The Smiley Smile Message Board

So, depending upon how we acquired the CD [so in my case a year ago yesterday due to my CD shop getting it in early], it has been essentially a year since the release of 'That's Why God Made The Radio'. how does that feel to you, and how different do you feel about the whole thing now?

To me, it seems like it was an eternity ago, with the Smile Boxset actually feeling newer to me! The album itself links closely with some very fond memories from last summer that probably are the cause for the distant vision, but either way my opinions are very similar. I enjoy it greatly, though i can strongly see it's flaws as i did upon first listen. The production is the only thing that's changed in the sense that it's sort of settled in, but only in the sense that I've heard it so many times that I can't bother getting annoyed over it.

Still not a big fan of the title song, and never was. 

I listened to TWGMTR yesterday in my car and was surprised to find that the autotune really bothered me. When it was first released I guess I was able to listen past it but it really bugged the crap out of me to the point of distraction, I was not really listening to the songs but to the robo-voices.

The title track is a strange one, I do like it but never quite loved it and I think I now know why - I can't sing along to the chorus, too much going on plus the pace of the song is just too languid. The last three songs are still incredible though, Robo-Jardine and all.

Great album that I still listen to from time to time.

I listened to the album like 20 times a day when it came out and I need to give myself some more time before I can listen to it again.

In the grand scheme of things, after we are all long dead, this will be generously forgotten along with the rest of their post LA career. *1/2

I know that sounds harsh, because Isn't it Time is nice, and that one Jon Bon Jovi wrote sounds pretty good too, but the production is a dealbreaker for me. Maybe cos I'm a producer I'm more sensitive to that stuff, but it's totally unlistenable imo.

mrmoustachioto, I feel about the same way as you do.

Re: the autotune, I have to admit that Mike's robo voice really adds something to the nostalgic feel of the "Shelter" chorus for me. Hard to explain.

Still love "The Private Life of Bill and Sue", can't help it. It's my fave alongside "Pacific Coast Highway".

Lots of nostalgic memories. Moved to a city far away from my homebase last autumn and TWGMTR was my personal soundtrack during the last few months I spent at home. Not a perfect album by any means but pretty sweet in its own occasionally flawed way.

Totally agree. PCH is the only truly great track on TWGMTR.

.

i don't understand the dislike for the title track. it's a classic. majestic even. the coda was absolutely breathtaking in concert.

i listen to From There To Back Again quite often. best song Brian has written in years.
i think the closing suite, and hopefully the yet-to-be-released songs that are also part of the so-called My Life Suite will be remembered and celebrated in Brian and the band's overall oeuvre.

yes certain production choices, especially the autotuning have permanently marred the album, but the material is so very strong in certain places. Beaches and Daybreak on the other hand... generously forgotten sounds good to me.  ;)

Yeah, for me it's pretty much the only thing that sounds like a potential classic. Love it! It's like TWGMTR's very own Good Timin'!

Re: the title track, personally I enjoy it and I would probably like it even better if it wasn't for the cheesy middle eight.

Love the songs and arrangements. Hate the  vocal production. I'll give it eight points (last summer it was nine and a half, but nowadays I have zero tolerance for autotune).

The release coincided with going to the first of two C50 shows. It was a very exciting summer, and have great memories that I won't soon forget. I am still listening to the CD and I am still enthralled with the last four tracks. I just want to thank the guys again for putting aside their differences and creating an album that is as good as it is. The C50 Tour was no slouch either. :)

Listening as I type I realize I really have a soft spot for "Daybreak Over the Ocean". Even like Baker's wailing bg vocals.

Still love the album. The imo bad parts still bother me, too

The fact that it's already been a year is downright frightening.

I liked the album far more when it was new - the fact that it was new product by The Beach Boys, that they were on an ongoing tour, there was new youtube footage or interviews damn near every day...and there's also the fact that I got the cd after the first time I saw them on the tour, so I was all pumped up about seeing the BBs play, and also before the second time I would see them, so it geared me up for my next show.

Like pretty much any Beach Boys album, it has it's merits but also it's drawbacks. Even though it's the beginning of summertime, I still don't feel the urge to pull out this record and cruise around like I did last year. It was a Beach Boys reunion album and the Beach Boys reunion is over - so for me right now the album is based solely on it's musical merit. I find about half a good album here when all is said and done. For a 50 year old band, I suppose that's enough.

Listened to it a handful of times recently. It still sounds strong to me, all things considered. Wish we'd gotten slightly better vocal takes from Brian on "Shelter" and "Bill and Sue." The closing suite remains magnificent.

