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Ive never really listened to it straight through, its really good! Its obvious brians voice sounds Great for the period.  Like! :p

To me it's the second worse Beach Boys album behind Summer In Paradise, the only good thing is My Diane.

Horrible.

15BO and "Love You" are inconsistent, however, they each contain moments of greatness.

MIU, has none of that except for "My Diane" which sticks out because it was so obviously not part of the project.

The release of this album is the start of my animus toward Mike Love.

I think a third of the album is excellent, including My Diane, She's Got Rhythm, Sweet Sunday Kinda Love and Wontcha Come Out Tonight.

Do you mean Al?

Ya totally agree, also Pitter patter was kinda cool, and of course Matchpoint of our Love

They should have called it 'The W.T.F Album'   :-D

I don't have a problem with MIU as much of most people do. I don't like Belles of Paris all that much, Peggy Sue is kinda boring, and Come Go With Me is sort of overplayed in the Beach Boys world, but other than that I don't have a problem with the rest of the songs. Most I even enjoy!

For what it is, it's well done.  The songs are decent, and so is the production.  Someone once remarked that it's the first Beach Boys album to come out in quite a few years that actually sounds like the Beach Boys.

Agreed

That and Matchpoint Of Our Love

That and Pitter Patter.

Bland production. Embarrassing songs. Almost makes 15BO seem like high art. That said, My Diane is killer.

I think Denny's emotional vocal on this deeply personal Brian Wilson composition more than makes up for the rest of the record, well almost!  ;D

There are only a few good things about the album and a lot terrible. That said, Brian's voice really sounds great and it's probably the last time until TLOS that it's so warm and full (although it sounds better on BWRG and ITKOD imo).

I'm a sucker for this album, I like maybe 70%

I would never play it around another human though

I like about a third too, but different songs.

My Diane is the only reason to listen to this, but I quite like Pitter Patter, Woncha Come Out Tonight, Winds of Change (the version where Al sounds less like Kermit). The covers I could take on an album of covers, but not on this.

I can bear listening to most of 15 BO (excepting Everyone's in Love...), but I find MIU difficult to get through.

I've tried it a few times, but it didn't appeal to me very much, other than 'She's Got Rhythm' and 'My Diane' which I listen to kind of constantly.

My Diane and Pitter Patter get a lot of plays round here. The rest don't. Kona Coast makes me wretch.

Yes, but there's no soul or emotion in it. Save for My Diane.

I have a soft spot for this album since it was the second BB album I ever heard. I do like most of it but that being said I can definitely understand why some people don't.

"She's Got Rhythm", "Pitter Patter" and "My Diane" are personal favourites. Unfortunately my MIU/LA disc must have some kind of laser burn or other affliction making certain tracks impossible to listen to. To some people that might be a good thing.

Funnily enough, I just wrote on the MIU album review page earlier today. I've not changed my opinion in the three or four hours since I wrote it....

Nothing on this album is really good, but nothing's unpleasant either. I very rarely listen to it, but whenever I do, I can't dislike it.

The inclusion of Hey Little Tomboy is beyond creepy!  My Diane is a great song but not great enough to salvage this travesty of an album.  Read the quotes attributed to Dennis in regards to MIU - especially the Mike Love karma bit.  SIP is worse.

Matchpoint's biggest problem is all those corny metaphors. It's overladen. Same hings ruins what is otherwise one of BW's finest solo moments, Midnight's Another Day.

Both MIU and LA were very weak efforts and what they should've done was release a decent album in 79 using the stronger tracks from both albums, I think it could've looked like this

1) She's Got Rhythm
2) Wontcha Come Out Tonight
3) Pitter Patter
4) My Diane
5) Matchpoint Of Our Love
6) Good Timin
7) Angel Come Home
8) Love Surrounds Me
9) Baby Blue
10) Shortenin Bread


And it becomes a record top heavy in Wilson brother contributions.  ;D

I hope the do matchpoint on this tour  :lol :lol

Considering that they owed Reprise an album and were newly signed to CBS, that would have been impossible to pull off.

Me too..

