Pacific Coast Highway Overrated ?

[Mike Lovechild]

'Pacific Coast Highway' sounds like Brian channelling Dennis. I love it.

Listen to how the piano comes in as the  'oohs' resolve. Then put on 'Cuddle Up' and listen to instrumental string section at the start of the last verse.

To me these songs could be musical companions.

PCH does more in 1:47 than most songs do in twice that.

It's a beautiful song, certainly not over-rated.

[TV Forces]

Well the only that I find cool about that song is well I only live a couple streets away from Pacific Coast Highway so I kind of know how it feels to cruise down it ..
The song sounds not bad but not as good as you guys make it seem...it's the weakest song from the suite..What is it about the song that you guys find so amazing?
It sounds extremely boring :/ I'm sure I'm probably the only person that doesn't like it...

How bored can you be by a song that's less than 2 minutes long? 
I wish it was longer.. It floors me.  It's gorgeous. 

[Mr. Cohen]

For me its brevity is part of its beauty.

Brian was always at his best when he kept things brief. I mean, someone explain to me why "The Private Life of Bill & Sue" should be over 4 minutes long.... And to think, it was a big deal for Good Vibrations to be 3 1/2 minutes long.

[Emdeeh]

One of the best BB songs ever, imho, is "This Whole World," coming in at a mere 1:58 min.

[Paulos]

For me its brevity is part of its beauty.

Brian was always at his best when he kept things brief. I mean, someone explain to me why "The Private Life of Bill & Sue" should be over 4 minutes long.... And to think, it was a big deal for Good Vibrations to be 3 1/2 minutes long.

Agreed Dada, in fact I think I stole the brevity line from a thread you created!

[Amy B.]

Well the only that I find cool about that song is well I only live a couple streets away from Pacific Coast Highway so I kind of know how it feels to cruise down it ..
The song sounds not bad but not as good as you guys make it seem...it's the weakest song from the suite..What is it about the song that you guys find so amazing?
It sounds extremely boring :/ I'm sure I'm probably the only person that doesn't like it...

I love that song. It's probably my favorite on the album. It ends way too fast, but then I also think it's the perfect length.

[Newguy562]

Well the only that I find cool about that song is well I only live a couple streets away from Pacific Coast Highway so I kind of know how it feels to cruise down it ..
The song sounds not bad but not as good as you guys make it seem...it's the weakest song from the suite..What is it about the song that you guys find so amazing?
It sounds extremely boring :/ I'm sure I'm probably the only person that doesn't like it...

I see your point. You know, I somewhat dislike the harmony intro of the subject - not the singing, the melody. But the rest of it is standout.

If come to the question objectively, the whole suite is top-of-the-line. But as for me, I choose Summer's Gone as the least favorite from those 3. The song's too upsetting imo. That's why I love From There To Back Again: it sounds very optimistic and a little joyous. I prefer such kind of music mostly. Not so keen on slow & downbeat numbers.
Anyway, thanks for creating new threads, Newguy562! I enjoy reading them (I suppose, others too!)! Keep on going! 
   

thanks for the love ..yes i prefer there more happy/sunshine songs from the boys...that's their strongpoint to me ..don't get me wrong summer's gone is definitely one of the best they do in the last 40 years..but it makes me sad and feel like it's their last song...pch doesn't do much for me but eventually i'll get used to it like i do with most of the bb's music..

[The Shift]

I mean, someone explain to me why "The Private Life of Bill & Sue" should be over 4 minutes long.... And to think, it was a big deal for Good Vibrations to be 3 1/2 minutes long.

I get the impression hat something was excised from that song – the chorus seems out of place (almost another reeling off of place names…) and the story doesn't seem to develop beyond the almost inaudible news announcement of the stars of the show being lost at sea. It almost – almost – fits into the genre of Brian's 'slice of life' songs and I wonder if there's more to it… would love to hear the demos, or whatever the BBs played to Capitol when they went looking for a deal.

[Heysaboda]

Well the only that I find cool about that song is well I only live a couple streets away from Pacific Coast Highway so I kind of know how it feels to cruise down it ..
The song sounds not bad but not as good as you guys make it seem...it's the weakest song from the suite..What is it about the song that you guys find so amazing?
It sounds extremely boring :/ I'm sure I'm probably the only person that doesn't like it...

How bored can you be by a song that's less than 2 minutes long? 
I wish it was longer.. It floors me.  It's gorgeous. 

