Reviews (page 6 of 9)
Oh damn, RIP Brian Wilson. Of all the days to get this album, it's the day after he passes away.
First track Do You Wanna Dance sounds familiar! Chorus I've heard before and the verses have the naivety and voicing of a Blink song.. Otherwise sounds like Beach Boys - surfer rock/rock n roll with the characteristic multi-vocal parts and harmonies All tracks in the first half seem pretty solid but nothing jumping out at me. Back half is too ballad heavy, not a big fan. In The Back Of My Mind has some interesting elements - brass, slightly psychedelic Best track - Do You Wanna Dance 3 stars
Really nice. Would definitely listen again. The deep cuts are great
Classic! 3/5
Easy to listen to, with the well known songs When I Grow Up, Help Me, Rhonda, and Dance, Dance, Dance. The rest of the album is good, but kind of sounds the same at times. Looking back 60 years it is hard to truly appreciate how influential the Beach Boys were. RIP Brian Wilson.
Ir was cool to background music while having a nap, not ironically. Then listened again in the car and really liked it, especially the baroque yet subtle instrumentation.
I can really appreciate The Beach Boys. The vocals and melodies are undeniably beautiful. I really liked Please Let Me Wonder. I'm not sure how much range they have as a group, I can quickly get tired of the croony vibe, but sometimes it's necessary on a particularly contemplative walk to the sea.
Crazy that this album came up today considering that Brian Wilson passed away yesterday. Feels like the right time to listen to the Beach Boys. They have a really iconic sound. A bit dated, but I'll never complain when someone throws them on.
Not my favorite from them but very well arranged and put together musically, a little repetitive in the songs and style.
Not sure if coincidence this one came up, solid enough too pop for me
These songs are classics for a reason.
A couple of gems from a bygone era. Great album for when you’re in the mood for this sort of crooning. High: Help Me Ronda Low: Don’t Hurt My Little Sister (seriously what the fuck?)
OK, but a bit dated.
It's a good Beach Boys album. It popped on the list a couple of days after Brian Wilson passed away. RIP, Brian. It's a very enjoyable album, but I'm not a huge fan. It's worth a listen.
Very good.
A timely choice what with the recent death of Brian Wilson. Gotta love the Beach Boys.
Oldie goldie - fint genhør men ikke noget jeg gider i store mængder.
Despite the glow from press, and the classic song, Help Me Rhonda, the album is not a classic. Many of the lyrics don’t hold up well (misogyny throughout) and the arrangements redundant. On the plus side, the harmonies and vocals remain very solid.
What a mood. These guys like the women but they have some questionable thought processes sometimes.
Ok, the bboys are trying to leave their surfer roots behind and grow, but aren’t quite there yet.
RIP Brian WIlson. Respect to you. The compositions and vocals elevate this far above the sappy subject matter of the tunes. Important to the history of Rock music, but it lacks edge, the second half is especially soft. Catchy as hell though, and so many of these songs are memorable 60 years on. The distinctive vocals are also important. Not my favorite style, fascinating to listen to nonetheless. I want to give it a higher rating than a 3 but side two loses me.
Can't be a coincidence that I get this today when Brian Wilson died yesterday. And I guess it's not - seems everyone got Beach Boys or Brian Wilson today. Ok here's my stance on The Beach Boys - I feel like after their first album they were trying to be like a California version of the Beatles. I'm sure back in the early to mid 60s that was something that a lot of people liked. Listening to it now it's so sappy and saccharine. Pet Sounds is a good album, though overrated, and I like a few other Beach Boys songs here and there but wouldn't ever feel like throwing on a record of theirs. This album I kind of lump in with the rest of their music. It's fine. There's some interesting things going on but when it's over in the short and sweet 29 minutes I'm definitely ready to move on to something else. 2.5/5 will round up since Brian Wilson just died.
Good vibes
There are 4-5 really great Beach Boys songs on here and 7-8 totally OK filler songs. Other than it being a pivot point for Brian Wilson's song writing where he started to write about things other than surfing, girls, and cars, there is nothing special about this album. Something I've realized since I've had a few Beach Boys albums here is that I really enjoy their greatest hits and everything I didn't grow up with leaves me pretty cold even after multiple listens.
Ok, but not for me
Zoals vrijwel altijd wanneer er oude rock 'n roll voorbij komt waan ik me meteen in McDonalds Best, met die Amerikaanse auto die aan het plafond hangt, die grote pop van Marilyn Monroe met opwaaiende jurk en de jukebox bij de afhaalbalie. Was het maar zo'n feest. Dit album doorstaat de tand des tijds eigenlijk amper tot niet. Het is dat het zo zoetsappig is en slechts een krap half uurtje duurt, maar jongens wat klinkt dit oud. En simpel ook. De tweede helft wordt het tempo ook nog iets teruggeschroefd en daardoor begin ik ondanks de korte speeltijd toch wel uit te kijken naar het einde. Ik maak er een nipte een voldoende van voor De Strand Knapen.
This one caught me out. I’m not a fan of The Beach Boys despite having had several goes at trying to get into Pet Sounds. This earlier recording was actually relatively more musically simplistic, but I thought this worked in the album’s favour, since they’re not exactly songs of great philosophy or depth. Light and frothy and, although still too full of sunshine for this morbid Brit, this was an unexpectedly pleasant listen.
Really shining example of great harmonies these guys always possessed. RIP Brian Wilson. No major songs that stuck out but classic early 60s sound. 7/10.
Parece que no hay grandes canciones en este disco, pero era el día adecuado para recordar a Brian Wilson. Aquí me parece que aún no está su sonido "surfero".