I'm gonna need a five minute window to grab a beer

:lol

Wontcha Come Out Tonight, She's Got Rythym and Shortenin Bread are the among the worst songs the BB's ever produced.

I really like SIP...

blasphemy.

MIU is certainly a better album that 15BO imo.

Al did a good job producing the vocals...especially as Carl was unavailable to him for so long.

Come go With Me is a good cover and Winds of Change is a solid album closer.

My Diane is excellent and Pitter Patter is a nice tune with great vocals by Al.

Country Pie should probably have been included. Any idea why it wasn't?

"Pitter Patter" has some soul, man. Listen closely to the chorus - there's some trademark Brian Wilson funky vocal polyphony going on during the chorus, with a lead vocal and two different background parts (the "pitter patter" part vs. the "drip drop" part"). Also, I heard "Pitter Patter" started out as  a Brian Wilson demo, right? He gets a songwriting credit, anyway.

"Match Point of Our Love" should have been Brian Wilson's contemporary late '70s hits, but regrettably, Brian asked Mike Love to write the lyrics right after the latter had finished a rousing game of tennis with a Ronald Reagan political aide (NOTE: if you play "Hey Little Tomboy" backwards, you'll hear weird messages telling you to vote for Reagan, that socialism is evil, and that SOPA is good).

"Hey Little Tomboy" is wonderfully catchy. It's got the melody of an early BBs hit, and yet it's mocking the idea that people want some weird dudes in their 30s and 40s to still make music like that.  To me, there was never anything more to this song than that. People's minds just get led astray by Brian's life story. Plus, who wouldn't want Carl Wilson to make their daughter into a girl?

"My Diane" speaks for itself.

"Wont'cha Come Out Tonight?", "Sweet Sunday", and "She's Got Rhythm" are OK filler. Pleasant enough, but I don't feel like the world would be a worse place if they stopped existing. I do give them credit for putting some real work into the arrangement of "Won'tcha", but it completely lacks punch until the outro. The outro rocks, and again features some classic Brian touches.

The rest of the album should probably drive off of a cliff.

i've been trying to listen "all the way through" by listening to youtube video's with the songs on them in the albums order. So far I haven't been able to listen to either MIU or LA. I get so distracted. Its hard to do in an environment like youtube where clicking one wrong video can send you way off. But at this point I'm afraid to buy the twofer cuz I almost feel like it won't be listened to. I definitely know I like the first four songs of LA, and the first couple of songs from MIU, but I haven't gotten much further than that. And the fact that I was able to listen to the self titled on youtube all the way through might say something about MIU and LA (at least as far as my own musical taste goes, I didn't "like" the self-titled, but I could still liisten all the way through)

MIU is good but you have to imagine it as a regular easy listening album rather than a Beach Boys album

I really like the Christmas versions of the songs that appeared on MIU... Very much, believe it or not. That being said, the "other " version of My Diane is pure greatness.

You talkin' crazy!  ;D

I love the lyrics "I can't wait for the summer cause it's gonna be a summer of love, hey now, well it's a love thing." pure genius!  8)

Same here!

I would like to add that MIU through KTSLA the vocal blend wasn't working.

How so? How does Peggy Sue, Good Timin' and Goin' On, etc, have the vocal blend not working? Plus people who do like MIU, like it for just that reason; it sounds like The Beach Boys.

I give MIU a try every few months.  Some people love it, Brian is deeply involved -- I must be missing something.  Every time, except for "My Diane" my reaction is revulsion.  No no!  This is not what I want a Beach Boys album to be!

To me it doesn't sound like the Beach Boys. It sounds like the Beach Boys trying to sound like the Beach Boys and not quite getting there. That's the biggest problem with the post Holland material is that they spent too much energy trying to sound like an idealized version of "The Beach Boys"...something they had naturally evolved away from. Its like middle aged men trying to project an adolescent vibe, which in practice just makes them seem out of touch and at times creepy.

...which is why I wonder if it isn't some weird hell those guys are experiencing singing GV's and other 60's hits while they are hitting their 70's.

