Reviews (page 9 of 10)
I can't get into the Beach Boys outside of Pet Sounds, Smile, and Surfs Up.
Some hits, some misses, but consistently has sweet harmonies. Lyrics have not aged well though. Hard to get past that
eh ja, weniger meins. aber das war damals gute musik, und populär!
Zuviel 70ies
Listens: 2 Standout Tracks:Help Me, Rhonda I guess the Beach Boys get a point for modernizing (relatively speaking) the concept of the barbershop quartet/quintet with their harmonizing and whatnot, but otherwise, this mostly sucks. The early and mid sixties are inundated with this boy band lovey-dovey shit and it's fucking exhausting. Some other poster said it best, when talking about the Everly Brothers - A Date With The Everly Brothers (it's the top voted comment for that album), paraphrasing: "there's something to be said about the Vietnam conflict that caused 50/60s rock bands to finally shut the fuck up about girls for a bit", and he couldn't be more right. I have no idea how old these guys were when they recorded this album, but some of these songs are so cringy. When I Grow Up (To Be A Man) and So Young in particular are just mind-numbingly bad. The only redeeming song on the album is Help Me, Rhonda.
2/5
Really really wanted this to be good and it wasn't. Just so disappointed.
The Beach Boys music is so formulaic it's for babies (of all kinds). There's nothing special or thematic with this record. You're really better off getting a Beach Boys greatest hits instead. The Beach Boys do their thing, and do it well though. I'll give them that. But damn, they can't end a song. The Beach Boys have more fades than Lucas had wipes in Star Wars. I'm adjusting my ratings to be more conscious that these are supposed to be the best records ever released, not what I'd give them as a generic record I happened across.
Not my favourite beach boys album
Ok. Couple of classic tunes but is just nice background music to me not an earth shattering album.
Pretty dated listening now. Never a huge beach boys fan and this album encapsulates why.
..
harmonies were nice, didn’t mind the summer vibe
I’m assuming that there are more coming, but interestingly the first two Beach Boys albums I’ve encountered in this project have come within a week of Brian Wilson’s death. (I’m assuming/hoping this is coincidence as I haven’t gotten a Sly album yet - a travesty!) The first was the far superior Surf’s Up - an album that legitimately got me to reconsider my feelings about The Beach Boys. This album returns me to my prejudices. I think a lot of people start with the feelings about this band that I currently hold and then move towards a realization of Brian Wilson’s genius. I sort of go the opposite direction and can recognize the genius and his contribution to pop music and still not be all that interested in the band. Still, I’m glad that I live in a world where The Beach Boys happened and I’m ride or die for Uncle Jesse.
While “The Beach Boys Today!” showcases the group’s signature harmonies and undeniable musical skill, its polished, upbeat style feels rooted in early ’60s pop conventions. Compared to the more experimental and emotionally nuanced sound of their later work, particularly Pet Sounds, this album lacks the depth and complexity I personally gravitate toward. An admirable effort, but ultimately not to my taste
Cool
Nice background music. I respect whatever influence they have but it's not something I'd seek out normally. Tracks I liked: good to my baby, she knows me too well. Would I revisit: no.
Mwah, it was OK.5/10
I feel like everyone this album came after the sad passing. However to be objective I have never been a big fan of the beach boys it feels to me like if the Beatles never grew out of making girl teen bobber pop. Its a real shame as I listen to the lyrics of songs like when I grow up its a great song hidden behind a style I just can't enjoy fully.
When I was 12 I listened to a Beach Boys Greatest Hits album. For about a year I thought it was pretty great. And then its idealized America about dancing with girls and cars and surfing grew old. Enter Rage Against the Machine, Wu-Tang Clan and Pink Floyd (i can't explain that transition either). Do You Wanna Dance? Good to My Baby Don't Hurt My Little Sister - they really do harmonies better than anyone not signed to Motown. Its a strangely upbeat rhythm for the subject matter When I Grow Up (To Be a Man) Help Me Rhonda Dance, Dance, Dance Please Let Me Wonder I'm So Young Kiss Me Baby She Knows Me Too Well In the Back of My Mind Bull Session with Big Daddy Wow- this is not a rock band. This is a pop band that had the ability to play guitar. The music is solid, but overall, they don't come across as immensely talented other than their vocals.
Boring '60s pop rock, every song sounds the same, every song is about the same thing - girls. And often the lyrics are sad or creepy as fuck. I still don't get The Beach Boys but maybe the later weirder stuff will speak to me more? This definitely didn't.
Didn't enjoy the Album, but... RIP Brian Wilson.
Old as hell
More Beach Boys so soon? This is great work, and so wholesome. Pet Sounds certainly felt more enjoyable to me, so I'm gonna notch this one star lower.
I understand the significance and the history....I just never embraced the Beach Boy sound
Understandably not the listen it probably was back in the 60s. Scoring based off enjoyment and likelihood I’ll listen to it again.
*RIP Brian Wilson *Yup, sounds like The Beach Boys... Old timey harmonies about beaches and women. *Fave track - Help Me Rhonda. *Super short at 28 mins. That’s about as long as it takes to get really tired of the this sound. *Wouldn’t be mad if someone were playing this. Would not actively seek it out though. RATING - 6/10
Nice album, but not really the style I like
No le presté muchísima atención, la verdad Pero bueno, muchas voces modo coral y armónico Rock de los 60 Le doy un 5/10
Nice record, safe and from the production line. The 8th record? I think about how far the Beatles had come in the same time. A bit rinse and repeat for me.
I understand their importance in music. But other than their most famous songs, the rest of their catalog has always been very repetitive to me
Pas mauvais, un autre groupe dont je connais la réputation mais que j’ai très peu écouté. Ce disque ne contenait qu’un seul de leurs succès, mais les pièces étaient solides. Je m’attendais à quelque chose de mièvre et de réchauffé, mais ce n’était pas ça du tout. Mais, encore là, pas pour moi.
