The Smiley Smile Message Board

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGke6pnT1d0

Huzzah.

It's paradise when I lift up my antenna!

Bridge is short, but pretty nice.  Brian sings the whole thing.  Some nice guitar fills (by David Marks, I assume) in the song.

Oh, and make sure to turn up the video quality to hear the audio at a better bitrate.

Ok, who will be the first on commenting on the video itself?

 :o

KaboooooozzaaaH!

Thank you very much, beautiful song!

Per video, I don't think it's a "final" produced video, but I just want to hear the song anyway.

 :o It's here!! Finally! Great song.

I don't really like the production that much (the DI-like 90s bass sound etc, it's all very Joe Thomas), but a very nice song it is! And so great to hear the boys singing together, I hear more Mike and Al now than I had noticed before, but there's still some voices I can't make out. I find the bridge to be more Survivor-Eye Of The Tiger 80's-like than BW.

Nice enough song, but - I dunno - I don't really like the overall production style, especially for the harmony bits. They sound a tad "wishy-washy" / too clean and smooth. Too slick and polished. I would've liked the individual voices to be more distinct. But okay, it's a pop production, and it's the Beach Boys (which means anything available production-wise will be used to achieve maximum satisfaction with how the harmonies sound on finished product).

Overall I'd say I'm okay with TWGMTR being their 1st reunion single, it just doesn't blow me away. But I'm sure it'll grow with the weeks to come.

(Video is sh*t, of course. Just lazy. But, oh well..)

10 seconds in now and the first thing I've noticed is the force of the bass - it's no wishy washy BWPS show here!

I love the bridge, especially the "Generation" part. :)

For sure. The first part of it.

It's really good. Song-wise, I think it would have fit nicely on Lucky Old Sun, which is what a lot of us were hoping for with this album.

I like the "That's why god made"s sung by Mike. You can see his voice has much more warmth to it compared to Jeff's.

I'll say it... it's dull.

Dull lyrics, production, harmonies. After the BB-interview hype I was expecting something...better.

If it didn't say 'Beach Boys' on the label, i wouldn't give it a second thought.

The song's real fine. Well, it's not their masterpiece, but it's definitely well-crafted concerning it's been a long time since they last performed together. I'm really glad they're back :D

IMO it's the best thing they've done since KtSA. I'll take it and gladly.

I've got to say... The song keeps growing and growing on me the more I listen. I think it's one of their better songs from the past 30 years, although that's not saying much when you consider what came in that time frame.

It's also not nearly as derivative of Keep an Eye On Summer as I originally thought.

If I say something now you will call me Phil...    >:(

No, we won't, Phil. Come on, let's hear your criticisms.

I like it, nice addition to the catalog! 

I think the song itself is dull and derivative, and the middle eight is completely superfluous and pretty weak. That said, I don't see the problems with the production that other people are seeing here -- it's the best *sounding* thing the BBs have done since at least LA (Light Album), and doesn't sound that different from either That Lucky Old Sun or Postcard From California. The only criticisms I could make of it from a production perspective would amount to "I would have done it differently" rather than "that is aesthetically a bad decision", and since I have produced exactly no hit records while Brian has produced dozens, I don't think what I'd have done differently is a big concern ;)

As for the harmonies, without the talking over it I can make out Al and Bruce's parts much more clearly (though I was right when I said there were three or four Fosketts in the stack -- there are far more than five voices for most of this, and usually Foskett's the only one singing multiple different lines). It's actually very cleverly arranged and mixed, with band members swapping mid-word at times, presumably to allow them all to sing in the strongest ranges they have left.

As what will (I presume) be their last ever single it's a far, far better way to go out than we had any right to expect given the horrors that came out in the 80s and 90s, but it is a shame the song that was so hyped up by everyone turned out to be so mediocre.

SIP can really be forgotten after this, this song is amazing!!!! :rock :rock :rock :rock :rock

Interesting reading much of the criticism. Well I fell almost instantly in love with the song. I think the harmonies and chord changes are beautiful, the whole nostalgic feel about it is straight out of the mid 60's and I am positive it will be part of this summer's soundtrack for me! Now I'm waiting to buy the new album which comes out 9 days after I see them in concert. Reminds me of when I went to see Pink Floyd in September '87 and they played their then current album a week or so before it hit the shops (and they opened with "Echoes" that early on in the tour!).

Who knows if it's going to be the only single release off the reunion album? Depends on how successful TWGMTR is going to be. Plus, the Jardine hinted at a possible 2nd LP after the 2012 release.

Only time will tell..

Nice to hear it all at last. It's a pretty song. I guess if I was to compare it to their other material I'd put it on a par with my favourite stuff from MIU/LA/KTSA period - kind of guilty pleasure stuff I guess rather than classic Beach Boys, but I was expecting much worse to be honest.

I really cannot hear Mike which is a shame, but I do not have the 'dog ears' of some here. Mike higher in the mix would have been a bonus. Lovely to hear bruce so clearly though.

Christ, couldn't they have done a better lyric video though!?

Really good tune!  I like the production, they sound great, good hook too. I expect more from the wilson originals, but this is a fine single

If this record is mediocre, then I hope and pray that the entire new album is mediocre too! :p I'll be blasting this in my car this afternoon.

Well its very nice - not GVs but I have to say the choruses and that vocals section from 2:23 onwards is simply amazing - it even has that PS fender bass in it

For goodness' sake, really? He sings lead on part of the song (first part of the a capella section)!

I can only hear Mike from that point on.

