Sunflower
by The Beach Boys

From indieshins 06/22/2025 01:41 | #309659

Underrated Beach Boys record, at least going by the comments on here. Some of the songs are not innovative, but simply very fun - like Dennis Wilson's opener "Slip on Through" which is so energetic, catchy, and sung with passion. Brian's "This Whole World", sung by Carl, is very sweet and catchy, with some crazy modulations. "All I Wanna Do" sounds sooo far ahead of its time, and Dennis' "Forever" is a gorgeous ballad. Not every song here is on the level of those, but there are no bad songs here and it's absolutely a peak for the Beach Boys.

From Jboy56 04/13/2022 13:01 | #284167

Good, catchy tunes and summer harmonies..

A few great pop songs mixed in with a few weaker cuts that create a pretty decent record. While it isn't anywhere close to Pet Sounds, it is quite enjoyable with the simple yet effective pop songs and they also seem to slightly experiment in other genres as well. This creates an interesting listen and makes it a bit more exciting compared to a few of the other releases around this time. The whole group get to shine a bit more on this album and you really get an inclusive feel from the music. However, there are no real standout tracks that grab you and keep bringing you back. Plus there is quite average filler content which is bad for such a short record. Overall, an innocent and fun album that is missing an edge to take it to the next level.

Maybe my 4th favourite BB album after Holland, Surfs Up & Pet Sounds (in that order). Nothing particularly memorable about it but beautifully produced and executed.

This is only the second Beach Boys album I've heard (after Pet Sounds) and I think I enjoy this one more. I hear a Beatles influence for sure, but there is a good smattering of their distinctive melodies and general feel good factor

From Goliath 12/07/2018 11:10 | #226397

Great harmonies and arrangements, but this is not for me, Tears in the Morning is the only song that stands out.

From Boltzmann 03/16/2018 22:03 | #211074

This album shows off everything that's great about The Beach Boys: the fact that they could do almost any genre from that time (maybe they should've left rock & roll, but okay); Brian Wilson's genius production techniques; Brian Wilson's out of the box thinking, he basically made Shoegazing with "All I Wanna Do" twenty years before it was a thing; their perfect harmonies; and of course the way too sweet (almost sickening), lovey dovey lyrics.

From JulianR 03/14/2018 02:05 | #210863

A nice little effort from the beach boys, one that shows a pretty sizable beatles influence I think. However, it is still very much the beach boys, with their gorgeous harmonies and lush arrangements

The most consistent album I've ever listened to. So happy and brilliantly produced. You get to see not just Brian Wilson, but the whole band a peak creativity.

From poppmusic 07/04/2017 17:42 | #193657

Overall, I find Dennis Wilson's Woodstock-envy compositions very weak, but there's a lot of innovative material on here too, the harmonies on "This Whole World", the Pet Sounds-like "Our Sweet Love", and of course "All I Wanna Do", which helped lay a precedent for the 2010s.