Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Beach Boys Deep Cuts:
10. California Saga ("Holland" - 1973)9. I Just Wasn't Made for These Times ("Pet Sounds" - 1966)
8. Let Him Run Wild "(Summer days (and Summer Nights)" - 1965)
7. Darlin' ("Wild Honey" - 1967)
6. Feel Flows ("Surf's Up" - 1971)
5. The Warmth of the Sun ("Shut Down Volume 2" - 1964)
4. All I Wanna Do - ("Sunflower" - 1970)
3. Sail On Sailor ("Holland" - 1973)
2. 'Til I Die ("Surf's Up" - 1971)
1. Surf's Up ("Surf's Up" - 1971)
While I agree with a fair number of cuts voted there by readers, I loosely disagree with the sub-heading "Deep Cuts," as some have either achieved chart success or at the very least "hit" status having appeared on one or more "Best Of/Greatest Hit" compilations. Naturally, my editorial side kicked in and I decided why not come up with ten of my own?
Make that 15.
Or 20.
I'll stop at 25.
With a career that has spanned more than half a century and me as the self-titled world's biggest Beach Boys fan, keeping the number to just ten proved an impossible task. The only rule I imparted upon myself was that no tune from the Rolling Stone list could appear here. Keep in mind that this list could change (and likely will) many times. This is simply a matter of personal preference and favorite tunes that just resonated with me over time. Like it or not, I bestow upon you my faves in chronological order.
1. Lonely Sea (1963)
Very early on in the Beach Boys career, this beautiful ballad just barely hinted at the genius yet to emerge from Brian Wilson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efu8CMyfgSA
2. Surfer's Rule (1963)
Following the success of Surfin' Safari, Surfin' USA and Surfer Girl as bona fide hits, I always felt this one should have been released as a single as well. Dennis Wilson on lead vocals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5UjaBhVhotQ
3. Car Crazy Cutie (1963)
Infectious tune to sing along to and good clean fun. Another album cut that remains a long time all-time fave! No-Go Showboat runs a close second however.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAAczoV8yoY
4. In the Parkin' Lot (1964)
Another formulaic early Beach Boys hit moving things from the beach to the high school parking lot. I love the slow harmonic buildup that bookends this tune. Further proof of Brian's continued progression.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-WDsd0N5DI
5. Kiss Me Baby (1965)Hands down my favorite Beach Boy ballad. From vocals to music, this one is flawless. Having seen the band live a multitude of times dating back to 1980, I had never seen this performed until 1999 when Brian went out on the road supporting "Imagination" and reigniting a career all thought long dead. Ironically, I think I was in college the first time I ever heard this song having not acquired a copy of this LP until that time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTsL_ImgWn0
Another lush ballad from the Today album, though I had heard it when I was much younger compliments of this hand me down compilation LP from a cousin. I was only 13; an age where most ballads bored me. This one did not.
7. You're So Good To Me (1966)
I don't know if this one would be construed as a true album cut and should likely defer to "Girl Don't Tell Me" here, but as this list reflects personal preference over lush artistry, I just love this song.
8. Here Today (1966)
I was always one for checking out B-sides and somewhere in my early teen / Beach Boy discovery years, I came across the "Darlin'" single b/w with this great nugget from Pet Sounds. Granted, at that time in my life I knew nothing about Pet Sounds or the indelible footprint it left on the pop music landscape. Knowing what I know now however, this is still my favorite cut from the album.
9. Aren't You Glad (1967)
With an unquenchable thirst for more Beach Boys product. I purchased the Warner Brothers 2 LP repackage of "Wild Honey" and "20/20." Decidedly different from the overall Beach Boys sound I had become accustomed to, my mind was open to the tracks on both of these LP's. Initially, my favorite track on Wild Honey was "Here Comes the Night," followed closely by the cut chosen here. As the years progressed and with it my musical maturity, "Aren't You Glad" now holds the number one position. (And no, the 1979 disco remake of "Here Comes The Night" did not ruin it for me).
10. Be With Me (1969)
A Dennis Wilson penned ballad that proves Brian wasn't the only genius. Ethereally beautiful and the clear cut favorite from this LP.
A second Dennis tune; "Never Learn Not to Love" (co-authored by Charles Manson) remains another highlight for me. While I won't include it here so as not to surpass my 25 cut limit, I would suggest searching this one out and judge for yourself.
11. Break Away (1969)
This one was included on the compilation record pictured here. Released sometime following the 20/20 LP and only as a single record, father Murry Wilson was credited as lyricist under the name Reggie Dunbar. I knew very little of Beach Boys lore at that time and the fractured relationship between father and sons. History was unimportant. The music spoke for itself and the vocal chorus on the tail end always felt magical to me.
12. Add Some Music To Your Day (1970)
Sunflower is my favorite Beach Boys LP. Popularity may well have waned at this point, but Add Some Music showcases a band still in top form musically and vocally.