IM so young the album, was actually not the bad I enjoyed the vocals but it was just a bit 1960s the songs were catchy but not amazing or something I would listen to often
The songs felt pretty similar to each other, and there weren't clear bangers like in Pet Sounds. Makes sense, as they definitely cooked between the time this one and Pet Sounds came out
I mean, it’s good and full of melodies and harmonies and so forth, but my problem is I usually don’t like The Beach Boys. Ok, but let me qualify that - I don’t really care for the surfing, summer music sorta stuff that garnered them such fame, but I think Pet Sounds is amazing. I mean, the guys can sing, but most of the songs on this album sound the same!
Not my favourite BB album, 2 good hits lots of teenage filler songs which didn’t age terribly well.
Very good. Sounds like early Beatles
Definitely an easy listen, a little too cotton candy for me
2.8 First half better
Classic, upbeat, super enjoyable. Best song: do you wanna dance, worst song: when I grow up
Not as good as Pet Sounds but still some great easy listening from the 60s.
I do not have strong feelings about this album
Not my cup of tea, but it was a pleasant listen
A very enjoyable listen, an album filled with short songs. From ballads to faster more energetic tracks, this album definitely has the classic Beach Boys sound, even without their surf rock style. Might not be the best in their catalogue (for me at least) but still very much worth listening, would listen to it again.
Not quiet my taste
Whole album felt like the same song. Maybe it’s just not one of their bangers. Brian Wilson passed away the other day, and I feel it besmirches his name, but 3/5 for this album, for me.
Brian Wilson just died yesterday, I love Help Me Rhonda. Most of the other songs don't really stand out as far as something someone 'HAS TO HEAR BEFORE THEY DIE'. The next few years of Beach Boys has some bangers so I'm not sure why to include this one. It's like the adolescent middle between Surfin USA and Pet Sounds
Decent listen. Not nearly as good as Pet Sounds!
Nice and full of classics!
Ok
Ok
Ok
A fun, more thematic album from the Beach Boys that is energetic up front and softer on the back end. I like the ballad structure on the backside of the album. It contains some great vocal harmonies between the group that adds to the sentimental feelings of this album. Fave Songs: Do You Wanna Dance?; Good To My Baby; Dance, Dance, Dance; Please Let Me Wonder; I'm So Young; Kiss Me, Baby; She Knows Me To Well Worst Song: When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)
I had to read about the significance of this album and the new direction it represented for the Beach Boys. It reminds me of my childhood - not always in a pleasant way. Easy listening of the highest order.
I enjoy The Beach Boys but this doesn’t seem like one of their best albums. Still, the classic beachy sound still comes through!
3.0 rym
While my very fave song by The Beach Boys wasn't on this album, this was a very good album. RIP Brian Wilson
I love the Beach Boys, but this album didn't quite scratch the itch. I felt the audio quality wasn't great and it just didn't *hit* the way I expected it to. Also, for this to be my album, the day after Brian Wilson died. Quite a coincidence?
Light, happy music. Good for Cali
Eg
Great album, this band are so wonderful I smile when I listen to them. The production shines through but they have better albums so 3 from me.
First Beach Boys album and it’s just like classic 60s/70s.
Sometimes I feel like The Beach Boys were the 60’s version of N’sync. Especially their early stuff, as it can be kind of juvenile and corny. But there’s no denying that it’s revolutionary. People had just never heard anything like that before with those harmonies. And it is good, and catchy. When you’re looking for that signature Beach Boys sound, there’s just nothing quite like it.
Dreamy 60s pop, never quite connected with the beach boys, this album didnt really change that 3.5*
Excellent Boy Band album
Not my favorite of their albums but it's not bad. It's enjoyable party type songs that are a fun listen. I probably won't listen to this again but it was nice and reminds me of going to the water park when I was a kid. They would always play the Beach Boys.
Three things I’ll never understand: astrophysics, mandarin, and how on earth people compare the Beach Boys with the Beatles. I must be missing something here because for years I’ve listened to various beach boys albums with the hopes of finally understanding why the beach boys are held in the regard that they are. All of their songs from the 60s sound the exact same to me — yada yada dancing yada yada vacation destination yada yada young girls. I find their music formulaic and thus repetitive. I assume it must be something with the technical side of the music and seeing as I can’t play an instrument to save my life, it goes over my head. But alas, Brian Wilson died yesterday so rest in peace, I hope one day the beach boys finally click for me. 6.0/10
Ok. Nowhere near as good as Pet Sounds, Side A’s 2 but Side B’s a bit better
THE BEACH BOYS are good at music there good
Would have preferred Pet Sounds, but fitting tribute to Mike Love I mean Brian Wilson. The Beach Boys have never really been my thing, tbh. I love the musicality of it, and I respect the gorgeous harmonies, but surfer rock never appealed to me, and I really only enjoy the stuff post beach and car rock. Today! is the first real transition album from the surfer genre into more album rock, and it's a great start. 3/5
Do You Wanna Dance... Fine Good To My Baby is solid Don't Hurt My Little Sister is good When I Grow Up is aurally interesting Help Me, Rhonda is good fun Dance Dance Dance is enjoyable but forgettable sugar Please Let Me Wonder...shrug I'm So Young is enjoyable. I'm a sucker for old school love songs and harmonies Kiss Me, Baby has a solid groove and good harmonies She Knows Me Too Well...meh In The Back of My Mind is an interesting curve ball Bull Session With "Big Daddy" seems to be an interview
Not really a fan. I couldn’t tell when one song ended and the next one began. I liked the first couple of songs, and then I was over it.
This is The Breeze, easy-listening if it were one singular album. Highlights: Please Let Me Wonder
Quite same same, easy listening Favourites: Please Let Me Wonder
Inoffensive background music. 3 stars.
What a stupid closing track. Help Me Rhonda has the worst "faux fadeout fakeout" ever The rest of it is fine
3.4/need to give them a deeper listen i think. RIP
The sounds and lyrics were quite groovy. I'm sure it was impressive for the time period. For me, it was just ok. RIP B.W.
Confession time: I’m not a big fan of the early surfer beach boys stuff.
