The Beach Boys Today!

If any of these songs show up on a shuffle, or the radio, I may listen... but to hear the whole record at one sitting... I make it to the 2nd song and am done with it.

I've already listened to too much Beach Boys in my life.

This was a good prequel to Pet Sounds, seems like they’re finding their sound. Overall a little more melancholic than what I expected.

I really couldn’t get into this album. It has the slightest of inklings of what they’d go on to do with pet sounds, but it’s a really awkward middle child between the commercial early stuff and their later work, but not in a good way a la 1965 Beatles. It’s cheesy yet takes itself seriously, the lyrical matter and sound is redundant, not catchy enough to be a guilty pleasure without the stand out songs that they have on other albums. Won’t be revisiting.

Strong album by the Beach Boys. In my book it is just as good as the legendary Pet Sounds album

Yhtenäinen albumi.. Heh.. sarjallinen parempi sana.. iskoistuu päähän kyllä. . Nautinnollisista kappaleista... raapii tähdet.. Vaan ei kunnia kolmosta enempää saa.. kunnia kolme.. se on kolme...

the beach boys are pretty great but on the other hand should anyone really be spending this much time and effort on pop music? it’s never going to be bach no matter how much you tinker with it

This was quite interesting to listen to as it's the sort of Beach Boys music that I'm less familiar with. I tend to prefer side 1 - and even knew a couple of the tunes on that. But I guess I just tend to prefer up beat music to ballads in general. Side 2 was OK, apart from the oddness at the end, but I guess we can give them that as it was the 60s. Overall, decent enough and interesting to listen to, but I doubt I'll seek it out for listening again. Side 1 might get a 3.5-4, but side 2 knocks this down to a 3 overall.

Meh

4.5

- Great vibes - Very easy to listen to, great for a summer day outside - 3.5-4

- IDK why but I can never seem to get into The Beach Boys - it’s quality accapella

Love the Beach Boys. Crazy when this came out it was their 8th album in 3 years...amazing! This album was a pivotal move between their first, more basic albums and their more ambitious albums such at Pet Sounds and Smile.

I'm not a big fan of the Beach Boys. I'm not sure why I never got into them, I appreciate their musicianship and their vocal harmonies are great. This album does not have any songs I am familiar with either, which is probably good for me to not have any predispositions. That last track is so weird, a fake interview with the band. It sounds like it's a bonus track, but it isn't. I can't imagine what people initially made of that. It's interesting that the songs were organized the way they are: the A side is ptemp, then the B side are all slow, ballad-like. Listen to the lyrics and you can see a maturation of Brian Wilson's lyrics: an apprehension of what lays ahead for him, he's not a teenager anymore. Ultimately, the songs still have that dated sound. I tend to think of the Beach Boys as "old", just before my time. But they were around for the Beatles who I love. So it's a bit of a paradox for me. So listening to the album itself, I found myself enjoying it more than I expected. And thinking that maybe I need to revisit my feelings on their stuff. I still don't think I will become a fan, but I appreciate them more than I did.

I think my rating of this album is driven by two things. First, my own impressions and second, what I read about it. Both get me to the same place. On my own, I love the vocal harmonies and orchestra backing. Some recent albums on this list from UK acts of the 2000's resurrected that sound, and I didn't realize it could be traced to the Beach Boys. I always liked them for their doo-wop but this album had that and more complex arrangements. And in fact, side one was more the fun style I mostly remember them for (including Help Me Rhonda, an oft-played and sung song in my family) while side two was deeper. Cool. Once I read the background, I realized how intentional side one vs. side two was, but also how much more mature the lyrics were on both sides. Also, I love albums and loathe singles (or at least artists who just try to produce one-off songs and can't put a whole album together). So now knowing that this was an early example of a concept album and that this was an attempt for them to break away from their more juvenile stuff, I have a lot of respect for their effort. It just goes to show how hard it is to rate an album out of context and makes me wonder how many albums I've not properly appreciated because I'm just rating on how it sounds to me at the time and not how it represents a sound of what came before it and what will come after it.

It’s The Beach Boys

never listened to beach boy... I really didn't get much out of this after the first 4 tracks. I enjoyed the last track way too much lol

60/70’er pop, simpelt, flerstemmigt, catchy

I don’t really need another Beach Boys album from the sixties. It sounds like pet sounds.

Cheesy high school lyrics and rhythms. But I couldn't stop grinning all the way through. I had Fun, fun, fun till the album stopped.

Quintessential Beach Boys

Eternal summer.

Reading the track list, the only song I know for sure is "Help Me, Rhonda". All the songs have a very similar sound, but that's expected with surf rock. I very much like their harmonies! There's nothing offensive or off-putting about the instruments, vocals and melodies. but there's nothing very deep about the lyrics either. Now that I'm listening to the B-side, I'm enjoying it a lot more. This seems to be their ballads. The harmonies sound better and are probably more appealing to the larger population. I was going to give it 3 until I got to the B-side. A-side: straight surfer music. B-side: softer pop. I'm not a big fan of pop ballads, but it gave the album a nice balance. That balance pushes it to a pretty solid 4.5. I would willingly listen to this again with no complaints.

Relaxing surf Rock, summer vibes

The Beach Boys Today! had glimpses of what is to come in their latter albums, but something feels like it's missing through the familiar Beach Boys Californian beach carefree sound. The final track really brought the album down and felt entirely unnecessary. Best: Dance, Dance, Dance Worst: Bull Session with the 'Big Daddy

Really like it. Such great love tracks on here. Definite precursor to Pet Sounds, but not quite as pulled together.

Tja. Het is Beach Boys, dus altijd wel aardig. Maar veel verder dan 'wel aardig' komt dit voor mijn gevoel niet. Het komt niet in de buurt van Pet Sounds, maar ook niet echt in de buurt van de eerdere hits. Dat maakt dit album vooral net niet. Maar omdat het nog wel 'wel aardig' is geven we het maar wel 3 sterren.

That... wasn't great. Despite clocking at less than 30 minutes, somehow this album barely captured my attention. Some interesting harmonies here and there keep it a little above "terrible" but not by much. It's amazing to think this is the same band that gave us the amazing Pet Sounds the next year.

Actually a 3.5. It’s fun and you can hear what comes later, and , with The Beach Boys…

Very beach boys, what can I say. Very comfortable to listen to.

Loved it as a kid but this was not their best. That would have been " Pet Sounds", which was probably my pre-teen anthem album.

Ehh……

This was tough wading through expired misogynistic baby boomer syrup. An extra star for Do You Wanna Dance? That is a solid pop song. And I just happened to notice, Brian Wilson didn't write that one.

Am Anfang dachte ich, dass das so ein gute Laune Album ist, was irgendwann zu anstrengend wird. Aber ich möchte diesen Verlauf vom Album richtig, es wurde ruhiger gegen Ende. Und das Ende vom Album mit der Konversation war irgendwie richtig wholesome. Mochte diese Gemeinschaft

Hat was sehr fröhliches und es abwechslungsreich, aber ich bin mir nicht ganz sicher, was ich von diesen “zusammen singen” halte. Also es ist manchmal ganz nett, aber hier ist das ja über das ganze Album. I liked the skit where they were just talking. It just adds to the experience of the whole album.

