative but I find it very entertaining. The last “proper” BB album and should have been more successful. The companion Knebworth show is really cool to see/hear.

I think Mike had signed some deals and Brian with his health issues was probably not going to continue after a certain point. He had some of those issues corrected and wanted to continue. Mike had already signed the contracts promising a lot more shows in smaller venues obviously knowing Brian would not continue as a band member. It was a major f-up on his part. He's done that a number of times. I don't know how Mike got sole rights to the Beach Boys name. I guess his brother, the lawyer, helped him on that. I don't hate Mike. In my opinion, he has carried on the Beach Boys name through some fallow years. I don't think he would have easily gotten the rights if Carl and Dennis had lived to old age, Carl especially. Now Brian is a widower and probably suffering from dementia. I don't think anyone believed he would last to such an old age given his drug abuse. I pray God brings Brian home soon. I wish the best for everyone from the Beach Boys.

I should get the shirt with the cover image. I have the Christmas tree ornament though! The thing that always struck me about this album is how it doesn't feel like the band was going for anything in particular. It's a random collection of odds and ends and leftovers (not the only Beach Boys album to be one, of course.) Looking at articles about behind-the-scenes stuff it seems like no one was really in charge or had a vision for it. I can enjoy everything on it, but it's so odd and disjointed that it is hard to really appreciate it. Great review though!

Yeah, heartbreakingly, Brian can no longer recognize members of his own family, so that chapter is officially closed.

Trombone Dixie became Had To Phone Ya. There are also bits of Trombone Dixie in future Beach Boy songs such as Wouldn't It Be Nice. So for Feel Flows and Sail On Sailor being skimped on Liners is due to the fact it was included in ESQ Magazine issues and on the The Beach Boy's website. The Pet Sounds Sessions was a Christmas present from my parents back in 2006 or 2007. I love it!

a very good and honest review, i do really like this album as i have mentioned before by far not my favourite, love the art work so much, title song rocks, i like there version of school days not the best version but i like, santa anna winds was a regular play on radio 2 here in the uk in the 00s even those not released as a single, so not their best but i do have a soft spot for it, cheers man

Listen to "Oh Darlin" at 1.25x. Thank me later.

I had this album after i discovered endless summer in '78. This was a terrible album with only santa anna winds being the only song i actually remember, it sounded like a country song.

I'm waiting for the SMiLE Sessions Funkos!!

I love Sunshine, Brian sounds great on top of the stack! Gets the most play of anything on this album (Goin On is objectively better but my ears want Sunshine!) I will say the School Days acapella intro is really nice and I don't like the song when it actually starts. Gimme that Brian led Oh Darlin any day, wished he had a proper lead on this album.

Nice review. KTSA is a bit of a dodgy LP but I love Sunshine as well . Have you heard ‘A Day in the life of a tree ‘ by Alexis Taylor, it’s rather good.

I've done a re-examination of this album recently. And I have to tell you--- it's not too bad in my opinion. The first six tracks are enjoyable. Not classics by any means, but enjoyable none the less. The last four songs are just ok. Not stinkers, but also nothing I'd purposely seek out either. The first two songs--- "Keepin The Summer Alive" and "Oh Darlin" are the highlights of the album for me. "Goin On" is a good song which may be most familiar to people.

probably one of my personal least favorite beach boys albums BUT i cant believe 'goin on' wasnt a hit, cause that song is pretty amazing. i especially love the key change!

Sunflower, Surf's Up and Holland are the BB's big boys!

Such a great set! They tried to replace this in 2016 with a 50th Anniversary book boxset and that crashed and burned. This set has much better sequencing and much more comprehensive written material (despite that one being packaged in a book, this box has much more to read.) I bought this set used and my booklets are flipped with newspaper clippings about Rolling Stone's Top Albums, etc. that the last owner had been trying to collect. They still use mixes from this set on Beach Boys compilations to this day so that must truly be a testament to it!

The ONE person in the world I would love to meet…

I agree with everything you said.

This box set led to my first CD player. Loved the Beach Boys since I first heard "Surfin' Safari" as a child, waaay back when. They were my 2nd concert at Steel Pier. I was 7! And this is STILL my favorite!

Ain't no way this guy isn't autistic

Great review as usual! I've been tempted to buy a used copy on eBay. Also, would you happen to be able to tell me what camera you use?

Glad that you enjoy this box set! My CD copy of "Pet Sounds" includes... on one disc... both the mono mixes and the stereo mixes of the songs, plus the "Hang On To Your Ego" version of "I Know There's An Answer". For me, I only want to own the finished product--- the album as released. Oh certainly, it would be fun to listen to all the sessions and various takes and such once. But I couldn't see myself wanting to listen to anything other than the completed album more than once. That's just me. I hope you continue to get enjoyment from all of the bonus material the more and more you listen to it!

