THE BEACH BOYS - That's Why God Made The Radio SS member reviews

[Newguy562]

Have listened to the album for a couple of days now, and while virtually every criticism I've heard has some merit, they're missing the point. This isn't music for putting on headphones and listening to intently, this is for playing while you're driving around or just hanging out...much like the early BB catalog. I can't recall the last album by anyone that has these qualities...

IMO, the Beach Boys haven't changed as much as we have.

as much as we changed? really? lol

[dirwuf]

Have listened to the album for a couple of days now, and while virtually every criticism I've heard has some merit, they're missing the point. This isn't music for putting on headphones and listening to intently, this is for playing while you're driving around or just hanging out...much like the early BB catalog. I can't recall the last album by anyone that has these qualities...

IMO, the Beach Boys haven't changed as much as we have.

as much as we changed? really? lol

My point being that a kid from 1965 would probably enjoy this record more than us, as they are not hamstrung by too much knowledge about the band and their history. It's still recognizably "The Beach Boys"...

[ontor pertawst]

Kind of a pointless hypothetical argument, there. What if the kid from 1965 had headphones on, tho? He might not have a car, and his parents hate listening to music from the future. Turn that racket down!

[drbeachboy]

Have listened to the album for a couple of days now, and while virtually every criticism I've heard has some merit, they're missing the point. This isn't music for putting on headphones and listening to intently, this is for playing while you're driving around or just hanging out...much like the early BB catalog. I can't recall the last album by anyone that has these qualities...

IMO, the Beach Boys haven't changed as much as we have.

You are absolutely correct. Out of their entire studio catalog, there is only Pet Sounds and Smile that are Artsy. I have a great system in my car and I do 80% of my listening in there. Though, I generally like to listen to Friends on a quiet Sunday morning sitting in the living room relaxing.

[the professor]

will anyone defend beaches in mind as a cool driving song and, perhaps, the only one with a David Marks solo? someone should list exactly where we hear Dave in each song. I am not a guitarist and can't do so.  I am disappointed that Dave is not singing anywhere, and I therefore acknowledge that I was wrong, if the liner notes are right, about hearing his voice--and flat a vowel--in TWGMTR. I remain confused about his role in the singing--sure thought I heard him and perhaps was mislead by the video.

Called a couple of record stores in LA/Pasadena area, but some said they cannot sell today , which would violate their agreement with labels, which I wanted no part in, so I will wait till Tuesday.

Daybreak is lovely--a mood song with poignant BB vocals on chorus;  "as long as there is an ocean" makes it for me; each song plays a part, I say again.  You can't go "from there to back again" without Beaches in Mind and Daybreak and all of Mike's urgent longing for a lost past.

It works beautifully as a whole. (I still have around 10 minutes to own and hear I suppose, having heard 5 guardian songs plus all the clips)

[drbeachboy]

Kind of a pointless hypothetical argument, there. What if the kid from 1965 had headphones on, tho? He might not have a car, and his parents hate listening to music from the future. Turn that racket down!

There are lots of pointless agruments here, even this response from you.

[ontor pertawst]

Obviously, it's a pointless joke.

But the argument basically boils down to "I like it, and you don't as much as me so you're not listening to it right and are uptight, are using headphones, aren't a kid in 1965, hate Mike Love, etc."

Why not just accept at face value the opinions expressed? I doubt people need to lie about why they don't like certain facets of the album.

But I'm loving all the opinions! This stuff is fascinating to me and it's interesting to see everybody's reactions and hear what resonates with them. Fun music too! I just don't see the need for the insulting edge applied to comments about people who aren't raving about the music. There's room for everybody without nastiness, right?

NOW TAKE BACK WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT MY MOTHER OR I'LL KILL YOUR BROTHER... AGAIN!

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

Just made a playlist of what i'd call the "Life Suite"

1. Think About The Days
2. Strange World
3. From There To Back Again
4. Pacific Coast Highway
5. Summer's Gone

15 Minutes, 10/10 IMHO.

[ontor pertawst]

I imagine that activity will fill a lot of threads here as hopefully more fragments get released here and there! It'd be funny if this time they purposely set out to tantalize and infuriate the fans.

[JohnMill]

My quick and dirty review:

1 - Think About The Days - Obviously my first thought was "Prayer".  As Brian once said "a little intro to the album"

2 - That's Why God Made The Radio - Slightly cornball lyrics but man those harmonies are out of sight and that chorus, especially Bruce's contributions.  Manages to sound nostalgic and fresh all at the same time.  It's how the boys sound now I guess is what I'm trying to say and it sounds pretty darn good.

