Appreciating "Love You"

[Coda Hall]

I've never sat down and actually listened to "Love You". I listened to 15 or so seconds of "Solar System" and that was it. I've considered actually sitting down and listening to the whole album. I know here, it is possibly the highest praised 70's BB album. So, what are you reasons why you love/appreciate "Love You"?

[joshferrell]

It's pure Brian... and it's quirky,,, it also have great synths influenced by Bach..I would love to hear a Stack o Tracks version of the whole album..

[Mike's Beard]

Well you couldn't have picked a worse place to start then with Solar System, that has to be in the bottom 5 songs Brian ever did with The Beach Boys.
Start from the beginning, if Let Us Go On This Way and Rollerskating child don't grab you, you may as well give up. Be warned, Love You has some great stuff but also some real crap and Brian's vocals are shockingly bad throughout.

[puni puni]

Well you couldn't have picked a worse place to start then with Solar System
if Let Us Go On This Way and Rollerskating child don't grab you, you may as well give up.

Really bizarre opinions. Solar System is one of the album's most endearing songs, while the first few tracks have got to be really inaccessible to the average listener.

[Mike's Beard]

Different strokes for different folks I guess.

[Rocket]

It's one of very few true Brian albums.

It's like Pet Sounds' really, really weird cousin. Really, really weird.

[bluesno1fann]

I've never sat down and actually listened to "Love You". I listened to 15 or so seconds of "Solar System" and that was it. I've considered actually sitting down and listening to the whole album. I know here, it is possibly the highest praised 70's BB album. So, what are you reasons why you love/appreciate "Love You"?

Highest praised? I dunno about that. There's Sunflower, Surf's Up and Holland....

[Coda Hall]

I've listened to some of the tracks, personally, the synthesizer sounds a bit strange to me. However, I do enjoy "Mona" and "Love Is A Woman". (Especially the demo version of Brian singing LIAW)

[runnersdialzero]

Brian's vocals are not "shockingly bad".

[Andrew G. Doe]

It's one of very few true Brian albums.

Um... not exactly: Carl did the final mix and polished it some. But it's as close as we were going to get back then.

[Andrew G. Doe]

I've never sat down and actually listened to "Love You". I listened to 15 or so seconds of "Solar System" and that was it.

Here's a radical notion - try listening to the album as it was originally sequenced, as them who bought it first time out did, last millennium. That said, yes, it's a Marmite album. Love it or hate it - no middle ground.

[SloopJohnnyB]

Sir, what is this 'Love You' you speak of?   

[Mike's Beard]

Brian's vocals are not "shockingly bad".

I beg to differ. If Brian sounded like that today, Otto Tune would be turning up the tunafish to 11.

[phirnis]

His singing on Love You is highly expressive and soulful. That's all I care about. If I want to hear his more youthful voice hitting all the notes I'll put on an earlier record. Love You exists in a universe of its own so it's only natural the vocals sound different.

[Eric Aniversario]

It's funny...I was in the middle of listening to Love You when I saw this thread. I've been listening to nothing but NPP all week and decided to take a break with Love You.

[Rentatris]

Oh man, this album! I love it so much. It's one of my favourite albums from anyone ever.

 So, how to appreciate it best. AGD was right in saying listen to it in the intended order and then again. I think that one of the ways to really feel for this album is to know the history that surrounds it.
 After the self-seclusion that followed the SMiLE decline, Brian just wasn't interested in making music with the Beach Boys, despite a few bits here and there he checked out. It wasn't until just before this album when Landyshit got in on the scene that Brian started re-intergrating into the band. After 50 B.O. the rest of the band went back out on tour and left Brian to his own devices in the studio and this and Adult/Child (which, if you like this, is a must album to listen to next) was the result. What we hear are the truthful musings of an ill man remembering how to make music. It's like people said to him, 'just write about whatever you want' and so he did. Solar System, IMHO, is wonderful because of this, I can almost hear Brian saying, 'Yeah, I wana write about all the planets and how they connect us and anything I can think of with planets and things, um, I think' and Landyshit rubbing his hands saying 'Go for it Bri, you can write about anything'. Bri 'Um, ok, then I want to write a song about Johnny Carson cause I've seen a lot of him on TV recently' LS 'You go for it Bri, anything you touch is gold man, just go for it' Bri 'Erm, a roller skating child?' LS 'Ok, yeah, sure why not'

 I've either heard before or thought myself, that this album (and adult/child which really is a companion piece) that it's like Rembrant drawing stick figures. One of the most complex musical minds of our lifetime writing 'Ding Dang'. You bet your ass that Rembrant would draw the best stick men you'd ever seen and the analogy rings true. I can totally understand why people wouldn't like this album but, for me, its just so joyous. And that's before I even mention the synths…..

[sea of tunes]

So I was sitting here thinking of all the ways I could express my adulation towards this record.  It occurred to me that everything I wanted to say has been said better by someone else:

Robert Christgau —

The Beach Boys Love You [Brother/Reprise, 1977]
Painfully crackpot and painfully sung, but also inspired, not least because it calls forth forbidden emotions. For a surrogate teenager to bare his growing pains so guilelessly was exciting, or at least charming; for an avowed adult to expose an almost childish naivete is embarrassing, but also cathartic; and for a rock and roll hero to compose a verbally and musically irresistible paean to Johnny Carson is an act of shamanism pure and simple. As with Wild Honey, the music sounds wrong in contradictory ways at first--both arty and cute, spare and smarmy--but on almost every cut it comes together soon enough; I am especially partial to the organ textures, and I find the absurd little astrology ditty, "Solar System," impossible to shake. As for the words, well, they're often pretty silly, but even (especially) when they're designed to appeal to whatever Brian imagines to be the rock audience they reveal a lot more about the artist than most lyrics do. And this artist is a very interesting case.

Grade: A

[rab2591]

It's pure Brian not giving a f*** at all (but in a really good creative way). He's just having fun, grooving to his own tune....it's the best Brian there is.

Love You is weird, chaotic, beautiful, sad, happy, loud, quiet, moving, still. There are a few songs I don't like, but most of it is just really good songs wrapped in a moog synth production.

Once you've listened to the whole thing, try and find the Brian Loves You boot (and it's on a few others) and listen to the piano demos Brian recorded for this album. I'll Bet He's Nice on the piano is one of the best songs Brian recorded.

[Rentatris]

Last two posts +10....

[Rentatris]

\ listen to the piano demos Brian recorded for this album. I'll Bet He's Nice on the piano is one of the best songs Brian recorded.

 Just listened back to this now - you are indeed right. The Loves you and Loves you too boot are great as is Brain/Piano - get hold of if you like this period….(I do!)

[ForHerCryingSoul]

Honestly, if I ever received the gracious opportunity to play the Moog Taurus' notes on Let Us Go On This Way and Roller Skating Child, I would die the happiest man on earth.  No joke.   

[Rentatris]

I wonder how much for a tapestry, framed to mimic the album cover?...

[rogerlancelot]

Thank you, Coda Hall. I appreciate and love you too!

 




Edit: Sorry, I misread the topic. I like that album too.

[joshferrell]

I wonder how much for a tapestry, framed to mimic the album cover?...

now THAT would be cool... maybe they will place a small version of this tapestry in an upcoming "Love You" deluxe 2 disc box set..with unreleased songs/demos on disc 1 and stack o tracks of the whole album on disc 2 ...Hint Hint for those who work for Brian who are reading this,,, 

[Rentatris]

and a live tour to support it, of course…..