Falls a bit shy of a 5-star album for me. You'd think being only 29 minutes long, there wouldn't be room for a useless interview at the end. I found the songs I didn't already know (pretty much all of side two) to be somewhat boring, but the rest is great. I've never heard this version of Help Me, Ronda before. It's a bit rougher than the single version, but I dig it.

Superb - the Beach Boys are tops!

Very simple and not their best so 2*

Good stuff but too short (and overlength 'talky' track) to be a classic.

I like the Beach Boys a lot and this was just more of a good thing really. Solid tracks front to back but nothing that compares to what they would do later in their careers. My favourite tracks were "Help me, Rhonda" and "Please Let Me Wonder". Personal Enjoyment - 9 Songwriting - 7.5 Lyrics - 7 Originality - 7 Production Value - 9 Artwork - 9 Overall - 7.9

The Beach Boys have one amazing record and this ain't it! This is the second album by them and I don't get the appeal. This does have that joint from Alf on it so it's not all that bad!

Do you wanna dance was alright, but I don't want to listen to a bunch of frat boys practicing the guitar. Shit show.

This was really bland, most the songs at least on the first listen were very forgettable. And some of the lyrics are a bit creepy down in retrospect

Rubbish

Ietwat gewoon, maar wel leuke muziek

Nice album

In a nutshell: first time ever paying attention and listening ot them - soothing, easy to listen to and very catchy indeed, so yeah, Surprisingly good, tight and varied. I understand (form reading) its poppy energetic on sideA and quiet introspective on side B - a real concept album, they say. They have a mature and artful sound here for sure. So educative. AND also, kind of loved the album for social curiosity/etymological reasons too; hearing the language of the YOUTH era used (without self consciousness? Not sure) terms and content like Groovy, Square, “put me down” , “turn me on” all with layered connotations today of course. MORE: Surprising myself by giving it 4-5 stars, thus demonstrating the Simultaneous GENIUS and JOY of discovering critically acclaimed albums you would never otherwise listen to. Th Beach Boys “today!” is catchy, happy and evoking care free, dreamy youth / surf vibes for me more than most bands... I admit never having sat down to actually "intently listen to Beach Boys“ but generally i see them as “easy listening defined”, it provides a cushy wall to lean against and it doesn’t intrude on the one hand, but then jump in /throws up a richly happy sound with its twangy guitar anthems…. (still a bit “tin can sound” for me overall, but thats maybe an aside). they are so enticing and woven into American cinema and TV, then when Beach Bosy summer anthems come on, it is like i have them as implanted memories of driving to the beach in my parents’ station wagon to meet my friends and surf followed by a coke while watching the sunset. Maybe its something relatable, form growing up on the West Coast of Western Australia. (but) Being a kids of 80s Perth, I doubt I got much Beach Boys on FM radio - so my beach boys memories are probably due to overexposure to flashback/fantasy sequences in The Wonder Years or <cringe> ALF (h, no, its coming backt o me now… TV commercials doing covers, and “Help me Rhonda” on Alf…, got done a few times, and our brains love repetition, so I accept zero blame!) .

Ok, this is silly. The worthy pre Pet Sounds album is Summer Days with California Girls etc etc. This is the epitome of the K Tel type of cobbled together type of record they put out back then, not worthy of consideration as a record. I'm not impressed.

I had a great mate at my last workplace (where I worked for 20 years) named Dermot. A music nut, he was always burning cd’s & leaving them on my desk to surprise me. One day I lobbed at work to find a cd with the title : The Godlike Genius That Is…..BRIAN WILSON. If the house I live in ever catches alight & I only have time to grab one cd, that’s the one I’m grasping for. For years I thought it was some rare compilation, but turns out it was a collection put together by a friend of Dermot’s. It is a joy, and it celebrates the eloquence of Wilson’s lyrics, music, production,etc. Not a bunch of hit singles. There were 5 tracks from Pet Sounds & 4 tracks from the Today album & I knew none of those 4 tracks - the glorious I’m So Young ( a cover version of a 1958 release by The Students); Please Let Me Wonder; She Knows Me Too Well; & Kiss Me Baby. These are the first 4 tracks on Side 2, & are widely regarded as a precursor to the majesty of Pet Sounds, although, for me, I don’t think The Beachboys ever sounded any better than this. As for Side 1, it opens with a cover of Bobby Freeman’s Do You Wanna Dance that’s pretty good, if unnecessary, and closes with the great Dance, Dance, Dance. In between is a version of Help Me R(h)onda that is not as good as the single version they subsequently recorded. But if you are not familiar with this album, it’s a revelation. Godlike.

Brian Wilson is no longer on the road, and concentrating on production and songwriting. But he hasn't hit his straps yet, for better and for worse. Help Me Rhonda and When I Grow Up (To Be A Man) are stand-out songs, with Dance Dance Dance and I'm So Young also pretty strong, but the rest of this album barely rises above cliched filler tunes. The harmonies are terrific (with strong incorporation of jazz chords into their doo wop style). and the backing tracks are starting to channel the best parts of Phil Spector production methods, without yet degenerating into the worst excesses that lay around the corner ('Vegetables" anyone?). I think this album gets a critical pass because it is part of the run-up to Pet Sounds, and a progression beyond the more adolescent girls & cars songs that preceded. Not that the concerns of this album are much more mature. Brian Wilson is clearly still trapped in an adolescent fantasy world, and preoccupied with disturbingly young women. But the Beach Boys are really still a singles band at this point (case in point: Help Me, Rhonda is far better on the single version), and the 1001 albums list's obsession with albums precludes the best way to listen to the Beach Boys: i.e., on a single compilation.

The Beach Boys were probably my first popular music love. Amazing stuff. Brian Wilson's harmonys were incredible...such a savant. This album has some great tunes, but is just kept off the highest marks line. 4.5/5

good early beach boys

This is a pivotal record in The Beach Boys’ discography. Switching to more mature songwriting and themes, and better production. The Phil Spector wall-of-sound style production really shines in the mono mix.

Not my favourite Beach Boys record. Pick it up, boys.

Pretty good but not their best.

Whiny '60s rock which is a bit of a hit-and-miss. But its The Beach Boys so the hits are spot-on and the misses are at least inoffensive. A fun and easy listen overall.

Today! Is where we really begin to see Brian Wilson’s production and songwriting style ramp up to its experimental apex which would come on 1966-1967. Having stepped down from touring after a panic attack en route to Houston, Brian Wilson began spending more time in the studio. The result is a wall of sound style production with more introspective songwriting tinged with melancholy. The results are undeniable.

Decent, not as good as pet sounds

Classic! Love that Brian Wilson sound!

Standard 60s pop, no songs about surfing and cars like old Beach Boys albums. Help me Rhonda is probably the most recognizable track. Some of the subject matter was deeper than usual Beach Boys songs "when I grow up to be a man" has some interesting thoughts about aging and the future. Overall a decent album

There’s just something very sickly about this group. They have some decent songs, none of this album, but mostly they have a similar feeling to the smell of grandmas sofa. Just old and lacking in any dynamism. Avoid.

Its not Pet Sounds....some lovely high harmonies but it still in the bubblegum phase and it wears a bit.

8/10 - Solid album

I found this very annoying.

