It's About Time: Beach Boys Poll Results

it was a blast revisting all these songs. shouts to iatee for organizing!

1. Surf's Up
2. Good Vibrations
3. Cabinessence
4. Heroes and Villains
5. Breakaway
6. California Girls
7. Don't Worry Baby
8. In My Room
9. Til I Die
10. Time to Get Alone
11. This Whole World
12. Wendy
13. Do It Again
14. God Only Knows
15. I'm Waiting For the Day
16. I Do
17. Wouldn't It Be Nice
18. Disney Girls
19. Surfer Moon
20. Catch a Wave

Shakey, "Country Air" did place

my amesome ballot:

1. The Warmth of the Sun <--- just all out gorgeous
2. God Only Knows
3. Please Let Me Wonder
4. Let Him Run Wild <--- best produced
5. Your Summer Dream <--- most underrated
6. Girls on the Beach
7. Guess I'm Dumb <--- song I didn't expect to place, much less so high
8. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
9. In My Room
10. I'm Waiting for the Day
11. Caroline, No <---- best album closer ever
12. Break Away <---- this was their contractial-obligation last single for Capitol
13. California Girls
14. Here Today
15. Don't Worry Baby
16. Kiss Me, Baby
17. Keep an Eye on Summer <--- did I really put this in my top 20?
18. In the Back of my Mind
19. Summer Means New Love
20. i Get Around

albums:

1. Today!
2. Pet Sounds
3. Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!) (my top 3 have flipped over and around many times over the last decade)
4. Surfer Girl
5. Friends (so have my next two for that matter)

My picked out all of my favorites from a complete song list and picked out the ones I *really* liked (about 40), then whittled it down to my 20 favorites, tossing out alot of really great songs, but in each case there was something in my eventual top 20 that I liked better. I looked over my final selections, and noticed something that shocked me....

people need to listen to steamboat again:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzJv1nmJEHM

and my late ballot:
1. Can't Wait too Long
2. Heroes & Villains
3. God Only Knows
4. Their Hearts Were Full of Spring
5. Cabinessence
6. 'Til I Die
7. Wouldn't It Be Nice
8. Sail on Sailor
9. Friends
10. Steamboat
11. Let the Wind Blow
12. In My Room
13. Our Prayer
14. I Get Around
15. Vegetables
16. Don't Go Near the Water
17. Country Air
18. It Takes A Mess of Help to Stand Alone
19. She Knows Me Too Well
20. Darlin'

4. Their Hearts Were Full of Spring

^^^real heads know where it's at, well done

that hit 67 in the list w/ his vote included

Girls On The Beach, I'm So Young also make it (River Song, Trader, Here Comes the Night knocked out of top 69)

^^^^^
I repped hard for this one!

That was fun. I never thought I'd ever post a pop-culture reference shout-out to "Bull Session with the Big Daddy" knowing that many people reading it would get the joke...

auxiliary question: suggestions for what you think are the "definitive" vocal performance for each Beach Boy? like I'm listening to "She Knows Me Too Well" for the millionth time this week & I think (maybe) this is Brian's best lead. But what's Mike's? Carl's? etc.

carl's is darlin' I think

Mike's finest moment? I Get Around, All I Wanna Do, or Big Sur imho

Carl's is God Only Knows c'mon now

dennis - forever

Carl: The first three seconds of "Let Us Go on This Way"

thx iatee, this thread was a great read

also, i saw the "Bridge Over Troubled Water" documentary last night and regardless of what you think of S@G there were a ton of great studio anecdotes that will appeal to sound geeks. The Wrecking Crew's rhythm section figured prominently in it.

np it was fun to organize

my fave carl vocals are this whole world and long promised road
brian - please let me wonder
mike - meant for you, all i wanna do

^Brian - please let me wonder, yes!

looking back, it's funny how emabarrased i'd be when friends would come over to my house and find me singing into the mirror, Endless Summer blaring away

Thanks for organizing and running this one, iatee! Definitely some surprises in it for a non-BB-head like me.

i'm the only one who voted for it but i think this track is incredible

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZz4eTuH7i4

goes well with the burrito bros "man in the fog" on a mix

Just me or did Good Timin' not get a single (on time) vote? I consider myself a serious BB's fan -- and that song (the chorus mostly) is as moving to me as anything in their catalog.

San Miguel's kind of an obscurity, but it is great

Good Timin' version on LA Light kinda sucks, probably kept it out of the running

I love Good Timin' - it was in my long list, but not the final one.

That top 5 is perfect. Well done ILX and massive thanks to iatee for such a great poll!

My Top 20:

Surf's Up 40
God Only Knows 36
'Til I Die 33
Help Me Rhonda 30
Vegetables 28
Forever 26
I'm So Young 25
Wind Chimes 24
Wonderful 23
I Just Wasn't Made For These Times 22
Feel Flows 21
Diamond Head 20
Little Pad 19
Country Air 18
Big Sur 17
Be Here In The Morning 16
Darlin 15
I Know There's An Answer 14
Let The Wind Blow 13
There's No Other Like My Baby 12

ALBUMS
Best to worst

1 Smiley Smile / Smile
2 Surf's Up
3. Love You
4. Summer Days (And Summer Nights!)
5. Party!

Jan and Dean probably don't rate much around here, but this song is my favorite of theirs. Beach Boys sing this version (Brian Wilson wrote it).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkMbF4pOTlQ&feature=related

Can't believe Soulful Old Man Sunsine didn't place in my list, but it was quite a conservative one and listening back to SOMS, it didn't hit the spot like it once did.

underachievers:

73 Catch a Wave 56
74 Farmer's Daughter 56
78 When I Grow Up (To Be A Man) 49
79 Girls On The Beach 46
91 409 37
96 Be True to Your School 34
97 Here Today 33
151 Shut Down 13

― iatee, Friday, August 19, 2011 3:33 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark

Except for "Be True To Your School," which is so ridiculously square it's kind of charming even so, OTM. Thanks for doing this, iatee! It's been a lot of fun.