There are parts I don't quite like - Cavernous 80's drum breaks, a LOT of Foskett in the mid-range, a lot of the BB's themselves aren't clear due to doubling with others (if that fakedup recording session is any indication, Dave and Mike sing low parts together, which as my dog-ears aren't attuned to David is confusing), but there's a lot here which is cool! The song is lovely (not sure about that middle eight), Brian sounds amazing, as do Al, and Bruce! I might warm up to it. But it's too slick a production. Curse you, Joe Thomas.

Except that it looks like Joe Thomas didn't produce it. According to the new Capitol press release, that is.

The only thing I don't like all too much production-wise is the bass.

I think the lyrics are terrible. I hope Brian wrote them, if this is the work of a so-called behind the scenes "professional" whoever it is should be fired.

"tuning in the latest star", what the fuck does that even mean?

You're tuning in your radio to hear a song from the latest recording star.

I like it.  There are certain sections of the song that really pop.

Yeah. Doesn't seem that confusing.

It damn well sounds like it, though.

I like how they are deleting comments about the poor quality of the video. It's really shameful that a professional company would produce that -- I wonder what they billed Capitol for that?

The song's not bad. I thought I didn't like it and yet here I am playing it all morning. A bit maudlin and syrupy, but um... it IS The Beach Boys, right?

I really don't care what everyone else thinks as I love it, brought a tear to my eye, thank you Beach Boys.

I guess that makes sense but it's still (to me) a dumb way of phrasing it.

The concept of the 'lyric video' is to gauge interest for the record company, in case they want to make a full proper one.

But yeah, it's like a ten year old made it in Flash yesterday afternoon.

Would "You're tuning in your radio to hear a song from the latest recording star" sound better?

I agree, and I think most of it sounds nothing like the BBs, and it seems to me that the whole point of using a recognisable BB voice to sing a certain line or half-line is to distract from this. I'd rather have a rougher harmony mix of the 5 BBs singing than a wall of smoothed-out Fosketts.

I'll disagree with that, it doesn't sound like imagination at aaaaall

Why is that at all a sentiment that needs to be conveyed?

Because people do that?

Besides, it's a purposefully poetic way of phrasing it. And the purpose wasn't just to shorten the statement. Upon hearing the line for the first time I had to think of a guy hanging around in his car under the starry night sky, just sitting there and turning on his radio. While the song plays, he's looking at the stars, or at a particular one. He's "tuning in the latest star", twofold. By thus ambiguously phrasing the line there might be all kinds of meanings to "tuning in the latest star". "Star" might also, in a less abstract way, refer not to the artist but a certain tune. Something you can connect to on an emotional level, yearning for something, just like looking at the stars. "Please Let Me Wonder" comes to (my) mind.

But I'm rambling....  ;D Just wanted to advocate that particular line.

Some parts of it (the bass for example) do sound reminiscent of the sound on Imagination. IMO

Some of the lyrics are wonderful - "receiving your signal like a prayer" sounds like something 1966 Brian and Van Dyke would have come up with.

I like it. Yeah, it's imagination-esque, but my main problems with that album(covering classics for no reason, that nylon guitar) are not here

Seriously, this makes a big difference. At the higher bit rate, the vocals sound a lot more natural and the instrumentation sounds more organic.

Exactly. Thomas is clearly involved in the reunion in some way, shape or form (certainly as a co-writer of material, at the very least), but it doesn't sound much like Imagination.

It sounds quite a bit like recent BW solo records, though. (But with more vocal processing.)

I look at this song at the spiritual heir to 'Add Some Music To Your Day'. It's about the pleasure and sometimes spiritual feeling that you can get by hearing a favorite song.

It's very Wilsony to my ears.

I will try to stop listening to TWGMTR until my single CD has arrived and I can hear the song in adequate quality... (wonder when that will be, though).

It's pleasant enough. Could have done with Mike being more prominent.

...and then rejected. The lyrics are a bland, songwriter-for-hire kind of job.

Actually, they are much more clever than I expected.

Am still digesting the bridge, however.

I'm trying too!

I think it's brilliant, better than I ever expected

Typical replies from typical Bach Boys fans:

"It sounds like Joe Thomas"
"It doesn't sound anything like Joe Thomas"
"I don't like the bass sound"
"I love the bass sound"
"I can hear everybody singing"
"I can only hear Jeff Foskett doubling everybody else"
"I love, love, love the song"
"Meh"

As for me, I can't listen for another five hours, but I already know I like it (from the first promo video).

I don't love it yet but I certainly LIKE it. It's new music from The Beach Boys, with a full album to follow. I'm sure there will be a couple of gems to come.


Please tell me this is what he's calling himself now, and not a typo.  :lol

I think we should think of TWGMTR as the latest in a long line of made-to-order BB singles. That is, songs that are purposefully built to show off what the group (and its advisers) think is best about the band at any one time.

This is a trend that goes back (at least) to Sail On Sailor, which was the last-minute addition to single-fy Holland. It's a "Brian Wilson" composition, sure, but one with the most basic of chord changes and a bevy of-co-writers.

You also had, notably, Good Timin' (rescued from a batch of old tapes to give L.A. its signature BW moment), Goin' On (again, a BW comp but one wildly re-arranged by Bruce) and Getcha Back (Mike and Melcher ripping off "Hungry Heart" while BW does his best Billy Joel in the background).

While many of these songs are good -- and some are now thought of as classics -- they are all meant to showcase harmony (or in the case of SoS, the 70s "rock" BB sound), Brian Wilson's involvement in the band, and the notion of the group as an unstoppable hit, harmony and hook machine.

Looked at in that sense, TWGMTR makes all the sense in the world. Again, you have a purpose-written song (with Brian likely fiddling with it in one way or another), group vocals out the wazoo, and a Brian lead to prove that he's engaged in the reunion. Also, a hook that it's not afraid to pound into the ground.

It's amazing how much better the song sounds if you up the quality on youtube.  Wow.  Much, much better.  