I hate the beach boys. There's a couple good songs on here and the rest are bullshit filler. It would be the grossest thing about my day so far if I wasn't cleaning filthy drains. It must have been nice to grow up in a world where all you have to do is worry about who your baby was gonna hold hands with and which 3000 square foot house you'd live in.

los amo son tan siulis 8/10

There's no denying that you only need to be listening to The Beach Boys for the time it takes you to say "oh fuck, it's The Beach Boys" to know it's them. The iconic harmonies, the voices that sound like they've trapped their bollocks in a car door, it's all very familiar. And for that - a solid 2 stars. Where I draw the line is that every song sounds the same, and every song has the same lyrics but in a different order. "There's a pretty girl, I wonder if she's into me" "If I look good, will that pretty girl notice me" "I wonder if we could get together and gang rape that woman" SING SOMETHING DIFFERENT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD Anyway, I'm sure the album was a popular classic at the time. It just aged like the crusty bed sheets of a brothel.

Woohoo boys!

A developing Beach Boy album. Harmonies are there and, in retrospect, you see where they are going.

I'll treat this album as the older brother of "Pet Sounds". And it makes sense, as "The Beach Boys Today!" Is a much rougher and less experimental version of the latter album. Every song is just very good, but safe in a way of composing and writing. We can see potential of Brian Wilson in here, but the full release of his abilities are visible on "Pet Sounds". As a result, we have pretty vibes and relaxing tunes, but no special spark. Just a strong and solid album.

Day 3 I didn't this it would be this soon that I got a band this well known. Obviously I know the beach boys but looking through the track list I didn't recognize a single song. Also, I wrote the review for this one song by song as opposed to the first two days. Do You Wanna Dance? - 4/10 - way too repetitive (yes I know it's the beach boys but even for them it's a little much) but just based off of how nice the beach boys voice sounds is keeping it from under 4 Good To My Baby - 6/10 Don't Hurt My Little Sister - 8/10 - fun premise, also is a nice break from the super upbeat stuff I'm accustomed to hearing from the beach boys When I Grow Up (To Be A Man) - 3/10 - not into this one. whatever the backing instrument is for most of the song just kind of sucks and whoever is the main guy singing here is clearly the worst singer of the band imo. also it's just kind of a mediocre premise for a song that they do poorly Help Me, Rhonda - 5/10 Dance, Dance, Dance - 8/10 - I like this one. It sounds like the type of music I would actually like to hear at the beach. Please Let Me Wonder - 8/10 - didn't expect a slow love song (tbf idk if this would even be considered a love song) to work this well from them I'm So Young - 4/10 - Yeah this is more what I expected from a love song from them. It just feels very void of substance and kind of a stupid topic after the last song. Kiss Me, Baby - 5/10 - mostly inoffensive (Note: I swear they start off every other song on this album with that whiney "OoOoOoH") She Knows Me Too Well - 8/10 - I appreciate the minor tone of the song. I also find the blatant admittance of being an asshole who makes the girl he likes cry pretty interesting. (I know it was a different time but it's still funny.) This is easily the best song on the album but I don't think it compares to the actually fun classic Beach Boys songs that just aren't on this album. In The Back Of My Mind - 5/10 - this feels like the most genuine expression of emotion on the album so far. Just wish it sounded better. And then the 12th track is just some filler track of the boys getting sandwiches or something so I won't add that tto the rating Overall: It's better than I expected from a list of songs I've never heard from one of the bigger bands I've ever heard. 64/110 or 58%

Enjoyed the jump in complexity, although still not where it would get to later.

Ok. We get it. You can harmonize. I could never get in to the BBs though.

goofy lads make some great tunes. I expected this to get samey but its fairly varied, vocals of course are great but I love the songwriting too. best tracks: don't hurt my little sister, help me rhonda, good to my baby

To say this is better than Pet Sounds is just silly. This is a transitional record, with a pretty weak first side. Side 2 gets better but the best of the Beach Boys was still to come, obviously.

There’s some good moments with catchy Melodies it was perfectly fine on a Saturday morning

The Beach Boys were a really unique 60s sound, that has really lost its appeal. They were great back in the day though. There are a lot of great songs, but when I listen to it now, it’s like I just want to hear it once, and move on….. 3.5/5 (excellent)

it was "fine", what I expected. Understand that it was "groundbreaking" for the time, but I didn't much care for them in the 70's, let alone today.

Not bad, but not mine kind of music

Surprisingly sophisticated

I hadn't previously considered the lyrics much when listening to the Beach Boys. That was a mistake. Another excellent album. 4.5/5

always an enjoyable listen, made me feel like i was at the beach! favorite was oh rhonda.

Lots of tamberine

Not a bad album. Not the best from the Beach Boys. All of their songs seem to hit the same note...

Lots of great hits on this album

Best version of Help Me, Rhonda. Otherwise, meh. Beach Boys have some fun sing-a-long songs but they're often too bubble gum sounding for my tastes

Big love for the beach boys...not their best hear, but some good time tracks. Also some dodgy lyrics brian ... looking at you She Knows Me Too Well...the bonus track of them messing about and talking about food is wonderful...

If you’ve heard the Beach Boys before you know precisely what you’re getting into. Smooth vocals by Love and Wilson, great songwriting and the feeling that summer might never end and the only thing that could stop it are the gray clouds in your mind,

Weather appropriate.

sunshine vinyl!

An incredible record by one of the most important and influential pop/rock bands out of the 60s.

Meh it’s The Beach Boys !

hmm maybe iam to young

The lyrics man... just a bit on the nose. But the second half really is very good.

Nope!

Rock and roll, tamborines, high pitch guitar solos, during its era I suppose it was a great success however its not very appealing to the music standards today.

big daddy loves this album and so shall you

ehm.... so cheesy 3

Not their best album, and definitely sounds a little dated. But this album is really well made and sounds so good. Vocals and arrangements are spectacular.

Excelentes los arreglos vocales y la música. Gran álbum

Fantastic.

I don't really get why this is on the list. I'm not a huge Beach Boys fan, and never got into their albums in a big way. I just like their most famous songs, and none of them were on here. I didn't find any of the tracks particularly memorable or innovative whatsoever. Overall a miss for me, looking forward to listening to some of their other albums though.

Toddlers love beach boys

being introed to beach boys via full house was a millenial crime

I like Beach Boys

That was classic cool

A bit scrappy and scruffy but gee there's some great tracks on here. Loved hearing the original release of Help Me Rhonda (re-recorded a few months later for a single release). What's most amazing is that Pet Sounds came out just a year and a bit later.

Een recent optreden van The Beach Boys waar de originele leden als een stel zombies erbij stonden terwijl de backing band eigenlijk alles speelden, drukt zwaar op mijn beleving van een band met eigenlijk echt leuke popliedjes.

Best leuk maar oh oh oh wat braaf allemaal.

Misschien ben ik te streng, maar dit is toch een en hetzelfde nummer?

For something that wasn't in line with my usual tastes it wasn't too bad. It puts me into that moment of time without being too dated or irrelevant. Dreamy and easy listening. Also I appreciate the short track lengths as the track typically ends before I get bored of it.

