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

[SMiLE Brian]

CD, its "currying" favor....

[rab2591]

Insert Filleplage rant here about curry....

In an attempt to curry favor and get upgraded “BBs” tickets  

Seriously, in 2017 I don’t know how Mike okayed the curry line.  I played it for my coworkers, who sat slack-jawed in disbelief. One of them suggested that perhaps it was somebody who worked in production on the album slipping it in intentionally as a goof at the eleventh hour, to make Mike look bad. Troll on the staff perhaps?

Isn’t that also the theory on how the song “can’t stop talking about American girls” is vocally in the wrong key?

85% of this album feels like the producers/mixers were out to make Mike look bad. It’s a shame because Mike has a talented band, he’s got a good voice (at times, and considering his age it’s pretty good considering how many shows he does), and he had a bit of good material for this album.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Insert Filleplage rant here about curry....

In an attempt to curry favor and get upgraded “BBs” tickets 

Seriously, in 2017 I don’t know how Mike okayed the curry line.  I played it for my coworkers, who sat slack-jawed in disbelief. One of them suggested that perhaps it was somebody who worked in production on the album slipping it in intentionally as a goof at the eleventh hour, to make Mike look bad. Troll on the staff perhaps?

Isn’t that also the theory on how the song “can’t stop talking about American girls” is vocally in the wrong key?

85% of this album feels like the producers/mixers were out to make Mike look bad. It’s a shame because Mike has a talented band, he’s got a good voice (at times, and considering his age it’s pretty good considering how many shows he does), and he had a bit of good material for this album.

That's the way I'm feeling about the album. The more I hear it, the angrier I get.  I HATE poorly mixed stuff when the material is decent.  I mean, 3/4 of this is sounds like diarrhea in my ears, but the handful of stuff that is good is SO good that it deserved better

[NateRuvin]

I agree, rab2591.   It must have been hard work to make Mike, Bruce, and his band sound bad. He accomplished it though 

[swinkhouse]

Just skimmed my way through some of the album, mostly listening to the BB remakes and I gotta say (and I know it's been said), but the production is awful and honestly unprofessional. There are obvious editing mistakes that shouldn't have been in the released album. In the intro harmonies of Kiss Me Baby you can clearly hear a pop where they spliced two takes together; in Good Vibes theres a weird digital sound that plays at when he sings "gentle word"; Warmth of The Sun has background noise/coughing before the harmonies come in, which isn't a big deal but it doesn't fit the production style on the rest of the album. These are what I've noticed when briefly listening for the first time; I'm sure there's others, too. I didn't expect much but I can't see being a musician and releasing an album full of easily fixed production mistakes.

[phirnis]

Browsing through this album on Spotify. The only song on disc 1 that's remotely interesting is Ram Raj. This may well be the worst BB solo album I've heard - what a surprise...

Not much to say about the remakes except that some of them are unintentionally funny. Love's vocals on I Get Around sound incredibly weird.

[Gabo]

Summer In Paradise vs Unleash The Love? Does anyone have an opinion? 

[CenturyDeprived]

Summer In Paradise vs Unleash The Love? Does anyone have an opinion?  

SIP is better by a mile. Carl and Al elevate the material, and as lame as Summer of Love (for instance) is, it isn’t literally nauseating in the manner that the UTL Autotune atrocities are.

[Tony S]

So I just listened to both of the CD's having actually found the double CD at Jack's in Red Bank. First, the Beach Boy covers on Disc 2......frankly, they are AWFUL! In particularly, Rhonda is absolutely atrocious. Vocals are terrible. Amber Love is the best singer on WOTS.....that's about it. Now as for the originals on Dis 1, I 'd say the best one is All the Love in Paris, the CD opener. Pleasant enough. I actually liked the Original Daybreak from the BB Reunion......the version here is dragged out and slowed down, not nearly as good. He tries to contemporize the sound, w/o all those typical "Beach Boys song names in the lyrics", so I give him credit for that. But unfortunately, the sOngs are really bad, his vocals not good, even with the auto tune...just plain bad. I tried to give it an honest listen, and I think I did, but this is by far easily the worst solo release f any of the Boys since, well.....Looking back With Love......that one may actually be better than this drivel.