Was disappointed on my first listen but enjoyed it more the second time through. Did find some of the songs a bit too repetitive. Not sure if it’s a bad thing that we got Pet Sounds first because it makes me think this isn’t as good as that - or if the bits I like are the bits where I can see Pet Sounds is on the horizon and that makes me look at it more positively. Fav song: Help me, Rhonda - also liked Please Let Me Wonder Least fav: Don’t Hurt My Little Sister
I know it's only a year before pet sounds but the lyrics make me feel like they're much younger at points. My main criticism boils down to the fact that it's just not pet sounds. favourite: Help Me, Rhonda or Dance, Dance, Dance least: Don't Hurt My Little Sister
RIP Brian Wilson
Kyllähän tämän kuunteli, mutta ei kyllä omaan hyllyyn päädy.
Kyllähän surffimusa pieninä annoksina ihan ok. Aika kamalia biisejä myös ja hassua et Wilson kuoli samalla kellonlyömällä
Kyllähän surffirokki toimii, sai jopa sateisen päivän näyttämään hitusen aurinkoisemmalta. Kepeät mullat myös Brian Wilssonille, joka menehtyi edellispäivänä.
fun but not memorable?
I've never been the biggest fan of the beach boys. I'm just not able to get into their vibe.
Het zijn de Beach Boys. Goede muziek voor de tijd, maar onderhand een beetje achterhaald
I'm gonna choose to believe this is non-random because Brian Wilson just died :( If so, I hope that other people who hadn't already had "Pet Sounds" get that one! Seeing everybody talk about how great an album it is really validated my giving it my first 5, so yay for that. (Of course I also enjoyed revisiting the classic Brian Wilson Norbit and Don Henley stories: https://bsky.app/profile/itsdings.bsky.social/post/3lrduzwv5e22s ; https://bsky.app/profile/margareteby.bsky.social/post/3lree6mui4227 ) But this album seems much less good, maybe because I never heard any of its songs before. Some of the lyrics are a little more perturbing. 'Help Me R(h)onda' made me want a song from R(h)onda's perspective (perhaps titled 'Help yourself, bucko'). There are no instrumentals, but it does end with what must be one of the first skit tracks. Kind of interesting just because it's so old now, but otherwise very mysterious. Highlight: 'Please Let Me Wonder' Lowlight: 'Good To My Baby'
I mean maybe I've typecast The Beach boys and I just want to hear songs about surfing because that's what Andrew's dad used to play us when he would drive us to the beach so we could go surfing. But I generally don't get it. Everybody talks about how Brian Wilson is such a genius and I just dont hear it.
If there is a bigger "right artist; wrong album" I have yet to find it in this challenge.
this album's biggest flaw is that it isn't Pet Sounds
R.I.P Brian. D Beach Boys sind wükli Today! Summerlichi und Strandigi Energy, aber es tönt au jedes Lied biz gliich. 3 Schichte Sunnecreme ufd Stirn
Beach Boys eich ja scho e vibe, aber gfalled mir i de theorie denn immer besse rals würki. Gemmer ez usnahmswiis doch na 3 Sternlis will schlecht isch ja au nööd
I respect the Beach boys and everything that they did. I enjoy the “poppy” hits 3.5 but rounding down.
Big BB fan but this song didn’t do it for me. Not sure about the full catalog but in this one they definitely leaned on the harmonies more than I would like. It sounded like a cappella group with some backing bands. It was interesting to hear which areas Wilson would bring to Pet Sounds, particularly the horns and some of the Spector Ronnettes stuff. That said, I’ll never be mad with this on.
The more introspective songs on this one didn't really grab me. That leaves the few more classic Beach Boys tracks to carry the album for me and that wasn't enough for me Standouts Do You Want To Dance Good To My Baby 3/5
Aww, a day after Brian Wilson passed.. RIP. This is a heckin' good time. Every time I hears these fellas, it puts a smile on my face. Good classics on here. Please Let Me Wonder was a favorite that I hadn't heard before. It's a fun album, but middle of the road for them. 3.
This is typical sunny, poppy early Beach Boys, with "Help Me Rhonda" being the big hit here. 3.5
Sweet harmonies. I’m more of a Pet Sounds gal but I bopped to this too
A predecessor to Pet Sounds and a solid one. Loved the listen (esp given recent loss of Brian Wilson).
It's a high wire act: Highly susceptible to self-parody, but when it works, it's sublime. True of the Beach Boys more than virtually any other band.
It was ok, some of them seemed to blend together.
Kijk aan. De generator levert. Een mooie ode aan het bijzondere en getroubleerde brein van Brian Wilson. Nu stond dit album niet zo op mijn radar als het latere werk. De transitie die de band doormaakte naar Pet Sounds is wel echt weergaloos te noemen. Want hier zijn het nog wel 13 in een dozijn nummertjes. Maar hey, het is maandagochtend en ik heb mij al even op een strand in California gewaand. Dank daarvoor en R.I.P. Brian. 6,5/10 Help me, Rhonda Dance, dance, dance
Tja hurtigt lyt uden så meget at bide mærke i ud over åbneren som Bamse havde planket.
This album has the typical Beach Boys sound, or maybe it's just the boy bands from that time, which isn't necessarily bad nowadays, although it feels a bit outdated compared to what we're used to listening today, but it's pretty nice having in the background.
It is impressive they built successful careers on really 1 signature sound. Yes, was nice to hear other, lesser used instruments on this album
Surf’s up verkar ha varit deras bästa period för den här lät, precis som Pet sounds, mer som BB brukar låta, vilket är okej men inte superspännande.
Nice tribute, list. This is certainly not top tier Beach Boys, but it’s fascinating to hear how great they sound and how much they play around with the studio. Also if you stick around you can hear them get sandwiches.
RIP, Brian. You made some great music. Early Beach Boys always brings me back to my childhood and listening to this brought me back to a “beach party” my elementary school had in the gym with hotdogs and french fries in paper trays, beach towels, and The Beach Boys playing.
