The Smiley Smile Message Board

Discuss, review and rate Gettin' in Over My Head, released June 2004.

(http://www.smileysmile.net/images/albums/giomh.gif)

A lot of filler, but I like it more than either the 88 album or Imagination because the production is more natural-sounding. Brian's vocals are pretty weak, and I wish that he had let the band handle all the backgrounds. But the first half of the album and SMITC make it all worthwhile.

*ooff*

Great songs, and finally real instruments. I agree that Brian did a half-assed job on the vocals, but I have to say it again: the songs are fantastic. "Soul Searchin", "GIOMH", "Desert Drive", "Saturday Morning In The City", "Fairy Tale" and "The Waltz" are all classics and show what a huge range of songwriting-styles Brian has.

It´s also important to note that this album was some kind of training for SMiLE. He didn´t really produce a complete record for decades, so it was a great opportunity to get him used to the studio again.

I liked this album a lot more when I first heard it, but the songwriting is only "kind of" there. Not enough class new material and hardly the best of the unreleased material.

My considered opinion -

it sucks, majorly.

Quite simply, the worst/least essential (delete where applicable) BB solo album ever released, and that includes not only LBWL but also Bruce's effort.

When I first brought it, I hated it. There was some decent songs (ie Desert Drive, the title track) but that was about it. It wasn't until this year I started listening to it fully again. I ended up being obsessed with tracks like You've Touched Me and Fairy Tale. I still don't like the Waltz but hey you can't have everything.

Scary thing about this album is that there are most likely a ton of outtakes from the sessions out there. If this is the best that could be picked, I don't know if I wanna hear the outtakes.

This has to be one of the most disappointing albums ever.  The instrumental and vocal arrangements smother the handful of genuinely good songs, most notably Don't Let Her Know and the title track.  In fact the arrangement of DLHK is as bad as the version on SI.  Beyond this, some of the songs are just poor and lyrically emabarrassing (especially the Kalinich stuff).  Worse than the Lovester's solo?  Not as long as DLHK, GIOMH, Soul Searchin' and City Blues are there, even though the arrangements are terrible. There's not enough variety in the tone of the bvs and the lead vocals sound half-assed - very much like his lead for California Feelin' - and totally unlike the leads he sang for BWPS and most of the WIRWFC.  The sad thing is, we'll now never get a decent version of DLHK or GIOHM because these are the finished articles. At least there's the boot of the Paley version of GIOMH, but the earlier version of DLHK stinks too. I don't mind Soul Searchin on this but Elton's vocals on the opener are frighteningly bad.

The Sweet Insanity tunes were much better back in '91/'92. Don't Let Her Know is too sterile and the lyrical changes stink. Same for Rainbow Eyes.

I like Gettin' In Over My Head (that opening is so reminiscent of "How Deep Is Your Love)...

The Waltz is fun, and Desert Drive, with the band's backing vox, rises above most of these. But there are some real clunkers (A Friend Like You, You've Touched Me, Make A Wish - which stunk on Sweet Insanity as well - and City Blues).

Have to disagree with Mr. Doe, though. Anything Brian does is, by its very virtue, better than the "best" product from Love or Johnston. At least we have some harmonies to enjoy.

2/3 righteous, 1/3 awful.

The 2/3 outweighs the awful in my opinion -- and "Desert Drive" is up there in my favorite Brian solo trax list, as is "How Could We Stil Be Dancing."

I happen to like the album. That said, some of the vocals on "Fairy Tale" make me cringe. Also, I really wish Brian would stop doubletracking his leads.

After forty-something years of double-tracking, I don't think he's going to give it up now.

Isn't this one of Ian's favorite albums?

 :D

I ended up giving this one a 2.  While the album itself is nearly unlistenable, there ARE good songs on here.  They're hard to find underneath all the bad production and lack of band vocals, but they're there. 

It's better then LBWL.

Explain why. If you're gonna make such a radical statement, you'd better be ready to back it up.

 I just happened upon this post and saw your note -

How is that radical? Brian Wilson is one of the most talented artists of his era, and some may argue he is THE most talented. Bruce Johnston has some talent, and Mike Love to a lesser degree has some. But they were along for Brian's ride. Anyone who has to explain why Brian Wilson's compositions and arrangements are better than Mike Love's doesn't have to do much to "back it up"... it's like, would you rather see a poorly played game by the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, or go to a youth tee-ball tournament in Hoboken, New Jersey? There is no need for explanation.

Then again, I am from the persuasion that Brian Wilson WAS the Beach Boys. Had he not been involved from the start, nothing would have happened, period. The others were along for the ride. Yes, Denny and Carl were talented. But there are tons and tons of undiscovered musicians who were just as talented, and they didn't have Brian Wilson as their big brother, writing, producing, arranging, and cracking the proverbial whip. That is why I am not a big fan of Sunflower. It is a bunch of mediocre songs with very little Brian involvement, and had they been recording by Joe Nobody, no one would think anything of them.

Gettin' In Over My Head is not stellar, but Brian's songs and arrangements are always good, just to varying degrees.

Brian Wilson was the Beach Boys from 1961-1967....then it was purely Carl and Dennis' show. Sunflower has very little Brian involvement? 7 tracks co-written by Brian, Brian evident in all the backing vocals and in a lot of the production? What album are you listening to?

[
Brian Wilson was the Beach Boys from 1961-1967....then it was purely Carl and Dennis' show.

Sunflower has very little Brian involvement? 7 tracks co-written by Brian, Brian evident in all the backing vocals and in a lot of the production? What album are you listening to?

To point #1 above - exactly. 1961-1967 - tons of hits, fun, appearances, Pet Sounds, harmonies, popularity, posterity, etc. Post 1967 - mediocrity at best, until they rediscovered BRIAN'S stuff ala Endless Summer and resurged in popularity playing the hits. You made my point.

To point# 2 above, I'm listening to the album with dreck like Got To Know The Woman, Tears In The Morning, Deidre...which, incidentally, Bruce said Brian contributed one word to for his co-writing credit. How anyone can even begin to compare that to Pet Sounds is beyond me.

You're WAY in the minority of one with that opinion here, but good luck, my friend!

