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I figured as the album has begun to appear in stores now, it would be time to set up a place for member reviews.  Here's mine copied from the 'New Album Info' thread.


Well, I’ve listened through the album twice now, and thought I might pass along some impressions.

Those who have heralded “Think About The Days,” “From There To Back Again,” “Pacific Coast Highway” and “Summer’s Gone” are right on the money.  These four tracks found me thoroughly swept up in their drama, and form the cornerstone of an enjoyable, by turns frustrating and startling journey.

“Strange World” (one of four offerings taken from a planned eleven-song suite) offers a charming glimpse into a world of oddities that would be made all the more queer “if you were not here with me.”

You already know of Al’s great performance on “From There To Back Again.”  It’s the last try at a dying love.  “Why don’t you run away and spend some time with me / why don’t we feel the way we used to anymore?”

“Pacific Coast Highway” is breathtaking in its dark beauty – “my life, I’m better off alone / my life, I’m better on my own.”  The resignation drips with each sorrowful note.

As lovely as “Pacific Coast Highway” is, nothing tops the grand “Summer’s Gone.”  More than any other, this is the piece that strikes right to the heart, and demonstrates just what a talented artist can bring to the table.  When Brian sings about ‘another summer gone,’ one understands immediately, innately, that we’re not talking about the end of fun in the sun, the ocean and the beach.  Like the best of Brian’s work, the nature imagery is used here to greater effect as Brian solemnly mourns the encroaching end of an old man’s life - his very own. “It’s finally sinking in,” he sings, “one day begins, another ends.”  It won’t matter how many albums the group may produce from here on out, “Summer’s Gone” truly is the final song on the final Beach Boys record, just as Brian first envisioned.

There is more to the album than the suite numbers, to be sure.  I’ve been spinning the title track for weeks now, with its enchanting harmonies (although there are the BIIIG, dramatic floor tom and the lyric about ‘a whole new generation,’ both of which just grate on me).  “Bill and Sue,” in a not unconvincing manner, expounds the tale of reality show stars (!), seemingly lost at sea.  “Shelter” is a pleasant enough look at love, with a hook I know we’ve all heard before.
“Daybreak Over The Ocean” is a song that most of you will already have heard, but I have to say that it proves that the addition of those voices can complement an arrangement in such a manner that it lifts it from pleasant to, well, a thing of beauty.

It’s when we get to the tracks everyone was worried about that, frankly, you will probably find yourself proven right.  I have to say that as one of the two numbers I allowed myself to preview beforehand (the other being the album’s opener), “Spring Vacation” has had the time to grow on me and against all odds, it has taken full advantage of the opportunity.  If I could just get past the off-key caterwauling I glimpsed in that in-studio video sneak-peek.  I guess some things you just can’t unsee.

Sadly, “Isn’t It Time” holds very little appeal for me.  This is surprising as I quite enjoyed the live version posted the other day, and was looking forward to the album’s treatment.  But my God, “isn’t it time we danced the night away” just sounds sooo very… d-u-l-l.

“Beaches In Mind.” No.

In the end, it's more than I thought we’d ever get – more than we’d any right to expect.  It’s a fine album in places, with a few clunkers and its fair share of brilliance.  The numbers that originate from the suite constitute some of the strongest musical offerings from Brain in years, with mature lyrics appropriate to the theme of ‘looking at life as an older adult.’  Folks, I know the other six pieces of the suite is said to be unfinished at this time, but we need to hear the rest of this suite.  There’s been talk of another Beach Boys LP, with most (Wilson included) speculating on Brian’s long-desired Rock ‘n’ Roll album, but one member here offered a suggestion, probably more in jest than anything, that I think holds tremendous musical appeal and commercial potential – a double album.  Picture, if you will, The Beach Boys Rock ‘n’ Roll, backed with ‘My Life’s Suite’.  Food for thought.

Good call and great review (although can't say I agree with your appraisal of Isn't It Time!)

I can see the Life Suite myth growing minute by minute - what is with these guys and unreleased masterpieces, eh?

Yeah, as I said, I really enjoyed "Isn't it Time" in a live setting ("Isn't it time we danced the night away" really does work with a crowd), and of course not every tune can transfer over from studio to live.  I think it's more the lyric, in an intimate setting with headphones, that fail me, as I do find the tune itself enjoyable.  I'm not discounting the notion that it could still grow on me.

Oh, yeah, and the suite?  Well, every piece of it that we've heard has been wondrous, and reading Joe Thomas' full accounting has certainly sparked my imagination. :)

For me, Isn't It Time taps into that vein of pure joy that BW mines every 5 years or so - it has the same effect as Message Man - a seemingly effortless meolody. But the lyrics are a bit trite, and I'm not a big fan of the Jeff vocals or the middle 8.

The suite songs are a knockout, but really leave you wanting more, and reading the Thomas interview makes you realise there is potentially more - ahh the frustration!

The reviews are starting to pop up all over:

Drowned In Sound review (5/10):
http://drownedinsound.com/releases/17042/reviews/4145028

New Adventures In Hi-Fi review:
http://www.newadventuresinhifi.com/2012/05/the-beach-boys-thats-why-god-made-the-radio-review/

Blogcritics review:
http://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-the-beach-boys-thats/

The last two reviews are wonderful, and both responsible and logical in their review.  I'm not saying the first review is poorly done simply because they gave the album a five, but the review failed to mention FTTBA and Summer's Gone, which by all accounts are the highlights of the album.  They did mention Pacific Coast Highway and TWGMTR as highlights, but that was it.  Seemed a bit odd to me.

I did get a bit of a chuckle out of "irrepressible pin-up Al Jardine," forgive me.

Drowned in sound always hates what I like  >:(

A solid 9/10 from me..

Everything I have to say has been said. The suite is magnificent, the opener is gorgeous and everything in between is fun -  easy listening

Also, I really like "Beaches in Mind"

Finally just listened to the whole thing. From beginning to end, no gaps, and just once (so far). I had been holding off on hearing anything unless I could hear it in full, so I had heard the title track of course and "Think About the Days" and "Spring Vacation" from the radio broadcast, and not a note of anything else.

I wish I could give more background on my long time fan status and frame of mind for this and every other one of their albums so my comments on the new album had more context, but that would be long and boring.

First impressions of the album? More consistent than any BB album in ages. I think my biggest gripe is one maybe nobody will agree with: Not enough chords changes and hooks in general. The tracks, autotune aside, are beautifully performed, produced, and sung. But the compositions, while sometimes intricate in their structure or production, often lag on single chords or two chord patterns. I kept hearing passages where I was waiting for another chord than never came.

The end suite of songs is poignant and sounds great, but it musically (not production-wise or performance wise) plods in places.

I'm not saying everything has to have a powerpop contagious hook, everything doesn't have to sound like the Archies or something, but I just can't think of any other way to describe my reaction than, as I said, I was from time to time just waiting for another chord or two in certain passages that never came.

The title track and "Spring Vacation" probably are the two most "catchy" songs with immediately catchy chord patterns and melodies.

Listen to it again and you're going to notice more hooks.

Not listening the the whole thing until tomorrow, BUT.

The mix of TWGMTR is SOOOO MUCH better. Sounds GREAT.

Love it. When it's great it's great. My impression is pretty much the same as most everyone. Starts strong (first 3 tracks) coasts a bit, things in the middle get a bit questionable (and semi-Summer in Paradise-ish) then when you think it's going to end in disaster* the plane pulls up and ends majestically.

*maybe that was a touch too much hyperbole.*  :P

I've listened a few times now, and thought I'd do a track by track review:

Think about the Days: incredibly beautiful.  Not earth shattering, but it doesn't need to be.  It's somewhere between our prayer and meant for you - which is high praise.  

That's Why God Made the Radio: I really liked it at first, but I've been playing it a lot, and I'm starting to tire of it a little. It's a bit too Beach Boys by numbers for me, although the last minute is really wonderful.  

Isn't It Time: This is the first song that I really love.  I think this song would have sounded right at home on Holland or Carl and the Passions, it has that early-70s Marcella, funky pretty feel to me.  And frankly, I think it's about as good as both of those classics.  A really great song with great vocals and great production and an awesome hook and it just kind of grooves along in early-70s Beach Boy's fashion.  This is the first song that I think has that spark that sets apart their best work, and that, already after three songs, raises this album miles above MIU and Keepin the Summer Alive.  I do wish Mike had been given both versus though - overall, I think Brian sounds great on the new album, but that all the guys sound great, and I wish the vocals had been apportioned more evenly.  

Spring Vacation: This song has been growing and growing on me.  I love how the chorus is half Brian and half Mike, and Brian's lyrics are so Brian, and Mike's are so Mike!  This song, however, suffers from the production a little.  I think that the drums aren't as solid as they could be, they're a bit too "filly," but that's a matter of taste and not really a knock on the song.  Ditto for the lead guitar, which is a bit too smooth for my taste.  I think the major missing ingredient in the guitar sound on this record is that clean, surf guitar sound which Carl Wilson played on all of their 60s songs.  The lead guitar on a beach boys album should be *clean,* reverby and ringing, none of this smooth, 70s-guitar sound.  I was hoping David Mark's might have brought that to the table, but despite his absolutely smoking live leads, I think the guitar playing on the album is disappointing.  Still, over all I think this is a good song, it sticks on you're head.  It reminds me of 80s beach Boys at their very best, which is something I enjoy.  Also I love the vocal arrangement in the bridge, at like 2:10 - the voices sort of disappear and weave together in a really interesting way - it's a beautiful and strange moment in a sort of pedestrian song that reminds you you're listening to the Beach Boys!!

Private Life of Bill and Sue: jury's out on this one.  Definitely a cool song, clearly very Brian.  Carribean, but also sort of weird. I think I like it, but I'm just not sure.  Definitely not bad, though.

Shelter: I love this song.  I wish to God Carl were alive to sing the chorus - the one place where Jeff sort of grates.  But a really cool song. I love the long pause before the chorus - only Brian Wilson would make a production decision like that.  I also love the vocal arrangement in the last two choruses, which gets deceptively complicated.  

Daybreak over the Ocean - a beautiful song, in my opinion.  the instrumental arrangement is a bit busy, and you can kind of tell it's imitation Brian Wilson, not actual Brian Wilson. But what a beautiful song.  If the credit said BW and not ML, people would be ranking this one up with the suite, I really believe that.  And the vocal harmonies are amazing - Christian Love has such a great voice, sounds just like Carl.  I think it's a real shame that Christian Love didn't sing the chorus on Shelter - now that would have been incredible.  

Beaches in Mind - inoffensive.  Nice intro.  Nice and short.  Decent guitar playing, although see my notes Spring Vacation.  I think the organ sound on this song, and a few others is very reminiscent of Key of Disney, which to my ears marked a return to interest in organ sounds for Brian, which I think is a sign that he was involved in the production and arrangement.  Clearly the weakest song, which, frankly, says good things about the rest of the album.  

Strange World - Awesome.  Very Brian arrangement.  I think the drums is where you can really gauge how involved Brian is in the backing track.  Brian has never liked really showy drum arrangements - in the 60s, he really held Hal Blaine back - compare Blaine on any phil spector song with any Beach Boy's song, and you can see how much more restrained the drumming is.  The drums in this song are just so much more Brian than say, Spring vacation, or Shelter.  Then again, who knows what Brian wants or what calls he's making.  Point is, this is an epicly awesome song.  Like Isn't it Time, it reminds me of early 70s funky Brian, right down to the weird synth sounds.  Also, Joe Thomas is definitely playing the piano.  At 1:42 he plays almost the exact same piano riff as 2:24 of Lay Down Burden!!!  

From There to Back Again - I never in a million years thought I would hear a new Beach Boys song this good in my lifetime.  A new Beach Boys song this good has not right to exist - that Brian Wilson can still do this is just - mindblowing.  Just wow.  This song alone makes the whole album worth it.  just, Jesus.  Also, they should have given Al at least one more lead vocal. Al would ahve done a great job singing shelter, or private life of bill and sue, or really any of the Brian leads this album, and was totally underutilized.  This is honestly one of the best Al Jardine vocals of his entire career.  And that's just mindblowing.  mindblowing.  This song would have been a standout track on Holland or even Sunflower!  Also, it has a great tag.  One of the conspicious absences on this record, especially compared to, say, Brian WIlson 88, is the lack of the sort of tags which Brian has specialized in since the 60s.  A lot of the songs just end on a chorus, which is kind of disappointing.  But given how great a lot the choruses are, it's hard to complain :)

Pacific Coast Highway - I really like this.  Not as good as There to Back Again, but a beautiful little song, a bit slight, but with a beautiful little Brian Wilson vocal.  The group "goodbye" vocal at the end is really great.  

Summer's Gone - don't like it as much as I expected.  It's a really pretty song, but it's about a minute too long - which frankly, I think is Jon Bon Jovi's influence, Brian has done a good job keeping things short and sweet up til now.    Frankly, I think the string arrangement is terrible.  I generally like Paul Von Mertens, and its hard to say whether the fault lies with him or Brian's wishes, but the song would have benefitted from some restraint, in both the strings and the harmonies.  But it's still a gorgeous song, that comes to a gorgeous and poignant ending.

Overall verdict.  Frankly, I think this album stands closer to the level of quality of the Beach Boys early 70s output then their late 70s output.  Miles beyond MIU and Keepin the Summer Alive, at least on par with the LA Light album.  At it's very best moments, as good as anything the Beach Boys have done post-Sunflower, and From There to Back Again ranks among the Band's best work.  Carl is very, very missed, not the least because it sounds like Brian is still writing for him, which makes his absence all the more sad - hearing a song like Isn't It Time, you don't really miss Carl, the singing is great, the songs good, all is well.  But the chorus of Shelter just sounds like it was written for Carl's voice - and in that situation, quite frankly, there isn't a singer in the world who could live up to the built-in expectations.  And most importantly, it's a Beach Boys album, spearheaded by Brian Wilson, that sounds and feels like a Beach Boys album.  And that's nothing short of a miracle.  

I like it. The ending suite, as everyone and his grandmother knows now, is awesome.

I find the first part somewhat more confusing. Not bad, but confusing. There are songs where Brian seems to be writing what he thinks modern Beach Boys hits should be (TWGMTR, BiM), which works sometimes and doesn't others. Then there are the BW-solo album sounding Bill and Sue and Shelter, which are cool but a little overcooked production wise. You combine that with Daybreak and the opening bit, and it's a bit muddled. Pleasing to the ear, yes, but there's an element of uncertainty of creative purpose.

It feels like Brian started out by writing the big suite. Then he added some single-type material that he thought was right for the Beach Boys. Then Mike got involved, and some other songs sprouted. And then they needed to get an album out for the summer, so rather than develop any of these things to album length, they used a bit of everything.

If I were evaluating it next to recent BW solo work, I'd say it's a slight step down, suite excepted. Next to recent BB studio work, it's the best in decades.

This is a very early response, from a couple of listens. I'm sure I'll think differently in a day or two. The varied material could end up being an asset.

I can't tell you how much I agree. Christian Love really does channel Carl on his vocal there and it would have been a MORE THAN WELCOME addition on Shelter. Missed opportunity, that one. A real shame.

Damn.

"Summer's Gone" is a true, honest-to-goodness BB classic. It just feels like BB all the way. It made me breathe differently just listening to it. I know this one will last for years.

And "There and Back Again" is a very, very, very close second. Also a classic. Fantastic Al vocal. Everything about this is great.

Overall: a truly enjoyable album. Nothing terrible--I even like "Spring Vacation" now, and can hardly remember the first time I heard it, in which I didn't even finish it. It's probably the least of the numbers, but I don't care. Fits in with the light/summer/middle section just fine.

The chorus of "Shelter" is also a classic--I wish I could send it back in time to 1965 and have the BBs put vocals on it then. It would raise the hairs on peoples' necks. And what we have on here, with the modern-day Beach men, is still damn good.

This is just plain meant to be enjoyed, and I'm gonna do it!

i hate you all  :jedi

the album is getting a lot of love on twitter.  that's a good sign.

The first three tracks are fantastic. However, the transition from "Think About the Days" to "TWGMTR" is pretty jarring.

"Isn't It Time" is instant classic Beach Boys. Do my ears deceive me, or is that a farty, "Love You"-sounding synth line I hear during the chorus? I really love how strongly each of the Boys' vocals come through at various times throughout this one, especially Brian's part at the very beginning and Mike's singing the chorus by himself later in the song. Al sparkles throughout the entire thing. And Jeff's "Let's raise our glass to kindness" line is just beautiful.

"Spring Vacation" is not nearly as bad as I feared it would be. Lyrics are really cheesy but the verse melody is incredibly catchy. This is probably the song hurt most by the album's production.

"The Private Life of Bill and Sue" is pleasant enough. I think people would probably really dislike this song if we were told that Mike had written it, though. Nonetheless, it's an interesting subject matter for Brian to tackle. I like the sax noodling and the little radio/TV chatter at the very end.

"Shelter" is really good, but the various parts of the song--the verse, pre-chorus and chorus--all seem kind of disjointed, like they all belong to different songs. Nevertheless, I'll echo others' sentiments in saying it's a real tragedy that Carl isn't alive today to belt out that absolutely gorgeous chorus. In a very strange way the song lies somewhere melodically in between "Thinkin' About You Baby" and "Lahaina Aloha".

I wish "Daybreak Over the Ocean" sounded more like the 1978 Mike Love solo version. It's pretty overproduced, but I do give them credit for retaining Christian Love's vocals, though, and I wish he had more of a presence on the entire record.

"Beaches in Mind" is forgettable but not really offensively bad. I get the feeling there were probably a few other songs in contention for the album that would've worked better here, but what are you gonna do. If the worst thing you can say about the weakest track on a 2012 Beach Boys album is that it's forgettable, then I won't complain.

I'm not sure what to make of "Strange World". I like the Spector-esque production but for the most part it feels pretty forgettable. It'll probably take a few more listens to reach a verdict on this. Definitely don't dislike it, though.

"From There to Back Again" is an absolute stunner. It's unbelievable how well Al's voice has held up over the years, and I don't think any of the other Boys would've sounded right singing lead on this one. There's a lot to digest about the song, but I think the simplest way to describe it right now is if "Winds of Change" grew a pair of balls and had been written by Brian Wilson.

"Pacific Coast Highway" is just great. Seeing as it's probably one of the various transitional pieces that link larger compositions in Brian's "My Life Suite", this leaves me *really* wanting to hear the rest of the suite on the next BB record.

"Summer's Gone" is not really at all what I expected it to be based on the early reviews and descriptions. Very somber and grim even for Brian. I noticed the opening sounds like some randomness from the "SMiLE" recording sessions. There are some fantastic harmonies here (especially when Mike's voice comes through) and I'm really glad the raindrops/crashing waves at the end don't feel gimicky. I wonder what Bon Jovi's contributions to this song were...

I think Thomas said Bon Jovi came in a flushed the song out, added some lines.  It was built from a single verse by Brian i think. Then i guess it came back to Brian and maybe he finished it up

Easily the best since, say, Love You. Imo.

I think Jeff's vocals work better on Brian's solo albums because Brian isn't as consciously writing with Carl in mind. Jeff is being used to double Brian and sing the high notes, and it works in the context. I agree that Christian Love should have been the one to sing the tag for "Shelter" and others, including the break in "It's About Time." Definitely one of the missed opportunities on this album.

why are we talking about sunflower tracks?

Why not ?

The album is friggin' amazing. More specifically the end, but it's got all the BW stamps you'd hope for, and then you realize he has a few melodic tricks up his sleeve. He wasn't lying when he told Charlie Rose that he still has more music in him. Even the weaker tracks have elements about them that hardcore fans will recognize as classic Beach Boys, and I mean that in the best way possible. The album DOESN'T sound forced, and rightly so considering it's about 13-14 years in the making. And I know I said it before, but good GOD the end of the album blew me away. "From There To Back Again" haunted me last night as I slept, and I woke up with a feeling of complete peace. I've never had a LEGIT new Beach Boys album come out while I was consciously aware of them and I feel truly blessed to be able to witness this. I don't know what else to say. This might be the last great album to come from one of the top 2 great act's of the 60's and I'm not taking this moment for granted. ENJOY it, for this is the real deal.

edit: one final thought... God Bless Al Jardine.

"DOTO" is the 2005-ish Mike Love Not War recording with BB vocals added in 2012. Production credit is Paul Fauerso.

Anyone else hear the Tidepool Interlude music from Al's record in Strange World?

Nup.  Not me.  Well, maybe....

Beaches in Mind and Strange World may as well have been the same song.

I bought TWGMTR today - in a shop, with cash (a twenty buck note, even)  :old.  It was cold out, but many a pretty girl was on the scene as the sun sliced through the chill in the air.

I avoided the on-line previews and the live renditions etc, in order to have an open mind (baring listening to the single, and "glancing" over the opinions posted by those who did indulge).

It was a perplexing album for me on first listen and, while typing, remains so on second listen. 

Overall, I find it's was a great collection of songs/tracks.  The BB gold, imho, is Think about the days, TWGMTR, Daybreak and Summer's Gone (love those bass bits reminiscent of I know there's an Answer).  Great tracks and a lot has been said about them already.  Spring Vacation was not half as bad as I expected.  I now get the "mellow" descriptor bandied around as album news started to form-up.

Beaches in Mind and Strange World - for me the weakest tracks and an unintended sequence; both songs sound like a poor rip of "Let My Love open the door" by Pete Townshend.

For the remaining tracks, I'm torn for 2 reasons; are they BB songs, or Brian Wilson solo cuts?  The credits indicate the BBs are singing along - Brian is prominent (really prominent), and there are some great Mike bits, and Al bits, but Bruce seems to guest starring and all are overshadowed by Jeff and the likes; sometimes it sounds like we're listening to out-takes from Imagination or TLOS.

