The Smiley Smile Message Board

-Big Sur (version 1 & holland)
-All I want to Do (live in Londone where he yells: "are you ready?!?!?" I can just see him struting like mcjagger)
-All I wanna Do vocals
-Sumahama, yeah, i actually kinda like this song.
-getcha back- I like better than Kokomo
-Male Ego vocals
-Monster Mash
-that's not me vocals
-here today
-his blend with Brian on Kiss Me baby
-nice vocals on Meant for you
-California Girls lead vocals, he nails it!

The lyrics of Fun Fun Fun, The Shift, Warmth Of The Sun, All I Wanna Do, I'm Waiting For The Day, Meant For You.

His vocals and lyrical contributions.  His voice was essential to the Beach Boys sound.

I think Mike's bass vocals are just great on most of the BB's songs.  Definately his vocals were a highlight of their stuff early, and even much of the later stuff.  For instance the "beeeeen soooo lonnnngggg" during the turnaround part of "do it again". 

Although Mike obviously comes off as a jackass a lot, and he probably is much of the time, many times in interviews and things I've read over the years, he's one of the people who's not afraid to tell it like it is and just say whatever he thinks whether he's right or wrong.  I think that's admirable.

His commitment to the band cannot be questioned.  Above any other member, Mike has missed only a handful of shows and has successfully fronted the band for 40! years now. 

Although he often uses it to launch tirades or lawsuits at other associates, Mike has a certain 'tradionalist' attitude about the BB's music that I admire, too.

He helped write or solely wrote some of the greatest music of the 20th century.  I think that says a lot.  His songwriting skills will probably remain underestimated for a long time.  I know there's not much to many of their songs, but they are popular for a reason and part of that is the lyrical content of the songs.  He also has a few songs that he cowrote that are breathtakingly good, like Warmth of the Sun, Big Sur... even something like "When I Grow Up To Be A Man" has a simplistic beauty to it.  You can say "Will I dig the same things that turned me on as a kid? Will I look back and say that I wish I hadn't done what I did?" is insignificant, but I disagree... I think that's said about as well as you can say it.

Exactly. Also, I love his lead vocals on That's Not Me and Here Today.

And the bass line to Good Vibrations is pretty bitchin'.

His lyrics to Let The Wind Blow and all the other ones that knock us off our feet.

His experiments with facial hair were possibly more experimental than SMiLE  :D

So yes, his beard.

You haven't the heard the lyrics for the extended, alternate version of the song?

"...Let the beard grow..."

* Shuffles out quietly, disgusted with himself *

haha!

To slightly break topic here, did anyone else think that the performance of Let The Wind Blow on the American Family movie seem very close to what a Brian solo version would sound like?

I watched it very late at night the other month and was convinced that they had used unheard dubs of these songs for the movie. Maybe I was too tired.

Ask this in the Alan Boyd thread.  I think he had a role in putting together the music for this one.

I like Mike Love's hat collection!  Until he started wearing baseball caps, that is.

His humility.

does it have to be things you like?

Do "things you like about Mike Love" have to be things you like? I would think so, by definition.

forgot about him sportin the beard in Pet Sounds, made him look a lot more mature. then in the mid 70s when all the Beach Boys were hairy, Mike says, I told you it'd catch on

His penis.

-How he acts out the song physically while he's singing it, it's so hillarious!
-The lyrics to Good Vibrations (even though Brian used the Tony Asher version for SMiLE, he still used the "I love the colorful clothes she wears" line, and the entire Mike Love chorus, much better than "I hope it's good, good, good, good vibrations, yeah!")
-The fact that he thinks he can play the saxophone
-This picture: (http://beachboysband.net/MIKE_LOVE/ML_RAP.jpg)

..his name gave birth to one of greatest bootleg titles ever--Mike Love Not War

Cheers to JDShadow, I highly agree with you, that's a great name

The aching, poignant lyrics to Warmth of The Sun which perfectly match the melancholy of the melody.   

His distinctive voice in the mix of Beach Boys vocals.

 

 

What I don't like about Mike Love would be a much shorter list.  I love the man and everything he stands for.

And what, in your opinion, does he stand for? 

The lyrics to Kiss Me Baby

-The pure joy he and Brian seemed to share in the early/mid-60s
-Devoted To You

Man I knew you were gonna stink up this thread.