Greatness isn't necessarily measured by hits or popularity. And considering since everything post 1967 is mediocrity, I suppose that includes the two albums and myriad tracks that Brian produced or co-produced when he quite clearly wasn't up to par with his pre-1967 days? I'm sorry man, but I really have to disagree with you. After 1967, Brian's involvement became too sparse and too inconsistent on the whole. The Brian's Back campaign yielded three albums and scores of unreleased material produced by Brian, and even then he wasn't producing work on par with his 1961-1967 days. After 1967, someone had to jump on the boat, and the rest of the band was obviously willing to. Dennis and Carl did so most eagerly, and with the finest results. And when Brian's contiributions were used, many times they were of varying vintage. Brian just didn't want to be a Beach Boy anymore. As far as I'm concerned, after 1967, the Beach Boys' creative control remained in the hands of Carl and Dennis for the most part.

As far as Deirdre goes, Brian contributed many words, of which Bruce used two. Hence the rather nice co-writing credit.

Ya'll can say what you want, but IMHO it is true, Brian was and is the BBs. Artie's point is getting lost in the whole post-67 discussion. Everything the band did after that time, with the scattered exception of some of Dennis' songs, paled in comparison with whatever bits Brian chose to contribute.

The rest of the BBs were a talented vocal group, with some ability as songwriters. BW was a genius, pure and simple.

Say wha...???  :o :o :o :o

Gettin' In- is yes, by far Bri's weakest album. Good production with real musicians (FINALLY!) & not synths. Some decent tunes- no real feeling behind them- kind of a going-through-the-motions kind of feel. It sounds flat and not alive. Not the best choice of tunes- few strong. Weak use of Paul McC repeating the same line. Why bother with Elton & Crapton? The prior LP's, Warner & Imagination have far better tunes- but shitty production. Better than Sunflower... no freakin' way!!

No, it's not. LBWL is inoccuous and mostly enjoyable  fluff. GIOMH sucks like a turbocharged vacuum  in warp drive. I just listened to it, and now, I'm going to wash out my ears.

I just don't know how you arrive at this opinion.  It's not a great album but no way is it anywhere as near bad as you're making out.  I don't see how an album with a fair number of songs varying from OK to great could be.

One song on the album varies to great - the title track.

One song on the album varies to OK - Soul Searchin'.

The rest, Mr. Doe is quite right.

No, the songs you mentioned plus Desert Drive, Saturday Morning In The City (my favourite on the album) and The Waltz are all great.  HCWSBD - the 'hey everybody' chorus is wonderful - shame he had EJ singing the verses.  City Blues is good but ruined by EC's guitar.  Have to say I'm not overly keen on the Sweet Insanity tracks.  I hated 'A Friend Like You' when I first heard it but it's assumed a strange, though admittedly wimpish, charm since.  Fairy Tale I'm not that mad on.  You Touched Me is pleasantly OK.  Can't think of anything else for the moment.  As ever, I know this is all a matter of opinion but I just find it hard to see how any BW/BB fan could hate this album so intensely. 

It's a good album. Not everything Brian does has to be magical or brilliant.  Brian is allowed to make, simply, an album that is fun.. with some average songs, some good, and likely with a few weaker ones.  Most of the songs on this one though, are pretty decent.  I love Brian with Clapton and Elton.  The Mccartney one is ok, the Waltz is great.

I like Soul Searchin', the title track, Saturday morning and Desert Drive. And the first three were better on the Paley sessions.

2 1/2

I agree with that about the Paley sessions.  There was a very good album in there.

Ten years ago, Artie's view was in the vast majority.

Andrew, why are you going out of your way to trash this record? You've so far said how much "this sucks", but you didn't back up your arguments. Or are you saving that for the next edition of your book?

And I happen to think that LBWL is a festering piece of horseshit.

Maybe he just likes LBWL better than GIOMH. Is that so hard to wrap yourself around? I like LBWL better than GIOMH, and I can back up my argument. LBWL moves me, GIOMH doesn't.

Wonderful! I'd like Andrew to do the same in grester detail, because I truly am baffled as to why anyone would say that GIOMH could be considered the worst BB solo record and the worst record Brian made ever When that honor SHOULD  go to Imagination.

Andrew isn't just whistling Dixie by saying that. I had high hopes for GIOMH too. He had high hopes, I'm sure. Brian didn't just "not deliver", he totally failed at his attempt. He made the biggest joke album release of 2004, an album that never should have been released. I gave it a 3 because I'm really forgiving and like a few tunes on there, but I'll listen to LBWL over GIOMH any day of the week.

As far as Imagination is concerned, yeah, that's not much better, but Brian was actually saddled with some halfway decent material on there. I don't think he'll ever reach the height he reached on the self-titled album.

I'm not speaking for Andrew, but I believe his previous statements have said that the reason he dislikes it so much is the obvious lack of care Brian gave his vocals. I think I recall Andrew also saying that Brian didn't have much or any say in what was included as far as the material, but I may be remembering incorrectly there.

As for me, I agree that Brian's vocals are horribly shoddy through most of GIOMH and he should've used his backing band to do backgrounds throughout the disc instead of just on one track, but I prefer its material and instrumental production by far over Imagination, so I agree that it beats that late 90s clunker.

Let's go to Imagination. The only really good songs are the title track, the Sherry She Needs me remake, Lay Down, Burden, Cry and Happy Days.  If I had to compile a list of the best songs from Sweet Insanity and the Paley tapes, it would look an awful lot like the track list of GIOMH. So, on a song by song basis, that alone, for me makes GIOMH better than Imagination.  The fact that Joe Thomas ruined Imagination with that overly slick , homogenous production makes it inferior to GIOMH - say what you will about the 2004, at least it SOUNDS like a Brian Wilson record. Imagination sounds like Brian guesting on a Kenny Loggins record!  GIOMH sounds like it was made in a vacuum, completely devoid of the current trends and fashions. Records from the early 1960's sounds a lot closer to GIOMH than they do Imagination. Imagination sounds like it's trying hard to reach the Celine Dion crowd with a little bit of the hot country audience.  Imagination panders, GIOMH doesn't.

The faults that everyone finds with GIOMH - the sloppy lead vocals and even sloppier background vocals are noted. I agree, the band should have done them and Brian should hvae done better leads. It would have improved it somewhat.  But even so, the worst Brian record? Not by a longshot!

But Rob... the songs on GIOMH are terrible disregarding the performances.  The title track, Soul Searchin' being the two exceptions.

I can't agree with that. I dislike several of the songs--I'm not a fan of Make a Wish at all, and I think Fairy Tale is pretty annoying. A Friend Like You, likewise.

But I think the bulk of the rest of the album features better songs, start to finish (although I may be forgetting a clunker or two, as I don't have the album near me and haven't listened in a few weeks at least), than either of the previous studio solo albums. To me (and I think to many others), the biggest problem is really just Brian's vocals, as well as his perceived (actual?) lack of involvement in the decision-making behind the album.