Secondly, the autotune really detracts for me - Isn't it Time is a prime example - I like the song (sounds a bit like Aren't You Glad in parts) but the processing on the vocals seems kinda excessive and gets in the way.

Al set a high standard of vocals on Postcards, and showed you don't have to go nuts with the autotune to get a BB sound, or cool sound, out of senior citizens - it's a shame whoever didn't reign it in a bit on this one.

Anyway, I'll still be playing this all weekend, and it is 500% (although not 1000%) better than I was expecting.

Having played the album through a fair few times now here are my feelings about the tracks:

I think it starts really well - the first three songs are terrific.

Think About the Days - lovely. As someone else has noted, the chords don't feel very Brian - it feels kind of French to me, but can't quite put my finger on why exactly. Like a French perfume ad or something - sort of kitsch in a Bruce kind of way. But that's not a bad thing for me. It really reminds me of Cry off Imagination.

TWGMTR - I think this is totally great. Far better than any new Beach Boys tune deserves to be. I'm even growing fond of the cheesy 'new generation' break.

Isn't It Time - Again, I think this is 1st rate BW material, and feels more like a classic Beach Boys song, than any other track from the album. I can easily imagine this on 15BO, or MIU. Like Message Man, it gets me grooving the minute I hear it. Shame about the autotune, which really grates when Jeff sings. I'm also not overly fond of the middle 8. But those minor gripes aside, I love It.

Spring Vacation - Like other posters, my initial disappointment over this tune has grown to a sort of guilty affection, as if a cherished elderly relative is hamming it up on the dance floor. Mike kind of rushes a lot of the lyrics on the verses, as if he'd written way too many but is determined to squeeze them in regardless. I like the chords behind the verses, but the chorus just sounds like 90s sitcom music to me - real high five music.

Bill & Sue - From this point the album takes a bit of a dive for me. Just can't get into this one. I like Brian's crazy concept, but musically I find it a bit dull.

Shelter - I think another poster noted that this feels like several songs stuck together and I'm inclined to agree. It kind of feels like Under The Boardwalk for a bit and then veers off into I Think We're Alone Now by Tiffany. In the Thomas interview he describes Brian's writing process as linking  various fragments together and I wonder if this song is a less successful example of that technique.

Daybreak Over The Ocean - I like that this sounds very 80s Beach Boys, but other than that there's not much to get your teeth into. Another skipper for me unfortunately.

Beaches In Mind - Again, this does little for me.

Strange World - I find this more interesting than the previous 4 tracks. It starts off a little like Arthur's Theme and then suddenly goes all Phil Spector.  It's interesting to hear that this is one of the suite tracks, and you can hear it with the beautiful ending (really wish they'd done more wit that).

From There To Back Again - Absolutely love this, and the following two tracks, although this is my favourite from the album. Evidence that Brian still has the ability to write really complex, exciting and unexpected changes. Where it suddenly speeds up with the descending piano run at 1.55 sounds like one of umpteen codas from Smile and makes you realise that Brian still writes that way! And what's with that crazy Bacharach whistling interlude? It's the highpoint of the album for me. That bit really makes me want to hear more from this 'suite' although I wonder if we have the best bits here, and that the rest may be a disappointment - kind of more in line with Strange World. I'm slightly disappointed that these suite tracks don't fit together well - they really feel like separate parts shoe horned together. But that is a very minor complaint - these last tracks really are a gift.

PCH - Beautiful, intriguing. I wish it was longer.

Summer's Gone - This is clearly lovely. The production is perfect: Pet Sounds without overstating it. And the line "It's finally sinking in" is perpetually heartbreaking. I love the genius of the concept of this song and the way it's designed as the last BB song ever. Then the rain and the windchimes. Perfect. If only they have had more confidence and delivered the suite with this at the end, instead of going for a bit of everyting. Well, let's hope we get to hear the entire suite one way or another.

Overall, I think I may prefer this album to TLOS. With both albums I find I want to skip about 40% of the songs, but there is a feel-good vibe to this that just inches it for me. The addition of the BB voices is probably the clincher. I hate the autotune, but I have to say, I'm beginning not to notice it.

If I was to compare it to other BB albums, I'd say it's the best since (but no where near as good as) Love You, or maybe on a par with MIU/LA/KTSA - patchy but with solid highlights. I think the last three tracks surpass anything from those albums in terms of emotional depth.

People must really hate Jeff.  I think Shelter's chorus is one of the best moments on the 1st side (so to speak) and Jeff sings wonderfully there.

I find that I am really enjoying Daybreak a lot more than I thought I would based on the samples we heard.  I don't really like Isn't It Time as much as others are, but maybe it needs to grow on me.

Yeah I think Jeff is fine, I've only heard the chorus in the clip, but my favorite part is when Brian comes in the background

Jeff sounds good on this record. He takes a much larger part on the album than he does on most BW records - maybe it was Brian or Joe's idea for him to be the prominent "Carl" voice on the album.

I'm probably reviewing prematurely. It usually takes a good few months and dozens of listens to really solidify my opinion. Nevertheless:

"Think About the Days" is neat, but I don't really know what else to say about it. It wouldn't provoke many listens from me, except that it opens the album so I'll always let it play.

"That's Why God..." is very strong overall, but can never be perfect because the bridge is such sh*t.

"Isn't It Time" is my favorite song on the album.  I'll play this a fair amount.

"Spring Vacation" is pretty damn good. I love the melody in the verses, and the "Easy money..." lines.

"The Private Life..." is a cool concept and I do enjoy the song. There's a lot going on in the chorus somehow, it's too wordy maybe, I'm not sure. But I like the BG vox.

"Shelter" is a fine song. Doesn't really strike me yet, but I have a feeling I will like it much more later.

"Daybreak..." I really like this song. It is kind of just "Bluebirds Over the Mountain" mixed with "Kokomo," but I enjoy it, and I have since before I heard it in That's Why God Made The Radio context.

"Beaches In Mind" I just listened to it and I already forgot everything about it. So, no, I probably won't play this much.

"Strange World" A little better than "Beaches..." but still not outstanding.

I'm just not on board yet with the last 3 songs. I REALLY REALLY think they would be cooler if they were faster. I mean way the f*** faster. With a driving rhythm and rattling pianos. Sorry, I know they're supposed to be plaintive and thoughtful, but they bore me on the first couple listens. (I will edit this when I decide they are awesome just the way they are, which will probably happen.)

To provide a little background, I fully enjoy all Beach Boy's albums up through BB '85 and parts of Still Cruisin'. I like all Brian Wilson solo albums. I like about half of That Lucky Old Sun. I'm a big fan of the Gershwin and Disney projects.

In moments of honesty, I consider myself a fanboy of indiscriminate taste, enthusiastic about all things Beach Boys. I do like this album, but less than I thought I would.

Did anyone notice the wierd little *blip* in Spring Vacation? I think (without checking) it's somewhere around the 1:15 mark. Sounds like a digital/technical glitch.

Totally. I expected to hear his voice first on the first verse. Nice touch.

God i really hate that break between th prechorus and chorus in Shelter, kills the flow
it's like if in Good Vibrations you made that translation between the verse and the chorus disappeared and just put a break in between
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YES!!!

I just noticed this a few minutes ago and wondered how Tidepool would sound segueing into Strange World!

Okay just listened to the WHOLE THING, 1 run through. This is the first Beach Boys album to be released in my lifetime, so here it goes...

Think About The Days- Basically, the "Our Prayer" of the album's theme, looking back on the good and bad. Love it.    8.5/9

TWGMTR- Already stated, I loved it already, but this mix makes me LOVE IT. LIKE A LOT.  9/10

Isn't it Time- I'd say this is a "single done right" song, basically, It's obviously a single, but it still works as an album track. The percussion makes me love it!  8/10

Spring Vacation- The music on this gets a 9, the lyrics get a 5, I like the song, but I wish it wasn't so cheesy :P 7/10

TPLOBS- I like the Brian-isms here, and I like how the theme is expressed using music as well as lyrics, but a 7X year old talking about social issues seems pretty new :P 7/10

Shelter- Absolutely love it. The 2nd half is amazing. 8.5/10

DOTO- I like the chorus, the rest has been untouched, so I just like it. 6.5/10

BIM- I honestly have no comment except... 4/10

Strange World- I like this one, and the link to FTTBA is AWESOME. I was wondering how'd that work!

FTTBA- If you wanted SMiLE 2, well I guess this song is as close as you'll get. Tempo changes, Key changes, LEAD SINGER CHANGES, all make this song great! The ending parts didn't immediately click with me, but the strings won me over eventually :D 10/10

PCH- I agree this should have been part of FTTBA, but it's a very nice song on it's own! 8.5/10

Summer's Gone- I didn't cry, but I had to hold back. The song is very VERY good, basically, I never expected a song to come along that would not only be able to sum up the Beach Boys legacy, BUT FIT IN PERFECTLY ON PET SOUNDS. It really is that nice... and the water drips, very CCW like! I Love it. 11/10 (The Unicorn.)

Overall 8/10 from me, the middle lags, but the bookends are AMAZING. Like the "Surf's Up" album, Brian again saves the best for last, and hits another homerun.

"Spring Vacation".  ;)

Pacific Coast Highway - stunning, I've got it on repeat play - one of their finest ever moments for me,  easily the best song - why didn't they make it 3 times as long..??

overall after 1 listen I think the album is ok, prob equal to BB 85 or Imagination

Overall, this album is what you'd expect from the a reunited BBs. It comes from the same spiritual vein as albums such as MIU, Keepin' The Summer Alive, and BB85. The only difference I can tell is that BW is more in charge this time around, but you still have people like Joe Thomas and Mike Love calling their fair share of the shots.  Still, BW's increased involvement brings the album up a few notches, even though he's far from perfect or whatever.

"Think About The Days" has some solid, cool little vocal arrangements mixed with Bruce Johnston-style syrup (yes, I know Bruce had nothing to do with the writing of this song).

"That's Why God Made The Radio" definitely deserved to be the lead single. It's got a decent mix of Mike Love positiveness and nostalgia with BW's spiritual honesty. The songwriting is pretty strong, too. I even find myself singing along with it. You gotta love that breakdown before the outro. That's vintage BW.

"Isn't It Time" has some serious Wild Honey touches going on, while vaguely sounding like it could've been a Maroon 5 instrumental in different circumstances. The bass line sounds so funky. The best way to describe this song is that it's like a combination of "Aren't You Glad" and "Sunshine". It's pretty catchy, and the hand claps are cool. After the middle 8, I hear some kind of sound being played in reverse and old school electronic drums - very interesting for BBs record. However, "Isn't It Time" kind of brings up a complaint I have - does some "super creative" middle 8 have to be jammed into almost every song?

"Spring Vacation" is a typical BW and Mike latter-day collaboration. "Match Point of Our Love" or "Belles of Paris", anyone? The instrumental break is so crazily cheesy. This is some serious Christian rock. I'm not surprised it started out as a gospel song. Bleh. It's listenable, I guess. I do like the "hallelujah" bit a lot, and the "get up, and hit up" melody is nice. Otherwise...

"Private Life of Bill & Sue" is not bad, reminds me of an average song off of TLOS, or perhaps one of the outtakes. It's enjoyable, but I doubt it'll be anyone's favorite. You could tell Joe Thomas was overexcited at the prospect that his tropical schmaltz would be topical and went at it with gusto!

"Shelter" has a great chorus. I like the interplay of the harpsichord and the acoustic guitar during the verses. The song is too long, though. It should've been maybe 2:20 tops, and would've benefited from a fade with all the cool parts BW saved for the ending tacked on in a 10-20 second space. Actually, i think a lot of the songs are a tad long (how many times do we have to hear the choruses during "Spring Vacation" and "Beaches In Mind"?).

"Daybreak Over the Ocean" is better than I expected. It's decent. Good job, Mike. The vibe is similar to songs like "Getcha Back" or the BBs cover of "Come Go With Me". The retro vibe is fun here, and again you knew Joe Thomas was elated to break out the bongos and nylon strings.

"Beaches In Mind" is kinda catchy in the chorus, but that electric guitar needs to die a quick, painful death. The verses do nothing for me. At least we get some nice tambourines and shakers on this track. Bad lyrics again.

"Strange World" has a Christian rock intro. In a way it's an inspiring and uplifting song, but I like I've said before, I can't help thinking of some kind of cheesy Disney movie when I hear it. I love the loud snare drums. I don't mind this song. It could maybe become a guilty pleasure over time - I'm not sure.

"From There to Back Again" is great. The outro rocks my world. Paul Mertens or whoever (maybe even BW?) does a great job with the woodwinds here. The guitar reminds me of Summer Days & Summer Nights, both in terms of melody and tone. It's such a pretty melody, and the "just call" part is memorable.

"Pacific Coast Highway" is kind of heartbreaking. It's a very touching song, and simple but sweet. It leaves you wanting more, and that's what a BW song should do. There are way too many songs that last for more than 3 minutes on this album.

"Summer's Gone", as everyone says, is reminiscent of Pet Sounds. Brian can do pretty, slow ballads in his sleep. The last three songs here remind you of those heady days in the '70s when the BBs would hand over the end of a record or the end of album side for Brian to just do what he wanted. Beautiful.

While I want to give the album a 6/10, the end bumps it up to 7/10.

Is Jeff the one singing the cool synthetic part in "Isn't it about time" or whatever it's called? 

My impression after three listens:

Think About the Days - 'Our Prayer Part II'. Absolutely stunning.
That's Why God Made the Radio - Great vocals, excellent chorus, nice 50s touch on the verses. Like it a lot.
Isn't It Time - A bit lightweight but good fun and catchy enough. I like the sparse backing track with the ukelele and handclaps. Almost has a 'Friends' vibe.
Spring Vacation - Mike rarely sounded this cool. Very sunny and energetic.
The Private Life of Bill & Sue - Somewhat insignificant. Gotta love a typically wacky Brian song like this, though.
Shelter - Not one of the most significant songs either. Still OK.
Daybreak over the Ocean - Meh. Wasn't one re-writing of 'My Bonnie' enough for the Beach Boys catalogue?
Beaches in Mind - Another insignificant song. Probably the weakest track on the album.
Strange World - Not sure what to think of it yet. So far I'm not really impressed, but this might be a grower.
From There to Back Again - Mind-blowing. I didn't expect, or even hope for, something this good. Al sounds as good as ever, the harmonies recapture a bit of that old Beach Boys magic, there are echoes of 'Pet Sounds' all over the arrangement while the complexity and diversity of the composition are a bit 'Smile'-ish... Maybe I'm overreacting, but this could be Beach Boys all time top 25 (or 20 even) material.
Pacific Coast Highway - Very, very touching. Almost as good as the previous one.
Summer's Gone - Magical. And let's call this 'Caroline, No Part II'. If this actually is the final Beach Boys album, than this would be the most suitable closing track possible, and a worthy farewell song.

For my rating, I'd like to cut this album into three pieces: 8,5/10 for the first four songs, 6,5/10 for the next five and 10/10 for the last three.

I like that idea!

7, 3, 10 from me.

I'm sorry, guys - the wierd sound is around 2:15 of Spring Vacation.

stop blaming everything you don't like on Joe Thomas. Daybreak is a Mike Love solo song that was recorded around 2004 (and written in the 70s), Joe Thomas had no involvement in the instrumental arrangements.

He didn't do any overdubs? Interesting. I blame BW plenty for what I don't like on this album. I just feel like Joe Thomas was probably responsible for most of the tropical touches. Maybe I'm wrong. In which case, bad on you BW or Mike.

You mean the slight organ glitch at 00:02:13 into 00:02:14? I can tell you it's there on the (European) retail (CD) version. Just checked.

I'll do a track by track thingy: (all imo of course!)

Think About The Days - I'm underwhelmed by this. The piano parts make me think of the music JD hears in his head on the show Scrubs. I think it would have been suited better opening the suite, but I'm rating it as the opening of the album. 5/10
That's Why God Made The Radio - This track has really grown one me since hearing it what seems like a long time ago. It reminds me of Goin' On and Good Timin'. Fun to sing along with. 8/10
Isn't It Time - This track is so infectious. Although the lyrics might seem cheesy in another song, they work here. I like how the chorus is repeated again and again, and Al is utilised perfectly on his lead parts. 9/10
Spring Vacation - This is a guilty pleasure. I don't WANT to like this, but it's so damn catchy, and Brian is singing with a lot of emotion. 7/10
The Private Life of Bill and Sue - If Mike wrote this, you'd all be hating it. The subject matter is pretty trite, I just can't dig this one so much. The chorus and harmonies save it somewhat. 5/10
Shelter - I LOVE this one! Classic Brian. It's like a mixture of so many tracks - the biggest ones that come to mind are Don't Worry Baby and Darlin'. The ending is very power pop. 9/10
Daybreak Over The Ocean - As I've said before, I like the mellow sound. Mike sounds great. 8/10
Beaches In Mind - It's not bad. Wish there was a Brian introspective song in it's place though. 6/10
Strange World - I'm not big on the intro, but I really like when the Phil Spector/Wreckig Crew big drums come in. The lyrics to this one are great. Did you guys catch the "You Still Believe In Me" reference (not telling you where it is!). 8/10
From There To Back Again - This is as good as ANYTHING the Beach Boys or Brian have ever recorded. The best song Al Jardine has ever sang lead on for a BB record. The "Pet Sounds" vibe is nailed. Many have tried it, I've never heard it as good as it is here, combined with the sections approach of SMiLE. Perfect. 10/10
Pacific Coast Highway - A heartbreaker from Brian. Wish it was longer. 10/10
Summer's Gone - Everytime I listen to it, I can't help but think it's one of the best things ever created. Caroline No Part II is right! I've listened to this about ten times now, and after everytime, I'm just left in awe and speechless. Again, equal to anything they've ever done. 10/10

Album total:79 %

Yeah, that. It's on my American copy. I didn't catch that it was an organ though.

I'm surprised more people haven't embraced "Strange World".  I'll admit the song doesn't completely get to where it could... it's almost like it's unfinished or needs a theme or some kind of resolving message or something, I don't know. 

It's very good though, very Brianish in that weird way that Brian does.  The lead even has that strained Brian "Wall of Brian" sound even without the wall of brian if you know what I mean. 

It's a very interesting song, and ... in a word.... Strange. 

i gave in and gave myself one listen of bill/sue and shelter from guardian's 5 song post thing. 

man shelter...i don't get why that one isn't getting a lot of love.  The vocal stuff brian is doing, great chorus, great tune. 

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.


1.  Intro - Can't remember the name.  It's impressive, but since it repeats twice (thrice?) is almost just seems like a vocal exercise.  Reminds me of "One for the boys" or whatever it was called on "Brian Wilson".  Not that it sounds the same, just that it's Brian fleshing out a little harmony bit.  It's neat though that it opens up the album, and immediately you have no choice but to be impressed by how well these guys still sound.  Immediately you get "Oh sh*t... they can still sing"  out of it.

2. That's why God made the Radio - It's almost a novelty song because of the title... they all sound great, I think when people who are first listening to it hear that "Paradise When I/Lift Up My Antennai" lyric they'll really appreciate it.  I like how warm, thick, and gorgeous it is.  It sounds like they kind of wanted to just go full-on pop song for at least a few tracks, and this is one of them.  They still have that 70's mentality when the band was looking for a Single for an album, this is their single for this album, and I"m sure it was discussed that way while they were recording. 

3. Isn't it Time - I love the vocals, I don't like the production that much.  I like the sing songy way the vocals bounce around, and love the little burp/vocoder "Isn't ittt timmme" that pops out in the chorus.  Kind of ballsy that Brian left it so stripped down.  Mike sounds fantastic on his verse, the guy is really a great vocalist when he's in the studio.  He has that 'sound' that he had when they first started, you can tell that the guy who sang 409 is still the guy singing on this song, it's pretty much his speaking voice, but he keeps the nasal sound under control and sounds just how you'd want a Beach Boys lead to sound.

4. Spring Vacation - I made a seperate post for this, it grew on me, and I now think it's one of the strongest songs, easy, on the album.  If you listen to it with fresh ears, forget about their history, forget what you know about Mike, just listen to the song like a teenager would listen to it while he's driving to the Beach... it's pretty damn good.  I'm excited about the possibility of this being the second single, it has massive potential.

5. The Private Life Of Bill And Sue - I don't like it.  I'm sorry.  Maybe it'll grow on me.  I love Brian Wilson to death but this just doesn't work in my opinion.

6.  Shelter - I've skipped this one more than I should, so I don't quite get it yet, everyone is harping on it though so I'm going to keep giving it a try. At first, though, it's not doing it for me. 

7. Daybreak Over The Ocean - I like the lyrics, love the opening, but it sounds so boring and dreary.  I don't like half-asleep Mike Love, it just doesn't do anything for me.  I wish they would have hyped it up a little bit, you can be introspective and peaceful without putting me to sleep.

8. Beaches In Mind - I keep skipping this one, it does nothing for me.

9. Strange World - I think this song is great.  It's not 'fully realized', I think it could have used a little more time in the incubator, but what's there is all good, I just think it's missing something.  This was the first song on the album that made me say "Yeah! This is what I'm looking for!"  It has a throwback sound, though, and has that 'crazy' sound that Brian did throughout the 80's and 90's, and on "GIOMH".  I mean that in an endearing, good way.  It has the same splash of genius behind it that "Saturday Morning in the City" has, for instance.  Again I like it, but wish he would have done more with it.

10.  From there to back again - Beautiful in every way, everybody rises to the occasion.  Fantastically realized, a really beautiful, thoughtful, interesting song.  That it dashes off in a different direction towards the end made me cheer it when I heard that.  I think my exact words were "HELL YEAH!" as I was driving down the road.  Here's a beautiful, thoughtful song, and just when you think you have it down pat, BOOM here's the Beach Boys.  Exciting, lively music.

