emalvick

I generally like the Beatles more, but the influence the Beach Boys had on the Beatles shouldn't be taken lightly.

On a side note, Holland is my favorite Beach Boys album. I went to college in San Luis Obispo, Calfornia, which is basically at the southern end of the region the California Saga is about. I've always felt a personal connection to it. For a long time, I only knew it on vinyl (my dad's copy), and I had hoped for years to find it on CD. I was so happy once it was available on CD. Now, the album makes me long for being back in that central California region.

maschenbrenner

Never really listened to the Beach Boys that much, so I guess my opinion of saying hands-down the Beatles truly isn't valid.

However, my parents grew up listening to the Beatles and as did I and personally to me I would say they are one of the best bands that has ever existed! Not only were they a huge influence to me and my family, they also made a legendary impact on the world.

neardeathexperience

It is funny that you should mention that listening to the album makes you long to be back in the Central California region, because when making this album some of the Beach Boys said they longed to be back in California also!
The album has some rich textures of music blended with those unmistakable Beach Boy harmonies!

Janszoon

Cal Poly? Yay! I love San Luis Obispo and really that whole area. I lived in Pismo Beach for a while myself.

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A Night in the Life of the Invisible Man

Time & Place

25 Albums You Should Hear Before the Moon Crashes into the Earth and We All Die

last.fm

Necromancer

Shouldnt this thread be closed already?

Urban Hat€monger ?

Doesn't really matter who's better.

While those two bands were stuck in a studio endlessly masturbating, The Stones were out there conquering the world.

Oh and then The Doors came along and made the Beach Boys totally irrelevant.

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emalvick

Well, if you are going to expand the scope, then I'd argue that The Who have most bands beat, but a lot of the other bands wouldn't have succeeded without the Beatles and Beach Boys paving the way.

emalvick

Yes, Cal Poly. I love the area too. My wife and I go there once a year for a weekend. I really wanted a faculty position there, but there wasn't enough employment opportunities for my wife in that area to make it work.

Oh well, I always have memories.

Urban Hat€monger ?

To be honest I can't think of a single thing that The Who did that other bands didn't already do better. And that's coming from somebody who likes them.

They were always too patchy for me to consider them anything more than good.

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Surell

While the bolded is an entirely appropriate way to call things, and the Stones definitely had Rock n Roll down by that period (late 60s/early 70s), I would never really put Beach Boys and Stones (and especially the former and the Doors) in a field of comparison like that. They had two very different approaches to songwriting and their music in general. But I will give the Stones a lot of credit for beating both of the bands at hand to a lot of very innovative/experimental pop songwriting a good while before they have had a stab at it on Aftermath.

However: I'd still say I prefer Smile, but that's just for the album, not the whole "conquering the world" notion, even though they were set to play the Monterrey Pop Festival, which could have helped them do that, if they wanted it.

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