Stephen wrote:

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Fred...I can see Jazza's point. I like the Beach Boys to an extent, but they really do lack the bite that makes music brilliant - to my ears. That said, I think God Only Knows is a beautiful song...but even then, I must confess that I prefer Bowie's early 80s version of same!

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 This may be completely wrong, but I'm sure I've heard people discussing the imapct of the Beach Boys in the 60s as being very radical, but over a few decades, that is lost and they seem to younger generations like nice, pleasant middle of the road music. People more musically competent than me talk about their musical complexity. It's like the Sex Pistols being so scary to the the general establishment in 1977 they got banned from everywhere but now you're as likely to hear them on Radio 2 as anywhere. And don't forget the Beach Boys inspired the existence of Kraftwerk!

There seem to be a few hard-core indie bands beloved of the NME that I get the impression area bit marmite-y, they either changed your life or you don't really get them much at all. I quite like a few Smiths songs, but have never got whatever it is that inspires the devotion they get. I think maybe althoguh I appreciate Morrissey's lyrics, I don't find the vocal/melodic dimension captivating in the way that I do with Jarvis. Similarly, hearing lots of Stone Roses fans interviewed lately, the band seem to have defined a time of their life for them in a very profound way, but they completely passed me by at the time. Again, I quite like a few of their better known songs, but that's about it.