I just love this song... just love it.

Well, it's OK. It's much better than Summer in Paradise, but that's not high praise. On the other hand, I'm liking it more on repeated listenings, which can't be a bad thing. There are some good things going on in it, including the singing (processing be damned), vocal arrangements (very solid), chord changes (derivative they may be), and even some of the lyrics (which, if nothing else, are not terrible). And I've had the hook stuck in my head for the last day or so, which is precisely what I want out of a good song by the Beach Boys.

I downloaded the 152kbps AAC audio (embedded in the 1080p version) -- not stellar quality, but good enough to stop blaming the production on the bitrate. After just a few listens, I'm left with pretty mixed feelings. It sounds like a cross between Gershwin/Postcard and Imagination. Sure, you've got real guitars and keys, real(-ish) drums and bass guitar, and recognizable voices. But it all sounds so drowned. Take, for instance, all that reverb. There's nothing inherently wrong with digital reverb -- it's all over the group's stereo remixes and BW's Gershwin album (I think), and I've always thought that sounded excellent -- but this particular treatment doesn't do it for me.

If the goal was to blow me away with a song that can stand proudly with one of their 60's classics, they did not succeed. But I can comfortably say that I'm not disappointed.

i think i like it. it almost sounds more like something Rick Henn would write. i'm actually surprised how twisty-turny the melody and chord progression is, especially for a single. and i hear a bit of Midnight Cowboy in there

What an amazing 14 months since SMiLE was announced. Who'd have thought?

OK, it's not the greatest BB song ever, but it could have been a zillion times worse. A worthy addition to the canon IMO.

I'm pretty sure Bruce sings " the soundtrack for falling in love" and not "of" like the video says.

Well, the press release wouldn't tell you Jim Peterik wrote the song, either.


And that beach ball animation really takes on stunning depth at 1080p!  ;D

On to my 14th listen

Really brilliant

No, but it doesn't say anyone wrote the song. It does say someone produced the album. And that someone is Brian Wilson.

No mentions of co-producers, though, which is entirely possible ...

Wait a minute .......  No, still can't hear him! Maybe I'm listening for the classic bassy Mike vocal. I just can't pick him out. To be honest, besides Brian the only Beach Boy I can really hear is Bruce.

Maybe altering the bit rate will magically reveal Mike!

:lol

He's not singing any bass vocals. He's singing mid range "That's why god made" towards the end.

Exactly. He's singing in the range of his lead on "Kokomo," and he sounds a little hoarse.

Also, Al sings really prominently on the "in my car" bits right before the first two choruses kick in.

Ok lets all give AGD his propers for being able to decipher the lyrics correctly from the sizzle reel earlier in the week.  Dog ears yes?

As for the video itself?  Yellow Submarine-ish?  So good or no good?

IMHO, best single they've released since "Sail on Sailor" (and this is a catchier, more well-developed tune in some ways).

I like "Kokomo" as well, but that's total 80s cheese in some ways.  "Getcha Back" and "Good Timin" aren't quite as well developed either.

Now, this isn't going to be as big of a hit as any of those four since times have changed, but I think objectively it's a better pop song than 3 of those.

Not sure what the difference is between a video and a lyric video (aside from the obvious). But I would say it was a whole lot closer to Karaoke in feel than any where even near Yellow Submarine-ish.  :lol

Time for us to spread the word to all we know so this can be a hit!

I just listened to it for the first time through.   Hearing the tune gave me CHILLS(good).  Glad they've back and can't wait for the album on June 5, 2012!!! 

I can't compare this to any Brian Solo work, or anything.

This is amazing after 50 years, they've written a song i'd say is one of my new favorites.

Honestly, kill me if you want, this is light years better then I expected, and tons better then anything since the Love You or maybe even Surf's Up Era, IMO.

Hey Sheriff - good to see you back again!

Yeah, I meant I was listening for his bass vocal which is maybe why I couldn't hear him. I have to say, even knowing where to listen I still can't distinguish his voice. I think maybe what I'm hearing as Bruce in places is actually Mike.

I can hear Al ok!

Lyric videos are produced quickly and cheaply by record companies to see if there's interest enough to commission a full-budget video. Brian had one made for "You've Got a Friend in Me." The best ever, perhaps, was the one done for Cee Lo's "f*** You." An awesome clip.

This one, to put it charitably, is wretched.

No killing dude, I freaking love it too - it's been making my ears happy ever since I heard it on the promo video.

I'm genuinely curious...how so? Maybe i'm missing something.

The drum thwack at 2:35 sounds like a 2012 version of the drum thwack JT used on Your Imagination, if you know what i mean. The processing, the dynamic. I doubt Brian Wilson sat in the studio saying "You know what this beat needs right before everything comes back in? Some 80s-ish processed drum hit. You can feel the love in it."

And I like the whole Imagination album.

The "Whole New Generation" to "TWGM..." Transition is fu*king amazing, the muted guitars are SO 60's.

Just spent over 20 driving around town listening repeatedly while blasting this song on my car stereo.  The fact that I kept playing it over and over again at full volume is perfect validation to me that I love this song.  (And hopefully they'll come up with an improved video, similar to the clips on the single sizzle promo.)

I really love these lines:

It's paradise when I
Lift up my antennae
Receiving your signal
Like a prayer
Like a prayer

The whole merging of the God and radio idea, along with the silly off-rhyme of when I and antennae -- it's pretty sublime.

It's no VDP, of course, but neither is latter-day VDP!

Fair enough, the first two lines (and off-rhyme) are pretty BW-esque :) but i'm still not a fan of the rest.

RE: the video

This is NOT the music video. Lots of record labels are doing "lyric videos" now so they can have an official version of the song on YouTube.

