Adult / Child

[Nicko]

A few ponderings about this unreleased album...

How close was it to getting a release? Is the reported tracklisting anything like close to final?

Was Brian serious when writing Life is for the Living? And was Carl serious when he sang it? Did they really think it would be included on an album (it sounds like a joke to me)?

What would the reaction have been if the album had been released? Both from hardcore fans and the record buying public.

[the captain]

Was Brian serious when writing Life is for the Living? And was Carl serious when he sang it? Did they really think it would be included on an album (it sounds like a joke to me)?

Probably depends on what you mean by "serious." If you mean did they fail to see humor in it, then no. Brian was a funny guy, and clearly he would have seen that this is a funny song. It's not without precedent, with HELP is On the Way as a humor-health forerunner. But if you mean "serious" as in trying to do a good job? I'd say yes ... and I'd say they did it. I think it's a great song. Pop music need not be without humor. The guy who wrote A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall is one of the funniest guys in the business.

[Andrew G. Doe]

The album was close enough to being released for David Leaf's Pet Sounds 'zine to do a track-by-track review in late 1977: I gather a master was prepared (June 27th 1977) and handed in to Reprise. The band were going to perform tracks from it on the aborted 1977 UK tour. The prevailing wisdom is that Reprise rejected it, and that also a faction of the band hated the 'Big Band' styled cuts.

[TdHabib]

The band were going to perform tracks from it on the aborted 1977 UK tour.

No sh*t? Never heard that before. Do we know what tracks? I can't imagine the band zipping through "Tomboy," or "Lines" with or without Macca.

[Jason]

Adult/Child is a strange beast indeed. Totally inconsistent, all over the place, but Brian's best work has always been like that. Of course, songs like H.E.L.P. Is On The Way and Games Two Can Play stick out like sore thumbs if only for the production values alone, not to mention Brian suddenly reclaiming his sweet voice!

Hey Little Tomboy on Adult/Child is SOMEWHAT preferable to the MIU version if only for the different mix and the lack of the little snare drum intro...it at least FEELS more like a Brian song and production that way. Of course, the middle-eight bit is tasteless as hell.

The big band tracks are pretty great.

The On Broadway cover is dire.

The Love You-esque tracks (Everybody Wants To Live, Lines, It's Trying To Say) are great fun.

Shortenin' Bread is the best version out there.

[TdHabib]

I love Adult/Child, I think that "It's Over Now," is one of the most beautiful, most well-constructed melodically songs Brian has written. However, although I really like "Still I Dream of It" as a song, I think the demo version is superior in it's emotion. Almost make sure you hear "It's Over Now" at the proper speed.

[The infamous Baldwin Organ]

I really love Baseball/It's Trying To Say and Everyone Wants To Live. Those are among the best of the 70s for me.

[Mr. Cohen]

It's hard for me to believe that the group thought Adult/Child would get released. It's not that the songs are terrible - although very goofy at times, a lot of the songs are pretty good. It's just that they sound like demos, or partially finished songs. Love You, for seeming so simple, actually had some pretty dense arrangements. Here, we have a piano, a synthesized bass, and the occasional organ or drum making up most of the songs, except for the big band tracks. The background vocals on "Hey Little Tomboy" are rougher than anything on Love You. Slowing down "It's Over Now" was a mistake, too, and makes Carl sound ridiculous. No way was this going to sell.

[runnersdialzero]

I had thought "It's Over Now" being slowed down was an error that was never really fixed?

Either way, it sounds a thousand times better at the right speed.

[punkinhead]

i honestly have a hard time believing Lines and Everybody wants to Live are finished...i mean, what kind of production do they compare to of that era? Same with It's trying to Say

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

"Everyone wants to live" to my is one of the great lost treasures from the 70s.

[Jay]

"Everyone wants to live" to my is one of the great lost treasures from the 70s.

Me too. I love it. Although, Brian high voice that's on the verge of being shrill sticks out like a sore thumb during the chorus.

[Runaways]

i really wanna hear "it's over now" at original speed.

suggestions on how to achieve?

[Nicko]

It actually makes me quite sad to think that the band (or some of them at least) wanted the album released. As other posters have said, it doesn't hang together cohesively at all, sounds massively underproduced and would have been completely uncommercial. For numerous reasons, Carl had probably lost confidence and some interest by this point.

Still I Dream of It is a good song, despite some dodgy lyrics, and should have been released in some form at the time. I like It's Trying to Say and Games Two Can Play (although the latter is obviously out of place). Lines is cute as well (but has no production values) and It's Over Now isn't bad either but the rest...

The horrible talking on Hey Little Tomboy makes this significantly worse than the released version.

The lyrics to Everybody Wants to Live are abysmal and the song is repetitive and goes nowhere.