I want to love them so much cos they inspired one of my fave bands (Animal Collective). Love the harmonies, but songs a bit samey
Good to my Baby Help Me, Rhonda In the Back of my Mind
The missing link between the surf rock era and the orchestral pop of Pet Sounds.
Høres ut som alt anna av beach boys
It was fine.
Pretty good for a Beach Boys record, better than I was expecting. It's definitely not something I'd race to put on again, but the songs are fun enough that I'd enjoy it on occasion I think. 3/5
In my initial excitement / the emotion of Brian Wilson's passing yesterday (nice touch, generator), I thought this could almost be the ideal Beach Boys album: it's got the youthful, up-tempo bops of their early work, alongside the more introspective, orchestral style of Pet Sounds. On closer inspection they don't do either style quite as well on 'Today!' as they do elsewhere. Still, R.I.P Brian. 3 / 3.5
I thought that The Beach Boys Today! was an alright album. In many ways, it does feel very dated from things like the production, the lyrics and many other things that clearly make this album a product of 1965. I still enjoyed this album a decent bit to be honest. I thought that the songs felt relaxing and had that Beach Boys vibe i got from hearing all their really popular stuff pretty well. The main issues with this album are the fact that every song sounds overly similar to each other and that the album went by a little too quickly. This made the album kinda forgettable but these issues never made it bad. Best Song: Help Me, Rhonda Worst Song: Don't Hurt My Little Sister
I don't mind the Beach Boys but they really only had one sound their whole career, didn't they? This album has Help me Rhonda which is a song I quite like. But it's not the one with California Dreaming, Kokomo, Good Vibrations, Barbara Ann, or even Surfing USA. So I think the Beach Boys have better albums than this one. I guess they released like 30 albums, so most of them only have 1-2 of their well known hits at most. Still, their one trick is a pretty good trick, and it results in a bunch of catchy tunes. And this album is overall an enjoyable listen.
This is the album that I associate with the Beach Boys. It sounds so much like the mid-50s, fat Cadillacs, petticoats and portable radios. It was fun to listen to some of the old stuff again. But although the album is quite short, the last two tracks got on my nerves. 3/5
I was expecting to be blown away. I was bored mostly. A couple of decent tracks. The rest was just tripe. I did listen to the whole album so it's minimum 2 stars. On the basis of a couple of strong tracks I'll give it 3 stars.
Not my cup of tea, so it's hard for me to leave an unbiased review. The genre switch-up midway through the album was refreshing.
Chill, lekker luisteren!
Boh banalotto
Doo wop doo woo. It’s good, harsh to compare it to Pet Sounds. The Melodys are lovely. 3/5
Maybe I'm missing something here. Not a bad sound and there's some interesting mixing and instrumental choices but the gap between this and Pet Sounds is huge. Likely a stepping stone for them and other bands and more of the evolution of a sound versus this being on the list just because of what it is by itself.
Help Me, Rhonda is great and I quite like some Beach Boys, but overall this album was slightly weaker than I expected.
Good side A, per side B
I’d say this is The Beach Boys in their platonic form. It doesn’t quite have the differentiating factors that make Pet Sounds or Surfs Up so special but there is the inspirational songwriting and performances that you would expect. I particularly liked Do You Wanna Dance? which would uplift the spirits of even the most embittered troll. The album gets progressively less evocative as it goes on, especially the lyrics. For example, I'm So Young mourns how the protagonist is too young to get married, they wish they could get married, etc.
Nice
Not a Beach Boys fan. This album did nothing for me change that.
heb het nooit zo erg gehad met de beach boys
Personal heresy no. 352: I don't much care for the Beach Boys. And while I recognise a few great songs, I've never quite understood the scale of their hype. This record was a pleasant listen but has done very little to disabuse me of that skepticism.
Love this early Beach Boys album 💿 3/5 #albumsky #musicsky
Enjoyable listen. Did not knock my socks off though.
The hits on this album are iconic, but some good b sides too.
Help me, Rhonda Please, let me wonder I'm so young
I feel like there’s an excess of Beach Boys on this list but ok. Still good to hear; all new to me except Help Me Rhonda.
3.5
6/10 The songs are all nice songs but I just don’t know when I’m in the mood to listen to The Beach Boys. Based on this and Pet Sounds I don’t really feel like they ever moved past being a complete product of the 60s in the same way the Beatles were able to. Listens: 1
...plus three more great new songs written by Brian Wilson! Is it fair to call these deep cuts? Beach Boys adjacent is what this sounds like. And that the bonus track... what a classic.
I’m bewildered by this album being in the list. The Beach Boys are great, but the content on this one is just not that interesting. Forever a fan of the falsetto, but that’s it.
I think their sound is not for me
Short and comfy. Some nice chords in there, too.
Pretty good for 1965. Score a 3-
3.7
The album was good for what it was, it didn’t really stand out to me? I like the beach boys vibe, it might make more sense in the context of the music at the time. A lot of the songs are very similar, felt like classic beach/surf music, Pop during the 60s. Three out of five, I don’t think I’ll necessarily go back to it.
Solid Beach Boys musicality. The lyrics, as usual, are fluff. But the sound is good.
3.75
I mean, it was classic Beach Boys. What is there to say? Of all the Beach Boys albums, this album didn't feel like a particular standout, but what do I know? Ultimately, just kind of average, through and through.
2.9 Interesting hearing the Beach Boys before they found drugs, a bit like listening to early Beatles. But like that, it doesn't sound too great 60 years later. Just a collection of love songs that don't really connect well over half a century later. Nothing worth saving, but can see why it's on this list.
Much like Pet Sounds, this album never clicked with me, but I do recognize how good the songwriting and arrangements, particularly the vocal harmonies, are. A very cute and sunny album. Key tracks: Do You Wanna Dance When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)
A tight 29 minutes of The Beach Boys doing The Beach Boys
Umm, okay. Beach Boys, cool. Definitely got that basic Beach Boys thing going. Another one that belongs on the ‘1001 Albums That Exist’ list.