11. Pacific Coast Highway - You always want to hear something like this on a Beach Boys record, eh?  I'm left pissed off that they cut apart his little suite that this was in, it's obviously just a small small part of the story, it's almost BALLSY that they only put this little piece of such a fantastic song on there.  I realize maybe it's meant to link, but still... WHAT THE HELL IS ON THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR?  This is fantastic!  Anybody who claims that Brian is dead, or isn't the same guy we love from "Pet Sounds" should be tortured with this song like they do down in Guantanamo.  How anybody can miss that this guy is still everything he once was, in there somewhere, is beyond me. 

12. Summer's Gone - Fitting end to the album, very beautiful.  Not the groundshaking song others have proclaimed it to be, but beautifully sung, it leaves you wanting more when it's over.  You almost don't want the album to be over, but you know it is.  The last little, classic, Beach Boys pad that's behind that last "Summer's Gone" chorus is very emotionally draining. 

everybody loves the last 3 and yet has a different idea about who the runt in the litter is.

Only on samples, for me it's the darned Bill and Sue, from which I like the vocals but not the "song" as an entity.

Daybreak sounds like the old 50 tune "handy Man" in some of its progressions.

Right now I am more thinking about parking and picnicking for tomorrow

I think one of the reasons I don't like Bill and Sue is because when I heard the title, I thought it was going to be something like "Good Kind of Love", a little intimate love song about a couple people.  While I guess that's kind of what it is, it just doesnt' strike me as interesting as it could have been.  No sh*t when I heard the title, I immediately thought of "Eleanor Rigby", and how you learn about Eleanor, or Father McKenzie, and how you're looking in their house and seeing how they live and what they think about.  Or "Good Kind of Love", where you see this guy and girl and the love they have for each other "a little bit of lovin and some kissin and a huggin that's how they fell in love!"   

So I was expecting that, and it just didn't meet up with what I had made up in my head about the song. 

When I first read this I was like "wait... WHAT DID I DO?!?!" hahahaha...

Sorry, it took me a minute to figure out what you were talking about, lol.  I'll have to check out your single!

Ok.

I'm going to be completely honest.

I'm not a fan.

I'll do a full write-up in a bit, but the moments of easily-detectable Autotune, and the very plasticky, electric, inorganic feel to it is a major turnoff. A lot of it feels like somebody imported .midi files into GarageBand.

And now I'll step out as the tomatoes start getting thrown at me.

No tomatoes, I understand... you're just a more nuanced listener, which makes me wonder, why would a snob like you be into the Beach Boys in the first place (JUST KIDDING NOT REALLY THOUGH) :)

I've had high hopes for the album from (nearly) the start and I can't say I'm disappointed.  Although having staggered access to eight (if you include "Daybreak") of the twelve songs before the album itself, I was able to take in each song at a time, which made the listening experience much less jarring to going in cold with twelve new songs.  To me, the weakest tracks are "Daybreak Over The Ocean" and "Beaches In Mind" and that opinion isn't based on Mike's involvement.  I never had a problem with "Daybreak" and I still think it's an OK song, I just don't think it fits the feel with the rest of the album.  "Beaches In Mind" isn't a bad song either, it's just one too many songs on the album of roughly the same caliber and theme.   After hearing "Spring Vacation" etc, "Beaches In Mind" is just "more of the same."   Also, I agree with those who said a tweaking of the sequencing would have improved the album but overall, I think it really is the best album since Holland.  (Sorry.  I'm in the camp that thinks Love You makes a terrible Beach Boys album and should have been released as Brian solo album, if at all.  I don't hate Love You I just don't think it fits in the band's catalog).


One other note, I have a friend who's way more than a casual fan but nowhere near as obsessive as some of us here.  He also respects Brian and has seen him live twice but doesn't own any of his solo stuff, as he feels Brian belongs with the Beach Boys (the sum being greater than its parts).  His favorite BB albums are Pet Sounds, Smile, and Sunflower and this album's early hype had him really excited.  Then he heard the first single.  I think the song is fine but upon hearing it he said, "It's like they purposely tried to make it unappealing to anyone under the age of 65."  I don't agree but needless to say, he was disappointed.  With that in mind, I made him two copies of the CD's: One "as is" that he's to listen to AFTER taking in the first CD and giving me his own review of it, and an "enhanced" version I put together, with a tweaked sequence, and two songs from Imagination, in place of the two weakest tracks I listed above.  The Imagination tracks are of course not Brian's best work but they match the production and don't stray too far from the rest of the album's feel. 


If anyone is interested, I'll let you know how he feels about the two different version.  I'm curious to see if my adjustments make any difference to him.

(http://setengahbaya.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/Kebanyakan-AwalSakit-Kepala-Dari-Stroke-300x288.jpg)

There are many things going on in this album, and many of the songs are deeper than you might think.

Bill and Sue and Shelter are actually both deeply impressive, but for different reasons. The sequencing robs them of a lot of power. They, along with TWGMTR, are all top-flight BW numbers.

Beaches in Mind and Spring Vacation are examples of Brian attempting to write Beach Boys songs. And they have good and bad points. I actually like the much-derided BiM, simply because it's so breezy. It's light and airy.

And then you have Strange World, which is one of my definite favorites -- it's so perfectly Brian -- and the closing suite, which continues to offer up marvels the more times I listen.

I'll put it this way. I think the best since Holland talk is no joke. Out of the 12 songs on the album, at least half are excellent, and another three to four are very good. The remaining two or three tunes do little to harm the record.

The more I listen, the more I enjoy it. And Brian's description -- "Mellow" -- is spot-on.

So far, the standout songs for me have to be "The Private Life of Bill and Sue" (definitely the quirkiest thing on this album, somehow I can relate to this sort of stuff very easily), "Strange World" (even though it sounds like it comes from a latter-day Disney kitsch movie; other than that, it's just very sweet and unassuming - and "very Brian" in a way), "Pacific Coast Highway", and "Shelter". "Beaches in Mind" doesn't work for me at all and strangely, "From There to Back Again" doesn't do much for me either. The sudden changes seem a bit gimmicky, but I'll definitely give it some more spins! Perhaps it'll grow on me.

Wirestone, I didn't catch your review, will you expound on what you think is so great about Shelter?  I'm not diggin' it yet, but I keep skipping it.  And where would you rather they be sequenced?

With Shelter, the way in is twofold -- first, get hold of the lyrics. A lot of them are by Brian, and it's a little window into his personality. Secondly, as the chorus is repeated in the song, he introduces these crazy syncopated backing vocals. They're pretty cool and unusual -- and almost too much to take in without repeated listens.

As for the sequencing, I just think the Bill and Sue - Shelter - Daybreak combo is way too mellow. It sags. I'd move at least one of those earlier. Possibly just flip Bill and Sue and Spring Vacation. That might be all it needs.

I'll listen to Shelter some more on my way to work in the morning.  That whole middle part of the album does sag, the first four and last four really do it for me. 

As I mentioned in another thread, if you slot in "Waves of Love" (album version) between "Shelter" and "Daybreak", it sounds really great and breaks up some of that aforementioned 'mellowness'.

EDIT: Double post

Will give a detailed review tomorrow, but the "strange world after all" lyric seems rather humorous considering Brian's Disney cd.

I've listened maybe 12 times now, will post a more detailed review later.  But for now, I'll rank the songs according to how I like them.  Like with all albums, there will be some immediate favorites, and some that will take time to grow on me.

1. From There To Back Again (easily their best released song since from 1980 onward)
2. Spring Vacation
3. Pacific Coast Highway
4. Summer's Gone
5. Think About The Days
6. Isn't It Time
7. That's Why God Made The Radio
8. The Private Life of Bill And Sue
9. Beaches In Mind
10. Strange World
11. Shelter
12. Daybreak Over The Ocean

Just to be clear, I like all 12 songs, much like i like 99% of the Beach Boys group and solo output!  Just a ranking...I'd put Daybreak at the bottom not because it's horrible, but because it just sticks out and doesn't seem to belong, probably because we've been familiar with it for many years, and aside from the overdubbed vocals on the intro, doesn't sound that much different than the Mike Love solo recording.

I think Daybreak is actually one of the most catchy and that version is the final one imo

Same here! From a certain perspective it's nice to be overly critical and it's fun to argue, but in the end I like almost all of it in one way or another, except for only a small number of really duff songs, such as Problem Child.

The "plasticky" production bothered me too at first. But then I realized that's how mainstream records sound these days, and that it's actually pretty cool to have an album that actually sounds like the Beach Boys in 2012.

My track by track review:

"Think About The Days" sounds great, but it's also just a little intro: it's something Brian could compose or improvise in 5 minutes. The underlying chords seem to be by Joe Thomas, so it's a little different in style, but that's probably exactly what Brian wanted.

"That's Why God Made The Radio" is like a 50's type ballad with 80's modern chords, it in places similar to "Your Imagination". I like 90% of it except for a few modulations that are wrong to my ears. You can hear how it's live on YouTube, the band has to work very hard to make it sound right.
(Don't Worry Baby has also a jarring modulation imho: But she looks in my eyes / And makes me realize)

"Isn't It Time" is okay and catchy, although it could have used some more strange/exotic percussion, like the intro Heigh Ho/Whistle While You Work, or other weird elecronic effects.

"Spring Vacation" very good one, I love that Jeff Baxter guitar. (he is also playing on "Beaches In Mind"). I've played the cd a lot, and this is the track I return to the most.

"Private Life of Bill & Sue" nice falsetto, probably by Bruce (or maybe Bruce and Jeff Foskett together?). Anyway the falsetto sound of it (and on the whole album) does remember me a lot of the Fantastic Baggies from the early 60s.

"Shelter" A mysterious and complex song, at the same time easy to listen to. The octave unisonos have that same sound as in Jan & Dean's "It's As Easy As 1 2 3" Beautiful arrangement.

"Daybreak Over the Ocean" Mike Love takes credit for this composition, and it's  the only song on the album that I should skip. The harmony chords have wrong notes in it (it clashes in places, f.e. like a combination of C7 and C7sus4), and the instruments below it are uninspiring, compared to all the other tracks. Brian should have rearranged this one and make a brand new recording from scratch. He's a master who could've fixed it in only a few hours.

"Beaches In Mind" really not bad, but without a guitar solo, this is a little pointless song, with no satisfying conclusion. Still enjoyable.

"Strange World" is okay, but like "Beaches In Mind", it's sounds like the fade out comes too early.

"From There to Back Again" / "Pacific Coast Highway" / "Summer's Gone" are the most interesting tracks (they've been praised all over the place). Al Jardine is the greatest. The harmonies of PCH are mind blowing (just like the beginning of "Can't Wait Too Long"). The beauty of "Summer's Gone" is in the arrangement, with all the percussion sounds etc. The song is like one big tag. I find that the basic structure of the song is not typical Brian Wilson style, it's just an endless repeating of a chord pattern, which maybe is not by Brian, but (again) by Joe Thomas. [And guess what... at the end of this I wanted to play "Sumahama"!]


Conclusion: the best Beach Boys record in 35 years. If you replace "Daybreak Over the Ocean" with an instrumental (the album is vocally a bit to busy imho), you'll have a great time listening. ****1/2

that's not a quote. I never said that

Thank you for saving the day Captain Obvious, i was just giving my opinion via your post.

I might add that there seem to be some cheesy lyrics on the album too, but it's not my native language. I'm focussed on sound.

Only song I can't see myself listening to often after a few weeks is "Beaches In Mind". Certainly not terrible, just not really my cup of tea. "Daybreak", "The Private Life", and "Shelter" are a bit iffy, and "That's Why God" has already gotten a bit stale, but still enjoyable.

Thus far, I'd rank dat shiz (spaces where I feel the quality drops a bit from the previously named song/set of songs):

01. From There To Back Again (as good as basically anything from their peak years. Good lawd, I can't believe it!)

02. Isn't It's About Time (about as good as your average late 60s track - yowza~~~!
03. Pacific Coast Highway
04. Spring Vacation (so much cheese, but so many hooks, and Mike's vocal is fantastic)
05. Summer's Gone (feels weird to put this under "Spring Vacation". I think this one is gonna take more listens to sink in)

06. Think About The Days

07. Strange World
08. The Private Life Of Bill And Sue

09. That's Why God Made The Radio
10. Shelter (I really enjoy the lyrics for this one - it very well could grow on me)

11. Daybreak Over The Ocean (replacing Adrian Baker's vocal would've made this better, even if, God help us, Jeff did it)

12. Bitchez In Mind

See, i told you!

Think About the Days: gorgeous intro, simple but effective; piano playing's a bit over-the-top for my personal taste 8/10

TWGMTR: very pleasant. Is this a slightly different mix from the single version? Still can't get used to that middle-eight... 6,5/10

Isn't It Time: somehow reminds me of "That Same Song" (which i really like, by the way). Lyrics are not very convincing 6/10

Spring Vacation: I have to admit the music has really grown on me; VERY catchy, can't help it; would love to hear the lyrics intended for the original "Lay Down Burden" instead of that mindless cheese, however; Mike's lead is indeed very good and sounds entirely heartfelt 5/10

The Private Life of Bill and Sue: pure quirkiness; irresistably catchy; I don't even mind some of the faux-Carribean instrumentation 9/10

Shelter: bit patchy but that's virtually the only thing wrong with this; spectacular chorus that really reminds me of some of their better 80s material (mostly due to Mike's singing I think, which sounds very much like "Somewhere Near Japan") 8/10

Daybreak Over the Ocean: kind of catchy but also a bit dull; way too heavy on the cliched "Kokomo"-like instrumentation (and I personally love that song, mind you!); this feels like TWGMTR's "Everyone's in Love With You" 4/10

Beaches in Mind: Shania Twain rawking out 2/10

Strange World: really wish it didn't sound like pure plastic because this is actually a very charming tune that wouldn't have been out of place on any of BW's latter-day solo records (TLOS in particular); most of this album sadly lacks the fuzzy bass sounds that Brian always seemed to prefer; really don't like the string arrangement; this one's very difficult to rate 6/10

From There to Back Again: this finally clicked with me this morning; still a bit too musical-like for my personal taste but finally I can hear what others are hearing in terms of this song's overall greatness; hoping it's going to grow on me even more! Really makes you wish for more Jardine lead vocals 8/10

Pacific Coast Highway: genuine tear-jerker; parts of it remind me of Elton John (for better or worse...); really like its overall shortness! 9/10

Summer's Gone: bit longish, yes, but otherwise it's just as good as I expected; took a few spins to get into it, though; personally I don't hear how this is too close to Pet Sounds but anyway... 8/10

Most of it is filler not bad nor great :) doesn't have a pet sounds/ smile sound to it at all it seems like they tried to hard to recapture that sunny sound that they created but it failed smh :/
Anyways on the other hand "The Private Life of Bill and Sue" "From There To Back Again" & "Summer's Gone" are all awesome songs and definitely are the standouts from the album.
This was better than any other album they did from 1970 & on ..(just my opinion)

smh suck my head

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.

I just started hearing those syncopated vocals in the chorus after probably 20+ listens to Shelter, and they are really cool.  I agree that it's too much to take without repeated listens, because the melody line just sucks you in and you have to focus hard to hear those backing vocals.

I've only listened once through and that is the problem, so far. I have been in no rush to listen to it again, though I will. I don't think I have ever bought a new Beach Boys album and didn't want to play it multiple times. Like many of Brian's songs since the mid-80s, nothing grabs me right away like the older songs did. That is not to say that there isn't special moments in each song, there are. I still think Spring Vacation is the most Beach Boys type song on the album. I am hoping with repeated listens that the album will grow on me. What impressed me most so far is Brian's vocals. This is one of the few albums, along with Gershwin, where I actually like the tone of his voice. Al sounds terrific on everything and 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. I'm gonna hold off on a full review until I've had a few more complete listens.

See the horrible thing about that is when you listen to an album if it's a beautiful piece of work it'll drawn you in immediately but no beach boys album has done that for me since pet sounds.  I've had to sometimes even force myself to find things in the songs i missed before. Don't get me wrong there's plenty of gems since pet sounds it's just as an whole album the closest thing was Sunflower, and even i had to relisten to that a few times and there are a few songs on that album i still can't listen to without cringing lol (slip on through,add some music to your day,got to know the woman,tears in the morning)
As for album that i relistened to and found amazing :) Wild Honey is a perfect example of that...it's weird..low quality yet it has such a a special place in my heart..it's truly amazing.

It is funny you mentioned Slip On Through. It had the opposite affect on me. In 1970, I knew as soon as I heard it start the album, that I was in for something special, but I do know what you talking about.

may i

Not so sure about this, isn't "Mona" just one big repeat of a chord pattern?  I think Brian comes up with musical bits and sometimes just fleshes them out to be the whole song!

Your opinion sucks then. 

your favorite song off of sunflower? and your least favorite?

Favorites: Slip On Through, This Whole World, All I Wanna Do, Forever, Cool, Cool Water
Like: Add Some Music, It's About Time, Our Sweet Love, At My Window
Least Favorite: Deirdre, Tears In The Morning, Got To Know The Woman

something about our sweet love seems reaaaaally forced.  That might be my least favorite on the album

wow :/ that's a really sweet song though

Somewhere in an alternate universe, the line on the chorus is "From California to Kokomo...".  ;D

I got my CD today, the case was broken but on went the headphones and I sat down for a listen. I'm not going to write a full review of each song but I will give my opinion on the album. This is my first album of new material from the Beach Boys and I feel very lucky to say that!

I absolutely love:
Think About The Days
From There To Back Again
Pacific Coast Highway
Summer's Gone  

They represent the true Beach Boys sound and the harmonies on these are still so much better than everyone out there at the moment. They make me feel quite emotional and spiritual so to me they are 100% BB.

Good, but not amazing:
That's Why God Made The Radio
Isn't It Time
Shelter
Daybreak Over The Ocean

And the rest, hmmm, not classics and probably won't be the most played songs on my iPod but they will do! :)

In summary, I really like the album, it's much better than I could have expected and I would recommend it to anyone. For men in their 60s/70s this is very good. It is amazing to think these are the same people who did Surfin' all those years ago.

I really miss Carl on this record, I knew I would but all the music lacks soul without his voice. Foskett actually does a good job of Carl's parts. I did think I heard Carl in Daybreak Over The Ocean,  but it's Christian Love. I saw him last year and thought he had the softness of Carl's voice and I think he should have been included a little more in this. It's so sad that Carl and Dennis aren't here to record again, but the boys have done a good job of keeping their legacy alive.

That's Why God Made The Beach Boys :)

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"...

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!

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.

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)

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

wow, all classics IMO..

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

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

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!

That's cold, Ron. :(

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

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.


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. :wink

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!!! ;D

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.

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.

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.

Yeah I just have a hard time envisaging Brian having the impetus to record the rest of the suite to fit around these pieces.

But then it isn't necessarily Brian who provides the impetus ($$$$), so if the suite is written, and the demand is there (which it obviously is) I can see this happening as a solo album in the near future.

Best song? "From There to Back Again"
Personal favorite? "Isn't It Time"

I agree that there is something quite brilliant about Isn't It Time, great little song. From the few listens of the album so far I would have to say the only song I don't really like is TPLOBAS, just find it kinda annoying.

Best song? Summer's Gone.

Does anyone wish the harmonies came back in a second time as the song fades? The harmonies in the middle part are so damn strong and I keep hearing them in my head as the last verse ends and the song starts to fade.

it seems we all like those soft sweet harmonies :)

Of course we do, this is a Beach Boys board!  :)

Also, I know I said before that Pacific Coast Highway had some death-related lyrics (in my opinion), but if I were to do an analysis paper on "Summer's Gone", I think I could easily write about how that song is Brian Wilson's peace with his own mortality, his resignation from life. I feel that's why I'm so sad and distraught after every listen. Presumably if you take the song in first person, Brian is sitting very close to the ocean, watching the waves. As the waves get closer, Brian knows that he needs to leave because the waves could wash him away forever ("it's time to go"), but he seems not to care about living anymore ("I'm thinking maybe I'll just stay").

Of coure, Brian didn't write most of those lyrics - it was the hands of Thomas and Bon Jovi. Thomas has said he loves the Surf's Up album, and if he wrote a lot of those lyrics, it shows - it's similar to 'Til I Die lyrically in a lot of ways,

most of us think summers gone & from there to back again :)

isn't that what Darian's for?...he's done it once.

i can't get over how much i enjoy the new album. the only song i skip is Beaches in Mind.

Man "Pacific Coast Highway" has just overtaken me.  This may just be the most gorgeous buck fifty worth of music I've ever heard.  It gets in, gets out and says what it needs to say.  It's just one of those songs where the music, mood and lyrics all perfectly mesh and the fact that Brian is the vocalist on this just puts it over the top.  Easily a successor to "Lonely Sea" or anyone other seminal Beach Boys ballad you can think of.   

He just started on this a few months ago! Give 'im some time. :)

I've been quite vocal about my dislike of the production and the autotune on this but I have to concede that, through good headphones, this album sounds incredible. Especially the final track.

I'm loathed to admit (especially to Wirestone  :)) but even the vocal processing is beginning to work for me within the context of the glossy production. I would've prefered it if they had toned it down a bit, but it's not unpleasant now I'm used to it.

Totally agree, prefer it to FTTBA, myself! The "Sometimes I realise..." part is kinda Dennis-esque.

A somewhat more elaborate review of mine will follow someday, but for the time being let me just state that...

TWGMTR played unreasonably loudly via reasonable speakers in my livingroom sounds AWESOME!!!


And "Pacific Coast Highway" is the sh*t.....  :3d

It sounds just like them  ;D

i know it's either a huge coincidence or somethings going on  ??? lol

The first song to get the "put on repeat" treatment from me:  "Strang World"...fantastic.