An album with a few pretty good songs on it, but yes, a lot of filler too. "Surfin' U S A is an all time classic. Wonderful song. Other highlights for me are "Stoked", "Shut Down", and "Noble Surfer". Most people point to "The Lonely Sea" as being among their favorites on the album, but for me, that song just isn't my cup of tea. It's OK, I guess, at best. But I wouldn't grade it as a "good song", much less a "Great song" or a "Masterpiece". It's just... there.

I do not own this album. Since I'm an old guy, I still buy CD's. I don't do streaming. Although I enjoyed your review, I don't see myself tracking down this album on CD. I'd like to listen to it once out of curiosity, but I just don't see this as being an album I would ever want to own and listen to multiple times.

this man is beautiful

A new fan to The Beach Boys would best appreciate "Smiley Smile" if they had never heard of the aborted "SMiLE" album. "Smiley Smile" gets unfairly downgraded due to the fact that it wasn't "SMiLE". To fully appreciate "Smiley Smile", first forget everything you know and have heard about "SMiLE" and judge "Smiley Smile" on it's own merits. You will find enjoyable music like the two hit singles "Heroes And Villains" (my all time favorite Beach Boys song) and "Good Vibrations", and on "Smiley Smile" you will find hidden gems like the lo-fi "Vegetables", the eerie "Fall Breaks And Back To Winter", the silliness of "She's Goin' Bald", and great tunes like "Little Pad" and "Gettin' Hungry". And don't forget "With Me Tonight", a classic.

I have every song on "Wild Honey" in the good-or-above category. Many in Great to Excellent. Every song I could could listen to outside the album on it's own and find enjoyable. And yes, I'm "that" guy: "How She Boogalooed It" is an all-time classic for me. I just LOVE that song! Sort of reminds me of the song "Higher And Higher" by Jackie Wilson. I know that "Boogalooed" is divisive in the Beach Boys fandom, but put me in the "EXCELLENT" category for it.

Two fantastic songs open the album "Meant For You" and "Friends". Add in "Wake The World", "When A Man Needs A Woman", "Be Still", and "Busy Doin' Nothin'", and "Friends" makes for an enjoyable listen.

20/20: a favorite of mine. A top 5 Beach Boys album. The first five songs on side 1 are all great songs. And quite frankly, just about all the rest are at least very good. Just one song doesn't quite click with me enough to make it into the very good category: "I Went To Sleep". But overall, a masterpiece!

"Surf's Up" is a good album, but perhaps a half-notch down from "Sunflower". The standout tracks to me are "Long Promised Road" and of course the title track "Surf's Up". "Don't Go Near The Water" and "'Til I Die" are both very good also. And the one song I don't like is "Take A Load Off Your Feet". Just not my cup of tea. But the four standout tracks more than make up for one bad song.

Well, a bit hit and miss for Light Album. "Good Timin'" is excellent, and "Lady Lynda" and "Sumahama" are both good songs. I think the two most "controversial" cuts on the album are "Here Comes The Night" and "Shortenin' Bread". I myself understand what they were going for with "Here Comes The Night" being extended into a long 10 minute version for clubs and discos to play during the dying days of disco, and Brian's mental state caused him to become obsessed with "Shortenin' Bread". I think both tunes are rotten, but some people think they both have merit. Everything else on the album is neither good nor bad.

Kind of a "hit and miss" album for me. Songs I like include "Honkin' Down The Highway", "The Night Was So Young", and "I'll Bet He's Nice". But they're counter-balanced with bad clunkers like "Johnny Carson", "Ding Dang", and "Let's Put Our Hearts Together". The rest of the songs are, well, kind of bland. Not bad, but not good.

Whereas "Holland" was a step up from "Carl And The Passions: So Tough", I feel that "15 Big Ones" was an even bigger step up from "Holland". Maybe a lot of that happens to be that "15 Big Ones" simply had more songs to choose from to find favorites. "Rock And Roll Music", "It's OK", "Had To Phone Ya", "In The Still Of The Night", and "Susie Cincinnati" are the standout tracks, and ones I play by themselves outside the context of the full album. The only terrible song, in my estimation, is "TM Song". All the rest are just OK. But to have 5 songs that I really like, all on one album, makes "15 Big Ones" a more enjoyable album for me than "Holland" or "Carl And The Passions: So Tough".

"Holland": well, it's a step up from "Carl And The Passions: So Tough". "The Trader" is worth the price of admission alone. It's a FANTASTIC song! One of the very best ever done by The Beach Boys. Other than "The Trader", "California Saga/California" and "Sail On Sailor" are good as well. The rest? They're... OK, I guess. They are all just... there. I only listen to them if I'm listening to the entire album. I know "Mount Vernon And Fairway" was a separate disc when "Holland" came out, but for me it's something you listen to once in the interest of completeness, but I don't need to hear it again. Maybe someday I'll discover the artistic merit of the story. But... sorry. Right now, I think it's just dumb. For me, The Beach Boys pick it back up in quality with their next album "15 Big Ones".