Somehow much worse than I remember. Sure, the harmonies are great and overall it sounds nice but man the songwriting is just awful. This whole album is nothing but cringey, often creepy love songs. I don't think that this album has aged particularly well. Its pretty insane when you compare this to what the Beach Boys would go on to release the following year.. Favorite track: Please Let Me Wonder
A brief sojourn with the sound of the Beach Boys but not really the substance of the Beach Boys.
Some ok songs
Its ok, not my style
I really like the A-side, bit I’m not as big a fan of their slower songs on the B-side, which are mostly boring, with the exception of She Knows Me Too Well. 6/10
Beach Boys are legendary, and while this album certainly has great harmonies, it mostly falls flat. The last 2 songs (not counting that food delivery/interview) really save this from a 2. "She Knows Me Too Well" is just insane, both in lyrics and vocal perfomance
Juvenile and cringey lyrics, but some of those tunes are pretty dang catchy.
There were some great lyrics and good tunes just never saw The Beach Boys as the American Beatles.
Doowop medium.
ну типа норм, бэнгеров не обнаружено.
An important transition album for the group with a couple of songs that have become iconic. But not the first Beach Boys album anyone is likely to turn to when they want to listen to them, I think.
It's ludicrously hubristic to not like the Beach Boys, but I think I don't like the Beach Boys. Sure, they have catchy songs that have been around us for decades, a beautiful way with harmony and still, it's just not easy to listen to. I can recognise their craft and not put them in the unlistenable categories but I can't really give them more than bang average.
Listening to The Beach Boys is like watching a world-class chef choosing to work in fast food, carefully constructing the same shitty ingredients into the something more delectable. Sure, it’ll improve the product, but why waste your talent?
The Beach Boys are great but I can only take them in small quantities.
For a beach boys album I didn’t mind it
Nice album if not the one with all the classics on 7/10
Yea it’s fun and the harmonies are nice, but this doesn’t strike me as a great, incomparable album
Honestly The Beach Boys aren’t my favorite. It’s sunny and fun, definitely good music, just not my exact cup of tea.
fun but i am often not in the mood for the vibe of music the beach boys make.
This style was really long in the tooth when this debuted. I'm surprised they never really expanded beyond this sound.
While the Beach Boys provide an incredible foundation to later music (and longevity), this is not a choice I would have made myself. Much respect to them for many, many years of hits and incredible music but this isn't my jive.
Just... nah.
I've heard pet sounds and various versions of Smile. This is actually what the Beach Boys are/we're. That's like, my opinion man. Before Brian Wilson went off the deep end he helped his buddies sing good and make nice music together. I hear Smile and pet sounds and I think of the very sad after for Brian Wilson, this to me sounds like some buddies having fun.
oh the Beach Boys.... My Dad had the Endless Summer album (greatest hits compilation) and it was played OFTEN. No surfboards were waxed in the making of this album. This is their 8th album and they decided they wanted to grow beyond cars, and surfboards, and make an album entirely about girls. Way to really break out. The Beach Boys have such great vocal harmonies and the songwriting is pretty undeniably great when they really hit it (Help Me Rhonda). The only thing that gets on my nerves about them is their teenage bubble gum notions about love. Songs like Please Let Me Wonder are great musically but cringe on the cheese factor. Do You Wanna Dance is an awesome cover (Bobby Freeman 1958 wrote it). But I like the Ramones version better.
This was some solid classic Beach Boys. But I thought I would love it more.
eh, some really beautoful tunes, some really annoying and repetitive ones... 5/10
Very samey. Couple of classics here though
3.5
A critical turning point for the Beach Boys. After Brian Wilson's unfortunate mental breakdown that was brought on by pressures from constant touring and personal life struggles, he shifted to becoming a studio-only artist and continued to write songs for the band. Notably, the songs on The Beach Boys Today! moved away from the typical sunshine pop surf songs and showed an embrace of more complex arrangements. This included some unusual orchestrated parts that was indicative of Brian Wilson's ambition as a songwriter. Make no mistake, many of the songs here are still the standard poppy fare that you would expect from the Beach Boys, which I mostly find to be kind of juvenile. That's not to discredit them, it's just not my thing.
This is the first release by the Beach Boys which feels like an album rather than a collection of singles. There are no Surf songs. The first side is uptempo pop - Do You Wanna Dance, When I Grow Up (to Be a Man). Help Me Rhonda - The second is more introspective, with more orchestral arrangements. With songs like Kiss Me Baby and She knows Me too Well (much as I hate it) you can hear the beginnings of Pet Sounds. It is slightly surprising though, given the stories of how the Beatles pushed on the Beach Boys, or Brian Wilson to be exact, and vice-versa, that the jump from this to Pet Sounds, is more stark than, say, that from Rubber Soul to Revolver or Revolver to Sgt. Pepper…
Unsurprisingly way better on a second listen with headphones but the cheesy corn is still getting to me
The inimitable Beach boys sound, but stuck halfway between fluffy, surfs up pop and Pet Sounds depth. Perfectly pleasant but not ground breaking.
For me, The Beach Boys are palatable in small doses, so I'm glad to see that this album clocks in at under 30 minutes. Other than the catchy Help Me Rhonda, there is not much else that stands out. That said, I feel fine giving this a 3.
Fun music. Always feels like summer when they’re on.
Inoffensive, my mind couldn't help but wander far away whilst listening. I enjoy the beach boys, but this is not an album I would say is a must-listen to.
Old and lame
Not a Beach Boys fan, but this one at least is more interesting than the older stuff. Big Phil Spector sound on a lot of this. Not EVERY song revolves around girls, beaches, and cars at this point. Saccharine harmonies are still there though.
для меня эти бич бойз (хоть и новый саунд и тексты) неотличимы от всех предыдущих и последующих, но всем им удачи
It's the Beach Boys. You get what you expect. 3/5
This album kinda fell flat for me, very much focused on love stories and they didn't hit the mark on their legendary sound but still a great album that was an absolute hit at the time for its orchestral pop.