I've always been kind of indifferent to The Beach Boys, like I don't mind them but their music has always sounded more like something you'd throw on in the background at a party than something I'd actively sit down and jam out to, and this album didn't really change that opinion too much.
Meh. RIP Brian Wilson tho
meh, but don't remember much
Some of the beach boys music is really good, but this doo-wop stuff is not
This was not for me. I can take the Beach Boys in small doses, and I can recognize just how transformative a songwriter Brian Wilson was, but these songs are just SO old-fashioned and quaint. I get that it's the era they were produced in, but this is overwhelmingly "aw, shucks" and broadly insincere. Looking forward to "Pet Sounds" coming up, though. This is just not a great record.
Enjoyable enough but nowhere near as good as Pet Sounds.
Extraordinarily tough listen, it's like it's covered in molasses, it's so sweet and slow moving. Makes the achievements of Pet Sounds only a year later even more stratospheric. Help Me Rhonda and Do You Wanna Dance are enjoyable. Some flashes of enjoyment elsewhere, but subpar for me. I'd rather listen to Phil Spector production than an attempt at it.
Immature
I just can’t listen to this. The vocals on The Beach Boys albums hit my ears wrong- grating and intolerable. I like some songs on Pet Sounds, and the instrumentals on the Smile reconstruction are good- and that’s it. This band just sucks. And I stand by that while acknowledging that Brian Wilson was a genius, and that he had a way rougher life than he deserved. RIP.
I know people like them...I don't get it.
No, it was yesterday.
Started strong but I lost interest about 3/4 of the way in Nice melodies and harmonies but was a bit bland after 6-7 songs
RIP Brian Wilson
Far from their best work.
I think we need to have a full and frank discussion around the fact that the American Cultural Hegemony has made the world believe the Beach Boys are a great band, when, under real observation, they are creepy and formulaic shit.
Sorry Brian but I just don’t get the appeal
2/10 needs Problem Child.
This album has literally none of my favourite songs. Pet Sounds is an all time great, but even All Summer Long, Smiley Smile, Surfer Girl, Surfin' Safari etc. have more for me. If I am in the mood for the Beach Boys, it won't be this album I put on.
Niet slecht, niet goed.
Timely since the last of The Beach Boys passed away yesterday. It definitely sounds like the 60s. Recognized a few of the songs, but the style is just too dated for me.
Ikke dårlig, men litt trasig
I don't think I like The Beach Boys very much. Their voices sort of annoy me idk. Their songs are fine, but I won't ever go out of my way to listen to them.
Cheesy
Still like Help me Rhonda, but otherwise this just makes me feel full cringe. Musically impressive, sure, but Jesus
Never got into tir Beach Boys bar the odd track. This was at best mostly OK. Otherwise rhy harmonies are excruciating. Ain't no CSNY. Worst was She Knows Me Too Well. At least it was short! Sorry Brian.
Sneaky of Brian Wilson to die yesterday, presumably to get me to give a higher score
Nothing sounds more aged or outdated to me than The Beach Boys. Their overdone barbershop quartet style is just something so of the past with seemingly little relevance to the now. That’s probably incredibly factually incorrect but that’s just my ears take on this.
Nowhere near as good as Pet Sounds but still not bad
Very early rock, nothing special.
#610. Beach Boy dies, next day "random" generator tells me to listen to Beach Boys. Coincidence or conspiracy? Whatever. Still cheesy as hell either way. 2/5: meh
Tarpeeksi beach boysia jo
quite chilled, like it based on the mood
Eh
I don’t like The Beach Boys one bit. It’s like The Dude’s dislike of the Eagles. I understand why people like them and appreciate their impact on music, but don’t like them.
A couple of OK songs, but otherwise rather dull 4/10
Boy oh boy is this a lot of the Beach Boys. Seminal work in a lot of ways, paved the way for a lot of modern music. But my god am I not feeling it.
I did not like this album. Songs sounded repetitive. I was excited to get this album because I haven’t listened to them since my younger days. Disappointed!
not quite iconic, but historically significant nonetheless.
1. Happy music, like to kiss a girl and be a main couple. Un aumento weird de volumen en cada coro. Cool solo. Sooo surf rock. 2. Super skippable, nothing fancy. 3. Boring af. 4. Kinda mid too, enjoyable si le doy más escuchas, creo. 5.Zzzzz 6. Ratico de euforia, not great. 7. ZZZZZZ 8. Cuter, chévere pa oír de BGM. 9. Gay af. 10. She knows me, ajá, not great either. Pero un nice lick ahí con notas más bajas. A little nicer than las otras. - So far me parece que todas las canciones son casi exactamente iguales. No me gusta el tipo de música that much pues. Todo es subjetivo, obviously. - 11. In The Back of My Mind. Cute, softer, entretenida, hasta ahí. 12. Diálogo. Nada que ver, maybe fue genial en su tiempo, pero not my thing. Le daré un 2 de 5 en mi opinión.
6/12/25. Good songs, just a bit forgettable to me. Especially compared to the Beach Boys' later work which is more progressive. Still enjoyed the harmonies.
RIP Brian Wilson but wow this is not Pet Sounds. A very long 28 minutes. The first side was the same song on repeat and although the ballads on side two were much more satisfying the lyrics torpedoed any good will they garnered. Great band, terrible record.
Yawn
On kyllä suht ärsyttävää renkutusta. Ainakin tähän hetkeen. Kappaleet on samanlaisia liian sokerisia. Liian positiivisia. Parhaat: Do You Wanna Dance?
The first track on this album sucks all of the life and soul out of Bobby Freeman's 'Do You Wanna Dance?'. The rest of the album is so milquetoast that it can't escape that abyss. Help me, Rhonda!