[wild neon sins]

My problem is not with these songs appearing in the touring setlist. BUT I have a serious problem with THE BEACH BOYS serving as the promotional band at a listening party for a new MIKE LOVE record. Solo and side-project tracks have popped up in The Beach Boys' setlist all the way back to the 70's...usually the tunes fit right in. My problem is that an event that is solely to promote MIKE LOVE's release, was led by The Beach Boys. That has never happened before and should never happen....even if Bruce stays home and the rest of the band comes and he calls it Mike Love and Band, that is FINE. But not a "The Beach Boys" event solely for promotion of this album.

I wish I could've heard "Aren't You Glad" in Hagerstown last week, but I don't regret not going. This bullshit would've killed it AGAIN for me.

There's a brief report + pics of an offical release party here: he's wearing his "Mike Love" baseball cap in the pics and they don't mention it as being a Beach Boys performance, jut describe it as "Love’s backing band" even though the band includes Bruce.
https://www.thehypemagazine.com/2017/11/mike-love-hosts-an-unleash-the-love-album-release-event-at-new-yorks-the-wooly/ (some content in that mag seems to be paid for).

"On November 20, 2017 at upscale New York City cocktail lounge The Wooly, BMG hosted a party for Mike Love in celebration of the November 17, 2017 release of Unleash The Love. Unlike your average album release event, Love — who recently announced a Beach Boys winter tour of theaters across the United States — brought along a full band to play for more than a half-hour. In addition to long-time Beach Boys vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Bruce Johnston, Love’s backing band included guitarist Jeffrey Foskett, sons Brian and Christian, and drummer John Cowsill. The aforementioned John Stamos was also present for most of Love’s set, alternating between guitar and drum duties, also commending Love on-mic for Unleash The Love being Love’s most creative project in many years."

[The Cincinnati Kid]

I was debating whether or not to do this, but I'm going to copy over my review from PSF.  After digesting it some more, my opinions have changed slightly on certain songs, but not more than 0.5 points.  Feel free to Unleash the Wrath!


Ok, I'm finally giving this a thorough listen. I'll give my thoughts as I listen to each track.

1. All The Love In Paris: Clearly influenced by Don't Worry Baby. Obviously that helps the song and the lyrics are pretty good. The autotune is minimal. I really love the verses, especially the little build up at the end of them. I can see this one making it to my main playlist I use in the car.
4.5/5

2. Getcha Back: We all know this one. The lyric changes are interesting, but I wouldn't say they're better or worse than the original. Real drums were used here unlike the original. I think I like this backing track better than the original, but I'd probably include the saxophone that's in the background of the original. The autotune is more noticeable, but not distracting. Overall, it's basically an interesting alternate version, but it doesn't improve upon the original
3/5

3. Daybreak Over The Ocean: The intro is great! It's based on some doo-wop song, but I can't recall which one at the moment. The bulk of the song is familiar, but it's closer to his First Love version than TWGMTR. His voice seems slightly less nasally than the TWGMTR version. Again, the autotune is not distracting here.
3.5/5

4. I Don't Want To Know: I'm really enjoying this one! I'm not sure how I feel about the woman doing those vocals. I could probably do without them. Mike's voice sounds really nice here.
4.5/5

5. Too Cruel: This song is so frustrating! It would by far be my favorite song on the album, but Mike's vocals are so distracting! I'm not even sure if it's the autotune as it sounds like his voice is sped up. Everything else is great. Maybe I should record my own vocal??
2.5/5

6. Crescent Moon: This is a really nice song. The lyrics are great. I imagine this is the type of song a lot of people wish Mike would write more of. He is in fine vocal form as well.
5/5

7. Cool Head, Warm Heart: It's probably his most well known solo recording and most consider it his best as well. I've always like the intro, but it doesn't really fit the song. Christian's part is really cool and he sounds so much like Carl.
4.5/5

8. Pisces Brothers: I've never been super in to this song. I still maintain that it's more enjoyable in concert, but the female backing vocals are really good.
2.5/5