I think the songs you named as good are good. But so, too, do I think Desert Drive is good--not groundbreaking, not excitingly experimental...good. City blues is one that I like. The lead-off track is a decent song. I even like You've Touched Me, with its fun little vocal outro.

The overwhelming issue for me is just the vocals. Brian's leads were mediocre and his backgrounds were often bad. Sometimes out of tune, almost always out of time, rough starts and finishes, no enunciations. Weak. The instrumental tracks were good, and finally produced so that the album sounded like it had actual, natural instruments instead of a Casio and a reverb unit. There is no way in hell I would take songs like Sunshine (although I like the coda) or Night Time or Let it Shine over these songs.

As near as I can tell, the only thing Brian has said he was out of the loop of on the album was the final sequencing. That's seldom the artist's perogative anyway.

If you just listen to the damn album, it's obvious that it;s a Brian Wilson production through and through. I have never understood and will never understand why an album featuring classic (and yes, I said classic) Brian songs like DLHKSAA, the title track and Rainbow Eyes was trashed by so many people.

Brian's vocals are not perfect. It's true. They're certainly more on point, and better phrased, than OCA though.

I think people judged GIOMH based totally on criteria separate from the album as it exists. First, Smile had been debuted mere months before. The tapes were out, and people were psyched. They totally expected something beyond brilliant from Brian. Instead, they got a group of older tunes with some warbly vocals.

Second, Imagination had grown in estimation since '98. Lord knows I was in the minority in defending that album when it came out, but I think many people expected Brian to sound like that on GIOMH. They expected s brilliant, flawless voal performance, buffed and shined. Brian does not deliver that. He sounds far more like the Brian of OCA or the rougher Paley sessions tracks.

Third, a group on internet tastemakers (and I include AGD in this) took it upon themselves to loudly trash this album at every opportunity. It became difficult for people who genuinely dug the album to say anything in its defense without being trashed as deaf, fanboys, or what have you. I don't know why they turned on Brian, but I suspect the overall easygoing vibe and relaxed, 50-ish nature of GIOMH annoyed them. It's an older man's album, no doubt about that. There's nothing cool or hip about it -- certainly not the AC guest stars (who, let's face it, would have been far more at home in the Imagination sound world) or the somewhat wonky Mertens string arrangements.

But you see, I never liked Brian because he was cool. I liked him because I liked his songs and I liked his kind of weird latter-day voice. GIOMH delivers both.

Yikes. I'd have been far more disappointed if that had been the case. Far, far more.

I think a lot of them are far better than what he did on IMAGINATION.  A Friend Like You is pretty lame, I will grant you that.  You've Touched Me was better in its original incarnation.  And Fairy Tale is just awful.  But the rest of the songs are pretty damn good.  Wilson/Paley and Sweet Insanity's better songs were chosen.  Those two batches of songs had some great stuff.

All three non-Smile CD's have their inherent flaws.  Here's how I see it:

BW88 had the best songs.  I hated the cold, synthy music.  Brian's vocals were okay.  The background vox I didn't like.

Imagination had the best Brian and background vocals.  The music was..ehhh.  The first three songs (Your Imagination, She Says That She Needs Me, South American) and Cry are strong; the rest...ehhh.

GIOMH had the best music.  Some strong songs (Soul Searchin', GIOMH, City Blues, DLHKSAA).  Brian's vocals- not the greatest.  Backgrounds-ehhh.

And see, I disagree. I think the album sucks, up until Dream Angel (although that one too is overproduced). The second half is much better, IMHO.

[

I think the problem is  there's nobody covering for him when he decides that he wants to go home and eat steak. No Andy Paley, no Darian, and even no Joe Thomas to pick up the slack (although in Thomas's case, he put way too much of  his own stamp on Brian's music).



I think Brian could have recorded  and released  the 2nd coming of Pet Sounds or Sunflower or even All Summer Long in 2004 prior to the release of  BWPS and  it still would  have poorly received.



Imagination has not stood the test of time for me. And I was one of that album's few defenders too back in the day.  Joe Thomas really had no clue about what made Brian's music work and he showed it. Brian's classic style had none of the  "tasteful" instrumental "improvising" that Joe Thomas imposed on it (if  it weren't for Darian and Foskett, the live arrangements of BB classics would have had similar treatments). Paley and Darian know what made Brian's music great and they both certainly know how to improve his current music using ekements of his old style. Listen to Darian's version of Do You Have Any Regrets. Brilliant.  Why the Brian camp won't let Paley back on board or let Darian have a a greater hand in Brian's music, I'll never know.

 

Well, Brian's concerts have been so well received because they were incredible. For the first time, fans were treated to performances that were respectful to both the music and the artist. Hopes were high for a studio album from Brian. Especially one recorded with the live band. For whatever reason, GIOMH's detractors did not find that.  And the stories about the album's making were not particularly encouraging.  There are stories of band members' being disappointed that takes that they felt were subpar were deemed "perfect" by a Brian who really didn't want to be making a record in the first place. Or a Brian who had just gotten bored with making a record.  That too, may well be coloring some fans' opinions of the record.



I like his old guy  voice too.

But  his music deserves better than the arrangements  and productions that GIOMH got. BWPS shows the miracles that Darian can work with Brian. Why not give Darian more of a role in Brian's music? Or why can't Melinda bury the hatchet with Andy Paley and let him work with Brian? If Imagination has lost favor with me over time, the Wilson/Paley stuff has  grown in estimation for me.  And Andy has gotten more out of Brian in the llast 20 years than anyone else has.

I for one would rather see a Wilson/Sahanaja collaborative album than a Wilson/Paley one, but maybe that's just me.

I gave Gettin' In Over My Head another listen today, and my opinion is a bit swayed now. Thanks to the knowledgeable discussions on this thread, I put my copy in the CD player for a spin. It's not THAT bad, but I don't think it's great. It's merely good. I stick behind the 3 I gave it before.

But it's far from Brian's best. I know the man can deliver stuff like this in his sleep.

That's cool.

I never said it was a masterpiece, hell I never even said it was good.  But I always felt this album has never been given a fair trial at all and I wanted to make sure that it did.

And jason I do agree with you, Brian can do better.

I doubt anyone would disagree with that--even people who really like it have to believe it.

Brian has stated in interviews that he didn't choose the songs for the album.