It's fine. The Beach Boys aren't my thing, and I don't think I'll ever willingly come back to them. But their vocal harmonies are nice.
not bad but not memorable
2nd album. 2.5 stars. I'm sure there will be many many worse albums which might bump this up, but pretty much all of the songs sound the same. And many are about the same thing- horny kids who feel they're too young to fuck (or at least have to write songs to pretend they aren't fucking)
never listened to a full beach boys album, made me nostalgic for something i never experienced lol
⭐️⭐️/5 Look….I'm gonna be honest and say it, I’ve never been a Beach Boys fan. Every song sounds exactly the same and I just can’t be that hyped and harmonized for an entire album. Had to stop listening halfway through.
It was ok, but not really my cup of tea.
I feel bad even thinking this, but I really didn't enjoy most of the tracks on here. I appreciate that the Beach Boys are revered and loved, but this was too lightweight for me.
This isn't meant for my generation. Boomer music.
Previše zastareo zvuk za mene. Nije loše ali meni se baš nešto ne sviđa.
I really tried to like this album more considering it's known as one of beach boys best, but repeating side-a of the album was exhausting and boring. I think it's a stepping stone in the right direction but still long way off from what beach boys are capable of.
Cheesy but nostalgic whether I like it or not.
I cant
Beach boys für eine halbe Stunde ohne viel Abwechslung. Muss man bock drauf haben. Wahrscheinlich ok aber grad nix für mich 2/5
Not my favorite beach boys album.
Not to my personal taste but I enjoyed it because it gave me summer vibes and the feeling of being transported to 60s.
Ikke dette heller.
I don't think I like the Beach Boys
Good harmonies but hasn't aged well.adolescent lyrics written by men in their mid twenties
This album is cool because it's (in my opinion) the first time in the BBoys' discography that you can see the mask slipping off Brian Wilson. Classic Beachies harmonies, weird Wilson melodies, creepy misogyny lyrics. What more could you ask for in '65. I ask for more now. If I had to bet this is not the only Beach Boys album on this list. They certainly deserve one, but this one is not it. Fave song: Please Let Me Wonder. something beautifully sad from them for a change. Two stars for Wilson doing a public musical genius mental health breakdown.
Rip Brian, sorry bro this just isn’t that bless
Feels appropriate given the sad passing of Brian Wilson. The songwriting and musical talent is undeniable. It's all so upbeat and it's easy to see why it's a solid feel-good-advert soundtrack option. God Only Knows is one of my favourite songs from the band and I've not really stepped much beyond that. This journey confirmed why. So unique but not my vibe
I did not care for this.
Unpopular opinion - Every Beach Boys song sounds just like the one before it. I don't know what I'm missing. It's not the worst song I've ever heard, but it's not really special either. I saw a quote yesterday saying "It's not that the Beatles were better than The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson was just outnumbered" and I just don't get it. It's good clean family-friendly fun, but it's surface-level cheese, too. Stuff that preppy white boys played to try and kiss a girl after 9 pm on a Saturday night. Lame. I'll take The Beach Boys in a small doses, but even this 27 minute album was too much. I thought that about their Pet Sounds album as well in the past. Give me one Beach Boys song at a pool, and I'll give it 5 stars. Give me a full album, and you get this 2 star review.
Plastic cheese. This album tastes like a Norman Rockwell and reminds me why the British Invasion had to happen
i think the fact that it took me weeks to get through this is evidence enough that i tried really hard to like it and it’s just not my favorite but i know it’s important and all that, just can’t get myself to enjoy that particular sound for so much of their music
It was a mistake listening to this immediately after Neil Young’s - on the beach, because this seemed quite shallow in comparison. Maybe will have to give it another listen soon
One of those “nothing wrong with it, just not for me” type of albums. Highly reminiscent of Wawa’s Hoagiefest jingle. Makes me think of drive in theaters and malt shakes. Fun for the summer but I’ve never heard a track I felt compelled to throw onto a playlist.
Meh. To samey. 2-3/10.
Lots of recognizable songs on here, but this is not my style of music. It's way too boy-band for me, even if it is well done. RIP Brian Wilson
Got pushed this album 2 days after Brian Wilson's death (RIP). Production is great but it's just not for me. Has such a dated sound to it. All the songs are less than 3 minutes and it just seems mass produced and white washed. 4.5/10 (2.25/5)
Mid and jangly
The high, fluting voices of the Beach Boys are castrato wails: remarkable technical achievements, but incomprehensible on an emotional level. How do you relate to something that sounds so alien and formal, especially when most people find it hard to listen to opera. Yet, the best work here – When I Grow Up (To Be A Man), Help Me, Rhonda – is as lush and effecting as a classical movement, being harmonically rich and structurally interesting, even while constrained by doo-wop and surftone aesthetics. The remainder, which doesn't constitute the best, are nicely arranged pop standards. And this split between good pop and beyond pop reminds me of nothing so much as A Hard Day's Night, where the division between proficient statis and the stratosphere isn't exactly the same. However, the difference is the Beatles's title track itself. Not only is it catchy and clever, with a previously impossible studio-processed mystery chord at the beginning, but the title itself is new. A play-on-words from Ringo, the title incapsulates another Beatles innovation: the artist as a character. The four forceful characters of the Beatles – and their humour – becomes inextricable from the music. The Beach Boys introduce their sense of humour later – Vegetables; She's Goin' Bald – but it is a goofy humour, not the socially adept humour of the Beatles. And Brian Wilson's personality only becomes apparent when he has free reign over the music, which he gets on Pet Sounds. However, the distinction is clear: the powerhouse personalities of the Beatles are propulsive, until the point where they pull themselves apart; Wilson's gentle character is at once protected and suffocated by the empty-headed pablum of his band mates, his business moguls, and bank managers. Too reserved to push through himself, he has been drawn out and, even then, risks being smashed to smithereens by the pressures. 2.5 I felt bad for the girls in Good to my Baby and She Knows Me Too Well. I felt bad for the Little Sister (and rather sorry for her boyfriend too). I felt absolutely dreadful for Rhonda. Some of the tunes are terrific and the arrangements are sweet and absorbing. But the Beach Boys are utter creeps. 2/5
getting this the day after brian wilson died 😢……….. and then not liking it at all 😭😭
If Beige had a baby
Never a huge fan of this band. It all sounds like it came from the same formula.