I kinda wish that'd they'd wait to put it up on YouTube until they have the official music video all set.  That way the total view count can be concentrated to just one video...not two or three.  It's no big deal in the end but I think a little consistency would help here.

One word.

Yes! :thumbsup

There won't be an official video -- or plans for one -- unless the lyric one gets enough hits. That's the way it works now.

Really? I'm so out of touch. And this is true for all acts? Or just when they're not sure?

Pretty sure it's the latter. The thing is, music videos aren't even played on TV anymore. They only really exist for web traffic. So unless you're OK Go, or some act that depends on making awesome videos and driving huge YouTube traffic, there's no real reason to make a big production anymore. So you make something cheap, throw it up, and see what the interest is.

For non-english spoken listeners like me, the Lyric video is a great idea.
Also I love TWGMTR, can't get out of my head!!

The song sounds like it's from the early '90s, both the tune and the production. 

Really? In what way would you say the production of this differs from Brian's last 3 albums?

No, it doesn't. Unless self-consciously retro homages to 1964 Beach Boys were all the rage in the early 90s.

gonna file this in the guilty pleasure section cos if im honest...Its something I enjoy listening too but it wouldnt stand up to any critical analysis.

very poor lyrics, awful middle 8

expecting more of the same but worse from "Think About The Days,” “Beaches In Mind,”and “Summer’s Gone.”

happy enough though as I had no expectations particularly when I heard Joe Thomas was involved.

still...cant wait for the concert

It's strange, but as I listen to the full song more, I'm more conflicted about it.  

There's a lot of things I like about it.  For instance, Brian sounds great and youthful.  The harmonies are quite good and the tag at the end is great.  The verses are quite nice with a good chord progression, albeit a bit derivative, but, musically, the song is, for the most part, nicely developed and catchy.  The production is tasteful.  A little slick for my tastes, but it's not "Imagination" either and it's their best production since "Light Album".  So I'm cool with all of that.  It's definitely the most "Beach Boys sounding record" since, perhaps, "Good Timin'".  That stuff is good.  

But then there's things that bug the crap out of me.  Musically, the song is nostalgia in a tasteful sense, but lyrically, it's nostalgia in the worst way; over sentimentalism and kitschy.  I can live with a little corniness (I am a Beach Boys fan, after all), but, outside of a few lines, the lyrics are cringe worthy and simplistic.  Writing a song as an ode to radio (even if it's dead) can be a potentially interesting concept for a band from that era.  But I think it could have been executed much, much better with a bit more depth than cheesy platitudes.  

And then there's the bridge.  On one hand, I quite like the way it transitions to the tag, but I utterly loathe the circa "Summer In Paradise", Mike Love-esque "new generation" line, which is not only too wordy for the melody, but, when combined with the cliche key change, makes it the most cringe worthy part of the song.  I can just see people waving their hands in the air, with their lighters out.  For a song that's supposed to sound like vintage Beach Boys, that middle eight sounds anything but.  

Overall, despite the song's deep flaws, it's not bad.  There's a lot to like, and there's a really solid tune, arrangement, and good vocals behind it.  That alone makes the song, relative to the past 30 years, an easy A (albeit not the highest of praises).  As a song by itself, I'd give it a B-/B.  It's good, has great moments, and exceeded my expectations.  It certainly won't hurt their legacy.  

Matthew: You capture a lot of my feelings about the song. The bridge almost sounds like a joke. It's like ... really? The guitars get THAT LOUD for like five seconds? It's almost like Jim Peterik demanded that his contributions be audible in some way.

The lyrics don't bother me much ... kitschy and corny is really par for the course with this band. I mean, Brian solo wrote a song "Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl." And that was his title and line.

I think your final grades are fair. Probably their best single since Getcha Back.

The drums and bass sound like they came straight from the Imagination sessions. I wonder.....

There's a lot to like here though. The vocals are fantastic. Different than classic BB's. They vocals are closed in by the music, probably to cover up some things. If it was mixed like the 60s BB records were, the vocals would be a lot airier, but then, would they sound as good?

What's up with the really loud, obnoxious guitar as the chorus makes it's way to the bridge? It's oddly out of place.

It has a glossy MOR production style that really hasn't changed much in the last 20 years and reminds me of "Imagination" (also DT produced).  It's very processed and in that way it reminds me of the early '90s. Or even the 80s. It reminds me of Huey Lewis's "If This Is It."  It also made me think of a couple of songs that were tribute/nostalgia that were popular around the early '90s, "Black Velvet" and "Walking in Memphis." I could see it being played between "Walking In Memphis" and Brian's daughters' "Hold On" from that time period and fitting in.

I checked out the full song on youtube and I have to say I don't like it at all.  I'm not hearing what most of you guys are apparently.

Fair enough. I don't agree with a word of it -- this sounds virtually nothing like Imagination, and Joe Thomas hasn't been credited with producing it either, but whatever. Everyone was interested in writing doo-wop style harmony ballads in the early 90s. And this sounds like Huey Lewis and Marc Cohn.

Yeah. Sigh.

No doubt in my mind now that Brian is being doubled by someone in the verses after hearing this. Guy sounded great on TLOS and the Gershwin album, thus this puzzles me.

"Damn the Beach Boys still sound f'n good. How do these guys still sound 20 at 100? Amazing."

- My 30  yr. old Brother who is a very casual listener.


Us hardcore fans might find a lot to get picky about in the track but I think the general public is really gonna dig this. This song is meant to reintroduce the public to the boys and I think it does an amazing job. Outside of this board no one knows or cares who Joe Thomas or any of those other clowns are. I think we'd do best to just kick back and enjoy this reunion.

I really don't know about that.

The new song is okay.  Pleasant.  Harmless.  Nice vocals.  Reminds me a bit of "Keep an Eye on Summer."

