My Brian Wilson Review Gettin in Over My Head

[RangeRoverA1]

1. How Could We Still Be Dancin'? (B.Wilson/J.Thomas)   10 (the best track of the album, great tandem of 2 of my favorites)
2. Soul Searchin' (B.Wilson/A.Paley)                            7 (I grew to like it eventually, glad that Brian sings bridge here, not Carl entirely as in the MIC v-n)
3. You've Touched Me (B.Wilson/S.Kalinich)                 9 (dig the arrangements on this one + the beautiful intro)
4. Gettin' In Over My Head (B.Wilson/A.Paley)              7,5 (better v-n, better vocs)
5. City Blues (B.Wilson/S.Bennett)                             6 (give this rating mainly for the chorus, not a Clapton fan)
6. Desert Drive (B.Wilson/A.Paley)                             10 (great upbeat number, maybe my 2nd favorite)
7. A Friend Like You (B.Wilson/S.Kalinich)                    7,5 (very nice but there's sth. about Paul's responses that sound like they were cut-'n'-pasted, very unnatural voice)
8. Make a Wish (B.Wilson)                                        8 (another grower, the drumming gives an edge to it)
9. Rainbow Eyes (B.Wilson)                                       9,5 (love this song in any incarnation, good example of Brian's magic, that he still has 'it' in him)
10. Saturday Morning in the City (B.Wilson/A.Paley)      10 (I wish it lasted much longer than near 3 minutes is all I can say)
11. Fairy Tale (B.Wilson/D.Foster)                              8 (such amazing harmonies, the way Brian sings "Ever after, ever after" is so charming and I really like the guitars)
12. Don't Let Her Know She's an Angel (B.Wilson)         7 (stunning overall, but there are moments here & there I'm not keen on) 
13. The Waltz (B.Wilson/V.Parks)                              9 (fun stuff; say what you will, I absolutely like Brian's slow vocalizing; the fiddle outro is great!)

In short, I'm in the league of few who like this record.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

1. How Could We Still Be Dancin'? (B.Wilson/J.Thomas)   10 (the best track of the album, great tandem of 2 of my favorites)
2. Soul Searchin' (B.Wilson/A.Paley)                            7 (I grew to like it eventually, glad that Brian sings bridge here, not Carl entirely as in the MIC v-n)
3. You've Touched Me (B.Wilson/S.Kalinich)                 9 (dig the arrangements on this one + the beautiful intro)
4. Gettin' In Over My Head (B.Wilson/A.Paley)              7,5 (better v-n, better vocs)
5. City Blues (B.Wilson/S.Bennett)                             6 (give this rating mainly for the chorus, not a Clapton fan)
6. Desert Drive (B.Wilson/A.Paley)                             10 (great upbeat number, maybe my 2nd favorite)
7. A Friend Like You (B.Wilson/S.Kalinich)                    7,5 (very nice but there's sth. about Paul's responses that sound like they were cut-'n'-pasted, very unnatural voice)
8. Make a Wish (B.Wilson)                                        8 (another grower, the drumming gives an edge to it)
9. Rainbow Eyes (B.Wilson)                                       9,5 (love this song in any incarnation, good example of Brian's magic, that he still has 'it' in him)
10. Saturday Morning in the City (B.Wilson/A.Paley)      10 (I wish it lasted much longer than near 3 minutes is all I can say)
11. Fairy Tale (B.Wilson/D.Foster)                              8 (such amazing harmonies, the way Brian sings "Ever after, ever after" is so charming and I really like the guitars)
12. Don't Let Her Know She's an Angel (B.Wilson)         7 (stunning overall, but there are moments here & there I'm not keen on) 
13. The Waltz (B.Wilson/V.Parks)                              9 (fun stuff; say what you will, I absolutely like Brian's slow vocalizing; the fiddle outro is great!)

In short, I'm in the league of few who like this record.

Wow, those are some high marks. Interesting how people's taste are so different. I think it's solid. Just not ad high marks as yours. Your numbers almost put it in classic album territory.

