Rank 'Em: Beach Boys
by 
Repo 
- Chart updated: 10/23/2025 14:15
- (Created: 06/11/2025 21:01).
- Chart size: 23 albums.
There are 0 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and this chart has not been rated yet. Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
View the complete list of 57,000 charts on BestEverAlbums.com from The Charts page.
This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from the 2010s. (Remove this filter)
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Brian's Playhouse (2011)
Leave it to Brian to yet again create something new. Because The SMiLE Sessions is NOT even a rock album. The closest fit would be a soundtrack to some unreleased, unfinished film that was dancing around Brian's skull. Let's call it Brian’s Playhouse in homage to the great Pee-Wee Herman's Playhouse. Come to think of it, SMiLE, with its demented capitalization sort of works perfectly too, doesn't it? A great Cheshire Cat's SMiLE. Because once more, Brian's gone down that rabbit hole.
Though this is a FAR different trip into Wilsonland than Smiley Smile. That in fact is my biggest takeaway from this past week. Just how DIFFERENT SMiLE is from Smiley Smile. Despite being culled from the same sessions, they sound and feel worlds apart. Hell some of my favorite tracks on Smiley Smile, like “Fall Breaks and Back To Winter” and “She’s Going Bald,” don’t even make it on here.
Whereas Smiley Smile felt like a manic, traumatized, acid trip; SMiLE feels more like a whimsical children's storybook curated by a sensitive, well-heeled boy who has excelled at violin and etiquette classes under the thumb of his Tiger Mom. Yes. That’s it! It sounds like a child’s audiobook. One of those books I had as a kid that emits a distinctive “Ping!” when you need to turn the page. Not too far off really from what Donovan was doing with his For Little Ones in 1967 or a bit later with his HMS Donovan in 1971.
OR, perhaps a better way to look at it is that Brian created exactly what he wanted - A Teenage Symphony to the Gods. But, you know what my problem is with most symphonies? The boring parts. The mid-tempo slog you have to endure in order to get to the good parts which are usually right at the beginning and the end; just like what we've got here with "Heroes & Villians" and "Good Vibrations" as the grand transcendent bookends. Yes, it's beautiful & immaculate, BUT it also tests your patience after awhile. It works, but it would have worked so much better with visual accompaniment. It'd be the perfect soundtrack for one of those whacked, vaudeville-style cartoons my kids watch like Helluva Boss. Or acted out at some midnight movie a la the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Something like that would have been simply fantastic. Or I could see some crazed alternate high school reality where marching bands were bigger & cooler than football and this was their Friday Night Lights.
Because Smiley Smile and SMiLE are SIMILAR in one key way. This is music for outsiders. These are CULT albums. Albums that will appeal to highly specific yet rabid audiences. Two transcendent soundscapes that sound like nothing else ever made. Albums that inspire entire fandoms, not just a couple of bands.
The Ranking: Surprisingly, this is actually a fairly easy one for me to rank and place. It's brilliant but a bit of a slog for that seventh-inning stretch . I prefer the free-ranged & latch-keyed kid feel of Smiley Smile to the helicoptered & hoovered SMiLE. But, let's face it, they’re both pretty FREAKin' weird & amazing. It just depends what kind of weirdness you're into.
So I'll slot it just below the breezy, proto-punk of Surfin' Safari, the surf rock of Surfin' USA, and the California-Is-Life of Surfer Girl. (All three essential gems of early 60s album rock imo!)
The Rating: 😈 😈 😈 😈
Leave it to Brian to yet again create something new. Because The SMiLE Sessions is NOT even a rock album. The closest fit would be a soundtrack to some unreleased, unfinished film that was dancing around Brian's skull. Let's call it Brian’s Playhouse in homage to the great Pee-Wee Herman's Playhouse. Come to think of it, SMiLE, with its demented capitalization sort of works perfectly too, doesn't it? A great Cheshire Cat's SMiLE. Because once more, Brian's gone down that rabbit hole.
Though this is a FAR different trip into Wilsonland than Smiley Smile. That in fact is my biggest takeaway from this past week. Just how DIFFERENT SMiLE is from Smiley Smile. Despite being culled from the same sessions, they sound and feel worlds apart. Hell some of my favorite tracks on Smiley Smile, like “Fall Breaks and Back To Winter” and “She’s Going Bald,” don’t even make it on here.
Whereas Smiley Smile felt like a manic, traumatized, acid trip; SMiLE feels more like a whimsical children's storybook curated by a sensitive, well-heeled boy who has excelled at violin and etiquette classes under the thumb of his Tiger Mom. Yes. That’s it! It sounds like a child’s audiobook. One of those books I had as a kid that emits a distinctive “Ping!” when you need to turn the page. Not too far off really from what Donovan was doing with his For Little Ones in 1967 or a bit later with his HMS Donovan in 1971.