Brian Wilson is talented, without a doubt. I think the Beach Boys formula just doesn't work for me. 2.5
To quote Bernie Sanders: "Yeah, Good. OK." On the plus side, it was only 29 minutes. Still, I found myself skipping a lot of these. Other than Help Me, Ronda this is forgettable. Who do I write to about including it on this list!!??
Like eating sugar out of the bowl
I can take a bit of the Beach Boys but it was never meant for me.
Ik wilde zeggen dat het misschien meer op z'n plek was geweest om een ''Pet Sounds'' als tribute aan Brian Wilson voor te schotelen, maar dit is natuurlijk ook wel The Beach Boys in zijn meest natuurlijke - en meest primitieve - vorm. Het is is bloedje warm vandaag, waardoor de sunshine pop er gemakkelijk inglijdt. Maar waar de koperen ploert het zweet in de bilnaad jaagt, word ik hier niet echt heel warm van. Op momenten hoor je al wel dat The Beach Boys - onder leiding van creatief genie Brian - een ongekende revolutie zouden doormaken, maar los van de iconische harmonieën vind ik het veelal dertien in een dozijn West Coast pop. Nummers als 'Help Me, Rhonda' en 'She Knows Me Too Well' geven een inkijkje in de machinekamer van pop-prodigy Brian Wilson, maar daar blijft het ook wel bij. Toch een mooi instapmoment om wat meer van de band op te zetten vandaag. 6/10 Highlights: Help Me, Rhonda She Knows Me Too Well
Alt for pænt og kedeligt - det eneste der redder lidt af albummet er surf-rockeren Dance, Dance, Dance
Hard to get excited about these guys. They don't give you a ton of opportunity to groove in with like 150 songs in 29 minutes.
Most of the vocals are about an octave too high, “Bull Session” was obnoxious
I hate the bubbly, sunny sound of this brand of California music. The songs all blur together, it sets my teeth on edge. The only reason this isn’t a 1 is because they do a great job with the harmonies. Otherwise I hate pretty much everything here.
That's not my taste in music - I can't do anything with the music
Close to a 1, I really don't enjoy this sound very much. I'll let it have a 2 because the vocal harmonies do sound very cool, but then it's just a repetitive and creepy surf album
Det sound jag förknippar med bb. Och det är inte särskilt bra. Amerikansk dansbandsmusik. händer inte mycket i mig när jag lyssnar på detta album. Trallvänligt men tråkigt.
Honestly, I just find The Beach Boys boring. The occasional song is fun - I enjoyed Help Me Rhonda, for instance. But a whole album’s worth is waaaaay too much. The lyrics are dippy (will my kids be proud / or think their old man is really a square?!?) and the beat is just unrelentingly bouncy. RIP Brian Wilson.
Blijkbaar een gebbetje van de sitemaker, want iedereen schijnt vandaag deze plaat te hebben, naar aanleiding van het heengaan van Brian Wilson. Waar hij blijkbaar fan is, ben ik dat over het algemeen niet. In eerste instantie klinken de Beach Boys altijd heel vrolijk en een of twee van de bekendere nummers zijn meestal wel te hebben. Maar ik heb er verder niks mee. Het is overduidelijk gedateerd, te gedateerd. Alsof we weer terug gaan naar de tijd van Happy Days met the Fonz. Nu staan er gelukkig genoeg hitjes of in ieder geval bekendere nummers op (kant A van) dit album, dus dit (deel) is op zich goed door te komen. Maar net als bij Pet Sounds begrijp ik de heisa allemaal niet zo. Zeker niet als kant B begint en er weer een hele rits aan slaapliedjes voorbijkomen, die de score naar beneden trekken. Magere 3 sterretjes voor kant A, kant B trekt het geheel naar beneden.
Can't dig it. I'm sure it was somewhat of a new sound at the time, but it sounds like worse buddy holly to me; most songs have only one thing going on. Do you wanna dance, Help Me Rhonda, I'm so Young are OK.
I used to like I Get Around when I was kid - and even then it sounded really old and like something that my Dad would have listened to when he was a kid. Totally dated sound and themes throughout. Got boring very quickly due to each song sounding more or less the same as the last. Nice harmonies, but then so do a lot of bands. Not sure why this album would be selected as a “must hear” unless you were around when it was released and it has sentimental value. 2/5 Standout tracks; None, they all sound the same. If i was hard pushed; She Knows Me Too Well sounds the least same-y as others I guess.
I probably missed the Zeitgeist on the BeachBoys, but this album is so bland to me. No interesting song, no bangers.
Gear: Abyss DIANA MR Artwork: 😃😃😃😃😃 Production (Remastered): 🧏♂️📏🕰️ Music: 😒🎵🔁 Rating: 🏖️🏖️/5
I think I'm in the minority here but I just don't see anything that big or exciting going on. Couldn't largely distinguish each song
I found it a bit boring if I’m honest and I don’t really think Pet Sounds is all it’s made out to be either.
This is a Beach Boys album full of Beach Boys songs that sound like Beach Boys songs.
Coś strasznego
I really wanted to like this, and there’s a lot of beach boys music I love. But this one really falls short for me. I don’t even love the beach boys style with surf rock, but I love that they sneak in some thick ass harmonies and unique phrasing. On first listen this album doesn’t live up to that hype for me.
2.5 - an ok album that sings the same song about girls over and over again. But the harmonies are always top notch
I cannot connect to this in the slightest. It is SO long before my time, and it is music made for a population and community that I am not a part of, and that I do not romanticize is the slightest. In short, it is nigh unlistenable.