I've always liked Pitter Patter.  Is that Brian on the falsetto on this or is it Al?

I remember when Good Timin' was first hitting the radio, folks would often comment to me "Now, that sounds like The Beach Boys". So, if it was The Beach Boys trying to sound like The Beach Boys... Mission accomplished!

Brian sounds great on "Matchpoint", but those are probably the worst lyrics in the Beach Boys canon by miles and miles. Comically so, I'll grant you (albeit only slightly), which has some value, but still :| damn.

I'm with you on that. MIU is low on my list of favorite albums but I'll take it any day over 15BO.

This much is true at least. If only he'd sounded that good on Love You. The material, unfortunately, is garbage. The only saving graces are Pitter Patter and My Diane, and I'll grant She's Got Rhythm and the two covers a pass when I'm in a tolerant mood.

I remember reading once that there was a bootleg circulating which contained superior earlier mixes from before Ron Altbach (I assume) got to work with his airbrush. Does anyone know what I'm referring to, or how I can get hold of it?

I love Winds of Change. And I'm not joking.

The songs I like from MIU are...
-Hey Little Tomboy
-Belles of Paris
-Sweet Sunday Love
-My Diane
-Match Point
-Winds of Change

The rest is crap

I've always loved this record.

Brian's voice sounds great.

Good songs like Pitter Patter, Belles of Paris, Woncha Come Out Tonight, She Got Rhythm, My Diane...

People just hate on it like they hate on Mike Love. It's a good record.

The best thing about MIU, is the Dennis Wilson quote we got as a direct result of it.

While it doesn't hit as many highs, there are less songs I dislike on MIU than Love You.

With Brian, Carl and Dennis all in the midst of break ups in the late 70s, there was great potential for the ultimate 'divorce album' of the decade after Blood on the tracks. My Diane, Baby Blue, Angel Come Home, and Love Surrounds me all show the potential for such an idea. The brothers singing leads on compositions which are perhaps still too raw for the original writer to sing gives them extra power. The others would never have gone for such 'a downer' of an idea but it could have been an interesting direction that the LA/MIU sessions could have taken.

Ye Gods, MIU Album is a shocker that has all the elements a BB's record shouldn't - boring, lifeless tunes, yawn production/sonics and all-round woeful lyrics delivered sans emotion.

The only good thing about it is it stops me from listening to LA ( because I couldn't be stuffed skipping through the tracks) - I recommend you give away your copies to someone you don't like.

That Match Point always reminds me of "Howzat", another woeful love affair in sporting (well, cricket) terms, from a year or so earlier.

rofl :lol

Brians voice is so great on "wontcha come out tonight", it has so much feeling.

a fan listening party would be fun. ;D

:lol

About five years ago there used to be some people on this board who really appreciated and loved MIU -- a guy named Jason Penick was a true and great advocate of the album.  I agreed with him then, and still think it's a great album.  It's really fun if you don't take it too seriously.

"She's Got Rhythm" -- great album opener, love the verses musically
"Come Go with Me" -- not Al's best cover idea, almost sounds like a solo track, but not terrible
"Hey Little Tomboy" -- sonically fastastic, great group involvement in vocals, lyrics have to be taken as a joke
"Kona Coast" -- musically based on "Hawaii," the bridge is pretty creative
"Peggy Sue" -- uninspired
"Wontcha Come out" -- really nice Brian vocal, sweet BW composition
"Sweet Sunday" -- I really love this one, great Carl vocal, great Be My Baby-inspired arrangement
"Belles of Paris" -- music is great, lyircs are sort of silly but still they're kind of fun
"Pitter Patter" -- funky chords & harmonies, a creative song
"My Diane" -- one of the ten greatest songs ever recorded, Denny's vocal utterly heartbreaking
"Matchpoint" -- almost as great as "My Diane," people need to get over the tennis metaphors -- they work!
"Winds of Change" -- kind of treacly but not bad

I think that when you have to use as many qualifiers as you do it tends to disprove your point.
 "My Diane" is a good song. I feel safe in asserting that it is not one of the 10 greatest songs ever recorded.