It really, for me, demonstrates the difference between a BW solo record and a BB album. If it had been released as the former, it would have been okay, and probably fallen somewhere between Imagination and TLOS in quality. The simple addition of the group's vocals, along with the lead spots from Mike and Al and Bruce, adds so much character and depth.

I have been a BW fan, primarily, from the beginning. (I was initiated the IJMFTT soundtrack and OCA, of all things.) But there is an undeniable magic hearing the guys together, regardless of the how or why it happened. I'm glad we got this album, and it is a fitting closer to their recorded studio work, if that's how it must be.

I didn't like the album at first, thought it felt a bit too much like a cash-in, with stuff like Spring Vacation and especially Beaches In Mind. I still don't care for those songs, but I've come to notice just how good the good stuff is; Think About The Days and the last three tracks are all great, and tracks I previously thought were a bit too bland (Isn't It Time and Shelter in particular) I appreciate a little more now. I'm not a fan of Autotune, but I gotta give the album credit for using it very well, as it's not distracting or even all that noticeable to me. Still not a great album, but it's far from bad.

Still don't understand the comparisons with Sunflower though...

The fact that we got a full album of all-new recordings (with the exception of "Daybreak", but at least that was fairly recent) with NO oldies, remakes, or superstar guest vocalists to violate the sanctity makes it better than we realilistically could have hoped for.  I mean really, given their track record, they could very easily have had Bon Jovi sing a verse of the song he co-wrote (with Richie Sambora playing a guitar solo), had Katy Perry duet with Mike on a rave-style mashup medley of "California Girls" and "California Gurls", had Justin Bieber rear his ugly little head someplace, thrown in a cover version or two and called it good. 

But no, they completed a nice, Brian-centric Beach Boys album of material that runs the gamut from OK to great, and that showcases the vocals of Brian, Mike, Al, Bruce, and Jeff, and David's guitar, very nicely, with prominent instrumental contributions from the various support band members.  I'd call it a qualified success, with emphasis on "success'.

Can't argue with that!

Craig, as usual, doesn't just hit the nail on the head. He drives it into the piece of wood in one swift stroke.

I still don't know... sometimes i dig the effort, some vocals, some decent songs, but then sometimes i just can't get over that bland production and the silly songs..
that big Beach Boys logo on the artwork is a bit of a shame cause i like the artwork, also putting a picture of the band in the back like in the old days, cool, makes it feel like trying to make one real new album in the catalogue following the rest.

Some songs are old but good enough some are recent and as good, i think it's alright, with a little change on the tracklist it could have been really better and much more effective, i'd love to hear Waves Of Love instead of Spring Vacation, definitely fits more the Beach Boys vibe and the album, plus Al is amazing! and why no Dave songs? poor guy, i liked his offer, i would have take it instead of Beaches In Mind, again, fits better in the style tho it brings a new fresh air without being ridiculous..

Yeah, put it that way i think i would like far more! but as is it? mmh i guess it's alright yeah, depends, but some of the best moments on it are really good, From there to back again, that's quite something and proves they should go on, tho it will always be visited by Joe Thomas and his effects, which bothers me..

But it's alright, i'm ok with that album.

I thought he hardly played anything on it?

Says who?  He definitely has prominent lead parts on "Shelter", "Beaches In Mind", "Strange World", and "Summer's Gone", as well as solid rhythm parts on many others. 

Great album.  Might still be my favorite album a year on from it's release.  It's in my cd player constantly. 

Definitely still diggin this album. "From There To Back Again" is still my favorite, with the title track in close 2nd. Even "Beaches In Mind" has grown on me.

If you say so! I have no context to know what a modern day David Marks guitar part would sound like. My notion from the beginning was that his credits were basically contractual, so it's nice to know that's not the case.

I really dug the album from the beginning, and there really hasn't been a Beach Boys or Brian Wilson album I liked start to finish, since, well....Brian's '88 album at the most recent. I guess I was a little nervous when the title track was released as the first single, and it kinda sounded like a Beach Boys pastiche at first. But after time I grew to love it, as I realized it was the guys doing what they do. I also really liked the fact that the first single was mid tempo with a  Brian Wilson lead vocal instead of an up tempo throwaway surf tune with a Mike Love lead vocal. If anything, it showed that they were going about things a bit different this time. Actually, thinking about it, what was the last Beach Boys single with a Brian Wilson lead vocal? "Rock 'n Roll to the Rescue" I think.

