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

But even that one is an uptempo one. Sounding more like Jan & Dean than the fantastic baroque pop and vocal harmonies that culminated on "Pet Sounds".

Wait, so the problem is tempo?

I mean, I'd agree that it's not as good as the slower numbers on that record, especially "Somewhere Near Japan," but I figured that was just a coincidence.

"Somewhere Near Japan" doesn't sound like Beach Boys.

"Still Crusin'" contains nothing sounding even remotely like "Til I Die", "Surfer Girl", "Girls On The Beach", "Don't Worry Baby", "God Only Knows", "Wind Chines" etc.

morbidly curious about "the private life of bill and sue"

Now, Brian Wilson's solo albums don't really either (except for the brilliant re-vamped "Smile"), but they are closer. Particularly the solo debut has its really great moments of pop perfection. And completely devoid of Mike Love surf and girls and beaches 50s rock crap.

The best (new) song on "Still Cruisin'" is probably "Kokomo". Which speaks volumes about the general quality.

When you say 'solo debut', do you mean the Eugene Landy album he did the vocals for?

Geir, since the Beach Boys formed in the 60s and recorded all their original, genre-defining work in the area of surf, girls and beaches during that decade, surely exploring "50s rock" is a legitimate new creative direction for them?

i just think when you find yourself having a conversation like: well, it's not as horrible as that other horrible thing he did...

that kind of horrible/boring by degrees or inches thing...

kinda sad, no?

i actually found myself defending the beach boys to maria last night. oof, i totally sounded like one of those people. it wasn't pretty.

Being sorta serious here, to the extent that it seems weird that to praise the late 60s/early 70s prog-pop side of the band, you have to tear down this other body of work where they were also pretty much sui generis and basically unmatched in quality. "I Get Around" is an amazing piece of songwriting, harmonies and recording - - doesn't it enhance the band that they have that feather in their caps?

Geir, since the Beach Boys formed in the 60s and recorded all their original, genre-defining work in the area of surf, girls and beaches during that decade, surely exploring "50s rock" is a legitimate new creative direction for them?

In my view, they didn't create much of interest until Brian Wilson started making those beautiful ballads with lots of vocal harmonies and chord/key changes. The more Four Freshmen and less Chuck Berry, the better.

As for "I Get Around", it is probably among the best of their early uptempo songs, although I would say "All Summer Long" is even better with its great vocal harmonies.

No love for "Help Me Rhonda"? I mean, you will find fewer bigger Chuck Berry fans than I on this board, but I think they had a pretty distinctive sound that was at least as synthetic as the Beatles circa 63-64. And a lot more interesting compositionally, lyrically and musically than the Four Freshmen, I have to say, although maybe I'm selling the FF short as I only know a couple of hits.

you really don't need the four freshmen in your life. just listen to the Hi-Lo's or the Four Preps instead. or doo-wop.

or The Fleetwoods. man, i could listen to the fleetwoods all day long.

morbidly curious about "the private life of bill and sue"

Involves some sort of sex slavery, I'd imagine.

I imagine that if this song was about something more palatable to people than why God made the radio that they would be all over it. It's gorgeous.

It's no "Lay Down Burden," that's for sure.

'In My Car' is great

Wow that Flash animation music video is just, almost shockingly banal. And it really doesn't help that the music sounds like I pressed "Doo Wop" on my Casio CTK-100.

this sounds like cdbaby music

Said it was a "lyric video." Maybe there will be another video.

The same video without the lyrics, I'd imagine.

z_s otm, this song is atrocious.

Good music is timeless. Good genres are timeless. What was great in the 60s is still great today.

Hm, I'm not sure I agree with the notion of "timelessness" actually. I think that certain idioms, in any art form, eventually become archaic and stale and cease to be meaningful conduits of artistic expression. Or at least, they become different types of conduits. While I love the paintings of Monet, for instance, I wouldn't be as impressed with someone making equally proficient impressionistic landscapes today. To do that, in 2012, means something different than it did in the 1870s. At worst, it would code as reactionary rather than progressive. I tend to think that their is no such thing as the pure experience of an artwork; cultural baggage inevitably comes to bear on how we view things, even if we try to avoid it. Everything has a context. This is a postmodern cliche, I admit, but I think it's true. Anyway Geir, thanks for responding.

