Customer Reviews

Today/ Summer Days (and Summer Nights)

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I grew up in a strict, no nonsense Italian household in rural Connecticut. You just can't get any farther from the warm California sunshine, surfing, and the quest for the California dream than that. Our family summertime treks to the beach consisted of my brother and me loaded into back seat of the family Chevy wagon on a bumpy trip to " Long Island Sound " filled with mirky, seaweed laden water and rocky( read: ouch ) beaches. But then one summer, out of the blue, a song issued from my small transistor AM radio. The song was
" Surfin' Safari " and hence my dream of sunny California became closer to reality. I was no longer trapped in rural Connecticut. I was mesmerized by the song, and with maybe two quarters to my name, pedaled my way to the local department store and bought the 45 RPM record. The flip side was " 409 " and boy was I ever in heaven, having already been a full fledged greaser by age 12.
I bought everything the boys of summer put out,the Surfin' Safari Album, Little Deuce Coupe, Surfer Girl, Concert, and Surfin U.S.A.
What struck me profoundly were the harmonies and the melodies, which in my young mind made every other record put out by others seem amateurish and rudimentary in comparison. And the themes of the songs were right up my alley. Four decades later I feel the same way. By the time the Today album and Summer Days and Summer Nights album were released, I was in high school, and these songs took on new meanings to me, ( READ: Girl Crazy ). My father was a tyrant at times, he'd scream and yell at my brother and me, and would make me " go to my room " ( to study ) whenever my report card came- I always brought home poor grades. It was from lack of interest in school, and my great interest in cars and girls that killed my grades. I prided myself in never bringing home a school book to study. I would really dread the last report card before summer- because he'd usually " ground " me to my room to study all summer long. ( no pun intended. ) I never understood this, because I had no books to study for summer. When I'd remind him of this fact, he'd scream and say, " Then you'll go to the library and find the books for next year and bring them home and study them! "
So when I heard " I'm Bugged at My Old Man. " I felt a true allegiance to BIG BROTHER Brian. I felt that he knew some of the stuff I'd been going through. And I think that is what endures with respect to the Beach Boys and their music. Our relation ships, desires, fears, and longings are reflected in their music. More than once I've gotten shivers up my spine upon first hearing a new Beach Boys song,( that's what real harmony will do to you ) that's the kind of emotion it evokes. Just think of the turmoil we felt as teenagers. Who could we talk to? Who would listen and understand our deepest fears, our longing to be loved? You guessed it. Brian and the Boys. They were beyond hip as far as I was concerned, and while others turned their attention to the Rolling Stones, Jimmie Hendrix, and the British invasion groups ( especially the Beatles. ) my loyalty never wavered from " The Boys. " While everyone was cranking up " I wanna Hold your Hand " and " She Loves You ", I was cranking up " I get Around " and " When I Grow Up to Be a Man. " I often times wonder what my adolescent years would have been like if the Beach Boys never existed. We've been through a lot together, the Boys and me. They were there when I obtained my driver's license. They stood by me when I'd get a crush on a girl, ( and the subsequent heartache of unrequited love. ) They were there when my mom died of a heart attack at age 45 ( I was 17 ). And when my BIG brother Ted lost his battle with Cancer at age 27. They were there, holding me up, allowing the tears, and the pain, and the sorrow to issue from me, and then to be replaced by joyousness, the joyousness of being alive. They never failed me, those Boys of Summer. And they will not fail you.

Regards,

Tony

Like many Beach Boys fans who's full-on "discovery" of the band began when "Pet Sounds" was re-issued on CD in the early 90's(?), I found that album to be hard to beat - as far as Beach Boys ALBUMS are concerned. Being a Beatles fan, first and foremost, the whole "influence on Sgt. Peppers" thing took hold, and - like the afore-mentioned Bealtes LP - took on legendary status for me.

Yet, I KNEW there had to be more out there. Of course I had heard other Beach Boys songs on the radio, but mostly the slightly goofy "surf-themed" early stuff which I didn't really like all that much. So, when I found this 2-CD-in-1 collection of "Today/Summer Days (and Summer Nights)" several years ago, and saw a few of my non-Pet Sounds faves on it ("Help Me Rhonda" and "California Girls"), I figured it was worth a shot.