Beach boys incredibly influential and this record was a revolution in mic technology. Awesome

Some classic songs here and overall enjoyed it.

yllättyin kuinka paska albumi, ei voi sanoa että odotin mitään rohkelikko tyyppistä musiikkia tietenkin turvallista radio soopailua... harmoniaa huhhuh joo mutta ei sama paska joka biisinnypäkässä pelasta albumia.. ja sitten joku kolmen minuuten burgeri bloopperi kohtaus,, ette ole vittu relatable saatanan miljönöörit tiedän että keikkojen jälkeen painelette alaikäisiä tyttöjä vittu en halua tietää että syötte ruokaa,+lyrisismi taas sellasta... arvaappa mitä olin antamassa kahta tähteä koska populääri mielipiteet positiiviset mutta sydän sanoo mitä sydän sanoo jos on paska niin paska arvosana do you wanna dance

79/100: This album, from here on out, will be the album I point to as an example when I describe an album as "a cute little album." I realize that might come across as an incredibly dismissive, maybe even patronizing phrase to use in describing an album as historically significant as this one, which is partly why I've decided to use this album as the example for that phrase. When I say an album is "a cute little album," I don't mean it in a dismissive way. I recognize how important this album was for development of The Beach Boys, eventually paving the way for "Pet Sounds" and thus a myriad of ground-breaking rock albums. To me, this album is both that and cute. It's fun and easy to listen to, and I'm sure the "ease" is a product of the time in which I'm listening to it. Maybe when it was first released it felt like an entirely new sound, forcing listeners to pay attention to every artistic decision made throughout; however, nowadays, to me, this sound doesn't feel new. It feels familiar and easy. This is why I think it's a cute little album, but I do think there are many albums better than this (it's not even The Beach Boys' best).

LP

A transitional Beach Boys record, and one that is very pleasant, but not in their top 7 or 8 LPs to me.

Surprisingly, the only song on this album I was already familiar with was Help Me, Ronda. I liked this album. It feels like the transition point for them that Rubber Soul was for The Beatles - their move toward more complex songs and more complex subject matter. 4 stars.

The classic Beach Boys harmonies are present throughout but no songs of surf, sun or California are to be found here. Nonetheless, Side 1 is full of up tempo bangers and is great. Side 2 comprises ballads and isn't the Beach Boys' best work. Rating: 3/5 Playlist track: Help Me, Rhonda Date listened: 04/12/22

It was time to put away the surfboards, for the time being anyway. Today! was Brian Wilson fleshing out ideas and soundscapes that would soon engulf his psyche and end up changing the course of music forever. Despite the songs being taut, it is packed with intent for a different kind of listening experience; songs for the interior space as opposed to the beaches that were once roamed and eternally romanticized. Today! is the blueprint for what was to come. Do not skip out.

5/5. There are just a few songs that prevent the 5/5 score but it is so close that I thought I’d give it anyway. 4.8/5 to be exact.

Sometimes simple is better

too surfy

hey this isn't the one i like the beach boys pre-pet sounds are silly and fun, but there's still a musical complexity there to admire. the harmonies are crunchy, there's some cool experimentation in the instrumentals. it's still brian, and all those kids are still really talented! there's just something about those high, wailing harmonies that makes this stuff really click. even if it's cheesy-ass surf music, there's an effort and sincerity that makes this stuff stand the test of time. i know i'm biased, but i just fucking love the beach boys man. i really do. except for mike love. fuck mike love.

There's magic in The Beach Boys' music -- the way their vocal harmonies float in the air, the way bass drums and timpani add drama with a buh-dum-dum. I can't believe I've never listened to this particular album before. I'm loving it. "Do You Wanna Dance" is one of my favorite songs and The Beach Boys' version is one of the definitive takes on it that all other versions get judged against. Something that struck me after listening to the album a few times is how many songs are about male insecurity. On "Good to My Baby," a guy swears that he treats his girl right and that she loves him but it's pretty clear that's not really the case. "Don't Hurt My Little Sister" takes the opposite perspective. An older brother is worried his sister's boyfriend isn't good enough for her. On "Help Me, Rhonda," (a classic) the guy is just using Rhonda as a rebound hookup after getting dumped by his fiancee. The music makes it sound like an upbeat love song but he's really just hurt. Rhonda looks good but he doesn't seem to care about her at all. "She Knows Me Too Well" is a song from the perspective of a jealous man and on "In the Back of My Mind," a man is paranoid his happy relationship will eventually crumble. There are a lot of insecure and unhappy men in these songs. You can put this on in the background and jam out to the music (which I did a few times and loved) but a closer look gives you a deeper (and sadder) experience.

Solid Album! "Do You Wanna Dance" is probably a top 100 song of all time for me. I love the timpani- such an unexpected instrument to add in rock music, and it itself adds so much power to the song. "Help Me, Rhonda" slays. It's overall very good. Not the best Beach Boys record ever, but really solid.

Hey look! It’s the Beach Boys between their well-loved California fun heyday and their anachronistic Pet Sounds era! There’s a reason why adolescence is regarded as an awkward age.

Ok album of early songs I think later albums are better

Very twee and a bit cloying. Yes, the harmonies are great and The Beach Boys are a classic group. They have infiltrated our entire culture. But I can only take them in small doses. This was more than enough for today and perhaps a whole year.

This album has that classic Beach Boys sound with great harmonies but it doesn’t quite do it for me. It sounds trapped in the mid 60s, right before The Beach Boys got cool and made Pet Sounds. I won’t be revisiting this one.

When I listened to the first few songs, I was worried this album might be a bit boring. The second half of the album is pretty great though. The instrumentation really comes through in this half, and it does more interesting things. I liked everything on this second half. Also, it's insane that The Beach Boys were already on their eighth studio album by 1965, when their debut was only in 1962. My favourite songs were Please Let Me Wonder and She Knows Me Too Well.

This album bridges the Beach Boys' early and later stages. The first half is youthful and upbeat, while the second is slow, anxious, and contemplative, foreshadowing the loss of innocence depicted on Pet Sounds. Overall, the individual songs don't feel like the band's strongest, but the album shows Brian Wilson moving in a more introspective, experimental direction.

Beautiful harmonies in timeless pop music. Great stuff from the Beach Boys as always.

This seems unnecessary to include in the list - why not just Pet Sounds?

A bit too cheery for my taste.

The Beach Boys are consummate boomers, singing about a mean guy who hurt their little sister in one song, then singing about hurting their girlfriend to make themselves feel better in another. Good times. I know I'm not a fan because of overexposure.

Big fan of pet sounds but first time hearing this album, it’s good but doesn’t quiet match up to pet sounds. Can see the later songs leading building up to it. Good album and worthy of the list.