I have to laugh a bit as I recall comments from one of the Beach Boys (Mike, I think) to the effect that this song "would be as good as anything we've ever done."  

Uh, no.

In terms of quality of songs in the Beach Boys' canon, I'm not sure this would crack the Top 100.

What are they supposed to say? "This new song will be pleasant but disposable"? These guys are old hands. They know how to hype, and they would hype it like that regardless of its quality.

The one thing this song has -- regardless of anything else -- is an earworm chorus hook. That counts.

As for its place in the canon, it's way too soon. The band has recorded some real stinkers, and not just lately. Throughout their career. They put a friggin' drum solo on a record to fill space! Snap judgement? I'd say this easily makes their top 100. Top 50? That's a different story.

NPR called it their best single in 40 years heh.  But I agree with Eric, I bet you more casual fans will like this more than hardcore fans.  Same with casual listeners

I predict a hit. It's not like a zillion people have to buy it for them to have a hit. Madonna had the number one album in the country last month and hardly anyone actually bought a copy--she just gave it away with concert tickets.  I'm not saying it's going to get so huge that it gets remixed for the club or something but I do imagine there's enough Beach Boys nerds and old nostalgic people to get a hit outta this tune.

It was kind of a clever rhetoric trick that Mike used there - he didn't say it's as good as everything we've done but "anything." In other words, that could be translated as, "It's not the worst thing we've ever done."

At any rate, did you really expect it to be as good as California Girls? Wouldn't It Be Nice? Sail on Sailor?

Either way, it's still a really good tune.

Anyone calling it their best single in 40 years probably hasn't heard more than two or three of their singles for the past 40 years and are probably thinking "Kokomo" is a good representation of those 40 years.

But fair enough, I s'pose. I see it doing well, but about as well as every other mediocre reunion single from an ancient band will always do, which is not saying much.

It's hard to have a hit these days because radio is going extinct in the States, the audience is fragmented, the music video channels play very few music videos anymore, less people are into music in general, and even when people like a song, there's illegal downloading.  It will be a success if enough people hear it, and it might take some creativity to get it heard.  The QVC thing is a good idea.  The older audience that the Beach Boys is likely to appeal to most watches QVC and the home shopping networks have helped a lot of mature acts sell actual hard copies of CD's, which is difficult to do even if they get radio play on whatever format they fit into now.  The Walmart deal is good, too, because that is one of the few places where people might pick up a CD, and the hits collection they're releasing there will have good synergy with the new release.

Many people are saying the song reminds them of some other song(s), and the songs reminded of vary by person.  I'm not sure that's a bad thing, because it has a ring of familiarity when people hear it, but it seems to be hard to pin down what it is it sounds like.  People are more likely to like or at least be open to a song if it seems familiar or comfortable on first hearing.  I'm not blown away by it, but it's not bad.  It could grow on me.  I like the actual tune more than the production.  

This is not a time for criticism, enjoy the moment.

I love it. Catchy, great vocals and a wonderful chord structure. Well done guys! More of the same please...  :)

Agreed about the guitars.  It's funny how they put these loud, "rocking" guitars over the cheesiest lines of the song.  The bridge is also a let down because I was anticipating that to be the most BW part of the song.  But it definitely screams Peterik.  

I agree that lyrics have mostly never been the band's strong suit.  Although I think there's different degrees of cheesiness, and the lyrics on this song push the boundaries of my cheese/kitsch tolerance.  Even something like "Forever She'll Be My Surfer Girl," while cheesy in its own right, has a bit more imagination.  The rhyming schematic is a bit more fluid and, while it's surely not poetry, it at least comes off somewhat poetic, and doesn't fall into an overly simplistic rhyming scheme for nearly every line of the song.  

Although, as we both agree, there are things to like about the song.  And, on that note, I think the band succeeded in what it wanted to do.  The song is catchy and has several elements that remind people what they love about the Beach Boys.  I think, with that, it restores some of the band's credibility with some of the public.  While the single itself might not blaze trails on the charts, I think it will do enough (combined the the tour, CBS, QVC stuff) to drive album sales.  

Should be fun...  

Searching on twitter, google, etc. and it seems lots, and lots, and lots of people are talking about the song and the show last night, and most of them don't sound like fans... but they're all talking positive about it.  Even some Gangstaz sending tweets to their girlfriends telling them to listen to it, lol.  Unbelievable. 

I think there's been a pretty large media blitz the last 24 hours or so to push the single, so it's got a lot of people talking about it.

Ironically, the only static I've heard about it are from hardcore die hard fans. 

By the way, one other note I forgot to mention.  At around 3:00 in, there's a voice that says "That's why..." that sounds a bit like Carl.  At least in that brief second.  Whose voice is that?  

What's new...

Ok, I've listened to this song about 8 times in a row now (I just got up and saw it was out). Right now it isn't quiet as bad as it was the first time I heard it but only about 3% less sucky. If and I assume this is the best song on the album the rest is going to be so so bad. I like others can hardly hear anyone on this thing save for Brian and Bruce's lines. I don't hear Mike or Al at all and there are voices I don't recognise which irks me.  I do like that Bruce still sounds like he did all those years back.

Overall this is about what I expected. I see myself listening to the album once just out of morbid curiosity and probably to have a laugh at with my fellow BB fanatics. Oh well.

Al is quite clear. The "In My Car" parts are his. Mike is audible too, and David (!) can be clearly heard when listening to the song title beig sung in the chorus. One of the strengths of this single is the fact that you can hear all the Beach Boys on it.

Give me any of the old albums and I can pick the voices easily, I can't on this.  A few lines here and there isn't what I was expecting. I still can't hear Mike at all.