Meh. Product of it's time, sappy teenager music that I have no particular interest listening to these days.
Smells like hair tonic, milk and a hint of horny teenage desperation.
I am a self-professed lover of the mid-sixties teeny bopper pop music. The first few Monkees albums, which I adore, are the best reflection of that. But what The Beach Boys did here is drivel! There’s no substance, and the lyrics are dull. The only saving grace, except for “Help Me, Rhonda,” is their beautiful harmonies. I was bored on the whole, but the harmonies made this 28-minute album bearable. The Beach Boys, Goodbye!
boah, das ist ganz schön alt
Most of The Beach Boys sound is very dated to me. That is the case for their album Today! It’s perfect music if you are “going to a sock hop,” or wanting to ask your gal to “go steady.” Listening to this in 2025 as an adult is not something I would do on my own accord. For me, it does not translate to current day and I have no nostalgia for most of their music. I had a short stint with their music in my junior high days but that was about it. Nothing against their talent and musicianship. I just don’t particularly care to listen to their music. This is a 2 rating. 2/5
These boys have some great albums, not sure this is one of them
:/
Reasonable, starts to all sound the same.
There's traces of something I could almost like
Second album généré pour ce groupe, plus ancien que le précédent (surf’s up) qui ne m’avait pas convaincu. Je ne suis pas convaincu par celui ci non plus. Aucun morceau mémorable, et je trouve que le son a mal vieilli. Pas désagréable, mais je ne l’écouterais pas une seconde fois. =>2/5
Very old beach boys singing quartet stuff. Don't think they ever sang about surfing which defeats the point a bit, maybe at the time they thought that was a huge experimental shift in their sound. Didn't recognise any of them except help me Rhonda and even then that was from a podcast taking the piss out of it. It's all a bit pointless isn't it, it sounds like old beach boys, like the other old beach boys. As dated as anything could sound and completely uninteresting. 1.5 for not being distracting.
It feels like we always have Beach Boys. This one went by in a flash, and was absolutely fine. Managed to work to it, no issues. Forgettable - Pacific Ocean Blue has been my favourite sort-of Beach Boys album, as it had more of an edge. Inoffensive this.
I can see how this album foreshadows "Pet Sounds", but that doesn't make it worthy of this list.
t'was boring as, there be way better beach bois
I have respect for the beach boys, but God this is one of the gayest albums I've ever heard. You got Beatles and the Stones dripping in sex appeal, then you got the Beach Boys and they make you wanna pull your pants up
Boring, both in music and lyrics.
Meh. I'm not generally a fan of the beach boys, although even I can appreciate that Pet Sounds is a work of genius. This is...not that. Pros - some lovely harmonies. Help me Rhonda and When I grow up are well constructed songs Cons - it's just so saccharine and childish. All the songs feel like a 12 year old talking about the world. It just left me cold. The whole thing is quite repetitive, and i have no desire to go back to it. You get the impression that some early 1001 albums were more interested in the stature of the artist than the actual output, and this is a perfect example. Is this really more worthy than 100s of similar works? Proportionally, how many of these 60s and 70s albums actually stand up? So far, not many.
Average. Would not listen again
Pleasant ballads but fairly forgettable.
Not my thing. I like some of Brian Wilson's stuff but not this early, I suppose. (12 known/19 new)
This one is real old sounding and pretty dorky, but also sounds representative/well done for the style. Will I listen to again: 5%
It’s The Beach Boys as you think they are. I respect them for their time and place but this is just standard Beach Boys.
2 out of 5. Damn, I'm really picky...
just did not vibe with this at all
God damn. I hate The Beach Boys. I get why some people like them but it all sounds like overly polished whiny as shit beach rock to me. Musically it’s a fine album but I just hate The Beach Boys
I won't deny The Beach Boys were, at the time, the most popular thing to grace the US and maybe the world, but how long did that really last? It's cheesy, corny and has aged terribly. I gave it a little time, but I just couldn't listen to the whole album. Same boring subject repeated. Feel like I'm at a 60s prom.
Never a fan of these lads. Too much annoying harmonies and squeaky clean California vibe. The fact that most of them weren’t surfers, and one died from drowning, makes me wish they chose a different name. Beached Boys? 2 stars cuz they remind me of my dad… a fan who loved harmony, but also couldn’t surf.
I want to get real madge about it, but I just can't. They're simply making music that I don't like
Radio slop for old people
Wasn't crazy about this but was part of my youth.
Famous songs are good, but the rest is pretty generic Standout songs: Help me rhonda Dance dance dance
I started out my life hating the Beach Boys, and they've slowly grown on me after many years. That said, this album is garbage, and sets them right back to square zero in my mind. I'll give them credit for Pet Sounds, but this one is just bad.
Squaresville. Just eat your damn fries and start working on pet sounds.
Wow, I really just don’t like this band. Like, I kinda get why people liked them, but the singing grates my nerves. It feels so saccharine that there’s something borderline creepy af about their sound.
people back in the day may have thought this was the shit but man does it sound goofy- and don't get me started on some of the lyrics
Pretty amazing to think that the incredible Pet Sounds came out a year after this - because this album is foul. This is the kind of shit teenagers in the 60's listened to in their cars at full volume to try and get pussy. Boring and whiny, the harmonies don't even do it for me. There was a few good songs yeah, but I really do have high expectations for The Beach Boys, and this sorely disappoints.
The Beach Boys music has aged like milk in the sun. Boring samey shit about holding hands with your 14 year old girlfriend. Keep it in the nursing home.
Okay
I like the Beach Boys a lot but not so much the slow songs, which this album has in spades
Boring, childish, elevator music
What The Beach Boys did, they did very well. But they repeated it so often that it isn't really necessary to put more than one of their albums on a list like this. They lose stars for being so frigging monotonous. Moving on......
Yup, it's 50's beach rock alright!