9. Unleash The Love: There's a pretty good song lurking under here, but I don't care for the instruments used in certain spots where all of it sudden the song goes takes a stripped down approach. The intro is a good example of what I'm talking about. Mike's vocal is decent and the background vocals are very enjoyable.
3/5

10. Ram Raj: Wow, I wasn't expecting this! I'm almost at a loss for words. That Ram Raj chant is an earworm that's not going to away for a while. The guitar solos are so cool as are the vocals toward the end of the song. What is with the curry comment at the end of the song?? That was so weird haha. Well done, Mike.
5/5

11. 10,000 Years Ago: I wish there were more guitar driven Beach Boys songs in the world. The outro goes on a bit too long, but otherwise this is one of those songs I'll never get tired of.
4.5/5


12. Only One Earth: I rarely like spoken bits is songs and I don't like this one either. My favorite part is Ambha's vocal, I could listen to that over and over. The rest of the song is decent, but northing spectacular.
3/5

13. Make Love Not War: The intro starts off great, but I don't care for the crowd chants that appear here and throughout the song. Most of the lyrics are pretty good. Mike's voice is pretty cool aside from the "Make love, not war. Give peace, a chance" part.
3.5/5

Average: ~3.75/5 or 7.5/10

Now onto the remakes. I consider this a bonus disk more than anything.

California Girls: The autotune kills any redeemable quality the song may have.
1.5/5

2. Do It Again: The best thing I can say is that the backing track is really good. This song could actually be very enjoyable if not for the terrible use of autotune and stupid Do It chant and whoops.
1/5

3. Help Me, Rhonda: Again, the autotune makes the song unlistenable. I will say that I like how Bruce's vocal is more prominent in the chorus.
1.5/5

4. I Get Around: Ugh, who did this to Mike's voice?? It's so bad lol. It sounds like sandpaper is being rubbed on the microphone as he sings.
1/5

5. Warmth of The Sun: Ahh, this is so refreshing after the last few songs. Ambha does a great job on this one. I'm surprised she hasn't started a recording career, considering the connections Mike has. Maybe she doesn't have a real interest in it.
5/5

6. Brian's Back: There's a touch of autotune, but it's not nearly as bad as the first four songs. Of course Carl's voice is great. Overall this is a decent song, but if I want to listen to it, I'll just listen to the version on MiC.
3.5/5

7. Kiss Me Baby: If you ever wondered what a wall of Mikes sound like, you now have your answer. It's actually kind of amusing, but I wouldn't say it's particularly bad. It actually sounds like someone else's voice might be slipped in there, though. Another great vocal from Ambha. I'll be generous and give it a
4/5

8. Darlin': I was vaguely familiar with AJR before hearing this. They had a minor hit last year or the year before. I really like his voice, but checking out some of their songs, I'm not really a fan of their work. He sounds a lot like Nate Reuss from fun. (he sang Saturday Night on NPP). Overall, this is pretty enjoyable.
4/5

9. Wild Honey: This really rocks! As others have mentioned this mix is lot like how it was played in the early '70s (and now). John's vocal is amazing as always. It sort of reminds me of Blondie's. Too bad Mike didn't do his "sweeter" call back in the build up.
5/5

10. Wouldn't It Be Nice: I and others have said that Jeff really excels in this vocal range. The autotune is a bit heavy handed on Mike's vocal, but nothing too distracting.
3/5

11. Good Vibrations: Again, Jeff turns in a great vocal here. Also again, the autotune is a bit heavy handed on Mike's vocal in the chorus.
3/5

12. Fun Fun Fun: Just when you were starting to forget about the awful autotune in the first few songs, it returns one final time! I will say that it's not *quite* as bad here, but it's still pretty blatant. Mike's prominent bass vocal is pretty cool though.
2/5

Average: ~2.8/5 or 5.6/10

When I first gave this a quick listen, I gave it a 7/10 and I'm going to stick with that after listening to it thoroughly. I don't give as much weight to the remakes because they're just that; remakes. Like I've said before, the record company probably demanded they be included. However, based on the reviews I've read from people who hate anything Mike does and the honest negative reviews, the remakes are a negative distraction from the originals. I'm curious to know why Big Sur wasn't included. So many people love that version of the song. I assume ESQ will do an interview with Mike regarding the album. Hopefully they ask him about that!

