Mike Love - Unleash the Love - Due November 17 - w/ 2nd Disc of BB Remakes

[SMiLE Brian]

Unleash the censorship...

[The LEGENDARY OSD]

Yeah, that was due to a call from The Vibester directly from The Vibe Room. It's a similar situation over there on YouTube in which quite a few of his vids will not allow comments. Wonder why. 

[NateRuvin]

I wanted to love this CD- no pun intended. I tried really hard. For me, the autotune just screws it up. The re-recordings could have been badass if they were just Mike's band plugged into a soundboard- not all the autotune and sweetening.

[Pretty Funky]

The big gripe, just like the C50 live album, comes back to the auto tune. I can not for the life of me understand why a professional studio can not hear what we rank amateurs hear first of all. Second, the artist itself. Why the group in 2013 with the live album, or Mike this year can not listen and just say ‘enough...No!’ Those close to them such as friends or family. Are they deaf or just yes men (or woman)?

These are people who have been known mainly as a vocal group, whether they like it or not, for 56 years. What has gone wrong to allow some of their last product as a group or individually to be tainted like this? Does anyone actually listen? Does a label just rubber stamp these things without a little quality control?

[Jim V.]

I'm gonna give my take in a bit (as if anybody cares) but first...

It's bloody awful. People who enjoy this shite are optimistic to a fault or just insane. The sooner this man gives up on music the better imo.


Also did Mike Love drag Carl Wilsons legacy through the dirt by having his vocals hijacket from Brian's Back? Brian's Back was never much of a tune, but reusing his vocal like that borders on unethical in its poor taste.

I don't think it's unethical. Was what Paul, George and Ringo did with John's recordings for "Free As A Bird" and "Real Love" unethical? I don't so. They wanted to record new material with John again and that was the best way it could be done. Also, it's fair to point out that Brian and Al also used Carl Wilson vocals on their projects which, when recorded, probably weren't intended for the project they ended up a part of. In Brian's case, you have "Soul Searchin'" which Carl obviously recorded under the impression that it was a Beach Boys tune, probably having no idea it would end up (sans Mike, Al, Bruce and Matt's vocals) on a Brian solo album. And while I'll give Al a pass on "Don't Fight the Sea", I think it's arguable whether Carl woulda been cool with the vocal that Al used on the three released versions of "Waves of Love". The vocal kinda seems demo-like, and I'm pretty sure it was recorded at a Beach Boys soundcheck.

In Mike's case, Carl did indeed record his vocal for the release of "Brian's Back" on what I presume to be the First Love album. And now that Mike is getting the song out on a solo album, he used Carl's vocal. Not anything wrong with that, right? Now the thing that does kinda confuse me is the fact that the 1978 (I think?) solo recording was already released on the Endless Harmony Soundtrack with an alternate mix appearing on Made In California. With the same Carl vocal every time as far as I know.

Personally I kinda thought the version with Christian Love instead doing Carl's part was kinda nice, and I think that would have been a better choice for Mike's album. However, apparently Mike has some kinda beef with his son which lead him to remove his lead vocal from two songs ("I Don't Wanna Know" and "Too Cruel"), so perhaps the lack of Christian on "Brian's Back" is caused by the same.

[Jim V.]

So I lived with the album long enough that I'd like to give a few thoughts...

I actually think the first seven songs are actually pretty solid. Mike's vocals aren't his best but they aren't horrible. He sounds raspy and a little pinched at time, but then again, he is 76 years old now. Overall, I'd have to say the best tunes are "Cool Head, Warm Heart", "All The Love In Paris", "I Don't Wanna Know" and "Too Cruel." All of them are pretty much just pure pop and all the better for it. And I'll even say that while "Cool Head, Warm Heart" and "All The Love In Paris" work within a Beach Boys framework, I don't think "Too Cruel" or "I Don't Wanna Know" really would fit in on a Beach Boys album, which is testament to Mike for using this solo album to do things he wouldn't do with the band.

The second half of the album is where things really hit the shitter in my opinion. For a while I thought I could deal with "Pisces Brothers", but now it's finally just gotten to me, Mike calling George Harrison his "brother".....yuck. The title track, "Unleash The Love", I just can't. This is the kinda crap you hear on some cheaply made "inspirational" video to join some creepy cult. The lyric is just so bland and the sentiment is just tough to buy coming from a massive litigious sh*t-talker. I think "Ram Raj" has been incredibly overrated even on this board. I get that it's different than what you'd expect of Mike, but that still don't mean it's good. The lyric is stilted and the melody boring. The other few final songs on the album all the follow the formula of some shitty forgotten adult contemporary album released by some asshole in 1992 and forgotten.