Anyways, I think Brian's writing on the whole album is pretty strong, and though I think "From There To Back Again" is probably the top song on the album, I really like what most thought were the "lame" cuts, "Spring Vacation" and "The Private Life of Bill and Sue". They might have been a bit cheesy, but they didn't seem contrived like a lot of the stuff they did from the '80s and '90s.


The f*** are you on about? "That one Jon Bon Jovi wrote"? That's cute, how you set that little diss up. But the problem is, Brian was the principle writer, the guy who came up with the song. Yes it was extended by Joe Thomas, but all Bon Jovi did was write some lyrics. Don't go make it seem like Bon Jovi came in with a song he wrote for The Beach Boys. Didn't happen like that, so don't pretend it did.

Haven't played it in awhile.  Probably won't have the same sheen it had last year (a fking year already??).  It might need to age in the oak cask for 10 -12.   :-D

Don't feed the troll. I wrote most of a message like that but deleted it after thinking better of it. Take a peek at the WIBNTLA thread to see what this one is capable of stirring up.

Yep. We're onto the little Whippersnapper now.

My opinion hasn't changed at all.  I still think it's the best Beach Boys album since Holland.  I still don't like "Beaches In Mind" or "Daybreak Over The Ocean" (at least in the context of the album) and still prefer swapping them out for "She Says That She Needs Me" and "South American".  I still think the the title track is OK but not "great".  I still really dig "Think About The Days" (especially leading into), "Isn't It Time", "Spring Vacation", and the last four songs, and still have no problems with tracks 5 & 6. 

I still like the album very much!  :)

I like TWGMTR a lot more than when I first heard it (which I liked anyway) - helped by some additional context/info over the last year (ESQ articles, who did what tidbits, live performances, other artifacts and hoo-ha's).

For me, TWGMTR has nothing overly cringe-worthy (key word is overly), no filler, it kicked some ass in the market place and earned the respect of the modern music industry.  Like many great BB albums, perhaps it even gave us some hints of where the band's head is at - egos/factions/decisions/warts.  It also gave some fans (at least 1) something to genuinely smile about, and be proud of.

Classic.

The standard of trolling here sure isn't what it used to be. Not advocating or agitating for the return of Eeyore, y'understand, but...

I still enjoy this album and think it is the best that we could reasonably have expected from the group at this point in their careers.

Beaches in Mind is poor lyrically and particularly musically and TPLOBAS is also weak. I wish they had re-recorded Daybreak as well.

Apart from that it is still impressive though. I agree that having all of the band members' voices lifts it a lot and there are several standout songs. There is a little too much Joe Thomas at times but it isn't as intrusive as it had been on Imagination.

I would give it 7 out of 10.

I can't believe it been a year already! Partly because I still haven't got round to buying the thing. I have heard most of it at least once, Brian sounds very strong, however Al could have done with a few more leads and Mike rarely sounds like Mike. I cringed when I saw Bon Jovi's name on Summer's Gone but it's far and away the best track.

From There to Back Again is a BB classic, head and shoulders above the rest of the album. The best BB track since Love You and maybe Holland.
I also like Pacific Coast Highway, Summer's Gone, Strange World and Think About the Days. Some of the other tracks are okay. Really don't like Spring Vacation, Beaches in Mind and Isn't It Time.

Me neither. I think it's much closer to being a mixture between Today! and Still Cruisin'... :)

Mmmmmh, interesting thought

Hahaha

Thanks for respecting my perfectly valid opinion guys. xx

Hey Mikie,

I'm sorry you feel like I'm a troll because I don't like you disrespecting my opinion without adding anything to the debate, but I guess that's easier for you than facing up to the fact your persona on here is unpleasant and dismissive.

xx

I like it more than now than I did initially though its still a 3/5 album at best for me.

FTTBA is fantastic and way more than I expected when I heard JT was involved. Pacific Coast Highway is really pretty and I enjoy most of the other stuff quite a bit like TWGMTR, Isnt it time, Strange world.

Lots of throwaway but fun stuff. I think I'm in the minority in finding "Summers Gone" quite boring.

Count me in the minority then. It's pleasant enough, and very very pretty, but doesn't blow my mind. No complaints about it, though.

As if that wasn't enough to put the quality of my taste into question, I've gotta say that I really like everything on this album except Shepter and Bill&Sue. I moved Think About the Days between Beaches in Mind and Strange World a week after release and never looked back. Despite the sudden shift in tone, I don't find it jarring and I think it does well as a transition piece. It's nice to have the title track lead off the album, as well, and while TWGMTR (the song... and album, I guess) isn't a work of art, it is a fun, idiosyncratic world of its own.