I saw "Surf's Up" as a noticeable step down from "Sunflower" But not as big of a step down that "Carl And The Passions: So Tough" was from "Surf's Up". I hate to lay the blame at the feet of Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar, but... well... sorry. I'm sure they were fine members of The Flames, but to me they just weren't "Beach Boys". And what Blondie and Ricky brought to the table just wasn't within the idiom of all things Beach Boys. Only two songs on this album that I like.. "You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone" and "Marcella". And, sadly, I have both "Hold On Dear brother" and "Make It Good" in the "rotten" category. The other 4 songs? Not offensive, but I'm not going out of my way to play them individually out of the context of the album. At least they bounced back a little bit with "Holland".

In retrospect, it is pretty amazing that "Little Deuce Coupe" is so short! Hadn't even thought of that until you brought it up. The songs just "feels" like it's the perfect length. Maybe that's why I never noticed before.

For me, "Cherry Cherry Coupe" is the true hidden gem on tis album. I love the vocal arrangement. One of the best on the album. "Spirit Of America" tells the story of real-life car enthusiast and racer Craig Breedlove. Breedlove, driving "The Spirit Of America", traded the world land speed record several times during the early/mid 1960s with Art Arfons, who drove "The Green Monster". And these speed tests were truly held at the Bonneville Salt Flats (as mentioned in the song) in Utah, about 80 miles or so west of The Great Salt Lake.

The Beatles have always been my all time favorite, but The Beach Boys are my second favorite group, and not that far behind The Beatles. Over the past year, I have listened to MUCH more Beach Boys than Beatles.

I have just the single CD of "The SMiLE Sessions". I have to rate it as the best CD I have regardless of artist. It's the "Mona Lisa" of albums.

I'll give a go at listing 10 Beach Boys songs I don't care too much for. Again, not "hate", per se, but just don't care for. No particular order, and I'm going to skip the obvious "joke" type songs/talking segments (Bull Session, Cassius Love, Favorite recording sessions, etc.). Again, no particular order: It's about time... Take a load off your feet... Shortenin' Bread... Hold on dear brother... Make it good... TM song... Johnny Carson... Ding Dang...Lets put our hearts together... It's over now. Sorry for making everyone upset with my choices! 😄

My dad bought this album for my sister and I back in 1974. I think the grooves were completely gone within a few years. We played it over and over.

I proudly say that "Come Go With Me" and "Peggy Sue" are in my top 10 favorite Beach Boys songs. Al Jardine was the perfect voice for these songs.

It's a magnificent album start to finish. Not much more needs to be said. One thing I find a bit interesting is that society "expects" you to give highest praise to "Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)" and "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times". And if you don't automatically declare these two particular songs on Pet Sounds as the best, you have committed some sort of mortal sin and should be shunned from all things Beach Boys. Those two songs are actually my least two favorite songs on Pet Sounds. Yes, they're fine songs, but I skip over them quite a bit. Yes, I know that fans of The Beach Boys consider me to be some vile outsider "defying" the unspoken "rules" they have established on which Beach Boys songs to praise and which to shun ("NO! You're NOT allowed to enjoy the early hit singles! Only the songs which the community of self-appointed Beach Boys experts have deemed worthy!")

The front cover: Brian looks like Mickey Dolenz of The Monkees!

"The Girls On The Beach" = "The Warmth Of The Sun" ... yeah, I can see that. Until you said it, it didn't occur to me. I like both. Probably "The Warmth Of The Sun" a bit better. But both are good tunes.

For me, "prime" Beach Boys is the run from Today! to 20/20. All those albums are certifiable 10 out of 10s (The SMiLE Sessions is maybe an 11 out of 10? 😁). Sunflower is the first album that sees (for me) The Beach BOys slipping down into a 9 of 10. Surf's Up sees the downward trajectory continue, as I give that a 7 out of 10, then it really goes down with Carl And The Passions So Tough. Maybe just a 4 of 10.

I thought you were Derek Trucks😂

This show is the only time I ever saw The Beach Boys. I'd seen Brian in 2009 and again in 2011 but I couldn't believe they were getting back together for the album and the tour. Like you, I wasn't at the peak of my fandom yet, so there were a few songs I didn't know. I particularly loved seeing David singing Getcha Back. I loved how happy Brian was too. I was over the moon to hear Heroes and Villians and I Just Wasn't Made For These Times. (I really loved hearing Al sing 'I guess he just wasn't made for these times' as the backing vocal). Hearing Summer's Gone was heartbreaking following the announcement that this would be the last show. I had the absolute time of my life and like you, I've enjoyed the audience shot video from this gig too. This show should be a prime candidate for release in the future.

Hopefully the shady Deezer release will be forecasting a proper set this year. There were some cool things on there. I noticed Amazon released the 1974 California Music recordings as a digital download recently. I grabbed that as it seemed more legitimate. I still haven't bought the Funko Pops yet but I need to before they're all gone LOL

Hey there! You should check out Rick Rubin’s interview w Bruce too..lots of cool insight