The second disc, I'm not as rough on as some, but I will say that even as a person who doesn't freak out the second he hears autotune, I couldn't believe how much autotune some of the songs on this disc were slathered in. I will also say that I was surprised that the instrumentation on everything on disc two besides "Do It Again" and "Brian's Back" was exactly as you'd expect it to sound. I kinda thought after hearing Mike's "update" of "Do It Again" that at least there would be certain production flourishes that would differentiate the Unleash The Love recordings of these songs from The Beach Boys versions, but alas they are just...there.

Also, yeah "Wild Honey", it's good. John Cowsill does sound great on it. But as with most of the second disc and "Daybreak Over The Ocean" and "Getcha Back" from the first disc, what's the point? Who cares? Who needs John Cowsill doing a Blondie Chaplin impression on a Mike Love solo album? He's just a touring musician.

Lastly, the overall sound and presentation and everything: amateurish. The production is a big sticking point. Supposedly produced by the guy who did the soundtrack to a big '80s movie I couldn't believe who demo-like the recordings sound, and how off the vocals sound. Say what you will about Joe Thomas, but even if he does like autotune, it's used smoothly. On this stuff, it is not. And let's also say it's pretty obvious that Mike doesn't have much new material. Without even touching the second disc, we know that from disc one you have "Daybreak Over The Ocean", "I Don't Wanna Know", "Too Cruel" and  "Crescent Moon" which all originate from the '70s while "Getcha Back" hails from the '80s and I'm pretty sure "Unleash The Love" comes from the '90s. And unsurprisingly, most of these are the best songs on the disc, except "Cool Head, Warm Heart" which I admit is one of Mike's best songs and recordings.

If anything this is just more proof Mike works best within a band framework, having to only provide lyrics here and there and sometimes a wholly original tune. But....we know he passed a chance for that by...

[HeyJude]

Interesting if nothing else that Amazon is locking down the reviews. They've done this on other products, usually things that have quickly sold out and thus see a bunch of reviews from people complaining that they didn't get it.

[HeyJude]

The big gripe, just like the C50 live album, comes back to the auto tune. I can not for the life of me understand why a professional studio can not hear what we rank amateurs hear first of all.

I'm pretty sure both Michael Lloyd and Mike Love are well aware this new album is soaked in autotune. They've made a deliberate decision to use it.

I'm guessing it's just a "Oh, that's what they do on albums now? Okay." sort of situation.

I could give Mike at least five very simple things he could have done to make both fan and media reviews a million times better for this album. Despite all my criticisms, I can easily see a solidly-produced and solidly-reviewed album buried in there somewhere, especially working from the circa 2004 recordings.

[NateRuvin]

Yeah, it makes me really bummed because I listened to the album again this morning, and the songs are so damn catchy! If this album was well produced it would stand nicely with Brian and Al's solo efforts. I Don't Wanna Know, Cool Head Warm Heart, Unleash The Love are all really cool songs. Even The Beach Boys covers would have been really great without autotune. I get this from listening to "The Beach Boys Medley" on Mike's website. It's the current band covering BBs songs, but without all the autotune, and they sound pretty good! I have a hard time believing that Mike and his producer thought "This is what everyone does so we're gonna do it now", because crazy autotune is primarily a Hip Hop and EDM effect.

[MyDrKnowsItKeepsMeCalm]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=eY_2apR9FU0

To anyone brave enough to listen to the Help Me Rhonda cover, here it is. It’s bad. Really bad.

Wow. 

[MyDrKnowsItKeepsMeCalm]

Now I'm listening to I Get Around. Mike's vocals sound incredibly weird. Didn't he used to tease Brian about having a Mickey Mouse voice?

I can't believe how some of these vocals sound. Heck, I just saw Mike's Beach Boys in concert in August, and even live and in the middle of a long tour he sounded much better than this.

[rab2591]

If it was a deliberate decision I just don’t see why they’d use it on some tracks and not others. I mean, I believe they did it on purpose for marketing/“artistic” reasons, but it blows my mind how inconsistent the effect is. And that’s why the reason why I’m blown away that a Grammy award winning producer produced this thing. The product has zero consistency. There is barely a cohesive sound (and that’s not knocking the different song styles; I love that Mike did different things like gospel and abstract SMiLE-like chants. But there is no cohesiveness with the production - which is HUGE for a record).

