The Beach Boys Today!

It's li'l bit garbage?

I think part of this might be their incredible reputation, but I really had higher expectations of this album. It's fun, and obviously the harmonies are incredible. But I thought this would change my life and it didn't

Not bad.

Honestly, not as good as I was expecting.
Was expecting more surf rock stuff, but really only got ballads and vocal pop.

Its fine. Same rating as Pet Sounds, and while I don't like the styles as much on Pet Sounds, it was much more interesting at least compared to Today.

If this was my list of 1001 albums to hear before you die there would be many more Beach Boys records included.

If you’re new to the Beach Boys the starting point, obviously, is Pet Sounds. Your next step, in the British Isles, is 20 Golden Greats a TV Advertised best of that sold in such enormous quantities that you can pick it up for less than a fiver. Other countries will have their own versions. America’s is called Endless Summer. Next an early 70’s lo like Surfs Up, Sunflower, Holland. Probably then a version of Smile.

Then a 60’s pre Pet Sounds lp. So the compilers restricting to Today!Pet Sounds/Surfs Up/ Brian’s Smile have done pretty well within the limitations of the format.

Personally I would have gone for Surfer Girl or one of the full on Surf albums. Not because Today! Is a bad lp but because it’s the album before Pet Sounds where Brian is stretching his producer skills. I think the pure surf and harmonies belong on this list more than a transitional lp.

I mean, this album is fun and upbeat. It's not boring. It's just basic. It might be very influential and legendary, but this one doesn't hold up today for me.

Ahead of today’s listen to The Beach Boys Today!, my experience with The Beach Boys and the Wilson brothers has been pretty mixed. Pet Sounds is easily my favourite Beach Boys album so far. I gave it 4/5 and loved the beautiful melodies, harmonies and songwriting. On the other hand, Surf’s Up only got 2/5. I found its moodier, more introspective sound pretty dull and really missed the energy and memorable hooks of their earlier music.

So I think I know what I want from The Beach Boys. Give me the gorgeous harmonies, strong melodies and beautifully crafted pop songs, but lose some of the experimentation and self indulgence. The Beach Boys Today! is from 1965, so I was hoping this would be much closer to the Beach Boys I love.

Thankfully, it was exactly what I wanted. Short and sweet, packed with brilliant two and three minute pop songs, fantastic melodies and those unmistakable Beach Boys harmonies. There’s something so effortless about this sound when they get it right. The songs are catchy, beautifully arranged and instantly recognisable as The Beach Boys.

It’s not quite on the level of Pet Sounds for me, but you can certainly hear the band moving towards that sound. In places, this album is absolutely superb. There’s a simplicity to the songs, but underneath that there’s some brilliant songwriting and musicianship.

This is definitely my kind of Beach Boys. Keep the songs short, give me a great melody and pile on those harmonies. A really enjoyable album from start to finish and one I’d happily listen to again.

Favourite track: “Do You Wanna Dance?” Great tune and everything I want from The Beach Boys.

Least favourite tracks: None. Every track was enjoyable and worth its place.

Album artwork: Very much of its time! A classic mid 60s band cover.

Clearly the music, and the voices, and the harmonies are superb, but oh boy those lyrics.

Good singing

It's fun, it's definitely a predecessor to a heck of a lot of other music... and it's a little too pre-hippie-era squeaky clean for my filthy, filthy modern ears. I prefer their later output.

I'm not a Beach Boys gal. I want to have a nap

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘉𝘰𝘺𝘴 𝘛𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺! is clearly moving towards 𝘗𝘦𝘵 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘴, but it is not there yet. As with the Beatles, I find the earlier albums more interesting as steps in the band’s development than as records I genuinely want to revisit.

There are some lovely melodies here, and Brian Wilson’s growing ambition is easy to hear. Unfortunately, his falsetto also wears me down after a while. I know it is one of the Beach Boys’ defining sounds, but that does not mean I have to enjoy it for an entire album.

A decent transitional record, but the best was still to come.

Do I wanna dance? Yes I wanna dance … and reader, I did 😀

You know, I'm not a huge fan of the Beach Boys. I understand how important they are in music history, but I just don't care for their signature sound. And exactly as I expected, this is a pop album heavily reliant on vocal harmonies. While said harmonies are pleasing to the ear, they are the only thing making these otherwise mediocre songs worth listening to. The songs are two-minute pop ditties with generic lyrics about girls and mediocre hooks. Much of the sound of this album sounds incredibly dated in a way that only pop albums(including ones mixing pop with rap or rock) really do, and therefore hinders the album from truly being great. While some songs are catchy, this is an album mostly reliant on harmonics to provide the listener with something to latch onto. This album has done absolutely nothing to change my opinion of the Beach Boys.

This album is ranked #8 of 12 albums for 1965. Other 1965 albums rated by me:
Otis Blue/Otis Redding Sings Soul(2/12)-5
Highway 61 Revisited(3/12)-4
A Love Supreme(5/12)-5

Dit klinkt voor mij echt als het meest generieke Beach Boys album mogelijk. Een soort AI-samenvatting van wat ze allemaal maken. Beach Boys zijn uiteraard gewoon okee, dus dat is dit ook.

Really interesting, half the old Surf rock classics and half the orchestral baroque stuff that was on Pet Sounds.

Well done album and not too long.

3.0/5.0: Good

was surprised how much i enjoyed this. the dichotomy of the fun upbeat songs on the first half vs the more melancholy songs on the second make for an interesting listen.

Always a pleasure to listen to The Beach Boys

This is a step in the direction they would go on later releases. I liked it. The first half are upbeat and fun songs with great melodies and the second half, while slower, shows off some great vocals and we get to hear them eat lunch. Favorites were Do You Wanna Dance, Help Me Rhonda, Dance, Dance, Dance, and She Knows Me Too Well.