New essay on my deep affection for Mike Love

[Dancing Bear]

Where's Sebastian when we need him? 

[Aegir]

If not for Brian Wilson, nobody would even know the name of Mike Love. Because Brian thrust him into stardom, some still try to defend his very meager talents. He fronted a major rock 'n' roll band, got to write lyrics for some of the greatest songs ever written, and has become a major star and a major furo do burro. Without Brian Wilson, Mike Love would have probably worked out his life in a factory. Today, he would probably be working at Wal-Mart as a greeter. That's how much this board should acknowledge Mike Love's talent. Brian gave him a chance to display what little there was of it.

If not for Brian Wilson, no one would know the names of Carl, Dennis, Al, David, Bruce, et cetera, either.  "got to write lyrics for some of the greatest songs ever written"? Pfft. And Brian got to write music for some of the greatest songs ever written.

[mikeyj]

If not for Brian Wilson, nobody would even know the name of Mike Love. Because Brian thrust him into stardom, some still try to defend his very meager talents. He fronted a major rock 'n' roll band, got to write lyrics for some of the greatest songs ever written, and has become a major star and a major furo do burro. Without Brian Wilson, Mike Love would have probably worked out his life in a factory. Today, he would probably be working at Wal-Mart as a greeter. That's how much this board should acknowledge Mike Love's talent. Brian gave him a chance to display what little there was of it.

If not for Brian Wilson, no one would know the names of Carl, Dennis, Al, David, Bruce, et cetera, either.  "got to write lyrics for some of the greatest songs ever written"? Pfft. And Brian got to write music for some of the greatest songs ever written.

I totally agree Aegir. You could argue without Mike, Brian might not have been as famous. His lead vocals really helped the band along in their early days and although he has come up with some total piles of trash in terms of lyrics, he has written some wonderful lyrics. Think of the B-side of Today! for example

[Ron]

If not for Brian Wilson, nobody would even know the name of Mike Love. Because Brian thrust him into stardom, some still try to defend his very meager talents. He fronted a major rock 'n' roll band, got to write lyrics for some of the greatest songs ever written, and has become a major star and a major furo do burro. Without Brian Wilson, Mike Love would have probably worked out his life in a factory. Today, he would probably be working at Wal-Mart as a greeter. That's how much this board should acknowledge Mike Love's talent. Brian gave him a chance to display what little there was of it.

You have no way of knowing 1 thing you just said, because it's all speculation.  REALITY shows us that Mike Love is an extremely successful musician who's written some of the greatest songs of all time.  That's reality.  I'll take reality over speculation any day of the week. 

[Wilsonista]

Where's Sebastian when we need him? 

Sebastian can stay right where he is, thank you very much.

[SG7]

He wore some great turbans in the past.

 

[grillo]

(If not for Brian Wilson, nobody would even know the name of Mike Love. Because Brian thrust him into stardom, some still try to defend his very meager talents. He fronted a major rock 'n' roll band, got to write lyrics for some of the greatest songs ever written, and has become a major star and a major furo do burro. Without Brian Wilson, Mike Love would have probably worked out his life in a factory. Today, he would probably be working at Wal-Mart as a greeter. That's how much this board should acknowledge Mike Love's talent. Brian gave him a chance to display what little there was of it.)

Man, if my thirteen year-old self could see my 33 year old self defending Mike he'd probably cry, but here goes...
    While its true that BW would likely have made some impression on music, without Mike and Denny he probably would not have made the impact he has. BW would have been a big easy-listening type of star, not the mainstream pop star he became. Mike was the guy that took BW's melodic ideas and turned them into songs that kids could relate to. That might not be the aspect of the BB we like the best, but it's the part that made them famous, and it's why we have so many beautiful albums to listen to. BW by himself would have been thrown off the label after two or three unsuccesful records. They would have been amazing records, but not relatable to the kids. So give Mike his due.

[donutbandit]

If it weren't for Brian. or Alan, who would know Mike Love's name?

Mike jumped on as a nasally singer. Where would he be otherwise? Did he have the talent or the vision to create a rock group?

