The Smiley Smile Message Board

http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2013/08/29/216805909/the-beach-boys-perfect-imperfect-box-set

The Professor offers this focused thread dedicated to popular and scholarly analyses of MIC. This NPR blog analysis by Marc Hirsh (please pardon if it has been presented elsewhere; the reaction to MIC on this site has been massive and scattered) is excellent and reflects the Professor's point that individual omissions based on personal obsessions (or legitimate musicological archaeology) defy an understanding of the comprehensive experience of the set. I myself listen every day, all day, and I remain awestruck by each aspect of the collection. With the background banter and studio production chatter (sweeten it David), I am hearing an evolving, devolving, scattered, coalescing, redemptive, exuberant, despairing saga of epic proportions. . . . .nothing ever released comes close to this experience.

There's a good one by Richard Williams in Uncut.

Really, I don't see how the perfessor missed this wirestone started thread with the exact same info( sans the perfessorial comment) : 

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,16271.0.html

I saw that Wirestone thread after I created this, and I commented there about this thread as well, hoping to merge. That one has already gone off topic. I want to moderate this one closely--for all the good it will do: please post links to legitimate reviews of MIC along with your own introductory gloss on said review.
No infighting, name calling, or Mike bashing. My sense from NPR and some other I have glanced at is that the critics both understand and appreciate what Linett and Boyd have created, and I want to consolidate and contemplate those reviews for us.

http://www.stereoboard.com/content/view/181091/9

But you're not a moderator. You're no more a moderator than you are a professor.

Here's an idea, maybe Jason, Billy and Holland (Klaas?) could start referring to themselves in the third person as 'the moderators' when they post.

Thank John: here are the last paragraphs from that review, pasted below. The pattern I am seeing so far in reviews is the lack of that kind of snarky, hipster, begrudging praise mixed with "I'm too cool for some of this" that informs the style of many music critics.  I am seeing a certain human innocence in the reviews that reflects an understanding of the gripping developmental drama that so compels us for 6 discs.

As for Stephen's query about my moderating, I ought to have written "monitor," simply meaning that I want to try to provide focus and coherence to the thread I started, with an occasional guiding comment. I did not mean to presume the authority of our actual "moderators." We professors do like academic focus.

"The real meat of this disc, however, is 'Beach Boys Live', a selection of unreleased live cuts from shows all over the USA, as well as London and Paris, from the mid-'60s to mid-'70s, and a few from the '90s. The only previously released track on offer is a rendition of Summer In Paradise from Wembley in 1993. The live recordings portray a band in their prime, performing in a tight, clean, but still very rock’n’roll way.

Then comes the grand finale, as disc six is 'From the Vault'. Made up from radio sessions, b-sides, instrumentals, A capellas, and all sorts of other snippets, nearly all of which are being released for the very first time, this is the treasure chest all Beach Boys fans have been waiting for. The whole point of this collection is to discover a wealth of brand new material slotted in effortlessly among the songs we all know and love. It may be a year too late for the 50th anniversary celebrations, but it’s been worth the wait."

This comment I find hilarious:

'It becomes very clear at this point that this collection is a gift to the fans for 50 years of support.'

4 stars from AllMusic:

http://www.allmusic.com/album/made-in-california-mw0002553290 (http://www.allmusic.com/album/made-in-california-mw0002553290)

Uncut magazine really should stop operating, like 15 years ago

What's hilarious about this, in your eyes, of course

When was the last time that you gave somebody a gift and then asked $130 for it?  :)

This comment from the Allmusic review hits the nail on the head imo:

'But even if it tells the Beach Boys story thoroughly, Made in California is most decidedly not for the casual fan. It is for the dedicated, the kind who knows the story by heart but wants to hear it told slightly differently. For them, it's worth taking this roundabout journey while immersing themselves in the packaging; those with less invested will likely prefer sticking to the familiar paths provided by either the original albums or concise compilations.'

"Uncut magazine really should stop operating, like 15 years ago"

Maybe, but it's a decent review from an informed critic.

Here's my review:

https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6248747975825036896#editor/target=post;postID=3466339208760989138;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=1;src=postname

http://www.theartsdesk.com/new-music/reissue-cds-weekly-beach-boys

I like Uncut. Under editor Allan Jones it retains an edge that Mojo dropped ages ago.  And it seems to be developing more of a respect for our band than it had in previous years.

