Susie Cincinnati

[WonderfulLittlePad]

I just picked up 15 Big Ones/Love You albums and am mesmerized by the backing harmonies on Susie Cincinnati.  Wow, it really blew me away.  It is now my favorite BB song, but I'm sure that will change as they have so many that I love to death.  As an album 15 Big Ones is quite dreadful with some hidden gems like Susie Cincinnati.  I absolutely fell in love with the Love You album.  Fantastic from start to finish.

[Wrightfan]

I like it as well. The Made in California mix is even better.

[Michael Edward Osbourne]

I like Susie Cincinnati too, it's probably the hardest sounding rock song Al ever wrote.

[rab2591]

Susie Cincinnati is definitely a favorite of mine as well. That wall of harmonies during the last chorus/buildup is mind-blowing.

My favorite version being the one on the 15 Big Ones/Love You twofer. The MiC version was good, but I seemed like some of the background harmonies got buried in that mix a little.

[WonderfulLittlePad]

That wall of harmonies during the last chorus/buildup is mind-blowing.

Exactly what I was talking about.  It blew my mind.

[CenturyDeprived]

Tis an underrated track, IMO.

[The Shift]

We could do with a compilation disc of all the various mixes and masters, please Capitol. One of my all-time post-Concert releases but I get confused about which mix I've heard where… blame age…

[Bill M]

The best song on 15 Big Ones was the only one not recorded during the 15 Big Ones Sessions.

[WonderfulLittlePad]

The best song on 15 Big Ones was the only one not recorded during the 15 Big Ones Sessions.

So true! I was kind of thinking that actually.

[c-man]

"Susie Cincinnati" was the song that played through my head continually in the spring of '91 (probably b/c the first 15 Big Ones CD release had just happened). In fact, I became so obsessed with the song that I considered forming an official Susie Cincinnati Fan Club. Imagine a whole fan club devoted to one song! It might also have had only one member, but hey!

[Micha]

It's so good, I keep wondering how it would have fared as an A-side in 1970. Brian on bass, Al and Carl on guitars rocking like they rarely ever did. And way too rarely, this track shows they really could.

The best song on 15 Big Ones was the only one not recorded during the 15 Big Ones Sessions.

Just like "Good Time" on Love You IMHO, both being from the Sunflower era.

The Made in California mix is even better.

That's subject to opinion, I still prefer the 15BO one which is pretty close to the "Landlocked" boot mix which is the best one to me.

Had I been in the first row for the C50 concerts, I'd have kept demanding "Suzie Cincinnati" yelling it out loud!

[Jim Rockford]

Great track. Kicks ass.

[The Shift]

What are the chances of M&B playing it at this summer's UK gigs I wonder?

[Michael Edward Osbourne]

What are the chances of M&B playing it at this summer's UK gigs I wonder?

I can't imagine they would. Especially without Al.

[wantsomecorn]

Didn't Al supposedly stop playing it because it mentioned nicotine? Not clean enough for Al Jardine, I guess.

[bgas]

What are the chances of M&B playing it at this summer's UK gigs I wonder?

Man!!(ning)  Now that you've laaid down the gauntlet, they'll just have to work up a version; Maybe they can get John to sing it

[SMiLE Brian]

John Manning?

[rn57]

I just picked up 15 Big Ones/Love You albums and am mesmerized by the backing harmonies on Susie Cincinnati.  Wow, it really blew me away.  It is now my favorite BB song, but I'm sure that will change as they have so many that I love to death.  As an album 15 Big Ones is quite dreadful with some hidden gems like Susie Cincinnati.  I absolutely fell in love with the Love You album.  Fantastic from start to finish.

You're not alone. From Al Jardine's interview in Goldmine magazine, 2000:

Goldmine: I understand a famous comedian really loved your song “Susie Cincinnati.”

AJ: Yeah. John Belushi loved the song. He just worshipped that thing. He came up to me and did that “I'm not worthy” thing and said, “I just love that song.” I said, “Thank you very much. Can I sing it for you?” I think we were doing our 20th anniversary special in Big Sur, and they came up to visit the ranch and that's when he told me how much he like the song. You'd see him as this big crazy guy running around with samurai swords, but he was really a gentle guy. Peace loving guy. The song was about a girl I met on the way to a show in Cincinnati. Susie Cincinnati. Again, trying to get everybody motivated to do something at Brian's house was always a goal. So I said, “Come on, let's cut this track. I've got an idea.” So all the guys were just sitting around and waiting for something to do. It's nice to have a pool of musicians who can do that. The engineers were waiting, waiting on something to get done, so we did it. It was kind of a workshop in progress, that's really what these albums were.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Didn't Al supposedly stop playing it because it mentioned nicotine? Not clean enough for Al Jardine, I guess.

Given that he wrote the music and the lyrics, I'd have to seriously doubt that. 

[Andrew G. Doe]

"Susie Cincinnati" was the song that played through my head continually in the spring of '91 (probably b/c the first 15 Big Ones CD release had just happened). In fact, I became so obsessed with the song that I considered forming an official Susie Cincinnati Fan Club. Imagine a whole fan club devoted to one song! It might also have had only one member, but hey!

[backs away slowly, feeling for the door handle behind me...]

[Micha]

Didn't Al supposedly stop playing it because it mentioned nicotine? Not clean enough for Al Jardine, I guess.

Given that he wrote the music and the lyrics, I'd have to seriously doubt that. 

If it was the nicotine mentioning, well, times have changed a lot since 1970. He may have changed his mind about the appropriateness of that lyric.

[phirnis]

I like the song just fine but including it on 15 Big Ones made little if any sense at all. Anyway, they did it and it's still a nice song. Personally I find it interesting how the BB would draw on the Sunflower sessions up until 1980 when When Girls Get Together was included on KTSA. Seems like those sessions must've been the biggest creative explosion of their entire career, at least from Smiley Smile onwards.

One thing I really like about the song is how it's an Al Jardine original that doesn't sound derivative at all. It also feels a bit like indie rock avant la lettre.

[The Shift]

What are the chances of M&B playing it at this summer's UK gigs I wonder?

Man!!(ning)  Now that you've laaid down the gauntlet, they'll just have to work up a version; Maybe they can get John to sing it

Gee, am I that transparent??? Darn!

Stamos is on a list of materials banned for importation. - assuming you weren't suggesting i sing it myself?

[bgas]

What are the chances of M&B playing it at this summer's UK gigs I wonder?

Man!!(ning)  Now that you've laaid down the gauntlet, they'll just have to work up a version; Maybe they can get John to sing it

Gee, am I that transparent??? Darn!

Stamos is on a list of materials banned for importation. - assuming you weren't suggesting i sing it myself?

Hey, If you can Wrangle a stage invite, get up there and sing out!  Otherwise, better leave it to the GOOD John( Cowsill)

[The Shift]

What are the chances of M&B playing it at this summer's UK gigs I wonder?

Man!!(ning)  Now that you've laaid down the gauntlet, they'll just have to work up a version; Maybe they can get John to sing it

Gee, am I that transparent??? Darn!

Stamos is on a list of materials banned for importation. - assuming you weren't suggesting i sing it myself?

Hey, If you can Wrangle a stage invite, get up there and sing out!  Otherwise, better leave it to the GOOD John( Cowsill)

So, ah, when did JC let you know he was joining the band in the UK? Just how close are you guys?

And hey, no one complained about my singing after last year's panto! (At least, not to my face…)




If JC does cross the pond and can belt out SC in fitting style, I'll be happy enough.





Thanks for listening Scott