Well, it come sdown to this  ;D

Think About the Days: *****
TWGMTR: ****
Isn't It Time:   *****
Spring Vacation: **
The Private Life of Bill and Sue ***
Shelter: ***
Daybreak Over the Ocean: **
Beaches in Mind: *
Strange World: *** 1/2
From There to Back Again *****
Pacific Coast Highway: *****
Summer's Gone: *****

As a snapshot, I kinda get what they were doing with this album. 

It opens with the introspective wordless chant "Think About The Days'and you immediately know something is up.  What's going on here?  It's dark, it's looming, it's mysterious and it's beautiful.  The opening chant is only validated later after we've listened to the entire album.   Picture this when you start the album with "Think About The Days"..think of a helicopter shot from high up in the sky and we're slowly zooming in on a convertible, with its top down and an older gentleman sitting at the wheel...it's Brian starting his drive down the Pacific Coast Highway.  This is the beginning of his (and our) journey down memory lane.  He wants to distract himself from his thoughts, though.  So what does he have on in the car during the ride?  Why, the radio of course!  BAM..track two..."That's Why God Made The Radio.'  An ode to the radio as Brian is driving.  He celebrates the radio and he smiles at the good times he's had with the radio being the center of his life.  So what follows?  Tracks 3 through 8 (Isn't It Time, Spring Vacation" "The Private Life of Bill and Sue"  "Shelter"  "Daybreak Over the Ocean"  "Beaches in Mind" ) are the songs Brian hears coming out of the radio.  Yes, they are Beach Boys songs coming through the airwaves as he's driving.  It's as if Brian'is listening to a new Beach Boys album inside a new Beach Boys album!  The songs are a callback to the fun, personal and lighthearted stuff we've always known from the Beach Boys.  Sort of no surprises but still familiar old/new tunes.  When those songs conclude, the radio is turned off and Brian finishes his ride with an introspective look at his own life.  We're now removed from the scene as a spectator, this is now Brian signing to us about himself and life as he knows it.  Thus begins "Strange World" ""From There to Back Again"   "Pacific Coast Highway"  a look inward much like Pet Sounds was (which is why these songs sound so much like Pet Sounds!) and then it ends with the painfully heartwrenching "Summer's Gone".  Brian's trip is over.  He's reached home.  And it's raining.  And it's time to get inside.

This is the album coming from the same guy who realized fifty years ago that he just wasn't made for these times.   And it sounds like in this album, he's finally coming to terms with that.

I don't see what is so heart wrenching about Summer's Gone. It seems to me like a calm acceptance of the transitory nature of life. It is a bit melancholy, but heart wrenching?

Wow. Excellent post. Thanks for sharing your analysis!

I'm starting to really enjoy this as an overall album as opposed to just a collection of songs. "Strange World" has grown on me quite a bit, just a very sweet song (and a very sweet sentiment too).

I'm going to keep my review short, as I haven't read the entire thread, and I'm sure I don't have any sort of spectacularly new insights to make. From what I have read everyone is being so positive and seems to really dig the album, but it's honestly kind of "blah" for me.

Some of the songs are good, and are just a little something here or there away from being really good. Overall though, I'm having a really hard time getting past the production and mixing. It sounds so dated. There is only a marginal difference between how this sounds and how SIP sounded. The drum sounds, the tone on the guitar, it all sounds like it was done 20 years ago.

I don't want to be one of those people who bitch about Foskett, but there is no reason he should have a line with Bruce, Al and/or Mike and be mixed the loudest. "Isn't It Time" is my early favorite, but I wish Bruce was more audible in the chorus. He voice is weaker now, but in the studio you can play with that and push him up front. His voice still sounds great and that chorus should be his. It feels like whoever is making those decisions is saying "It's The Beach Boys, there has to be falsetto or else people won't know it's Beach Boys song." It's just so pandering.

Really that's what I don't like; the pandering, and it's all over this record. It's in the lyrics with empty nostalgia, old song titles and a chorus where we name off cities for no reason. It's in the faux island sound in nearly every song. I'm going to buy the vinyl when it comes out and give the mix another chance, hopefully they use a different master for the vinyl pressing. I know this little review sounds pretty negative, but I don't hate the album and it's honestly about what I expected it would be. I think the published reviews that are giving it around a 6/10 are fair and that's probably about where I would grade it.

You know, I actually do.  I'm a sucker for melodies and the melody in this song is just so sad.  Only the lyrics that lay over the melody soften the blow (slightly) for just how "heart-wrenching" it can be for the listner.  But I'm extra sensitive to a sad melody and those notes underneath those lyrics just slay me.  You juxtapose this song with any of the other "up" songs from the tracks 3 through 8 section---there's obviously a stark contrast.  To me, the music and melody speaks more to me than the lyrics and that's what hit home for me.

I see what you are saying. I was eating the whole enchilada while you were talking about the pork and beans.  :lol

I am intrigued with your term "Empty nostalgia"? When you look back at life when you are 69-70 years old and tell me your memories are filled with empty nostalgia, then I will believe it. I'm 54 and the older I get the more I keep looking back. I have no idea how old you are, but the way you used that term makes me think that you are young enough that nostalgia is not important to you, yet. :)

What time's dinner??  ;D

Nostalgia is the gold in "golden age" I was told once.

Thanks Ego.  Uplon listening to the album, I started to figure out why the songs were spaced out the way they were.  I knew there had to be some kind of reason.  In my mind's eye, I immediately saw what I wrote above as the proper narrative they were trying to relay.  Not sure how many others see the same thing--but all this came instantly for me.  Taking it a step further: the song and title of the album is really like a prayer in itself.  He's saying "Thank God for the radio...that's why God invented it...to take my mind off this other stuff I'm thinking about."  This album is a snapshot of a day in the life of this character (Brian) trying to figure it all out.  On this particular day, he's on the road listening to the radio.  It takes him away briefly (tracks 3 through 8 ) but he's left with his own thoughts at the end of the car ride (tracks 9 through 12). 

Yeah pretty much, the whole thing is extremely relatable though so I think it might go far deeper than that.  This whole album might be one that takes a bit of time to sink in.  As I mentioned before there is a lot going on here and a thread that runs through the entire record of the passage of time.  Looking back, a process of adaptation, resignation and finally acceptance.  Time moves on and nobody is immune to it.  Linger on, sit and watch the waves for a bit, dream about yesterday. 

I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.

 ;D

It's interesting. I think Amanda's reaction is really what a lot of folks here would have said if they'd known nothing about the album beforehand and weren't listening to samples for the last month-plus. So many here collectively freaked out over Spring Vacation -- now lots of people like it. There are aspects of the album that clearly could grate long-term, serious-minded BW fans -- but many of these same fans have had lots of time to adjust their expectations.

I will say the one thing that the new album really does well -- to my ears -- is avoid the loudness wars. It's not super compressed or brickwalled. There seems to be a lot of dynamic range. And after Imagination -- which should only ever be listened to with the treble turned down and bass way up -- this was not a forgone conclusion. So good job, Frank Pappalardo!

You might be on to something here. For the record, I'm 25 and don't understand nostalgia at all. Even people my own age who get nostalgic for old Nicktunes and The Lion King, I flat out don't get it. This may say more for my own life, but I'm really happy in my adult life and have no desire to move backward, especially to my teen years, which is what most commercial nostalgia seems to point to.

For me there is a difference between looking back with fond memories and trying too hard to make connections to the "old days". There are some nice moments on the record that seem to come from honest reflection and aren't cheesy, but there are also moments where it feels like they're trying to capitalize on their past. Obviously they've put stuff out that is a lot worse than this record, but I feel like they could do better by themselves and their fans than self-referencing and the clear nostalgia grabs in songs like "Spring Vacation"

I still miss the alternate lyrics though:

We're goin' on a Spring Vacation
Diggin' oldies like Good Vibrations
We're sending out the excitations
Spring Spring Spring Spring Vacation!

^That was something to draw to.

You may have answered your own question here AH.  Nostalgia is something you are likely  going to experience in your life for one of two reasons.  First just due to "advanced age".  The longer we live the more we see change, the more we realize what is no longer there.  Second is due to some type of traumatic event in your life which makes you nostalgic for the days before the event occurred.

I'm not in any way saying this album can't be appreciated by younger Beach Boys fans but there is something to be said for those who are either within ten years of the age of The Beach Boys or have a keen understanding as what it means to lose something they once cherished.

It will be interesting to see what people think of it over time. Some of it might grow on me and I'll be able to look past some of the initial things I don't really like now, or it may go the other way and not hold up for some of the people who have a lot of love for it now. I totally agree with you about the loudness war thing. That is one big positive about the mixing and mastering.

And Shady - thanks for defending my rights. What fun would a discussion board be if everyone agreed all the time?  ;)

Well, I'm 20, but even I understand and love nostalgia. Even though I was never there, it's where I feel I belong...yadda yadda yadda.

Nostalgia is used to good effect in "Isn't It Time". "Beaches In Mind" not so much.

I don't get the love for Think About The Days - there's no enough harmony there for it to be like Our Prayer. It doesn't stand on it's own.

With each listen the suite gets sweeter, however.

Nah, no-one intentionally makes background music and the last 3 songs are definitely for sitting down and listening to carefully. Listen, listen, listen.

I've been an extremely nostalgic person ever since I was in 3rd or 4th grade. That's bad, innit? Cor blimey, innit.

The rest of what you posted is totally fair, but having listened to parts of Summer In Paradise today (not really voluntarily - it was necessary to help sort some of my music), I really, really, really can't agree with this. Listen to SIP again. That awful, awful late 80s/early 90s "we're in our 50s, but we can still rock!" sound on the "Surfin'" remake. You can just picture the woman in the Baywatch outfit with the shitty poodle hair walking along the beach all sassy, you can picture the aging men wailing away on their guitars while wearing sunglasses, there are big, flashy pants, everyone has a mullet, the Full House kids are dancing, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are there (playing a saxophone or something, no doubt), all the clothes have neon coloring on them, everyone looks like an asshole, blah baslhfkashfbh. That awful 80s reverb over the drums and vocals ("ME MUH ME MUH ME MUH ME MUH ME MUH ME MUH ME MUH ME MUH ME MUH ME MUH"). Good lord. What on earth was anyone thinking!

Tell that to Brian Eno ;)

That said, the point surely is that while a song like I Get Around or When I Grow Up is meant for driving or dancing or background music at parties, it's *also* music that rewards repeated, careful listening. I very much doubt that Beaches In Mind or Spring Vacation have hidden subtleties that will only reveal themselves on repeated listens...

I'm 24 and while I generally don't like the fact that this is an album about the Beach Boys being nostalgic about themselves, the lyrics are ambiguous enough about it that the songs could also just be about nostalgia for what was good about your life.

Look at a song like "Spring Vacation" with absolutely no context that this is a song on the Beach Boys reunion album. it's just a song reconnecting with someone from your past. it could even be a love song about someone you used to date and it was a pretty turbulent relationship and now you're back together and just enjoying yourselves again.

I think you did answer your own question in a way. At 25 you're not too far removed from your teen years so there's no point in going backwards to something that just happened to you. It may SEEM like it was a long time ago (just as there always seemed to be some huge difference between being a freshman in high school and a senior when it's nothing but 4 years) but it'll be just a mere blip in the time continuum once you hit 45.

As for the references to past songs on the new record. Yeah, it's cheesy but I'm not expecting these guys to make a definitive band statement when they're pushing 70. They did their work. They made their mark. The brilliance of Pet Sounds and Smile was rediscovered and cemented into rock lore in the late 80's and early 90's and history will now remember them well. The album and the tour are just a victory lap.

I agree for the most part ... I'm hoping the delay for the vinyl is a complete analog remix (maybe to mono!?!? - a man can dream) without all of the dated '90s touches.  The mixes are so weird that I can't even tell what the meat and potatoes behind it sound like.

I doubt your doubt.

Well, there's nostalgia, and then there's 'empty nostalgia'.  I interpreted this to mean that it's kind of fabricated.

(for the record, I'm fairly young but I've always been a very nostalgic person).

Believe me, I was not questioning your rights for what you said, but just interested in the term that you used. I know that when I was in my twenties, I did not wax nostalgic for my teen years. So, I do know from where you are coming from. I wax nostalgic for my teens and twenties now, though. ;)

So, I will ask you, what was the empty nostalgia for Mike or Brian or any of them for that matter? Considering that I lived during their hey day, what they sing on the new record sounds quite familiar and real to me.

Here's the thing: In the '90s, the Beach Boys sounded '80s.  Now that it's the 2000s (or whatever you wanna call it), the Beach Boys now sound '90s. But that's what happens when Joe Thomas is hanging around.

Well, I didn't introduce this term but I can see where she was coming from. (Personally, I don't have a problem with the lyrics, just the production/mixing).

But to clarify -- I'm interpreting the point as 'honest nostalgia' (truthful, legimate reminiscing of days gone by) vs. a sort of fabricated-to-sell-records-and-reference-the-past sort of 'nostalgia'.

Understood. Please remember though that most of what they sang about (Surfing, Hot-rodding), was newly fabricated way back when. As we all know, most of them never practiced either one. They are waxing nostalgic for the myth much like we are.

DonnyL is right about what I meant with the "empty nostalgia" term, but I see where you're coming from drbeachboy. Something about it just feels forced to me, but I know I'm not in their target demographic. I can't relate on that same level, so you have a different appreciation for it than I can. Also, I know you weren't questions my rights a couple of posts ago, that part was simply in reference to what Shady said.

Gotcha. ("Remember way back when we used to pretend to surf?!?")

It's definitely growing on me, several songs in particular. :)

That I do! :) As a kid, I always thought that it was Mike Love riding that perfect wave on the cover of the Surfin' USA album. I did do some Sidewalk Surfin' back in the day.

I always thought it was Mike too.

The album will certainly put off a lot of people who are looking for an "accessible" Beach Boys album.  This album is a weird hybrid of personal, introspective songs synched with songs about beaches, fun during spring vacations and lost loves.  It is no coincidence that each section of the album is grouped in the way that it is--hopefully that will help people figure out what those sections mean to them.  The production is meh...too slick for my liking but I have to remind myself that it's about the songs not the production.  What I do appreciate is that this album definitely has a direction and specific conviction to accomplish a complete thought---something missing in a modern day Beach Boys album in a very, very, very long time.  This album wavers just slightly in the middle but depending on how you view this album--it still works and doesn't hurt the album in the end. 

OK, I've listened about 30x in the car and at home, so I think I can do a review now...

First, a track-by-track commentary:

Think About The Days - A beautiful opener, but maybe would have been better right before FTTBA.

TWGMTR - I think about this song the same way I think about "Add Some Music To Your Day".  Some gorgeous harmonies, but not destined to be a favorite of mine.  I think it's really cool though that Brian has the lead on the 1st single off the album.

Isn't It Time - It seems that this will be the 2nd single, but I don't think that it will get much airplay unfortunately.  I think it's a fun song; my favorite part is when Mike sings his verse, the handclaps and other percussion sounds during that part are very prominent.  Like other songs on this album, I wish that it had ended in a different way other than just fading out.

Spring Vacation - This is what I wish would be the 2nd single...it's a lot of fun, super catchy, and Mike and Brian both have prominent leads that sound great!  Sure there are a ton of cliche lyrics, but that's part of its charm.  It really does sound like the Beach Boys' "comeback" song, with the triumphant "we're back together" lyric.  I think that it could get some airplay if released as a single. (See below for more on this song)

...Bill and Sue - This song is a little frustrating to me only because I like the general sound of the song, but the subject is kind of silly and makes it seem like a novelty tune, and it's right there in the middle part of the album.  The chorus is the highlight, and Brian's vocals on the lead are pretty good, but this is what I've been skipping a lot.  Seems like a weaker, weirder version of "South American"....and definitely not a big fan of the "news report" at the end...

Shelter - I like Brian's verses, but the chorus is too un-Beach Boys to feel like a Beach Boys track.  Not only is a non-principal member singing the lead, but his voice is super processed.  I like Jeff, he is a great vocalist, and a great guy in general, but I was hoping that all leads on this album would be covered by the Beach Boys themselves.  One of my least favorites from the album.

Daybreak Over The Ocean - I really liked this as part of Mike's unreleased album, and out of those leaked tracks, this was one of my favorites.  But as a centerpiece for the new Beach Boys album, it just doesn't fit.  The production is very different from the rest of the album, and it's weird to hear Adrian Baker here.  I can discern very little difference from the 2005 version other than some overdubbed vocals at the very beginning and the last 30 seconds or so.

Beaches In Mind - A fun song that seems a little incomplete...the chorus repeating on the fadeout leaves me wanting more.  I think they could've dropped the vocoder effect during that one part.  The guitar parts are fun, remind me of a 90's sitcom a little bit.  

Strange World - Perhaps one of the disadvantages to hearing this song earlier than its actual release was that I heard it around the same time that there were some pretty wild news stories of heinous crimes out this past week, and so I couldn't help but to associate it with that.  As for the song itself, the intense music on the chorus reminds me of a 90's newsmagazine, the kind that would come on at 10pm before the local news.  "Coming up next, on Dateline or 20/20 or Primetime Live..."  As a result, this song makes me a little uneasy, but I think I'll think differently in a few months (maybe).

FTTBA - The absolute gem of this whole album...a stellar lead vocal by Al, then Brian has a great part too, then Mike's pa-da-pa-pa part, then is that Bruce whistling?  Everything about this song is great...easily their best song as a band since at least 1979.

PCH - Heartbreakingly beautiful.  Evokes feelings of incredible sadness as Brian sings of getting old and "wanting to go home", then we get images of him driving down PCH at sunset and then "Goodbye".  This is possibly the saddest Beach Boys song I have ever heard.  The age thing really resonates with me, not because I'm super old, but I'm not exactly super young anymore.  Also, I found out this week an older friend of mine is facing a challenging illness, so that adds some extra poignancy for me.  Facing one's mortality is difficult, and it makes me feel alternating feelings of wanting to make the most of life, and sad resignation and longing for the past.

Summer's Gone - A beautiful vocal from Brian layered on top of some of the most beautiful music I've heard on a Beach Boys track.  Also, another incredibly sad song.  As beautiful as these last 2 songs are, I find myself skipping back to Spring Vacation for some relief from the intensity.

***********

Overall, a great album, easily their best since LA Light Album (and I hold that album in very very high regard, one of my top 5).  I really like that there is a variety of material so that people who want the fun side of the Beach Boys get that (Spring Vacation, Isn't It Time, Beaches In Mind), and those who want a deep, introspective, emotional experience can get that too (FTTBA, PCH, Summer's Gone, Think About The Days).  There are a lot more Brian leads than I was anticipating, and his vocals sound great.  I find myself looking forward most to Mike and Al's leads when listening.  Bruce's voice was used well on the album as well; he plays a bigger part on this album since there are really only 4 Beach Boys and Jeff switching off leads now.  I like that some tracks seem a little thrown together and rushed...reminds me of the early albums where individual tracks didn't need to be perfect to be released.  "Spring Vacation" has several mistakes in it...the stray tone around 2:14, also the part right before that where Mike seems to flub his lyric "something something particular persuasion something...."  Also the double tracking mistake...are they singing "Wheels to get around" or "Here's to gettin around" or "Years to get around" I still can't tell, but that's totally OK.  These weird blips in production are what make early tracks like "Wendy", "Here Today", etc even more special.  They didn't have to perfect to be classics.  On another note, the last 3 songs, particularly FTTBA are pretty close to perfect so you get a little bit of both.

On my playlist, I inserted the 2012 "Do It Again" after "Daybreak" and before "Beaches In Mind" and it works pretty well there.  I think that certain songs would have benefitted from better sequencing.  Here's a sequence I think would have worked better:

1. Isn't It Time
2. Spring Vacation
3. Daybreak Over The Ocean
4. TWGMTR
5. Beaches In Mind
6. Private Life of Bill And Sue
7. Shelter
8. Think About The Days
9. Strange World
10. FTTBA
11. PCH
12. Summer's Gone

I haven't read this anywhere, and maybe I'm just stating the obvious, but doesn't it seem like the inspiration for Daybreak Over The Ocean was My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean? Much in the same way that, with Sloop John B, the Beach Boys took an old folk song and brought it into the modern day as a pop song, it occurs to me that Daybreak is an attempt to do the same thing. Mike substitutes Bonnie with 'baby' as in "Bring back my baby" instead of "Bring back my Bonnie. "My Bonnie lies over the ocean, My Bonnie lies over the sea" is updated to "As day breaks over the ocean, Moonlight still on the sea". This concept helps me like the song a lot a more, as I can see that Mike put a lot of thought and effort into it's creation. The lyrics feel very complete and are fleshed out nicely. I'm kind of digging this song now, right in the middle of the album, as it's a nice change-up from all the Brian lead vocal stuff, even though it brings Kokomo to mind. So- good job, Mike Love.

Hey, man, thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed review. I agree with probably 90% of what you said, so you sound like a super-smart guy. 30x though? Have you slept the last couple days? :-D

Mike's line in Spring Vacation  that you were wondering about is "An encore or two don't take much persuasion" and, weirdly, I hear "persuasion" echoed or repeated by someone in the right channel.

I know exactly what you mean about the thrown together aspect. It seems there are times when all the vocal parts are mixed rather poorly, making them nearly inaudible and kind of pointless. Other times there's some wonky editing going down. Can't say that I'm as happy about that as you are, but it's not a deal breaker. Overall the sound is very nice, and even Brian's vocals are the best they've sounded since BWPS.

I think I'm with you on Private Life being the weakest track (maybe Beaches In Mind), but I still quite like it (much more so than South American).

Cool - reminds me of this:

http://youtu.be/yXQLJ16GDB8 (http://youtu.be/yXQLJ16GDB8)

which is now what I picture when Think About The Days comes on!

Great way of framing the album.