 I like him.  He is Mike Love.  He was the happy,upbeat guy.  Brian was always so damn depressed and all.  I think Mike Love was a fine promoter of meditation and very strict right-wing nutso philosophy.  His vocals as a whole were fairly redundant yet classic due to BW's gift touching them.  I do feel that when BW controlled ML's output it was put to better purpose and his vocals did add a low-end richness.  I like ML but in the context in which he is appropiately placed as far as his over-all value to the band.  I do feel he is very talented in his own way and deserves mine as well as your respect.  His R and R hall of fame speech is a hilarious classic.

No, you're doing that.  I asked the question in good faith as I'm genuinely curious for the answer.

No, because you jump at every opportunity to bash the man. If I was stinking up a Mike Love appreciation thread, I would've made an appropriate comment to do such. As it stands, you're asking what he stands for. If you need that information, you're reading the right thread. Of course....you shouldn't need this thread to ascertain that.

So what if I have a low opinion of Mike Love and his latest legal action?  I'm hardly alone in that.  I was not consciously seeking to ruin this thread.  I gave my straightforward opinion about Mike Love's contribution to the Beach Boys a couple of posts earlier in this thread.  As you will see I was not out to bash him there.  I am not one of those who believes everything Mike Love has ever done should be denigrated.  You can believe what you like but I think the poster's original statement begged the question and I was curious for an answer to it.  I'm shocked really to have my sincerity attacked in this manner.

I'm not trying to attack anyone's sincerity, but if you feel bullied in that way, then I offer my humblest of apologies.

Peace Jason and thanks.  Please, you don't have to be humble about it.   :-[

I like his white robe from the early 70's. Far out.

I think Mike Love had very little to do with Pet Sounds, and he STILL doesn't "get" SMiLE, but...

I think the Beach Boys' music from 1961-1965 would sound drastically different if not for the influence of Mike Love. And not just because of his lyrics or excellent vocal work.

Mike instilled that positivity, that aggressiveness, that extroverted personality which Brian lacked. It's not so much the specific subject matter (cars, girls, surf ), but as Carl put it so well - the simple joy of living. Mike was LIVING IT (as was Dennis), and had his finger on the pulse of that lifestyle. Yes, Brian was a good observer, but Mike could put those ideas to paper. Mike wanted to rock! I think Brian would've definitely written much more ballads and less rock and roll if not for Mike. And a large portion of the Beach Boys' early greatest hits are comprised of rock and roll.

And this is not to diminish Brian in any way. You never would've heard of Mike Love without Brian Wilson. It's just that Mike was able to mesh so well with Brian's music, probably kept firing ideas at him, and maybe, at times, actually motivated him. Mike kept pushing.

It's a shame what happened to their relationship...

hmmm, vocal performance wise...

I Get Around
Funky Pretty
Never Learn Not to Love

a few reasons why he's not a total loss

I like the fact that he is still touring and singing wonderful songs!

Killer Mike vocals:

Surfin' USA
Fun, Fun, Fun
I Get Around
Kiss Me, Baby
Merry Christmas, Baby
When I Grow Up...
Amusement Parks USA
California Girls
That's Not Me
Here Today
Let The Wind Blow
Meant For You
All I Want To Do
All I Wanna Do
All This Is That
California Saga: California
It's OK
Blueberry Hill

He IS the Summer lyricist...and he's not afraid to wear whatever he wants  :lol

The jewelled turban, the lame waistcoat... dude's a legend.

His humility, generosity and non-confrontational nature. Only a lifetime dedicated to TM
can help you peacefully coexist, levitate, and eventually reach nirvana.

What I like best about Mike is that he makes EVERYONE around him look and sound great! :lol

Used to think he was ok about 45 years ago before had him figured out.

Only a legend in your own mind and certainly in his, uh, mind. Outside of this and a few other message boards along with the die hards, he's an unknown commodity.  :p

His longevity....many of his pre-1975 vocals....his yin to Brian's yang...his willingness to fulfill the the matrimonial wishes of myriad women....

(http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/5951/mlthiscool.png)

I like Mike's insistence that he is Mr. Positivity.  :lol

This (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1EPXBQV3yM).

I think Mike was the first person to believe Brian Wilson could be a great songwriter. Even before Brian. Didn't Brian say he didn't know if he could write songs as good as what was on the radio and Mike said something like, "The stuff you write fooling around is better than most of the stuff on the radio."