Yes… The Beach Boys are an important part of musical history, and it only takes one second to know that it’s them when you turn on a song. That doesn’t make everything they made, good music. Help me Rhonda is good though… perhaps because of the nostalgia that hits me when I listen to the early Beach Boys songs. And a song like Kiss Me, Baby has that beautiful vocal arrangement that we also hear a lot on Pet Sounds This album is not the Beach Boys I like. Pet Sounds is where it’s at! And that’s more like “Brian Wilson ft. the Beach Boys.” But this is still fun to listen to, but the lyrics… oh my God they are terrible
I recognised the music as being the Beach Boys without consciously knowing any of the songs. Very much of the time and feels very dated.
Don’t wanna be rude! >_< I like other beach boys stuff I’ve heard, but I didn’t really get much outta this album.
Had some parts I liked but for the most part it wasn't memorable. Parts I liked weren't good enough to carry the album. Favorite songs were: 6. Dance, Dance, Dance 10. She Knows Me Too Well 4/10
When I was a kid, I thought The Beach Boys were super cool. Today, I found this really boring.
Great harmonies, dick-and-jane subject matter. I guess it's an insight into young middle-class boomer men.
The problem we have in 1965 is The Beatles were releasing Rubber Soul. Moody, psychodelic cover and - whilst we needed to wait until 1966 for Revolver as the fiunished article - half an album of revolutionary songs which had started to change the world. By contrast, whilstt he sheer talent of Brian Wilson's songwriting can be heard on 'do you wanna dance' and 'help me rhonda', the music, image, harmonies and vibe of this record is still steeped. It hasn't even homed in on the californian surf style pop which gave Wilson the kick start before going on to complete his one and only opus, Pet Sounds. Americans probably have a different opinion because this record wanders nowhere beyond their shores.
Correcto
2/5
It was okay. Not my vibe
Makes me wanna start an acapella group with the boys
Corny. Annoying.
There are two fun tracks on here. Thank God the Stones et. al. came along and saved us from all this sacharin silliness.
They should revise this list and limit it to one album per artist. This doesn't sound like anything but worse songs from Pet Sounds.
I have fond memories of the Beach Boys from listening to them in my Dad's car on childhood summer journeys, but this is actually pretty bad. Help Me Ronda and Do You Wanna Dance are pretty good fun, but the rest of the album is just the same thing but worse, except for a shitty, self indulgent out take at the end. There's a time and a place for the Beach Boys, and it's probably on a best of compilation.
This was the album that came out after Brian Wilson had to give up touring for health reasons, but a year before Pet Sounds. It’s an ok collection of pop tunes with two bangers (Do You Wanna Dance and Help Me Ronda) but a lot of filler for an album that’s less than 30 minutes. The worst bit is the last track which is just two minutes of studio chatter. I initially thought this was a special feature, but it’s on the original release. Lazy, lazy Beach Boys.
This kind of music feels like unicorns puking rainbows. It's funny and colourful at first sight, but it's always the same (a fuckin' rainbow!) and when you look into the details, it's pretty gross (I'm 99% sure they were all sexual harassers). And it's not even one of their most known records; it once again makes me wonder why we have this and some much more interesting/meaningful records are not here (I mean, apart from the fact the list was done by a group of old American white dudes).
I just can't with the beach boys
More misses than hits. There’s a kitschyness that the Beach Boys exude. There are glimpses of the Wall of Sound working its way into things. Frankly I was underwhelmed.
Yeah, there’s a couple very well known, good songs, but the album sounds like crap. I don’t know if it was due to the era or they only had access to terrible equipment or the producing let it down, but it’s echoey, flat, muddy, there’s zero bass, and even the remaster sucks so I suppose the master sucked worse. That part’s a damn shame, I can see why they would’ve been popular then. Second half of the album is way too slow for me though.
I love some BB tracks but let's be honest they pretty much all sound the same.
One long boring song.
I never have understood why so many people think so highly of the Beach Boys. For me 2 stars or D- is generous.
Ok, 1965. Brian Wilson is 23, Dennis Wilson 21, Carl Wilson 20, Mike Love is 24, and Al Jardine 23. It's weird to realize that this is their EIGHTH album and they've only been a band for four years. Several of them were married. Given their youth, and likely... distorted view of life due to fast fame so young in an era where misogyny was standard, but... Some of the lyrics are creepy as fuck: Good to My Baby: "They think I'm bad and treat her so mean, but all they know is from what they've seen / and when I get her alone now, you know we're happy as a couple could be / and when I giver her my love it's between her and me." Sounds like a classic abuser and rapist. Don't Hurt My Litter Sister: "Why don't you love her / Like her big brother" ew. Help Me Rhonda He's begging Rhonda to have sex so he can forget about another girl who dumped him. Please Let Me Wonder: "I built all my goals around you / That some day, my love would surround you / You'll never know what we've been through / For so long, I thought about it / And now, I just can't live without it / This beautiful image I have of you" So, basically, stalker vibes. She Knows Me Too Well: He places unreasonable expectations on his girlfriend. He "treat[s] her so mean." He's jealous, "And then I'm not happy 'til I make her break down and cry." Wow. Great harmonies can't overcome that.
Even when listening to the better Beach Boys songs, it’s hard to get over the feeling that you’re listening to what conservative parents in the 50s hoped their children would be into. And this album didn’t contain the better Beach Boys songs
This wasn't good, the only positive was that it was under half an hour. Definitely. will not be listening to it again
Recognizable Sing along music
I don't know. Some weird stuff here.
Sounds a bit like they’re trying to ride The Beatles wave a bit. I did like the slower ballady half of the album (2.5/5)
1. dance - 0 2. baby - 1 3. zizter - 0 4. man - 1 5. rhonda - 0 6. dance - 1 7. uuonder - 1.5 8. young - 1 9. kizz me - 1.5 10. uuell - 1.5 11. mind - 1 12. daddy - 0
She Knows Me Too Well Honestly forgot I was listening to this album and then it was over. The harmony is good but it’s nothing to go crazy about.
