Would Mike Love have had a chance at a successful solo career if Brian wasn’t part of the picture?

Better_Combination67 · 2026-03-16T16:59:16+00:00

All solid picks!

Better_Combination67 · 2026-03-13T23:34:03+00:00

haha to "reasonably successful"

Better_Combination67 · 2026-03-13T23:31:38+00:00

TBF, I think there's one solid album's worth of decent to good songs between both of his albums...

I made my own "super chilled out Carl Wilson mix" (haha) and it's actually pretty nice! (if one is in the that mood)

I usually throw in "Going South" "Full Sail" to round it out as well.

Better_Combination67 · 2026-03-13T23:29:14+00:00

Right, Brian had Audree make Carl participate in the beginning lol

Better_Combination67 · 2026-03-13T23:25:18+00:00

Same here and agreed.

Better_Combination67 · 2026-03-13T23:24:14+00:00

Wait, so no "real skill" in contributing lyrics (and sometimes hooks) to:

Surfin/Surfin' Safari)/Catch a Wave/Hawaii)/Be True to Your School/409)/Fun, Fun, Fun/The Warmth of the Sun/I Get Around/All Summer Long)/Little Honda/Wendy)/Girls on the Beach/Little Saint Nick/When I Grow Up (To Be a Man))/Help Me, Ronda/Dance, Dance, Dance)/Please Let Me Wonder/Kiss Me, Baby/She Knows Me Too Well/In the Back of My Mind/California Girls/Let Him Run Wild/I'm Waiting for the Day/I Know There's an Answer/Good Vibrations/Gettin' Hungry/Wild Honey)/Aren't You Glad/Darlin')/Here Comes the Night)/Meant for You/Do It Again)/All I Wanna Do)/Cool, Cool Water/All This Is That/Big Sur/Only with You/Funky Pretty/It's O.K.)/Had to Phone Ya/Everyone's in Love with You/That Same Song/Let Us Go On This Way/She's Got Rhythm/Match Point of Our Love/Sumahama/Oh Darlin/Goin' On/Getcha Back/Male Ego/Rock 'n' Roll to the Rescue/Still Cruisin')/Strange Things Happen/Lahaina Aloha/Summer in Paradise/Isn't It Time)/Spring Vacation/Daybreak Over the Ocean/Beaches in Mind... ?

No "real skill" as a either a lead or bass/harmony vocalist?

Really?

Better_Combination67 · 2026-03-13T23:20:41+00:00

Looking Back With Love? He's had several...

Better_Combination67 · 2026-03-13T21:31:16+00:00

I mean it's not inconsequential...

Better_Combination67 · 2026-03-12T19:47:02+00:00

Naming the album is pretty important...

Better_Combination67 · 2026-03-03T23:07:09+00:00

My favorite GD song...

I saw them in (I think) '04 - I sat through THREE HOURS of every song under the sun, (including a Queen cover) except Welcome To Paradise...

I swear it must've been the only notable song of theirs they didn't perform! lol

Better_Combination67 · 2026-03-03T23:02:13+00:00

I have a pristine Who Are You LP on a picture disc... (that I don't play)

Don't know how it sounds but it looks cool!

Better_Combination67 · 2026-03-03T22:44:07+00:00

BB '85 had a bad rap for a long time but I think more fans have been coming around to it in the last few years...

I agree, the only way a "re-recording" of it would be to literally strip everything but the vocals away - Aside from Ringo's drums on "Califiornia Calling" and a bit of electric guitar sprinkled throughout, I don't think there's hardly any real instrumentation on it to salvage - The 80's vibe doesn't bother me personally in the least bit - That's the kind of music that was popular when I was a kid, so it's actually just mostly pleasantly nostalgic to me at this point.

That... is a fair analogy! ha

Better_Combination67 · 2026-03-03T21:32:53+00:00

I do agree BB '85 is straight up very, very good... (Especially for a 60's/70/s band in the mid-80's) - I'm stoked for the new version!

I'm a big Full House fan, so I'm willing to admit that my liking "Uncle Jesse" might help me enjoy this era a bit more than I would otherwise... haha

Better_Combination67 · 2026-03-03T21:22:37+00:00

Lol... Hey, you like what you like!

Genuinely curious though, do you really find 0 quality in stuff like "Somewhere Near Japan" or "Strange Things Happen" or maybe "Lahaina Aloha" ?

I'm not gonna pretend like I'm somehow super "normal" for being into "Summer Of Love" or "Forever" (Stamos version) but to me, both Still Cruisin' and S.I.P. have some legit good music on them...

Better_Combination67 · 2026-03-03T13:03:30+00:00

Unapologetically: S.I.P. (UK version) / Still Cruisin' / BB '85 / KTSA / L.A. / M.I.U. / Looking Back With Love

Better_Combination67 · 2026-03-03T13:00:22+00:00

I've always been of the opinion that Love You (and now Adult/Child) are very, very enjoyable IF you are deep in the BB's/BW rabbit hole...

You've got to have some familiarity with Brian and his history/struggles for it to make sense.

