"Good Time"

[the captain]

This is the "Good Time" appreciation thread. I love that song, especially when I listen to it in the context in which it was created, with other early-'70s recordings. I love Al's and Brian's voices. I love how it's goofy. I love the cheesy organs. I love the horns. I love the percussion. I love singing along with all the parts at once (or thinking I am doing so until I realize that's impossible and maybe I've had too much to drink and am actually massacring the song).

"Good Time."

It needs your vote. Vote yes for "Good Time."

[Mahalo]

Yes.......

[SloopJohnB]

You've mentioned all the reasons why I love "Good Time". Definitely a big, hearty "yes!" 

[Sheriff John Stone]

I like "Good Time" because it's so original, it's so Brian. I miss those types of songs from him, the sophomoric humor...

That being said, "Good Time" should not have appeared on Love You. It ruins the purity, the gruff/simplistic approach that I enjoy from the album. Maybe if Brian would've re-recorded his lead vocal with a 1976-77 one. Granted it wouldn't have been as good as the earlier one, but the way it exists on the album, it sounds so out of place. I sometimes wonder how anyone who was involved in the release of the album could not have pointed out the glaring differences in Brian's voice, as if we fans weren't sophisticated enough to notice. Or maybe they just didn't care.

[pixletwin]

Not only "yes" but YES!!!!!

[Ron]

I like "Good Time" because it's so original, it's so Brian. I miss those types of songs from him, the sophomoric humor...

That being said, "Good Time" should not have appeared on Love You. It ruins the purity, the gruff/simplistic approach that I enjoy from the album. Maybe if Brian would've re-recorded his lead vocal with a 1976-77 one. Granted it wouldn't have been as good as the earlier one, but the way it exists on the album, it sounds so out of place. I sometimes wonder how anyone who was involved in the release of the album could not have pointed out the glaring differences in Brian's voice, as if we fans weren't sophisticated enough to notice. Or maybe they just didn't care.

Putting the song on "Love You" is out of whack... but everything Brian's done since the late 60's has SOMETHING wrong with it.  That's part of who he is.  So it makes perfect sense to me!  He'll have moments of genius, and moments of "what in the hell was he thinking???" sometimes in the same song. 

[punkinhead]

the lyrics are kinda 'love you' like...but obviously the voice isn't...what about the American Spring version?

"my friend O'rian is self-relyin'"
 

[XY]

I have a softspot for this song. But not sure if Al sings on it. I thought it's all Brian.
This was the last song on the first version of Sunflower, too bad it wasn't included in the final album, instead of "At My Window". Fans who heard it on LY probably thought it's Carl or wow, now Brian is really back!

[matt-zeus]

Great song, it fits lyrically on Love you, i'm not sure whether it would have done so on Sunflower. Perhaps if they'd made it into a double album they could have had a side of the more 'odd' songs available - Good time, Take a load of your feet, I just got my pay, HELP is on its way etc..
It has a great production, nice and bouncing, it reminds me a little of Supergrass (mid 90s Britpop band)

[Dancing Bear]

I sometimes wonder how anyone who was involved in the release of the album could not have pointed out the glaring differences in Brian's voice, as if we fans weren't sophisticated enough to notice. Or maybe they just didn't care.

That's the Beach Boys and that's how I love them. 

[Roger Ryan]

Back in '77 (before I was hip to the history of the song) I simply thought Al had sung lead. The arrangement seemed out of place on "Love You" so, again, I thought that maybe Al had an uncredited production hand in the track. As incongruent as it may have seemed in '77, I'm just glad it was released.

By the way, I love that vocal line "...on the radio..." that appears on the Spring version during the keyboard break; I wish Brian used it for the BB release.

[Bicyclerider]

Like much of Brian's output, the music is sophisticated and brilliant and the lyrics are cringeworthy - they really needed some kind of lyrical quality control during this period (like Reilly exercised a bit later).  Incredible track, as was it's sound twin, I Just Got My Pay.

[pixletwin]

"My girlfriend Penny is kinda skinny and so she needs her falsies on..." 

[melissalynn]

I love, love, love that song. No matter how strange it sounds on 'Love You', it's just a great song to listen to. A big YES from me!

[Glenn Greenberg]

It's cute.  I like it.

And I like "Take a Load Off Your Feet," too!

[the captain]

And I like "Take a Load Off Your Feet," too!