3 - Isn't It Time - Lot of fun!  This one is as infectious as heck.  I hope it gets some radio airplay.  It's one of those songs that only The Beach Boys could pull off.  

4 - Spring Vacation - The "Desert Drive" of the album.  A lot of people have been getting on the song for it's cornball lyrics but aside from the lyrics being extremely literal, it's one of the stronger songs on the LP.  Again another one that is infectious as heck and one of those songs where you want to roll back the top, put the car into cruise control and just drive with it blasting out of the speakers.

5 - The Private Life Of Bill And Sue - Funny!  I can't stand reality television so they are already preaching to the converted here.  Again the harmonies are out of sight here and Bruce once again is a standout.  A few weeks ago someone mentioned that his voice aged better than his comrades and I tend to agree.

6 - Shelter - This is what some would term as a "grower".  It's one of those songs that if you listen to it four-five times it really starts to impact you in a way that you may have not gotten the first time around.  Also it sounds like another song that I can't put my finger on and I'm going to be horribly embarrassed when another BB fan points it out to me.

7 - Daybreak Over The Ocean - Yesterday I said that John Lennon saved "Little Child" with a great vocal.  Mike Love does the same here with "Daybreak Over The Ocean".  

8 - Beaches In Mind - I can't find much to recommend this at the moment.  Sounds like your run of the mill BB song.

9 - Strange World - What has been described as the "Pet Sounds" track on the album doesn't disappoint in that regard.  Lots to enjoy here from the harmonies to the chorus and a particularly solid vocal by Brian.

10 -  The Suite - My first thought was "So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright".  Same sort of reflective spirit here but then again the whole album has that spirit which I'm not sure is a good thing or a bad thing yet.  The songs are solid which trumps everything else but at times the record does have a definite vibe to it that makes the listener feel old.  Not saying that is a bad thing but it would be foolish not to acknowledge it.  It's also important to remember that we don't actually have the entire suite here.  Hopefully those other tracks get out either on the next record or the upcoming box set so we can thread the thing together.  What we do have here though at the risk of sounding cliche is very melodic and beautiful.  

A few years back Tom Petty had an album out entitled "The Last DJ" where he threaded all the tracks together with little vignettes of audio verite moments that you'd no doubt find if you just went across the dial manually on your radio.  I'm glad to see The Beach Boys did a similar thing here with this suite.  It adds much to the presentation and is actually quite reminiscent of "Silent Night" by the aforementioned S&G.  If "Summer's Gone" is the final song on the final Beach Boys album it's fitting.  It's a combination of the mood of "Til' I Die" and the mellow ache that ties together Side 2 of "Today".  

All in all the record does what it sets out to do.  It evokes nostalgic memories of childhoods at the beach, amusement parks, drives down the coast with the windows rolled down and much like "Southern California" did for TLOS, "Summer's Gone" accomplishes for this record as it is literally a drive home as the sun dips into the sea.

[Wirestone]

Just made a playlist of what i'd call the "Life Suite"

1. Think About The Days
2. Strange World
3. From There To Back Again
4. Pacific Coast Highway
5. Summer's Gone

15 Minutes, 10/10 IMHO.

Exactly. I think this is really what you have to do. It's an astonishing EP.

Not that there isn't great stuff on the rest of the album, but this really hangs together.

[Shady]

Just made a playlist of what i'd call the "Life Suite"

1. Think About The Days
2. Strange World
3. From There To Back Again
4. Pacific Coast Highway
5. Summer's Gone

15 Minutes, 10/10 IMHO.

wow, all classics IMO..

[Runaways]

When mike and brian come in on the shelter chorus its sooiii killer

[bgas]

Dan Moore says he won't review it until at least Tuesday:  http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/rftmusic/2012/06/beach_boys_leak_radio.php

[SloopJohnB]

Regarding "Daybreak": am I the only one to be bothered by the fact that Mike's part in the 02:42 to 02:58 chorus is obviously exactly the same as the one in the previous choruses, but with the pitch digitally altered? He's only a few steps from sounding like Alvin the chipmunk.

Too bad, because otherwise I really like the song.

[Wirestone]

Regarding "Daybreak": am I the only one to be bothered by the fact that Mike's part in the 02:42 to 02:58 chorus is obviously exactly the same as the one in the previous choruses, but with the pitch digitally altered? He's only a few steps from sounding like Alvin the chipmunk.

Too bad, because otherwise I really like the song.

God yes. I was going to post about this if no one else did. It's horrifying!

[Gohi]

So far, here's a quicky review, I dont' want to be too negative so I'll just not say anything if I have nothing good to say.

