Beach Boys Endless Summer Album Review

[@swigginstevesbargainbeerre1612]

Great reviews John, very calming voice to listen to especially after a stressful day! Love the beach boys but I completely agree, they have never pulled off a perfect album, frustratingly!

[@johnheaton5667]

Thanks Steve. Agreed although plenty of nuggets spread across the albums.

[@TsukiumisGuy]

A lot of people today don't realize that The Beach Boys and other bands of that time were expected to put out 2 to 3 albums A YEAR. With that there is a lot of filler. Especially with Brian being the main if only song writer. While I like Pet Sounds and the older material ( I was 11 When Good Vibrations was a hit) my favorite album is Sunflower. I always felt Pet Sounds was a Brian Wilson solo album with the rest of the guys as guest singers. Great review of Endless Summer.

[@tristramcoffin926]

This was the first album I ever owned. Well, half of it. My older cousin gave it to me after breaking the other record. Years later I bought it myself. I enjoyed your review. I am sure they were limited for time by the medium but the addition of Please Let Me Wonder would have been great as it is one of their best songs of the period.

[@morrits3969]

Which half did you have?

[@DJ-bj8ku]

I grew up on Endless Summer. Great music for when you’re young but it doesn’t resonate much after you’ve become an adult, except of course Brian’s In My Room or Til I Die. Brian wanted them to evolve like the Beatles, to produce more sophisticated music, but Mike Love who owns the name wanted to just keep singing the girls and cars songs, like John said, he was interested in the BB just being a retro band. As for Pet Sounds being overrated, if McCartney thought it was a threat to the Beatles’ dominance then it probably was that good.

[@smeringtonweeps2717]

"Wild Honey" is a fine BB's album

[@babyfir77]

Another terrific review, John. I totally agree with compilation albums, as well as your statement that this album is an exception! I have it on CD and it never gets tiresome.

[@johnheaton5667]

Thanks Martin

[@babyfir77]

@@johnheaton5667 I'm listening to my Beach Boys setlist I created on KZbin, which I included your superb album review, and my current favorite song is Girl Don't Tell Me. It was God Only Knows. Love their music!!!!!

[@recordrabbit]

Enjoying your videos! I am a Beach Boys fans and have had fun exploring their many albums, but I totally agree with you that they're all pretty uneven. I think people always mention PET SOUNDS because it's the one that seems to flow the best. I think ENDLESS SUMMER is kind of a special compilation album because it was such a successful record and had such a huge impact on the direction of their career. Even though a lot of their experimental stuff is interesting, I find I also go back to the early hits when I want to just listen to a good song with nice harmonies.

[@johnheaton5667]

I agree. Thanks for your comments. i think Surf's Up is their best album after Pet Sounds

[@thenomad525]

Thanks for reviewing this, John...hadn't seen this one before. A wonderful record in my opinion and should belong in everyone's vinyl record or CD collection, whether you're a big into the Beach Boys or not. Definitely the one to dig out on a warm summer's day and the one Beach Boys 'best of' to own.

[@TomCwimpRock]

I'm not a big fan of compilations, and I'm not interested in cars either, but this collection is very close to my heart...In 1975, I was a teenager, not old enough to drive, but I had two older friends, one of them had an old car from the late fifties, and he had a 8-track cassette player in it. We would drive downtown on summer nights, and go to drive-in movies, go to the beach to look at girls etc - it was like the film AMERICAN GRAFFITI, very innocent, and our favorite tape to listen to was always "Endless Summer"....I could never relate to "having the fastest set of wheels in town", but cars as a subject of fun, and freedom from the constrictions of parents - I've always enjoyed that as a topic for rock n' roll songs...I guess that I'm somewhat of a bigger fan of The Beach Boys than you might be, perhaps - Although their albums are definitely more uneven than sixties Dylan, or The Beatles, I love all The Beach Boys albums from 65' to 73' starting with "The Beach Boys Today!", I think that side two is sublime, among their best work, and their series of low-fi records at the end of the sixties, flawed as they may be, I personally find to be pretty - well, - groovy for lack of a better word...And "Pet Sounds" - for me it's always a disconnect when I hear people say it's lousy or over-rated...Nice review John, I always enjoy your videos - take care..

[@johnheaton5667]

+Thomas Calden Thanks Thomas I always value your input. I think Fun Fun Fun sums up that experience of youth which I am slightly jealous of...and don't get me wrong I have all their albums 1965-73 but maybe struggle to get into all of the tracks. Check out the other comment from K Cain, he even met the Wilson brothers :- )

[@davidgena2667]

You are spot on about the unevenness of their albums, John. And I also feel that "Pet Sounds" is overrated. Other than the "hits" the rest "sounds" like filler. A fun, fun, fun review.

[@chrisrainbow2393]

here in uk, this album was a single LP with equal tracks to USA version, so its better value. I bought the album when it was released in 1974 and back then, beach boys albums were hard to find as most had been deleted, following theit dispute with capitol in the smile era.

[@johnheaton5667]

Thanks Chris...yes better value as a single album!

[@nervo6321]

In my room.....sublime...

[@davidgena2667]

Hey John, your superb reviews are costing me money!!! I never owned this album in my younger days so, based on your review, I've just ordered a vinyl copy. I've always enjoyed The Beach Boys hits but have found their albums to be spotty. So, this should fit the bill as far as their early hits are concerned. Should I send you the bill? Haha...kidding, of course. : - )

[@johnheaton5667]

Ha ha! Sorry for the late reply. You can't go wrong with this one David, you really can't! :- )

[@davidgena2667]

John Heaton Hi John, the record arrived yesterday....180 gram virgin vinyl! In fact, I'm listening to it right now and it sounds magnificent!!!

[@johnheaton5667]

Great! Enjoy :- )

[@davidgena2667]

John Heaton No replies necessary. You're a busy man!

[@namesvoorbugvall]

hi john have u seen love and mercy movie i got it the other day

[@johnheaton5667]

namesvoorbugvall no will look out for it...cheers

[@areviewsmovies8573]

What do you consider overrated about Pet Sounds ?

[@johnheaton5667]

+A Reviews Only the fact that any album lauded as the Best Of All Time is likely to be overrated to some extent. I enjoy it, don't get me wrong. 'God Only Knows' and 'I Still Believe In You' are the absolute highlights for me.