Discuss & Rate Beach Boys Songs Day by Day

From 1984 until 2014 the only way I heard this track was on my vinyl copy. Bootleg at that, and all that entails. And by 2014 I'd played that thing over a hundred times. Some of the online wizard-fixers made it sound as good as it does today. But still, that's just youtube Mp3, or at best flac files. I hope that soon Mark will have a go at all these tracks for the next box set, or a special release of the album proper. Mark, please do this now before more of us oldsters die-off. We're the original fans, and deserve your attention! This problem should have been addressed when the GV box was made in 1993. Every "sessions" extra disc should have found room for these songs, and the others from this era, by now. You've done Pet Sounds and SMiLE to death. Time to work on these. I can't believe we are still getting more of those mixes on MIC.

Over the years, and especially after I joined message boards, I began to hear all the crap about Carl being drunk on all the mid-to-late-seventies tracks. I got to thinking, "enough already! I love his vocals during this period." Slow him down, speed him up - again, "enough already." There may be something wrong with the recording that can be fixed to make Carl sound even better, but I'm fine with the way he's singing on the posted clip.

The gospel feel of the backing track (love the organ) and vocals make me think of "Everybody Wants to Live" as a follow up to "That Same Song". My bottom line is 5/5, 10/10. This and the rest are as good as the Brothers ever were. The soul never dies.

 

Will, your passion is always appreciated.

Wonderful post.

 

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Today's song is Shortenin' Bread, an unreleased version whose backing track was recorded circa 1973:

 

4/5, good goofy fun as compared the abomination at the end of L.A.

 

Carl is in full rock vocal mode, the groove is irresistible, a middle 8 to break up the repetitiveness would have elevated the song - an a capella section perhaps, maybe a different tempo for a tag - but I like it a lot. It’s interesting how certain songs, like this and Old Man River, obsessed Brian for periods of time. Proud Mary as well. 4/5

 

I'm not normally of the school that says the unreleased version is always better, but in this case it is. The fact it's shorter doesn't hurt either. This would be on my 15 Big Rock and Roll Ones even though it was never destined for it and was recorded too late. Ragged and rowdy fun. Probably 6 - 7 out of ten. Brian's bass vocals, right?

 

I think it was recorded in 1973, wasn’t it?

 

I think a version of the backing track was recorded for Spring. I have no idea whether or not it was this one.

 

Shortenin’ Bread. Ugh. Brian’s endless fascination with this monotonous riff is frustrating and perplexing. Wish he would have revisited and spent as much time on other unreleased songs in the Beach Boys vault.

And it doesn’t fit the Adult/Child musical theme, though it is certainly child-like.

1/5

 

Shortenin' Bread - 5/5 Brian's obsession with Shortenin' Bread riff always fascinates me. I love the flood of synths here, and I'd definitely love the official, cleaner version someday.

 

3 for me

 

I'm thinking exactly what Mr.D posted. Why the fascination with this particular song?? There isn't one version that I care for and this is another example of a song that should have been permanently buried in the can. One of their worst outings. Nothing else to say but 1/5.

 

Shortenin' Bread is a 3/5 from me.

It'd get perfect marks if it had a B section.

 

Makes you wonder which version Brian was taken with. Maybe it was just a song he heard people around him singing when he was a kid...

 

It is the kind of song you learned as a child, so it does fit in with an Adult/Child theme . . .

I think Brian could have done a much more successful 50/50 mix of originals and covers for this album than he did for 15 BOs.

 

I know Dennis does the bass vocal on the LA version which has always been a guilty pleasure of mine. My 28 month old daughter concurs wholeheartedly

 

I love this version. Strong 4/5, 8/10.

 

Thank you.

 

Yeah. My bad.

 

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Today's song is Lines:

 

5/5

 

Solid track - I wish the synth was more up in the mix though - and another day in the life of Brian "slice of life" song. I would have liked it to go back to the verse from the tag (making the tag a chorus) but considering what kind of a song it is, perhaps this length is the most suitable (short like I Went to Sleep or I'd Love Just Once to See You). 4/5.

 

Lines - I like the verse melody but it's like he quit on the song after a minute and tacked on a tag to finish it off. It had potential, but too unfinished. Needed a little more work. 3/5