The Beach Boys are a really solid band, but I think they have far more staying power than they should. This album is undeniably fun, groovy, and very uplifting. But let's be honest with ourselves here, is it really that amazing? Would you ever choose to listen to this over The Beatles?
eh
Give me pet sounds
Hard to know whether it’s a 3 or 4. On one hand, it’s The Beach Boys… the harmonies are on point, the melodies are interesting, the lyrics are all about youth. On the other hand, will I seek this album out again? Probably not. I think it’s a 3.
I've never heard The Beach Boys intentionally because they just feel like the antithesis of all the things I enjoy but mainly because their sound and look are so bright and melodic, clean cut and just... well just nice (let's forget all the backstage drama and dark history about this band that could make a saga of books for a second). I knew eventually I'll have to listen to something they made when doing this challenge and I wasn't expecting to have a single positive emotion.... but as things often do with these kinds of expectations it just so happens that things can surprise you like, turns out maybe The Beach Boys aren't entirely antithetical to everything I enjoy and maybe their sound while being obvious melodic, sunny pop it doesn't *feel* as trite or simple than I expected, most often they are just really enjoyable radio pop or some songs like "Please Let Me Wonder" or "Kiss Me, Baby" are wonderfully complex melodically and even emotionally honest in a way that, once again, I never imagined I'd be feeling this way about it. I imagine eventually I will adjust how I feel but honestly? I don't feel so negative to TBB like I used to, I'm looking forward to the next one I listen to
Catchy, simple, accessible tunes
Yup. It’s certainly The Beach Boys
short album (12 tracks, only 29 minutes). familiar and predictable, upbeat, not bad
Overall: 7.63 Best: Please Let Me Wonder Worst: I’m so young What an album to start on! It has such great beach boy vibes and really sticks with the theme of heartbreak and keeping it upbeat
Lot of good songs from my childhood on here, but the surf rock of the Beach Boys never enthralled me.
another beach boys record, i liked this one a little better than the last
I enjoy The Beach Boys, but a dose will last me a long time. In my mind, you need a greatest hits album, Pet Sounds, and Smile by Brian Wilson, and then your bases are covered. This one is Avery solid three for me.
It was fine. A couple good songs.
79% Best: When I Grow Up (To Be A Man); Dance, Dance, Dance; I'm So Young Must-Hear? Not quite
Catchy happy sounds. Good vibrations and timeless tone
Did they make more albums? Actually an enjoyable listen. Maybe a bit more raw, but it still contains the catchy melodies that made Pet Sounds the way it is.
Solid length. Sounded somewhat like Pet Sounds with some fun tunes. Only so many I can listen to at a time though.
Pleasant listen and pretty good but I can’t really see myself listening to these songs outside of rn
6/10 - all beach boys songs sound the same. They are pleasant sounding but not fantastic. The last song, if you can call it that, was an interesting addition to the album
Still think they’re a little overrated. Album was fine, but it’s just hard to take the music seriously when they sound so goofy
Decent - loved the tunes :)
A couple of Beach Boys classic. Not great overall as an album though.
This is some transitional Beach Boys as they went from surf rock singles (Surfing Safari, etc) to their art-forward album pop (Pet Sounds). This really is an album of two distinct sides. The first is poppy and more upbeat, while the latter is more aligned with the ballad and production we would come to see on Pet Sounds. The second half is where I took notice. Beautiful songs and harmonization. The first started off kind of rough imo but got better as it went along. The final track on the first side Dance Dance Dance taps that surf rock spirit and is a fun one. I'm overall mixed on this one -- second half had me, but I doubt I'll come back often. This flirts a 3/4 boundary for me. Understand it's importance to changing their image and sound, but nowhere near as refined as subsequent albums. High 3
3.5 stars. Quick little album. Has the good beach boys vibe but not too familiar with these songs. Not a bad listen while working.
This has been one of my favorite Beach Boys/BB-adjacent albums. Still don't really love this old pop rock quite too much and I'm happy it was mostly left in the 60's.
Yup! That was some rock from the 60s
Bubblegum 2.5/5
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This album is a very digestible length so I appreciate that. The Beach Boys really try to capture that teenage angst. I personally feel like punk music captures it better. Songs like When I Grow Up (To Be a Man) the Beach boys find themselves wondering if they will be into the same type of women they are now. Is this really something any young boy reflects on? I don't know it just seems out of touch and maybe that's just the messaging being dated. Maybe young boys really did wonder those things in the age before the internet. The album as a whole felt more like grown men pretending to be 15 than grown men reflecting on their life as teenagers.
Very nice very very short
The Beach Boys Today! - The Beach Boys (shocker) (1965) I really don't have too much for to say for what feels similar in runtime and message to a previous Everly Brothers album. I suppose I could say I would wanna dance with The Beach Boys much more than I would want something slipped in my drink on A Date With the Everly Brothers Highlights: Do you wanna Dance?, Help Me Rhonda
This is my second Beach Boys album and every time I listen to them my enjoyment goes down. They just have one pitch- it’s a damn good fastball but I think this is where groups like the Beetles surpass them, they adapt, I don’t get that from The Beach Boys.
It was decent.
Ah, so this is that transitional era of The Beach Boys where they were starting to get real weird and experimental with the production (love how it sounds) but the lyrics are mostly about girls girls girls (varyingly annoying or fully creepy). Half of this was tremendous and the other half was skip. I did grow up in a household that would exclaim "Help me, Rhonda!" a lot, and that one still holds up.
Kinda repetitive but some catchy songs
What, precisely, am I supposed to see as essential about this album? Corny, commercial music, presented as a smattering of singles without a coherent feel of an album...what am I missing? If Pet Sounds made it onto this list, that's all the Beach Boys you need for this project.