[PhilSpectre]

For me -

1. How Could We Still Be Dancin'?    
7/10 - A grower for me, good fun

2. Soul Searchin'            
8/10  - Love both versions, but Brian's over-shouty bridge part on this version lets it down imo. Carl sounding as great as ever      

3. You've Touched Me                                
7/10 - Would get more but for the dodgy vocal intro

4. Gettin' In Over My Head            

9/10 - A classic song in either version

5. City Blues                                                          
7/10 - A cool, rare heavy rocking track for Brian

6. Desert Drive                                                    
6.5/10 - Ok, but a bit generic early BB 'car song' throwback to me and thus really needs a Mike Love lead vocal to me  

7. A Friend Like You        
6/10 - Pleasant, but very disappointing considering it's Brian & Paul, weak   music and lyrics, Paul doesn't really sound into it either, I think he knows it's not that great too. No wonder he passed on Brian's idea of a Brian/ Paul collab album. Just sounds awkward/ forced to me

8. Make a Wish
8/10 - Very nice and romantic combo of music and words

9. Rainbow Eyes
8/10 - Again really nice, but some weak lyrics

10. Saturday Morning in the City            
8/10 - Charming, shows solo Brian still has it in him in the quirky melody dept

11. Fairy Tale                        
 7/10 - Nice, sounds the most like the Imagination album to me, also bit too similar to Make a Wish for me, bit too much ‘mush’ on second half of this album

12. Don't Let Her Know She's an Angel    
8/10 - Touching, good lead vocal from Brian, almost a classic song imo, even with the key change  

13. The Waltz      
7.5/10 -  Musically very good, also love the fiddle outro. VDP's lyrics for this just don't suit Brian, too cynical for Brian’s ‘persona’


I loved this album when it came out, it was my first proper exposure to solo Brian. I've always loved the 'organic' sound and arrangements on this album. I agree that on some tracks, Brian should have put more work into the lead vocals and the vocal intro to You've Touched Me should never have been released in that state. A Friend Like You aside and maybe one too many 'romantic' songs in the second half, they're all good/ very good/ great songs (esp the title track and Soul Searchin'). Had he worked harder on the leads and used his band for all the backing vox, I think this would be a great little record and would almost approach BW 88 in quality, if not TLOS.

I've never understood the apparent very negative concensus on this board about this album. I believe there were rumours at the time that Brian wasn't into the project, hence the occasional less than stellar vocals (knowing his long term history, I feel that had he really not been into it, he would have shut down, withdrawn into himself and not co-operated. Also, he was a big boy when he made this album and we should allot him with responsibility for his own actions more, I feel, but that's another issue). It also seems that some prefer the 'original' versions of many of these tracks (and this is coming from someone who LOVES the Wilson/ Paley material and thinks Sweet Insanity is a decent record let down by the 'production' and a coupla dodgy tracks). Brian was clearly in a creative 'dry patch' around the early 2000s, so he and his people did what they could using mostly slightly older material. If those songs hadn't been previously bootlegged so widely, I wonder what some fans would have thought of this album when it was released, without the 'originals' to compare them with. Guess we'll never know.

Overall, I think GIOMH is a fine album, hence why I've typed all this spiel about it. Coming at it as I did at the time with no background knowledge of the origin of the songs and no interest in BB online fandom, I really enjoyed it, and am still fond of it .

Great cover by Peter Blake too.

[smilethebeachboysloveyou]

I've never understood the apparent very negative concensus on this board about this album. I believe there were rumours at the time that Brian wasn't into the project, hence the occasional less than stellar vocals (knowing his long term history, I feel that had he really not been into it, he would have shut down, withdrawn into himself and not co-operated. Also, he was a big boy when he made this album and we should allot him with responsibility for his own actions more, I feel, but that's another issue). It also seems that some prefer the 'original' versions of many of these tracks (and this is coming from someone who LOVES the Wilson/ Paley material and thinks Sweet Insanity is a decent record let down by the 'production' and a coupla dodgy tracks). Brian was clearly in a creative 'dry patch' around the early 2000s, so he and his people did what they could using mostly slightly older material. If those songs hadn't been previously bootlegged so widely, I wonder what some fans would have thought of this album when it was released, without the 'originals' to compare them with. Guess we'll never know.