I don't consider myself a tastemaker, just a hard-worki- sorry, just a commentator, and what I said were my honest thoughts on the album, to wit, it sucks. And in this I'm not alone: some people intimately involved in the making of the album (no names, no pack drill) were bitterly disappointed with the finished product. As for people having trouble liking it, you try saying it's terrible and see what happens. Especially the Bloo, where any nay-sayers were told in withering tones that they just didn't "get" it - this may require a substantial readjustment of some people's outlook, but Brian Wilson is capeable of releasing rubbish. And he did. In my opinion, GIOMH is the worst BB solo album bar none... and the record-buying public agreed. One week at #100.

Just 'cos a record isn't commercially successful doesn't mean it's bad.  I mean who is Brian Wilson to most people anyway?  Just some bloke who used to be in 'The Beach Boys'.  "Oh great" they usually respond in a rather underwhelmed manner.

Well, mostly it's taste of course and you got your opinion, someone else has his/her opinion.  But I don't think that the records sold so bad, because it's "trash". I think it's because people have no knowing who Brian Wilson is. And since the Beach Boys are not really "hip", they probably aren't very interested in hearing that guy...

[
Yes, I have heard this as well.  I can't really blame anyone involved in its making for being bitter.

 
First of all, saying this record sucks on the Blueboard is akin to suicide, in my opinion. And secondly, opinion on this album from the fans isn't exactly unanimous, looking at the total votes. Compare the votes for this record and LBWL for example.

Question: Rate Gettin' in Over My Head
5  3 (13.6%)
4  2 (9.1%)
3  10 (45.5%)
2  5 (22.7%)
1  0 (0%)
0  2 (9.1%)
 
Total Votes: 22
 
Question: Rate Looking Back With Love (ML solo)
5  1 (5.9%)
4  0 (0%)
3  4 (23.5%)
2  1 (5.9%)
1  3 (17.6%)
0  8 (47.1%)
 
Total Votes: 17

What do the stats say? Well, 12 out of 17 thought LBWL sucks. Not unanimous, by any means, but a pretty strong consensus. GIOMH, what the tally says isn't so certain except for this: 2 out of 22 agree with AGD. After that, the opinion varies somewhat. Not exactly strong consensus. Now compare the votes for the '88 album.

Question: Poll :: Rate Brian Wilson
5  2 (10%)
4  12 (60%)
3  6 (30%)
2  0 (0%)
1  0 (0%)
0  0 (0%)
 
Total Votes: 20
   
Looking at that, I would venture to guess that opinion on the self-titled effort is more unified than it is on GIOMH. Everyone is welcome to their opinion and I'm certain that when AGD does review this disc for the next edition of his book, it will be imformative and entertaining (I can't wait for the punchlines that he'll probably come up with). But don't say that your opinion is the majority one, because it ain't.  Hell, I don't even like this record that much and I still find myself passionately defending it.

 
The fact that it was pawned off on Rhino who gave it zero promotion had nothing to do with it?

Warner's got it as part of the BWPS package - you want Smile, you gotta take this as well. The original release date for GIOMH was December 2003/January 2004 so Brian could tour it in tandem with Smile. Why was it pushed back ? Simple - at least two companies it was offered to passed, possibly because they were asked to bid on it sight unseen (or sound unheard... whatever). I'm very reliably told that there's more than one LA record company who, on hearing it for the first time, said something to the effect of "thank f*** we passed on that".

As for promotion, well, does the phrase "why throw good money after bad" mean anything ?  ;D  Truly, there isn't enough money in the business to service that puppy.

And how, pray tell, did 'Looking Back With Love' fare in the charts?  I wonder also how come that great effort is long deleted.

If Mike came up with an album as good as GIOMH (a stretch to imagine it, I know, but bear with me) - I don't think there'd be enough praise in the world for some people to lavish on it.

But... he did.  ;D

Well, since I've never heard LBWL I'm not really in a position to properly disagree.  But I find it very hard to believe that Mike Love could come up with an album a tenth as good as GIOMH!

I have heard LBWL and the way that AGD feels about GIOMH? His feelings times 1000 is how I feel about LBWL.

Unless you have a real masochistic streak, no sane person needs to hear LBWL.

Well, I need to hear it to properly say I hate it!  But as a great man once sang "you don't need a weather man to know which way the wind blows!"

It's a moot point at this stage, but the fact that it charted when Warners just half-assedly released ithas to say something.

I gave GIOMH a rating of three stars.  It's my least favorite of his three
studio solo albums.  (SMiLE and Christmas not counting.)  "Gettin' In Over
My Head," "Saturday Morning in the City," and "Don't Let Her Know She's
An Angel" are just great, to me.  I thought "City Blues" was rockin' and
"Desert Drive," while not very original, is a fun tune.  I was very
disappointed in "A Friend Like You."  And I really enjoy "You've Touched
Me."  The intro is amazingly out of tune, but the rest is great.  I love
those (are they violins?) in there.  So yes, there are plenty of rough spots
on the album, but plenty of great moments as well.  Much more then
any Beach Boys album made after "Love You."

I had to give it 3. I like it more now than when it fisrt showed up. It was hard to appreciate it then when the amazing live tapes of SMiLE in London were going around. This album will always be in the shadow of BWPS.

this isn't really an album...it is a collection of songs which, for the most part, are decent...and a few are outstanding.

It doesn't work as an album...think of it as a compilation of hitherto unreleased Brian Wilson compositions that were intended for projected solo or Beach Boys projects but somehow were never finished/released before.

And as a previous poster said, it was good training for SMiLE...got Brian working the studio again.

As AGD has oft said, I doubt Brian himself is overly happy with the way his vocals sound...be thankful he recorded this before SMiLE so he coud hear where he needed to improve.

But you can give me Fairytale, SMITC, Desert Drive and a few others anytime.

3 stars.

After many dormant months, I tried spinning this CD again recently to see if it would grow on me at all.  I've always liked Soul Searchin, Desert Drive and The Waltz but not much else, and I was hoping that at least a few others would catch my ear this time around.  And a few did, kinda...I enjoy the title track more now than I originally did, and How Can We Still Be Dancin is a pretty cool tune (except Brian's vocals in the chorus are a bit annoying).  As for the other songs I could take them or leave them.  I like the vocal intro of You've Touched Me but not the rest, A Friend Like You is really bland, and the others were better in previous incarnations. 

All in all, not a great album by any stretch (relatively speaking...Brian has pretty high standards that probably make it seem worse than it really is).  I prefer BW '88 and Imagination to this easily.  I just don't think Brian really gave a damn while recording this, and it shows.  Good thing he had Smile ready to go shortly after this was released!

The first half of this album is good. The second half is pretty bad. The production doesn't sound like the already-then-outdated 80s muzak sh*t of Imagination, but on the other hand, the vocals sound like sh*t. Win some, lose some.