Even in the "Wouldn't It Be Nice" book, where Brian/Landy rip Mike in many places, Brian said he would always be grateful for Mike for encouraging him to write songs.

Even if Mike hadn't done a lot of great singing and written some fine lyrics – which he did – this would be his most important contribution. Brian always needed someone to believe in him, and Mike did.

Oh yeah-I also Love that he won't be arounnd much longer... 8)

Great thread idea.

My single favorite Mike Love moment was when he pulled Murry out of the car and beat him up in '62.  For all my Mike criticism over the years, he gets, like, 1,000 points credit for that.

Other things I can think of...
His gracious behavior to David Marks over the years (until recently I guess, but I don't know about that)
Bass singing...simply outstanding
Lyrical contributions up to '65.  Actually the band couldn't have done it without him pre-'65, no question.
His devotion to TM, up to and not including the point he writes songs about it.
Work ethic.
"Rockin' The Man In The Boat".  Seriously.  I think that song is funny, as is his vocal on "On and On and On."
Um...

Well, that's enoguh, right?

Sorry, too busy watching the fat guy rape the bass.

Aside from the lawsuits and some awful behavior that's been reported over the years, I like pretty much everything about Mike Love, as far as what he's brought to The Beach Boys. I think he's as valuable a member as Brian!

Not all of us who have him "figured out" hate the guy. It goes both ways.

...

1: His sometimes good lyrics, & often great voice he had.

2: The quote in my sig.

3: The turban:

(http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/news_cut/content_images/turban_love.jpg)

 :-D @ AGD
That's STILL my favorite Brian vid tied with the 1976 "I'm Bugged at My Old Man" where he coughs up a lung then laughs about it w/ Dennis and Carl.

...and a nose on  the critical list- outfit courtesy of  Halloween Adventure-what an unfunny clown.

Yes I've always admired Mike for the fact that even if it was just the one off, he punched out Murry when he was viciously tearing into Brian. Good on him.

He had just the right voice especially in the early days. However, I dont like how he scuppered Smile etc...

The fact that he shook my hand.

The fact that he gives other musicians a chance to be a Beach Boy! While many groups feel the fans may like to see original members in the group, Mike showed them how foolish they are and introduced the revolving door method popular with groups such as the Platters, Temptations, Oasis to name a few.
 

Cocaine's a HELL of a drug  ;D

All rightie then... :3d

1. His lyrics after 1976
2. His Hall of Fame speach
3. Law suits
4. The fact that he prefers art over money
5. His support for Smile
6. His support for Pacific Ocean Blue
7. And this post is bull sh**

In a sort of roundabout way, there's no denying that Mike Love's Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame debacle had to be a major inspiration for Kanye West, and his VMA debacle was one of the highlights of that year.

Ummmmmmm... my memory may be fading, but I don't recall Mike saying word one about POB, good or bad. He did, however, supply the lyric for the title track, at Denny's request.

I think Magic Transistor Radio's #7 shows that he is kidding.

I know. Just sayin'...

I like that he's far, far better at what he does than you are at what you do. And yet he gets sh*t. ("You" is meant as second person, plural here. English doesn't really support that, other than "y'all," which I'm just not going to type. Or say. Ever.)

Okay, so you say that Mike is far better than me at what I do? But what do I do? And why is he better than me doing it? :D

Actually I said he's better at what he does than you are at what you do. Not that he's better at what you do than you are. As for what you do, I have no idea ... which is why I suspect he's better at what he does than you are at what you do--I've heard of him.

Ok, I have no idea what you are talking about :thud ;D

Increased use of emoticons will help.

I'm very sorry that I am from Germany and English is not my mother tongue.
Aber Deutsch verstehst du wohl eh nicht.

Notoriety is in the eye of the beholder.

No, despite being maybe a quarter German, I do not.

So, what's your point? I just don't understand the meaning of your post, this has nothing to do with the amount of emoticons I use.

No, it doesn't. The emoticon line was an entirely unrelated joke. My point was minimal to begin with, also not much more than a half-thought joke on the idea of people listing things they like about Mike Love, as if it should be hard to come up with a list when the guy is a major force in one of the biggest rock-pop bands of all time. I mean, imagine: come up with a list of things you like about John Lennon, or Ray Davies, or James Brown. So the point was a play on that. People who are (with all due respect, presumably) average in their anonymous little lives critiquing someone who has quite literally made a name for himself in the history books of pop music. It's funny (to me). That was the point.