The professor cannot get into the blog to read Peter's review: what sort of access is needed, or can PR copy it here?  Thanks.

And thank you Buddha for the Allmusic link. Allmusic says the following:

"That said, this 174-track box finds a way to overlook plenty of great, even important, songs from all eras of the Beach Boys, with "She Knows Me Too Well," "Getting Hungry," "Funky Pretty," and "You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone" being among the prominent inexplicable omissions. Thing is, the listeners who will really dig into the box -- the ones who will thrill to the early demos as much as they do to the unreleased Dennis Wilson songs, as well as the unreleased "California Feeling" -- won't care that these songs are missing, as they'll have them somewhere else in their collection, and the casual fan will be fine without them. But even if it tells the Beach Boys story thoroughly, Made in California is most decidedly not for the casual fan. It is for the dedicated, the kind who knows the story by heart but wants to hear it told slightly differently. For them, it's worth taking this roundabout journey while immersing themselves in the packaging; those with less invested will likely prefer sticking to the familiar paths provided by either the original albums or concise compilations."

The Professor is frustrated with this kind of thinking, that certain great favorite songs are left off, which are readily available elsewhere? And the "roundabout journey"? What in heaven's name does that mean?  What is the direct journey? To where? Nonsense, which displays how certain critics, incapable of really taking that journey, which starts in Hawthorne, CA, have to manufacture a critical position and wind up sounding oblivious. The Professor is on disk 1 as he writes, having listened to the collection in its entirety non stop for a few days now. Discussions of omissions , such as we have frequently in this board's pages ("it's a shame that did not include X" for example) miss the artistry of the producers and resist the maelstrom that have created in favor of petty fetishizations of arcana that some delight in displaying their knowledge of.  History is not one absolute narrative, and the particular emotional and aesthetic history chronicled in MIC is unassailably compelling. There is not a sense in which it can be called incomplete, once you release your obsession with the particular and give yourself to the totality. Variously measured, nothing is missing here, nothing that the mind and heart need to understand (Classicism) and to feel and enjoy (Romanticism). MIC is not a "catalogue" ; it's a chronicle, an epic chronicle. Homer (and here he wins the approval of Aristotle) does not tell the story of the Trojan war but rather an episode within it; this is art, control, taste, measure, craft.  Linett and Boyd are such artists and have "composed," if you will, a BB epic, which is not meant to check off every fan's wish list but to move and to instruct, and most of all, to provide pleasure, pleasure for the soul.

What's the trick to getting it to work?

Perhaps this:

http://peternreum.blogspot.com.au/ (http://peternreum.blogspot.com.au/)

Got it. Peter's essay is so full of insight and meaningful critical contextualization. I particularly like his leitmotif of the theme of marriage and relationships, as he compellingly associates various songs with the core issues that Brian (and all the BB and all of us) struggle with. I also like his awareness of the healing power of music. What a great, sober critic and wise BB master he is, though he is a harder grader than the Professor, who gave an unqualified A to the entire collection. I often exhort us all to feel (Wordsworth) more than to analyze (Horace), but Peter does both, better than I ever will.

Yeah, that's a great piece; I always look forward to reviews (or guidance) from those with genuine insight and understanding.  And I learnt a new word.

A great dedication at the end.

"With "She Knows Me Too Well," "Funky Pretty," and "You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone" being among the prominent inexplicable omissions".

Yeah, they sure were omitted, unfortunately. Those are good ones.

A really interesting read.

Was Sumahama really included on KTSA in Japan though?

The only opinion I would disagree with would be the assessment of Why Don't they Let us Fall in Love? Mike and Brian sound pretty crappy on this one.

Nope Sumahama wasn't .....(blushing)....

No, Nicko, as I hear it, they sound great: rough, bluesy, haggard, a real down home vocal style. Can't get enough of it.
Another question about PR's review. Who is playing that keyboard solo in Help Me Rhonda (Dennis on lead vocals). Did he say it's the Captain?  Do I hear Dennis say "take it Billy" (Billy H?). Have I misunderstood?
best to all from the Professor, and thanks for making this such a good thread.

I would say most definitely that it's Billy on the piano solo. He played this piano solo a LOT over the years and it continued to evolve somewhat, but that definitely sounds lke his style.