I can only speak for myself, but this was the first Brian Wilson solo album that I bought 'new' (that is, it was the first album he released, or for that matter the first new Beach Boys related major release, that came out after I became a fan) as it was with you.  I had never heard the Paley sessions, never heard any Sweet Insanity bootlegs, nor any earlier versions of any of the songs on here.  There were a few tracks that I liked at that time (if I recall correctly, they were "Soul Searchin'," "You Touched Me," "Gettin' in Over My Head," and "Don't Let Her Know She's An Angel"), but by and large I found the album embarrassing.  It's true that my opinion of it has gotten even worse since hearing the earlier, superior versions of those tracks that I did like, I didn't need to hear the kick-ass version of "Desert Drive" from the Paley sessions to know that the one on GIOMH was embarrassingly bad.  From my own experience, I can say that there are reasons to dislike this album without having superior versions of the songs to compare them with, and I'm not convinced that the album's reception would have been substantially better among hardcore Beach Boys/BW fans even if none of them had ever heard the earlier versions of these songs.

[Gabo]

Brian sounds truly on autopilot on this album.

I don't get the hate for A Friend Like You. Brian's vocal is bad but the song itself is pretty good.. a simple sentiment but really nice melody. That tends to be my style of music...

[Ron]

"How Can We Still Be Dancin" is pretty bad.  I love Elton and love Brian but I just can't get into it.  I don't even understand the sentiment.  Brian doesn't dance.   When you write a song with lyrics that you don't even mean, what the hell is that?  No wonder it didn't turn out right.  "Brian, write a song!" "Yes Mam".   This is what happens.

So I guess all the surf songs Brian wrote aren't good either eh?  I think you put to much emphasis on lyrics
Or are you being sarcastic I can't tell

I wasn't being sarcastic, sarcasm is the lowest form of humour

I loved all the surf songs... but Brian didn't really write any of them, right?  Plus, Brian hanging out at the beach is a hell of a lot more believeable than Brian and Melinda dancing around their house. 

[Ron]

I swear on The Waltz Brian is reading the words off the page for the first time as he sings them.

I thought it was more of him trying to be funny.  Purposefully trying to make it sound ridiculous.  I really like the song.

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[Ron]

@ Smilein Ed H

Brian thought EJ's vocal was fabulous.

For years, I have never been able to put my finger on exactly why I dislike this album. I'm guessing it is a little bit of everybody's complaints thus far.

Another problem with it is it sounds like a collection of recordings, as compared to an album.  All the songs don't have to have the same theme or be a concept album or anything, but on this album some of the songs have a different production style, some of the vocals sound like sh*t, some sound great, they were recorded at different times, I think some of the songs he worked on for years (cut the backing track then the vocal years later).  The whole thing just sounds like.... leftover night in the refrigerator.

[drbeachboy]

I swear on The Waltz Brian is reading the words off the page for the first time as he sings them.

I thought it was more of him trying to be funny.  Purposefully trying to make it sound ridiculous.  I really like the song.

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Exactly what he was going for. I would say this one, Soul Searchin' and City Blues are the best tracks on here.

[Bean Bag]

Gettin' In Over My Head?



This album's crazy.  But not crazy enough to crazy.

Some nice moments.
Some embarrassing moments.

Some brilliant moments.
Some "go sit in the corner with a coloring book, while daddy talks to the doctor" moments.

There's something raw going on here.  A lot of "it's so nice to hear Brian just being Brian" moments.
And then there's some "man... he needs Joe Thomas" moments.

 

[Magic Transistor Radio]

 It also seems that some prefer the 'original' versions of many of these tracks (and this is coming from someone who LOVES the Wilson/ Paley material and thinks Sweet Insanity is a decent record let down by the 'production' and a coupla dodgy tracks).