So do I.

[Andrew G. Doe]

I love Al's and Brian's voices.

So do I... but there's no ACJ lead on this song. That's BDW from 'get' to 'go'.

The Spring/Spring mix is much preferable to these ears, however.

[the captain]

But not sure if Al sings on it. I thought it's all Brian.

In the refrains, at least, I think it's both. Sounds like Al in there, too, to me.

[Amy B.]

Love this song. It has kind of a tin pan alley feel to it, and I'm a sucker for that. That's why I even liked McCartney's cheesy stuff to. Bring it on!

There's a story somewhere (Carlin's book?) about Brian writing down the horn part while having a conversation with someone about something completely different. Anyone remember what I'm talking about?

I like the Spring version with the synth too, or whatever that is.

[the captain]

So do I... but there's no ACJ lead on this song. That's BDW from 'get' to 'go'.

I don't doubt you, but neither will I feel shame: I'm not the first to confuse those two voices. I could've sworn in the "maybe it won't last but what do we care" segment, I could hear Al. Maybe I do hear him--in my mind. I have auditory hallucinations of Al's voice.

One other thing I want to mention about this song: like so many of the era, it has that brilliant, bright, present quality (I know that isn't a good description, and apologize.). Stephen Desper is a great man for the work he did in those years with the band. The sound on those tracks is distinctive and, to my ears, wonderful.

[MBE]

I would wager that's all singer the "Dirty Boogie" section. Great song, love Brian's Sunflower era material which I think was his last GREAT era.

[Ebb and Flow]

To me, the "sound of pitter-patter"section sounds a little like Al, and the "Dirty Boogie" section sounds a little more like Brian.  I guess it's all Brian, but it's really hard to tell.

I love the production on this.  The percussion is great, the harmonica is awesome, and the horns are perfect.  Another fine example of Brian firing on all cylinders after '66.

[Custom Machine]

The Beach Boys version of "Good Time" would have totally ruined the artistic integrity of Sunflower.  The Beach Boys really needed to be taken seriously when Sunflower was released, and most listeners back in 1970, myself included, would have considered the song idiotic.  Not that it doesn't have its charms -- it's one of those many BW songs that has potential, and has some really enjoyable parts, but overall comes across as too quirky.  I do really like the Spring version, which is far more palatable to my listening sensibilities.

And speaking of Sunflower, I was thrilled, when I got the album in Aug 1970, to discover that Susie Cincinnati, which had been released 6 months earlier as the flip of "Add Some Music to Your Day", had been left off the album.  To me, it was another dumb song that did nothing but reinforce many people's attitudes that the BBs were uncool.  While a song like "Got to Know the Woman" came across to me as totally cool, "Good Time" and "Susie Cincinnati" have always seemed lame to me.

"Good Time" does fit on Love You from a quirkiness standpoint, but at the same time, it really accentuates the decline in Brian's voice from 70 to 76.

[Sheriff John Stone]

The Beach Boys version of "Good Time" would have totally ruined the artistic integrity of Sunflower.  The Beach Boys really needed to be taken seriously when Sunflower was released, and most listeners back in 1970, myself included, would have considered the song idiotic.  Not that it doesn't have its charms -- it's one of those many BW songs that has potential, and has some really enjoyable parts, but overall comes across as too quirky.

Custom, while I don't disagree about "Good Time" being a little quirky, do you think it could've found a home on Side A, maybe between "Got To Know The Woman" and "Deidre"? The sequencing of Sunflower is all over the place; that's another issue. But look at that possible sequence.

Sunflower is sophisticated musically, but it does have it's funny/goofy moments - "come on and do The Chicken", "we'll take a bath and then I'll laugh again with Deidre", "I ran out of breath and I fell to the ground - poof", and "in an ocean or in a glass, cool water is such a gas".

They wouldn't have had to delete any songs, just include "Good Time" possibly...

[Smilin Ed H]

 "The Beach Boys version of "Good Time" would have totally ruined the artistic integrity of Sunflower.  The Beach Boys really needed to be taken seriously when Sunflower was released, and most listeners back in 1970, myself included, would have considered the song idiotic.  Not that it doesn't have its charms -- it's one of those many BW songs that has potential, and has some really enjoyable parts, but overall comes across as too quirky. "


Maybe like Take A Load off Your Feet, HELP and I've Just Got My Pay!