Ok, thanks for clearing it up! Now I see what you meant.
I agree with you, it's really kind of funny, but It's just people chatting about a member of their favorite band and sharing their thoughts on that person.

Yeah, totally valid line of reasoning. Never criticize someone if you haven't done better yourself. That reminds me of something: my car burst into flames the other day because I dropped a penny on it, but because I haven't built a car that works, I'd never call the company that made it terrible.

I'm sorry, but I've seen this sort of merda too many times to not speak up about it.

Just trying to maintain a little perspective on things. I didn't deny anyone his chance to to critique Mike Love or anyone else; it's entirely in the angle, the presentation. But, hey, I'm glad to give you the chance to speak up: after all, the Mike Love-bashers have truly been an under-represented force in pop culture these past few decades. It's time someone spoke up for them. You're very brave! (For our German-speaking or dense friends, this, too, was lighthearted [if not especially humorous] Lutheranism [of the non-Jesus/non-95 theses variety]).

This is getting dumber by the minute, wasn't the topic M.L. and not
some stoners debating semantics ?

Who's a stoner? And would a stoner be capable of arguing semantics? Sorry to disappoint you, though, Mr. Dunbar. I certainly hope the past few posts didn't in any way ruin your internet connection, keyboard, fingers, or mind from posting more appropriate thoughts on the topic.

Sort of reminds me of Bill Hicks's "comedy hole", except he actually had something to say.

.

Well it's been proved on this board time and time again, nothing starts up a cyber-war of words more than the mere uttering of the words "I like/dislike* Mike Love".
Just ask Sheriff John Stone if you can find him.   ;D


*Delete as applicable

Let's also not take Luther's comments sooooooo seriously. He wasn't talking about an exploding car, he was asking who here thinks they'd make a better lyricist, lead singer, frontman for the Beach Boys than the guy who's done it for over 40 years and has contributed to some of the most famous songs in music history and has made a name for himself in the process! ......

Anyone?

Just saying... 8)

And what I was getting at is that line of reasoning is baloney. If criticism required one to have done better than the subject of the criticism, the only people who could call judgment on the President would be former Presidents. And I know we all have judgments when it comes to Obama.

Mr. Positivity.   I had a visit from a childhood friend the other day....and I've come to notice that when I am around old friends, from my school days, we end up regressing to that time, not nostalgia, we just fall into it.......how cool this is or that is and neat stuff we are doing.....the heaviness of the years floats away...............there is hope and positivity again........where there was the burden of age.


And following that visit, I was driving home from work couple days later listening to beachboys.......and it hit me........all those old BB songs were full of joy and looking forward to the next great thing......everything was just the greatest....surfin, cars, getting around, falling in love, girls on the beach, just bursting with eagerness and youthful pride, hope,  and excitement.......not to sound corny, but , as Mike has pointed out, he WAS Mr. positivity.

Just sayin.

Donald hit the nail on the head. Preach it, brother.

All well and good, except that I wasn't refusing anyone's right to critique or asking who thinks they'd be better than Love. I was chuckling a little at ordinary (mediocre?) people's gusto when they critique far more successful--and most likely far more talented--people. That's all. Not refusing/denying/censoring/punching/semantics-arguing/ going on. Chuckling. Laughing. It's healthy. I will agree wholly with Erik H's initial sentence. I've bolded it for [plural] your convenience.

Long Tall Texan.  Isn't that the name of it?  Would ONLY work with Mike singing it, lol.  It's so bad it's great. 

I'm gonna add two things to my list:

-Cool Head, Warm Fart
-First Love (just the song), it's a guilty pleasure.

I like fact that he made male pattern baldness acceptable for rock musicians.

Yeah, and that was in 1965!  :lol

Ich schon.  ;D (This will make AGD go mad... 8) )

I like a lot of Mike's lyrics and most of his pre-1976 vocals. I think his voice would have been perfect for singing the line "Surf's up aboard a tidal wave", way more that any of the other BBs.

I think he has little understanding for Brian as a person, but I don't blame him.