I think Brian really DID give a damn while recording GIOMH, and that's what's disturbing to me. I don't enjoy this album.

I've been listening to this album almost every week for a while now, and I have to say, it's not as bad as when I first heard it.

AGD: please avoid reading this, unless you want to hear good things about this album  ;D

Granted, while some of the songs are here are better on "Sweet Insanity" i.e "Make A Wish", for one it's a rockin' album (at least the first half). I love the opening track w/Elton John. Great way to start off the album. Carl's vocal on "Soul Searchin'" is great, always loved it. I love "You've Touched Me", especially the choice of the instruments with the strings, horn section, and bass harmonica. It's a nice ballad-esque tune, one of my favorites on the track. The title track is good, I think I like it better than the original, but it's nothing special imo. City Blues is a good rocker, but Brian's layered "oooo's" doesn't quite do it for me, one of my gripes on the song. The backing track is catchy, especially with Clapton's guitar. I've always enjoyed "Desert Drive", an obvious Beach Boys homage. I love it with the marimba/vibraphone/bells (whichever is on the track). Some nice vocals from the band on this one. "A Friend Like You".......I've never really liked this song. You think we would have gotten something better from two geniouses (sp?). It's alright, but not a strong point on the album, which you think it would be with Paul and Brian on the same record. I think it's the lyrics that I don't like, at least for two grown men to sing to each other, hah. I've always liked "Make A Wish", but it doesn't have that same groove as the original does. I love the new opener for some reason, I think it's the bass line that catches my ear. The original had so much more going on in the track, with that sort of regaee feel going on in the backing track. But nevertheless I still like this version. I like this version of "Rainbow Eyes" better only because Brian's voice sounds better on it then on SI. "Saturday Morning In The City", I've always enjoyed the percussion intro, a nice catchy tune from Bri. "Fairy Tale" is alright, but nothing spectacular. I do like "Dont Let Her Know She's an Angel", almost sounds like a track for "IMAGINATION". "The Waltz", I love the backing track and Brian's vocals on this are great, and fun. Good way to end the album.

I give this a 4/5

3.5

i have to say that when this album came out it kind of scared me with all the hype about elton, macca, & clapton. i was afraid brian wilson had turned into ringo starr with a album full of filler tracks for the guest stars to do THEIR thing on. to my surprise it was not like this at all (save for the total let down that 'a friend like you' turned out to be, but more on that later).

how could we still be dancin' - wonderful opening vocal blend by brian. really great chords. elton sings in a voice i haven't heard since 'tumble weed connection' back in the early 70's. really strong opening track.

soul searchin'- carl wilson... it was good before i heard it.  i first heard about carl adding his vocal to this track back in the mid 90's & i knew i needed to get my hands (or rather my ears) on it. unfortunatly that never happened until i bought this album. i gotta say that the first momment i heard it i really got emotional. great track. i love the bridge by brian. i could have done without the sax solo though.

you've touched me - really bad title imo, but a great track. has a today! & summer days feel to it.

gettin in over my head - my favorite track on the album. great chords, great bridge, awesome backing vox. it has everything that a brian song should have. i haven't heard the 80's version so i can't compare the two, but i really can't imagine it being any better.

city blues - nothing special, but kind of fun. is it just me or is clapton a 'special guest' whore? and usually his results are not that great. (ok ok, i don't mean 'while my guitar gently weeps' or anything off 'all things must pass', but i think you know what i mean)

desert drive - this cut makes you wish brian let his band sing more on the album. brian sounds good doing all the vocals, but the blend these guys create together is just so much better. really fun track. (side note: the bridge "come on", sounds exactlly the same as the song 'dance with me tonight' on the 'that thing you do!' soundtrack. anyone else think so?)

a friend like you - damn it! i thought they were gonna give us lovely rita meets caroline no..... what happened? all i can say is that this IS interesting. i'd rather have it than nothing at all. sadly i think paul is the one that ruined this track. i feel like he just showed up to hang out with brian and his vocals took a back seat to him and brian hanging out and being pals. oh well. nice try i guess.....

make a wish - first off, great bass sound. as for the track its nice, though i think its a case of a not so great song sounding a lot better than it actually is due to a strong studio performance. the bridge is kind of a drag, sounds like a revolutionary march. over all not completely a waste of a track, but i tend to skip it most the time.

rainbow eyes - i first heard this on the caroline now! disc and really loved it. this version is pretty good, but not nearly as good as the caroline now! one. great song none the less. don't hate me for saying this, but i can really hear mike love singing the verses on this spot on. kind of in the same style he did "all i want to do" from sunflower. (he never sounded better, and i mean that) nice track though.

saturday morning in the city - i wish brian would have let paul have a go at this one, and just left 'a friend like you' off the album completely. i think paul could have handled the bridge pretty well, and it would have just been a nice treat, cause imo i think brian's voice sounds the best on this track. a pretty good song.

fairy tale - nice backing vocals. not a great song, but ok none the less. prob my least favorite on the album (besides "a friend like you")

don't let her know she's an angel - i like all the instruments on this one. i'm not sure i like brian's vocals very much. the melody is wonderful, so i can kind of have a hard time saying his vocals are not so great, but i really think he could have done a better job which would have made this song amazing. not that its not amazing now, but if he would have recorded this in 65, well we would be writing books about it. you know its true.

the waltz - awesome. a really weird song imo, but that only makes it better. its like a 50's doo-wop song with a creepy 1800's violin section that gives me images of the ghosts from the haunted house ride waltzing in that ballroom. van dyke is the man.

That was the first thing I thought when I heard that too! 

Gee wiz, does everything Brian releases have to be Pet Sounds or Smile? I rate it a 3. Might have been better to drop a few of the weaker songs (A Friend Like You, You've Touched Me, Make a Wish), I've got the vinyl and it's a double album. I could make a solid single album out of it. The Elton track does nothing for me, never been a fan of EJ, and Brian sounds horrible on the "hey everybody" part. Soul Searchin' has a nice groove, although the middle part where Brian takes over is kind of jarring. I liked it better with Carl on lead all the way through, but I suppose they couldn't have this track on a Brian solo album if he doesn't sing some lead on it. Desert Drive is fun, I enjoy City Blues (yes, even Clapton's guitar), the track with VDP, Fairy Tale, but there's little here that ranks with Brian's best, but that's okay. Brian doesn't have to make a great album every time out. He doesn't have to sing as good as he did in 1966 (or 1988, for that matter). All he has to do is be the best Brian he can be, because he's good enough, he's smart enough, and doggone it, people like him!

