Hello #musicforlife community! I've been meaning to add some posts to this community of late, as I, like you, love music.
A few years ago for my birthday, my wife bought me a record player; since then I've slowly been adding albums that I can hold on to and pass on to my daughter in the future. That leads to my latest investment; The Beach Boys Sunflower.
This one is a beauty...it's a 200-gram Analogue Productions press of this wonderful record. Where to start? First, if you aren't a Beach Boys fan or familiar with their work, a word of caution: this isn't what you hear on the radio. Those early 1960's are great, don't get me wrong, but they had a huge catalog of material in the late 1960's and early 70's that, for the most part, did not get radio time. In that material, you can find many gems which make you realize how influential of a band The Beach Boys truly were.
The cover folds out into a larger spread featuring photos of the band. Not sure what Mike Loe is doing there, but I doubt he's the messiah.
The record itself is indeed heavy. I love these heavy records...memories of a day long ago when quality mattered.
Where to start with the tracklist? I personally think it's all good, but side 2 is pretty insane, from beginning to end. You can hear what the shoegazers were listening to with All I Wanna Do...I hear some My Bloody Valentine in there. Our Sweet Love is brilliant; At My Window wants to be a throwaway track, but those harmonies are insane. Even the Smile esque Cool, Cool Water sounds like it was about 20 years ahead of its time.
To be honest, I'd put this one directly behind Pet Sounds. This is a good album that has no doubt stood the test of time. I'd highly recommend you download, stream it, or even pick up the vinyl. Let me know if own it, know it, and love it too.