I love Be True TO Your School, but for this reason.

I can dig that

1. In My Room
2. Wouldn't It Be Nice
3. Don't Worry Baby
4. Help Me, Rhonda
5. God Only Knows
6. Surf's Up
7. I Know There's an Answer
8. I Get Around
9. Cabinessence
10. Caroline, No
11. Surfin' Safari
12. Surfer Girl
13. The Warmth of the Sun
14. Love and Mercy
15. Be True to Your School
16. Let Him Run Wild
17. Here Today
18. Catch a Wave
19. Heroes and Villains
20. Time to Get Alone

Many thanks to the organizes of this poll, probably the best yet. There will always be a
There will always be a place for it in the Little Deuce Coupe of my heart.

My ballot:

1. Wouldn't It Be Nice
2. Good Vibrations
3. Girl Don't Tell Me
4. Aren't You Glad
5. Wild Honey
6. Honkin' Down The Highway
7. Busy Don' Nothin'
8. Barbara Ann
9. I Know There's An Answer
10 Heroes and Villains
11. Roller Skating Child
12. God Only Knows
13. I Just Wasn't Made For These Times
14. Let Us Go On This Way
15. California Girls
16. Country Air
17. Friends
18. Do It Again
19. Be Here In The Morning
20. I'd Love Just Once To See You

The roll-out of this poll completely conflicted with my schedule, sadly, I wish I could've been more involved. But iatee, thanks for doing this, you the man!

Lol, korneulez put "Roller Skatin' Child" before "God Only Knows." I think Dominic Priore just had a heart attack and died.

More thanks, iatee, great poll for the not-quite-seasoned but more-than-novice fan like myself, lots of cuts to check out. I think 18 from my super canon ballot placed, had Don't Talk as #1.

songs:
#1. You And I (DENNIS WILSON)
02. When A Man Needs A Woman
03. Little Bird
04. That's Not Me
05. Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)
06. Baby Blue
07. Child Is Father Of The Man (original '66->'67 SMILE bootleg, NOT the later/2004 official Brain Wilson version)
08. Farewell My Friend (DENNIS WILSON)
09. Busy Doin' Nothing
10. Anna Lee, The Healer
11. Caroline, No
12. California Girls
13. Good Vibrations
14. Don't Worry Baby
15. In My Room
16. Be With Me
17. Please Let Me Wonder
18. Sound Of Free (DENNIS WILSON & RUMBO)
19. Til I Die
20. Darlin'

albums:
#1. Friends
#2. Pet Sounds
#3. Pacific Ocean Blue
#4. Smile (original/bootleg recordings)
#5. The Beach Boys Today!

I'm the only vote for "You And I"?!

Jan and Dean probably don't rate much around here

I got plenty of love for em. Especially their skateboarding skills.

1. I Get Around #7
Heroes and Villains #9
Little Bird #39
California Girls #8
Help Me, Rhonda #21
'Til I Die #5
Surf's Up #2
Sail On, Sailor #43
This Whole World #22
Fun, Fun, Fun #36
Then I Kissed Her #54
Break Away #18
The Little Girl I Once Knew #51
I Can Hear Music #53
Good Vibrations #3
Our Sweet Love
Friends #35
All Summer Long #42
Time to Get Alone #48
20. Mrs. O'Leary's Cow (a.k.a. "Fire")

I'm bananas with old Beach Boys songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EUrKOTshIM&feature=related

thanks iatee, you guys

can't belieeeeeeeeve that when i grow up to be a man didn't make it!!

Angel Eyes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWL1k6aM3hE&playnext=1&list=PL606F9C04F73F6C87

wow

the first 9 seconds of Angel Eyes sounds like two or three different BB songs (Girls on the Beach @ Surfer Girl maybe, I've been drinking)

that is a hoppin Route 66

what barbershop songs do you guys like

Just me or did Good Timin' not get a single (on time) vote? I consider myself a serious BB's fan -- and that song (the chorus mostly) is as moving to me as anything in their catalog.

― Naive Teen Idol

yeah I prob should have included this on mine. great song.

esp the version with dennis singing

ok, I give in. you guys win. for the past couple of days all that's been running through my head is Celebrate The News, Can't Wait Too Long, and Till I Die.

It's funny though, I just realized that the CDs of Friends and Wild Honey that I own don't have Celebrate or Can't Wait. I wonder how much of the recent appreciation has to do with grouping these on twofers with bonus tracks. Taken in their original configurations, some of those albums are pretty patchy and underwhelming. But now that I can kind of skip around through them all at once on spotify and only listen to the highlights it's easier to find an entry point.

Big thanks to iatee for doing this.

Are you going to tally up all of us late stragglers too? Or are you too wiped out after all this?

in the google spreadsheet link I posted upthread I have the breakdown of the results + results w/ you included. your vote bumped surf's up to the top, dominique's brought it back to #2. til I die hit #4 and can't wait too long jumped to #26

haha omg we convinced wk!!