Probably the weakest album that Brian ever had anything to do with. I like You've Touched Me, the title track's intro is brilliant and it's great to hear my two biggest musical heroes, Brian and Macca, sing together (even if it's such a weak song) but apart from that, there's not much on this one that I like.

I don't think this is horrible. Brian's not too off key here but is not singing as well as he did on the Paley demos. The title track suffers in comparison but it's still a great song. The vocals aren't as bad as many of the Landy era ones though, and the natural production is so much better then the sound of his solo work before. 88 is a much better album and so are his two subsequent ones, but this is the first LP since Spring to sound like a classic Brian production. A lot of the song are weak, I never much liked anything from the SI era and only the production is better here. Yet along with the fine title track there are a few other gems. I always have loved City Blues since I heard the 81 demo and I think it sounds great here. Desert Drive is done full justice and is a lot of fun, and Soul Searchin may suffer from not having the other Beach Boys on it like the original did but it's still great to hear Carl in the nineties singing a top notch Brian Wilson song. Saturday Morning in The City is cute but I do think every song I didn't mention is filler and pretty bland filler. It's not a painful record to hear though and at it's worst it's just dull. That Van Dyke track is sadly a lot more like OCA then Smile and maybe the only one here that I think is really poor especially the lyrics. "The pill for" line is so dumb. So where do I rank this, well like I said before below 88, Smile, and the Xmas LP, but a lot better then his nineties albums.

I still think this album is pretty good. I think it's definitely stronger than Imagination. The production on that album alone prevents me from listening to more than two songs. The production on GIOMH is great as well. It's flirting with Pet Sounds/Today but it works. It sounds very natural. Lots of air in the instruments and room.
      I still feel as I did when I first bought the album, and songs like City Blues, Make A Wish, Rainbow Eyes, Saturday Morning, and Fairy Tale bring the album down.
They are cheesy in a bad way..not the Love You cheese most of us love. The vocals are pretty good too. Even if they are auto-tuned, I actually enjoy hearing Brian sing his own backgrounds. To each his own.

I think its kind of saccharine production... Some of the songs are OK but with that kind of slumber inducing production, who pays attention to the song writing?

2 stars...  :-[

The production is very good, real instruments etc.

Well it does have that going for it... It at least used live musicians.  :lol

I just heard this album in full today. I was expecting alot worse from what you all say. Soul Searchin' is amazing. Desert Drive and A Friend Like You are pretty cool, too. Nothing on this album offends me, though I can say I like Richie Sambora's version of City Blues better. I don't know what you guys are saying about Brian's voice, I think it sounds pretty nice on this album. The Waltz, arrangement notwithstanding, sounds like it could've been on Love You.

3/5

I'm not too big on the album really. I think Imagination was way better; just better sounding songs. Although I dig 'Desert Drive' alot.
-Josh

I like How Could We Still Be Dancin', City Blues, and Soul Searchin', though the original from the 90s was better. The original versions of all the Paley and Sweet Insanity tracks were better.

If Brian had used his band to sing backgrounds and had tried to, you know, sing on tune occasionally, this album wouldn't have been too bad. That's my (oft-stated) opinion, anyway.

While the album isn't great, it is nowhere near as bad as it's reputation seems to be.  There are some bright spots, I like City Blues, Desert Drive, The Waltz and parts of others.  I find it hard to believe that some people think that these tracks are worse than the Sweet Insanity versions.  SI (both versions) was just awful and the tracks from that era that appear here are slightly better.  The arrangements are mostly good and it is nice to hear real instruments.

There are some pretty disappointing moments (A Friend Like You) and a few cringe-worthy ones (Rainbow Eyes) but overall is just an okay album that is enjoyable but probably won't get a lot of playing time in your CD player.

It is flawed, but I like it for the most part. I think there are moments of real brilliance and some bland parts, but I honestly dont hear anything horrible. I am used to Brians old man voice; he coulda done better, but whatever. To me, I guess the album sounds just a bit unfocussed, as if it wasnt quite finished. Yes, having the band do the vocals and just a few more lead vocal takes and it would have been really good...as it is, it reminds me of 15 Big Ones in a way--there is something there, it just never falls into place.



Not as good as the Paley sessions I have heard that it pilfers, the songs from Sweet Insanity are better than the originals, though... but I think you all underrate it a bit. Ill give it a 3,5 or 4.

I don't like the sleeve art.

Yeah, the cover is sucksville, for sure.

I've been listening to this some more. I don't get why everyone hates this album. There's plenty of good songs, or at the very least, okay songs. The main verse part of Fairy Tale is awesome. I hate it when Brian does his own backing vocals.

The only really bad song on this album is How Can Be Still Be Dancin'. Whenever I read about Brian saying he wants to make a "rock album", I imagine 12 tracks of How Can We Still Be Dancin'.

I really like the outro to You've Touched Me.  I'm a sucker for Brian's multi-part interweaving vocal.. things.

How Can We Still Be Dancin' is quite...tacky. Total p*ssy rock. Like what you'd expect a drug-addled, brain-damaged Tiny Tim to belt out 35 years after his heyday.

Have to admit that GIOMH got me all excited when it came out in 2004. I had only just become a BB/BW fan in 2000 or 2001, so this was a first chance at being there when something new was being released by the man himself and since Smile had just turned out such a triumph on stage he sure wasn't going to fail - or was he? Today this record is about in the same league as Keepin' The Summer Alive for me, which means I hardly ever feel like listening to even the standout tunes. For a short period of time in 2004 however I really enjoyed it, most of all The Waltz (which I thought was hilarious), You've Touched Me, Saturday Morning In The City, and City Blues, but even then I had a hard time trying to convince myself of the greatness of Desert Drive, Make A Wish, and Fairy Tale, which especially in terms of lyrics I still think is among the absolute low points in Beach Boys history, down there with Smart Girls and Summer of Love. Brian's come a long way since then, really. Say what you will about TLOS's (very occasional) weaknesses or Brian's voice not being in the best shape imaginable, only four years ago it was GIOMH we were talking about, wondering why one would feel so underwhelmed after listening to A Friend Like You.

Just listened to the album all the way thru for the first time in a few years. Now, I'm just going by music contained within, not letting anything associated with the non-music aspects color my judgment.