[Zargo]

I was debating whether or not to do this, but I'm going to copy over my review from PSF.  After digesting it some more, my opinions have changed slightly on certain songs, but not more than 0.5 points.  Feel free to Unleash the Wrath!


Ok, I'm finally giving this a thorough listen. I'll give my thoughts as I listen to each track.

Great review and I agree with most of it! I miss the "gettin' sweeter" Mike vocals on Wild Honey also, the only thing missing from a great cut.

Am I the only one who loves "Only one Earth?" I usually tear up during the gorgeous coda of the 2003ish version (Guess I'm just a sentimental sap  ) and was not disappointed by this new one - agreed that Ambha's contributions are a stand-out. Makes one wish only more that the "California Saga" band was doing more.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I was debating whether or not to do this, but I'm going to copy over my review from PSF.  After digesting it some more, my opinions have changed slightly on certain songs, but not more than 0.5 points.  Feel free to Unleash the Wrath!


Ok, I'm finally giving this a thorough listen. I'll give my thoughts as I listen to each track.

Great review and I agree with most of it! I miss the "gettin' sweeter" Mike vocals on Wild Honey also, the only thing missing from a great cut.

Am I the only one who loves "Only one Earth?" I usually tear up during the gorgeous coda of the 2003ish version (Guess I'm just a sentimental sap  ) and was not disappointed by this new one - agreed that Ambha's contributions are a stand-out. Makes one wish only more that the "California Saga" band was doing more.

I like it until Mike's vocal starts. It's not the vocal itself but the tuning makes it he's shaky , and the backup vocals are mixed way too low.  Makes me think of Beaks of Eagles structurally. A remix  would make things much better (hey, I work cheap!) The key change though kind of brings things down to a screeching halt, because from there it gets too busy.

And yeah, her vocal works for me great

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I was debating whether or not to do this, but I'm going to copy over my review from PSF.  After digesting it some more, my opinions have changed slightly on certain songs, but not more than 0.5 points.  Feel free to Unleash the Wrath!


Ok, I'm finally giving this a thorough listen. I'll give my thoughts as I listen to each track.

1. All The Love In Paris: Clearly influenced by Don't Worry Baby. Obviously that helps the song and the lyrics are pretty good. The autotune is minimal. I really love the verses, especially the little build up at the end of them. I can see this one making it to my main playlist I use in the car.
4.5/5

2. Getcha Back: We all know this one. The lyric changes are interesting, but I wouldn't say they're better or worse than the original. Real drums were used here unlike the original. I think I like this backing track better than the original, but I'd probably include the saxophone that's in the background of the original. The autotune is more noticeable, but not distracting. Overall, it's basically an interesting alternate version, but it doesn't improve upon the original
3/5

3. Daybreak Over The Ocean: The intro is great! It's based on some doo-wop song, but I can't recall which one at the moment. The bulk of the song is familiar, but it's closer to his First Love version than TWGMTR. His voice seems slightly less nasally than the TWGMTR version. Again, the autotune is not distracting here.
3.5/5

4. I Don't Want To Know: I'm really enjoying this one! I'm not sure how I feel about the woman doing those vocals. I could probably do without them. Mike's voice sounds really nice here.
4.5/5

5. Too Cruel: This song is so frustrating! It would by far be my favorite song on the album, but Mike's vocals are so distracting! I'm not even sure if it's the autotune as it sounds like his voice is sped up. Everything else is great. Maybe I should record my own vocal??
2.5/5

6. Crescent Moon: This is a really nice song. The lyrics are great. I imagine this is the type of song a lot of people wish Mike would write more of. He is in fine vocal form as well.
5/5

7. Cool Head, Warm Heart: It's probably his most well known solo recording and most consider it his best as well. I've always like the intro, but it doesn't really fit the song. Christian's part is really cool and he sounds so much like Carl.
4.5/5