What I meant was that each group member seemed to be singing a part other than what would be his regular one in the harmony stack. Part of what makes this the ultimate vocal group is the ease with whihc each guy sings his part, everything natural and unstrained. This changed in the late 70s recordings, when, with two destroyed voices, Alan and Bruce trying to cover for Brian, Mike singing too high, and the magic of the middle voices missing, it all sounded not right. For whatever reason, the blend even with Dennis and Brian in it sounded good enough in Love You (adding Marilyn worked well, maybe). But it doesn't in KTSLA, LA, or MIU. And if I remember correctly, this was one of the reasons expressed by Carl in his manifesto when he left the group for a while: that each guy sings again his original part.

You know people can like stuff even though it is quirky or whatever. There are plenty of songs throughout the catalog that I like just for the music, or lyrics, or the performance alone. A lot of you guys like My Diane, but it is one of my least favorites, though I do like the heartfelt lead by Dennis.

I may be not remembering correctly, but most of what Carl was commenting on was live performance, not the studio albums.

You're right, I guess. But said problem occured on and off-stage

Lol i was gonna say the same thing!!


Refresh my memory?

Any album that has so much BW-written material can't be a total loss. And the vocals are often good.

The main problem is that Al really couldn't figure out how to produce the backing tracks. It all sounds very same-y.

 ;)

Never a truer word spoken.

That is an interesting point, because often people say that exactly this is what is wrong with the 20/20 album: It has no coherent sound.

Actually I enjoy listening to selected tracks from MIU. It is pretty lightweight, I agree, but it is unpretentious, too, which I like. For some reason I cannot explain it reminds me of watching the Muppet Show.

For all it's flaws I must say that MIU doesn't sink as low as the worst tracks off 15 Big Ones, Love You, KTSA, BB85 or SIP.

I like "Hey Little Tomboy" and "Wontcha Come Out Tonight". "Pitter Patter" almost sounds like a Sunflower outtake somehow but it's not a huge favorite of mine. "Sweet Sunday" is a nice song but was much more convincingly performed by The Honeys. "My Diane" is probably in my top 20 of fave BB songs ever.

Overall, M.I.U. somehow manages to be worse than than the sum of its parts. 2 stars from me.

Considering what came before (both Holland and Love You are genuine high points in my book, five-star material) M.I.U. is pretty bland. Considering what came after L.A. (which I think is decent and has a couple moments of greatness) it doesn't sound that bad I guess...
I think this record could have used some of the stuff that was left off, such as "Our Team" or maybe "Mike Come Back to L.A." (which I haven't heard of course but it sounds like it could be a fun tune).

Al didn't produce the backing tracks, he produced the vocals and did a good job.

Ron Altbach did the music and Al has spoken about how difficult it was to work with such mediocre, unfinished backing tracks.

Leaving off Our Team and How's About a Little Bit of Your Sweet Lovin' can only have been acts of sabotage.

I'm very pleased Our Team was left off MIU, primarily because I love it and wouldn't want it to have been tarnished by such hateful surroundings.

Who played the lead guitar on "Pitter Patter"...there's some tasty stuff going on there!  Not flashy, but subtle and appropriate for the song.  Almost sounds like rain rolling down a roof.

Right now I'm sitting down with a couple cups of coffee and enjoying the hell out of MIU on vinyl.  A very modest record, and it's small charms equal great pleasure for me.  Side Two in particular is fantastic.  So much Brian involvement in this, it's hard not to love. 

Man, does "Matchpoint of Our Love" ever make me wish the rumoured Barry Gibb produced album happened in the early 80s.  The fusion of Beach Boys harmonies and disco-balladry really bears wonderful fruit on this track and Barry/Albhy Galuten/Karl Richardson could have really taken this sound a step further...

MIU is one of my favourite listening (guilty) pleasures.

The L.A. album was them at least trying and, frankly, most of it was quite good (some of it great, even). The MIU album, on the other hand, has no real melodies (aside from the covers, of course) or interesting lyrics or vocal deliveries - all topped off with the most cardboard sounding production you'll ever hear. The lone highlight is the glitzy "Come Go With Me" cover, but it's hardly a classsic.

