Beach Boys or Beatles?

[Miles Archer]

11. No telling what may have happened to the Beach Boys if Brian hadn't short-circuited

I would say that "Pet Sounds" is probably as good as any Beatles LP.

I still think "Smile" is shit. I heard the initial "reconstruction" on the BB "Good Vibrations" box set, then I heard Brian's version, then the Beach Boy's version. I know the Beatles recorded shit ("Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey" for one), but the whole "Smile" album sounds like some kind of esoteric Syd Barrett wank-a-thon to me, like the guy who made it was out of his skull on acid for the entire sessions (which he WAS).

It's clear from Brian's solo work that he didn't kill off ALL of his brain cells ("Your Imagination" from his second solo LP is a masterpiece). But I wonder what would have happened if he could have kept the momentum of "Pet Sounds" going for a few more albums, and if the band hadn't turned into an "oldies act."

The Beatles grew out of "Love Me Do." The Beach Boys pushed themselves back to "Surfin' USA" when they ran out of ideas and died there. Now you can see Mike Love and Bruce Johnston and a stage full of Beach Boys wannabes on stage at your local winery, doing all of the "golden oldies." I know people who have been to those shows and walked away feeling like they got their money's worth and more. I wouldn't go on a free ticket.