8. Pisces Brothers: I've never been super in to this song. I still maintain that it's more enjoyable in concert, but the female backing vocals are really good.
2.5/5

9. Unleash The Love: There's a pretty good song lurking under here, but I don't care for the instruments used in certain spots where all of it sudden the song goes takes a stripped down approach. The intro is a good example of what I'm talking about. Mike's vocal is decent and the background vocals are very enjoyable.
3/5

10. Ram Raj: Wow, I wasn't expecting this! I'm almost at a loss for words. That Ram Raj chant is an earworm that's not going to away for a while. The guitar solos are so cool as are the vocals toward the end of the song. What is with the curry comment at the end of the song?? That was so weird haha. Well done, Mike.
5/5

11. 10,000 Years Ago: I wish there were more guitar driven Beach Boys songs in the world. The outro goes on a bit too long, but otherwise this is one of those songs I'll never get tired of.
4.5/5


12. Only One Earth: I rarely like spoken bits is songs and I don't like this one either. My favorite part is Ambha's vocal, I could listen to that over and over. The rest of the song is decent, but northing spectacular.
3/5

13. Make Love Not War: The intro starts off great, but I don't care for the crowd chants that appear here and throughout the song. Most of the lyrics are pretty good. Mike's voice is pretty cool aside from the "Make love, not war. Give peace, a chance" part.
3.5/5

Average: ~3.75/5 or 7.5/10

Now onto the remakes. I consider this a bonus disk more than anything.

California Girls: The autotune kills any redeemable quality the song may have.
1.5/5

2. Do It Again: The best thing I can say is that the backing track is really good. This song could actually be very enjoyable if not for the terrible use of autotune and stupid Do It chant and whoops.
1/5

3. Help Me, Rhonda: Again, the autotune makes the song unlistenable. I will say that I like how Bruce's vocal is more prominent in the chorus.
1.5/5

4. I Get Around: Ugh, who did this to Mike's voice?? It's so bad lol. It sounds like sandpaper is being rubbed on the microphone as he sings.
1/5

5. Warmth of The Sun: Ahh, this is so refreshing after the last few songs. Ambha does a great job on this one. I'm surprised she hasn't started a recording career, considering the connections Mike has. Maybe she doesn't have a real interest in it.
5/5

6. Brian's Back: There's a touch of autotune, but it's not nearly as bad as the first four songs. Of course Carl's voice is great. Overall this is a decent song, but if I want to listen to it, I'll just listen to the version on MiC.
3.5/5

7. Kiss Me Baby: If you ever wondered what a wall of Mikes sound like, you now have your answer. It's actually kind of amusing, but I wouldn't say it's particularly bad. It actually sounds like someone else's voice might be slipped in there, though. Another great vocal from Ambha. I'll be generous and give it a
4/5

8. Darlin': I was vaguely familiar with AJR before hearing this. They had a minor hit last year or the year before. I really like his voice, but checking out some of their songs, I'm not really a fan of their work. He sounds a lot like Nate Reuss from fun. (he sang Saturday Night on NPP). Overall, this is pretty enjoyable.
4/5

9. Wild Honey: This really rocks! As others have mentioned this mix is lot like how it was played in the early '70s (and now). John's vocal is amazing as always. It sort of reminds me of Blondie's. Too bad Mike didn't do his "sweeter" call back in the build up.
5/5

10. Wouldn't It Be Nice: I and others have said that Jeff really excels in this vocal range. The autotune is a bit heavy handed on Mike's vocal, but nothing too distracting.
3/5

11. Good Vibrations: Again, Jeff turns in a great vocal here. Also again, the autotune is a bit heavy handed on Mike's vocal in the chorus.
3/5

12. Fun Fun Fun: Just when you were starting to forget about the awful autotune in the first few songs, it returns one final time! I will say that it's not *quite* as bad here, but it's still pretty blatant. Mike's prominent bass vocal is pretty cool though.
2/5

Average: ~2.8/5 or 5.6/10

When I first gave this a quick listen, I gave it a 7/10 and I'm going to stick with that after listening to it thoroughly. I don't give as much weight to the remakes because they're just that; remakes. Like I've said before, the record company probably demanded they be included. However, based on the reviews I've read from people who hate anything Mike does and the honest negative reviews, the remakes are a negative distraction from the originals. I'm curious to know why Big Sur wasn't included. So many people love that version of the song. I assume ESQ will do an interview with Mike regarding the album. Hopefully they ask him about that!

