Quote:
Originally Posted by telepicker
From a musical standpoint alone - I mean, Sgt. Pepper made Brian Wilson have a nervous breakdown...
He held steady in the bubblegum days, but when the sh*t got deep, Bri-Bri went to his sand box. And the Beach Boys were kaput.
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That's a bit of an unfair argument, as it says more about the stability of Brian Wilson's psyche than it does of his capability as a musician. We know that he was depressed and had a troubled childhood, but that he was a great talent nonetheless.
For me personally, the Beach Boys have slightly more high emotional peaks than the Beatles. "Pet Sounds" is my favorite album of all time, after all. I also think that if Brian Wilson hadn't collapsed and had been able to release "Smile" as was intended (discounting the 2004 version), it would've been a classic on par with Sergeant Pepper and it'll always be a bit of a thorn in my side that things went the way they did. Songs like "Heroes ans villains", "Good vibrations" and especially "Surf's up" are simply brilliant, multi-layered and splendid.
But yeah. It's difficult. Maybe I have to give it to the Beatles in the end, for all of their accomplishments and rock history "firsts". That was an awful lot of pioneering in a few years. They were also hugely talented and all-rounded and had a number of great songs and albums. Comparing the two, I think my "objective" vote goes to the Beatles, but the Beach Boys are closer to my heart.