MIU as an album is severely underrated.  How such an inoffensive record can draw such ire surely reflects more on the general insanity of parts of the Beach Boys fanbase than on anything having to do with the actual music contained within.  Nobody's saying it's Pet Sounds, but it's not trying to be.  It's straight up Yacht Rock, and on that level it works brilliantly.  I'm especially baffled by those who complain about the inconstant sound... You could level that criticism at L.A. all day long, but 90% of this album was recorded with essentially the same backing band, and the sound is incredibly homogenous.  Likewise, the backing vocals are uniformly fantastic, largely thanks to the great Bob Rose who was brought in to coach the group on delivery and help with arrangements-- something they obviously needed in the wake of 15 Big Ones and Love You.

The "Peggy Sue" remake to me is brilliant, and if you say otherwise, you may be listening with "dead ears, mate" in the words of Russell Crowe.  Sorry, that was uncalled for, but I'm frustrated when it comes to defending this record to folks that don't get it and talk about it as if it was a steamer along the lines of SIP.  I get the feeling so many of the MIU haters have no idea how hard it is to make music that is this tuneful and precise.  I'm really not trying to be all sanctimonious, honestly, but I don't know how else to express it.  There is a level of quality to this record that some are able to ascertain, and it seems to me that those who tend to dismiss it regularly do so out of hand.  For sure it would have been great to have more Carl and Dennis on it, but at the same time it isn't as though Mike, Al and Brian were incapable of creating quality work on their own.

I'm not saying MIU is perfect, but it's got a lovely vibe to it.  It's lush and harmonic.  I would probably give it 3 1/2 stars out of 5, but for some reason I tend to reach for it a lot.  Dean's cover art and the back photo are great too.

Clearly we all hope for capital A Art out of The Beach Boys every time, but taken for what it is, MIU is a pretty good time.  :hat

Unfortunately, by having to heavily caveat your praise with "taken for what it is" your essentially saying it's rubbish but if you accept that then it's good rubbish. Accepting that it's lightweight and viewing that as the benchmark for rating the album is not really rating it at all. It's a poor album (excepting My Dianne and Pitter Patter and the production is pretty limp on PP). We will all listen to it often as we're BB's freaks but would you play it to friends?

Brian Wilson was famous for making backing tracks that were solid and great, f.e. Sloop John B or Salt Lake City. You almost had a finished product, but with those gorgeous vocals on top of it the result was even better, sometimes transforming it to a whole different feel of the song. MAGIC.

On MIU it's as if it's the other way around, the backing tracks are just good for underneath the vocal melodies, but there's nothing special about them. They are very mediocre, especially the drums are boring. A missed opportunity, because the songwriting, the melodies are totally not bad at all. (7 Brian songs out of 12)  Not a very good album, but still enough tracks to enjoy.

Jason...before we start...you know I like and respect you...ok here we go. I bought this record the day it came out and I really wanted to like it. I kept playing it for weeks, my roommate was ready to move out after 130 listenings of She's Got Rhythm and Wont'cha Come Out Tonight. The fact that Brian is straining so hard to sing in his old voice, and kind of, almost gets there, isn't enough to make me like it. Even back then it was like watching a car trying to take a turn about 20 mph faster than the car was, at its old age, able to comfortably pull off. Brian makes it around the turn, but barely. Its like everybody was crossing their fingers, and clenching their butt cheeks in the hope that Brian can sing high again...YAY...he did it. He made it...whew! BUT The songs suck. And even if you can stomach them, Brian sounds forced and screechy. And did I mention the the songs, come on, Jason...can you really get behind this stuff? But okay...if you can get by all of that, and I tried...you are left with really unimaginative arrangements and one of the blandest productions on any Beach Boys album. Love You, and even parts of 15 BO are so much more ambitious, yes not has even, not as steady, not as neutral...to me MIU is like room temperature mashed potatoes with no salt. There is none of the Beach Boys mojo that makes the hair on your neck stand up and makes you go...oooohhh...that's brilliant (other than My Diane that is).  Its just passable, like a C in a class you should be getting at least an A- in. Is there anything as inventive as Had To Phone Ya, anything as groovacious as Its OK? No. Is there anything as unique and original as the progressions and arrangements all over Love You? No. And don't even think about comparing it to POB...it sounds like a demo for a Beach Boys-soundalike band trying to get a gig at a frat party compared to the lush, majestic, haunting and HUGE arrangement/productions on POB. I gave MIU every opportunity, and it became one of the most disappointing moments in BB's history for me because in '78 they still had so much talent there...(see Love You and POB). It sounds like potential ignored or unrecognized by those in the band who preferred to avoid art and play it safe. That said, I like Peggy Sue and My Diane is brilliant...and Hey Little Tomboy is one of the all-time greatest train-wrecks of inappropriateness. Jason you are a brave man. BTW I get quizzical looks because All Summer Long is my favorite BB's LP. So many people think of it as one of the lightweight early ones...but to me its the best BB's album. So its not like my taste is normal anyway. Hope you are good my man.