Good review...I agree with many of your points. I'm amazed at how good the good tracks are. I was expecting a whole lot worse. For me, the overall grade is much lower because the weak spots really are terrible, and the pitch tuning is downright amateurish. It was bad on TWGMTR too, but it fit the rest of the sound. The remakes of Daybreak over the Ocean and Getcha Back are awful and I much prefer the original versions. (I know many hate the production of GB on BB 85, but it had life,...here, it sounds lifeless).

10,000 Years Ago and Ram Raj though are top notch, A+ songs. Regardless of how I feel about the rest (video review coming this weekend) , I will sing the praises of those two .

[kreen]

Missed it aa I rarely pay attention to lyrics.  Wow...that's just...yeah.

"I'm outraged by this racial slur I hadn't even noticed until somebody pointed it out to me."

I'm French Canadian and I sure get offended when people refer to us as liking maple syrup. Even though, you know, we do...

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

That's like saying because I'm from Texas,  I like cowboy hats and country music. Nope

[kreen]

That's like saying because I'm from Texas,  I like cowboy hats and country music. Nope

No, it's like saying Texans are known generally for cowboy hats and country music -- which they are. It's not saying every Texan wears a cowboy hat.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

It's a stereotype,  and not entirely accurate. In houston,  for example, this city is much more urban. Same with Dallas, Austin,  and San Antonio.  Head to west texas, though, and you'll see more of that.

I'm not so much offended as I'm more like WTF, could've done without it as it is out of place with the rest of the song

[rab2591]

Missed it aa I rarely pay attention to lyrics.  Wow...that's just...yeah.

"I'm outraged by this racial slur I hadn't even noticed until somebody pointed it out to me."

I'm French Canadian and I sure get offended when people refer to us as liking maple syrup. Even though, you know, we do...

Hey guys, let’s unleash the love, because we only have one Earth, and we need to make love not war...But let’s reinforce the idea that making sweeping generalizations about cultures is totally fine and it’s gonna promote peace and love on earth.

It’s also one of those things that leaves you scratching your head...it’s like if some recording artist from India were to emulate an American hymn song, do a great job of it, then at the end of the recording adopt a poor attempt at an American accent and say “I love hamburgers and French fries!” - would we find it offensive? Depends on the person I guess. But you’re all left thinking “why is that closing out the song? That’s just weird.”

[Peadar 'Big Dinner' O'Driscoll]

Not getting the love for Ram Raj after several listens 

[rab2591]

Not getting the love for Ram Raj after several listens 

For me, it’s refreshing to hear something so far from the norm from him. Is it Sgt Pepper level creativity? Probably not, but it’s a nice new direction for an artist who has spent the majority of the last three decades rhyming the words “vibrations” and “fun” in nearly every song they’ve released.

[rab2591]

Summer In Paradise vs Unleash The Love? Does anyone have an opinion? 

Unleash the Love. I can see myself listening to Unleash the Love again - and I enjoy some songs from it. SIP, everything about it makes me cringe, especially with The Beach Boys name directly attached to every song. Even with Carl’s gorgeous voice, the lyrics and production are so bad, not to mention the songs themselves. Unleash the Love has a little depth to it, SIP is just cringeworthy pandering to a Kokomo loving market that died years before SIP was released.

[SMiLE Brian]

Billy needs a profile picture of him wearing a cowboy hat!

[The LEGENDARY OSD]

Billy needs a profile picture of him wearing a cowboy hat!

  I want to see the whole shebang featuring cowboy boots, studded belt, and chaps all the while singing "Long Tall Texan". 

[SMiLE Brian]

Electronic remix....