The Smiley Smile Message Board

Did Mike write all these songs? I mean, besides Today I Started Loving You Again (which is a Merle Haggard cover)? I don't know much about late-70s country music to know which of the other ones are covers. And maybe he had someone writing for him or with him. There's some songs that seem to be written by him. Dallas makes reference to his former career as a gas station attendant. The lyrics on Country Love and First Love are the kind of lyrics I'd expect from someone who's had so many failed marriages. His Beach Boys songs were always so happy but his solo songs are rather melancholy.

Could you post the tracklist? Maybe then it would be easier. I think I once heard a recording of Mike doing a Hank Williams song, but I can't remember which (it might've been "Your cheatin' heart")

According to BMI, he wrote the Country Love songs on his own ("Today I Started..." excepted).

The alleged track listing for the album was:

Side 1
Today I Started Lovin' You Again
Dallas
Beth On The Mesa
Brand New Start
Baby I'm A Changed Man

Side 2
Rock 'N' Roll Country Bride
Everything I Touch Turns Into Tears
Wrinkles
My Side Of The Bed
Everyone's In Love With You
Some Sweet Day

The Hank Williams song he also did was Hey Good Lookin'

Yeah, I just watched some Hank-videos on youtube and remembered it. Thanks. For which reason was it recorded?

Are you sure about "My Side Of The Bed"? Didn´t find that one as Love-written on BMI.com.

Fair point - that may also be a cover.

This has nothing to do with the actual question, but I really think that Brian, Bruce, David and Al should all add their voices to Wrinkles for this song to be their final song as the Beach Boys.  :-D

The version I have has Hey Good Lookin' as the last track. I'm guessing he wrote most of First Love, too (besides the title track)? Some of the lyrics on those two albums are pretty dumb, but the melodies are decent. It's nice to know he the songs all by himself.

I read the thread title as Courtney Love writing credits. Thankfully, I was wrong.

Actually, Courtney Love and the BBs might not be a bad idea. The BBs and Nirvana already did some quality work:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uoMCjvMX_co (http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=uoMCjvMX_co)

I don't think that works at all.

If you think that didn't work, try this on for size!

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=55UZBtEJw_w

Bumping this mother because I am drunk and listening to Country Love for the first time ever! Fear my Jim Beam and my internet connection, and the profanity laden post to follow!

Today I Started Loving You Again (Slow Version, it's helpfully titled. Has the speedcore version been booted?)

So, first off... Hm. Not dreadful, apart from the fact that Mike Love is probably the last guy in The Beach Boys who should sing country.
Then again, this is a Hank song. So at least it's a good song underneath nasal domination and poor synths, despite a perfectly able string section on hand as well.
Going into this, I'd really like to just know more about this album! Why the hell did he do it? Do the group sing on it?
Maybe I'm not drunk enough? This all seems so tasteful? I mean, anyone other than Mike and it wouldn't be some awful kitsch object?

Dallas

This seems more promising. By which I mean awful.
It sounds like a Bruce Springsteen song!
The chorus is a fucking gem on this.
Oh man, now this album is delivering.
I LIIIIIIIIIIIIVE IN A PAAAALAACE/I DRIIIIIIIIINK FROM A CHAAAAAAAALICE
Who did what to Mike in Dallas?
At least recording this sh*t in Nashville means the tracks are going to be tight as.
It's weird, because The Boss would never hit up a Nashville sound - the backing singers sound odd.

Ok, so far it ain't as awful as Summer In Paradise.

Beth On The Mesa

GWAN NASAL.
Can someone educate me as to what the f*** this song is actually about?
I mean, it's about a place, right?
What's a Beth and what is a Mayyyyyyyyysa?
MANDOLIN = f*** YEAH
Maybe I'm a happier drunk right now.... this is just misguided? Unlike Summer In Paradise which seemed like the systematic raping of popular music.
Oh dear. This isn't offensive, but all the same, it is pretty awful.

Brand New Start.

Nice pedal steel.
Actually, the more I think about it, the fact he seems to have written these songs makes them AMAZING.
DID HE JUST DROP THE FUCKING BASS
Wow.
Is it just me, or is this song a fucking weak sentiment?
"I know we hate each other, baby, but i'm paying enough alimony as it is! For my wallets sake, let's give it another try!"
.....
He is dropping the bass. on a country album. in 1977. Mike Love is now my favourite Beach Boy.

Baby I'm A Changed Man

I certainly am.
IT'S KONA COAST.
HAHAHAAAA
MIKE LOVE SMOKING MARAHHUYWANA.
any song which uses the words 'You left me crying in my beer' is A-OK in my book.
This album so far seems to be an exercise in 'who in the band haven't we given a solo to yet?'
You know I was talking about how good these arrangements should be given Nashville? Yeah. So much for that.
That is a fucking weak song.

The promisingly titled 'Rock N Roll Country Bride'

HANG ONTO YOUR ASS
Get on my what tonight?
This is some pissweak stuff here.
I was EXPECTING TO GET UP ON STAGE AND JAM, MIKE
I WAS EXPECTING TO JAM
This started so promisingly. It is so mediocre. I was expecting something about snorting cocaine and shooting big game.
FUCKING RIDIC DRUM BREAK THERE.
That's the worst song so far.

I hate this album.

THE EVEN MORE MAGNIFICENTLY TITLED
EVERYTHING I TOUCH TURNS TO TEARS

oh my god
this is hilarious
HAAAAA
I am going to sing this at his funeral.
I cannot stop laughing at this song
GREAT GOD ALMIGHTY
Everything you touch turns to tears? WELL I THINK THAT'S A PRETTY ACCURATE ASSESSMENT THERE.

oh lord

here

WRINKLES.