It turned out that I got more than I had anticipated. The music the Beach Boys were recording right before "Pet Sounds" is my favorite stuff of theirs. These are two beautiful albums... full of fun-loving romps like "Do You Wanna Dance", "Good To My Baby", "Girl From New York City", "Salt Lake City", and gorgeous harmony-laden tracks like, "Kiss Me Baby", "Let Him Run Wild", "Please Let Me Wander", and "She Knows Me To Well".... as well as the more well-known "Help Me Rhonda" and "California Girls"... the latter of which I think is probably 2 of the most joyous minutes of music ever recorded.

These two albums represent Brian Wilson at a point where he had grown tired of touring and began devoting all his energies to the studio. He'd not yet heard The Beatles' "Rubber Soul"... his music still had that California-surf feel going on, but it was getting more sophisticated. Incredible music that signalled the end of a certain era before a new, more uncertain, one began.

This CD contains two (count 'em) Beach Boys albums from 1965. Both albums are great, with several hits like "Do You Wanna Dance", "When I Grow Up", "Dance, Dance, Dance", "Help Me, Rhonda" and "California Girls". And there are plenty of great songs that weren't hits, like "Please Let Me Wonder" and "Let Him Run Wild". And "I'm Bugged at My Ol' Man" is the funniest song the Beach Boys ever recorded. But the interview "Bull Session With the 'Big Daddy'" isn't something that most people will want to listen to more than once. Other than that obvious low point, Beach Boys fans should enjoy this CD a lot.

this CD proves that these guys were more than just surf band--they were the pinacle of pop music in the 60's and beyond. Who else wrote such beautiful melodies and rich harmonies with instrumental back-up with such finesse than Brian Wilson? Buy this CD and forget about the "best-of" compilations. I went for years thinking that I had heard the "best-of" before buying actual albums in their entirety. It was only then that I discovered that pretty much everything they did was "the Best"! I love these guys!

I'm ecstatic that TODAY is finally getting some of the attention it deserves. It's not merely one of the Beach Boys' best albums -- it's one of the best albums of the 60s. No filler here. Just straight-up, well-produced rock n' roll, chock-full of those trademark Wilson pop hooks that make you smile -- not to mention the ghostly angelic harmonies courtesy of Carl, Mike, Brian and Al.

As a vocal arranger, there's really no one better on the planet than Brian Wilson. Pick out just one of the harmony parts on any of these tunes and try to sing along with it. It's very difficult, because each part swirls in and around each other, even on the familiar top 40 classics. That's just one facet of Brian Wilson's genius, and you can especially hear it in classics such as "Please Let Me Wonder", "Kiss Me Baby" and "She Knows Me Too Well".

It's impossible to predict what course the Beach Boys' career might have taken had SMILE come fully to fruition. The Beatles were able to make the leap from Boy Band to Serious Artists, and the Beach Boys, quite unfairly, could not. As a result, critical attention toward superior albums such as TODAY has been slow in coming. But TODAY, in my opinion, is every bit as strong a work as REVOLVER or RUBBER SOUL.

Unfortunately, SUMMER DAYS was a step backward for Brian and the boys. But any album that contains "California Girls", "Let Him Run Wild" and "Girl Don't Tell Me" is still pretty darn great. In these two albums, you can see Brian Wilson formulating the ideas that would later become PET SOUNDS and SMILE. Five stars here is a no-brainer. If you're a Beach Boys fan without this two-fer, correct that omission. Immediately.

After Pet Sounds, I believe that The Beach Boys Today! is their greatest album. I gave this CD five stars because of this, not because of Summer Days... The record Today! is filled with timeless songs of tenderness and yearning which seem to invite someone back to a simpler, more romantic time. The fact that this album doesn't get more attention only adds to its appeal. Pay close attention to the increasingly sophisticated lyrics (for that time) as well as the music. On Summer Days..., in addition to the huge hits, there are great songs such as "Girl Don't Tell Me," which seems like a tribute to the Beatles ("Girl don't tell me you'll wri-i-ite...") "Let Him Run Wild" and "Summer Means New Love" also represent the new emerging harmonies and wonderful experimentation of Brian Wilson during this era leading up to Pet Sounds.

I can understand why so many reviewers may have given it four stars instead of five; because of comparing either album to Pet Sounds. However, I don't believe that this is a fair judgment. If it were, then perhaps only a dozen or so albums in history could deserve five stars.

Don't be one of those fools that think (because the media told them) that Pet Sounds is the only great Beach Boys album. And by no means would I want to diminish the monumental achievment that Pet Sounds is. There are dozens of truly great Beach Boys albums and these 2 are among them. There are some unbelievably great musical gems on here.