My take on the Sweet Insanity vs released versions... I like them both. I feel that Sweet Insanity and even BW 88, have a retro production style to them. The released versions have a more authentic sound to them. Not sure what I'd say about Imaginations. Not quite retro, not quite authentic. Maybe that's why I don't care for it as much.

[phirnis]

Everything about this album feels just plain awkward, beginning with the cover art.

[Sheriff John Stone]

Gettin' In Over My Head should've been a good album, maybe even a great album. It had a lot going for it. But, like all Brian Wilson solo albums, the potential and hype turned ultimately into disappointment.

They put 13 songs on this album; real songs, not those linking spoken-word distractions. And, if you look at the tracklisting, there's some good stuff on there. I don't really see any clunkers that stand out; at least I see the potential in all the songs. As far as Sweet Insanity is concerned, whether you like that (unreleased) album or not, they picked out the good songs. The only one that, to me, is glaringly omitted is "Someone To Love". Wasn't that mature or sophisticated enough for the solo Brian Wilson?

Then you have the legends - McCartney, Clapton, and Elton. Do we really realize the greatness assembled there? Paul McCartney - Eric Clapton - Elton John. With a few exceptions (Dylan, maybe Stevie Wonder, Springsteen) does it get much bigger than that? A Brian Wilson/Paul McCartney DUET!!!!!! An Eric Clapton guitar-driven track? Elton John, who worships Brian....What a waste of talent. How'd that happen? So disappointing. A massive blown opportunity.

Dead horse beating time....Gettin' In Over My Head, more than any other BW solo album, is an example why Brian Wilson's solo music comes up short and why his solo music would've benefited tremendously with input from The Beach Boys. Brian Wilson needs a producer, it's that simple. And, it's been that way for a very long time. He also needs The Beach Boys' voices. Brian Wilson's voice is not good enough to carry 13 songs, 13 diverse songs. There are certain songs that Brian can handle, and other songs that would be better handed over to somebody else to sing. The key phrase is "would be better". It's so frustrating....

[RangeRoverA1]

Wow, those are some high marks. Interesting how people's tastes are so different. I think it's solid. Just not as high marks as yours. Your numbers almost put it in classic album territory.

Well, usually, when I rate an album track-by-track, I do so not globally, like "10 marks is 10 marks even in Africa", only by merits within each individual album. Definitely don't classify GIOMH as Pet Sounds-2.

Re the cover, I think it's good too. The same guy who made Sgt. Pepper worked on the cover art of Brian's record - that's cool, right?

[Rocky Raccoon]

I absolutely love the song "Fairy Tale" from this album.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

Wow, those are some high marks. Interesting how people's tastes are so different. I think it's solid. Just not as high marks as yours. Your numbers almost put it in classic album territory.

Well, usually, when I rate an album track-by-track, I do so not globally, like "10 marks is 10 marks even in Africa", only by merits within each individual album. Definitely don't classify GIOMH as Pet Sounds-2.

Re the cover, I think it's good too. The same guy who made Sgt. Pepper worked on the cover art of Brian's record - that's cool, right?

I agree, the cover is cool. Maybe I should've talked about all of them in my reviews. That would help me when I struggle with what to say. But on that point, GIOMH had the best cover to date. TLOS was even better.

[RangeRoverA1]

I agree, the cover is cool. Maybe I should've talked about all of them in my reviews. That would help me when I struggle with what to say. But on that point, GIOMH had the best cover to date. TLOS was even better.

You caught me on the last bit - I totally love the cover of TLOS! My favorite fruit is oranges & my favorite color is orange, so that's 2 good qualities in 1! Flowers ain't bad thing either (kind of). You should definitely discuss the cover art if you've nothing substantial to talk of.

[phirnis]

I think by far the best cover art of any post-BB Brian album was Orange Crate Art. Worst would be the Christmas record. To me, TLOS is somewhere in between, it looks a bit unfinished.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

I think by far the best cover art of any post-BB Brian album was Orange Crate Art. Worst would be the Christmas record. To me, TLOS is somewhere in between, it looks a bit unfinished.