The Beach Boys might be the easiest group to pick out within 3 seconds of hearing any song ever. They are consistent as hell which is good or bad depending if you enjoy the sound. If you aren't paying attention, the album sounds like one long song. Great production and amazing harmonies but damn is it repetitive and if you listen to the lyrics its more repetition. Not a bad album but just such a time capsule at this point.
Surfs up dudes! Short and sweet with some very cool 60s vibes
In my younger days, my main connection to The Beach Boys was their semi-regular cameos on Full House. Sitting down to listen to this album was a great experience and far exceeds their time with Uncle Jesse. My Standouts: Do You Wanna Dance?, When I Grow Up (To Be a Man), Help Me Rhonda
I remember listening to the beach boys on my dads old record player. To me its classic dance music with good rhythms and catchy lyrics. Listening today brought me back in a good way.
Not every song is a hit, but has their iconic sound. 3/5
Iconic group, trailer blazers, instrumentally great.
Good old school rock. Solid 3/5
Liked some but was meh on others
Not as intriguing as Pet Sounds
The Beach Boys Today! showcases the group’s signature vocal harmonies, which are undeniably fantastic. The intricacies of their harmonies and the falsetto vocals that rise above the mix bring a lot of texture to each track. Just hearing those voices blend so seamlessly is enough to draw me in, and it’s clear they invested real artistry into the vocal arrangements. Yet, despite these vocal highlights, the songs themselves often don’t stick with me. While the harmonies are beautiful, many tracks seem to lack the depth or energy to hold my attention beyond an initial listen. Most of the songs don’t quite leave a lasting impression, though there are exceptions, like Help Me, Rhonda, that stand out for their catchiness. Some of the more upbeat numbers also lean into a “twinkly” or “jangly” guitar sound, which I find slightly too twee, almost bordering on irritating. The album’s closer—a studio chat among the band—also puzzles me; while it might offer a glimpse into their personalities, it feels like an odd inclusion that detracts from the album’s flow. Standout Track: Help Me, Rhonda Score: 3/5
Нормально, приятные голоса, но не цепляет
Not nearly as impressive as its predecessor.
fine, good, i'm not super engaged with the songwriting but the instrumentation can be interesting, probably a sign of what would come with pet sounds huh?
Mellow and soothing. Classic 60’s production.
Definitely a like not love of an album. By default I like pretty much anything the Beach Boys do. Tight harmonies and surfing always does it for me. I wasn't super moved by any of the songs, but I enjoyed every one of them. My favorite was Do You Wanna Dance, which I knew as a Ramones song (didn't know it was a cover, but that totally makes sense). That one sounded a lot like Phil Spector song and I wondered if he had produced the album (he did not). Album cover: (C) Brown, brown, and browner.
I've listened to a good amount of Beach Boys and this didn't quite feel as good as some of their other stuff. Not unpleasant but this album doesn't hit in 2024 the way it probably did in 1482 or whenever it was released.
The Beach Boys’ transition from barbershop surf-rock poster boys to avant-garde art pop geniuses is fascinating, and the release of Pet Sounds and the infamous non-release of Smile in the two years following this album are monumental additions to the pop music canon. This album hints towards that direction, with far more diverse instrumentation than a Beach Boys record so far, but the songwriting is still very simplistic and doesn’t get close to leaving an impression in the same way as their later work
A lot of classics
Fine tunes.
This seemed behind the times, rather than ahead. I know vocal harmonies were their thing, but I forgot how little they did anything else.
I just don't love the Beach Boys.
My mother likes the Beach Boys and we used to listen to them quite a bit when I was younger. Nostalgia may have colored my assessment. But it's good music, particularly for the era. I assume, anyway.
Ugh. For some super talented musicians this is mostly trash. The early 60s were . . . a time.
Can’t go wrong with TBB
It's that classic sound. But as with other bands of this era, the later works are far more interesting.
More Beach Boys! When I Grow Up was very interesting and in a way haunting. Help Me Ronda is a classic. Just another fun beach album to listen to while driving to the beach in California in the 60's. In some ways, though, it's also an album you'd listen to as the sun is setting on the beach and you're looking out your window because your parents wouldn't let you go. Lots of retrospective songs on here about being too young for things or being worried about something. Very interesting.
Very early Beach Boys, sounds a lot like early Beatles, and I'm not a huge fan of either. But a some good songs on here, and the "Bull Session" is a pretty fun glimpse into behind the scenes. Pretty good album overall, but they've got much better. Favorite tracks: When I Grow Up, Help Me Rhonda, I'm So Young, Bull Session. Album art: Pretty weak, very of-the-era "we need to have some kind of cover" image. Reminds me of the Everly Brothers. 3.5/5
Todavía les faltaba mejorar pero prometen y mucho
This album gave me huge anemoia, for some reason the Beach Boys always make me feel like I’m living in the 60’s. The album itself is pretty good, there’s a bit of variety and the lyrics are very typical. All in all, quite pleasant, but not ground breaking.
I like a few Beach Boys songs a lot. But none of those are on this album. The whole thing feels a bit twee
Started out kinda shaky but found some great stuff on the second half
No doubt the Beach Boys were (are) very significant in the history of pop music and their place on this list is more than deserved. Personally they are a group which I am glad exist but at the same time can take or leave. They were big in my formative years of getting into music but even at that time were not what I wanted to listen to or develop with. There was so much choice in the mid 60’s of British bands that I rightly or wrongly discounted American ones. My appreciation of US 60’s bands has changed over the years to an extent that I wish I hadn’t been so blinkered but would never include the Beach Boys within the bands I now think I’ve missed out on. When the time and mood is right I love to listen to them and one or two songs on later albums and on this list are absolute classics. But having now listened to this album in full I don’t think that I will ever pop it on again. Listened to the album via Tidal which offered hi-res stereo and mono versions. It was interesting to listen to the difference and concluding that the mono version sounded better. Testament perhaps to the times it was recorded for a largely mono market and that faffing around with the original recording is not always good. 3/5 3/9/24
With a title true to its time and place, this record is an important precursor to what the band would become during its golden age of 1966-1973.