This attitude makes sense when talking about people but not music. It's okay to say something's not so great if you don't think it is.

Your opinion sucks then. 

That's cold, Ron.

[Justin]

Dammit, why am I wiping away tears after listening to the album?  "Summer's Gone" is perfection.

[Micha]

Except for the intro and the suite this album feels to me like a late 70s BB record, only this sounds much better.

Mike's vocals are IMHO the best he's offered since Holland. His voice isn't as nasal as it has been for a long, long time. Well, on "Daybreak" it is very nasal which makes me believe the vocal has not been rerecorded for this album but kept from the 2005 recording. Mike puts quite some emotion into his performance, though.

Mike sounds the best he has in years. Daybreak... sounds nasally, but it is an older track, so I understand why he sounds that way.

That's what I mean.

I've been listening to the album over the weekend. On my first listening I found I didn't find it as good as I expected after the Amazon clips, but that could be because I listened to it right after work, and work ended with some rather displeasing events that were still on my mind. And of course because of the fact that I listened to it from a CD instead of nice heavy vinyl which always gets me into a more appreciating mood.

Think About the Days: This one actually impressed me the most of all tracks, so it's a pity it's right at the start and also setting a mood that doesn't fit the next few tracks. Maybe it would have been more fitting within the suite.

TWGMTR: A typical single. The composition is more complex than the musical effect would make you believe it was. It could use some more adventurous instrumentation though, something that would make it more memorable. A song about radio would have been the ideal spot to once more use a theremin after 45 years. Still, a solid effort.

Isn't It Time: This is the track I enjoy listening to the most. Makes me think of the collection of songs that is often incorrectly referred to as "Landlocked". It sounds very unusual, fresh and pleasant.

Spring Vacation: Very good chorus, intro and verses a bit Imagination-like. I like this one, unexpectedly.

The Private Life of Bill and Sue: Some have stated we would hate this were we told Mike had written it. I don't care who wrote it, I hate this one. It makes me cringe, I skip it when I listen to the album. Pointless lyrics, bad melody line, dopey arrangement IMHO. Is this a joke?

Shelter: A great chorus again, although there are falsettos I like better than Foskett's, who is of course undispensable for other reasons than his falsetto. The verses however remind me of bad German Schlager, so this is my second least favorite.

Daybreak Over the Ocean: One of Mike's best songs ever. Maybe they should have rerecorded it for this album with Mike's now less nasal voice, but who nose knows if he could have done it so emotionally again. (See above)

Beaches in Mind: I love the happiness that transpires from the a cappella intro. The good vibes between the boys now are reflected in this. The verses are a bit underproduced IMHO, could have used some more nice rhythm guitar. Or maybe it sounds not enough like an actual arrangement to me instead of like improvising studio musicians.

Strange World: The niveau is going up again now. Bum-Boom! Arrangementwise it is out of the ordinary, not as much as Isn't It Time, but remarkable.

From There to Back Again / Pacific Coast Highway: This is the most courageous stuff on a Beach Boys record since - I don't know, Smiley Smile? Or Love You at least. These two impress me less than Midnight's Another Day, though.

Summer's Gone: The great one on this album. Fascinating. Brian's best vocal on this album, too, on the other tracks he's not as expressive as on his last three solo albums, but on this one he really shows what he is capable of. Brian's best performance on a Beach Boys album since Surf's Up!

I want another new BB album for Christmas!!!

[JohnMill]

The Private Life of Bill and Sue: Some have stated we would hate this were we told Mike had written it. I don't care who wrote it, I hate this one. It makes me cringe, I skip it when I listen to the album. Pointless lyrics, bad melody line, dopey arrangement IMHO. Is this a joke?

It's actually pretty clever especially how it's a song about the ills of reality television and they wove in "Jersey Shore".  I must admit I snickered at that.  The vocals on the chorus are gorgeous.  I guess you really have to embrace your inner curmudgeon to fully appreciate it.  

See I think that is one of the real beautiful things about this album in that they address the fact that the world has changed so much since the time of their youth without beating the listener over the head with it.  The passage of time is a theme that flows throughout the entire record whether they are reminiscing about good times past ("Isn't It Time") or contemplating the world they now find themselves in ("Strange World").  Sometimes it's easy to forget given the timelessness of their music that The Beach Boys and many of us have very vivid memories of a world that doesn't exist anymore.  We've experienced a world without cell phones, the internet, reality television, twitter, facebook and the new media.  

