15 Big Ones

[Magic Transistor Radio]

This album is the last real group album where all five are fully intergrated. Not incliuding any Carl or Dennis songs was a big mistake, but there is a group feeling that never came back.

What about LA Light?

[Alex]

Blueberry Hill, Had to Phone Ya, Its OK, Back Home, and Susie Cincinnati are the only good ones on this. Sea Cruise, Shake Rattle and Roll, and Come Go With Me were better than stuff that made it to the album.

[lance]

I don't think the album is quite as bad as the cover would lead you to believe. About five decent songs on it. I don't exactly hate the rest, but have no reason to listen to the other songs. I don't really hate TM song. Seeing that the actual song is only about 45 seconds long, I look at it as just a bit of silly little ditty and a piece of humor. I don't think that Brian Wilson really thought he was making high art with that one.


LIstened to it today without skipping over any tracks.
I take it back. I'd say four or five of things are some of the worst things I've ever heard. Makes the good stuff sound worse, actually.

[MBE]

This album is the last real group album where all five are fully intergrated. Not incliuding any Carl or Dennis songs was a big mistake, but there is a group feeling that never came back.

What about LA Light?

Man I didn't see this for nearly a year sorry I didn't answer. Well you can see on the back of 15 Big Ones that everyone pretty much is on every track. Mike and Al are missing from a lot of Love You, Carl and Dennis are missing from a lot of MIU, Dennis  missed kTSA, Mike didn't do much on 85, Brian, Bruce, and Carl did relatively little on Still Crusin, and Brian was missing completely from SIP. LA Light is the most democratic of the post Holland albums but Brian isn't on most of it, Dennis worked seperately on his stuff, Mike didn't work on most songs. It has a little of everything but it's kind of like a collection of solo cuts.

[TimeToGetAlone]

Welp, I just listened to this so naturally I'm going to review it.  I must say that I don't share the sentiment that this is a terrible that some might feel.  It's flawed of course, but I'm glad it exists.  Just Once In My Life is just unbelievable.

Rock and Roll Music - 2.5/5
It's OK - 4.5/5
Had To Phone Ya - 5/5
Chapel of Love - 4/5
Everyone's In Love With You - 3.5/5
Talk To Me - 4/5
That Same Song - 3.5/5
TM Song - 3/5
Palisades Park - 4/5
Susie Cincinnati - 4/5
A Casual Look - 3/5
Blueberry Hill - 3.5/5
Back Home - 4/5
In the Still of the Night - 4/5
Just Once In My Life - 5/5

That ends up rounding out to a 4.

[hypehat]

Crap. It got worse though, so i have to say 1.

[variable2]

I admit, I get down with this one every now and then.. I enjoy It's OK, Had To Phone Ya, Chapel Of Love (!?), and Just Once in My Life..  this album sounds like it was made by someone who spent the previous years locked in his room listening to Phil Spector.. and it's kind of a cool vibe sometimes.  Hats off

[Sheriff John Stone]

...this album sounds like it was made by someone who spent the previous years locked in his room listening to Phil Spector.. and it's kind of a cool vibe sometimes. Hats off

Yep. In many ways, this WAS Brian's Phil Spector/Rock & Roll album, although I wouldn't mind hearing another one.

[Alex]

This album has grown on me a lot lately...forget whatever I said earlier in this thread.   This record and Love You taken together make one giant f-you to both everyone that was expecting Brian to turn out another Pet Sounds, and to the "serious" prog/metal/hard rock that was in vogue in the 70s. It's more punk than the Sex Pistols or Black Flag wish they could ever be!!!

[hypehat]

Crap. It got worse though, so i have to say 1.

Whoa, listen to myself. eeesh. 

I quite like it now, actually. The woeful vocals, (Mike being the worst offender - i can't STAND how high his voice is on this) and oddball productions make it quite enjoyable, if not one you listen to over and over. The originals, however, are still pretty bad. The all-oldies concept would have been much better.

[dexyman]

This is an album that probably disappointed about everybody when it came out.  You had the fans that loved the amazing touring band that had previously released Holland, you had the casual fans that had just gotten back into the Beach Boys courtesy of Endless Summer and you had the Brian worshipers who were hoping for another masterpiece due to all the hype.  15 Big Ones was bound to disappoint with all of the hype it received, I think it was about the worst album they could have released at that moment in time. 

All these years later, though, it doesn't seem so bad.  I love Back Home and Had to Phone Ya, while It's OK and Susie Cincinnati are solid originals.  Among the covers Just Once in My Life is great and I've always been a fan of In the Still of the Night.  A couple of the covers (along with the album cover) are pretty embarrassing and Rock and Roll Music is an unfortunate song to be "the one" that you still hear on the radio today. 

Overall I'd give it a 3, a disappointing follow up to Holland but a good starter for Brian who then turned in noncommercial gems with Love You and Adult Child.

[variable2]

you know, i'm listening to this right now, really loud with headphones, and a lot of it sounds really good.. chapel of love sounds great.. listen to it loud!  even blueberry hill shines.

[SmileySam]

I was never real fussy about that record, and I'm not sure why. Maybe its the production.

[slothrop]

you know, i'm listening to this right now, really loud with headphones, and a lot of it sounds really good.. chapel of love sounds great.. listen to it loud!  even blueberry hill shines.

I've also realized that is how this album must be listened to. Loud, it sounds much better. And crank the bass up too. Palisades Park is my favorite of the covers. "County Fair," "Amusement Parks USA" and "PP" are like a demented little trilogy all using that organ/spoken break.

[LetHimRun]

I was generous in giving this a 3. Just Once In My Life is absolutely outstanding. It's OK and Had to Phone Ya are good and Blueberry Hill is pretty good. I don't mind the likes of Palisades Park, Chapel of Love, and In the Still of the Night. The rest...sigh...is really bad. I put Susie Cincinnati in its 1970 B side slot on my playlists, so it doesn't count on this album to me.