As is my preference, I'm listening on head phones


1)How Can We Still be Dancin'- Slightly wonky intro sets the tone for the rest of the album. Sounds very much like the period immediately post Imagination reject cut it is. That said it is a fun song, Elton's overwrought vocal  (for some reason it reminds me of Carl in the late 70s,which I wasn't big on anyway) and Brian's "hey everybody" part aside. The instrumental section is mixed WAY too loud. -   2/5

2)Soul Searchin'- This was originally one of my highlights during my first listenings, but now... most of Brian's parts kill the song for me, although there are some flashes of brilliance. The bridge is again too loud, and Brian sounds mechanical there. 3/5

3) You Touched Me- VERY wonky intro. The high part isn't so bad, but it doesn't blend well. The double-tracking again makes Brian sound robotic, and in one instance he doesn't match the pitch at all, and it sounds bad (1:47, I think). The "fiddles" are annoying in parts, and the whole thing sounds paint-by-numbers. I liked "So Long" better. 1/5

4) GIOMH- Another cut dating from the immediate post-Imagination period, and a remake of the Wilson/Paley cut. The original vocal & track are superior, but this one's actually quite good. What little has surfaced has shown the Joe Thomas followup would have been superior to Imagination. Best vocal on album by far. 4/5

5) City Blues- A remake of a "Cocaine Sessions" cut, featuring Eric Clapton on guitar. I don't care for the horns that much, and again the double-tracking and type of reverb used make Brian sound like C3PO. I do like the synth part, and there's a nice bassline buried under the Wall of Sludge. Some well needed energy finally arrives. 3/5

6)Desert Drive- For all its reputation as a more "organic" production, I don't know what's up with Brian's vocals. He shouldn't sound like a freakin' Autobot, yet he does. That said, this is a FUN song that is great live, and it's one of the highlights. 4/5

7)A Friend Like You- A guilty pleasure. The harp sounds like the intro to the older Final Fantasy games, and the Pet Sounds-ish bass at the beginning is completely needed. Yet...I actually like this cut, although the same issue with Brian's lead persists. At least it's new (despite the Landy-level bad lyrics)...but what's up with the digital clipping on Brian's backups?! 3/5

8)Make A Wish- MUCH better production than the original SI version, but my God some of Brian's backups are really bad. It also goes on WAY too long and it gets repetitive quickly. 2/5


9) Rainbow Eyes- The original SI version was much better vocally. Horrible mix, and bizarre production choices, coupled with Brian sounding like a deranged Muppet make this one of those songs that make me want to bash my own skull in with a titanium mallet.  1/5

10) Saturday Morning in the City- The same cut as the Wilson Paley track, with some added backups if I'm not mistaken. Brian was in terrible voice during that time period; him just recently having (re-)quit smoking  had a lot to do with it. That said, this is one of the best songs on this disc, despite the distortion at 2:22 on the left speaker. 3/5

11) Fairy Tale- Another remake of a SI song, which is a bit better production-wise than the original. There's an interesting story regarding David Foster's co-credit. Vocally, though, he sounds like Ozzie Osbourne taking it up the rear from Jack Nicholson holding a lawn dart. Oh, I take back an earlier comment...the part right before "I was deceived" is the worst vocal Brian has ever given. Yes, auto-tune was used on the album, which makes me wonder how the raw tracks must have sounded.  Worth listening for grins, though. 0.5/5

12) Don't let her know she's an angel- Intro sounds like something from a knock-off of a Pam Grier film, and again Brian sounds computerized (I'm quickly running out of adjectives...somebody hand me a thesaurus!). Still, I've always liked the song itself...but Brian sounds like Ozzie again at the end.  4/5

13) The Waltz- aka hear more compression  used than thought humanly possible! Brian sounds like he's taking the piss (to use a friend's description), and his backups...yikes. But "Bee bop...buh durrr" is one of the most unintentionally hilarious vocals ever. I think the song is somewhat tongue in cheek, at least I hope so. Makes me smile though, which is more than I can say about much of the other material.  3/5

Final thoughts... This album has a special place in my heart for reasons I'll go into later (personal) but needless to say it's not for musical merits. Brian's worst solo album bar none, but if you look at it as more of an "official bootleg", you'll appreciate it more.

2.57 out of 5 (final Score)

This is a strange album, in a way it was doing something similar to BWPS in that it was putting out a whole lot of unreleased material but this time from Brian's solo career. Mainly Sweet Insanity and Paley Sessions, the cover is a Peter Blake Montage and it matches the montage of disparate songs inside.

I really like this album, to me it is one of the quirkiest BW releases and perhaps the most personal, with strange song writing Brian doing so much of the vocals, it really makes me smile. The album has the touch of real Brian Wilson arrangements, there is always something going on, great changes.

I love the opener Elton's vocals and piano pounding are great, sound is a lot like Carl and the Passions and I absolutely love the line "How could we still be making music after MTV" very funny.

Soul Searchin' finally gets release great to hear Brian and Carl singing this track, classic Brian.

You've touched me, some great fiddle and bass harmonica. love the vocal rounds at the end.

City Blues I'm not sure about, but its OK, desert drive is a pretty cool throw back.

A friend Like you - I think this is true sentimentality from Brian, I can't help smiling hearing Paul on this with his one liner refrain, great pauses and is that harpsichord or harp? This song gives this album a real heart.

Make a Wish and Rainbow eyes both rescued from Sweet Insanity. Taken out of that context their strange romanticism shows its appeal, Brian for a better world. Nice arrangements too, love the drums across the "One big global vision" section.

Then Saturday morning in the City. This is one of my very favourite Brian Wilson pieces, a playful everyday story song with plenty of sections, pauses change in texture and great whistles and pops. Fantastic!

Then Fairytale and again for me this strikes to the heart of what Brian Wilson can be, over the top romantic, an amazing musical ascent. It's not a wonder the man that cut this song wanted to do a Disney album.

Don't let her Know she's an angel, angels and dreams, great plucked strings. Another song saved from SI.

Finally "The Walttz" this is one out of the bag, funny with a great production, amazing fiddle, nice to see Brian teaming up with Parks to do something completely different ending the album on a high note.

So this album has a special place for me in Brian's catalogue, his most personal and eclectic late period album, woefully under appreciated.

Just got into this album. Oooo, it's rough. These are the only good tracks (IMO):

City Blues - very cool
Make a Wish - awesome
Fairy Tale - love it
Don't Let Her Know she's an angel - very good

The rest of it.... ugh... it's brutal and plodding, and some of it makes me cringe (how could we still be dancin and saturday morning in the city)

Funnily enough, all the tunes you've listed are ones that make me cringe!! :)

When I started collecting Brian Wilson solo on CD (which wasn't very long ago), I had read all the reviews for this album, but heard some of the samples and thought to myself, "It can't be that bad." Ordered the disc and realised everyone was right!

