Your favorite BEACH BOYS LP besides PET SOUNDS

Beach Boys, me and my wife’s fave go to road music. There’s a lot of knowledge in this thread, thanks a lot. I was a kid in the 70’s and didn’t get into the Beach Boys until the early eighties through my buddy’s Endless Summer LP. They had some music I liked from the 70’s, like Good Timing, Do it Again, and Breakaway, but I was more into the classic Beach Boy stuff. In about ’85 they released an album called The Beach Boys which had Getcha Back, another fave. And of course, Kokomo was among their later best stuff.

Somewhere along the way I got into their later 60’s stuff, like Sloop John B, God Only Knows, and Wouldn’t It Be Nice. Way ahead of their time with this later stuff.

I watched the movie Love And Mercy, and it was sobering to realize what an awful relationship Brian had with his father. The movie reveals he lost 95% of the hearing in his right ear(?) from his father repeatedly slapping him there. I’m speculating, but that’s probably why he couldn’t get into the stereo sound as it became more popular. He simply couldn’t hear the effect properly. I read where Brian says he started hearing voices in his head when he started taking LSD, I believe that was on wikipedia. And I think his mother died early on too. It’s a tragic story.

Now and then I’ll listen to Beach Baby by First Class. It’s about the end of the surf era, a really great song.

Love and mercy, all.

I compared my Pet Sounds Stereo reissue from 99 against the New Kevin Grey QRP Stereo. The former is not the Cap Vaults, but the reissue prior to that. Again, 1999 I believe. In listening to my 99 LP, it was hard to fault overall. It did nothing wrong, but it was certainly nothing special. Well, the QRP clearly rendered the 99 obsolete. The QRP simply allowed me to be truly connected. It's more detailed, but not in an overblown, Hi-Fi sort of way. It's more of that unhindered, open the flood gates, wide open, organic sort of way. ANALOG! 

The Beach Boys Christmas record is pretty dang cool. I was looking for something to put on over the holidays, forgot I picked it up from a long ago thrift store binge. Surprised me it did, but then again I didn't have high expectations either. 

After only Chuck Berry, Brian Wilson is my second choice for "Most Influential Artist (Rock n Roll Division)".  At the end of the day, "Smile" seems (to me) to offer the greatest insight into Brian Wilson's creative process.   On that basis, it's my favorite Beach Boys/Brian Wilson record, including Pet Sounds.  The music on Smile may be a bit uneven, but that's part of the charm, IMO.  It's also the BB/BW record that I revisit most frequently.