It's a bee-you-ti-ful song!  Too short!

I'm thinking of making a tape loop of it so I can listen to it for 6 hours without getting up!

 

[Exapno Mapcase]

Great song.  So you're wrong.

[Andrew G. Doe]

PCH isn't moving at all...Summer's Gone gives you that feeling that the end is here and that's powerful if any song on the album could make you cry that's the one that could hit the spot.

If you're not moved by "PCH", then you're someone I have no wish to ever meet. Because you're simply not human.

[Loaf]

PCH isn't moving at all...Summer's Gone gives you that feeling that the end is here and that's powerful if any song on the album could make you cry that's the one that could hit the spot.

If you're not moved by "PCH", then you're someone I have no wish to ever meet. Because you're simply not human.

Agreed. The entire final quartet of songs is a beautiful and melancholy statement by the man who made Pet Sounds, and it's a tragedy that the intervening 46 years haven't yielded as many of these moments as we all would have liked.

Is it too much to ask that a rejuvenated Brian gives us a whole album of this kind of stuff next time around...?

[Newguy562]

PCH isn't moving at all...Summer's Gone gives you that feeling that the end is here and that's powerful if any song on the album could make you cry that's the one that could hit the spot.

If you're not moved by "PCH", then you're someone I have no wish to ever meet. Because you're simply not human.

I'm not human :/

[Heysaboda]

PCH isn't moving at all...Summer's Gone gives you that feeling that the end is here and that's powerful if any song on the album could make you cry that's the one that could hit the spot.

If you're not moved by "PCH", then you're someone I have no wish to ever meet. Because you're simply not human.

I'm not human :/

now now now we all know you're human, NG

"Young But Daily Growing" as the old song goes....... 

[Newguy562]

PCH isn't moving at all...Summer's Gone gives you that feeling that the end is here and that's powerful if any song on the album could make you cry that's the one that could hit the spot.

If you're not moved by "PCH", then you're someone I have no wish to ever meet. Because you're simply not human.

I'm not human :/

now now now we all know you're human, NG

"Young But Daily Growing" as the old song goes....... 

that's true  ....lol..you guys have to remember this is all new to me..my peers listen to justin bieber and i listen to the beach boys and mostly 60's/70's stuff so i have a lot of music to show them!

[Heysaboda]

PCH isn't moving at all...Summer's Gone gives you that feeling that the end is here and that's powerful if any song on the album could make you cry that's the one that could hit the spot.

If you're not moved by "PCH", then you're someone I have no wish to ever meet. Because you're simply not human.

I'm not human :/

now now now we all know you're human, NG

"Young But Daily Growing" as the old song goes....... 

that's true  ....lol..you guys have to remember this is all new to me..my peers listen to justin bieber and i listen to the beach boys and mostly 60's/70's stuff so i have a lot of music to show them!

4 1nce im glad im old lol ( as U kidz say)

 

[EgoHanger1966]

PCH isn't moving at all...Summer's Gone gives you that feeling that the end is here and that's powerful if any song on the album could make you cry that's the one that could hit the spot.

If you're not moved by "PCH", then you're someone I have no wish to ever meet. Because you're simply not human.

I'm not human :/

now now now we all know you're human, NG

"Young But Daily Growing" as the old song goes....... 

that's true  ....lol..you guys have to remember this is all new to me..my peers listen to justin bieber and i listen to the beach boys and mostly 60's/70's stuff so i have a lot of music to show them!

Your guy friends seriously listen to Justin Beebs?
I'm not that much older than you, honestly. You just have to learn to put across your opinions less brashly and you won't feel so attacked.

[Newguy562]

PCH isn't moving at all...Summer's Gone gives you that feeling that the end is here and that's powerful if any song on the album could make you cry that's the one that could hit the spot.

If you're not moved by "PCH", then you're someone I have no wish to ever meet. Because you're simply not human.

I'm not human :/

now now now we all know you're human, NG

"Young But Daily Growing" as the old song goes....... 

that's true  ....lol..you guys have to remember this is all new to me..my peers listen to justin bieber and i listen to the beach boys and mostly 60's/70's stuff so i have a lot of music to show them!

4 1nce im glad im old lol ( as U kidz say)

 

wow lol..i know it's tough right now..and dubstep is huge right now too smh..do you know what dubstep is?

[Newguy562]

PCH isn't moving at all...Summer's Gone gives you that feeling that the end is here and that's powerful if any song on the album could make you cry that's the one that could hit the spot.