The covers are average on the whole.

H.E.L.P. should have been forgotten about by the band by this point.

And Life is for the Living...terrible lyrics and I'm not surprised this hasn't been released officially yet. Carl's vocals indicate he probably wasn't taking it seriously but if any of the band were planning for this to be the opening track on the album then it shows how messed up they were.

[Loaf]

Here's an idea:

Wouldn't it be great if for the BBs 50th Anniversary, they took the best tracks from Adult/Child and added a few more new ones, or suitable covers, (I like On Broadway) and made an organ/synthesizer/big band concept album (vaguely) about their own trials and tribulations of being the Beach Boys over the past 50 years? (in the way that Rumours was about Fleetwood Mac's relationships).

Each surviving band member could have his own 'suite' of songs, etc...

Get Lindsay Buckingham on added instrumental duties. Jim O'Rourke to produce it. Get Four Tet to make a remix album.

It would be amazing to behold, and probably have musical/artistic merit as well as the kudos needed for Pitchfork et al to get off on it.

If I were God, you'd see this breaking story on the headline news tonight.

[The Heartical Don]

Here's an idea:

Wouldn't it be great if for the BBs 50th Anniversary, they took the best tracks from Adult/Child and added a few more new ones, or suitable covers, (I like On Broadway) and made an organ/synthesizer/big band concept album (vaguely) about their own trials and tribulations of being the Beach Boys over the past 50 years? (in the way that Rumours was about Fleetwood Mac's relationships).

Each surviving band member could have his own 'suite' of songs, etc...

Get Lindsay Buckingham on added instrumental duties. Jim O'Rourke to produce it. Get Four Tet to make a remix album.

It would be amazing to behold, and probably have musical/artistic merit as well as the kudos needed for Pitchfork et al to get off on it.

If I were God, you'd see this breaking story on the headline news tonight.

Strange. For one reason or another I am happy that you aren't God.

[phirnis]

IIRC Jim O'Rourke doesn't even like The Beach Boys.

[punkinhead]

I always thought it wasn't released because Mike and Al weren't on it enough (vocally), thus the inclusion of On Broadway, HELP is on the Way, etc. But after Love You, it was like the Boys had cameo appearances on albums; for instance on MIU: Carl's only lead on Sweet Sunday Kinda Love and Dennis' only lead on My Diane...and on LA: Mike's only lead on Sumahama and Al's only lead on Lady Lynda

[Mike's Beard]

I own this album as a BB completist but I can only listen to a handfull of tracks without wanting to cut my eardrums out. Awful, awful stuff mosty, and not even long enough so they tack on a couple of 1970 rejects that hadn't a prayer of getting on "Sunflower" or "Surf's Up" to pad it out. Wasn't Mike's reaction to listening to it "What the foda#!!?!!!" or something like that. Have to agree with him there, however his and Al's abysmal Xmas album was no better!!

[punkinhead]

was there an album art made up for it?

The only one I seen was with Brian- shirtless with fire helmet from Smile era.

[Wrightfan]

was there an album art made up for it?

The only one I seen was with Brian- shirtless with fire helmet from Smile era.

I remember I saw one on the Internet once. It was a cartoon of a family during a BBQ (looked like it was supposed to be drawn "50's style.")

Edit: http://www.loudbassoon.com/images/records/landlocked.jpg

There we go

[Jay]

I think that AGD once said that there was a "mock up" cover made. Whatever that means.

[Ganz Allein]

I love Adult/Child, I think that "It's Over Now," is one of the most beautiful, most well-constructed melodically songs Brian has written. However, although I really like "Still I Dream of It" as a song, I think the demo version is superior in it's emotion. Almost make sure you hear "It's Over Now" at the proper speed.

I love A/C, too, although I like the demo of "It's Over Now" better than the version here. Also, I think Brian's deep, hoarse vocals fit much better on this album (and on 15BO) than on Love You.

[MBE]

was there an album art made up for it?

The only one I seen was with Brian- shirtless with fire helmet from Smile era.

I remember I saw one on the Internet once. It was a cartoon of a family during a BBQ (looked like it was supposed to be drawn "50's style.")

Edit: http://www.loudbassoon.com/images/records/landlocked.jpg

There we go

I'm pretty sure that its just a bootleggers design/

[kirt]

I love  Adult/Child ,but it would have tanked if it was released.  There was an interview with Carnie years back (likely from Endless Harmony or American Band)  in which she said her Dad  would  write these songs and one was about a cigarette.
It always made me wonder about the opening line of "Everyone wants to live". "The cigarette when you put it the water goes psssst , but  the truth is you shouldn't laugh,  if you start laughing you're just a coward."                                   

 The song doesn't make much sense ,but I like it.