13. Forever (1970)
Clearly the most well known Dennis Wilson tune, I'm surprised it didn't make the Rolling Stone readers poll top ten. I knew from the first time I heard it, it would make mine.
14. Long Promised Road (1971)
I remember the day I purchased Surf's Up (still a young teen) thinking that this would mark a return to the fun, carefree tunes I longed for. I didn't judge the album by its cover, just it's title. I was wholly disappointed. Even now, this album is not the easiest one for me to listen to all the way through, yet three of its songs made the Rolling Stone poll. I completely concur with both "'Til I Die" and "Feel Flows." The title cut, which made it to number one on their list does not constitute a deep album cut in this humble blogger's opinion. As "Feel Flows" is already taken, I have no problem including this (my second favorite cut from the album) on my own list.
15. All This Is That (1972)
The first time I heard this one was when the band performed it live in 1994 while supporting the Good Vibrations CD box set. I likely missed this tune in the past having never been a big fan of the album that it derived from. Dennis Wilson's "Cuddle Up," with its sweeping orchestral, almost operatic feel had long been the number one deep cut for me here until I discovered (yes 22 years too late) this priceless cut.
16. We Got Love (1973)
This live album highlighted a musically changing band and would have been another disappointment for me at the time I had purchased it, but then again I always had a thing for live albums. We Got Love was the least Beach Boy sounding tune I had heard to date, yet I always loved the energy and the (almost) jam at the end. Great cut!
17. It's OK (1976)
Sure 15 Big One's was generally lambasted by critics and fans alike, but as the group hearkened back to better days following the release of Endless Summer and the "Brian's Back" campaign, this mid-70's tune penned by Brian and Mike Love totally captured the old school Beach Boys vibe. (I won't mention the "formula" here.
18. Just Once In My Life (1976)
Did I mention lambasted by critics and fans alike? Yes, this album finds two cuts on my "personal preference" list. I never realized until years later that this remake had originally been recorded by the Righteous Brothers. Brian may not have been in great health nor voice at this juncture, but this is a powerful performance and worthy of honorable mention.
19. The Night Was So Young (1977)
From the moment the needle landed on the turntable for the first time, I told myself that this was the most ridiculous Beach Boys album I had ever heard. If 15 Big One's thrust the band back into the limelight two years prior, 1977's Love You unraveled everything, leaving most scratching their heads asking what the hell happened? I never realized what a great tune this one was until years later when I heard it again on the aforementioned '93 box set. ('Nuf said).
20. Winds of Change (1978)
Another album wholly ignored and probably with good reason. Three tunes on here held my attention. "Pitter Pattter," "Kona Coast" and this one. Winds of Change was to M.I.U. what "All This is That" was to "Carl and the Passions." This alternate version accidentally landed on the CD as CBS records had purportedly acquired the wrong master tapes for digital remastering. While others might disagree, I found even more beauty here in a cut that was never lacking anything in the first place.
21. Lady Lynda (1979)
A new record label with no new direction and another album primarily passed over by all. The foray into disco with their own remake of 1967's "Here Comes the Night," fell flat and pissed off fans. Apparently, Kiss fans (I was made for Loving You), Rolling Stone Fans (Miss You) and Rod Stewart fans (Do Ya Think I'm Sexy) were more (dance oriented) forgiving. While the "Light Album (L.A.) did little to bolster the Beach Boys career, it did have its moments including this Bach inspired Al Jardine tune, which vaulted into the UK top ten. What did they know that we didn't?
22. Getcha Back (1985)
Not an album cut. Mike Love returned to the "formula" recapturing the old Beach Boys sound and as a result Getcha Back broke the Top 40. Fun, refreshing and one of my top three Beach Boy faves, this one deserves its spot here.
23. Somewhere Near Japan (1989)
The title track of this CD that offered a mixed bag of new compositions and classic faves would have been the clear cut winner here as it made for a great 80's summer tune (though let's face it the semi-accapella opening reeks an obvious attempt at another Kokomo). The Beach Boys / Fat Boys team-up on Wipeout is great fun and fans here seemed as forgiving as Aerosmith fans (Walk This Way w/ Run DMC). The clear standout here however was the very classy Somewhere Near Japan, which showcases prime songwriting, instrumentation and vocal prowess.24 Lahaina Aloha (1992)
1992's Summer in Paradise goes down in history as the worst selling Beach Boy album of all time. Sure there were some misses here (I won't go there), but it did have some highlights. "Lahaina Aloha" is as beautiful and majestic as the cut that precedes it here.
25. From There To Back Again (2012)
Here's an album that is wholly listenable, but could have been so much better had there been more group input. Most of the tunes date back to the Brian Wilson/Joe Thomas Collaborations from the 1998 "Imagination" sessions. Sadly, Mike Love's input was minimal, though his self-penned "Daybreak Over the Ocean" is simply gorgeous. "From There to Back Again" begins a suite of three songs that close the record.
