The Smiley Smile Message Board

Not to my political tastes, but The Times has a damn fine crossword, so I'm a subscriber.  Is this a fair review?  I don't know - I haven't heard the album yet :

Rated to 3 stars

When listening to the new album by the Beach Boys’ former leader Brian Wilson, consider his tribulations. This is the man whose monstrous father beat him on a regular basis. Who composed the Beach Boys’ 1966 masterpiece Pet Sounds and its aborted follow-up Smile while under pressure from his record company and fellow band members to write more songs about girls and surfing. Who never recovered from youthful experiments with LSD and who dissolved into drug addiction, depression and schizophrenia soon after.

Wilson’s brother Dennis’s death by drowning in 1983, rehabilitation of sorts by the controversial psychiatrist Eugene Landy, countless lawsuits from litigation-loving Beach Boy Mike Love and an ultimately triumphant solo career all followed. As anyone who has had contact with schizophrenia knows, even getting out of bed can be an insurmountable challenge. For Wilson, 72, to have made another album under its shadow at all is remarkable. That it is at least half of a great album is a small miracle.

No Pier Pressure evokes the sun-kissed happiness of most good pop, but bubbling below that shine of relentless cheer is sadness, longing and doubt. The frustration is that it sounds like it was made under a cloud of antidepressants with those poignant emotions suppressed in favour of a fantasy of happiness.

A host of famous guests pops up to keep the party going and to keep reality at bay. Actress-singer Zooey Deschanel adds breezy bossa-nova charm to On the Island, but with its Bontempi organ melody and ultra-light mid-tempo beat, this tale of a “seven-day cruise on a summer vacation” sounds not so much like the work of the most sophisticated composer in pop as a ditty knocked together by a cabaret singer in time for a Club Tropicana talent night.

Worse still is Runaway Dancer, a terrible lapse of taste featuring horrible Phil Collins-style synthesizers and nasty drum-machine rhythms. Our Special Love starts with romantic harmonies, but a tinny beat comes along and ruins them. You wonder if Wilson really made these musical decisions himself or took outside advice better left at the studio door.

Straight-talking Nashville country star Kacey Musgraves pops up on Guess You Had to Be There, a cheery jaunt about positivity and good times, while former Beach Boys Al Jardine and Blondie Chaplin guest on Sail Away, a moneyed update on Sloop John B, the West Indian folk song on Pet Sounds (once there was a sloop, now there is a yacht). It’s fun but forgettable.

The real Brian Wilson magic shines through elsewhere. The affecting tinge of sadness in his voice makes This Beautiful Day, the opening song, quite moving. “If we could find a way, if you would only stay, if we could hold on to this feeling,” he sings over violin and horns with the sense of loss that made the Beach Boys classics In My Room and Caroline, No so special.

No Pier Pressure ends with The Last Song, intended originally as a duet with Lana Del Rey but probably better as a solo piece. Rich orchestration, restrained piano and deep harmonies make this lament on companionship a showcase for Wilson’s gentle nature. “There’s never enough time for the ones that you love,” he sings, a fitting message with which to conclude an album that, while absolutely worth buying, should be listened to with managed expectations, based on all that Wilson has been through. (Out Tues, Virgin EMI)

I guess it would be a fair review, if everybody had exactly the same tastes.  Since everybody has exactly different tastes, however, it's a fairly useless review (like most) !

I would say that all of the print/online reviews that I`ve read so far, whether they have been 4, 3 or 2 star, have been fair and have had points of interest. I can completely understand why the reviewers hold both positive and negative opinions.

This one is no different. One thing`s for sure, Runaway Dancer should certainly not have been placed as the second song on the album...

to what Times do you refer, London or New York, leftist rag that it is? That Phil Collins comparison is nasty--hate that PC crap. I don't actually agree with the analogy, do you?

This review seems annoyed that Brian didn't put more depressing songs on the album

The Times. A UK newspaper.

Exactly OSD, Mike is wackjob with all those lawsuits against BW.

Apologies. Edited.