Biczowe bojsy z okresu grania prawdziwie plazowej muzyki, siodmy krazek w dyskografii bandy rocznik 65, sama plyta miala byc jednym z protoplastow grania albumowego, a nie wypuszczania singlowych utworow, chociaz biorac pod uwage ze w tamtym okresie bosjy potrafili wypuscic z trzy albumy takiego pokroju w ciagu roku, to tez duzo mowi o ich jakosci, bo na 28 minutach materialu poza prawdziwa orkiestra muzykow sesyjnych, bo gralo ich ponad 25, mozna posluchac mocno biczowych harmonijnych wokali do trakow pisanych przez duet willson-love z podzialem muzyka-liryka, ciezko szukac tutaj tutaj innych motywow poza plazowa miloscia, wiec najpopularniejszy popowy topik muzyczny od zarania dziejow, na plejke dodam help me rhonda, bo jest tutaj ciekawszy plot niz na wiekszosci trakow i dodatkowo utwor wyroznia wokal od pana jardine, o ile zazwyczaj lekko mi sie slucha biczowego popowania tak dzisiaj jakos ciezko wchodzil ten krazek, moze niedospanie, oczekiwanie i zmeczenie daja sie we znaki i odpowiedzia na nie byloby cos o wiele bardziej wyczilowanego, a nie przepelnionego taka radoscia z zycia i milosci, bo ciezko wykrzesac z siebie czasem nastroj do takiego stylu zycia, zabawnie tez wyglada okladka tez plyty patrzac z perspektywy pol wieku, modnie ubrani plazowicze w welnianych sweterkach

poppy nostalgic california beach vibes. some wistful, nostalgic road trip energy

As a fan of the Beach Boys I very much enjoyed listening to this album and hearing a good number of songs I'd never heard before. It is interesting to consider as a transitional album away from their famed early teen pop sound towards Brian Wilson's more creative experiments.

I've been a fan of The Beach Boys my entire life. I was more of a fan of the later orchestral sounds than the early surf songs, but I liked them all. How fun to be able to explore the evolution of their sound.

I'm really loving all of the exposure I'm getting to The Beach Boys with this project. And it's fun to read about the goings-on around the recording and the release of this record. Do You Wanna Dance hits you with the Phil Spector-ish wall of sound, making it clear why Wikipedia classifies this as Orchestrated Rock. I love the complexity of the lyrics on side 2 of the album hinting at where Brian Wilson is headed. A gem!

The Beach Boys were a group that I thought I understood in my youth. Then sometime in my 30s all those songs I started getting an inkling there was a lot more to them than I thought. So I have really loved having their albums come up on this project. The songs I am familiar with are so much more meaningful, and I’m discovering brilliant new songs that often surpass those greatest hits. I enjoyed the fun side one and the much more wistful side two. There’s a lot of everything I love about The Beach Boys here. I’m constantly surprised how the melodies will often go off in an unexpected direction - just one of the many ways this album transcends its genre. I listened to this three times in a row and just floated away on those beautiful harmonies over a glorious wall of sound. What a perfect album!

Not a good sign when a two minute long song feels too long. A couple were kind of catchy, but mostly I found them annoying.

Nice and catchy; exactly what I expected. Lacked that quality “Pet Sounds” has and so good but not amazing.

Vapid heartthrob pop. Pet Sounds is a five; this shouldn’t even be here.

I do like The Beach Boys but there's usually only so much of the surfer sound I can take at a time. I will say though that the album flows very nicely and the lengths of the songs allow for a good listening experience.

Surf rock has invaded my bones

This is certainly not my favorite Beach Boys record, but it's got a lot of great songs on it. Adding more orchestral instruments definitely does a lot to make the Beach Boys' sound more interesting, and it did a lot to showcase what Brian Wilson could do as a songwriter 4/5

Really liked it. Would be 4.5 stars if that was possible … not an all-time classic, but definitely on my list now to pick up for the collection

Never was a big fan of The Beach Boys, and it doesn’t help that this isn’t one of their better albums

You can hear the evolution of the Beach Boys in real time. We start off with some generic surf rock teen bops. Beautiful harmonies with cool riffs and plenty of interesting instrumentation (thanks Wrecking Crew). But even these songs in the first half are better than the deep cuts they've written before, with some cool and innovative segments, even if half the song is pretty lame and uneventful. They don't quite hit the mark, and you can tell they have the potential for genius, which they'll live up to in the following 6 years. The first recording "Help Me Ronda" may not be as good but is actually a fresh take from the rerecording, fitting well here, and showcasing their potential in songwriting. The awful volume mixing near the end sounds intentional but it ruins it, on top of the overall muddled vocals. We end the side with their biggest single, the most complete but also the most generic "Dance Dance Dance", sounds like an ode to 50s rock n roll. The second side is where it starts getting really good. These songs tend to simpler and lighter on the instrumentation, with the focus set on the slow, melancholic, dynamic, and immensely beautiful harmonies and emotional lyrics. The depressing hooks are reminiscent of the confusing and unstable feelings in Pet Sounds. "Please Let Me Wonder" and "I'm So Young" have a very 50s traditional doo wop sound except a lot more flexible. The vocals of "Kiss Me Baby" showcases something entirely new and exciting, which continues to the end of the album. The mood gradually slows and depresses to the concluding "In the Back of My Mind", which has my favorite instrumentation, with a quite dramatic and satisfying ending. I wish "Bull Session" was cut cause it ruins it for me. Lots of faults and lots of room for improvement, but also a ton of strengths that make the Beach Boys start to stand out from the rest of the world. Despite being a huge Beach Boys fan, I never would have thought to listen to this record for years, so thank you generator. Favorites: Good to My Baby, When I Grow Up, Help Me Ronda, Please Let Me Wonder, Kiss Me Baby, She Knows Me Too Well, In the Back of My Mind

Dance and Depress

antidepressivo Favs: - help me, rhonda - she knows me too well

it was ok nothing amazing

Liked the songs “When I Grow Up” and “Don’t Hurt My Little Sister”. Although I don’t know, I think they have better albums than this.

8/10

The Beach boys are the best band of surf-rock.

I'm far from a specialist in Beach Boys discography, but this album before THE "Pet Sounds" sounds interesting. I can see much of the future experimentalism of the band, but also some remains of classical surf rock. I don't have much to say, but this quick and good release from this band some years from changing the musical history and listening to it is a good experience.

I thought this was really good. I haven’t actually ever sat down and listened to a whole beach boys album but i’ve heard enough songs to know what they sound like. every time i hear it it does remind me of 50 first dates though

I love the Beach Boys. Summer, surfing, and hot rods. There are a few favorites on this album but not my favorites BBs album. I did struggle listening to this in the middle of October. Beach Boys music is fun in the sun summertime music for me. This album has great studio musicians from the L.A. "Wrecking Crew". It's been labeled as a transition album for the BBs because it includes more of Brian Wilson's ballads... which is probably why it falls to average. Tangy guitars and falsetto harmonies is what I love but their ballads are mediocre whine fests. I wish could rate this one higher but please "Help Me, Ronda!" this album doesn't touch my heart 'cause I just wanna "Dance, Dance, Dance".

Even if you don’t think you know the Beach Boys, you know The Beach Boys. This album sounds like teenaged angst wrapped in California sunshine. I am having a hard time talking about this album without thinking about everything else that they have done so I will just say that, except for the part about them talking about hamburgers and French fries, it was very good. I listened to this album today with my 16 year-old niece.* After it was over we listened to quite a few One Direction songs (2 1/2 hr drive from Sleepy Hollow, NY, to Philadelphia) and we were talking about how the video for their song ‘Kiss You’ was influenced by The Beach Boys. * I invited Brave to join our listening group so we may get some GenZ-based reviews soon! Final note: I can’t get the song Brian Wilson by the Barenaked Ladies out of my head right now and I’m not mad about it!

