SIDE B: The Beach Boys Tier List

Thanks for joining us. In this special episode, we take a journey through the legendary Beach Boys' storied history and rank their studio album discography.
#thevinylbrotherhood #brianwilson #mikelove #aljardine #denniswilson #carlwilson #brucejohnston #thebeachboys #tierlist #musicreviews #albumreview #vinylcollection #vinylrecords #vinylcommunity #classicrock #sunshinepop #albumranking #albumlist #surfrock

[@threeofakindbygeneraldean3007]

Agree with most choices but love you has fourteen songs! C&theP is their first disappointment yet still okay. Hate most of the post-1973 ones except BBLY/Beach Boys/TWGMtheR. L.A. is definitely underrated while all summer long deserves "A."

[@thevinylbrotherhood]

Love You DOES have 14 songs! 😅 Good catch.

[@hurkamur1]

I like your proper beach boys 1964 uniform.

[@ono1dij]

Personally, I love the period from Today to Holland, and my all tima favourite is Surf's Up, incredible album

[@thevinylbrotherhood]

Non-stop gold for close to a decade. Surf’s Up is more than worthy to be an all-timer.

[@ManzaMediaTV]

Happy to have you in the Beach Boy’s community, friend! Love the quality of your videos. Great list.

[@thevinylbrotherhood]

Thank YOU for watching. Much appreciated.

[@johndoyle2429]

I have to agree with you their as well Sunflower is favourite beachboys album after Pet sounds. I'm glad you said that. Sunflower album is a Superb Underrated albums and doesn't get the Credit it deserves.

[@dreamerjazz352]

Friends has always been my favorite Beach Boys album. Summer Days is also my favorite, every track on that album is unique, even "I'm Bugged At My Old Man" which I really have fun listening to. I love the album cover with them on the boat. That's all I need on a desert Island, Friends and Summer Days. But I would also need a copy of Smiley Smile because my favorite Beach Boys song is on that album, "Little Pad."

[@davidlawrence6464]

I’m sure you know this already BUT… the stereo remix of Wild Honey album on the Sunshine Tomorrow compilation is worth checking out! Less mud & more Sun 🌞

[@jackmarchant06]

Great video, it’s cool to see a beach boys tier list! I can agree on most rankings but I feel the Light Album could be a bit higher, I can understand that here comes the night and some others may bring it down but Dennis and Carl really save the album. Good Timin’ along with Angel Come Home and Baby Blue are some of my favorites and it’s bittersweet since it’s some of Dennis’ last vocals.

[@thevinylbrotherhood]

Fair point. The brothers aren't to underestimated. Thanks for watching!

[@sitvisjes]

Sunflower is also my favourite Beach Boys album after Pet Sounds and it's a S for me, Surf's Up is also amazing. I really love 20/20 Too, i lthink i love that album more then most people. Good ranking, it's almost the same as i would rank it.

[@thevinylbrotherhood]

20/20 is underrated even within the fanbase, imo. The second half is flawless.

[@robesposito2772]

Great video! Great insider info on The Beach Boys! I love wondering what a finished Smile could’ve sounded like!

[@smileypeople5978]

I love The Beach boys 👦 . Sunflower is such a great album of course Smile , Pet Sound s they for me from Today to Holland I love em ..

[@madisonmensbackupchannel6096]

I have always thought, much to the disagreement of others, that the L.A. (Light Album) is seriously underrated. Yes, the disco version of Here Comes the Night” may not have been the best idea. However, songs like Good Timin, Lady Lynda, Baby Blue, Goin’ South, and a couple of others make this album push this album, in my opinion, into an upper tier selection. Fantastic vocal performances by Carl and Dennis highlight several songs. The harmonizations by the guys are just gorgeous on several songs, especially Lady Lynda. I think people diss this album way too quickly because of the Disco on Here Comes the Night and completely miss all the beautiful, heartfelt, and gorgeous aspects of this album.

[@arthurmilano2920]

Ehhhhhh, LA is okay. I prefer bits and pieces of all summer long and MIU over it any day though (match point, going on, she's got rhythm)

[@mattmiller4917]

I loved your clear concise presentations and mostly agree with your choices, but you could have gone harsher on their late albums.

[@mattmiller4917]

My top 10: 1. Pet Sounds, 2. Surf's Up, 3. Smiley Smile/Smile, 4. Sunflower, 5. Holland, 6. Wild Honey, 7. The Beach Boys Today!, 8. Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!), 9. 20/20, 10. Friends

[@dylanward4364]

Everything in A, would be S for me, and I’d throw smiley smile in S, all summer long in A or S as well

[@johnrenaud2216]

I thought the album Wild Honey was a phenomenal album. Great R and B rendition of Stevie Wonders I was made to love her and the Title Track Wild Honey and Darling. Great album. Love your reviews of all The Beach Boys albums.

[@kpoleary1]

Beach Boys Today is their best.

[@shawntoner42]

Nice! Agree with everything except that Wild Honey should be A-tier

[@thevinylbrotherhood]

Some days I think so too! Fanstastic record.

[@BazookaToe]

So Cal old/kid here who had them as the background music while growing up. Music of course would go through many changes between then and now so they were put on the back burner for a long time. Just recently decided my midlife crisis would be to go down the rabbit hole of all of their output. So I thank you for the list to help navigate. It’s dark down here 😁 🏄‍♂️ 🐰 🕳

[@thevinylbrotherhood]

So what do you think now that you've spent some time down in the rabbit hole? Thanks so much for watching - I hope that you've been enjoying the Beach Boys and that they've helped you reconnect to those good old days!

