The Beach Boys “Love You”
This is my 2nd favorite Beach Boys record. But damn if I didn’t have to work for it. When you are a Beach Boys nut, everything you read about this record makes you want to conquer it, but it simply isn’t possible your first time through.
On around your 5th time you start to get the hang of the songs. Clearly you are already digging I’ll Bet He’s Nice, easily the stand-out track with its chirpy, whirring, bubbly synth attacks, and maybe even laughing along with Johnny Carson, which the Boys actually got to perform on the late night show! When you hear it the 6th and 7th times, you’ll be by yourself and it’ll be during a nap, but it is at this point that The Night Was So Young and Airplane stuck in your head. Even the album opener should start to resonate with that Love You warmth around now.
10 plus listens and you’ll be tired of Pet Sounds. Even Let’s Put Our Hearts Together is starting to sound good and you simply love Dennis’ I Wanna Pick You Up and Brian’s soaring Love Is A Woman. It takes getting used to, but Brian’s ragged voice and the orchestra of synthesizers on this album weave a sonic and melodic tapestry as retro, textured and beautiful as its quilted album cover.
You can ignore 15 Big Ones (the album packaged along with Love You as a twofer), in fact I would recommend searching for Love You on vinyl so you don’t have to deal with it. Actually, there is one magic take on Big Ones: Had To Phone Ya.
“Let Us Go On This Way”
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Nice to finally see somebody else rating this as a bona fide Beach Boys album, and not as filler to simply keep Brian afloat. I’m not sure i’d personally elevate it to a No. 2 spot in my own Top Ten, but it would certainly be in there somewhere healthily.
You’ve piqued my curiosity, too, as to your all-time favourite. Nice. Fantastic site too, i might add.
i found your site from a link on the site for dkpresents, and am very happy i did. consider it bookmarked. i need to give this LP some additional listens in order to get where you and many other music critics have landed. beyond 1972, the only BB recording i crave is Dennis Wilson’s, which i was lucky enough to have a bootleg of years ago. (i’m so glad it has officially been reissued. it is worth every penny.) my favorite BB recording era began with Pet Sounds and ended with Sunflower; like the previous commenter, i am curious about the BB recording that ranks #1 on your list. once again, great site.
There’s no mystery there. Pet Sounds, my number 1 album of all time. If I had to rank the Boys albums it would go something like this (loosely):
1. Pet Sounds
2. Love You (what can I say it just kills the shit out of me)
3. Today
4. Friends
5. Smiley Smile
6. Sunflower
7. All Summer Long
8. Summer Days Summer Nights
9. Wild Honey
10. Surf’s Up
Damn that list could easily change though. Throw in Carl & the Passions or Holland, Surfin USA. Where’s Kenneth? I wonder if LA Light Album would make his top ten!!
It might be different each day:
1. Pet Sounds
2. Friends
3. Love You
4. Today!
5. Wild Honey
6. Smiley Smile
7. Sunflower
8. All Summer Long
9. L.A. Light Album (very, very good!)
10. Summer Days Summer Nights
Honorable Mentions:
Surf’s Up, Beach Boys Christmas, Beach Boys Party!, Holland, 15 Big Ones, Keepin’ The Summer Alive, Shut Down Vol. 2, Stack-o-Tracks, Adult Child, and…
Thank you, Brendan, for the opportunity to share my favorites!
Just found this on vinyl and am loving it the first time through! Can’t wait for the 10th…
I adore this album…
Thanks for your support of this album…
1. Pet Sounds
2. Today
3. Surf’s Up
4. Summer Days and Summer Nights
5. Love You
6. Sunflower
7. Holland
8. Smiley Smile
9. All Summer Long
10. 20/20
My 5 year old sons fave is Brass Monkey. Can't wait to watch this whole video (in peace). I can remember getting the tape…and memorizing every word on the License to ill album. You girls are badass. Thanks for stopping by GuppyAl. Loves your blog name. If i tell you the first thing that came to mind when I saw the word Guppy was Ice Cube…would you have any indication of the kind of gangsta I thought I was?
1. Sunflower
2. Surf’s Up
3. Pet Sounds
4. Friends
5. Love You
6. 20/20
7. Smiley Smile
8. Smile (Purple Chick edition now, “official” version next month)
9. Surfer Girl
10. Best of the Beach Boys, Vol 1
1. Pet Sounds
2. Love You
3. Today!
4. Sunflower
5. Summer Days and Summer Nights
6. Friends
7. Smiley Smile
8. All Summer Long
9. Wild Honey
10. Surf’s Up