If you're not moved by "PCH", then you're someone I have no wish to ever meet. Because you're simply not human.

I'm not human :/

now now now we all know you're human, NG

"Young But Daily Growing" as the old song goes....... 

that's true  ....lol..you guys have to remember this is all new to me..my peers listen to justin bieber and i listen to the beach boys and mostly 60's/70's stuff so i have a lot of music to show them!

Your guy friends seriously listen to Justin Beebs?
I'm not that much older than you, honestly. You just have to learn to put across your opinions less brashly and you won't feel so attacked.

no but the girls do smh lol my homies listen to wiz khalifa..kid cudi..skrillex..drake..odd future ever heard of those ppl?
lol i need 2 work on that

[Wirestone]

I mean, someone explain to me why "The Private Life of Bill & Sue" should be over 4 minutes long.... And to think, it was a big deal for Good Vibrations to be 3 1/2 minutes long.

I get the impression hat something was excised from that song – the chorus seems out of place (almost another reeling off of place names…) and the story doesn't seem to develop beyond the almost inaudible news announcement of the stars of the show being lost at sea. It almost – almost – fits into the genre of Brian's 'slice of life' songs and I wonder if there's more to it… would love to hear the demos, or whatever the BBs played to Capitol when they went looking for a deal.

Bill and Sue wasn't played for Capitol -- it was one of the newly written songs. Brian wrote the verse melody and a few of the verse lyrics, along with (from the sound of it) the bridge. He also had the idea for the fade. He then handed it off to Joe Thomas, who apparently did the rest.

[Heysaboda]

I'm not human :/

now now now we all know you're human, NG

"Young But Daily Growing" as the old song goes....... 

that's true  ....lol..you guys have to remember this is all new to me..my peers listen to justin bieber and i listen to the beach boys and mostly 60's/70's stuff so i have a lot of music to show them!

4 1nce im glad im old lol ( as U kidz say)

 

wow lol..i know it's tough right now..and dubstep is huge right now too smh..do you know what dubstep is?

dubstep is some crazy type music that the kids like.......... 

I'm 2 old 4 that sh.. stuff......

 

[Newguy562]

I'm not human :/

now now now we all know you're human, NG

"Young But Daily Growing" as the old song goes....... 

that's true  ....lol..you guys have to remember this is all new to me..my peers listen to justin bieber and i listen to the beach boys and mostly 60's/70's stuff so i have a lot of music to show them!

4 1nce im glad im old lol ( as U kidz say)

 

wow lol..i know it's tough right now..and dubstep is huge right now too smh..do you know what dubstep is?

dubstep is some crazy type music that the kids like.......... 

I'm 2 old 4 that sh.. stuff......

 

HAAAAAA it's like techno but has that wobbly sound that sounds like charlie brown's teacher speaking lol
and you're one of those "it's only rock n roll but i like it!!!!" ppl lol jk..
seriously it would be awesome if i could trade places and be in the 60's so i can go to woodstock and monterey pop festival and be part of that experience!

[southbay]

I mean, someone explain to me why "The Private Life of Bill & Sue" should be over 4 minutes long.... And to think, it was a big deal for Good Vibrations to be 3 1/2 minutes long.

I get the impression hat something was excised from that song – the chorus seems out of place (almost another reeling off of place names…) and the story doesn't seem to develop beyond the almost inaudible news announcement of the stars of the show being lost at sea. It almost – almost – fits into the genre of Brian's 'slice of life' songs and I wonder if there's more to it… would love to hear the demos, or whatever the BBs played to Capitol when they went looking for a deal.

Bill and Sue wasn't played for Capitol -- it was one of the newly written songs. Brian wrote the verse melody and a few of the verse lyrics, along with (from the sound of it) the bridge. He also had the idea for the fade. He then handed it off to Joe Thomas, who apparently did the rest.

If I remember correctly, the songs (or portions thereof) played for Capitol were TWGMTR, Spring Vacation, Strange World and Summer's Gone

[hypehat]

A verse of Summers Gone, natch.


And given the long and troubled gestation of Spring Vacation, we don't know what form that was presented in.

[drbeachboy]

A verse of Summers Gone, natch.


And given the long and troubled gestation of Spring Vacation, we don't know what form that was presented in.

Didn't Brian go to Capitol himself? I doubt he had nothing more than guide vocals for most songs. I'll bet the execs made their decision mostly based on the music only.