I like "Soul Searchin'" (although in retrospect, it should have been saved for a Beach Boys package with Carl's vocals intact completely), "Gettin' In Over My Head" (nice Pet Sounds instrumentation), and "You've Touched Me" (despite the dreadful wall-of-Brian harmonies at the very beginning). The rest, well.....

I've always liked the cover art. I have the puzzle of it from the BW concerts

DLHKSAA Is one of my new favorites from brian's solo career.

Really hope "Soul Searchin'" with the Beach Boys' backing vocals is released sooner or later on a Beach Boys compilation. Honestly, it should have been on TWGMTR, but I'd guess someone in the Brian camp put a stop to that because "But it's already been released!"

I like Brian's version, but it's compromised not only in the absence of the other members, but also because the final result just seems kind of spiteful. "Here's a tribute to by brother Carl. It was originally recorded with the Beach Boys, but I took their backing vocals out (at the urging of my handlers) because I'm told I hate those guys and they don't deserve money, and because I'm the star and I'm the genius and I'm the important one and those other guys don't deserve to be on *my* solo album. Bunch of talentless hack assholes. So yeah, this is a loving tribute to my brother Carl."

"Saturday Morning In The City" is one of those songs that should be great but just never got a decent recording or arrangement.

I don't think the production is that bad.  In fact, I think it's the first Brian Wilson solo album to at least attempt to recapture the Beach Boys sound (besides the two live albums, that is).  The 1988 album and Imagination were collaborations with other producers who were trying to sell Brian as a more contemporary artist.  And as much as I like those albums, they don't really have the sound of a Brian Wilson production.  This one does, good or bad (and I'm not saying it's better than those either).  And I think that adds a lot to it even if the material falls short.  Calling it the absolute worst solo album by a Beach Boy is ridiculous.  It has enough to offer to make it listenable.  Take it for what it is (and hey, at least we got Smile within the year, but I digress).  And "Soul Searchin'" is awesome.

I give it two and a half stars.  The material is uneven, many of the lyrics are mediocre, but this is the album that put Brian back in the producer chair and looking at what he's given us since then, I have to respect that.

Some comments I made on editing this album to my liking:

And about the other tracks, there's just spots I'd edit throughout: edit out the accapella intro to You've Touched Me, turn down Brian's vocals when he takes over lead on Soul Searchin, take out Clapton's guitar on City Blues and leave it out or put Scott Bennett's guitar playing over it at a reasonable level, give Paul more to sing on A Friend like You, replace flute solo on Dont let her know she's an angel with original trumpet solo, and keep The Waltz as Let's Stick Together…re-record vocals with original lyrics and re-record Weird Al on accordion for a cleaner version.

Also, add on Walking Down the Path of Life as an intro or outro. And also also, let the band do ALL the backing vocals like Desert Drive.

I was one of about six people who loved this when it was released.

On the forums at the time of release there were very few of us who thought this was a stellar offering, it was roundly ripped.

The homes I visit don't even know who Brian Wilson is let alone what GIOMH is:)

Me too. Still do, although I've become much more conscious of its faults. I've come to think that this is the kind of album that should be remixed and resequenced by some sympathetic ears. Perhaps Darian and Scott would do it, and add some replacement backing vocals while they were at it.

It's a bummer, really, because there are some of the best songs of Brian's solo career on that record -- and the overall raw sound, along with the poor track order (and selection), make that much more difficult to hear.

I'm still not sure it was worth it to get BWPS released...

The acapella intro to You've Touched Me, even I winced at it and then he rounds it off with a tag that you can listen to forever and a day.

There may have people one or two people that disliked it more than you but you were certainly the most vocal. To this day when mentioned of this album comes up I think AGD hated it. I actually think you've damaged me cause after all these years that's not normal is it?! ;D

It was a figure of speech! I might have over egged the pudding with that number of 6, I was trying to be kind: - )

I like this album. It's not in my Top 10 or anything, but I like lots of songs from it. There are a few songs I don't particularly care for, though. I had high hopes for The Waltz because of Van Dyke's presence. But The Waltz has got to be the worst collaboration of Brian and Van ever. And I'm not sure about Rainbow Eyes either. I like the background vocals from Rainbow Eyes (yeah I know, most of you don't like the background vocals on this album but I don't mind 'em at all), but the rest of the song doesn't work for me. But other songs such as the title track, Desert Drive, Saturday Morning In The City, How Could We Still Be Dancin' and especially Soul Searchin' have a real good spirit about them. I think this album deserves a 3.5. Songwise it's not as good as his 1988 solo album, but the production is better! I'd like to hear the BW88 album produced this way. And also what about the cool album cover? I have a vinyl copy of this record (double LP red vinyl). It always makes for a nice front display in the album crate!

  1. How Could We Still Be Dancin'. 2/5
  2. Soul Searchin'. 4/5
  3. You've Touched Me. 1/5
  4. Gettin' In Over My Head. 3/5
  5. City Blues. 2/5
  6. Desert Drive. 1/5
  7. A Friend Like You. 1/5
  8. Make A Wish. 3/5
  9. Rainbow Eyes. 3/5
  10. Saturday Morning In The City. 2/5
  11. Fairy Tale. 2/5
  12. Don't Let Her Know She's An Angel. 4/5
  13. The Waltz. 0/5

Sweet Insanity and the Paley sessions produced some really good material, so even Brian's shitty vocals here can't completely sink the album. Most of the other songs are fairly bad. Often considered the black sheep of Brian's catalog, it's still better then NPP!
Overall 2/5.

How convenient.

I would have thought getting Brian and Macca in the studio together would have created some magic. Instead, we got a cringeworthy song. They really butchered Soul Searchin' on this release, too. So glad we finally got the original on MIC.

Even more than a decade past and this album still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. About the only thing No Pier Pressure has over it is the better vocals, but vocals can't save dire material; especially what's here.

Probably the weakest Brian solo album that consists of original material. 

Agreed.

I played this album last night -- for the first time in a long while -- right after watching Love & Mercy for the first time.  Why this album, I thought?  Why am I gravitating towards this one?

It's the rawest Brian Wilson album.  It's him.  It's what I needed to hear.  It's ruff and raw -- it's production and oddness is Brian Wilson today.  I absolutely loved it.

It's a bumpy ride... but I found it very refreshing, and quite interesting.

This album has not held up well. There are better songs, vocals, and productions on BW88, OCA, and Imagination. It feels like a throwaway.

The only song that I like on the album is the Carl and Brian duet Soul Searching.