If Brian or Al (or both) hadn't made contact with Hite Morgan, nobody today would even know who Mike Love is.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

I believe that Mike Love definately had an important roll in the Beach Boys success. Maybe he didn't have a lot of creativity or talent, but niether did Dennis in the early days. Yet, Mike and Dennis gave the band charisma. Think about it, Brian, Carl, Al and David were fairly boring on stage in the early days. But Mike and Dennis were always good performers.

Mike was also very good at coming up with hooks that made songs more comercial (and not as good - just kidding - or not).

I believe that Brian could've been a semi-succesful solo artist. But it would never have made the impact that he was able to make with the other guys.

Although, I do agree that Mike couldn't do anything on his own, I think he could've been succesful without Brian. Not by himself, but with another decent songwriter.

[Wilsonista]

"I'll easily concede that Mike Love does not have the musical genius of Brian Wilson, the musical vision of Dennis Wilson, or the big ears and solid chops of Carl Wilson. He may not even have the musical skills of Al Jardine." - Josh Hoisington

He isn't even arguing that Mike was the most talented. He's arguing that Mike is an interesting character.  What he was great at was recognizing talent and selling it. Part of singing a song is "selling" the sentiments within. And from 62-65, Mike and Brian were the best in the BB at selling those songs. Ever imagine how I Get Around would sound with Sweet Angel Voiced Carl boasting about how much of a Badass he was?  It would prolly make America sound like Zeppelin. Mike and Bri were the Ying and the Yang of Classic BB.  Mike in the glory days was one of Brian's biggest cheerleaders (Dennis being the other) by virtue of his spirited lead vocals.  Would Brian have been better off without Mike? Hypotheticals are just that - hypothetical. At this point, I'm sick of debating his role or non-role in what happened to the band from SMiLE onward. I'm sick of debating the lawsuits and the slights and the smarmy interviews.  Mike was probably the biggest fan of the group known as the BB.  Maybe it's not so much the need to make a living or the money or the acclaim that makes him want to hang onto the BB name.   Having the  name taken away fom him might mean that something he treasured was now gone indefinitely.  Maybe when he sings California Girls onstage today , somehow he feels as if Brian, Dennis, Carl and a Al that he got along with are still with him.  I used to hate "Brian's Back" with a passion, dismissing it as a smarmy, insincere piece of sh*t.  But after reading H's blog, I've kinda warmed to the sentiments of the song.  It wasn't easy for any of these guys living the lives they've led. Mike's scars are different from Brian's  for sure but they are scars just the same.

Let's just say that the BB would have been radically different without Mike Love and leave it at that.  

[Dancing Bear]

No Mike, no Beach boys.

[MBE]

Great shot. He looked nutty in the beard but somehow it works.

[Sheriff John Stone]

The argument - where would Mike Love be without Brian Wilson - is a ridiculous one. Or vice versa. It is impossible to know. Yes, you can speculate, but even that is almost impossible.

What bothers me the most about saying it about Mike Love is that there are thousands of rock and roll bands where you could raise the same question, and many, many major ones. Would we have heard of Paul McCartney if he didn't meet John Lennon. Or Ray Manzarek if he didn't stumble across Jim Morrison on the beach. Or Art Garfunkel if he didn't attend the same school as Paul Simon. Or Mick Jagger if he didn't ride the same bus as Keith Richards. Or Dave Davies if his brother wasn't Ray. I could go on. The is NO WAY of knowing.

It's one thing to argue the extent of the contribution of the person after the two met, but we have no way of knowing "what might've been".

[Beach Boy]

Or Ray Manzarek

Never heard of them.   

BTW It was a train where Jagger and Richards met again.

[markcharles75]

Well I must say, the responses here are very thoughtful and emotional.  To me, Mike Love is a fucking rock n' roll legend and if I ever met him, I would gladly thank him for all the wonderful music the Beach Boys created.  Because it is the Beach Boys. I cannot picture anyone else singing I Get Around. And if it is true (for example) he came up with the hook "round round get around, I get around", then what a hook! I feel exhausted even trying to type a "defense" for Mike. I love the Beach Boys , ALL of them.  We should be thankful for what they gave us.  I always say, speaking of Brian Wilson, that if I ever got JUST one song...say Caroline No...well that would have been enough (thats how good the music is)...I understand to some degree the frustation felt when talking about the Beach Boys career...why did they do this, why did  they do that...its all Mike's fault ...but it is pretty damn easy to sit back and retrospect a whole career of a band and criticize the music and its band members.  I guess the frustation comes because we all know the talent that was contained within that band.