Every time Mike does his "Whennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn" live, he is actually purifying the environment through the use of TM* Vedic science in the form of mantric vibrational magic. What we interpret as an arrogant display of nasality has actually been preventing worldwide destruction by attuning audiences to the Love vibe.

Outdid Brian in the craziness factor during 1970 with his insane fasts that led to car chases and a mental institution. Its bad when you have to put Brian on the road to replace Mike, who usually never misses a show ever.

Anyone find it a little fishy how Mike comes back from India and reports on how influenced he is by the teachings and goes on to be a supporter/participant in the practice to this day and writes/wrote songs about the subject; but then the Beatles come back from India being let down by Maharishi (except for George). But I'm surprised that George would be apart of an album that talks crap about the Maharishi, granted, it's under the name Sexy Sadie, but still, it's the intent.

The Beatles developed some suspicions about Maharishi. They were not over the infatuation with all things exotic & Indian however, since John & Yoko can be read in discourse with A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada - leader of the Hare Krsna movement. And of course George was into that guy too...

Mike is a typical celebrity TMer. He'll tell you the basics but not the weird stuff that happens in the organization. Like the 'advanced practices' (for advanced yogis like Mike Love, one assumes) that involve levitating by hopping and other things that are taken from the Vedas as an infallible divine science. He probably won't tell you about all the chants and salutes to the Hindu deities either...

I like his bad dancing, clothes, hair, and jokes from a comical standpoint!

Seriously though when he pushed himself he was a fine lyric writer, a good lead singer, a great bass singer, and a hard worker. Without him The Beach Boys would be less fun. Of course when he coasted (which he did almost all the time from 1981-92 and 1994-2001) he was awful. Yet when I saw him in 1993 and 2007 he did excellent shows.

I love watching him wiggle his ass in concert (makes me wonder if he's going to break a hip).

And even though he masterminded two of the worst Beach Boys related albums (Country Love and Disco Celebration) he never pushed hard enough for them to see a release. Thank you, Mike, for not embarrassing your fans even more!

 :P

LOL!! I forgot that I posted this!

Anyways, I would like to come on here and say I don't hate Mike. I didn't hate him a year ago either. I always thought he had the narliest looks. He was also the most charismatic on stage. Dennis was the coolest, but not quite as out going as Mike. At least from what I have seen. Carl and Al are good singers/musicians, but for the most part they are boring to look at on stage. Although, his clothing of choice went down hill in the 80s. Of course didn't it for everybody?

I also believe that his lead vocal was perfect for those early surf and car songs. He could also sing a nice ballad and touch people emotionally with songs like All I Wanna Do and Everyone's in Love with You.

I will also add that in two interviews, Mike teared up when talking about Brian. One was on the Diane Sawyer special concerning Eugene. The other is on a BB doc from 2005(?) that I believe Mr Stebbins was involved with. In both cases Mike got emotional when talking about Brian. He says that the Brian he knew is still in his heart. I think that Mike is very sincere and loves Brian very much and wishes they weren't seperated so much. Even if his personality doesn't bode well with Brian.

I beg to differ, bigtime, especially in Carl's case! :love He had plenty of stage presence, especially for us gals. I've always enjoyed watching Carl and Al perform, especially when they were singing leads.

Yep. :(

OK, fair enough, but there still had to be someone for US GUYS to look at: therefore it was Mike and his moves and his wardrobe!

Honestly, I feel bad for Mike in some respects. As for his coasting: what was he supposed to do? It's obvious he worked very very well with Brian, so if Brian ain't around, he might have always felt a bit lost and maybe tried to overcompensate with his fashion choices/his personality/jokes/and over-reliance on the fun fun fun aspect of the Beach Boys (still what I love most about the band: so sue me)!

That said, him and Brian always were able to beat out some cool tunes together, even post 76.

Can someone point me to some fine readin' on whatever craziness Mike got into in 1970 with his fasting and car chases and whatnot? I've seen it alluded to but I don't know anything beyond that and it sounds... really weird, haha, especially as it's ML and not, like, Dennis or something!

The Gaines book gives the story in full and the Carlin book merely hints to it.

Oh! I have only read the Carlin book. I guess the Gaines one dishes the anecdotal dirt from what I understand? Weeeell then, I must get a hold of it! Thanks.

edit: Put it and Endless Harmony (DVD) as I've not seen that either on hold at the library!