Listen to the last chorus, dammit!  :)

Unless he's doing the fantastic "For falling in love" Bruce impression or the "bloated, hoarse man shouting in an echo chamber" "GAHH-AHHHD!!!!" that's about 20dB louder than the rest of the track and vocals, I'm still not hearing him. If you're talking about 2:23, I can hear Jeff clearly, don't know who the other voice is - is that Mike? Doesn't sound like him.

In the last chorus he sings the main "that's why god made" line, mid- range. Listen, listen, listen... You can also hear him singin a unison line after the bridge

But anyway... When did it become mandatory that people have to listen to each distinctive voice in order to validate  song?  People still have trouble recognizing the voices in some of the classic songs they've been hearing for decades, let alone the newer stuff.

I mean: can you single out Al on Don't Worry Baby? Or Carl on WIBN?

It becomes an issue when you have Jeff doubling Brian and seemingly Mike on all parts, because they're obviously both so decrepit that they just aren't capable of singing anymore. That they're even trying to sing anymore is pathetic, really.

I like it, but it is heavy on the Jeff Foskett at times.  I can't hear Al.  As to the lyrics, okay, a bit on the light side.

I don't think Jeff is even featured on the video, yet his voice is clearly there.  I suspect other Brian band members are on there, too.  I finally did manage to pick out Mike at the end.  Barely.

Al is quite audible during the "in my car" and "like a prayer" lines that lead into the first two choruses. You can't miss him.

I think this "I can only hear Jeff and not the BBs" thing is reaching its nadir. People need to calm down, stop whining, quit their bitterness, and listen. And make sure they're hearing things right before pointing at people with their accusing finger.

Nevermind. People can't hear him so they blame Foskett and the weak BB voices. This is absurd.

I've been wondering this same thing myself while reading all these posts today. I guess it simply boils down to some people on this board being so obsessive about the BBs that this is how they derive their enjoyment from their records. Different strokes. I really don't give a flying fig who sang what line, phrase, harmony, or syllable. If I enjoy what it sounds like that's good enough for me.

People are hearing things right.  Jeff is on it, and he sounds okay. It's just that it's not old school Beach Boys.  It's hard to have that without Carl in particular.  Maybe it's better to compare the vocal sound to the Brian Wilson Band or "Kokomo" minus Carl, where you have non-Beach Boys blending with actual Beach Boys, but the missing parts mean you can never have the real old Beach Boys sound.

What are you talking about? I hear Al in several spots. I hear Bruce quite a few times. I can hear Brian in the verses, albeit doubled. No one is being unrealistic, here. Jeff's voice, again, dominates much of the recording and he's doubling people. I'm describing the recording as I'd describe the sky as blue, nothing more.

I am liking this now. Yeah, the bridge is a bit SIP, but it's not ALL SIP, you dig? Hasn't set my world on fire, but it's a lovely little ear worm.

This is basically what I feared for the reunion album. Or I guess I should say, what I expected. I thought that the best they could do would be sort of a cross section of the type of sounds on Postcard and TLOS. I'm not a huge fan TLOS, but it stands up, there are some good moments on it, but this is just bland.

Really the reunion effort was put into an impossible position. If they actually did something adventurous, or worked with a current "cool" producer like Panda Bear the album could have been really awesome and been a late blooming of the "real" Beach Boys that we all love and admire. But that would have alienated the general public. They could have captured the more attentive and musically critical segment of young listeners but the album would have had no appeal to the people just looking for something bland.
But they couldn't do something really heinous and boring like SIP again because they knew the hardcore fans would have been really critical. So they just whitewashed the whole thing and tried to make a song that would offend as few people as possible. Something that would sell in the excitement of the early marketing push and then be forgotten as basically harmless.

It honestly upsets me. In the ramp up I commented a few times that I wish they would have just not recorded anything if they couldn't put their hearts into it all the way. It doesn't blow me away just to have a new Beach Boys album. I would have been happy enough with just a tour and an archival release.

This project feels destined to be filed away with the other albums I don't really care about or listen to. It may end up better than KTSA, but I never ever listen to that album, and a year from now I'll probably never go back to this one either.

christ guys, let the album come out before you judge it.  we haven't even heard any of the songs written by the band.  Unless do you wanna dance is how we judge Today!

If they would have worked with Panda Bear, I probably would have set myself on fire out of spite.

Joe Thomas was likely the most comfortable person they could all agree on, since he did "Stars and Stripes."  If they actually decide they can stand each other and ever do more touring or another record, maybe they'd be willing to try out a new producer, who knows.  I wouldn't mind an "unplugged" type recording, like those campfire songs they did on that TV series they did years ago.  Al sounded pretty good at that record store appearance last week, Brian has done acoustic at the Bridge shows, why not.  They could even re-do old stuff in that setting, like a "Beach Boys Sing at a Party" revisited.

i don't hear Thomas' influence as much as some people here.  This seems pretty inline with Brian's recent albums.  I don't think anyone would be mentioning Thomas if he wasn't there.

k i was just listening to "nothing but love" then halfway through i clicked to TWGMTR and the sound is like identical

The production really does bug me the most, I knew it would sound like that but still. If The Explorers Club can get a great vintage sound why couldn't the real band try for it??

how does brian have instruments record now anyway.  is it one at a time?  we just need the bleed

They're just being pedantic because they don't want to come across as fanboys.  Except for the chick, I don't know what her problem is.  LOL

Personally; I'm a fanboy.  That's why I'm on a Beach Boys message board.  I'm a big fan.  I like all their sh*t.  This new song is great, to me.  Others may not like it, but that's because they're not comfortable with their own inner dork. 

Embrace the cheeze.  It'll change your life. 