I want to say also something concerning later Beach Boys albums.  When I put on say, MIU, whether it was for the first time or for another listen, I would never expect to hear another Pet Sounds.  That was a one time deal...a beautiful door was opened at that particular time in Brian's life...inspiration...and that was what we got...to expect something like that ALL THE TIME is just selfish and stupid. So when I listen to say, Still I dream of it or Matchpoint, I don't dare compare to Pet Sounds. That is just idiotic and unreasonably demanding. I appreciate the context in which it was created and know that even at the Beach Boys so called "worst" I could not even come close to creating such music or melodies...that is how much talent these guys had.  Like Darian said in the Beautiful Dreamer doc, there is no way they could recreate those harmonies and that was his major worry...that they had a special blend. Mike was part of that special blend. We all know this.

How can anyone speculate or wish something different is beyond me.  I think to slam Mike is just stupid.  What a catalogue, a life story these guys left us.  And hey...I wasn't there? were you? (whoever you may be??)   90% of the time I want to strangle my brother...who knows what these guys went through.  Kind of reminds me what George Harrison said..."we gave our nervous systems" for the world to enjoy the music.  So enjoy the music...look for the hidden deep sea treasures...to say Brian could have done it alone is beyond dumb.  And Mike's talent? to question that? DUH...ummmm....his voice for one???  I know a high percentage on this board (or at least I hope so) is not anti Mike or whoever.  In a sense, I have no idea why I am bothering to type this...good thread Josh, you got everyone fired up!

Mark

[mikeyj]

The argument - where would Mike Love be without Brian Wilson - is a ridiculous one. Or vice versa. It is impossible to know. Yes, you can speculate, but even that is almost impossible.

What bothers me the most about saying it about Mike Love is that there are thousands of rock and roll bands where you could raise the same question, and many, many major ones. Would we have heard of Paul McCartney if he didn't meet John Lennon. Or Ray Manzarek if he didn't stumble across Jim Morrison on the beach. Or Art Garfunkel if he didn't attend the same school as Paul Simon. Or Mick Jagger if he didn't ride the same bus as Keith Richards. Or Dave Davies if his brother wasn't Ray. I could go on. The is NO WAY of knowing.

It's one thing to argue the extent of the contribution of the person after the two met, but we have no way of knowing "what might've been".

I agree Sheriff and with most other people who are saying that without Mike it might not have happened in the same way.. I mean you could speculate and say that without Russ Regan they wouldn't be called The Beach Boys, which I think sounds a lot better than The Pendletones.. so maby they wouldn't have been as big if they had that name... My point is EVERYONE in The Beach Boys story had a role to play, without Murry, without Nik Venet (who saw their potential in the teen genre) etc.. then it wouldn't have worked out the way it did and even though it could have been so much better when you really sit down and think about it, they really gave us a lot of amazing music (and I mean a LOT compared to most artists).. and Mike was a big part of that, particularly in the height of their popularity... I was figuring out some figures the other day (I was bored) and although I tried to include every released song that went by the name of The Beach Boys I no doubt probably missed some songs..but in terms of officially released songs that were written by the band between 1961-1979, Brian had a hand in 179 songs, Mike had a hand in 97 of the songs, Al had 25 songs, Dennis & Carl only had 23 each, Bruce had 5, and Blondie+Ricky had 4 songs. Of course that doesn't tell you about the quality of the songs or exactly what they contributed.... but it shows that Brian+Mike were by far the most prolific members in the years that we love...

[Ron]

I think the argument just falls apart when you start naming songs Mike wrote.  "Good Vibrations".  "I Get Around".  "California Girls".  "Warmth of the Sun".  Just those few put him on par with some of the best as a songwriter. 