Also, I like the idea many posters have put forward of seeing a radical break between the Beach Boys' early material and their later stuff. I think that makes sense. Something like "Somewhere Near Japan" doesn't have much in common with "God Only Knows."

FWIW, Pat, you will find a lot of love on ILM for Beach Boys from almost any era. If I remember right, the big Beach Boys poll that happened here a while ago ended up rating a TON of stuff from the 70s that I had honestly never even heard before.

Huh, that's really interesting. I'll try to find that poll and explore some of that material. I love the obvious, canonical Beach Boys stuff but my knowledge of their work terminates around Surf's Up. Thanks.

Aside from the odd track and the entirety of the wretched 15 Big Ones, the stuff on the fourth disc of the Good Vibrations is really good. Some of it is among my favorite stuff by them. I'd seek it out if you're curious.

cool. that shouldn't be too hard to track down. thanks.

I played 15BO for the first time in a while the other day and was surprised how much I enjoyed listening to it. But then again, got the same thing from MIU immediately afterwards.

I'm really, really fond of the cover of "Just Once In My Life" that's on 15 Big Ones.

this is shit.

in response to tim's enthusiasm, i listened to it a couple more times. while they aren't great, it's not the lyrics that are tripping me up. in fact i appreciate the creepy, angel-zombie earnestness. the harmonies are sweet and the basic melody serviceable, but the whole thing sounds lifeless to me. that's the problem. it's nostalgic, but in this freeze-dried, joyless sort of way that makes me think of an online funeral parlor more than anything else.

i did realize that if this were a beach boys pastiche by someone i'm more in the habit of forgiving (jeff lynne, say), i'd probably have at least a few nice things to say about it. wouldn't make me like the song though.

aw this is totally not even that bad

It's About Time: Beach Boys Poll Results

^^^ results here. somewhere there should be a link to the Spotify playlist, too!

BTW, unless I'm wrong, I don't think I've seen you around here much before, Pat Finn. Welcome aboard!

"that makes me think of an online funeral parlor" is the new "this sounds like a museum," that is amazing

i actually found myself defending the beach boys to maria last night. oof, i totally sounded like one of those people. it wasn't pretty.

― scott seward, Saturday, May 5, 2012 12:06 PM (9 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

don't resist it! you are one of those people!

thanks doctor casino. i started posting yesterday but i have lurked for a while. the beach boys poll looks awesome and its seems like there are a lot of convenient youtube embeds. i remember reading through the jazz poll last summer and feeling thrilled with how many great albums i discovered there. it was like taking a masters course in the history of jazz. really great.

xpost They should have gotten Jeff Lynne to produce this. That would have been a good start.

Honestly, the Beach Boys are one of the few acts I wish would work with someone as theoretically radical yet oddly sympathetic as Brian Eno. It would never happen, of course, but it has more potential than, say, Paul Simon.

Like, think of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5RYptkzbjY

Honestly, I'm surprised they've never done a late-career "unplugged" type thing, with "you're there in the room!" production. Something in the Nigel Godrich vein (a la Chaos and Creation, not so much, y'know, Radiohead or Sea Change).

Yeah, I could get with a Beach Boys Party...Again!.

Still Partyian'

Honestly, I'm surprised they've never done a late-career "unplugged" type thing, with "you're there in the room!" production. Something in the Nigel Godrich vein (a la /Chaos and Creation/, not so much, y'know, Radiohead or /Sea Change/).

Just saw the set list from the first show on their tour - forty-two songs.

Out of their mid 60s uptempo stuff, I'd rather rep for "California Girls", "Would't It Be Nice" or "Here Today" than "Help Me Rhonda".

Just saw the set list from the first show on their tour - forty-two songs

Two and a half hours, 42 songs - they're like the Ramones. Of course, the caveat, per the Rolling Stone review:

many of them medley-style

Onstage, Mike Love was a low-key kind of showboat, stepping back and forth with the beat, miming the revving of a motorcycle engine on "Little Honda" and hugging his elbows when he sang "and the northern girls with the way they kiss, they keep their boyfriends warm at night" on "California Girls." Brian seemed placid and stone-faced, sitting at the bench of a large white grand piano. "Ladies and gentlemen, Brian Wilson," Al Jardine said after "This Whole World," at which point the crowd rose to their feet in reverence as he sat, blinking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_581oQjCwnE&feature=channel&list=UL