I have never heard this song before.
what the sh*t
he
what
DID HE JUST INVOKE EASY RIDER
I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT WHEN THEY SAID YOU DIED
WHY IS THIS SONG ABOUT A DOG
Mike's deadpan nasal domination could not do this song any more justice
CHASING THE BEAR OR THE BUNNY
EVERY LINE IN THIS SONG IS AMAZING
*cue soaring strings*
I miss this dog, you guys
DOGGGGGGIE HEAVEN!
Is the last verse about divorce?
that last rhyme is some fucking RIDICULOUS WORDPLAY.
Oh my god, this song.


Well, with 4 songs to go after those two it can't get any worse, I suppose.

My Side Of The Bed (another first fantastic title btw)

On my thing of this, there's some guy calling out take numbers. I haven't heard him call out anything higher than take 3.
What the f*** is this song, btw.
There appears to be a narrative which i am unable to follow.
Now I am following this narrative, it appears to be batshit insane.
WHAT IN GODS NAME IS THIS
The entire deadpan nature of this album, from Mike to the Nashville arrangements actually makes it one of the greatest comedy albums of all time. Brian would have done well to release this in 1967. If he was a fucking moron.

Oh my god.... I hear strings.... it's.....

Everybody's In Love With You.

Certainly the greatest love song to a hairy old Indian man that I know.
Well, this song was only a couple of years old by this point.
So why not sing it worse and completely remove any unique or remotely pretty arrangement touches you put on that earlier version and try to release it again.
God, this song is dirt.

Some Sweet Day

Doesn't Brian have a song called this?
I bet it doesn't have sweet slide guitar, nor is about DEATH
What
Mike is essentially the worst singer of all time. I know of no other singer that could fucking ruin what is a fairly trite gospel sentiment. No-one. Yet you give it to Mike Love, and suddenly it becomes utterly devoid of feeling and seems so hollow and foul.
oh lord, a keychange! First one for this album!
By god, this is dull.
At least we get some quality Lovester bass riffing in the fade.

So we're onto the last Hank cover.

DEAR GOD WHAT WAS THAT INTRO
he dropped the bass again
MIKE LOVE IS GOD
And lo, I did not think you could ruin this song.


I think Mike Love ruins this album. The band is trying to earn their paycheque, and he just shits on it by virtue of being Mike Love. No matter how many times he drops the bass. Such a weird contrast between pro-Nashville Cats being made to play some of the worst music known to man.

Still, Mike Love DROPPED THE BASS. This pleases me no end.

Sorry.  ;D

Man, that seems like fun

Gotta listen to that album drunk sometime

Country love review :lol

While it's not as bad as Summer In Paradise, I am still ridiculously happy that Mike Love drops the bass during this album. Like, amazingly so. And very surprised that Wrinkles isn't the worst song on this album, that honour belongs to Everything I Touch Turns To Tears. That song is just.... wow. Contender for worst song ever.

Half an hour and half a bottle of Jim Beam I won't be getting back. I might invoice Mike.

He might somehow misinterpret that as you claiming writing credits and royalties for Country Love. Than you're in trouble.  ;D

Thats what I saw as well. I got scared there for a minute

In the early 90s Susanna Hoffs recorded a song of that name but I don't know if it was a new composition:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Side_of_the_Bed (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Side_of_the_Bed)

Maybe Courtney and Mike can colloborate, call it something like 'Hole Lotta Love'.

I started to wonder if Mike had any potential label deals for those 2 albums. According to AGD's website:

"Possibility of release: First Love is apparently a legal hostage of a lawsuit between Mike and the album's backers. Country Love deserves to be buried, not released".

Who were the albums' backers? Was it a label like CBS / Caribou or was it independent producers? Next question: is it the albums' backers or Mike himself wanting to stop a potential release? (I'm thinking of Ringo's 80's Memphis sessions with Chip Moman)

Thank you in advance!

I actually like "Everything I Touch Turns Into Tears". Sometimes I use that phrase in conversation.

Man, whatever. Dallas has a bad ass chorus, plus the chords are actually super complex. And the gospel singers really nail home the point  :lol

And besides, Mike looks sweet in a Cowboy hat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7SmgdvPpQY

You're both crazy, those songs are still horrible (Everything I Touch Turns To Tears is amazingly awful), and I hate you both now because you made me listen to them again, sober, without even the small comfort of a whole cup of coffee in my frail and damaged system.

I don't think anyone really got why I started that thread and so you're all saying 'Yeah he sings 409 real good', but this album makes me doubt that Mike Love can actually convey relatable human emotion in his singing - Maybe his voice was just f*cked, maybe he thought in order to make a 'country' album sell he needed to stamp it with his own nasal sound. But y'know you can say, 'man, they could sing the phonebook and sound great!'. Mike Love sounds like he's singing the phonebook. And now I need to listen something that can carry a tune with emotional clarity and resonance, like the 171 bus.

Well, hypehat, yeah, your perspective is unique and thought provoking.  You're right; I didn't get it and went the Mike is great in the BB genre, with little regard to his solo gear.

Now, when I compare BB stuff (or even Lookin' back) to Country Love, it shows me Mike's singing is as good as who's in charge (and their headspace) - under Brian's/Carl's/Bruce's/Curt B's guidance we got the gold (or appproximate), but when Mike owned quality control (SIP, with Terry M), or was the subject of a producer who (maybe) didn't push him, we got the dross.

So, I maintain Mike is a good singer - relative to who's in charge.  Here's to doggie heaven.

Producer for Country Love was Al Perkins.

Yes, as per p144 of AGD & JT.  Modified my reply for the sake of clarity  :)