OR, perhaps a better way to look at it is that Brian created exactly what he wanted - A Teenage Symphony to the Gods. But, you know what my problem is with most symphonies? The boring parts. The mid-tempo slog you have to endure in order to get to the good parts which are usually right at the beginning and the end; just like what we've got here with "Heroes & Villians" and "Good Vibrations" as the grand transcendent bookends. Yes, it's beautiful & immaculate, BUT it also tests your patience after awhile. It works, but it would have worked so much better with visual accompaniment. It'd be the perfect soundtrack for one of those whacked, vaudeville-style cartoons my kids watch like Helluva Boss. Or acted out at some midnight movie a la the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Something like that would have been simply fantastic. Or I could see some crazed alternate high school reality where marching bands were bigger & cooler than football and this was their Friday Night Lights.
Because Smiley Smile and SMiLE are SIMILAR in one key way. This is music for outsiders. These are CULT albums. Albums that will appeal to highly specific yet rabid audiences. Two transcendent soundscapes that sound like nothing else ever made. Albums that inspire entire fandoms, not just a couple of bands.
The Ranking: Surprisingly, this is actually a fairly easy one for me to rank and place. It's brilliant but a bit of a slog for that seventh-inning stretch . I prefer the free-ranged & latch-keyed kid feel of Smiley Smile to the helicoptered & hoovered SMiLE. But, let's face it, they’re both pretty FREAKin' weird & amazing. It just depends what kind of weirdness you're into.
So I'll slot it just below the breezy, proto-punk of Surfin' Safari, the surf rock of Surfin' USA, and the California-Is-Life of Surfer Girl. (All three essential gems of early 60s album rock imo!)
The Rating: 😈 😈 😈 😈
Year of Release:
2011
Appears in:
Rank Score:
6,095
Rank in 2011:
Rank in 2010s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
77
Buy album
- #Sponsored
[First added to this chart: 06/23/2025]
Buy album
- #Sponsored
Nostalgia at its best
[First added to this chart: 06/24/2025]
Total albums: 3. Page 1 of 1
Don't agree with this chart? Create your own from the My Charts page!
Rank 'Em: Beach Boys composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 16 | 70% | |
| 1970s | 3 | 13% | |
| 1980s | 1 | 4% | |
| 1990s | 0 | 0% | |
| 2000s | 0 | 0% | |
| 2010s | 3 | 13% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| The Beach Boys | 18 | 78% | |
| Dennis Wilson | 2 | 9% | |
| Bruce Johnston | 2 | 9% | |
| Carl Wilson | 1 | 4% |
Rank 'Em: Beach Boys chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
| Up 10 from 12th to 2nd Wild Honey by The Beach Boys |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 2 from 7th to 9th Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) by The Beach Boys |
| Down 2 from 8th to 10th All Summer Long by The Beach Boys |
| Down 2 from 9th to 11th Beach Boys' Party! by The Beach Boys |
| New entries |
|---|
 The Smile Sessionsby The Beach Boys |
Rank 'Em: Beach Boys similar charts
| Title | Source | Type | Published | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Beach Boys - RANKED |  NowhereMan | Custom chart | 2025 |  |
| Beach boys: Albums ranked. | garycottier | Custom chart | 2016 |  |
| The Beach Boys: Best Studio Albums |  RevolverCB72 | Custom chart | 2023 |  |
| Beach Boys: Best to Worst |  Nobodyisemo | Custom chart | 2018 | |
| Greatest The Beach Boys Albums |  PatrickD | Custom chart | 2021 | |
| ranking albums: beach boys |  paladisiac | Custom chart | 2020 | |
| Ranking The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson | saltysurprise | Custom chart | 2020 |  |
| Solo Albums by Members of The Beach Boys: So Far.. |  AAL2014 | Custom chart | 2025 | |
| Top 20 Greatest Music Albums | Wonders | Overall chart | 2012 | |
| Top 20 Greatest Music Albums | Alex Barysh | Overall chart | 2010 | |
Rank 'Em: Beach Boys similarity to your chart(s)
Not a member? Registering is quick, easy and FREE!
Why register?
Join a passionate community of over 50,000 music fans.- Create & share your own charts.
- Have your say in the overall rankings.
- Post comments in the forums and vote on polls.
- Comment on or rate any album, artist, track or chart.
- Discover new music & improve your music collection.
- Customise the overall chart using a variety of different filters & metrics.
- Create a wishlist of albums.
- Help maintain the BEA database.
- Earn member points and gain access to increasing levels of functionality!
- ... And lots more!
Register now - it only takes a moment!
Other custom charts by Repo
Rank 'Em: Beach Boys ratings
Not enough data Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
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.
Please log in or register if you want to be able to leave a rating
Rank 'Em: Beach Boys comments
Be the first to add a comment for this Chart - add your comment!
Please log in or register if you want to be able to add a comment
Your feedback for Rank 'Em: Beach Boys
Let us know what you think of this chart by adding a comment or assigning a rating below!
If you enjoy our site, please consider supporting us by sparing a few seconds to disable your ad blocker.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
A lot of hard work happens in the background to keep BEA running, and it's especially difficult to do this when we can't pay our hosting fees :(
We work very hard to ensure our site is as fast (and FREE!) as possible, and we respect your privacy.