I think the Beach Boys get more credit than they deserve, but they definitely found a sound that filled a niche. Good for them.
Don't care for the Beach Boys, especially their early albums about cars, girls, surfing and the beach. It makes sense, they were called the Beach Boys for a reason and their white bread, generic, all-American image and music was everything I didn't like about them. The Beach Boys Today! shifted the band towards album oriented music rather than just peppy hit singles and this I can tolerate. There are shades of what was to become, with a more richer mature sound, slower tempos and lush, denser arrangements, that carried on to an expanded range on Pet Sounds. Most of the songs are fine, but there's still a lot of filler and lesser material. Overall, worth the listen, this is a period when the Beach Boys grow up and begin to make decent music, finally.
Fave. Help me Rhonda
This album is a lot weaker than Pet Sounds. Very decent but boring poppy music for girls to scream to. 3/5
感觉不如PETSOUNDS
"abandonment of car or surf songs" I'm sorry, but that's what I'm here for. Faves: Do You Wanna Dance? When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)
Beach Boys viben er på plass, men presterte litt dårlig
Very much transitional, which means it kind of struggles to have a viewpoint. Not as good as some of their other material.
Favourite songs: "Help Me, Rhonda", "Dance, Dance, Dance", Do You Wanna Dance? Least favourite songs: In the Back of My Mind 3/5
Solid album. Would listen again.
I have to admit that I've never been able to become a Beach Boys fan, so this is a tough one for me to enjoy for its own sake. And while I guess I can (sort of) see how this album is a departure for the Beach Boys from surf and car music, it doesn't really sound all that different from all of the other Beach Boys songs I've heard. Well, except for all the somewhat insipid ballads on the b-side. And of course the bizarre ending track... (3)
I couldn't understand why this album made the grade so I read about it on wikipedia and still don't think it should be on the list. I get that it's a transition from their surf style but it doesn't seem all that great to me.
i was slightly disappointed by the first half of this album, finding it to be all very similar and a little bit boring - not to mention some questionable lyrics. however, around the “help me rhonda” mark, things started to change for the better, the tracks becoming more diverse, but still retaining those characteristic beach boys motifs - notably their iconic harmonies. personally, this first half felt as though they were only writing the songs to succeed commercially, not from a place of real interest. in contrast, the second half of the album, more reflective and introspective, appealed much more to me, saving this album from falling below 3 stars. i enjoyed “in the back of my mind” especially. i believe this isn’t the best showcase of the beach boys’ talent, and other albums - eg pet sounds - give a much better idea of their ability. i can see why people get bored of this album - the repetitiveness can become dull.
A decent bunch of songs but nowhere near as strong as some of their other work. Also, why did so many bands/groups have to put an eating/conversation filler track on their records? Completely unnecessary!
High schooler music written by grown men. That said... it's not bad.
Pretty good but still kind of boring
Another Beach Boys record…more of the same Beach Boys sound. Nothing too impressive about this one, but it had its fun moments. Always a good play when in a beach town or at a summer cookout, but that’s about it for me.
It’s okay.
just yeah 59/100
Didn't hate it, didn't love it.
Honestly liked this more than Pet Sounds. The production sounds less muddy because there’s like 1 layer less of overdubs.
Throw back to the 60’s
This trundled along quite pleasantly and unremarkably and Beach Boysy. And that’s really all I have to say
Like a Beach Boys blueprint Hints of what was to come and obviously a mesmerising sound but very juvenile
Not their best songs but still funny to listen
After getting two hour+ albums in a row, this one is mercifully short, not that it’s bad. In fact the first track, “Do You Wanna Dance?,” is quite good. The rest is pretty standard Beach Boys fare, but the Wilsons’ British and R&B influences are more apparent here than on previous albums.
Like a lot of early rock, this is one that was good at the time but just doesn’t hold up to modern listening. Gets an extra star for the instruments on Help Me Rhonda
The One Before The Big One - the Rubber Soul of the Beach Boys ouevre. The shift here is that these songs still sound like every other Beach Boys song, it's just that they changed the lyrics to something other than the beach. A good record, but I would have a hard time picking this one out from any of the otherrs.
Pretty fun. Nothing extraordinary, but catchy and cute.
Do You Wanna Dance? 3.7 Good to My Baby 3.6 Don't Hurt My Little Sister 3.4 When I Grow Up (To Be a Man) 3 Help Me, Ronda 3.8 Dance, Dance, Dance 3.5 Please Let Me Wonder 3.4 I'm So Young 3.5 Kiss Me Baby 3 She Knows Me Too Well 3 In the Back of My Mind 2.8 Bull Session with the 'Big Daddy' 1.5 Score: 3.183333333
I think it's pretty much what The Beach Boys are all about. Soothing harmonies, high voices and some rhythms to dance to. Pleasurable. 3.5/5.
Meh.
I totally get why this is good but its so dated. I can see the influence but these tracks feel more at home in a nostalgic movie than something I would actively listen to. Perfectly pleasant but not my thing.
One word: Infectious. These songs are simple enough for you to sing along with on a first listen and catchy enough to stay with you all day. I don't want to blast this while on the road, but it made a nice neighbor friendly listen while mulching this weekend.
Precursor to Pet Sounds? Just give me Pet Sounds?
Thought I had heard most of The Beach Boys songs, but I guess just the popular ones.. sounded very beach boy-ee
Fun, breezy. What you expect from the beach boys. But it's no pet sounds.
Not bad, but did we really need pre-Pet Sounds Beach Boys on the list?
It’s got those classic, sweet and dreamy harmonies that The Beach Boys are known for, but nothing else about this is particularly stirring.
Unlike early Beatles this was waayy to cheesemo for me. Pleas Let Me Wonder is pretty wonderful though.