Agree with almost all of the above (Peggy Sue, really...?). Talent being deliberately ignored and/or unrecognised? Very accurate indeed. It seems like utter sheer insanity that Dennis was producing songs during this period of the standard seen on POB and the BB's were choosing to release albums such as MIU. All that in-fighting and ego... They really needed a sixth FEMALE member to calm 'em all down (after all, nothing stops a pub brawl faster than a woman's intervention...)

Re Hey Little Tomboy. Agreed, it's sheer hand-over-mouth shock factor makes it by default massively entertaining: 'Hey little tomboy, sit here on my lap... I'm going to teach you to kiss, it's going to feel just like this...' Honestly, could Mike sound any creepier singing that last line? And to think it was only 32 years ago - imagine if someone were to sing something like that today... (Although they sang a Gary Glitter song on Glee recently, so who's to say...)

I'm the leader of the gang I am!

Thanks for your comment John!  I hope you are doing well too.  :)

In truth I was probably a little overzealous in my defense last night, but seeing this album get trashed to such a degree kicks up emotions in me similar to what I might feel if my 90 lb. weakling kid brother was getting pushed around by bullies.  (I don't have a kid brother, but you get what I mean!)

Truthfully there are parts on the record that I don't care for.  The Brian vocal you so greatly describe as a car taking a turn 20 mph too fast is one of them.  I don't I've ever heard such an abrasive intro to a pop album as when he starts off with that brutal "laaaaaaast.... night i went out disco daaaaancing...".  Ouch.   :-\

Likewise, some of the lyrics are pure hackwork.  If you've seen that scene in the Our Team documentary where Mike and Al are bashing out the lyrics to Kona Coast as though they were composing a Facebook status update, then you know exactly what I mean.  And then of course, the legendary tennis metaphors.  I guess I can chalk that up to too much time spent sitting in the sun meditating.

Now with the bad stuff out of the way, let me see if I can offer a defense for this maligned red-headed stepchild!

Okay, I'll start with the obvious.  "My Diane" is killer.  I think we all agree there.

"Sweet Sunday" is gorgeous.  Not an all time masterpiece, but for what it is it's really a lovely melody, and the lyrics do a great job of describing the joys of staying at home with someone you love.

"Matchpoint", most of the lyrics aside, is still a great song with a fantastic Brian vocal.  The bridge, to me at least, is a real highlight.  "No one ever loved me the way you do/ How did love slip away from me?".  That has to be about Marilyn, right?  Powerful stuff.

"Bells of Paris" is really pretty as well.  I actually prefer it as "Bells of Christmas".  That version has a killer a capella breakdown at the end with some absolutely stellar harmonies.

"Tomboy" may be creepy from a lyrics perspective, but I love the melody, particularly the "They're doing it all over the world" falsetto bit that just comes from nowhere.  Only Brian could write something like that.

I've heard people say Al sounds like Kermit the Frog on "Winds of Change", but I think that's a fine song too.  The "Won't Last Forever" bit at the end is great; so melancholy when you compare it to the way they sang it on "When I Grow Up to Be a Man" 14 years prior.  From Beach Boys to Beach Men.

