Discuss & Rate Beach Boys Songs Day by Day

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Wata, Jun 18, 2018.

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  1. smilin ed

    smilin ed Senior Member

    Location:
    Durham
    Though, of course, Winter Symphony, not then released, is another I really like
     
  2. oldsurferdude

    oldsurferdude Forum Resident

    Location:
    detroit, mi. 48150
    Mostly agree with all the above comments and it's a great melody indeed and the only rough spot is Brian's vocals which sheds a point on this song. The religious references are a bit uncanny as well but I'll go 4/5 on this.
     
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  3. mr. k

    mr. k Master of the Rummage (retired)

    Location:
    The Netherlands
    Any song that mentions Jesus, hypnosis and food is alright with me. 5/5
     
  4. lou

    lou Fast 'n Bulbous

    Location:
    Louisiana
    Definitely on the “Adult” side of Adult Child but with enough Brianisms lyrically that keep it slightly off kilter and not just an attempt at Adult contemporary or old fashioned music. Agree the arrangement is surprisingly tasteful considering what Reynolds did with Life is for the Living, middle 8 singing is a bit rough but overall Brian knocks the vocal out of the Paarl. 5/5
     
  5. Will Harris

    Will Harris Forum Resident

    "Still I Dream of It" - a last look back over his shoulder. A fitting closer for the album, and this chapter in his life. There is a deep sadness, and an optimistic outlook going through his mind
    at the same time. a 5/5, 10/10 for the dreamer waiting for what life had in store next.

    Brian was headed towards some rough realities, but I don't believe this set of songs was the end of his abilities. No matter what was thrown at him, he was a fighter. He found a way to move
    forward. It took him a while to realize what the best way forward was.
     
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  6. S. P. Honeybunch

    S. P. Honeybunch Presidente de Kokomo, Endless Mikelovemoney

    "Still I Dream of It"

    Doesn't feel like a Beach Boys song with nary a Dennis, Carl, Jardine, Love, or Johnston within earshot. Still, this is a touching song with good singing from Brian. Not quite end of an era for Brian, as "Matchpoint" and others from MIU show him still in good form.

    4/5
     
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  7. Wata

    Wata Poller Thread Starter

    Location:
    Japan
    Still I Dream of It - 5/5
     
  8. Wata

    Wata Poller Thread Starter

    Location:
    Japan
    Your ratings for Still I Dream Of It:
    1-0 vote
    2-0 vote
    3-0 vote
    4-1 vote
    5-8 votes
     
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  9. Wata

    Wata Poller Thread Starter

    Location:
    Japan
    Today we'll discuss & rate the album Adult Child.
     
  10. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus

    Flawed, I especially don’t like the ‘69/70 song on here. Lyrically they fit but the younger voices seem startlingly out of place.
    Maybe that was the point but it bugs me. But I can easily swap them out on my personal playlist for “My Diane” and “Sherry She Needs Me”. (I also add “New England WAltz” ad as an opener.) I’m not a huge fan of Deep Purple, but it fits.

    Anyway I give Adult/Child a 4/5 for all that.
     
    Last edited: Jul 19, 2019
  11. lou

    lou Fast 'n Bulbous

    Location:
    Louisiana
    I wish there had been more of the big band songs but I guess Brian all along intended there to be “adult “ songs mixed with “child” songs. Some tinkering with the songs and sequence could have improved the album considerably. The latest I’ve come up with:

    Side 1
    Life is for the Living
    Deep Purple
    Everybody Wants to Live
    Lines
    It’s Over Now
    You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling

    Side 2
    Sea Cruise
    Hey Little Tomboy
    Shortening Bread
    It’s Trying to Say
    Mony Mony
    Still I Dream of It

    For the track list as it was assembled, despite a few misfires, the quality and quirkiness of the rest leads me to a 4/5.
     
  12. smilin ed

    smilin ed Senior Member

    Location:
    Durham
    Really good in places; tacky in others. probably 5 out of ten, so I'm going three overall.