Right on buddhahat!  That's exactly the image I was talking about...and frankly, I can't view this album any other way at this point.  The album is delivered in a very cinematic approach all within the confines of Brian's music.  I don't see it as a linear album of just a random 12 songs with a three song mini "suite" at the end.  It's two packages rolled into one.  The ideas of this album might be better than the actual presentation but all in all, this album is truly one of their best assembled albums in terms of theme, songwriting and overall artistic intention since Holland.

As a summary, I think this could be better than expected from a JT influenced album. I'm waiting for the vinyl, and the general insanity of my life atm has meant I've done lots of listening in stolen moments.

Mostly, I'm very heartened by it - it's delivered on a lot of promise from BW's solo career, namely his improving voice and increasing ambition. The songs are also (mostly) well produced (Strange World!), everyone's singing well....

Mike Love is a problem (I know). His crippling lack of good taste really derails Spring Vacation (and yes, Brian does drop some of the clunkers here) and the inexplicable Beaches In Mind. I mean, it's endearingly dorky for him to write two songs about how fucking amazing it is to be a Beach Boy, but I really don't care. (Beside the Talkbox on BiM - hilarious). What makes it painful is that he can still lay it down - Isn't It Time! Those lyrics rock!

But yeah, those are contenders for worst Beach Boys songs right there. If they proffered SV as a next single, Capitol Records should drop them. I'm amazed they even put it on the album in place of the 'full suite', but the Beach Boys were never smart, were they.

(as an aside, what's with the fluffed bridge in Spring Vacation?)

The biggest disappointment is The Private Life of Bill & Sue, though. Mostly because I was really expecting it to be cool - BW muses on celebrity culture - but he never really says anything! Maybe a better chorus would have saved it, maybe not. Also, f*cking egregious Jersey Shore reference/crummy 'spanish' guitar soloing = my fears of Imagination 2.0 realised.

Shelter hasn't hit me yet either - apart ffrom the 'makealittlelove/makeafewcalls' bit. The chorus is really predictable. And the verses sound like San Miguel.

And yeah, generally the sound/vocal processing doesn't bother me a lot, but there are a few - the first two lines in Isn't It Time are jarring.


But I do like EVERYTHING ELSE

Besides those songs, he's really knocked it out of the park compositionally - the chords posted to TWGMTR were particularly illuminating. Strange World is one I keep playing a lot - the lyrics are supersweet, and so BW. And, yeah the suite lives up to the hype. So glad BW can still DO THAT. The new 'last great' Beach Boys songs. Probably best since Love You - Dennis & Carl's songwriting/vocals are sorely missed.

Isn't It Time and Strange World are the two I keep repeating over and over - love the processed (?) high pitched bits in  the chorus of Isn't It Time, and Mike's bass-riffing.

For my slagging off Mike earlier, Daybreak is really cool - hadn't heard it from boots either. Someone here once said that Mike Love never forgets a riff, and this is doo-wop par excellence. Agree that Christian's Carl impression would have been more than welcome on the album.

There's not much you can say about the suite. But it's  wonderful. When the last section of FTTBA kicked in I was ridiculously happy - again, so happy he can do that.

Also, GOD BLESS AL JARDINE

i finally got it.

holy crap. shelter. isn't it time. the end songs.  THE END SUITE OMFGGGGGGGG

Bill and Sue actually reminds me of a Brandon Flowers track off his solo album Flamingo.  So weird.  (leader of the Killers btw)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-ErGn11BLk

not melodically, just styles. 

I honestly can't even approach the ending suite without getting choked up.  "From There To Back Again" starts the ball rolling with the lump in my throat!

Top 5 songs from the album are:

1. From There To Back Again

2. That's Why God Made The Radio

3. The Private Life Of Bill And Sue

4. Summer's Gone

5. Shelter

My feeling is that the album has a lot of mediocrity but some REALLY high highs. It starts off well, but a few songs in, suddenly it's like it's the 90s. It's like Imagination 2.0. Or Kokomo 2.0.  And yes, I see that Brian is credited as producer. I feel that the arrangements on the middle songs could have been a lot more imaginative.

Some of the lyrics are grating. Spring Vacation-- I mean, the part about being back together and making "easy money"? Come on.

However, I love a lot of the songs, particularly the end suite. It's jaw-droppingly beautiful. My favorites are the first three and last three songs.

So is there a difference between the single and album versions of TWGMTR?  Good album btw but it is lacking that special Carl element.

and that special landy element..lol jk

Okay, setting aside the MOR production and occasional over-processed vocals, there's no question that this album is steeped in harmony and even more importantly MELODY.......it seems like Brian (and his battalion of collaborators) and maybe Paul McCartney are the last guys standing that understand the importance of melody. I don't care how great your arrangements are, how great your playing is, if you don't have a decent melody you don't have anything (Indie bands like Fleet Foxes should take notes when they're ripping off "Cabinessence" for the umpteenth time...MELODY is everything). With that rant out of the way I'll go track by track like others have done here:   

1. Think About The Days - I get it. It's a nice little prelude to the actual album and it sets the nostalgic tone for the whole experience. It's okay. I would've rather they had started with a Beach Boys version of Brian's "One For The Boys". That's in a similar vein and it's a better tune. Oh well...

2. That's Why God Made The Radio - It's a monster. It ranks up there with the best of the band's post-60's catalog. Nuff said.

3. Isn't It Time - Should be the single they service to college radio. It's got a bonkers arrangement with handclaps and synth plunks and is catchy as hell. For me, this is the album's highlight.

4. Spring Vacation - Yep, the Beach Boys start treading some "Summer In Paradise"-type territory here but...like the song before it, it's an ear worm. Not a bad song at all. 

5. The Private Life Of Bill And Sue - This is another one of the highlights for me. It's one of Brian's (and I suppose Joe Thomas's) "little songs about nothing". It hits the spot.

6. Shelter - Classic mid-60's Beach Boys. I love the pause before the chorus (shades of "The Little Girl I Once Knew") and Carl is sorely missed on this track although Jeff does a nice job subbing for him.

7. Daybreak Over The Ocean - Guess what? It's a great tune. Great performance from Mike. No complaints here. As an aside, it's a strange phenomenon that many guys over 50 start donning Hawaiian shirts and suddenly dig the tropics and are completely oblivious to how corny that looks to everyone else. I guess Jimmy Buffet is the patron saint of this movement (with Mike Love and Sammy Hagar a close second).

8. Beaches In Mind - Pleasant but pedestrian. Probably the album's only real "meh" moment for me but I'd rather have it than not.

9. Strange World -  It's okay. A step up from the previous track and it moves along at a nice clip. Sounds like an outtake from That Lucky Old Sun. Not a a bad thing really.

10. From There To Back Again - Yep, it's another monster. Despite the "Jardine-in-a-can" sound of the vocals there's no question this a latter day Beach Boys classic.

11. Pacific Coast Highway - This COULD'VE been a classic if it was more than a minute long. WTF? Couldn't they have fleshed this thing out? I have a feeling the reprise of "Think About The Days" was added more to boost the running time of the track then to create some sort of thread that runs through the album.

12. Summer's Gone - It's gorgeous. It's the best of what the Beach Boys are about. It doesn't so much harken back to the 60's as much as it sounds like it came from that parallel universe where only the greatest Beach Boys music seems to come from.         

Not quite - It probably  reprises Think About The Days because Think About The Days was lifted from it's intended place in those last 4 songs (the 'suite' BW and others have mentioned) and placed at the top of the album (it's been mentioned in one of the v detailed interviews, but I can't remember which one).

Does anyone else think that the end suite is kinda a natural progression of Beach Boys music post Smile?  Especially from there to back again.  Mike's "bah bah bah" part at the end sorta has the groove of late 60s/early 70s stuff.  And the piano work is jazzy and quite cool on all of it.  I feel like in the era the beatles put out like "hey jude", the beach boys would put out this style of music. 

It is a really, really cool album. That's my review.

I felt the same way.  I'll bet they consciously did it, though, to fit the theme. 


Is anybody with me in saying that Mike's vocal on "Isn't it Time" is perfect?  A lot of times these guys sound old, or a note here or there isn't quite right, or they flub the enunciation a little bit, or whatever.... but Mike's verse on "Isn't it Time" is just drop dead perfect.  He sounds like he's 25.  I mean he's not stretching or anything, and it's not a hard part, but he really delivered on that one.  If you find yourself wondering what he brings to the table, that's a good example. 

Yup!  I did that last night.  That is a fantastic song, great choice of word.  :)   To these ears, it's not quite DONE, it never really does whatever it's supposed to do.  Was it part of the suite?  This song has so much potential, everything from the melody, to the harmony, the lyrics, the production... it's a nice little Gem of a Brian Wilson song.  This 1 song probably more than anything else on the album has Brian's madness all over it. 

Justin, you think a lot like I think.  I didn't realize what you've posted, but I can definately see it.  Remember ultimately any art is up to the interpretation of the viewer.  If that's what you hear in it, then I'm sure Brian would be proud that it envoked something deeper than what it seems to be on the surface... I like your theory, I'm going to check it out on my way home tonight, I'll see if I hear what you're saying.

I already got there on "Spring Vacation", I think that's definately meant to be just a song being sung to an audience, not necessarily taken literally.  Seeing it as one of the songs playing on the radio while Brian cruises, I could see that. 

Some of us are fighting it to the end, Pixletwin.  Not all of us are mature enough to accept the things that come so easily to you  :) 

I can see where you're coming from Amanda, I'm only slightly older than you but I've always had a healthy appreciation for Nostalgia.  One thing I'd like to mention, and you can take it or leave it... I'm not trying to change you or anything... but Nostalgia is less a romanticized view of things that are gone... and more of an acceptance of what made you.  We're all the end product of things we did earlier in life, and things that happened even before we were born.  So for instance, getting Nostalgic about the Lion King is less about romanticizing it, and more about accepting that the Lion King was likely a huge influence in your life and as such, is something you carry in at least a small way around with you. 

Another thing I'll mention is that an album is not meant to be a fully realized 'record' of everything the Beach Boys feel.  For a minute, while you're listening to the song, they present you with some nostalgia.  The other 23.9 hours of the day you wont' get that... it's not meant to be overbearing, just a little salt. 

Does anyone know how Jon Bon Jovi ended up working on the album?

Yes!  I agree.  I hated the song until I realized what you just posted.  If you think about it as just a song on the radio... it's very, very good.  Forget it's the Beach Boys, forget it's Mike Love, just listen to the song.  I love it.  The "Good Vibrations" line we all love to hate should be the only nod to the 'Boys... and then you understand the simplicity the song is intended to have.  It's just about a couple people having a good time on vacation.  

I'll have a full review later on, but I just want to say how impressive "From There To Back Again" is, at least, compositionally.  Of course, there's many great Brian songs, but it's been a long time since I've heard so many vintage Wilson tricks packed into a song, like this.  From the quirky chord progressions, key changes, modular sections in the song, tempo changes... and doing it all within 3:30.  It's deeply impressive and it's a side of Brian I wasn't sure was still there.  Brilliant.

I was feeling it, the first time I heard it.  I thought "Whoa, this is really deep, beautiful like Brian sometimes does".  Then they did the Jazz thing with Mike at the end and I couldn't believe it.  So fucking creative, it's like the Genius Brian has returned. 

As I was listening to Think About The Days today, I kept being reminded of Lay Down Burden for some reason. I think that song actually could have fit into the suite pretty well.

You're absolutely right Ron...we're all going to view this album in our own little way.  The song order on the album really spoke to me and seemed very, very specifically outlined.  I'm not sure I would have this album any other way at this point (moving songs, or adding other ones in).  With that in mind, I do have some reservations about a few songs like "Beaches In Mind" (I think the outro is pretty great) but I think we know just how much we're supposed to take those tunes seriously, compared to the grand scheme of the entire album.  

Yes!  That's it!  That last bit, in particular, put such a big smile on my face.  The song itself just goes in so many places, but yet it works.  I can't think of another songwriter who can pull off stuff like that as effortlessly as Brian.  1966 Brian definitely came back for that.

What's spectacular about From There to Back Again is that it doesn't sound pretentious, whatsoever.  It's a la Pet Sounds without trying too hard.  It stands on its own as a mark of beauty and will forever be considered a stunning, introspective Brian Wilson composition. 

When I heard the jazz part come in, immediately I heard Jimi Hendrix saying "They're like a Pschedelic Barbershop Quartet"

That's the other thing I wanted to mention.  While there are elements of "From There To Back Again" that actually remind me of late '70s Brian (i.e., "The Night Was So Young"), this is probably the closest I've seen anyone get to the "Pet Sounds" style and nail it, maybe since "Pet Sounds" itself.  Of course Brian would be the one to do it, but I think even some his attempts at times over the years felt a bit forced.  But this suite just nails it in so many ways.  If I didn't know better, I'd think these were old Wilson/Asher songs.  For once, the "Pet Sounds" comparisons were actually apt.

I think Brian took inspiration from all the work he did on those Gershwin songs.  That's some fine songwriting, it never sounds forced like you're talking about.  I see what you're saying.  He pulled it off with the same finesse he used to, and like Gershwin did. 

From There To Back Again seriously feels like Pet Sounds style post-Smile.  If I had to say what I'd think his music would have been like in 1969 if Smile came out then it'd be that song. 

From There to Back Again has some of the best harmonies I've heard from the beach boys :) so pretty sounding..

This album is so beautiful... I need to take my time to write a full review but, so much goodness on here! My eyes tear up when those harmonies come on for "Goodbye" on Pacific Coast Highway.. Such a beautiful song

My friend stated the same thing.  He compared the songwriting to Gershwin, funny how people perceive the same things.

I just gave the album a first spin, and although I never do this, I'm posting without having read the entire thread, as I don't want any other opinions clouding mine just yet...

All in all, I'm thrilled to have this album.  It's still hard to believe I just listened to a new Beach Boys album - I've literally never done that in my life (unless you count compilations or Brian Wilson albums).  

As a whole, it's about what I expected going in - quality wise, for me, it's a bit like an inverse bell curve.  Starts out strong, sags in the middle but comes back and knocks you on your ass.  When it's good, it's really good, and that's enough to forgive some of the weaker material.

Going track by track:

1)  "Think About the Days" - I loved this from the first time I heard the preview on Amazon.  Great vocal arrangement, has a very evocative feel to it that really comes around full circle by the end of the record.

2)  "That's Why God Made the Radio" - obviously we all heard this weeks ago, but it's nice to hear it in context.  I'm not sure the transition from "Think About the Days" works too well, but it's a strong track with great harmonies.  Very distinctly Beach Boy-ish.

3)  "Isn't It Time" - I feel like I should have enjoyed this track more than I actually did.  I don't know if it's the arrangement, the melody or what, but this one didn't grab me.  That being said, I feel like there's a good chance it will grow on me over time.

4)  "Spring Vacation" - despite the (at times) terrible and cheesy lyrics, I found myself enjoying the song more than I thought I would based on the Amazon preview clip.  If any other track from the album has the potential to be a hit, it's this one.  Brian sounds amazing here.

5)  "The Private Life of Bill and Sue" - yet another track where I expected one thing and got another.  The title intrigued me when I first heard it, but I was really let down by this track.  It sounded very uninspired to me, like a bad takeoff on "Margaretaville" and "South American".  I was waiting for the great hook to come in, but it never did.  The only real "swing and a miss" for Brian on here.

6)  "Shelter" - I'm on the fence here.  I liked the track (despite the little "Darlin" melody ripoff), wasn't blown away but I think it has the potential to grow on me.  I think I'll need a few more listens to better assess this one.

7)  "Daybreak Over the Ocean" - worst track on the album as far as I'm concerned.  Not one redeeming aspect - all along I thought "Spring Vacation" would be the clunker, but while that one turned out much better than I thought, this one just does nothing for me.

8)  "Beaches in Mind" - I had a tough time getting into this one.  Like "Shelter", I think I need a few more listens.

9)  "Strange World" - here's where the album starts really kicking into gear.  Love Brian's vocals, it's a strong track with some nice BW quirks.

10) "From There to Back Again" - and so the closing trifecta begins.  This is a beautiful tune and track, and Al's "robot" vocals don't bother me as much as I would have thought.  Hearing this makes me wish they'd utilized him on a few more leads, but no matter.  He brings his "A" game here.

11) "Pacific Coast Highway" - wow.  This is where the emotions really started coming to the surface for me.  The arrangement is just perfect, and Brian's vocal is one of the best I've heard from him in years.  It suits the sad and melancholy material perfectly.  Those lyrics just hit you like a ton of bricks.  Being 28 years old it's nothing I can relate to yet, but the way this and "Summer's Gone" capture the feelings of a man who knows he's in the twilight of his life is nothing short of stunning, heartbreaking and incredibly moving.  

12) "Summer's Gone" - Brian hit the nail on the head; this is a perfect way to close out the last Beach Boys record (although I'd certainly welcome a few more original albums).  The arrangement is clearly the closest to Pet Sounds, at times borrowing from "Caroline, No" in a not-so-subtle way.  It works beautifully though, and like I said above, this track and "Pacific Coast Highway" make for a powerful punch to end the record.  The rain at the end was perfect.  I was left feeling happy and sad at the same time, but mostly just amazed and thankful that Brian and the Boys still has such powerful music left in them.

I can't wait to delve in some more and let some of these tracks sink in, but right now, after my first listen, I'm thrilled that we have this record at all.  We've been way too spoiled these last few years for sure.  

Now to go back and see what everyone else thinks...

He was hanging around the studio and was asked to come in and tidy up the lyrics to "Summer's Gone".  He basically expanded the song from a single verse written by Brian into a full fledged song. 

Yup.  But i think what sets that song and a lot of the last three is what Brian does around the singing melodies.  George Martin said that what Brian did on god only knows was "build a tapestry" around carl's vocal.  i feel like summer's gone does the exact same thing.

I bought the physical c.d. and drove home listening to it tonight, again i'm impressed by "Spring Vacation".  I think if Katy Perry or somebody had recorded it, it'd probably already be *that* annoying song on the radio everybody hates to love and makes #1. 

I agree. You listen to the whole album and you finally get to FTBA  and you think "Hello- where's that voice been all this time?" Funny that Al's one featured vocal is the highlight of the album.

If Brian and Mike sound like they're in the their twenties like everybody says, Al sounds like he's about 13.  I know I'm getting older but there's NO FUCKING WAY a 70 year old man ought to sound like that. 

And the best part it seems Al has no idea just how great he still is...he always seems genuinely touched or surprised when anyone comments to him how beautiful his voice still sounds. 

Amen to that - it defies logic, really.  Very few singers can keep their voice intact that long - the list of casualties is endless - but amazingly, somehow, Al's tone is as clean and pure as it was in 1965.

Yes, I agree with Justin too, and I am happy that several writers here are considering the album as a whole,dynamic, self-conscious work with precisely these meta-textual elements that Justin identifies.  Some insightful scholar wrote a 5 star review on Amazon in terms akin to those the professor has been employing.  I can forgive the plagiarism for the virtue of its wisdom. Many of the amazon reviews are excellent and worth flipping through.

seriously listening to FTTBA makes me almost shed a tear not because it's beautiful but because i can tell those who doubted the bb's(espeically bw) still had talent in them/him "ha ha ha told ya so now ! f*ck off" (tears of joy!)

I felt that way about the patented BW quarter-note piano chords that open FTTBA...I was kind of losing interest due to the "sameness" of the tracks, then those piano chords started up and my ears and heart perked up: "Now THAT's Brian Wilson!"  Then add in Al's superb vocal, and the last 2 tracks of the suite...  Who could have hoped???

They set out to make a real Beach Boys' album, not a Brian Wilson solo album with the Beach Boys' voices. I'd say they succeeded. A nice, cohesive - as Brian put it - mellow album. This has to be the most Brian has sung on a Beach Boys album since when, Love You, or maybe even Pet Sounds. After seeing and hearing Mike in TV appearances the last few years, I was worried about the strength of his voice. No need to worry. He came through, again, big time. Al got shortchanged a little bit on leads, but he got some key opportunities. Bruce is all over the place. Other than Sunflower, this is the most Bruce can be heard on a Beach Boys' album, even though he didn't have a single lead vocal.

I'm not crazy about the album title (alternative, IMO better choices were suggested on this board), but the album cover is quite appealing (although Krabklaw's versions were better). The album sounds great, not overly compressed. Some of the vocals could've been mixed a little more upfront, but, overall, I like the mix. The songs:

1) "Think About The Days" - The opening note sounds exactly like Carl. To me, this song echoes more "That Lucky Old Sun" (the opening snippet) or Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue". I don't get the "Our Prayer" vibe. I'm still undecided if I like it at the beginning or before "Strange World"

2) "That's Why God Made The Radio" - Good song. I wouldn't have placed it after "Think About The Days". A little too shouty for me; sounds better live. I have a soft spot for this song because we heard it early and it got us going; that was exciting time.

3) "Isn't It Time" - Very catchy song, full of hooks. Brian's a little rough at the beginning; should've been Mike's part. I like the lyrics; it kind of represents the mood of the album. I do think the song could rock just a little bit more.

4) "Spring Vacation" - I still think it's the best "fun" song on the album. Just the right beat. Mike Love and Brian Wilson sharing leads on a Beach Boys' song; you can't beat it. The lyrics don't really bother me. For once I think they use the retro lyrics effectively, unlike the Still Cruisin'/Summer In Paradise era. This song makes me feel good!

5) The Private Life Of Bill And Sue" - More amazing hooks, even though it's a reworked "South American". Joe wrote a great chorus. I love the "hum-body oddy" background vocals. They could've made that radio broadcast at the end louder; I can't make out what they're saying. If you sit and listen to this song two times in a row, you will be singing it the rest of the day.

6) "Shelter" - Another catchy song with a memorable chorus. Jeff is great on this one, but I wish Brian would've given that falsetto part/hook a chance. The lyrics are very adult Brian, but I can definitely hear this in the late 1964/early 1965 period.

