New Beach Boys album - That's Why God Made the Radio

I'm not going to listen to it again, but I want to say mid-"Stange World" I realized that if this was by anyone other than the Beach Boys I wouldn't have even made it half way.

It wouldn't be a proper Beach Boys album if it didn't have a few lolworthy tracks mixed in with the good ones

Finally read the Daily Beast piece -- it's awesome. Loved this:

They begin to sound like the Beach Boys. Close your eyes, shutting out Wilson’s swoosh of silver hair and Love’s four golden rings, and 1965 isn’t such a stretch.

Or it isn't until someone's iPhone rings. Jardine's. He turns away from the piano and presses the device to his ear. "I'm going to have to call you back, because--wait, what?" He hangs up, shaking his head. "Dick Clark just passed away," he says. The room begins to murmur; the makeup lady covers her mouth with her hand.

The Beach Boys in rehearsal for their 50th Anniversary reunion tour.
Over the next few minutes, I watch as each Beach Boy absorbs the news. Love makes light of it, pretending to strangle Jardine behind his back. “You’re next, Al,” he purrs.

important insights from George Will

Closing trilogy beginning with To There And Back Again is really really good. Some pretty gorgeous melodies and arrangements. An assemblage of classic Wilson strategies perhaps, with strong hints of Smile and Holland, but lovely all the same.

That reads like a wine description.

http://s7.thisnext.com/media/largest_dimension/84AA39BB.jpg

'60s vintage pretty tasty.

YES

Overtones of surf wax, cocaine, sand

would drink

"You're next, Stew."

Does george will ever have a fucking point? Every time I get to the end of something he's written I'm like ”Ok.....and...”

Pay no attention to the man behind the bow tie.

Does george will ever have a fucking point?

Political scientist James Q. Wilson grew up there, and in 1967, the year after the Beach Boys released “Good Vibrations,” he wrote a seminal essay on the political vibrations that produced California’s new governor: “A Guide to Reagan Country.” Wilson’s conclusion was that Ronald Reagan represented the political culture of a region where social structure nurtured individualism.

Heh, it does a bit. Unfortunately the Mike Love contributions have the unpleasant tang of corkage.

Eh, I'm sending the whole bottle back. I think it's been adulterated with antifreeze.

Mike Love in still being "Mike Love" SHOCKAH!

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/mike-love-books-beach-boys-shows-without-brian-wilson-20120626

haw. never take your eyes off love! interesting that they're playing/singing "our prayer" now, that'd be interesting to hear.

INTERESTING

I just read "Nearest Faraway Place," and while there's no question the guy is often a dick and I hate to say it, it's pretty clear there would be no Beach Boys without him. When Brian was staying at home, first working and then just, um, staying at home, Love (and I guess Carl) kept the machine moving.

Another way to look at it is that linking your career to Brian's is a risky proposition, especially if you make a living in the road.

On the road.

Love is a horrible, largely talentless asshole, and yet imho he is absolutely indispensable to the Beach Boys, no incarnation of the Boys is complete without him.

Tbf, I loved seeing them a few weeks back, but I'd pretty much describe all of the BBs, including Marks, as more or less talentless. Which sounds harsh, but really, every move they made was shadowed by someone else, or several others. Eleven or so people on stage, six of them guitarists, most of them singing ... but of course, none of them Beach Boys.

Rolling Stone acting like there's a controversy when there isn't one? Was Brian upset about this? It doesn't say. Not sure why Love wouldn't do a tour with his band if he wants to and call it the Beach Boys as he is allowed to do and has been doing for fourteen years.

every move they made was shadowed by someone else, or several others.

"Shadowed" implies that the players behind them were playing their same parts. Were you really able to determine whether this was so?

ARE YOU REALLY CALLING BRIAN WILSON AND BRUCE JOHNSTON TALENTLESS

Never really knew about about Al's guitar skills. Marks seems like a good lead player!

Re: shadowing, for sure. Well, sure as I could be from the audience. They totally looked like they were playing the same parts, note for note, as far as I could tell and as far as it sounded. I mean, Al Jardine had a guitar in his hands almost the entire time, but damned if I ever really heard it. Likewise, if there's one keyboard part, yet four people are playing keyboards, and one is a nearly motionless Brian ...

Marks was perfectly proficient, but it's not like his chops were ever better than 15-year old garage band guy, and this is decades later. And by calling Brian Wilson and Johnston talentless, come on, that is nowhere near saying they never had any talent, or were never geniuses or whatever. I was just saying, in response to someone calling Love talentless, that none of the original guys on stage were offering much in the way of talent. If we're being honest here. Like, Jardine sang better than the other guys, but his voice wasn't some awesome instrument. Love and Wilson did fine, but they were a far cry from their prime. Etc.

I say this in comparison to their peer Paul McCartney, for example, who was just oozing talent when I saw him last summer. No need to shadow that dude.

it's not like his chops were ever better than 15-year old garage band guy

Seems like he has good surf guitar chops to me.

Nah, he was really just OK. And I was watching him! Every once in a while they gave him a little Chuck Berry solo, but it was pretty rudimentary. He didn't fuck up, though.

Recall, he's barely playing on the records he's on. That's all Glen Campbell and those dudes.

On the records from '62 and '63?

I think so. Right? Actually, I have the Wrecking Crew book right here ... one sec.

Certainly there was a Wrecking Crew presence on "Surfer Girl," "Surfin USA," "I Get Around," "Fun, Fun, Fun" ... so yeah, a bunch of that stuff. But maybe not the first couple of discs, though Wrecking Crew was playing all the Jan & Dean albums, too, plus various surf and hotrod comps. I think Campbell started working with them in '64. Before that the solos and stuff were mostly Carl, I believe, up to '63. Marks was just a kid!

Yeah, Campbell (among others, like Tedesco) from late '63 on.

yeah it's crazy, marks was 13 when he joined! he's probably on those first three or four records, but just playing rhythm i imagine.

There's a David Marks and the Marksmen compilation on Spotify. Surf tunes and instrumentals from '63-'65.

ha no kidding? will have to check it out.

First track "Sheriff of Noddingham" is very cool. Kind of Dick Dale-ish.

There is so much tangential Beach Boys stuff. Like the Hondells (the first to record "Little Honda") and the Honeys (produced by Brian). Then there's Ed "Rat Fink" Roth, who did a bunch of hot rod albums with the Wrecking Crew.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NYhMKqWt18

This was written and produced by Brian as a birthday present!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_Yj9oHikgY

yeah this comp is highly recommended
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51IdU6W5onL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Speaking of talent, I picked up a vinyl copy of the astounding 12 string guitar of glen campbell, talk about a hot shit player, damn

thinking back to the show, "Don't Back Down" may have been the most memorable song. I wasn't expecting to hear it and they stomped through it like a garage rock track. Don't know why David Marks is getting shit here, his guitar playing sounded fine.

Bruce Johnston's first record, from 1963:

http://www.beachboys.com/hotdoggers.jpg

Mostly covers of then-current surf rock, but also includes a Johnston original "Quasimoto". Features Glen Campbell, Hal Blaine, Carol Kaye, and Leon Russell. Terry Melcher produces.

xpost Campbell may be the most overlooked guitar virtuoso short of Vince Gill.

Willie Nelson to thread.

Yeah, maybe. But he's no flashy technical master capable of guitar showdowns, is he? He has a very distinct, intuitive style.

But Willie doesn't have session guy chops, does he?