[@BazookaToe]

@@thevinylbrotherhood , it’s dark and expensive 😂 - I’m neck deep in the Smile period now. Smiley Smile, Smile Sessions, and Brian Wilson Presents are my current purchases, all on vinyl. But I’ve given them all to my 13 year old daughter as “gifts for grades”. Going through all of this with her has been one of the biggest gifts for myself.

[@sea_ohm11]

Fair ranking. I mostly agree. However i would move surfer girl to A level, as i consider it the first classic beach boys album. Great collection of their early surf songs. It does have one or two filler songs, but they fit with the time and sound, unlike shutdown vol 2. Speaking of vol 2, I'm glad im not the only one that thinks the best songs should've been on all summer long. I've always thought if don't worry baby, warmth of the sun, and fun fun fun would have been on all summer long, that would make for a perfect beach boys album. The perfect statement for the fun of youth. If that was the case, all summer long would easily be A tier. Anyhow, i would also move La light and self titled down to d tier. I love the beach boys, but i gotta keep it real. Anyway fun video!

[@andybaker5624]

Smiley smile should be in A, over Surf’s up and Holland and Love you

[@kirbygraham8265]

Still Cruisin’, Somewhere Near Japan, Island Girl, Kokomo, and Make It Big put that album in the C tier for me. I also prefer Sunflower over Smile.

[@thevinylbrotherhood]

All certified classics!

[@riversjackson1]

Ngl, spot on list.

[@thevinylbrotherhood]

Well thanks. Nice maladroit pic!

[@riversjackson1]

@@thevinylbrotherhood Thanks! Curious, where would you rank Adult/Child on this? I'd personally give it an A. I think it's a great continuation of Love You, and much better than M.I.U.

[@davidschecter5247]

Great list. I'd bump ALL SUMMER LONG up to A, and SUNFLOWER is an S. One of the best albums of the seventies by anyone. Only "Tears in the Morning" is a "skipper." Otherwise, you and I agree on almost everything else.

[@cazgerald9471]

"Surf's Up" also suffers from the missing Dennis songs. "Smiley Smile' would have been more sonically consistent if they had re-done lo-fi versions of "Good Vibrations" and "Heroes & Villains" I don't think I would change any of your placements, except giving a huge asterisk next to the Smile Sessions.

[@thevinylbrotherhood]

Sometimes I daydream about switching out Student Demonstration Time for Falling in Love.

[@susanaltman5134]

Beach Boys Party was definitely the result of pressure from Capitol to get product out. It bought Brian time to work on Pet Sounds.

[@thevinylbrotherhood]

Yep. You can’t say it doesn’t serve a purpose. It is definitely an album best enjoyed if you’re ok with not taking it too seriously.

[@stevedawson3082]

The Light Album apart from the horrible disco and shortnin' bread is pretty strong. Love Surrounds Me, Baby Blue and Full Sail are pretty strong early 70's style BB tunes...

[@arthurmilano2920]

How can you justify wild honey amid summer days?! Think! Otherwise almost perfect tier. Id give WH a B+ and Summer Days a B B-

[@emanuelebelle3943]

Wild honey> friends

[@beanie226]

Sorry ! , you’re too young to appreciate some of these albums in their original musical context . For example , Surfer Girl , Deuce Coupe , and , ( especially ) , All Summer Long were brilliant in their day . They were almost concept albums in a time before The Beatles revolutionized that category . In addition they have lots of great cuts that could have been hit singles . I would reverse the ratings of Wild Honey and Love You , but that change is merely personal preference . Finally , L. A. Is rightfully given short shrift , but without mention of the truly great track , Angel Come Home . The live version performed on The Midnight Special is even better than the studio cut .

[@burlingtonbill1]

No way should Love You exist on the same level as Sunflower !

[@thevinylbrotherhood]

😦

[@jdd3786]

KTSA is a guilty pleasure for me as well. I enjoy all the songs on the 2nd side of the album.

[@yokooyea]

Do you still feel LA to be D tier? Ignoring the disco track, it’s an A tier for me. Angel Come Home and Love Surrounds Me are some of my favorite Dennis tracks

[@johndoyle2429]

I think agree their, L.A.light album wasn't that bad I thought.

[@Theslavedrivers]

Good content, but could have done without the silly backing music!

[@TerryTutor-cv3hh]

Another bs KZbin assessment of "Smile"...including your second guessing Brian's 2004 true masterpiece...But you know better than Brian....No wonder I don't subscribe to your channel....

[@Awesoman]

Pretty good assessment. I'd rank 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡'𝑠 𝑊ℎ𝑦 𝐺𝑜𝑑 𝑀𝑎𝑑𝑒 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑅𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑜 a little higher; it was a great sendoff for the band and was much better than it had any reason to be. I'd also put 𝐿.𝐴. (𝐿𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝐴𝑙𝑏𝑢𝑚) at least one tier higher. Despite the ridiculous disco track at least half the album is pretty good, with some fine contributions from both Carl and Dennis. It's better than the bland and dusty-sounding 𝑀.𝐼.𝑈. 𝐴𝑙𝑏𝑢𝑚. But yeah this is a pretty good list.

[@thevinylbrotherhood]

Thanks! Yes, I agree that those Dennis songs on L.A. are pretty good.