Boring. Prefer them when Adam Buxton does them. https://youtu.be/iq8IHET9eiE?si=RNAg6RdAGm87F55K
Listen to a single beach boy song and you've listened to all of them I swear.
This could be a very normal album by a celebrated good time group but the lyrics are some of the weirdest shit I’ve ever heard. Maybe it was different back in the day but “people say I’m mean and treat her bad” followed by “they just know what they see” is some weird shit. Don’t tell people to kiss your sister. I never realized “Help me Ronda” is about a rebound hookup. “Please let me wonder” is confusing…is this guy an incel or is he having second thoughts? I can’t figure it out. A lot of other artists could get away with this but the whole point of The Beach Boys is the singing and the clear enunciation of every word. The musicality (is that a word?) is classic beach boys. But yikes.
like a 60s version of backstreet boys or n sync - this album really grated on me after the first song or two, the entire thing sounded like one long song
I think it was fine. Didn't get through the whole album, but not offensive.
Limp wristed frat boy band.
Samey after a while. Pet Sounds is better.
Californian Surfin' sound, the trademark of the Beach Boys. It is somehow repetitive, and to some extent boring. Worse are the lyrics. Maybe acceptable at that time, they are now cringe at best.
Einschläfernder orchestral Rock.
My Beach Boys listening has been primarily confined to Pet Sounds and one best-of comp. Help Me Rhonda is on that comp. I think that's actually all I needed to hear of this album. The songs are so *verbose* in such a boring way. Not what I wanted to hear.
I don't dislike the Beach Boys, but this album was really boring. Maybe it's because it's an early album and they were still working out their sound, but a lot of it just feels kind of lifeless and dull. The early version of "Help Me Ronda" here is a good example of that — the re-recorded version they released on their next album is so much better. A lot of the lyrics haven't aged well either. Good harmonies, but otherwise meh. 2/5
Pleasant
On a par with Pet Sounds, which really isn’t saying much.
Even though this is the Beach boys I feel like this album hasn't aged well and is now less than average
- Beach Boys doing Beach Boys things - Fand ich irgendwie immer ganz witzig, mehr aber auch nicht. Musikalisch reißen sie mich überhaupt nicht mit. Dementsprechend mache ich mir NIE etwas von denen ab. - Habe dieses Album noch nie gehört. Fands nicht scheiße aber ich werde es sehr wahrscheinlich auch nie wieder hören. 2/5
Chill but not great
While I respect the beach boys and a lot of the things they did, I have to look at this album outside of that. If I didn't know it was by them, would I like it very much? No, no I would not. It's not bad by any means, especially for something made in 1965, but I don't really get much out of it. It sounds mostly the same, similar lyrics in most songs. Easy to listen to but that's it for me. Wake me up when we get to Pet Sounds. Fav songs: - Do You Wanna Dance
Capital B boring
Crooners to the max. Gotta admit all these songs sounded the same after a while. The harmonies, of course, are impressive.
What a boring snooze-fest! It's snore-town at dullsville! What a yawner of a bore-fest!
Ok not great!
The Beach Boys sound like pedos to me... I dont know. Meh
Nothing impressive didn't really enjoy it
Their job.... It's beach...
Sadly, I think the Beach Boys are even more overplayed than the Beatles, plus I just find their musical style too simplistic for me to feel any joy from listening to. Blehhh . I respect this as quality musicianship work, I just don't care for it. 2 stars
Meh. Studio mixing is primitive. I only recognized one song and it isn’t even a polished version of it. 2 stars because of sentimentality, otherwise it would be 1.
Unimpressed. Apart from the opening track "Do You Wanna Dance?" (which is a cover) and "Help Me, Ronda", I don't think that this album has a lot going for it.
Meh, 2 stars
Not a big fan but some tunes were enjoyable
The music and the harmonies are top notch and highly influential for the time. The lyrics leave A LOT to be desired. They're both *very* dated and pretty much saying the same thing over and over again. Makes for a boring listen. Definitely not my favorite offering from the Beach Boys.
Meh. Not one of their best
Meh.
Ug one star dad rock no even going to listen. Wasnt quite that bad but oof.
Fine listen. Nothing special. Backstory makes it a little more interesting. Feel somewhat bad about giving it 2 stars, but I have no desire to dig into The Beach Boys and listen to more.
Not the greatest hits.
alla låtar låter fan likadant.
I find it hard to stomach this era of music. It’s corny as hell. I’m not sure I like the Beatles around this time either. Maybe it’s because of what that generation left in its wake, but it’s hard to listen to music this optimistic and cheeseball. I appreciate their influence but this ain’t no Pet Sounds. But hey, it’s less than 30 min!
Well this sure is The Beach Boys. Unmistakably The Beach Boys. I mean, it's practically the same as 95% of The Beach Boys ouvre. Sure, there's some stand-out tracks, but they're the ones that don't sound as Interchangebly identical to the rest of them. It does The Beach Boys impeccably well, but as soon as you've heard the first track (maybe throw "Help me Rhonda" in, to make sure you've got the best) you might as well switch it off because you've heard everything from this album.
Bit same-y but ok to drop in now & again.
Didn't enjoy this album at all. Just not into it today
Ugh. I just KNEW you were going to throw a Beach Boys album at me. Not a fan.
I'm sure the beach boys were extremely influential during their time. They were very harmonious. And their bull session, it's just classic. But three albums on this list? THREE? That's 0.3% of this entire list.
Its one of their better albums but the Beach Boys are so child like and creepy that its very hard to like them
Grew up listening to The Beach Boys. They sound so utterly the same I can’t even remember which ones I knew as a kid.
Beatles...
The album where Brian Wilson started taking lots and lots of drugs. Whatever.
The vocals and harmonies were fine for what they were. But, not really my thing, and just way too much creepy "old man seducing teen girls" energy for my liking.