[mikeyj]

I think the argument just falls apart when you start naming songs Mike wrote.  "Good Vibrations".  "I Get Around".  "California Girls".  "Warmth of the Sun".  Just those few put him on par with some of the best as a songwriter. 

Yeah basically the best parts in all of those songs are the music BUT in saying that you can't question Brian's judgement in choosing lyrics which are vitally important as well, it seemed that 99% of the time he knew exactly the right man to write the lyrics for a particular song. As someone here once said, can you imagine Mike writing the lyrics to a song like Surf's Up? But then can you imagine VDP writing lyrics to FFF?

[Ron]

The 'best parts' may be the music but the lyrics are way above par as well in my opinion.  Even stuff like I Get Around, My Side of Town, I'm A Real Cool Head, I'm Makin' real Good Bread!

Come on.  That's awesome!  Almost the whole song is cleverly written "My Buddies And Me Are Gettin' Real Well Known, YEAH... The Bad Guys Know Us 'N They Leave Us Alone...."

I think people really underestimate his lyrical contribution to these songs.  Most of the songs don't even sound dated, even today something like "I'm a real cool head, I'm makin' real good bread" is pretty funny, and interesting.  If I heard a new rock song where somebody said something like that I'd think it's the hottest thing on the radio.

[Aegir]

Mike actually did write the music to part of the chorus of Good Vibrations. The melody to "I'm pickin' up good vibrations, she's givin' me the excitations" doesn't exist in Brian's original demo with the Asher lyrics, and the SMiLE version with the Asher verses and the more well-known chorus is credited to Brian Wilson/Tony Asher/Mike Love.

[Ron]

I think Brian's pretty collaboritive on the music as well as the lyrics.  Van Dyke Parks has said some things in interviews that suggest he wrote some of the music to SMiLE as well as the lyrics.  I dont' feel it tarnishes Brian's rep anymore than John Lennon putting Paul McCartney down as co-writer of "The Ballad of John And Yoko" or something. 

[LostArt]

Mike actually did write the music to part of the chorus of Good Vibrations. The melody to "I'm pickin' up good vibrations, she's givin' me the excitations" doesn't exist in Brian's original demo with the Asher lyrics, and the SMiLE version with the Asher verses and the more well-known chorus is credited to Brian Wilson/Tony Asher/Mike Love.

I believe Mike said on one of the documentaries that he wrote the words to fit Brian's bass line.  I can't remember the exact quote, or which doc, though.  Carol Kaye has also praised Brian for this bass line..."This is a jazz feel".

[Magic Transistor Radio]

Mike actually did write the music to part of the chorus of Good Vibrations. The melody to "I'm pickin' up good vibrations, she's givin' me the excitations" doesn't exist in Brian's original demo with the Asher lyrics, and the SMiLE version with the Asher verses and the more well-known chorus is credited to Brian Wilson/Tony Asher/Mike Love.

Who wrote the lyrics to the verses on the famous GV? They are better then Tony Asher's IMO. Although, I think that I like the way Brian's voice fits with Tony's lyrics and the Carl's voice fits with the final lyrics.
I believe Mike said on one of the documentaries that he wrote the words to fit Brian's bass line.  I can't remember the exact quote, or which doc, though.  Carol Kaye has also praised Brian for this bass line..."This is a jazz feel".

[Amy B.]

I thought one of the documentaries went like this:
Interviewer: Did Mike come up with the hook for Good Vibrations?

Brian: Yeah, he came up with this: [sings] I'm pickin' up good vibrations, she's givin' me the excitation..."

Interviewer: So he came up with the bassline?

Brian: No, I had the bassline. He came up with the words.

Just from memory, and I could be remembering wrong.

[the captain]

Mike actually did write the music to part of the chorus of Good Vibrations. The melody to "I'm pickin' up good vibrations, she's givin' me the excitations" doesn't exist in Brian's original demo with the Asher lyrics, and the SMiLE version with the Asher verses and the more well-known chorus is credited to Brian Wilson/Tony Asher/Mike Love.

I don't think singing words over the existing bass part counts as writing the music: that melody does exist in the bass guitar.