7) "Daybreak Over The Ocean" - Mike at his "Kokomo" best. I like the feel of this song. "Daybreak" is a minute too long, but...if you hang in there, you're rewarded by that spectacular "Rock And Roll Lulabye" ending.  "Bring back, bring back my baby" - one of the highlights of the album. Adrian Baker, I salute you!

8) "Beaches In Mind" - This song could've been saved in two ways. First, place it second, right after "Think About The Days". And, next, pick up the beat a little and let David Marks break loose with a vintage guitar solo. This is "Wipe Out" with out the rap!

9) "Strange World" - Spector percussion, "You Still Believe In Me" bicycle bell...Brian's loving this song. I can hear this song being played on an FM radio station. Another very adult-sounding  Brian song; it's almost a solo-sounding song. I like the production on this one.

10) "From There To Back Again" - Al had to step up. He had to add some class that left with Carl's passing. And he does on this song. Al can be proud of this one. Echoes of old Pet Sounds. I don't know how they did - in 2012 at age 70 - but they did it.

11) "Pacific Coast Highway" - A little too much Jeff at the beginning. I waited a long, long time to hear this emotion from Brian Wilson, and here it is.

12. Summer's Gone" - Brian Wilson meets Pink Floyd. I don't who is responsible for this one - Brian, Joe, Bon Jovi - and I don't care. "Caroline, No", Wonderful", "Cry", "Lay Down Burden", "Midnight's Another Day", and "Wind Chimes" - all in one song. And who thought of that rain at the end? In some ways, this IS the perfect ending Beach Boys song. But, I just can't let go.

This is a very good Beach Boys' album. It's consistently good; no real wince factors or clunkers. The length is fine. I know what they were trying to do mood-wise, but I still think it could use a little more energy on the fun songs, maybe even a rock and roll song. Brian is the master at writing 'em, and Mike is the master at singing them. I am still not adverse to the addition of an Al song, just to add that energy, and another Al lead vocal. I really expected some cool guitar from David Marks; maybe the next album. It's still early, but I place it WITH MIU, L.A. Light Album, and Keeping The Summer Alive - for now. It's not as "fun" as MIU, but it's much deeper. It can't match Side A of L.A. Light Album (with Carl and Dennis, actually Al and Mike, too), but it blows Side B away. It doesn't have some of the high points of Keepin' The Summer Alive, but it might be consistently better.

I don't want to address the production in depth. That's for a separate thread. I think it's OK; could be better. It doesn't ruin the album for me. I don't think the vocals could be much better. Yes, I think Joe Thomas did an overall good job.

This is the album that should've followed Endless Summer/Spirit Of America. This is the album that should've been the Beach Boys 1985 album. This is the album that should've piggybacked on "Kokomo". Unfortunately, the stars just weren't aligned and it wasn't meant to be. I'm gonna enjoy this one on my computer, relaxing on the recliner. and driving in the car. I can't wait to hear what Brian and Mike have in store for us next.

What you said about how it should have followed Kokomo is interesting.  It really does seem like they've almost wasted the last 25 years.  Sad!  Oh well, sh*t happens, lets move forward, because they're back!

on FTTBA i don't know why, but i LOVE when Al sings the "think about some things we used to do" line, and his voice drops lower in between "about" and "some".  just that little drop i love it. 

now I see why probyn said it sounded like 80s beach boys.  he played on Beaches In Mind lol.  tough luck of the draw.

Also TPLOBAS. I'm sure he thought the record was going to be all Kokomo retreads.

Even members like Al and Bruce have mentioned that they hadn't heard the album in its entirety even as they were finishing it....can't imagine Probyn had access to the entire album to make a fair judgement.  He only spoke on what he knew.

Okay, I finally got to listen to this thing after purchasing it at Target this morning. One thing first, the only song I had heard was TWGMTR as I obviously bought the single, but I abstained from every single little bit of sound or info that linked to any sounds off of this album and I'm glad I did. I am beside myself. I can't believe it is so good. I was only hoping that it'd be this good. I'm so happy for the Boys.

your favorite song so far?

yeah that was my point.

Summer's Gone, I think. From There to Back Again (Al just blows it away), Spring Vacation, and Isn't It Time are all right there also. I'll have to sleep on it, digest it, and listen again.

isnt it time is absolutely horrible :/ idk what you guys see in it smh

My favorite moment on FTBBA is 2:02-2:23 it sounds so breezy and heavenly. :)

Listening and loving. I actually really like the production. It has a slickness but it's the right kind of slickness. Even the songs taht others don't like I like, proving once again that I HAVE NO TASTE WHATSOEVER.  Maybe Private Life of Bill and Sue or whatever has been the low point, but it went down easy, for all that. Best since LA, I guess, which is arguably faint praise. It has more of an MIU vibe(probably because MIU was the Beach Boys with little Dennis and Carl) but has more oomph than that album. Songs are cool.

Spring Vacation is weird genius. It really is dumb and brilliant at the same time. There is no reason why the most shallow song on the album feels like the deepest.

Please indulge me my long-winded review as I've been listening and burning the midnight oil to write it:


12) Beaches In Mind- What good is a rock song that doesn't rock that much? Answer: not much good. I don't dislike the song but  the problem is that the thing is just too dang slow. I see it as the nominal rocker on the album as indicated by the squonky  Jeff Baxter guitar and heavy beat  (really hate that guitar sound on a BBs album  BTW) The thing is- it just don't ROCK enough. If they could have simply sped up the tempo a bit, it would have stood out from the other tracks much better and could have been a nice change-of-pace track. What they they have here is a bit of a white elephant- a rocker that simply doesn't rock. They should have gone balls out on this one like they would have done back in the day. Of all the songs, this one has the most unrealized potential.

11) The Private Life Of Bill And Sue- I suppose this was supposed to be the funny song on the album, but it doesn't express a clear viewpoint that would make it funny. The calypso flavor doesn't help it's cause, though I suspect it was supposed to also be humorous as it ties into the lyrics about an ill-fated trip to the islands. I think this would have fared a bit better if it had been sequenced just before Strange World to emphasize the theme of a modern pop culture that is often difficult to understand for people of a certain age. The word “strange”  is used repeatedly  to convey the feeling of detachment as it is in Strange World.

10) Daybreak Over The Ocean- I haven't read this anywhere, and maybe I'm just stating the obvious, but it seems like the inspiration for this song was My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean. Much in the same way that, with Sloop John B, the Beach Boys took an old folk song and brought it into the modern day as a pop song, it occurs to me that Daybreak is an attempt to do the same thing. Mike substitutes “Bonnie” with 'baby' as in "Bring back my baby" instead of "Bring back my Bonnie. "My Bonnie lies over the ocean, My Bonnie lies over the sea" is updated to "As day breaks over the ocean, Moonlight still on the sea". This concept helps me like the song much more, as I can see that Mike put a lot of thought and effort into it's creation. The lyrics feel very complete and are fleshed out nicely. I'm kind of digging this song now, right in the middle of the album, as it's a nice change-up from all the Brian lead vocal stuff, even though it brings Kokomo to mind. I think this song  best captures the Beach Boys’ identifiable sound. So- good job, Mike Love.

9) Strange World- This one doesn’t rate higher for me because it doesn’t have a strong melodic hook that would make me want to listen to it repeatedly. It revisits the theme of alienation that Brian presented so perfectly with I Just Wasn’t Made For Theses Times, although the subject of this song seems to be dealing with his feelings somewhat better. Interestingly this song is placed on the album similarly to where IJWMFTT was on Pet Sounds. It has a real nice sound and clean Spectoresque flourishes, but the song itself just doesn’t measure up to the production.

08) Think About The Days- Obviously this has a stunningly beautiful vocal arrangement, on that we can all agree. What it also has, unfortunately, is a rather corny instrumental tag that’s probably better suited to a Barry Manilow album than something by the Beach Boys. As an album opener, I feel like I’m waiting for the ACTUAL album to begin as I listen to it. It’s way too quiet and somber and makes a poor transition into the good time music that follows. It would have been so much better to have it precede the similarly moody From There To Back Again.

7) Shelter- Summertime? Slumbertime? I dunno- it’s Brian Wison. The second logical single, as I think this one wonderfully updates the classic Beach Boys mold to a glossy modern-day sheen. It pulls off the pretty neat trick of being a very bouncy tune that has a lovely melody. I am still trying to figure out some of the wonkier lyrics, e.g. “running for shade” from “the dark of night”, “Summertime” and something about a parade that I just can’t wrap my brain around. Jeff Foskett has a nice turn on the chorus, doing his best to add that Carl Wilson element to the whole project.

6) Pacific Coast Highway- This one reminds me of The Beatles ‘Long And Winding Road’, only this song is less fleshed out and feels too short and incomplete.  It truly fits into the idea of being a part of suite, with this part being a bridge between From There To Back Again and Summer’s Gone. What is here sounds great though. I do wonder if Brian Wilson considered how The Beatles chose  to close out their final album, Abbey Road, with the suite of songs Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End. Is that competitive fire to top The Beatles still burning somewhere in that mind? If that was his intention or inspiration, I believe he succeeded admirably in creating a fitting capstone to the Beach Boys’ story that can easily stand toe to toe with that classic Beatles finale.

5) Isn't It Time- AKA The Brian Wilson quirky track. How to put this delicately- the song doesn't make a real great first impression. Sure, some of us are used to Brian's 'old' voice, but frankly, I don't think it's really user friendly for the masses. The problem with this song  is that it begins with Brian just kind of naked with a ukelele strumming and some hand claps. Things do get better as the unique arrangement fills out and the other voices start coming in, and the whole thing clops along very  nicely to a sort of ‘Anniversary Waltz’ story about staying together and keeping young at heart. It’s quite touching , and one of several songs on the album that have their subjects looking to the past as a source of rejuvenation. The theme also comes up on Beaches In Mind, Shelter, and  From There To Back Again. Did I mention that I think this is a great Beach Boys track to add to the canon?

4) Spring Vacation-  This is the Beach Boys at their most unashamedly buoyant and melodic . I think there’s wonderful vocal moments on this tune from each of the Boys. I’ve seen it compared by some people to  a commercial jingles and sitcom theme in a negative context, thereby completely missing the plot. This is  the classic Beach Boys style in the raw- it’s purest form. It doesn’t succeed as art in spite of some silly lyrics, but rather those lyrics ARE the pop art Campbell soup can expression of a true American original doing what they do.

3) Summer's Gone- Simply put: chills. Could it be that the chills come from the tinkly frosty arrangement that sounds like snowflakes icily falling through space? Contradictarily Brian croons  on a sunset beach, as he stares out to sea, about Summer’s end, but secretly, about life’s end. Or could it be that my chills come from the gorgeous cascading waves of harmony that flood my ears? Could it be the combination of both of these things. Yup. That’s it- it’s the combination. What a way to end an album. Brian sing his heart out and sounds beautiful doing it. The comparisons to Caroline No are inevitable right down to the sound effects endings, but this song is no copycat.  What a strange cosmic jest that brought Jon Bon Jovi and Brian Wilson together to create this masterpiece.

2) From There To Back Again-  You listen to the whole album and you finally get to this  song  and you think "Hello- where's that voice been all this time?" Funny that Al's one featured vocal is the highlight of the album. I could have lived without the Brian insert as I think it fights the track from being more unified as a proper song instead of a suite unto itself. They could have still used that piece more conveniently elsewhere on the album (just before Summer’s Gone, anyone?), and it would have been just as effective. I love Mike’s “Ba-da-ba” vocals on the tag- hell, I love the whole tag and wish it were longer.

AND  NOW,COMING IN AT NUMBER ONE ON OUR TOP 12 COUNTDOWN, LADIES AND GERMS (long drum roll):

1) That's Why God Made The Radio- It’s the best song on very very good album by the Beach Boys. It wraps nostalgia for a bygone era with a hope for the future in a spiritual celebration of love and music, and, maybe more importantly, the love OF music. You will find your rejuvenation there as the album will repeatedly remind you. It should be the universal theme song of The Beach Boys for the new millennium. It’s good.

That's my favorite part of the whole album!  Whatever I'm doing, (unless I'm driving!), I stop what I'm doing, close my eyes and just soak it in. :)

Track for track....is this the best Beach Boy's ALBUM since...Sunflower?  There are some great individual songs over the last 40 or so years...but having Brian's near total involvement on a project with FULL production...Sunflower may have been the last album to do this...LA Light comes close...but that album had a damn DISCO song on it...plus Sumahama...ugh...

I'd say best since Surf's Up- that's a really solid album with a few outright masterpieces.

You have a great point....and that was 40 years ago!  We are fortunate indeed to have this record!

I dunno ... you can make a lot of different cases.

BB85 has a lot of really strong vocals. Some weak tunes, though. Not great work from BW.

KTSA has lots of BW/ML collabs, but BW is nowhere to be heard. And things are pretty bad otherwise.

LA has great work from Carl and Dennis, but the disco and Mike and Al tunes drag things way down.

Love You is kind of a BW solo record and features precious little harmony.

15BO, well, let's not even go there.

Holland is strong throughout, to me, but some hate the Flame tracks.

Carl and the Passions is generally so-so, but has some excellent BW tunes.

So then we come to Surf's Up, which is legitimately great.

So you could make a decent "best since" case for nearly any of these albums. It all comes down to personal preference. I say best group album since Holland, but I think you could make a case for Love You, too. But it also clearly has antecedents in BW85 ... tough.

Great analysis Wirestone....I think for my money it would be since Surf's Up tho....Brian's suite has the same emotional impact as 'Til I Die...something Holland didn't do for me...although it's a very good group effort!  Love You is brilliantly quirky...but almost unfinished sounding...

You're insane! the ukelele! The handclaps! Al! that deep as hell bassline! It works on so many levels!

Eh? There's only one 'Flame' track on Holland and that's Leaving This Town, which admittedly goes on a minute or so longer than it should.

... as anyone who listened to (suffered) Sirs Elton and Paul at the Diamond Jubilee concert from London on Monday will testify. Someone should have a quiet word with those two.

Great review - you echo a lot of my feelings.

When I heard the samples I could instantly tell which songs I liked/disliked, and that largely hasn't changed. The one that has surprised me though, and gone up significantly in my estimation since hearing the whole song, is Strange World. It shouldn't work for me - there are no special wow chords - and superficially it sounds like something out of modern Disney Movie, but there is something about the harmonies, and interesting little melodic shifts, that keeps me coming back. And that lush, spacey ending is cool too.

For me it is the best BB album since Love You.

I bought it yesterday having not heard one note except for about half of the title cut.  Going back to "Surf's Up" all BB's albums have had to grow on me, but I liked this one from the get-go. Good opening, great closing, couple of tunes I could take or leave, nothing I hated.  Mike doesn't sound too nasal.  I wished for more David Marks guitar, and a more guitar based tune like the early days.

Unfortunately, that isn't true in my case. After hearing it twice I got into the habit of skipping it every time I listen to the album. To me it's absolutely awful, even if it's meant to be funny, which I did consider. :-[ But I'm still very much pleased with the album overall.

For me it's probably their best since either the Light Album or BB85.

For my personal taste, Surf's Up, CATP, Holland and Love You are all MUCH better than TWGMTR but overall this new one is definitely stronger than KTSA, Still Cruisin', SIP, and S&S Vol. 1... kind of similar to BB85 in terms of overall quality, so for me it's hard to decide which one's actually better (BW's new 3-song suite vs. Carl's songs and lead vocals on BB85).

I hum "Strange World" more than any other song since I've heard the album. Catchy chorus.

Here's my review, fwiw.

TATD - 9/10 - I hated the piano at first, it sounded to me more like air supply than the beach boys. But having heard the whole thing, I love it.
TWGMTR - 10/10 - again, if this weren't the single, I think everyone would be including this as one of the highlights of the album along with the last three tracks. I LOVE the "whole new generation" part - brings tears to my eyes.
Isn't it Time - 9.5/10 - only gets a 9.5 because of Brian's drooling old man vocal (I stole that imagery from another smilery smiler). But otherwise it's so good. I love how Brian Mike and Al trade off vocals.
Spring Vacation - 9/10 - I LOVE the lyrics - I think they are obviously autobiographical and that's how I like to think of them. The fact that they're back together again, for at least one last, makes me incredibly happy, and I'm glad that this song celebrates that (together with an AWESOME melody). This also seems to be the only time we hear Bruce singing lead (if just for two lines).
TPLOBAS - 5.5/10 - eh. I  like the chorus, and I'm glad that there's kind of a quirky, somewhat socially relevant track on the album, but it's rather boring to me.
Shelter - 6.5/10 - Upon first listening, I thought I'd really like this one, but alas, it's another one that I'm just not too excited about.
Daybreak - 7/10 - 7 is probably a little generous. I think this is a very nice tune and probably the most "Sunflower-y" of the bunch. I really like the production for the most part, and the doo-wop-y chorus of vocals sounds amazing. But ultimately the song itself is a modest effort from a man with modest songwriting talents.
Beaches in Mind - 8.5/10 - after a bit of a downswing, the album kicks back into gear with this song. I know everyone hates this, but I love it and so does allmusic.com, so I think I'm in good company. I will say though that I am a little disappointed - I thought this track would be a 10/10, but after hearing the whole thing, it just seems like the song never goes anywhere. Although it's interesting, I have no idea why Spring Vacation for instance feels complete and Beaches in Mind doesn't...
Strange World - 9.5/10 - I kinda get the unfinished/going nowhere feeling with this one too, but overall I love it. The melody is fantastic and the chorus soaring. I love the "multi-colored" lyrics....
FTTBA - 10/10 - I can't even address this song. It's too good for words. I will just say that I think comparisons to Pet Sounds is kind of silly. How can you compare this with an album that was released 45 years ago? I just don't think it's a helpful comparison nor do I think that it's necessary. This song stands on it's own in 2012 and is brilliant. Absolutely freakin' brilliant. We don't need to compare it to anything else.
PCH - 10/10 - see review of FTTBA (as an aside I kind of consider FTTBA and PCH to be one song)
Summer's Gone - 10/10 - to me not as great as the previous two tracks, but still brilliant and a perfect career closer  (and I love the story behind the song)

Overall, this album to me is a 10/10. I think objectively it's more of an 8/10 (due to the three middle tracks), but as a Beach Boys fan, the fact that this album exists and is as good as it is is beyond extraordinary. I absolutely love it - it's the perfect mix of Brian's melancholy and Mike's "positivity". I am so thankful to Brian for capping off the Beach Boys career in such an incredibly exciting, joyful, and artistic way. I'm not a fan of Brian's solo career (other than his 88 album). He belongs with the Beach Boys and I'm very, very grateful that he still cares enough about them to PROPERLY and beautifully cap off their career.

imo, best album since Love You, although a couple of the tracks since then are better than those on TWGMTR
examples of these songs: Where I Belong (because its carl vocals), dennis LA songs, even Male Ego (because it's so BW)

overall I like the new album alot, though im still getting used to the sound of BB in a modern production setting. Not as warm as the old muddy sound they used to have, but I still like it. Less instrumentation than I imagined. I thought the album would be full PS/Smile in instrumentation and hardly any lead guitar anywhere, guess I was wrong.

Mike Love is doing some really cool bass stuff on the choruses. The 'modern' approach to the mix hides his vocal. I wish this album could have been mixed more authentically. The slickness of hiding all the imperfections and having voices and insturments moving in the stereo spread to cover stuff up. Summer's Gone is *almost* mixed 60s style, and it sounds the most honest because of that.

I don't really know how to place this album against Love You - it's two totally diferent specicies.

Honestly, I think the easiest album to compare this one to is M.I.U. I think the same 'Beach Boys' approach is used. I think I like the new album and MIU about equally.
I dig TWGMTR more than Surf's Up, Carl/Passions, Holland, or LA Light though.

It's the best since LA... but that's really not saying much.

I will *almost certainly* change my views about the album *substantially* over the next few months, but after listening through it maybe twenty times, my thoughts:

Think About The Days -- Sounds like something Bruce would write. Nice french horn. Not much really there. 3/10

That's Why God Made The Radio -- album mix is better than the single mix, and it's grown on me, but it's still a patchwork of bits of better songs. 4/10

Isn't It Time -- the best Beach Boys track since at least Where I Belong, maybe the best post-Love You Beach Boys track full stop. Great. 9/10

Spring Vacation -- Utterly irredeemable. Trite melody, awful lyrics, and production that sounds like a bad mid-90s US sitcom theme. 1/10

The Private Life Of Bill And Sue -- Fun, if a little derivative. Love the opening couplet, but less so the list of placenames in the chorus. 7/10

Shelter -- There are bits of four great songs here (admittedly, one of them is Save The Last Dance and another is Thinkin' Bout You Baby, but the other two seem new), but I'm not entirely convinced that they've been joined together properly. 8/10 but would be a 9 if some more work had been done on smoothing the transitions between sections. On the other hand, this is the one song where the robo-processing works.

Daybreak Over The Ocean -- dull. 2/10

Beaches In Mind -- Unsure if this is worse than Spring Vacation. 1/10

Strange World -- I am honestly unsure if this is genius or bombastic nonsense, and suspect I won't reach a decision for some time. It's either 2/10 or 9/10, but I'd lean toward 9 if only because it's actually interesting enough to make me wonder which way I'll end up thinking of it.

From There To Back Again -- sounds like something Paul Williams would write. This is A Good Thing. And Al does an excellent job -- just a shame he's ruined by the worst vocal processing on the album. 8/10 but would knock it up a couple of points if we had a mix with a clean vocal.

Pacific Coast Highway -- nice, but not really something you can judge on its own. A fragment, not a song, but a solid 6/10 fragment.

Summer's Gone -- I know literally *everyone* else on this board thinks this is Caroline No, Surf's Up and Wonderful combined and made better, but I really, really don't get it. To me this is about thirty seconds of rather dirge-like musical material repeated ad nauseam, with tedious, uninsightful lyrics. I can only presume I'm missing something and that in six months or so I'll say "OH!!! I GET it now!" and hit myself for being so stupid, but right now I can honestly not give this any better than 3/10.