The weird thing is, I could listen to 'God Only Knows' on repeat. But the sentiment of that song feels wise and poignant compared to the super simple lyrics & storytelling of this album, which mostly seem intent on mimicking a teenage mentality. It very much has a feel of adults trying to use modern slang and just making everyone uncomfortable when they do. Pretty harmonies can't really make up for that, especially when that feels like the only tool in your toolbox.
repetitive across song and album but the beach boys sound is classic and this early unformed sound is still that. 2/5
I like the beach boys. But this is their SEVENTH album and they had cranked out 6 just like it already. Harmonies are good, rock adjacent music nods to those who started the genre with a west coast lilt. But damn every song was the same. Gotta get Brian off the deep end before the symphonies got going.
Never was a fan of the Beach Boys, although over the years I've found a lot more to at least appreciate - if not enjoy - about some of their music. This has that traditional "Beach Boys sound" with the soaring harmonies that definitely turned me off as a kid - it's impressive and unique, I just never connected with it and still don't. Eh not much to say - it's the Beach Boys; a few well known songs and a famous classic (e.g. "Help Me Rhonda") - I can start to look beyond the saccharine-sweet vocals (a little bit) to better-appreciate the sneaky complexity in musical arrangements overall. Multiple and varied instruments on every track, counter melodies, honestly quite impressive for 1965 let alone any time. End compliments there - most of the songs are boring. The ballads that the second half of this album loads up on somehow make a 29 minute album feel 3x as long. Regardless I suppose everyone should at least be familiar with their sound and a few hits but as an album this is a giant meh. 5/10 2 stars
Yeah average
44/100
It's not surf rock anymore and it's not the masterpiece that Pet Sounds is. It's a transitional record. To be honest the transition is not very interesting. Everything is OK, but nothing stands out. I don't think this belongs on the list. The link to youtube music was dead, but it's there if you search for it. Favorite song: When I Grow Up To Be A Man.
It's a mid beach Boys album
Milk shakes and brillantine.
Best Song: Dance, Dance, Dance. This is the kind of mindlessness that they're suited for. Worst Song: Don't Hurt My Little Sister. What in the brotherfuck is this song? Overall: The Beach Boys feel like a band that over-indexed on their ability to sing perfect harmonies. Great, you've got a big group that covers a broad vocal range. Congrats. Do something more interesting with it. Each song just sounds like they're soullessly singing a bunch of loosely connected sentences.
The vocal harmonies are nice, but that is literally it. I just don't get the hype. The lyrics are mindless, the instrumentation uninspiring, and the addition of 'Bull Session with the 'Big Daddy'' just plain insulting. It's 11 actual tracks in 27 minutes just barely constituting a "rock" album. You could then argue that this records holds historical value in being an early example of a rock album, but at this point in time The Beatles had already released A Hard Day's Night and would release Help! and Rubber Soul later that year. Why even bother with this one then?
Obviously, plastering otherwise boring songs with vocal harmonies is not going to safe them, Brian.
Do You Wanna Dance is a a great song but not an original. Help me Rhonda is a good original. When the album switches to ballads it sounds like high pitched Beatles ballads that Paul wrote that weren’t good enough to make their albums.
Although I admit that the Beach Boys are probably the finest purveyors of harmonics and vocalization, I never did enjoy their music. Although well performed, written and produced (reminiscent of Phil Spector's Wall of Sound), their music sounds positively quaint and anachronistic today. I also think the Ramones covered Do you wanna dance better.
Brani Preferiti: - Nessuna preferenza Note: Non posso dire di essere un fan di questo album, è sicuramente piacevole da ascoltare ed è una buona musica da ascoltare in sottofondo. Non mi pare essere un album che abbia contenuti interessanti.
Not bad, but not particularly inspiring either. As a few others have pointed out, it sounds like a collection of B-sides. There are a few Beach Boys albums worth listening to; this is probably toward the bottom of that list.
Classic surfer sound. The hits still sound good. The slow songs did not age well. Many songs sound similar. Would rate it a 1.5 if possible.
nice clean boys making bops
Cheesy selection of surf-pop from a band still two years away from their peak work.
I like the Beach Boys, but this isn't really a good album of theirs. Only song worth listening to is Help Me Rhonda. They have much better albums than this one.
I have tried to listen to the beach boys multiple times in my life. People say Pet Sounds is a masterpiece. I don't get it. This is lame barber shop crap.
No es un disco mediocre por lo que significa la banda y por alguno que otro tema resacatable (3 4 como mucho), pero este disco me resulta demasiado monotono. Si es musica alegre que zafa, pero la realidad es que en formato disco aturde hasta cierto punto ai lo que uqeres es escucharlo. Para bailar y cantar debe ser lo mejor, pero no siempre se escucha asi 4/10.
Of course, I'd heard of the Beach Boys, and yeah, I'd also heard some of their songs, but I guess I never sat down and listened to one of their albums. Well, I sort of regret having done that, because I really did not enjoy it. The tracks are repetitive, the production quality is all over the map, and the lyrics sound like they were written by a 70s TV sitcom writer attempting to channel the ethos of a 1950's teenager. Only in radio-hit sized doses I guess...
Must have been the bee's knees in 1965, but in hindsight it's pretty generic 60s pop. 2/5
2.5
The Beach Boys are enjoyable when pioneering the surf rock sound with lots of harmonies. This album was pretty short on both of those things.
I can respect the musicality, but The Beach Boys is not my jam.
Of its time. Not offensive, but not something I would actively choose to listen to.
wooooooooo weeeeeee waaaaaaaaah
2.75
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.
Meh
- IDK why but I can never seem to get into The Beach Boys - it’s quality accapella
I don’t really need another Beach Boys album from the sixties. It sounds like pet sounds.
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.
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.
Very simple and not their best so 2*
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
Not my favourite Beach Boys record. Pick it up, boys.
I found this very annoying.