Someone said earlier, it sounds like he was hungover and did these lead vocals in one take. TBH I can’t even tell what the quality of the original vocals sound like because the autotune makes it impossible to hear anything organic in the mix. It’s funny that someone like Johnny Cash, with his deep and gravely voice, was able to go to the end of his career without using autotune but The Beach Boys have to use this on certain releases like their lives depend on it.

Its just sad that during the final listen before sending this to a record company, Mike had to have said “yeah, this is the sound I want the world to hear. I want people paying their hard earned money to listen to this album.” Literally how could you listen to ‘I Get Around’ and be proud to make people shell out $1.29 to hear that?

[Gabo]

Why aren't there any professional reviews of this album (besides Allmusic)?

[KDS]

Why aren't there any professional reviews of this album (besides Allmusic)?

If it wasn't professionally recorded / produced, it might be hard to get professionally reviewed. 

[Gabo]

Why aren't there any professional reviews of this album (besides Allmusic)?

If it wasn't professionally recorded / produced, it might be hard to get professionally reviewed. 

[tpesky]

Whoever told Mike he should suddenly to begin to sing lead on Rhonda in the original key no less!, circa 2016 should be fired immediately.  Seriously! It doesn't sound good  live and it sounds even worse without the live arrangement to hide his voice. That's the worst song on this effort.  The originals are much better than I expected.

[Tony S]

Agree with the Rhonda comments....it's the worst song on the entire CD.

[CenturyDeprived]

Agree with the Rhonda comments....it's the worst song on the entire CD.

Each of those super duper heavily-Autotuned “help, help” chorus lyrics is like a vomit dagger plunged into my soul.

I played it at my work, and a coworker heard it from across the hall, and came in to inquire what was with this Autotuned atrocity. True story.

[GhostyTMRS]

Interesting if nothing else that Amazon is locking down the reviews. They've done this on other products, usually things that have quickly sold out and thus see a bunch of reviews from people complaining that they didn't get it.

Amazon did this with the Megyn Kelly book when Trump supporters organized an online campaign to bombard it 1 star reviews on its first day of release.

I'm loathe to order again on Amazon but this CD appears to be of the mail order only variety. No brick and mortar store in my area is carrying it.

[rab2591]

Interesting if nothing else that Amazon is locking down the reviews. They've done this on other products, usually things that have quickly sold out and thus see a bunch of reviews from people complaining that they didn't get it.

Amazon did this with the Megyn Kelly book when Trump supporters organized an online campaign to bombard it 1 star reviews on its first day of release.

I'm loathe to order again on Amazon but this CD appears to be of the mail order only variety. No brick and mortar store in my area is carrying it.

They also bombarded Hillary Clinton’s book as well. Though, keeping in mind this happens on both sides of the spectrum: Mike Love fans are giving this this thing 5 stars without actually reviewing the damn album, just complaining about the 1 star reviews.

[Cabinessenceking]

Interesting if nothing else that Amazon is locking down the reviews. They've done this on other products, usually things that have quickly sold out and thus see a bunch of reviews from people complaining that they didn't get it.

Amazon did this with the Megyn Kelly book when Trump supporters organized an online campaign to bombard it 1 star reviews on its first day of release.

I'm loathe to order again on Amazon but this CD appears to be of the mail order only variety. No brick and mortar store in my area is carrying it.

They also bombarded Hillary Clinton’s book as well. Though, keeping in mind this happens on both sides of the spectrum: Mike Love fans are giving this this thing 5 stars without actually reviewing the damn album, just complaining about the 1 star reviews.

There are Mike Love fans?

[rab2591]

I mean, that can only explain these reviews haha

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/cr/B07667GM1W/ref=mw_dp_cr

Looks like Amazon deleted all the 1 star reviews.

[The LEGENDARY OSD]

I mean, that can only explain these reviews haha

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/cr/B07667GM1W/ref=mw_dp_cr

Looks like Amazon deleted all the 1 star reviews.

Myke probably threatened litigation if they didn't take down those reviews and that, if it's true, is pathetic. Besides, it was good reading.

[Seagull Merlin]

okay I was holding off on listening to the covers of the bb tracks but jeez, just starting with california girls it sounds like Mike is trapped in a computer his voice is so digitized. Albeit the chorus doesn't sound too bad

[Gabo]

I mean, that can only explain these reviews haha

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/cr/B07667GM1W/ref=mw_dp_cr

Looks like Amazon deleted all the 1 star reviews.

Myke probably threatened litigation if they didn't take down those reviews and that, if it's true, is pathetic. Besides, it was good reading.

That or threatened to "unleash" a rabid Jeffrey Foskett on them.