I really think it's a fantastic song too.  Deceptively good. 

There has'nt been a strong album like this since sunflower :)
this new album has 6 great songs and sunflower has 8 ..imo

My little review via podcast is up at http://www.thebeachboyspodcast.podbean.com (ftp://http://www.thebeachboyspodcast.podbean.com)

My take on things...

Throughout the album the lyrics bring it down. Obviously that`s the case with the references to the old hits but even on the songs when Mike isn`t listed as a writer the lyrics are still iffy. Some just poor and others knowingly nostalgic.

The production is also substandard to me and the 80s MOR comments are fair enough and there is a lot of cheese. I sincerely doubt that Brian produced this album alone and kind of hope that he didn`t.

Having said that, this is as good an album as the band has released during the wilderness years. Half of the songs are genuinely good and the others are listenable. The only possible exception being Beaches in Mind which is lyrically obvious and musically meritless.

The album isn`t in the same league as Holland imo and when the dust settles and time passes I would expect that to be a widely held view.

I would have preferred the vocals to be less processed and would have appreciated if Mike wrote at least one set of lyrics that avoided the "hey, we're doing it again" vibe, but this is a pretty solid release. Taken altogether, I think it edges out "LA Album" and "Love You" and becomes the best Beach Boys release since HOLLAND (although BWPS, TLOS, Gershwin and possibly BW '88 are all better).

The album is clearly co-produced by Joe Thomas...but I have to say that some of what he brings to the mix is fantastic: moody piano, odd sound effects, extended intros/outros. And speaking of sound effects, the combination of the ocean waves, the rain and the wind chimes at the end of "Summer's Gone" is brilliant. Can anyone think of three better sounds to represent what Brian Wilson is all about?

There's no need for me to comment on the majority of the tracks since I'm in agreement with what many have already stated. For the record, I'll say that "Spring Vacation", "Daybreak Oven The Ocean" and "Beaches In Mind" are the three mediocre tracks; everything else ranks from pretty good to great.

I will show my support for "Bill And Sue". I can't imagine anyone listening to Brian sing lines like "Can you dig what I'm telling you?" and "...in line at the grocery store" and not hear a continuation of the 60s Brian who wrote "H.E.L.P. Is On The Way", "Games Two Can Play" and "Busy Doin' Nothing". While it's a bit underdeveloped, I like how Brian's light critique of reality show fixation echoes his own dismay over his life being publicly dissected. One could even note that the song's title contains the name "Brian Wilson" (provided you allow for "Bill" to stand for "William" as well). The news report at the end is a delightful and odd touch that reminds me of how Brian reportedly insisted on layering in the "emotional weather report" into "Happy Days" (from "Dante's Inferno"?). It's interesting how often Brian has used the spoken word throughout his recordings.

While I would have loved to have the full "Life Suite", I still find the thematic quality of TWGMTR to be quite high. "Think About The Days" invites the listener to be contemplative. What we're treated to is a declaration of love to a great pop song, a series of tracks which attempt to justify the importance of the here-and-now, a critique on the unnecessarily media examination of private lives, an appreciation of a place away from the "parade" and, finally, an acceptance of the end. That so much of this seems to be presented in Brian's "voice" if not his own lyrics outright is what gives this album a purpose I wouldn't have expected.

I think more than anything, the melody and harmony, and yes, the hooks, make the album.  These songs are really getting stuck in my head.  Lyrics are sometimes touching, sometimes silly, just like so many BB albums over the last 50 years.   I find the whole thing listenable, unlike anything else since "85" or prior to that, Holland.  Really, it is surprising how well it turned out.  A good effort and nice accomplishment given how quickly it materialized.  I think some of these songs are KEEPERS and will be part of a personal mix that will include some of the better Al and Brian solo efforts of the new millenium.

Dude, you ask my opinion and then immediately bash it? I never said Isn't It Time reminded me of Wouldn't It Be Nice or Good Vibrations. It was one of the ones I remembered because of the hooks, etc. I'd probably put it somewhere in the 5-7 range on list of my faves on the album when all said and done.

oh ok :) ..it does have a beach boys feel to it but it's so corny it's like ughhh seems like something that would be on summer in paradise lol

:) mee too it makes me smile so big and i just love it!

This reminds me- am I the only one who was surprised that the DJ opening for TWGMTR that we heard on the sizzle reel was missing fron the final product? Was it a last minute change or was it never intended for the album. Anyway- I have both versions now.

Since it was only heard on the sizzle reel and not the "lyric" video on YouTube, I just assumed it wouldn't appear on the album. I'm kind of glad it's not there since I felt it was a little too on-the-nose (the "Bill and Sue" voice-over works fine because it's buried pretty deep in the mix).

Yes yes yes!!! The modern mixing of the album obscures Mike's bass vocals on the title track, "Isn't It Time" and some others. Notably, his bass vocal is up front on "Daybreak" which was obviously produced separately from the rest of the album.

I wish the rest of the vocal harmonies on the album had been mixed more like "Daybreak." Jeff's voice would stand out  less and would function more as a 'flavor enhancer.' The decision to go with a top end-heavy mixing aesthetic means that the harmonies are often less like The Beach Boys and more like Brian, Mike, Al, Bruce and Jeff in 2012., if that makes sense.

Of course, this is The Beach Boys, so we are all getting used to the new blend and the way it is mixed. Man though, I wish Brian and Mike's lower harmonies (especially Mike's bass harmonies) were more prominent throughout. Again, they would balance Jeff much more effectively than they do now. For example, The "Goodbye" at the end of "Pacific Coast Highway" has a very prominent vocal from Foskett, which is fine, but if the rest of the group were mixed louder, it would sound more like The Beach Boys.

What is the order of the harmony stack now? I was wondering that the other day. I actually don't think Brian is near the bottom. Isn't it (from high to low):

Foskett
Bruce
Brian
Al
Mike

I guess Al and Brian could switch now and then.

Agree, you can hear the glimpses here and there, but the album somewhat overall seems to be missing that essential up front Mike bass vocal that made their albums complete for many, many years.

An actual "authentic" and "honest" mix would bury it even more.  I think what you're getting at is, you prefer '60s studio trickery -- like having Mike on a separate mic and boosting his vocal -- over '10s studio trickery.  They're all matters of style, even the stuff you're treating as "authentic"...

Cheers,
Jon Blum

I think that's it, but it's all high.  Mike is singing pretty much middle ground, head voice stuff, with Al above him, Brian above him, and Bruce and Jeff up in the rafters.  Then they add Mike back in doing bass vocals here and there.  


BTW, Check out Brian (can't mistake Brian!) singing that really crazy harmony line at the end of "Strange World" as it starts breaking apart.  Whoa. 

It has little or nothing to do with technology, authenticity or honesty; it is merely an aesthetic decision. I believe Mike's harmonies were tracked/overdubbed separately, as were most of The Beach Boys on this album. It is simply an aesthetic decision about mixing that we are referring to - how the tracks in the vocal stack are equalized and mixed, and how they interact with one another in the final product.

Compare the mix of Sunflower to the mix of Surfs Up - both early 1970s albums, released one year apart, and the entire instrumental soundstage is different. Surf's Up has more of an up-front sound, while Sunflower is spread out in glorious stereo.

Likewise, compare the mix of "Daybreak" to the rest of the songs on the new album. "Daybreak" sounds very similar to the classic Beach Boys blend not because of studio technology being different, but because of the soundstage created in the mixdown. Mike's bass vocal is very prominent in the mix.

I made an effort today to listen to those "middle" tracks that I wasn't so crazy about during my first listen last night.  A lot of them grew on me, notably "Shelter" and "Daybreak".  Foskett bugs me a little in "Shelter" but that could be because I'd kill to be hearing Carl sing his part instead.  Where the hell was Christian Love when you needed him?  He sounds amazing on "Daybreak", a track that I hated last night but actually grew to enjoy after another few listens.

"Isn't It Time" is a great tune, the arrangement just doesn't work for me - not yet, anyways.

Oddly enough, "Strange World" isn't growing on me.  I really thought it would. 

If you'd have told me a month ago that a track called "Spring Vacation" would be one of the most enjoyable cuts, I'd have said you're crazy, but its been the biggest "ear-worm" track so far for me.

"Beaches in Mind" is still a boring clunker for me - given the title I had a feeling that might be the case, but 1/12 ain't bad though.

The ones I can't get into yet are Shelter (I just don't get it, I'll have to listen some more)... Daybreak (It's soooo borrrring).... Beaches In Mind (a little corny even for me).... and I'm not really big on "Bill and Sue" although it's growing on me. 

Best song on the album imho is Spring Vacation, then From there to back again, Strange World, Isn't it Time, Pacific Coast, Summer's Gone, That's Why God, Think of The Days in that order.

Strange World still sounds like a Disney song.  Not sure i'll ever get into that one, though I don't think it's a bad song like Beaches In Mind.  Seriously and a bad tune.

out of the whole album i can only listen to 5 songs :/ but they are 5 really good songs imo lol

See to me that's a resume enhancement, though....

When I first heard the mp3 of the single I had trouble hearing anyone distinctly other than Brian and a bit of  Mike at the end.  Now, in true 16/44.1k splendor, I can hear the Boys and Jeff's blends nuch better throughout.

Unfortunately now I can also hear the auto-tuning and how pasted-together it is.  Yeah I know that's modern recording, but damn, try to fool me just a LITTLE!  CURSE you ProTools!!!!

And we know it's written and assembled by committee.  That said...

This was far better, and held together so much better, than I was expecting.  I was a-fearin' it would really blow.  Happy to be wrong about that.

I like the Our Prayer intro, the single, and the deliberate left turns, which include the Bill and Sue thing.  That one pulls off the gag of sounding more topical than it really is; it doesn't develop much but it sells the joke. 

The suite at the end is astonishing for its reflectiveness, not the sort of thing one would expect from the "fun/sun/beach/girls" faction of the band.  But everyone had their say, got their way, and it's a pleasant hodgepodge. not their most adventuruous, but not expected to be.

Let's hear more.

Cool intro but the guitar fills in between the vocals?  Blahhhhh.  Gag.  Totally scarred the track that was barely floating above water.  Shame.

I was literally shocked and horrified the first time I heard that track.

(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n295/guitarfool2002/catalbumsmall1.jpg)
(http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n295/guitarfool2002/catalbumsmall2.jpg)

My cat loves the new album.

I got the album yesterday. A little late, but i wanted to pick it up at the store so i could hear it in the car. And... really as an album it doesn't really hold up at all. Great songs, arrangements, their voices are great, the music is awesome. But as a cohesive work of art like Pet Sounds, it falls flat. I was kind of expecting that too when Al said "very Pet Sounding". I'd probably rank it with MIU and LA as far as songs go (not a bad thing since i at least "like" those albums), but i can't really see it ever reaching anywhere close to any 65-77 stuff. And maybe that's not what they were going for. I mean they're 70 years old.. I wouldn't expect them to churn out a modern classic. Well.. maybe i did expect it a little. But for intents and purposes this is an enjoyable listen. Very beautiful. i'd probably give it a 6/10

This album is the best BB's album since Surf's Up. Love You is just as good but comes from a different universe. It is also up there with Lucky Old Sun and the Gershwin alum. I rate it that highly at the moment. It's getting better with each listen. I would have changed the sequencing but have no real gripes other than Daybreak is average. I actually enjoy the production and really can't hear the comparisons to Imagination, it's streets ahead of that album in terms of song quality and production. Love it.

Best since Surf's Up- I agree.

can comeone plz tell me what's so good about surf's up besides til i die and surf's up?

Those are the best ones (the killers - IMO). The other songs I like are Disney Girls, Long Promised Road, and Feel Flows.
I dislike a lot of songs on that album though - I don't even rate it as highly as MIU!

Ummm just the most majestic song they ever did "A Day in the Life of a Tree". Long Promised Road and hell I would even include Lookin' At Tomorrow as awesome songs... Replace a few duds with 4th of July and Fallin' in Love and you have a classic every bit as good as Pet Sounds.... imo of course.

I'm going to check this album out once more and if it doesn't appeal to me then it's just not there for me :/

I like it all. Their last classic album in my book. Their next two departed too dramatically from what the Beach Boys  had been up to that point because of the personnel changes. Then they went on a 38 year Endless Summer bender trying to recapture the 60s, but failing to measure up artistically. I'm not in the 'Love You album is great' camp either.

????

well do you like any songs from love you? because "the night is so young" is a masterpiece :) probably the best song they did post pet sounds..

yeah no one can tell you what to like.

That's true, but with that said you do seem to have quite a voracious appetite for music you haven't heard before... so maybe you should sit with albums a little bit before you move onto the next one, and the next one, and the next one, and the next one. 

that's true..the first time i heard love you i was completely freaked out by that album but i found 3 songs from it..now it's 5 songs from it..it's like every time i go to an album i found something more that i like it. the bb's have that effect on me more than any other group/artist.

Also... Feel Flows is sublime.

what a phenomenal cat (ray davies voice) ;)

Just finished listening to the new album for the first time, so this is only my first impression. I'm sorry folks, but the last part of the album leaves me feeling empty and unsatisfied. I kept wanting to play "Going Home" from TLOS at the end, so that it ends on an upbeat note instead of a downer. Maybe this feeling will change on further listens, but right now "Summer's Gone" is a negative album-ending experience for me.

Your mileage may vary and probably will!

Yeah, after I hear the end of the album, I have to go play Spring Vacation just to remind myself that none of them are dying and they're all in good health. 

I think we all know and feel that this is the last album by the boys :( (sad to say but true)

Two quick thoughts before I go to bed:

1. Craig's cat is gorgeous.

2. See, I don't find "Summer's Gone" to be a "downer" at all. Nick Drake's "Black-Eyed Dog" is what I would call a downer. Now there's a song that looks into the abyss. Shudder To Think's "Full Body Anchor" is another. Both stunners by the way. Wish I had written them. But "Summer's Gone?" In a song like that, I hear good old-fashioned wistfulness, and a heart-worn acceptance of what we all share - a march toward death, yes, but on the way there, it's a beautiful drive down the Pacific Coast Highway. To me it's actually uplifting, life-affirming even.

3. "Sad" NOT= "Despair." Not. Even. Close.

I wish Christian or Justyn had played Carl on this album, instead of Jeffrey.

Jeff is singing Brian's old parts -- the falsetto range -- on most songs. Yeah, he takes a Carl-like line here and there. But the folks singing in Carl's actual range in the harmony stack are Brian and / or Al. Except for a handful of tunes in the 70s, Carl was not the group's falsetto singer.

No I cannot tell you whats so good about it. I just listen and feel it. To point out the obvious, it's all amazing songs, beutifully played and sang with great production. My analysis ends there.

Long time lurker, first time posting! This board has always been the only place I can turn to for my Beach Boys obsession, since the only person I know who’s really into them is my dad. I figured this is as good a time to actually join as any, and here's my review fwiw. Hi everyone.

Think About the Days – Beautiful song, but it just seems out of place on the album – TWGMTR would’ve made a fine opener, and the transition between the two is a bit rough. It should’ve opened the ending suite instead. 8/10

TWGMTR – This one’s really growing on me, and feels the most like a classic Beach Boys song on the album. I still don’t care for the bridge though. 7.5/10

Isn’t It Time – I love this song. It reminds me a lot of Love You, in the best possible way. One of my favorites from the album. 9/10

Spring Vacation – I love the melody on the verses. Other than that, it’s about what I expected – boring, unimaginative and too much cheese. 4/10

The Private Life of Bill and Sue – I had high hopes for this song, both from the praise Brian gave it as one of his favorites and especially after I heard Brian wrote it about reality stars – seemed like such a perfectly quirky Brian concept to me. I was completely let down though, it sounds too much like Jimmy Buffett for my liking. 3/10

Shelter – I can see this one growing on me. I keep humming the chorus, but like others I just wish Carl could’ve sang it. 6/10

Daybreak Over the Ocean – Love the “bring back my baby” refrain, dislike almost everything else. 4/10

Beaches in Mind – Just terrible. 1/10

Strange World – Decent enough, but kinda boring and I feel like I’ve heard it before. 6/10
From There to Back Again – Easily the best track on the album, and infinitely better than anything I could’ve expected from it.  Sounds exactly like I want 21st century Beach Boys to sound, with a perfect balance of melancholy/joy, and oh God that second half. 10/10

Pacific Coast Highway – I love it, but I know that it’s incomplete – I see it as part of a larger whole, and I really hope we get to hear that whole sometime soon.  9/10

Summer’s Gone – The first couple times I heard this I just couldn’t get into it – it was too long and repetitive.  After more listens and some thought, though, it’s really growing on me and it’s a very fitting and heartbreaking end to the album. I especially love the strings around 3:30.   8.5/10

Overall, it’s easily the best album since Love You. Much better than I expected, and I can even recommend it to people! (With the exception of a couple of tracks)   7.5/10

Shelter keeps creepin up my list.  Love it.  Trying to figure out what Brian is singing in the background.
"sunlight"
"moonlight"
"From the storm"
"you know I will"

I'm going to go all immersion therapy on Shelter and Beaches in Mind tonight.  The whole way home, I'm going to just play those songs until I find something in them I appreciate, lol.

Agree completely with this. Just dont get anything form it. Maybe its because I know JBJ is involved and so developed some kind of mental block about the song

You too should try immersion therapy.  Nothing but Bon Jovi for you for the next two weeks. 

There is actually a moment on Summer's Gone where I can here JBJ's influence pretty plainly. Something about the way the harmonies are stacked at 0:39 on "Gone away..." just really reminds me of JBJ.

I wish somebody would ask Bon Jovi about it, that would be interesting. 

Yes, I'm very much aware of all that. But Jeff's parts on Shelter and Beaches In Mind both seem best suited for Carl.  To my mind, he is tangibly missed on those two tracks.

And I do agree. I wonder if they had Bruce or Al try them. Bruce could try the Shelter chorus and Al the Beaches part ...

Final grades from the Professor

Think About the Days 10

TWGMTR  10

Isn’t It Time   9

Spring Vacation 9

The Private Life of Bill and Sue –Once you get the irony--that bill and sue have no private life but are as vacuous as the fans that follow them, etc., and once you enjoy the playful application of Kokomo style bombast, this song fades from the mind, after never having reached the heart.

Shelter – I am starting to like Jeff as a kind, loving helper and stage presence, but while there is a BB standing--and there are 5--I can't see giving such a lead on an album to him; that chorus part a is very un-BB for this reason. 8.

Daybreak Over the Ocean – played it at Redondo today, on the beach--marvelous: 9.

Beaches in Mind: Dave's solo is a bit understated, but I love the opening and the hooks. 8.5

Strange World – sounds too much like the old song "it's a 5-oclock world".  started skipping this one after repeat play of the album. 7.5.

From There to Back Again, Pacific Coast Highway, Summer’s Gone: I take this as a whole, like Heroes and Villains/child is father of the man, etc: 10: heartbreaking, moving.

Those are my final grades after playing the album all day it its home, the Southbay, specifically at Redondo beach, sitting, with the surfers, sand, and the sea all around.

Hell yeah man.  Glad to hear it. 

Immersion therapy works, I'm living proof - there are several tracks that I wasn't crazy about (or outright hated) upon first listen, but that I've grown to really like after forcing myself to give them more chances.  Like Ron though, I'm still having a lot of trouble getting into "Shelter" and "Beaches In Mind".  I like parts of "Shelter" but Foskett ruins it for me, and "Beaches In Mind" just doesn't do it for me.  

On a different note, one thing I've noticed, which I'm sure has been mentioned on here at some point, is the lack of classic Brian Wilson fades - there's really only one that springs to mind, and that's on the title track.  Hearing a song just fade out during another chorus repeat gets boring after awhile.  It's such a generic thing to do.  The vocal arrangements are very Brian, so I wonder why he didn't make more out of some of the fades?

Listening to the end of summer's gone, with the recorded surf merging with the real sound of the sea in the Pacific, obtained, I can assert, the proper effect (I don't think I am original in this observation):  the BB gave voice to the landscape, but they finally fade and surrender their voices to the endless, lonely sea.  If that sounds romantic or even bathetic, try listening to Summer's Gone as described, and your head will fall, heavy with tears into your open hands.

My current hopes?  That they hit the top 5 on the charts Wednesday and that they immediately announce a new album contract as a follow up. But if this is it, we will all have an eternal moment to comfort us in our mortality.

Beaches in Mind?  Try it on the 405, as I did, or in the sand and just let it sweetly slide into your being. 

Great to be writing to you both and best wishes to all.

PS: try those amazon reviews; many are outstanding, learned, and insightful.  No facile Mike-bashing.

I think it down down to this. There are plenty of fades on the album, but they're not conventional.

TABTD has an instrumental fade.
TWGMTR has an actual, added vocal-part fade
Bill and Sue has a Brian-invented fade with the radio announcer.
Shelter kind of has a fade as Brian adds more and more syncopated vocal parts to the chorus repeat.
Strange World has a sound effects fade
FTTBA goes straight into the next song
Ditto for Pacific Coast Highway
Summer's Gone has an instrumental / sound effects fade

So that's all but four tracks of the album that have some sort of fade or clear reason to one.

Isn't It Time really needs one. I suspect this is because it was a super-late addition to the record and didn't have time to cook properly.

Spring Vacation, Daybreak and Beaches in Mind are all more conventional tunes, but they all could have been improved by fades. Indeed, Spring Vacation is the kind of tune where a really BW-style, quirky fade would have added some interest to the tune (for me).

I think Spring Vacation is great, but I agree some crazy Coda would have made it better.  Something like on "Airplane". 