Well if Orange Crate Art was Brian's album I would have reviewed it. Quick points on that. Great cover! I will have to pull it out to see if I like it better than TLOS. As for the music, the title song is awesome. Others are ok but don't stick out to me.

[JoeP]

I just don't understand the hate.... how could we still be dancing, soul searchin', city blues, the waltz... and several decent other songs.

I don't see what more people can expect. There's seriously good stuff here.  I feel overall Imagination is solid solo effort too.

[rab2591]

I miss when Brian would confine his songs to 2-3 minutes. One thing, among many, that I deplore about GIOMH is that most of the songs on the album are over 4 minutes long.

"How Can We Still Be Dancin" is pretty bad.  I love Elton and love Brian but I just can't get into it.  I don't even understand the sentiment.  Brian doesn't dance.   When you write a song with lyrics that you don't even mean, what the hell is that?  No wonder it didn't turn out right.  "Brian, write a song!" "Yes Mam".   This is what happens.

^this. It's why songs like "Beaches in Mind" are so corny to me - because its unbelievable that these guys are actually out there surfing in the South Bay. Whereas the life suite is a MASTERPIECE because you can feel in the music, vocals, and lyrics that Brian actually means it. He's scared about dying, scared about life - he can translate this mindset to music so well that we feel it when we play those last few songs on TWGMTR.

[donald]

A lot of the raw material is pretty good.  The final product is pretty bad.

I really liked Desert Drive done live by the Brian Wilson band.  I'll bet a few of the other songs could have been given a nice treatment by the live band as well.

[phirnis]

I think by far the best cover art of any post-BB Brian album was Orange Crate Art. Worst would be the Christmas record. To me, TLOS is somewhere in between, it looks a bit unfinished.

Well if Orange Crate Art was Brian's album I would have reviewed it. Quick points on that. Great cover! I will have to pull it out to see if I like it better than TLOS. As for the music, the title song is awesome. Others are ok but don't stick out to me.

Yeah, the title track is the overall set's definite highlight. This may be my favorite Van Dyke Parks album (together with Discover America perhaps). Brian's singing is a bit weird on this record but still...

[Bean Bag]

I miss when Brian would confine his songs to 2-3 minutes. One thing, among many, that I deplore about GIOMH is that most of the songs on the album are over 4 minutes long.

"How Can We Still Be Dancin" is pretty bad.  I love Elton and love Brian but I just can't get into it.  I don't even understand the sentiment.  Brian doesn't dance.   When you write a song with lyrics that you don't even mean, what the hell is that?  No wonder it didn't turn out right.  "Brian, write a song!" "Yes Mam".   This is what happens.

^this. It's why songs like "Beaches in Mind" are so corny to me - because its unbelievable that these guys are actually out there surfing in the South Bay. Whereas the life suite is a MASTERPIECE because you can feel in the music, vocals, and lyrics that Brian actually means it. He's scared about dying, scared about life - he can translate this mindset to music so well that we feel it when we play those last few songs on TWGMTR.

Good point.  Which is why I love albums like Love You and MIU and Adult/Child.

Hey Brian, what's this song about?
Johnny Carson.

Johnny Carson?
Yeah... I was up last night, watching TV, and was like 'holy sh-t' man.  Johnny f-ckin Carson is the man, you know?!

Yeah sure, I guess.  What's the title?
I don't know...

How about 'Johnny Carson?'
OMG Yes!


Actual conversation.  I sh-t you not.   

[Andrew G. Doe]

I just don't understand the hate.... how could we still be dancing, soul searchin', city blues, the waltz... and several decent other songs.

I don't see what more people can expect. There's seriously good stuff here.  I feel overall Imagination is solid solo effort too.

Umm... that the artist could be bothered enough to sing competently ? It's often been said that if Brian really doesn't want to do something, he'll sabotage it. Like here.