As I know Scott is an avid Beach Boys fan, this one is hard for me. And it's not just Scott — so many people consider Brian Wilson a genius and the Beach Boys some sort of transcendent band, and I don't understand it. I continue to try. So this is not me shitting all over the band so much as trying to explain what I'm hearing. Harmonies. No doubt, the harmonies on any given song are impressive. But after three tunes, it's like everything is just cranked through the 8-part Beach Boys harmony machine and it all starts to sound like an endless, meandering "oooOOOooo." Themes. Did these guys ever actually grow out of high school? I guess it's a sign of the times, but the infatuation with girls makes it hard to take the music seriously. Lyrics. They sound so desperate to be cool, they drop every catchphrase in the parlance of the times. If they had just laid down one "Daddy-O" my Beach Boys Lingo Bingo card would have been full. And on what is easily the most enjoyable song, "Help Me Rhonda," I was struck by the actual message of the song: "my fiancée dumped me and I'm brokenhearted, but you're pretty hot and if you blow me, I'll forget all about her." I mean, that's a pretty coarse interpretation of the lyric, but it ain't wrong. I was going to give it a 2, but I'm hovering over the 3. Help me Rhonda!

The first thing I did when I found the complete list of songs for this thing, was to see what Beach Boys albums they chose. And I can't say they got it wrong. Pet Sounds, of course, but they chose the best pre-PS album (this one) and the best post-PS, too (Sunflower). So good on them. I get that some people will just never love the BB's sound, but I do. That combo of Mike singing the verse and Brian's soaring falsetto on the chorus is just magic to my ears. Side one has lots of great BB party songs, but it's side two where things really come together and point the way towards Pet Sounds with his chords and arrangements. Those harmonies and jazz chords just do it for me. But I grew up listening to doo-wop music (because my parents did) and so the BB were just the logical extension of that. If you grew up listening to literally anything else, I can see why the BBs might seem dorky and old-fashioned. Of course, it wouldn't be a BB's album if it didn't have some duds (except Pet sounds). Help Me Rhonda isn't a dud per se, but I never want to hear it again (and the damn thing just keeps going an fading in and out, psyching me out every time). And then there's "Bull Sessions with Big Daddy." Oh, Brian. Why.

The first half (side 1) of these songs were so enjoyable and wholesome by the second half around Please Let Me Wonder I was done.

Beach Boys in Bubble Gum mode.

Oh man the harmony in these songs is so great. Love the all the vocals and the arranging. I never really heard most of these songs but now I feel like I’ve been really missing out on The Beach Boys. They are kind of perfect recordings (except the tambourine is super loud) I love the echoey hi hat sound in I’m so young.

The Beach Boys are always such a good time. I love the Phil specter/wrecking crew vibe on this record, the vocals are incredible and the arrangements/instrumentation are so cool.

The Beach Boys are so fun to listen to. It’s sounds wholesome even when songs are about some unwholesome topics.

The songs were short, so you don't need to listen to them for very long...

Ich kotze vor poppigkeit

Not once, ever, after 6 hours of school, did I feel the overwhelming need to dance, dance, dance — mo matter how hot the beat.

Disco de cuando están en su apogeo. Ya tienen bien pulido su sonido y aunque ninguna de las canciones sobresale dramáticamente, es un disco cortito que se puede escuchar completo y al menos a mi me puso muy de buenas. I'm So Young se me hace la que más se sale de lo convencional y Help Me, Rhonda se me hace la mejor.

Alcanzamos las tres estrellas muy apenas y por compromiso. Este disco es un limbo entre la época de los Beach Boys felices y hablando de malteadas, y los Beach Boys introspectivos del Pet Sounds y siento que por ambos lados queda a deber un poco. Quizá tiene el valor histórico de ser el primero en el que no planearon hacer giras, pero esto no basta para que vengan canciones icónicas y solo es un poco de contexto.

Help me Rhonda A+

It’s funny that this is regarded as one of greatest albums of all time. I can’t get behind The Beach Boys orchestra, uptempo approach. They are definitely very much in their own lane of sound and create that surf, summertime feel. I do enjoy the slower, ballad songs on the album such as please let me wonder and in the back of my mind, but the pace of the first half of the album prevents me from enjoying it as a whole.

first listen not a style of music i'm drawn to...but the harmonies and revolutionary chord changes keep me interested

great album

Un bon album, c'est tres beach boys et c'est tres bien. 4.25

Brian Wilson's falsetto cuts through this album like a crystal sword through cheesecake.

Tres bon, C'est les beach boys, ça fait du beach boys un peu comme beaucoup des giga classiques ça fait ce qu'on expect mais c'est peu surprenant. J'ai passé un bon moment en sah et c'est du classique mais rien de particulièrement transcendant, allez bisous

Great quick album, with a vibe to it. Some summer thing. No strings attached to the album, you just wanna have fun right... Good to hear but not Marking... 3.5/5

This is some core Beach Boys. It's nowhere near as good as Pet Sounds. It's still good, but mostly forgettable music. Help Me Ronda stands out a little, but it's one of their weaker hits.

An album of Beach Boys deep cuts. I mean it is still a good album, but it's just not an amazing album. I do like it more than Surf's Up which I also thought was a strange inclusion when neither of their first two albums got a spot. The influence of those two albums on Surf Rock and then the influence of Surf Rock on so many other genres makes me so confused as to why they didn't get a spot. The leading single on both of those albums have more streams by themselves than this entire album totaled. I however won't disagree with the inclusion of Pet Sounds. Good album just not anything more than a 3 star to me.

Pretty funny to hear grown ass men singing about their little sister’s dude and wanting to put aside the school books to dance in their room.

HELP ME RHONDA! Fun songs, good beach vibes but they have better music than this.

é interessante ver os beach boys antes do pet sounds. é outra coisa completamente diferente. os vocais são parecidos, o instrumental que é completamente diferente. eles usam instrumentos comuns, guitarra, baixo e bateria. no pet sounds parece quase que uma trilha sonora da disney. jesus cristo como eu odeio a voz do mike love. ele é meio inutil na banda, ele so canta, e o brian wilson é melhor que ele nisso então pra mim ele podia so não existir.

Fun, fun, fun until daddy takes the t-bird away

Not bad, but short and boring

Not sure about the last bit

Good for their day but not my favourite group.

This one has that feeling of being too old. At this point this kind of music feels more like a novelty. The surfer sound is cool enough but the lyrics and concepts are OLD

onhan tämä malliesimerkkipoppia, kirjaimellisesti suunnannäyttäjä. Do you wanna dance on toki loistava. muuten ei 60-lukusoundi mulle nappaa, ollaan liian puhtoista poikaa

Sopii harrastajille. Henkilökohtaisesti olen vähän sitä mieltä, että tämän musiikin distinktiiviset piirteet ovat samalla juuri niitä, joita ilman se olisi parempaa.

Nah I’m not in the mood. How about The Beach Boys Tomorrow

Simple yet feel good classics.

very pleasant listen as a whole, and a few songs are pretty good but definitely nothing noteworthy. It honestly feels like a compilation of okay songs back to back to back. and although they're all good/okay, they don't really have any emotion or impact behind them, sorta just pleasant sound. solid 3

Groovy

old hits, yah. not my thing tho.

hayden liking a beach boys album??? what in the world. this was great. told a nice little story and kinda just took u to a vibey world for half an hour. kiss me baby is probably the best song on the album. i enjoyed this way more than i thought. production is also great

it’s definitely a beach boys album

I have tried, I can't get it

Just not my cup of tea, but they really were on to something with the funky vibe

A little before my time but I enjoyed it enough all the same.