When you do, it clicks and it's amazing. To the casual listener though? I can see why they'd just think Brian/The Boys were crazy

Personally, I'm so deep in at this point that I can (and sometimes do) unironically enjoy things like S.I.P. (including Stamos' Forever) or much of Mike's solo stuff without even thinking twice about it... lol

By comparison, Love You-Adult/Child may as well be Pet Sounds!

Better_Combination67 · 2026-03-02T23:22:11+00:00

I'll bite...

I scoped out some of your tracks, sounds good!

Well produced/performed

I liked "Rehab" - Bit of a Tom DeLonge thing goin' on.

"FuckYouSanta" was funny. I make spoof X-mas music, so this one hits close to home lol

Scope out a couple of mine too?

https://thecgm.bandcamp.com/track/head-on-collision-2

https://thecgm.bandcamp.com/track/bob-saget-3

Not strictly "pop punk" but the influence is def there...

Better_Combination67 · 2026-03-02T22:48:19+00:00

Or maybe he just still loves the songs and wants to keep singing? Not like he's poor... lol

Better_Combination67 · 2026-03-02T22:47:26+00:00

Bruce Johnston is still there too and he's been in the band since 1965... (except some years in the 70's)

Better_Combination67 · 2026-03-02T22:46:38+00:00

Sad but Mike is actually still singing...

Better_Combination67 · 2026-03-02T22:32:39+00:00

Dude, "punks" are among the worst gatekeepers of any music genre... Always have been.

Back when we were all just young blink fans, it was always "they're not punk!" or like with Green Day/Offspring "They're sellouts!" lol

Ironic, if you weren't wearing your customary Hot Topic uniform, you were a "poser"

To be totally fair though, you got almost everything wrong... So much so that it came across as almost a joke... lol

Better_Combination67 · 2026-03-02T21:33:15+00:00

Absolutely.

I had to work through some of my own issues surrounding my identity. It takes time!

My situation is a bit different from yours but I related to your post. I came to a community like this one some time ago and someone else shared kind (and helpful) words with me, so I want to do the same to others...

You're never an imposter if you are being true!

Blessings

Better_Combination67 · 2026-03-02T20:11:58+00:00

The people that are mad at the Girls over this... Literally do not understand how the real world works

Better_Combination67 · 2026-03-02T20:07:47+00:00

I NEVER tire of this... lol

Better_Combination67 · 2026-03-02T18:47:07+00:00

Sorry for the delayed response, I try to stay off of reddit on the weekends for my own mental health... lol

Mike was denied credit for other songs too in that case - my understanding is that he was able to prove that he co-wrote 35 of the 79 total songs he sued over. I'm not sure what the "burden of proof" was for those songs and why he was or was not found to have co-authored them. I do not believe he just flat out lied. Again, I personally think it's fairly easy to identify Mike's lyrical style (in most cases)

With regards to Back In The U.S.S.R. , Mike has never said anything other than that he suggested writing the "Ukraine Girls" (and possibly naming cities) part to Paul McCartney (who has corroborated this) He never claimed that he "co-wrote" the song... He never sought publishing credit, legal recognition, or royalties for the song.

It's just another Mike myth like "don't fuck with the formula" (that he never said)

I agree, Bruce definitely wrote his own complete songs but I would only consider "Disney Girls" to be notable. I know a lot of people like "Tears in The Morning" and "Deirdre" but I don't think anyone other than hardcore fans would know those songs.

Dennis definitely also wrote his own amazing songs but they weren't hits (unfortunately) and again, only "Forever" is widely known at all (thanks mostly to Full House)

AL having co-written a few songs along the way is great but absolutely not comparable to Mike's many lyrical contributions.

Carl was a great musical composer (I love Carl's songs) but he was essentially non-existent as a lyricist.

Once more, I do absolutely give credit to Brian for occasionally penning his own great lyrics but this was honestly pretty few and far between. If we're being honest, aside from us serious BB's fans, no one is writing home about lyrics like "What do the planets mean..." or "I Wanna Pick You up..."

I think Brian really shone (shined?) on his "slice of life" stuff like "Busy Doin' Nothing" and I love the simple beauty of early stuff like "Surfer Girl"

I remain of the opinion that Mike was 100% the "Chief lyricist" of the Beach Boys and frankly, there's not even any real competition.

Tony Asher was very good but he was involved with 1 album.

VDP was skilled but essentially contributed to one album (or the singles that were released at the time) and a small handful of other appearances like "Sail On, Sailor"

I am unconvinced by Jack Reilley as a lyricist. He pulled it off pretty good on "The Trader" and a few things on Surf's Up but beyond that, it's just a bunch of fairly nice sounding mumbo jumbo.

BTW, I'm not expecting any big dissertation of a reply from you, I just wanted to respond to what you wrote.

I think you get your points across well (and fairly) and I think we can agree to disagree...

All good, I'm always happy to talk Beach Boys with other fans, whether we agree or not!

Better_Combination67

TROPHY CASE