On Today! the album kicks off with Denis singing Do You Wanna Dance- simple enough cover song. But then the genius kicks into overdrive with Brian Wilson on Good To My Baby- a classic that you will immediately love. And both versions of Help Me Rhonda/Ronda with an explanation for the wierd volume changing on one of them are here as well. Also on here is the hit Dance, Dance, Dance- ever see clips of the boys singing this when it came out? The crowds went nuts. But again it is the lesser known songs on this album that make it one of the greatest albums of all time. They include songs like Please Let Me Wonder(unreal),I'm So Young, Kiss Me Baby and She Knows Me Too Well(one of the greatest love songs ever. This album is a treat because Brian Wilson sings so many leads on it.

This cd is a steal in that not only do you get The Beach Boys Today! but then you get Summer Days (and Summer Nights) as well. One of the greatest songs on it is Salt Lake City- a pop masterpiece on the same album as one of the greatest pop masterpieces of all time... California Girls. One note- you can get real stereo versions of both songs on Hawthorne and on Endless Harmony that are well worth getting. I have both Beach Boys box sets and initially thought that was all I would ever need or want from the Beach Boys. I have since learned that there isn't a single Beach Boys album not worth owning. And that the double album format for cd is a phenominal deal.

The greatest two-fer CD in the whole Beach Boys catalog.
The Beach Boys Today! is a fantastic album, as we get to hear the wonderful results of Beach Boy leader/producer Brian Wilson tossing off the candy stripes to follow his muse. In many ways, this is the quintessential Beach Boys album because it covers both the extroverted, good timin', rock n' roll spirit of the band taken to new heights on side one, plus, more importantly, the introverted, maturing, genius heart of Brian with the string of sophisticated ballads on side two. Songs from previous albums like 'The Warmth of the Sun' and 'We'll Run Away' were gorgeous and really unlike anything in pop at the time (including the Beatles), but Today! gems such as the romantic, searching 'Please Let Me Wonder', the majestic 'Kiss Me Baby', the breathtakingly complex 'She Knows Me Too Well', and the moody, jazzy 'In The Back of My Mind' (my favorite song from the album) take it to another plateau. Sure, it all ends rather oddly with the mock interview 'Bull Session With Big Daddy', but that's okay - considering the tremendous stress Brian was on to deliver product quickly, it's a still a wonder this album is as rich as it is, really. 'Guess I'm Dumb', a lovely single Brian cowrote and produced for Glen Campbell around this time would have fit perfectly instead. An unforgettable album, and second only to Pet Sounds, in my opinion.
Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!), as many fans have noted, is a bit of a pulling back from the themes developed on the Today! album, being filled with just a little more fun summer tunes, but it's still a truly wonderful album. The absolute highlight has got to be 'Let Him Run Wild' (my second favorite Beach Boys song), a brilliant, beautiful song with an exciting chord progression and maybe my favorite Brian lead vocal, a pleading falsetto. No one writes songs like these, even now. A few of the group's biggest hits appear here, 'California Girls' and 'Help Me Rhonda', both of which feature bright, exuberant arrangements, especially 'California Girls'' symphonic intro, which Brian has said is his favorite piece of music he ever wrote. The idea of combining catchy, sing-along pop with more deeper, symphonic dimensions is something he'd perfect a year later with 'Good Vibrations'. Speaking of symponic, check out the gorgeous 'Summer Means New Love', which along with 'Let's Go Away For Awhile' from Pet Sounds, is my favorite Beach Boys instrumental. It's so fascinating to hear Brian paint scenes with colors such as vibraphones, french horn, strings, and a reverb-drenched guitar. Very unique for a 1965 record. Also included on the CD is the non-album autumn '65 single 'The Little Girl I Once Knew', which is a startling, even daring production, and a clear bridge to the Pet Sounds album.
Anyone wanting to get into the Beach Boys and the craft of Brian Wilson, I emphatically recommend the Today!/Summer Days two-fer, along with Brian's masterpiece, Pet Sounds. Simply the best pop of the genre's golden era, the Sixties.

Brilliant! Simply a Masterpiece. My only wish is that someday very soon that it will be remixed in stereo. The second side alone is worth the high price of admission. The Beach Boys Today! was/is their best album to date right behind "Pet Sounds".

Side 2 of Today is equal to Pet Sounds for quality and songwriting.

Summer Days is fun and the last blast at surf/amusement park stuff, I'm Bugged at my Old Man is worth the price of admission, you have to hear it to believe it. Also contains the great "Let Him Run Wild" that for some odd reason didn't make it onto the Box Set "Good Vibrations", so a BB fan will need this CD.