"Pitter Patter", "Won't You Come Out Tonight" and "Peggie Sue" are just good fun.  Toe tappers.  They don't ask for much, but they make fine ear candy IMO.

So that's nine out of 12 songs on the album that I enjoy.  The other three I can take or leave.  "Kona Coast" maybe kind of shitty lyrically, but the melody is pleasant enough to where it doesn't destroy the overall vibe of the record.  "She's Got Rhythm" is an okay song sunk by an enthusiastic but sub par lead vocal, though even there I really enjoy Mike's part on the bridge.  "Come Go with Me" doesn't really inspire any feelings in me one way or the other.

So there you go...  Hopefully I've been able to explain why I think the album is pretty good, even if few agree with me!  :lol

Why people keep saying that it's a fantastic vocal? He sounds smoother than he usually did back then, but that's it. There's nothing extraordinary from a musical standpoint about the vocal. It's a nice song, well sung, but that's it.

Because it's his best lead vocal by a country mile since about 1971?

I find it fantastic because, if it didn't exist, I wouldn't think it possible for Brian to sing anywhere near that well that late in his career.

There are a couple of decent songs on there, but overall I wouldn't call the album "underrated".  The production is about as dry as a bone. 

I share Jason's view of the album. To me it's a fun, listenable album. My guess is that's about all it was intended to be.  Peggy Sue got some airplay and Come Go with Me was somewhat of a hit a few years after MIU came out. That this minor album can provoke such strong negative reactions is a mystery to me.  (Well, not really. I know a little of the Beach Boys' history.)

Also, I become suspicious when someone damns MIU and in the same paragraph starts singing the praises of Love You.  There are some good moments on the latter, but I think the album did irreparable damage to the Beach Boys' as a recording act.   People have posted here that MIU is certainly not the first album they'd play someone when introducing them to the Beach Boys' work.  But would Love You make a better impression?

You have a point. I think the reason that it's singled out, is because he sang it in a softer tone than the usual '76 / '77 BW vocals, which is MUCH more reminiscent of how he sang in the early - mid 60's. Same on "Wontcha Come Out Tonight". I'd imagine there was a lot of coaching going on to get him to sound even that good. Aside from that, he's still not ending his notes the way he would've back in the day, probably because his lung capacity was shot, and he was sorely out of practice. He just wasn't the same person/singer anymore. But you have a shade of that "Please Let Me Wonder" tone, and the nice melodies & chord changes (and EP's).
On MIU, I think it's safe to say he doesn't sound much different from the Love You-era  Brian.  It's pretty clear that his voice was still shot. His falsetto on "Kona Coast" is pretty terrible. On the other hand, his falsetto at the end of "Winds Of Change" is not bad at all. If he didn't decline afterwards, this would've been a great starting point for rebuilding his voice.

Think you need to go back and listen to Love You one more time-maybe 15 BO as well-There is nothing sung by Brian that even comes close to his much smoother vocals on MIU.As far as a starting point. you are absolutely correct.

I agree 100% that his vocals sound smoother to some degree on MIU, OSD. However, my point was that it's still the same guy, with the same damaged vocal cords. The only difference here is that

A) He wasn't "allowed" to smoke until he had gotten done cutting his vocals for the day. For most smokers, this can make all the difference in achieving vocal clarity, which also helps confidence when singing, and that is crucial.

B) This was a Mike Love & Al Jardine project. I'd imagine they were riding Brian like crazy from the control room. I can see it.

Mike to Brian: "C'mon Brian.. sing it like you used to sing"

Whereas 15 BO & Love You were Brian's pet projects. No one was telling him what to do vocally. When Brian started recording 15 BO in '75, after "the change" happened, Brian's first inclination was to sing with a more shouty tone (imo the same tone he used for every other project until Imagination, where I'm sure he was convinced to try and sing soft again. this is just a lazier way of singing. its much more difficult to produce a nice soft tone). And although BW said this shouty tone was intentional, I think he had been having vocal issues since at least '69, probably earlier. You can hear that the cigs started to take it's toll as early as '67 (see 'Surf's Up' '67). Mentally, this had to have a huge effect on him. It's much easier to "belt" a vocal, then attempt to really sing it. He's trying on "Wontcha Come Out Tonight" and "Matchpoint", but he's still struggling. Lots of pitchiness going on, notes ending a little too soon, and lack of emotion. Still overall, not bad, and yes, definitely closer to the classic BW tone we all love.