Hey man, I love some good cheese and I am a huge BB fan. I don't like this song and haven't liked much of Brian's output for a bit. I really enjoyed Imagination when it was released but now I go back and listen and I can't get past things like I could when I was younger. It doesn't have to do with anything, it's just the way it is. I still LOVE the old Paley sessions and would kill for perfect quality copies.

MERICA LUV IT OR LEAVE IT YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE

But what if you aint in it???

If you ain't in it, then you're exempt, lol. 

Maybe you just like what you like and don't like what you don't like.  I'm an eternal optimist, I like everything, I look for the good parts and amplify them when I hear songs like this.  So it's a net gain to me. 

If you were an eternal optimist, you wouldn't hate on everyone who expresses an opinion you don't like.

My first reaction to this is that it sounds like what BW 88 would have been if the other Beach Boys had been involved.  As in, not nearly as good as what BW88 was--not even Little Children.  This feels like way less than the sum of the parts.

I also really do not like the title.

Things are getting out of control. The song is magnificent. Time and history will be its judge, but I cannot stop listening to it, and I was a harsh critic of Jeff.  He contributes here, perhaps a bit too pompously, but I hear all and each of the BB, and the in the oddity of the song (God made the radio?) lies its shocking edginess. I have chronicled echoes of other songs, as many of you have, but this song, in its fully produced form, with headphones on, is addictive and hypnotic and sui generis.

I want to see whether it's a hit or not, but I am deeply content. Just to hear Al and Brian in the second verse, as we hear them on Sloop together, is a joy. We waited years like idiots, spending hours shuffling through confusing information in the news about the BB and their possible reunion. Some of us, well I can only confess for myself, drove to Hawthorne and placed a hand on the monument in hope of one day hearing a BB song again--or traveled to every beach mentioned in Surfin' USA just to sing the lyric associated with that beach  (with s few exotic omissions).  I , for one, am cashin' in and enjoying completely the new hit single from the new BB album.

Jeff:  You misundersatnd me.  I don't 'hate on everyone who has an opinion different than me", as a matter of fact I don't know any of you.  I"m sure you're all great people, you're just wrong sometimes and I'm not ashamed to tell you when you are.  You can feel free to tell me if you think I'm wrong too, or not, or whatever.  Maybe you shouldn't get your feelings hurt by somebody you've never met, and never will meet, Jeff.   Exactly why is you're free to have your opinion, but when mine is different you tell me I'm a hater?  LOL  

Also: have I ever even disagreed with you?  Not that I remember, if you remember that then you take it much more seriously than I do.  Anything I say is worth exactly what your opinion is worth, no more.  

You have absolutely no clue where the boundaries of my optimism are :)  


-------------------------


Professor: I like how you said you were "cashing in", that's a good way of putting it.  I choose to enjoy the song, if others choose to not enjoy it that's their loss!  Cant' wait to hear the album!!!

Listened to this a couple of times now...

The song itself is pleasant enough and in many ways it seems very similar to "Add Some Music".

Personally I think it's nowhere near as good as even "Kokomo" or "Getcha Back" (and not even in the same league as "SOS" and "Good Timin'", which was to be expected I think). Still quite pleasant, however, for lack of a better word. Really inoffensive and some of the voices sound pretty weird. The organ intro seems very "BW solo" to me (which is nice!), while the lyrics seem really dull and uninspired (probably just a tad bit too corny for my personal taste).

Overall, nothing earth-shattering but still a nice little song, yes, and I know I'll give it some more "spins" (on the mp3 player).

Like

It's getting nasty now.

Let's all take a step back, have a nice cup of tea and a biscuit, and get on with enjoying a song that we couldn't have though possible a mere six months ago.  ;)

I like it a whole lot. Great vocals, very good and catchy chorus and it stands the "Would I like this even if it wouldn't have been done by The Beach Boys?" test.

Does Mr. David Marks have any distinguishable lines in the song? I'm hearing it on headphones for the first time but still can't really hear him. A couple parts maaaybe.

It sounds exactly as i was expecting it would: not terrible, but not particuarly great either. Slick, overly-smooth production. To quote Larry David, it's just... meh.

(Oh, and am i the only one who immediately thought upon hearing the first verse, 'well, it's the Your Summer Dream melody'. Listen to it again and see...)

If this song was to the new album as SOS was to Holland I think it would be nice. SOS is maybe my least favorite song on Holland.

But I don't think that is the case. I don't think the band came up with a bunch of great songs and then were forced to tack on TWGMTR at the last minute as a 'single'. Wirestone does have a point, this type of song isn't necessarily bad in-of-itself, but it HAS to be counterbalanced by something. You can't build a whole album that way, which is what I fear they've done. If they've tempered the single with some cool stuff I'll be willing to forgive TWGMTR and give it some credit, but I doubt that they've done that.

The lyric video had reached almost 27,000 views (which is 26,670 more than when I went to bed last night!), does anyone know what kind of viewing figures that Capitol were expecting?

Check out the video I made for the single :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upv6R5miYaQ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upv6R5miYaQ)

Mike Lovechild,

Loved your video!!!  Brilliant.

Thanks for making me smile!

Thank you, it is very grey where I am, but I'm blasting out Love You in work and everyone is smiling!

I basically agree with all of your points!

As a reunion song celebrating the group's 50th it's pleasant enough, yet on the other hand I had to turn it off earlier today on my way to town because I couldn't stomach any more of those lyrics, which is interesting as I guess it gives me an idea of how people must've felt about the group's work in the late 60s and early 70s (pre-Surf's Up). Don't get me wrong, I love me some Sunflower and of course I don't expect these guys to sing about war or unemployment at this point in time, it's just an "introspective observation" of mine...