    If we're going by Mr Doe's site (Life Is For The Living - Hey Little Tomboy - Deep Purple - H.E.L.P. Is On The Way - It's Over Now - Everybody Wants To Live - Shortenin' Bread - Lines - On Broadway - Games Two Can Play - It's Trying To Say - Still I Dream Of It), my favourite tracks are those in bold; my least favourite are italicized (even if Tomboy was the released version)
     
    Last edited: Jul 19, 2019
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  13. Daniel Plainview

    Daniel Plainview God's Lonely Man

    It's hard to believe this album was every truly up for consideration. It seems like something a bootlegger would have cobbled together. Part big band, part vault raid, part Love You II, this "album" is about as confused and shapeless as they come. I enjoy the material within but even I can't see how a release would ever be justifiable. 3/5

    Ain't it funny how the one track they revived for "MIU" was "Tomboy"?
     
  14. jwoverho

    jwoverho Licensed Drug Dealer

    Location:
    Mobile, AL USA
    ADULT/CHILD is somewhat typical of this period for the band: they seem to be trying to figure out how to compile albums for release. I agree it seems like a hodgepodge of covers, outtakes, vault tracks, etc..

    What ADULT/CHILD (and LOVE YOU) does display is the strong presence of Brian at the helm. While he may not be the general commanding the troops of PET SOUNDS, he's still a singular artist with a gift of harmony, melody and arranging. I think what is the major issue with many listeners during this phase of the band's career is that Brian chose to focus his talents on songs about Johnny Carson, the solar system and cigarette butts.

    It can certainly be debated whether Brian should have relied on a collaborator more for lyrics (Mike did contribute to several songs during this period), but there's no denying that his musical gifts were intact, albeit lavished on quirky, strange, bizarre but often moving material. I can also see where comparisons to Brian and Daniel Johnston come about, particularly if you compare Brian's work during this time to Johnston. Brian still displayed his ability to compose songs with a strong melodic structure and interesting and unusual chord changes, it's just the lyrical content that strikes most listeners as oddball, with justifiable reason.

    You also can't overlook the ways in which Brian arranged his material during this time. His use of synthesizers and Moog bass gets overlooked for the radical departure it was from the Wrecking Crew of old. I'm sure much was due to necessity or convenience, as Brian was able to quickly get his ideas to tape without assembling a studio full of musicians. It also allowed him to use his arranging skills in ways that he hadn't done before. Robert Christgau's review of LOVE YOU pretty much hits all the points on the head:

    The Beach Boys: The Beach Boys Love You [Brother/Reprise, 1977]
    Painfully crackpot and painfully sung, but also inspired, not least because it calls forth forbidden emotions. For a surrogate teenager to bare his growing pains so guilelessly was exciting, or at least charming; for an avowed adult to expose an almost childish naivete is embarrassing, but also cathartic; and for a rock and roll hero to compose a verbally and musically irresistible paean to Johnny Carson is an act of shamanism pure and simple. As with Wild Honey, the music sounds wrong in contradictory ways at first--both arty and cute, spare and smarmy--but on almost every cut it comes together soon enough; I am especially partial to the organ textures, and I find the absurd little astrology ditty, "Solar System," impossible to shake. As for the words, well, they're often pretty silly, but even (especially) when they're designed to appeal to whatever Brian imagines to be the rock audience they reveal a lot more about the artist than most lyrics do. And this artist is a very interesting case. A

    His mentioning of the organ textures in particular reinforce my thoughts that Brian was applying his arranging skills in ways that were extremely effective but not necessarily obvious to most listeners as it was such a departure from his working methods in the past.

    ADULT/CHILD has much of the same on display, particularly on Everyone Wants To Live or It's Trying To Say. The inclusion of SUNFLOWER-era material is problematic from the standpoint of hearing such a difference in the vocals, although it doesn't detract from the listening experience overall.

    Would ADULT/CHILD have been a commercial success? I don't think it would have sold many copies, and in that respect it wouldn't have done anything to enhance the group's success from a money standpoint. I think it rates more from a historical and conceptual area in comparison to what was eventually released instead. MIU was a more concerted effort to put together a cohesive commercial release, but it was nowhere near as fascinating as the messy hodgepodge of ADULT/CHILD.