Also, there's the fact that you can hear Dennis say, "Take it, Billy."  8)

http://www.wmmr.com/music/news/story.aspx?ID=2034663

Sorry, not a review but I didn't want to start a new thread. Another good article by Howie, and happy birthday to Al Jardine.

Superb piece, Peter. Paul Williams would be proud of you. Depth of knowledge and a light touch--unbeatable!

Nice review from Drowned In Sound acknowledging the Dennis contributions to the set:

http://drownedinsound.com/releases/17837/reviews/4146826?ticker (http://drownedinsound.com/releases/17837/reviews/4146826?ticker)

this is a wonderful review. Notice how he talks about the amazing coherence, even when the songs are played randomly. This is precisely the kind of Sonic magic that the professor has been discussing concerning this album. I cannot put it into words, but this musical experience that is simply the Beach Boys is unlike anything I have ever experienced.I believe that many of these reviews are expressing a similar sense of awe that just how much how deep how beautiful and how emotional this corpus is when seen from any angle, as it were.


quote author=buddhahat link=topic=16276.msg399426#msg399426 date=1378500205]
Nice review from Drowned In Sound acknowledging the Dennis contributions to the set:

http://drownedinsound.com/releases/17837/reviews/4146826?ticker (http://drownedinsound.com/releases/17837/reviews/4146826?ticker)
[/quote]

MIC now on Metacritic:

http://www.metacritic.com/music/made-in-california-box-set/the-beach-boys (http://www.metacritic.com/music/made-in-california-box-set/the-beach-boys)

I teamed up with Andrew Burns of website Biff Bam Pop for our own take on our favorite inclusions on the set.

http://biffbampop.com/2013/09/09/10-big-ones-guest-blogger-mark-dillon-and-andy-burns-pick-their-must-hears-from-the-beach-boys-made-in-california-box-set/

Thanks Mark, a fun read. By the way, where did your (Wouldn't It Be Nice To) Live Again story originate? It is a bit different than the standard story circulating.

Thanks Dr.BB. I used the word "theory" in there. In this thread: http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php?topic=9651.0, Rieley touches on the half and half Wilson/non-Wilson makeup of the album. I don't know if he ever got more specific than that. If Al and Mike were insistent on getting their songs on the album, then a couple of Wilson tunes had to go, which may have led to the Carl/Dennis standoff we've heard about. Whose songs would get cut? Of course, this doesn't explain why they couldn't have just gone with 12 tracks.

In short, Rieley says, "When Carl and I compiled the album running order, most versions had the Wilson songs on one side and the jive on the other. It was uncool, so we changed to the running order you know."

"...and the jive on the other." :lol  Great quote.

well, just not a "free gift"........

Here's a good review by Bob Stanley of St Etienne - scroll down; it's the second one.

http://fridaynightboys300.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/the-beach-boys-made-in-california-2013.html

Love that he likes Stevie!

And even covered it.

Exactly. They could have gone with 12 tracks. And it discounts all of the previously mentioned stories about Dennis himself pulling the songs.

Right. I meant to say they perhaps didn't go with 12 tracks in order to keep that Wilson/non-Wilson ratio even.

Or maybe the sources who say that Dennis pulled his own material are more reliable than Jack Rieley. ;)

Both stories could be true. If Dennis didn't have a sequencing issue, then Tree could have been dropped and you would still have a 50% Wilson written album.

I find it a bit puzzling that Pitchfork hasn't reviewed MiC. Not that I really give a damn about P4k's opinion, but a few years ago they even reviewed far less essential Beach Boys releases (TWOTS, U.S. Singles Collection). The Beach Boys aren't HIP enough any more or what?

They got too hip.

Now if they put out something lame, like the The Still Cruisin' Sessions, they'd probably be all over it. Just cuz it'd be ironic hipster-y.

PopMatters' MIC review

http://www.popmatters.com/review/the-beach-boys-made-in-california/
 (http://www.popmatters.com/review/the-beach-boys-made-in-california/)

Not the greatest piece of pop journalism, to put it mildly

No, I think it's a very good essay, clear and energetic and detailed. It's critique of certain periods of BB music , however, fails to understand the warts and all approach of the set, which is chronicling the reality of the BB history, not trying to occlude weaknesses and periods of eccentricity.
Continued thanks to all who are contributing to this thread.