I remember when I was a kid there was a huge ecology/environment scare and people were actually talking that in thirty years people would be living in "glass bubbles" because the air would become so toxic or the sunlight so harsh that people would be unable to exist in the elements.  Well obviously that hasn't happened yet but I do remember my mother telling me when I was very young that one day when telling my own children about my childhood I would essentially be telling them about a world that no longer existed and to some degree she was correct in that prediction.  You have to think that for both baby boomers and some generation x'ers alike, this is a very strange world we are living in today and while society encourages adaptation, it doesn't stop those who remember how life used to be from feeling out of place from time to time.  If we are talking about The Beach Boys specifically, the changes that the state that they spent so much time singing about has gone through over the past fifty years has to be jarring in enough of itself.  There weren't exactly paparazzi running around with cell phone cameras on every corner fifty years ago.

I don't know if any of this makes sense but that is the vibe I get from this record.  There are little hints of it throughout the first half of the record and then it suddenly becomes quite jarring over the last three tracks.  "Summer's Gone" would've been a pretentious song if it's apparent author (Mr. Jovial Jovi) sang it but hearing it sung by Brian Wilson really is like a cold splash of water against your face.  Much like "Caroline No!" was a flat out admission or resignation of not being able to capture what once was in a relationship, "Summer's Gone" is the same type of admission that one would face whether they are seventy, sixty, fifty or forty and find themselves with less days in front of them than are behind them.  What is also amazing about that suite is that The Beach Boys manage to convey their message without the entire latter part of the record taking on a tone of a funeral.  Much like "Caroline No!" it's an unabashed recognition of how things are, but comfort can be found in both memories of good times past and watching the crashing of the waves against the shore which on it's own could be taken as an image of timelessness.

[Paulos]

So what are everyone's thoughts on the best song on the album? For me, and I suspect a lot of people, it's a toss-up between From There To Back Again and Summer's Gone with the latter slightly edging it because of that incredible intro which may just end up being my favorite intro into a Beach Boys song.

[Shady]

Best song? "Pacific Coast Highway" for me, just so damn powerful

[JohnMill]

Best song? "Pacific Coast Highway" for me, just so damn powerful

Too bad it's just a buck fifty.  It wouldn't overstay it's welcome at twice that length.  I soooooooooo want to hear the rest of the songs in this suite!

[buddhahat]

I soooooooooo want to hear the rest of the songs in this suite!

Something tells me we're all going to be saying this for a long time.

Did Joe Thomas imply that they'd recorded other songs from the suite, or just that they'd written them? The way the suite songs start and end in some places (i.e. as if connected to other songs), and have apparent references to other songs from the suite (huge conjecture on my part, but FTTBA seems to contain 3 separate songs), you'd imagine the whole suite had been recorded, but that's difficult to believe if there are 8 other songs or whatever in the suite.

But if they haven't recorded the rest of the suite yet, or don't soon, then it's all going to sound a bit mismatched. And are they going to release parts of it, within other albums, kind of like Smile, that we then have to piece together ourselves, or release a whole album with the FTTBA, PCH and Summer's Gone repeated? The whole thing just seems like a giant, albeit tantalizing, wind up to me.

[JohnMill]

Best song? "Pacific Coast Highway" for me, just so damn powerful

Too bad it's just a buck fifty.  It wouldn't overstay it's welcome at twice that length.  I soooooooooo want to hear the rest of the songs in this suite!

Something tells me we're all going to be saying this for a long time.

Did Joe Thomas imply that they'd recorded other songs from the suite, or just that they'd written them? The way the suite songs start and end in some places (i.e. as if connected to other songs), and have apparent references to other songs from the suite (huge conjecture on my part, but FTTBA seems to contain 3 separate songs), you'd imagine the whole suite had been recorded, but that's difficult to believe if there are 8 other songs or whatever in the suite.

But if they haven't recorded the rest of the suite yet, or don't soon, then it's all going to sound a bit mismatched. And are they going to release parts of it, within other albums, kind of like Smile, that we then have to piece together ourselves, or release a whole album with the FTTBA, PCH and Summer's Gone repeated? The whole thing just seems like a giant, albeit tantalizing, wind up to me.

Same here reminiscent of that internal memo (at least I think that is what it was) that came out post "Smiley Smile" saying that The Beach Boys still planned to release "SMiLE" and not to be concerned that Holmes artwork would contain drawings of tracks on "Smiley Smile" as fans would no doubt make the connection.  From what I remember, Thomas mentioned the songs are incomplete at the moment so unless Brian gets the inspiration to get back in there and work with them I doubt we'll ever hear them in their proper context.  What we do have is extremely beautiful though.