'The Beach Boys With The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra,' to be released on June 8!

Sounds genuinely official...... as in yeah, "official".

 

I like the Aretha Franklin Brand New Me, and the Roy Orbison Love So Beautiful albums, but the Elvis with the RPO isn't my favourite. Marrying the bass from Baby, I don't care to I've Got a Thing About You, Bay was a bit much. The Beach Boys with the RPO does have potential though.

 

To be fair, shouldn't Brian have been involved as some kind of a co-producer or consultant?
Mr Love usually participates as a co-executive....
We shall see when the credits roll out (they probably wont...) how much input the guys had in
the project.

 

Pet Sounds, unfitting album cover/name?

 

At least they didn't draw Brian on Pet Sounds.

 

Dr. Handlebars!!! they're back

 

and what do ya think? Robo Carl seems repaired on the intro:

I don't know if it adds anything, but it sounds OK, better than I thought......on this track.

 

This is stupid. The song is already a pocket symphony, the RPO just makes it sound like somebody ran it through an easy listening filter.

 

"To all my little Hulkamaniacs, err.. Beach Boys maniacs, say your prayers, take your vitamins, buy our album and you will never go wrong."

 

I enjoy the Beach Boys and can't see any reason why this shouldn't exist.

So, full disclosure, I've enjoyed the Elvis discs, with some caveats. In particular, erasure of original instrumental parts, particularly James Burton being walked all over on "The Wonder Of You". Just rude.

Commenting on the ones I'm familiar with [sorry, Beatles guy here, but Pet Sounds/GV are absolute masterpieces]:

Anything from Pet Sounds is worthy of receiving this treatment. Orchestra plus Wrecking Crew? Yes please.

in particular has the potential of being quite beautiful.

has already posted in the thread. I dig it, and that orchestral intro is delightful. I will say though; that sudden ending is weird.

Posted on Youtube:

Even the Youtube URL says "WhY"? I mean, this is neat, but it's so unnecessary. The rockestra technique worked on Big Hunk O'Love with Elvis because that was already played live with an orchestra. This just sounds weird. I'm assuming it'll be the same for California Girls and Help Me, Rhonda. Uptempo stuff is not really what this approach is designed for, but, uh, okay, sure.

This, on the other hand? Yes. Any of the great* ballads should do nicely with this treatment. Ditto for In My Room.

*and by great I mean any of the slower BB material except Surfer Girl. I'd rather take a longboard to the head.

Nope, can't see it. Too disjointed and firmly outclassed by Good Vibrations, although I do love this one so.

I still can't believe this is a song title. Not familiar with.

Why. Just why. Although if they replace John Stamos' congas with orchestra kettle drums I am going to write a sternly worded letter regardless. The man needs those royalties, dammit!

So yeah. I'm sure this'll make the rounds on the temporary Beach Boys Sirius/XM channel and I'll enjoy it there. Would have much rather had an all-gospel 4th Elvis release instead, and I haven't even braved the Roy Orbison version.

This works as a curiosity, I guess.

 

The original Good Vibrations is such an awesome work that it can be enjoyed along with the sound of a flushing toilet if you can't do any better. The Royal Philharmonic is better than a toilet.

I guess?

 

For me, it's that the arrangements aren't much, or very good at all in one case. I've got nothing about the concept.

 

If Brian wanted more strings on the song, he would have added them in 1966. This is one step away from Muzak.

 

pretty hard to improve BW arrangements.

 

If I just heard inflections or improved timbre's of sound, maybe I'd be more excited about this.....
but what can really be added to these songs that isn't already there?....
I mean 'Fun Fun Fun' with strings? huh wha huh wtf?

 

I kinda like what I'm hearing here. I'm slightly more optimistic about this project.

 

It's refreshing to hear Mike go off-script and talk about how Kokomo is the Beach Boys' single greatest achievement...

 

Well Van Dyke Parks did play accordion!

 

I meant the segments with the music.

Eight weeks at #1 in Australia is nothing to sneeze at, though. What he says might be true... from a certain point of view....

 

There's just no way that overdubbing on top of decades old recordings will turn out well.

 

ahh ahhhh a chewwwww! Yeah we're not that big of a demographic...

 

not 'just' overdubbing, stripping away the stuff that made em' what they were for this new project.

 

And John Phillips wrote the verses - wonderful melody. The haters are crazy, it's great.

 

Ugh. I only got to the middle of the 2nd verse of "Good Vibrations" and had to stop when they added that rising and falling flute. Why? Why does that need to be there? It's ruining the vibe of the song. Brian chose every damn note on purpose. Throwing in random extra melody lines is pointless.

What I had, perhaps foolishly, hoped for was keeping the same arrangements, but using a live orchestra. I would have been more OK with that, and some songs here may have that. I dunno. I think Brian was a genius at arranging, and his songs don't need this treatment. I will give the album a full, fair listen when it is released, but based on what I have heard, I'm not that excited.