You should feel comfortable, prof, because the Times is a rightist rag owned by that alleged scumbag, Murdoch. I know exactly what he means about the Collins sound and, sadly, I agree. I like most of what I've heard, but there do seem to be a couple of errors of judgement and this song is one of them.

My thoughts exactly.

I wish that Brian's music would be reviewed and not Brian. I find the "cloud of anti-depressents" comment to be insulting.

Now OSD - I have great confidence that you know the corpus of music very well, notwithstanding your preference for certain band members. I know you know your stuff and the time context from the early days...

This review process has been interesting because it reminds me of the years of criticism of BB/BW work starting around Pet Sounds when people expected a certain "style" of music and could not possibly appreciate that the work would be enduring rather than a "flash in the pan," that most bands were.  And, that many of these so called "reviewers and reviews" were "monetarily incentivized" and had other "teacher's pets" whose music were reviewed more "kindly and favorably."

For those of us who have been invested for decades, a necessary attitude was required.  Ignore the reviews, ignore many "contemporaries" who had to learn the "hard way" about the greatness of the music.  Oh, well.   :lol

There appear to be a lot of very unhappy fans because of these negative reviews.  And, as I once did, are taking these reveiws personally.  If you love this music, please ignore these reviews.  What I heard and saw on the videos wasn't so bad.  I'm sorry Al didn't do The Right Time, as it is catchier.  Blondie is a great vocalist, but the general public has seen him with The Stones and might not make the fantastic CATP connection.  And it is always a learning curve with the public.  It took the public a long time to realize what greatness they had.  But I could see the BB's (the principals) doing this new music. 

It is very nice music.  Until things turned around in the mid 1970's post-war being a fan was not easy and maybe there is some negative press on this new music.  Ride it out.  If you believe in the greatness of the music, more is the reason to ignore the negativity.  Don't let knucklehead reviews deter your fervor and passion.  BW/BB always  try new things and people just have to get on that learning curve.  Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesnt but they get out there and take the risk.  It is what defines greatness; trying new things. It always takes people a while to get onboard.

Most reviewers have only cursory info they got from Wikipedia or what they borrowed from elsewhere, and no real profound understanding, and grasp of what they are reviewing.  And most of these publications have a place to leave commentary. Something well-grounded in facts, might be in order, and then their publishers can see how sloppily the reviews were done.  Just sayin'  ;)

Good thoughts FdP - And leaving intelligent comments after the reviews might be helpful, if only their publishers cared, but...

I remember reading a very thorough record business article around 2001 in the LA Times and the interviews were quite revealing.  NONE of the executives had a single artist they were promoting who they trusted would be around in 3-5 years.  The only artists they had faith would be around after that point were the late 60's people.  I don't think much has changed.  It's cool to celebrate the flash-in-the-pan.  And Brian's music just goes on.  By all means, ignore the idiot reviews.  If they know anything, they know what someone else said was cool.  Who frikkin' cares what the majority of these morons think?  They won't be around for long either, while Brian keeps making his music and making us smile.

Debbie - that is an interesting point about the 3-5 year shelf life.  BB/BW are in an entirely different category as lifers, and merit seasoned reviewers, or at least find someone who knows the music and doesn't get into personal background. And I would hope people would take advantage of offering some "balance" with these reviews.  And even if the publishers aren't invested, the readership might be. They eventually get the drift... ;)

More good thoughts...it's all education.

Thanks, FDP (if I may call you that). Actually, I was just underscoring a well known fact contained in the review. You know me-any chance I get, I will. >:D

OSD - yes, you may;  I shall consider it a term of endearment... ;)

But, I hate to see people get so upset over that same history repeating ignorance many of us dealt with...and got over...when the ship finally righted itself  ;)

And I'll drink to that - and here's one for you!  :beer

Thanks Ed. I leap to the radio to turn off Phil C, but this BW song is enjoyable to me, either from will or delusion, I don't know. Perhaps the other aspects of musicality and Brian's part, and hipster Armenian groove all redeem it from Collinzian hell.