I haven't listened to the new album yet, is it really that good? Better than Holland? I'd say that Holland straight through is near perfect, the only way to make it better would have been to make it a double LP with live tracks like Untitled by The Byrds. But as is, it's probably my favorite BB album besides Friends. Is TWGMTR that good? I'm getting more and more interested in listening to it, but I'm worried that the praise may be a little hyperbolic.

The worst you can say is that it's not embarrassing. Brian is very involved. And it's pretty much impossible to over praise the closing suite. Better than SIP, Still Cruisin and BB85 without question.

I've no doubt folks will have a more balanced view in time. But for now, this is really a marvelous gift, and that's what folks are expressing.

Opinions will differ. For reference my favourite album is Friends followed by Love You. I love Holland and there is no comparison with TWGMTR in terms of sound, performance, mood, songwriting and production, they are entirely different, but for my money I just enjoy TWGMTR more. One thing to note is that Mike Love sounds as good on TWGMTR as he did on Holland. His vocals sound great, there is none of that grating nasal singing which has been in evidence for years.

Who cares what anyone else thinks. You are a fan and are on here all the time. If you buy it this week you can get it on CD for $7.99. Go for it.

The praise *is* hyperbolic. It's about on the level of MIU, but without the most embarassing aspects of that album. Maybe about as good as LA, at a pinch. It's definitely better than Keepin' The Summer Alive, 85, Still Cruisin' or Summer In Paradise, but nowhere near as good as BW88, Gettin' In Over My Head or That Lucky Old Sun. Better produced than Imagination, but the best songs aren't as good as the best on that album.

But comparing it to any Beach Boys album from 1964 through 1977 (except the Christmas album, Party! and maybe 15 Big Ones) is just unfair to the new album. Probyn was right when he said it sounds like 80s Beach Boys.

The last three songs on the record hold up against anything this band has ever pressed to wax in terms of being emotionally charged, beautiful music. 

I'm not sure the praise is hyperbolic.  To me, the more I listen the more I like it, and I rather liked it from the start.  But to each their own. 

1. Think About The Days
2. That's Why God Made The Radio
3. Isn't It Time
4. Waves Of Love
5. Shelter
6. California Feelin'
7. Daybreak Over The Ocean
8. Don't Fight The Sea
9. Life Suite

Produced by : anyone but Joe Thomas.


Now, that's a good album.

No offense intended, really, but I'm curious, with all of the talk and build up, why you haven't listened to the new album? As someone like yourself who has posted significantly on a Beach Boys' message board and who lists Holland as his favorite album (must be a dedicated fan to have even heard Holland), isn't the curiosity killing you? :-D

...or indeed, practically any aspect of that album. I really don't see how you can listen to that opening phrase of "Think About The Days" -- probably the most delicate opening to a Beach Boys album ever -- and think "Laaaaaaaast night I went out disco dancin'"...

Maybe when you read the RS article and discover that Brian's last words to Carl are some of the song's lyrics your opinion may differ.

You might have a different opinion of Holland than other people.  Saying it's better than Holland could be hyperbolic to you but it might not be to others.  I'm not ready to say that, but I think there are 1 maybe 2 songs better than anything on Holland. 

First of all, I think the very existence of this album is a miracle, and I'm very grateful to have it!

Now that I've had a chance to play it multiple times, I really like this album. I love the title song and "Think About the Days" (stunning!), and "Isn't It Time" has become an instant earworm -- I keep waking up with it running in my head.

As for the last three tracks, it's great to hear Al singing the lead on "From There to Back Again" and there are some gorgeous harmonies on PCH. "Summer's Gone" is still my stumbling block. It's pretty, but it just doesn't work for me as an album ending. I keep wanting to hear something else after it, to complete the album in my mind (another "Southern California"-type song, for example). The way it is now, it feels unfinished. (I suppose that could be intentional, so that we'd be left wanting more.)

That is pretty much how I feel at the end of Pet Sounds. Really it's a Brian Wilson production trait.

Just listened to the album in the car today.  I wish Al Jardine had been given more lead vocals, like the lead vocal that starts Isn't it Time, which is catchy, BW is a little rough on that one.   TWGMTR is the standout track, but and From There to Back Again is great, although almost too smooth.

Been listening to the album in it's entirety since I bought it.

Think About the Days - Nice opening to the album. Brief but sets the mood.

That's Why God Made the Radio - Love how all the guys's voices are prominent especially in the chorus and tag. Brian sounds great on this. Great song for the lead single.

Isn't It Time - Got me hooked instantly. Jeff has a nice voice but it didn't always fit in with the blend and kind of wished that he didn't sing the high part of the bridge. Still, it's a great song.

Spring Vacation - Grew on me, catchy song, have me an earworm. Traditional Mike-Brian lead is nice to hear. Also nice to hear Bruce have a brief lead.

The Private Life of Bill and Sue - Catchy and the chorus, especially the backing vocals, were stuck in my head. Also like the Carribean vibe in the song. This could make a cool music video with a funny storyline!

Shelter - Another grower. Jeff's voice fits in with this song much better than Isn't it Time. Backing vocals are also nice.

Daybreak Over the Ocean - It's a decent song, but my problem is that it's a bit wordy. Probably be a little better with the lead rerecorded. Also gave me an earworm as well on the bring back part.

Beaches In Mind - Another decent song. Did not catch my attention as much as the others but the chorus is catchy. Some people said that fun fun fun was in the lyrics but I did not hear it at all. Still, it's decent.

Strange World - Nice song, like the Spector-esque production. The bicycle bell thing caught my attention on the sample and I immediately thought of "You Still Believe in Me.

From There to Back Again - Amazing song. Al's voice sounds like he never aged. The lyrics are also nice. Kind of reminds me of Surf's Up. Brian was right with the song being meant for Al to sing.

Pacific Coast Highway - Brief but sad and beautiful. Says a lot in a brief song, especially the goodbye.

Summer's Gone - Another amazing song. Some parts of the production, such as the percussion, kind of reminds me of Caroline, No. Brian's vocals are spot -on in this song and the response or echo vocals at the end of a few verses are nice too.

Overall, it is a great album. The type where you have to play the whole thing in order to understand the concept. I knew it was going to be good but they exceeded my expectations by a lot. 11/10

I refuse to listen to any of the songs in the suite separately or individually.  The whole thing needs to be played through with my undivided attention. 

The Private Life of Bill and Sue sounds like South America from the Imagination album.

I like PCH and Summer's Gone but they sound more like BW solo tracks than Beach Boys songs.

Could say the same thing about the songs on Pet Sounds, too. You're right though, but that's what makes them spectacular songs.
______

The only two songs I've been regularly skipping over are 'Beaches in Mind' and 'Strange World' - I'm hoping the latter song will grow on me, but it's just not working so far. Everything else on this album is incredible.

I'm digging the album thus far.  Most of the songs on the album have been enjoyable.  I will admit that "Summer's Gone" is nice, but a bit of a snoozer for me.  They should have closed the album with "From There To Back Again". 

Gotta say I agree. Something about "Strange World" ... it's as if I've heard it before, though I can't place it yet (and not just the melody that it shares with Beaches In Mind).

The cool thing is that even in these two, there are redeeming points. Namely, the harmony (no mike love intended). Seems like there's always new stuff to pick out, which to me as far as the Beach Boys are concerned = greatness.

I don't know, to me "Bill and Sue" seems much closer to "Busy Doin' Nothin'" than to "South American".

Yeah, it's a really familiar chord sequence. I do love it, though. The little stabs of strings in the choruses get me.

Been listening to the new album pretty much non-stop for the past week. I got to say, i love it.
Bill And Sue probably does the least for me while Beaches In Mind has surprisingly grown on me the most. Truth be told, I'm not as in love with Pacific Coast Highway as others seem to be. Still a lovely little song though.
Am i the only one who hears some Ben Folds elements in Strange World and parts of From There To Back Again?
I can safely say i'd put this album in my top 15 favourite BB's albums list.

"The Private Life of Bill and Sue sounds like South America from the Imagination album."

Ohhh, it's not that bad.

Where did this discussion of 'life suite' come about? I've read about it in a few different posts concerning the new album. I will warn you, I'm not the most up to date Smiler.

Here's a fantastic interview with Joe Thomas that details the Life Suite and other info: http://andrewromano.tumblr.com/joethomasbeachboys

Here's another article that details the Life Suite: http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/may/24/the-beach-boys-are-making-radio-waves/#ixzz1vqB8WEQt

thanks! I appreciate!

Right. It's much worse. (cringes)

I've had the album for a bit now..

Think About the Days - Wonderful opener. Of course everyone is going to think "Our Prayer" when comparing it to other Beach Boys tracks. Amazing that Brian could come up with this on the spot at his age. I wonder what it would have sounded like with Brian's younger, 60s voice. 7/10

That's Why God Made the Radio - I still think that this is the best track on the album, despite the songs in the Life Suite being more popular. It's poppy, catchy, rich in harmony, and Brian sounds great on it. 9/10.

Isn't It Time - One of the catchiest tunes on the new album. The first time I heard this, I couldn't get it out of my head. Jeff, Brian and Bruce all sound magnificent on this. 8/10

Spring Vacation - Great tune. Bad lyrics, but again, it is catchy. Not the best tune on the album, but also not the worst. 4/10

The Private Life of Bill and Sue - Definitely the quirkiest Brian Wilson tune on the album IMO. I like the melody, the lyrics, but not the instrumentation. 5/10

Shelter - Again, quirky Brian Wilson lyrics. I know Joe Thomas probably wrote most of the lyrics on this album, but these definitely seem Brian-influenced. Interesting song. 6/10

Daybreak over the Ocean - Sounds like a cross between Bluebirds Over the Mountain and Kokomo. I like Mike's lead on this one the most. 6.5/10

Beaches in Mind - The worst song on the album IMO. I don't think I'll ever get into this one. I skip this song every time. 1/10

Strange World - This one might grow on me some more. As of right now I'll give it a 7/10

From There to Back Again - Great vocals by Al. I don't know if I'd rate this as high by calling it a Pet Sounds outtake so to speak, but it sure sounds good. I like the introspective lyrics. I wish the vocal processing (or autotune or whatever you want to call it) wasn't so prominent in this track. 8.5/10

Pacific Coast Highway - 8/10

Summer's Gone - Reminds me of Caroline No in terms of pacing, rhythm and mood. Great vocals by Brian. 9/10

Overall, I'd give this album a 7/10. Neither their best nor their worst work, but it holds up well as a cohesive listening experience all together.

Overall a 7/10 for me too. I've listened 4 times and there is nothing that "sucks' on it as compared to almost any Beach Boys album after Holland. The biggest plus for me is the suite as it is for others. If the whole album had that feel it really might have been on par with Pet Sounds. The biggest problem I have is that it seems like a meshing together of a few different types of records as opposed to one album. A little too "all over the place".

I don't get why so many people hate Bill and Sue. Yes it is very similar to SA from Imagination but a lot better. Brian sounds like he is having fun on it and the 'BOYS' sound great. I'ts very catchy and kind of funny. Like it or not Bill and Sue has a much more "commercial" sound to it than any other track on the album, especially where the casual fan is concerned. Like Kokomo, people who know nothing about the Beach Boys could crank that up at a party and think it's great, and this time at least Brian is on it.

Also, I agree with others that since the tour has exceeded expectations and the album charted at number 3 which is insane, that the greed in me is now clamoring for the "rock album". I picked up the new Bangles album that came out last fall and I was blown away at how good my favorite female harmony singers still sound. It proved that years can go by and a band can come back with something excellent. It was co-produced by Matthew Sweet and it got me thinking of the possibility of Sweet co-producing the "rock album" with Brain and the boys. Don't know if anyone has every thought about that before but my gut tells me it would work and end up sounding great.

Okay, having heard the albums many times now I feel I can finally review it:

Think About the Days - A lovely way to open the album, it's almost like this track is intended to show that the Boy's have still got it and can still sing. 8/10

That's Why God Made the Radio - A great song and their best single in a very long time, great lead from Brian with nice moments from Mike, Al and Bruce, wish this had been given more marketing and released as a physical single. 8.5/10

Isn't It Time - This one took a few listens to get into but now it has wedged itself firmly in my brain and won't let go, the sparseness of the instrumentation really fits the feel of this song, great leads again from Brian, Al and Mike. Has to be a shoe-in for the second single. 8/10

Spring Vacation - I remember well the furore that surrounded this when that clip of Mike and Brian singing off-key was released and yes the lyrics are pretty bad but goshdarn what a tune! So upbeat and fun I just cant dislike it, in fact I like it quite a lot! 7/10

The Private Life of Bill and Sue - Still struggling with this song, has grown on me a bit especially the chorus which contains great backing vocals but otherwise it's just kind of 'meh' for me. 5.5/10

Shelter - Yet another grower, seemed a bit disjointed on the few first listens but seems to get better and make more sense with each listen. Love the 'dit dit dooo' backing vocals before the chorus which Bruce does with such enthusiasm on the footage of the Boys recording the backing vocals. 7.5/10

Daybreak over the Ocean - It's too long. It rips off Bluebirds Over The Mountain which I've never liked. The lyrics aren't very good. I keep expecting Mike to sing Kokomo over some parts...and yet it's strangely compelling, Mike's lead is nice and understated and Christians parts sound like Carl, which is a good thing. 6.5/10

Beaches in Mind - Honestly don't get the hatred for this one, love the a capella intro and the use of talk box. I concede that it is a bit cheesy but it's still far better than anything on Summer In Paradise. 6/10

Strange World - Brian knocks this out of the park vocally, love the castanets and the bicycle bell which of course is a nod to You Still Believe In Me. A hugely enjoyable track all round. 7.5/10

From There to Back Again - Al is given his chance to shine and man does he ever, a beautiful track, with great backing vocals and melody. Also the little synth flourishes are a joy and who would've thought Brian had something as good as this up his sleeve. 9/10

Pacific Coast Highway - Goddammit, this is so very beautiful. The 'my life I'm better off alone, my life I'm better on my own' lyrics just kill me. 9/10

Summer's Gone - Just superb, the repeating piano theme is so haunting and Brian's delivery is just full of love, the ending is spine tingling - I can picture myself standing on the beach in the rain in love with the world when I hear this. Mr Bongiovi, I salute you! 9.5/10


A solid 7.5/10 for me, easily the best Beach Boys album since Love You for me, I wasn't expecting much but the Boys have given us a hugely enjoyable album which will continue to give me listening pleasure for many years to come.

Listening to the album for the first time in a while after going back listening to various albums i love, and holy cow is Summer's Gone amazing.. the whole is nice overall, but man, that song.. this is just, wow, the whole arrangement and all.. (well of course FTTBA and POH are as good)

Think About the Days--beautiful way to start the album. Puts me in mind of things like "Our Prayer" and Brian's "One For the Boys." The BBs always sound great when they harmonize with "wordless" vocals ("do-do-do-do," etc).

TWGMTR--The BBs have always been good at making songs that are about the simple power of music to heal and make the day a better one ("Add Some Music to Your Day," "That Same Song"),and this one is no exception. I especially like the way the vocals on the chorus are arranged. I'm glad they picked this for the first single. The production could have been a little more imaginative, but it doesn't hurt the song overall.

Isn't it Time--One of my favorites! What I like about this one is that the vocals are arranged in such a way that the guys go back and forth on the lines (Brian starts, the group sings a line together, Al sings a line, Mike sings a line, etc). It's retro without being obvious about it, and I can't get the chorus out of my head (which is a good thing). Great, catchy song.

Spring Vacation--didn't like this one at first, but it's grown on me. I like the fact that in the first verse, Mike doesn't try to pretend like he and the BBs are still teenagers--note that he sings "we used to get around/get up and hit up all the hot spots in town," but now they're just, as he sings earlier in the verse "doing our best/no need to hurry," even as they're "cruisin' the town, diggin' the scene." One of the big problems w/ many post-1978 BB tunes was that you had 40/50-ish men (well, okay, mostly Mike) singing about how they're "still surfin'", etc., and I'd be thinking, "oh baloney, Mike! You are not!" This song, though, harkens back to some of the BBs older "fun in the sun" songs, but it's set up in a way that's lyrically appropriate for the BBs' age. They still like to have fun, but they've grown up, too. At least that's the way I interpret it!  :)

The Private Life of Bill & Sue--I sort of wish that Brian and Joe Thomas would have lyrically torn into the Reality TV genre w/ more meanness--then again, I hate Reality TV, so I'm probably biased!   ;D And of course, Brian is just not a mean guy, so I imagine shredding the Reality genre to pieces just wouldn't be his style. Still, the lines "no one knows just why we care" and "wasting time on a sunny day" are on the money for me, and "maybe we're just looking for a change" is as good of an explanation as to why many Americans love Reality TV so much. The best thing about this song for me is the chorus, especially the way Mike, Al, Bruce, and Jeff F. chant "dum-ba-da-da-dum, aye-de-aye-de-yay" while Brian is singing! The energy on the chorus is enough to sell this as a good (if not great) song, which is slight-but-quirky in the style of some of Brian's work on The Beach Boys Love You.

Shelter--this is a nice song to just chill with and relax. Brian has always been good at writing songs that make the listener feel comforted or protected in a way, in addition to being loved (like "Love & Mercy") and this one is no exception. It reminds me a bit of Brian's work during the BW88 period (especially "Let it Shine"). This would be a good song to learn and sing to a loved one (spouse, significant other, etc). The lines "Summertime, take a few calls, make a little love, thank God for shelter" are particularly catchy to me. 

Daybreak Over the Ocean--This was another grower, but now I like it. To me, this is the "tropical getaway" song that "Kokomo" should have been (but wasn't, due to its' cheesy '80's production and its' Kenny G-like saxaphone solo). I like the mixture of the BBs vocals w/ Mike's offspring's vocals (Hayleigh and Christian) and Adrian Baker as well. Mike manages to sound intimate without coming off as creepy (the way he did on "Summer of Love"), and the production is to-the-point and not overblown. A nice romantic song.

Beaches in Mind--none of these songs suck, but this one is my least favorite. The basic idea of the song is good, but the pace of the song is too slow--the tempo should be more upbeat, and the guitar solo, while great, could have been longer. Still, a lot of BB fans who are into the sun/surf BB songs seem to like it, and it's over before it gets boring, so that's good. I don't skip this song when it comes on, but it just doesn't...zing.

Strange World--this one reminds me somewhat of some of the songs from Brian's TLOS album. The guys observe the activity on the beach and while confused about the "strange world" that they're in, they're glad that they have each other. I actually play this as an "appetizer" before the suite comes on--while different in tempo and production from the suite songs, to me, it serves as a nice lead-in.

From There To Back Again--Al finally gets a lead, and he sounds as great as ever! I continue to be impressed w/ the overall maturity that the lyrics show--the BBs have grown up but have done so without sounding like old farts, which is not an easy trick to pull off! Beautiful lyrics, nice production, and I especially like the musical tag at the end (with the whistling sounds, etc).

Pacific Coast Highway--short and to the point, this puts me in mind of some of the songs on the Friends album. The beauty of this song is that the lyrics can be interpreted in many different ways. Is Brian singing about death? Is he singing about quitting one thing in life and moving on to a new chapter in life? It's a song that seems simple, but is actually quite deep and open to interpretation.

Summer's Gone--Just...wow. This one reminds me of songs like "Caroline, No" and Brian's solo "Cry." Another lyrically deep song, about living life, realizing that we're getting older, but dealing with it the best we can. Many critics and fans are saying that this and the other suite songs are as good as anything from the 1960's, and I believe it. Wonderful way to end the album--let's hope it doesn't turn out to be the last song we hear from the BBs.!

Overall, this is the best album the BBs have done since Love You. I think the key was letting Brian (and Joe Thomas, Paul Mertens and whoever else helped musically) to be in charge in terms of writing the music and arranging the vocals like he did back in the 1960s. To me, this gives the album a more cohesive feel overall than most of the BB albums from 1978 to 1992 had. While there were good songs on all the BBs albums from 1978 to 1992, there was also a "too many cooks" feeling to all of them in that there would be songs that would seem out of place or so outrageously bad that you wondered what the guys were thinking!  Anyway, this is definitely a must-hear for BB fans who didn't think the guys would ever be able to pull off a decent-to-great album!  :)

Blimey, I know the new album's pretty good and we're all massively relieved it wasn't dreadful but Mojo Magazine have gone a bit overboard in their review. They say it's 'certainly on a par with Today!'. I'm sorry but no.

Today!:  they're never going to capture that again.  But in terms of relativity, it's close to achieving all it could, which Today! did achieve in its day.  What ever the respective "bars" would have been for these two albums, they both raised said bar for what many were expecting.

Haha, yeah, I don't think so either. Not even close. I really like TWGMTR, but really, Today? That is their second best record for me.

If it recalls anything to me, it's not so much Today! but more Summer Days, only the last four songs or so being together reminds me of today. Really, though , it is it's own animal.

I can kinda see it. The fun tracks are loaded in the front of both albums, and they end with the melancholic reflective songs.
The fun tracks are much better on Today! no doubt....

I agree if you go by the way the types of songs were sequenced.

SavMan is right on, and I was going to pen my "most recent analysis" but now have no need to. I am in complete accord on each observation.  I would only add (in a way only loosely related to his excellent post) that I know a friend who played Daybreak for his girlfriend in Hawaii, overlooking the sea, and she loved it, so, certainly, some of these songs have a personal and emotional function in the lives of the listeners. We here tend to analyze the albums as scholars reading a novel, as if private, somewhat dispassionate analysis of the technical aspects, choices, production craft, etc. were the sum total of the work. THAT is not why God made the radio; it's, as I hear, "for fallin' in love."

What am I waiting for next?  News of work on a new album, with all the boys writing and singing and with Al, Bruce, Dave and maybe even Brian playing instruments and with some new Love/Wilson songs in which Mike shows his poetic side, as in Kiss Me baby."

We have done the retrospective in both its Lovian and Wilsonian forms; now it's time to embrace our new relevance and polished craft for fans old and new.