    I give it a 4/5 from a Brian Wilson production standpoint, as it shows an artist working from the outside and coming up with some fascinating but flawed material. Some reconfiguring of the album could have resulted in a 5/5 with more BW originals being utilized.
     
    Last edited: Jul 19, 2019
  15. oldsurferdude

    oldsurferdude Forum Resident

    Location:
    detroit, mi. 48150
    Can you imagine the casual BB fan buying the AC album (had it been released), taking it home and playing it? LU was sketchy enough but this, if released, would have ended numerous fans interest in the band for good. Yes, there are some tantalizing moments when nearly all pistons are firing but hardly enough of them to call it even fair. 3/5
     
  16. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus

    Well that pretty much happened with MIU anyway.
     
  17. oldsurferdude

    oldsurferdude Forum Resident

    Location:
    detroit, mi. 48150
    Unfortunately, Lance, you're absolutely correct, however, I think we'll both have to admit that MIU was certainly a more "finished" product than AC and featured the old mix and that meant a more polished product. No, MIU was not the answer but with Brian singing and composing better, it was an improved listening experience for me and I'm sure others as well.
     
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  18. Zack

    Zack Senior Member

    Location:
    Easton, MD
    Public Service post

    Side one

    1. "Life Is for the Living" Carl Wilson and Brian Wilson 1:52
    2. "Hey Little Tomboy" Mike Love, B. Wilson, and C. Wilson 2:20
    3. "Deep Purple" (Peter Derose and Mitchell Parish) B. Wilson 2:24
    4. "H.E.L.P. Is on the Way" Love 2:30
    5. "It's Over Now" C. Wilson, B. Wilson and Marilyn Wilson 2:50
    6. "Everybody Wants to Live" C. Wilson 3:10

    Side two

    1. "Shortenin' Bread" (trad. arr. B. Wilson) C. Wilson with B. Wilson 2:48
    2. "Lines" B. Wilson and C. Wilson 1:44
    3. "On Broadway" (Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller) Al Jardine 3:11
    4. "Games Two Can Play" B. Wilson 2:01
    5. "It's Trying to Say" Dennis Wilson 2:10
    6. "Still I Dream of It"
     
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  19. Ryan Lux

    Ryan Lux Senior Member

    Location:
    Toronto, ON, CA
    I think the better big-band songs on an EP could have been, at least, brought the boys some artistic respect in 1977. They would have been one of the first major rock'n'roll artists to do this and a few of the songs rank with Brian's best.
     
  20. Lance LaSalle

    Lance LaSalle Prince of Swollen Sinus

    If they had released it I think it would have been a collossal failure but would have achieved cult status. And with a bit of tweaking (as some of us have mentioned) it might be perceived as Love You today. Maybe if the record company had just said “tweak it” instead of “no”, something good could have come—even if it was half MIU
     
  21. Will Harris

    Will Harris Forum Resident

    Only time to do my rating tonight. Will do a write-up tomorrow. Okay, 4/5, 8/10.
     
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  22. Wata

    Wata Poller Thread Starter

    Location:
    Japan
    Your ratings for the album Adult Child:
    1-0 vote
    2-0 vote
    3-3 votes
    4-4 votes
    5-0 vote
     
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  23. Wata

    Wata Poller Thread Starter

    Location:
    Japan
    Today's song is New England Waltz, an Adult Child outtake:
     
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  24. smilin ed

    smilin ed Senior Member

    Location:
    Durham
    Nice. 3
     
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  25. lou

    lou Fast 'n Bulbous

    Location:
    Louisiana
    would have made a nice interlude between some of the other orchestrated tracks or as a short instrumental in a similar place on the album as Let's Go Away for a While or Pet Sounds were on PS. That said, it doesn't sound particularly Brian-y other than he loves waltz time. Could this have been written by Dick Reynolds at Brian's request? 3/5 sounds about right.
     
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