I do think there were some good vocal moments during the 15 BO / Love You era. See "In The Still Of The Night".  Light years better than Kona Coast, imo. Also check out the live clip of the BB's singing "Surfer Girl" in the studio from the "It's OK" special. He comes pretty close to nailing his original tone on the coda. "Sherry She Needs Me" also has a few moments where you can tell he's into it, and almost nails his classic tone.

Anyway, I'm rambling here. It's a shame he didn't value his voice enough to keep it around longer. It's cool to see he's doing his best to keep it sounding as good as possible these days. I hope they release that "California Feelin" demo from '74 this year so we can really get an idea of where he was at before the drastic decline happened.

Back on topic: I think MIU is a cool album. Much more enjoyable to me than LA Light Album (aside from "Angel Come Home" and "Love Surrounds Me" - which I kinda hope they play live this year).   ;D

but it's not better sung than most of his other songs of the period. It's just that his voice is clean. Now THAT is significant.

Just for the fun of it: here's an aproximation of how Brian would sound in older age had he not ruined his voice

http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=US#/watch?v=0IpKHIutnUc

Reformatted the link for 'ya-- didn't seem to be working for me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IpKHIutnUc (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IpKHIutnUc)

I found this link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=fHDQlG4FrFU

to a recent Four Freshmen performance. Maybe this is an approximation of how an older Brian would sound if he surrounded himself with younger vocalists to shore him up.  . . . Oh, wait a minute!

Maybe a good solution to improve MIU is just to take the best tracks and combine with the best from Adult Child and some other contemporaneous songs.

My mix elevates the album into high art territory, by collecting songs into suites.

Side A (containing the 'sports suite')
Come Go With Me
Our Team
It's Trying To Say
Hey Little Tomboy
Matchpoint of Our Love
Lines
Sweet Sunday
Pitter Patter

Side B (containing the 'xmas suite' and culminating in the soporific 'mandrax suite')
Kona Cost
Bells Of Christmas
Winter Symphony
Deep Purple
It's Over Now
My Diane
Still I Dream Of It
Everybody Wants To Live

For me the M.I.U. Album contains two of the worst songs the Beach Boys ever recorded (She's Got Rhythm & Hey Little Tomboy) and some really great stuff (Kona Coast, Wontcha Come Out Tonight, Sweet Sunday Kind of Love, Belles of Paris, & My Diane).   I played the album a lot when it came out back in September 1978, and appreciated the fact that overall the vocals (excepting She's Got Rhythm) were significantly better done than on 15 Big Ones and Love You.

But, it has a lousy cover and an incredibly lame title.  I can picture the average record buyer seeing the new Beach Boys album and wondering "'M.I.U. Album'?? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

This is kind of lukewarm album for me. Don't understand all the fuss about "My Diane", but at least it's way better than "She's Got Rhythm" - Brian screeching ...yikes! Or "Tomboy" - this track would never get released today! "Kona Coast" is fun, though, nice tune, "Sunday Kind of Love" - well, anything Carl sings I love. That's what's wrong with this album, not enough Carl...but I guess this was during his cocaine period. The album definately sounds more polished and commercial that the two before it, but I can't rate it any higher than a 2 1/2. This was also the era of bad album titles. MIU Album? LA (Light Album)?

Except for My Diane, MIU does nothing for me. I gave the LP some listens when it came out; we just didn't hit it off. I consider My Diane to be a legitimate child of Love You in MIU's custody.

Sweet Sunday Kinda Love is a minor gem, but the rest of the album I can leave. I prefer the earlier version of My Diane without the gloopy strings.