The joys of surf core music. Overall for the time it’s quite clear why the beach bits were such a breakout hit . The vocal delivery from the band , and tongue and cheek lyrics were infectious to keep your feet tapping away.

The album has several well known songs although I have never heard this entire album before. The album was alright. I don't think I will listen to the entire album again.

Pleasant enough, unlikely to listen to it again though. 2.5 basically, but I'm trying to lean harsh on these ratings lol

An-other Century.... surely

Erste Songs waren Überhaupt nicht meins, aber die späteren langsameren song sind eigentlich ganz ok.

Not my jam

Given that the Beach Boys are neck-and-neck with the Beatles for the title of my favorite band, I think it’s an absolute TRAVESTY that there isn’t another BB album on the list. Today is supposed to represent the BB’s early work, but in reality it’s a transitional record. I think that Surfer Girl or even Summer Days… And Summer Nights should have made the list as well. Anywho, I thought I was going to give this only 4 stars because on every pre-Pet Sounds BB record, there’s like 5 beautiful songs that make you want to cry, and 5 of the dumbest novelty songs you’ve ever heard. Yet even the songs on side one are amazing! I enjoyed “Do You Wanna Dance?” just as much as “Please Let Me Wonder”. Brian and the boys earned their five stars here.

Irritating

After his mental breakdown, Brian Wilson begins to experiment with more complex arrangements and abstract topics. An important stepping stone on the way to Pet Sounds.

3.5/5

Okej je. Nemam baš nešto loše za reći pa evo trojke

Mislim, okej album, ali mi oni nisu baš nešt sad kao tipa Beatlesi, znam da su važni za glazbu i to, ali mi ne pašu baš previše.

only knew their most known songs, Good vibrations, God only knows, Wouldn't it be nice and Surfin' USA it's nice to listen to one of the older ones

I thought I liked the Beach Boys. I was wrong.

I've never listened to this beach boys album. You can really hear the influence this album had later in their career. Not my kind of music.

solid "beach" sound. Seemed not too distinctive.

yep, its them

Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for the Beach Boys but this album fell flat for me. All the songs were similar and nothing (except Help Me, Rhonda) caught my interest. I think I prefer hearing their hits on the radio but don't enjoy listening to a whole album in a row

I'm still waiting for the "Oh that's why everyone loves them" moment for me with The Beach Boys but this wasn't it. Every song sounds the same to me and I find myself bored very quickly.

I love that they took their music style and heightened it with this album’s orchestration and harmonies. I also like that they did something different from their usual surfing and sunshine songs and wrote a young love album.

Brought me back to elementary school, not because I'm old, but because one of my friends had a record player and several Beach Boy vinyls. The songs are simple, but I love the chorus echos and harmonies.

50% solid gold 60s teenybop bangers Beach Boys, 45% Pet Sounds gold Beach Boys (plus 5% withering Beach Boys recorded for all time for some reason at the end) What's not to like? Apart from that last bit.

Barbershop. Has heresy chord progressions and harmonies

Nicht mein Genre, aber ein guter Genre Vertreter

Just a really fun album all the way through. The first half is much stronger than the second but the whole thing was a joy to listen to.

Dated. Nothing really here for me. I've heard so much of their music over my life, and none of it really latched on.

It's not pet sounds, but hey.

well is a classic...if not my perference

Really likes it

Classic Beach Boys

A masterpiece! This is one of their best albums. Love this direction in subject matter away from surfing and cars and more inward-looking lyrics. I always loved the band I have big nostalgia and memories from a childhood California road trip where we had their greatest hits on repeat for three weeks!! I also love the harmonies and find their music in general incredibly impressive mainly because it's SO difficult to sing, play, recreate! Also it might be partly nostalgia but all the songs give me such a happy upbeat mood, love love love.

I can see how this was great for teens in the 60s but I did get a bit tired of just singing about being in love with girls. Obviously great songs within themselves and I do of course respect the Beach Boys, but I wasn't massively into it

Love it, love the beach boys, makes me feel all summery and happy

Great album, I’ve listened to it plenty of times before. Though I think Summer Days (And Nights) would’ve been a better choice for this list, this is still great.

Pleasant. Sounds quaint now. Some songs have very interesting chord progressions, like She Knows Me Too Well. Favorites included kiss me baby, when I grow up, help me Rhonda, in the back of my mind

I guess you can only write so many songs about surfing, but the switch to more lyrical themes didn't entirely work out for the Beach Boys (at least not in this album). The upbeat songs are still great and make me happy, but the more contemplative tracks just arent's as catchy, although they are stylistically interesting.

4.0 - A breezy and fun listen with that classic early Beach Boys sound. Amazing vocal harmonies and interesting chord progressions.

It's the first album where the Beach Boys show a bit more that they're talented. Where Brian Wilson takes the time to write songs. It's the step between their surfpop and Petsounds. You can hear it's coming, it's just not there yet.

Ramones did the definitive version of the first song. Rest not particularly interesting.

Absolutely of it's time, but still a great album that a solid 3.5 deserves to be rounded up.

I weep for the people who had to listen to this album because it was popular

Groovy tunes man

It was a good day when The Beach Boys decided to move away from their bubble gum pop sound

can you make (about) 11 albums in 4 years without stretching stuff a little thin? I'm no Beach Boy devotee and understand all the critical stuff about this being the start of their studio golden period, but its 26 minutes plus skit, two covers...

Listened Before? N Concise and tight, well written and classic sounding. I loved this album. It's not my style enough to add it to my library but it was a pleasure to hear. MUCH better than their later works. I preferred the stereo version to the original mono version. I realize this won't be the case for everyone. Added to Library? N Songs added to Playlist: Dance, Dance, Dance

It's the Beach Boys, which is great, don't get me wrong. The Wikipedia page says that this was the album that solidified them as "album artists" instead of just a singles band. Maybe for the time that meant something but, I mean, it's just more Beach Boys. If you were expecting something more than love songs and harmonizing, you'd be sorely disappointed. Luckily they do both of these things very well.

I'm not sure why this would be an album that everyone should listen to, unless the reasoning is that Brian Wilson was influential on all Rock & Roll? Anyway, this is kind of a standard rock album of the mid-60s in that it has 2 top 10 songs and 8 filler tracks. Its fine, I guess. 3/5

Listen to alot of beach boys over the years. You get what you get. Not particularly high on them anymore minus the Christmas album.

Exactly what you would expect. Brian Wilson's song writing is phenomenal.

Pretty terrible. "Oh but the harmonies" - yes, what about the songs? Creepy vaguely misognyist crap sung as nursery rhymes by castrati. And, hey, harpsichords! Shite

Dance - instant classic, dig the surfy vibe Hard to believe the fidelity is so low. Vox are of course unique, but lyrics are pretty juvenile. Short and quick bangers. Dance dance dance, finally a short and sweet guitar solo. Please let with a nice interlude. Overall very boring and very dated. I'm sure it was monumental at the time. 2 outta 5 mics

Classic, but a little dated and repetitive. Amazing harmonies of course.