Listening to the song as I type, so it can't be THAT bad. I'll take it for what it is while I'm reading the concert autotune discussion. :-D

I really don't understand all the negativity here. Of course this song is disappointing if you were expecting a new Beach Boys classic, but didn't we already know that this wasn't going to be the new Good Vibrations or California Girls? I think that this is one of the best songs that the Beach Boys have released since Holland and that's really all I was hoping for.

I'll be interested to see what everyone thinks about the song once the initial excitement wears off.  To me, this is just a really weak track.  I've given up trying to like it.  Question for those who are into it, would you still be praising it had it come out as a Brian Wilson solo song instead of THE BEACH BOYS?

I think this could be possibly the best Beach Boys song with Brian on lead since 'Til I Die (40 years).

Anyone can identify who is singing these lines?

2:16 Celebration (responding Brian) (Scott Benett??)
2:28 That's Why God Made, That's Why God Made (??)
2:52 We're fallin' in love (Jeff??)

In my ears:

2:12 (I think you mean 2:12, not 2:16): Jeff
2:23-2:28: Jeff
2:48 (I think you mean 2:48, not 2:52): Bruce

I never expected it to be very good but finally hearing something new still has a level of disappointment. I like a fair bit of the later boys track so I'm not just all about the classic stuff, I LOVE Goin' On.  I will say though I've never had a problem with Jeff's voice and think it's fine on this other than too prominent.


If only Brian hasn't already released Soul Searching...

2:12 Celebration: This could have been Mike or Al instead of Jeff
2:23: That's Why God Made, That's Why God Made: Also Mike or Al instead of Jeff

Just to make the song sound more authentic!!

Yes. It sounds to me like something that could've been on TLOS, and I love that album.

I'd say it's not up there with the best TLOS tracks but it certainly would have fit that album pretty well, yes! We've probably discussed this to death already, but that album would've been so good with the other guys' voices involved. Just imagine Alan on "Morning Beat", singing the "Even when dreams are deep and sweet" bit... might've worked really well!

I think musically, it doesn't touch some of TLOS.  but that should be expected because of the writers.  but it would fit in quite nicely, i'd remove good kind of love for it.

Thanks so much for quoting this as Wirestone nailed the Hell out of it with this post and before your post I wasn't sure I remembered who said it (I was right) or find it.  And thats to Wirestone for saying exactly what I was thinking, way better than I could have.

This. This. This.

I'm interested to hear the rest of the album, which could be quite different from this particular track.


By the way, I can't be the only one:

"Took a walk and passed your house, late last night
All the shades were pulled and drawn, way down tight"

Some people still don't understand that this is PRODUCED BY BRIAN WILSON, and blame whatever aspects of the production they don't like on Thomas.

I'm sure some guys would enjoy the song better if it had only one songwriter credited: Brian Wilson. It's great that Peterik gets a credit, though, that way we can blame someone other than Brian for the bridge.


Look, I understand all this. The BBs are old, this is all too good to be true, we've been mislead in the past. We don't trust when they tell us it's the BBs singing, or BW producing... Some guys' initial reaction is not to trust credits and hearing whatever fulfills their lack of trust. I'm sure the first posts about the new album will be about how much the new songs take from older ones; how much Beaches in Mind takes from an unreleased song from 1986. Let us not forget that people complained when it was suggested that the new album could contain songs they'd previously heard (DIA, Waves, SBILA) and now that they know the titles they regret that Soul Searchin' is not in it.


 But hey look: this is all coming out great, it's the Beach Boys where it says so, and it's produced by Brian when it says so. We'll get a guest-free, all-original album. This is a dream come true guys. Enjoy it while it lasts. After enduring the 30th Anniversary (nothing happened), SIP, Happy Endings, the Landy era, Stars and Stripes, Carl's death, all that is happening is unbelievable to some of us.

I don't get this. I don't know why Jeff doubled them either, but listen to the Gershwin album and it's obvious that Brian can still sing. I don't know why people make these dramatic pronouncements.

I also don't get why people are blaming Thomas for the production.  It's the same sound brian has been putting out since bwps.

I don't get why Jeff doubles everyone, I doubt the album will be so disjointed though.  This tune was obviously designed as a comeback tune, giving everyone certain lines, even cutting lines in half.  I imagine they realized they needed some sort of stability vocally and had Jeff double.  I seriously don't think the album will be like this, that would be overwhelming

THIS.

There is also the possibility that some of those "lost tracks" ("Soul Searchin'" "You're Still A Mystery") will be included on that new box set later this year. 

Fingers crossed!

And I ain't complaining about the song.  I just think Wirestone nailed it by saying it was the latest in a line of "made to order" Beach Boys singles.
My only complaints are the mix is a bit "mushed" and I can't not hear "Silhouettes" during the verses.

Okay. After 23 listens I can finally say I hear Al on the "like a prayer" line.  :lol

Still can't hear Bruce. I don't even know what David sounds like when he sings so no wonder I can't pick his voice from the mix.

If you honestly think Brian has been producing anything in recent years I have some great land to sell you in Florida.

I like the smiley faces and LOLs, Ron. You've been using them constantly for the last few days and I assume they are meant to be a spoonful of sugar to help your medicine of objective, absolute truth go down easier. A+. We all have much to learn from you.

Good ear!  I hadn't noticed that but yes, very very similar. 

Easy there Trigger.  I'm just talking, if anything good comes out of it great, but I'd look for knowledge elsewhere if I were you, lol. 

If you don't, you're clearly not familiar with his recent output.

Or any Beach Boys history at all, really.

People discuss these things in depth here. Please try to keep up.

I wish I knew how to do an e-kiss and virtual hug, because if I could figure out how, you'd be getting an e-kiss and a v-hug from me right now.

I look at the lols and smileys and my "smug" alarm goes off, personally.