Friends (studio album) by The Beach Boys

Friends by The Beach Boys
Year: 1968
Overall rank: 1,749th   Overall chart historyOverall chart history
Average Rating: 
76/100 (from 293 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution   Average rating historyAverage rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1968 (30th)
Award Top albums of the 1960s (171st)
Award Best albums of all time (1,749th)
Product Details
Availability

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The Beach Boys “Friends” LP/Capitol ST 2895 (VG) 1968
Condition: Used


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eBay
The Beach Boys - Friends • 20/20 - Capitol Records [CD, 1990]
Condition: Very Good


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The Beach Boys ‎– Friends 1968 Capitol ST-2895 Jacket/Vinyl NM-
Condition: Used


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The Beach Boys bestography

Friends is ranked 7th best out of 72 albums by The Beach Boys on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by The Beach Boys is Pet Sounds which is ranked number 11 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 45,095.

The Beach Boys album bestography « Higher ranked (1,374th) This album (1,749th) Lower ranked (2,189th) »
SunflowerFriendsWild Honey

Upcoming concerts

Apr
26
Fri
20:00
The Beach Boys
Talking Stick Resort, Scottsdale , United States. United States
Tickets from $35.00 (Ticketmaster) Get tickets
 
Apr
27
Sat
20:00
The Beach Boys
Rio Vista Outdoor Amphitheater at H, Laughlin, United States. United States
Tickets from $50.00 (Ticketmaster) Get tickets
 
May
24
Fri
20:00
The Beach Boys w/ special guest Dave Mason
Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater, Bridgeport, United States. United States
Tickets from $24.75 (Ticketmaster) Get tickets
 
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Friends track list

  Track ratingsTrack ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 78 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Track
Rating/Comments
1.
Rating: 79 (68 votes)Comments: 1
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2.
Rating: 84 (87 votes)Comments: 0
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3.
Rating: 79 (69 votes)Comments: 0
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6.
Rating: 77 (66 votes)Comments: 1
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8.
Rating: 82 (75 votes)Comments: 0
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9.
Rating: 76 (64 votes)Comments: 0
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11.
Rating: 75 (62 votes)Comments: 0
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Friends rankings

Friends collection

Friends ratings

Average Rating: 
76/100 (from 293 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 293 ratings for this album.

Sort ratings
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
80/100
 Report rating
03/26/2024 03:02 kjistok  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 82081/100
 
50/100
 Report rating
02/08/2024 03:08 EntList  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 24373/100
 
70/100
 Report rating
01/26/2024 21:22 thepardunk  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,12073/100
 
65/100
 Report rating
01/18/2024 15:47 Siromynian  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,31780/100
 
60/100
 Report rating
01/12/2024 00:07 idiotican  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,37871/100

Rating metrics: Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 6% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 75.8/100, a mean average of 74.8/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 75.9/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.5.

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Friends comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 14 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Maximum Rated First | Longest Comments First
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Rating:  
80/100
From 08/14/2022 12:23
Pretty nice, psyche era BB. Unconventional for them..
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
60/100
From 07/02/2021 23:21
The album is just too short. There is so much potential in almost every single song that it makes the album a frustrating listen at times. You can see exactly what the songs could have become if given the time and were allowed to flourish properly. There is still a lot of beautiful lyrics and music on display that make the album both worth a listen and an essential listen.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 07/24/2020 23:35
Pleasant yet brief. Friends definitely doesn't overstay its welcome, and the songwriting isn't anything to scoff at either.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 06/16/2018 00:20
So tender and soft...
Fav tracks: Busy Doin' Nothin', Little Bird, Meant for You and When a Man Needs a Woman.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
60/100
From 01/25/2017 21:50
Friends captures a gentleness that evidently originated from Brian, making it one of the last Beach Boys albums dominated by his vision. There are two different schools of thought about this album – either it’s one of the most coherent and unified albums in The Beach Boys catalogue, full of charm and melody, or it’s relatively lightweight and insubstantial. I’m part of the second camp; while Beach Boys’ strengths like warm vocals and strong melodies are present here, so are weaknesses like ridiculous lyrics (‘Anna Lee, The Healer’), and no single song individually measures up among the groups’ best.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 10/20/2016 20:53
One of the best Beach Boys album. It's great!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 08/09/2016 21:07
This is the first Beach Boys album that made me realize they're more than just Pet Sounds. But I do agree with comments below; every song feels too short like it is cut off prematurely. Little Bird is my favorite non-Brian Wilson Beach Boys song by a landslide
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 03/28/2016 15:37
This really is a lovely album, short and sweet. That certainly is the charm of the album, but it's also frustrating because of it. Opener, meant for you, is beautiful, but it fades out before it even reaches the 40 second mark, it's just a waste of a lovely melody. Other tracks aren't quite so short, but I wish they could have extended them a bit. Having said that, the album is fine. Dennis' two contributions, little bird, and especially, be still, are excellent. The title track is nice, as is wake the world. As I said, it's lovely, just wish it went on a bit longer.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (7 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 09/23/2014 22:32
A very charming, short LP. Brian's called it his favorite, and that makes sense. It's a very solid album.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 05/06/2014 02:35
In one word: pleasant.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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Best Albums of 1968
1. The Beatles (The White Album) by The Beatles
2. Electric Ladyland by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
3. Astral Weeks by Van Morrison
4. Odessey And Oracle by The Zombies
5. The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society by The Kinks
6. White Light/White Heat by The Velvet Underground
7. Beggars Banquet by The Rolling Stones
8. Music From Big Pink by The Band
9. Bookends by Simon & Garfunkel
10. At Folsom Prison by Johnny Cash
11. A Saucerful Of Secrets by Pink Floyd
12. Waiting For The Sun by The Doors
13. We're Only In It For The Money by The Mothers Of Invention
14. Lady Soul by Aretha Franklin
15. Cheap Thrills by Big Brother And The Holding Company
16. The Notorious Byrd Brothers by The Byrds
17. Os Mutantes by Os Mutantes
18. Wheels Of Fire by Cream
19. Sweetheart Of The Rodeo by The Byrds
20. The United States Of America by The United States Of America
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