Super right sountrack for the holiday Monday

Still has the strong classic Beach Boys vibe but with less cars and more girls. I will listen again.

Groovy~

Classic

I thought it was a pretty weak showing for Beach Boys. Nothing cutting edge especially if compared to Pet Sounds. The harmonies are good.

Great album, classic songs

Just a three.

Good Vibrations came on and I was ready to give this three stars. Then I realized it was just Spotifyinf playing more BB 😭 Still, this album is better than Pet Sounds. Blonde blue-eyed beach bops have a place, but, again, not a mood I see myself returning to. 2.5 stars, rounding up because this is better than PS.

The album before Pet Sounds. A few experimental bits and bobs, and a strange non-track at the end. Great harmonies and some pop hits, but could have done with fewer ballads.

Amazing as always.

Gorgeous harmonizing! I just love the way the Beach Boys sound, it’s the most nostalgic sound in the world to me. This is a fucking great album. You get fun, catchy songs that have matured out of corny surfing themes, but still emanate youthful joy. Brian Wilson is a stunning delicate genius who is too pure for this world.

can see the change in direction but you can tell they are feeling their way..2

Hell yeah, what’s not to love about the beach boys? - 9/10

Never been a fan of the Beach Boys. I get the concept, I understand how important it is. It's just not my style. Except for God Only Knows, that's an excellent song. But, it's not on this album.

Þó Brian Wilson hafi samið besta lag í heimi, þá kemst ekkert af lögunum á þessari plötu nálægt því. Einsleitt og ómerkilegt.

It's too tough not to compare '60s albums with more contemporary music. Beach boys just feel cheap. I get the novelty of their music at the time, but I can't overcome the feeling of dread while listening to these songs.

Typowo boysbandowe piosenki o miłości i dziewczynach śpiewane na jedną modłe.

Se przeleciało. Rozumiem ze kiedyś mogło to być fajne, ale raczej z braku laku

Ooh okay this might be cool… The album opens with do you wanna dance it’s a fairly solid track upbeat and poppy so what you would expect in a song the only thing is that the chorus feels a bit overwhelming. Good to my baby starts with the whole barbershop quartet thing but then forms into a solid pop song I especially like the pre chorus/ chorus on this. Next is don’t hurt my little sister it’s got this great harmony with the band singing but I just don’t think this songs verses are strong. When I grow up to be a man is a song that I kind of recognise in the verses, it’s very well written with especially good vocals. Help me, Rhonda is a more guitar driven track, it contains all of the positive energy that shines so well in this band but it’s so repetitive at the end and the playing with the volume is just annoying . Ending side one is dance,dance, dance a short little rockier sounding song in terms of the verses but still has the strong harmonic beach boys chorus. Please let me wonder has this droning yet heavenly ah sound throughout the song kinda giving it a more blissful feeling to it, it’s a good song but nothing special. Then we have I’m so young (the only cover in the album) it works and has some great ooh’s and ah’s but it just doesn’t match the originals. Man this second side is so full of the ooh and aah sound and while I like it on the beach boys by the point of kiss me baby i’am bored by it. The piano is good here though. She knows me too well, still does the ooh’s and aah’s but it’s better than the last two songs at least it just is generally harmonically better. The last real song is in the back of my mind a lush slow track feels like a great bookend to the album. But then they just place this interview at the end. Just why??? Well I can see the foundation’s for pet sounds and it’s good just no where near as good as that album and quite a lot of 60’s things.

8/10. This was a really fun little Beach Boys album

Some fun tunes but. 7/10

It's not a difficult listen, but it's also not Pet Sounds.

As Beach Boys albums go this isn’t at the top of my list. Seems somewhere between the classic Surf Rock and whatever Pet Sounds is and doesn’t for me capture the best of either. Which isn’t to say it isn’t good.

The Beach Boys Today! is nowhere near as good as Pet Sounds that only just preceded it on the list, it's short and tight and has that going for it but it's totally not memorable. This is here because of lazy authors who chuck some artists' entire back catalogue on the list and don't think about it, 2/5.

BORING! Having had Pet Sounds a couple of picks ago, this one was so much less interesting (despite being just a year earlier). Saccharine pop, very twee, nothing really to recommend it at all, and the lyrics are so bland. Scrapes a 2.

Pretty solid beach boys albums, you can really hear the evolution of their sound with this one. Not quite Pet Sounds, yet

I thought it was quite nice and interesting. The songs are super quick and their topics are quite simple, but the backing vocals and switch-up’s in instrumentation keep it from getting stale. 8/10

Production and sound quality is not great on this album. Does the closing track make it a concept record, if so they should go back to singing about cars and surfing. Cover art 2/5 lame

this is crazy. 8th album and the youngest of the band was still a teenager. Wow. This is pretty cool how orchestral this is vs. the teen pop of their previous hits. You really hear that Phil Specter wall of sound going on. Good album. Still doesn't get a great rating as I'm not in love with the genre but nice to listen to and learn some history of the Beach Boys at the same time.

Nice little album of it's era, not that I know many of the tunes off this one.

Meh 🫤

Eh, it's the Beach Boys.

I find the Beach Boys very bland - they are just not my thing

Not bad, pretty one note tho

Not my jam

Short and sweet-ish. Strong first side, then fades into a few ballads, and finishes poorly, with a dodgy song, In the back of my mind, and what in earth is that outtake at the end?? Plus couldn’t Brian Wilson write an ending? Nearly every song fades suddenly!

I love harmonies. The end.

Sweet and dreamy and one can hear the the progress toward the high art of Pet Sounds. Still this is lighter and not fully cooked, especially side 1. Side 2 is demonstrably better and more interesting, reflecting that eternal dividing line of knowledge/appreciation re the Beach Boys (those who know only surfing/cars vs those who get, or are at least open to the idea of, Brian’s genius [it’s worth noting that endless reunion tours don’t help the latter’s cause]). Of the hits, I’ve always had a soft spot re “Help Me Ronda” but the dancing songs are too bubble-gummy. “Kiss Me,” “She Knows Me” and “I’m So Young” point forward. Good Beach-y fun, but relatively insubstantial in the shadow of what was to come. 3.5 for 3. [The author’s comments that this is better than Pet Sounds is mere trolling/provocation – it’s not close. The unspecified claim about “the worst track in the entire book” intrigues but doesn’t land – plus, just tell us the damn thing instead of more trolling.]

Not one of their best efforts. Is OK, but really not worth playing. C+

Dem Beachy Bois really took a massive step forward here. They still had the heights of Pet Sounds in front of them, but it's clear that on this album they were already moving towards that Wall of Sound production style. Very strong 4 from me. "Kiss Me Baby" is probably the highlight here. Ignore the last track, you can skip it and miss nothing.

Pretty fun, but not the most innovative thing the Beach Boys will do. Hard to see why this is also on the list when there are significantly better albums from them

Ihan ok rallattelua ja sopivan lyhyt että jakso kantaa mielenkiinnolla loppuun asti. Kolmonen yläkanttiin.

Ei mitään erikoista. Perus BB

The album doesn't really have a strong theme or direction. The songs sound similar and follow a formula. I also can't help but feel these guys are so incredibly uncool, a bunch of prep school guys.