Isn't it Time is a great singalong, and I like all of its permutations but still think they could've made it PERFECT somehow.

Spring Vacay and Beaches in Mind remind me of Los Lonely Boys' Heaven, what with the Fender tone and early 00s production value. That doesn't bother me, but it tells you where Brian and Joe's headspace was. It's the Beach Boys- The "rockers" are always going to be pop at heart, and now it's soft rock pop. As for lyrics? It's a little late for BB fans to be taking issue with lyrics. I love both SV and BIM. No apologies.

Daybreak gets a bad rap. Mike sings it well, Christian keeps it pretty and somewhat Carl-y (a lil' at least), and the melody is not without it's charms.

Strange World sounds the most like what I would expect modern Disney Brian to sound like, and FTTBA takes that side of things and gives it a funky, forward thinking BW twist that I adore. Pacific Coast Highway and Summer's Gone are nice vignettes that add up to a sum greater than its parts.

I love this album. Shelter and Bill&Sue are unimaginative and inoffensive, without the toe-tapping guitar fun of BIM and Spring Vacay, but don't ruin the experience for me. I played it a lot. It made my summer last year, and was my first/only contemporary release by the band other than TSS. It sounds like The Beach Boys to me, even without Carl, and I forgive it every quirk and misstep simply for existing.

I respect your opinion. My only problem is you try to distort things by making it seem like Jon Bon Jovi wrote "Summer's Gone" by himself, whereas the fact is that Brian conceived it like 13 years before. And things of that nature. That's my problem.

100% agree

heard it a few times again recently, and doubt i will ever go back to it again.
just doesnt really do much for me

weak songs (apart form 1-2) with boring production.

major disappointment when it first came out, and still feel the same way one year on

The overall consensus (which, admittedly, is very hard for the more spirited posters here to take seriously...) is that TWGMTR is right in the middle of the pack of all the BB studio LPs, just below Smiley Smile and just above Shut Down Vol 2. Clearly several of the TWGMTR "haters" who've surfaced over the ensuing months did not bother to participate in that poll, as there are no votes below "2 out of 5" in that poll.

I personally give it 3 out of 5, rounded up from 2 1/2. (Averaging out my individual song ratings works out out just under 2.7, with the last three songs salvaging a very saggy middle.)

Considering Carl and Dennis are gone, and the guys are like 70, great effort. Would like to have heard more Al and Bruce.

Well, there's proof that we should take such ranking with a pinch of salt. "TWGMTR" is above the album with "Fun, fun, fun", "Don't Worry Baby" and "The Warmth of the Sun" on it.

Also "'Cassius' Love vs 'Sonny' Wilson", "Shut Down Part II", "Denny's Drums" and "Louie Louie".  ;D

The last four tracks are still very much on my regular "playlist".

I also give 1,2 & 6 a listen every so often.

I have the CD purely because it was a necessity when getting my tickets to see the band at Wembley. The vinyl sounds much better. But the autotune is a problem.

Excellent post!  This is pretty much exactly how I feel.  I made a few shifts to the tracklist as well.  I played this album (usually my tracklist) A LOT last summer.  And when it ended, would usually play it again -- sometime three or four times in a row.

So your tracklist is to just move the opener between Beaches In Mind and Strange World?  I'll have to try that.

My favorite tracks:
- Isn't It Time
- The Private Life of Bill and Sue
- Shelter
- Strange World

I like the "My Life" tracks too, and this record gets a lot of play, along with my favorite tracks from THAT LUCKY OLD SUN:
- Morning Beat
- Good Kind of Love
- California Role
- Going Home

I think the Gershwin/Disney pair is in alignment with Brian's Gemini nature: the tension between art and entertainment. I don't listen to anything other than "Nothing But Love" from those sessions. Great song.

The new Beach Boys Live is a joke. All that robo-sound is classic Brian Wilson humor, and maybe a social statement?

Since I reprogrammed my copy on iTunes to reflect the vinyl track listing, I still love it!

What's the vinyl track list?

reverse the middle 4 tracks

1,2,3,4,8,7,6,5,9,10,11,12

Oh wow... I like that (just going though it in my head).  I'm going to make this tonight.  I'll use it to kick of my Beach Boy-listening summer!!!

So, what't the reason for the vinyl order?  Unless it's just for "technical reasons" I would think it reflects an admission of some uncertainty with the order.  which is something I felt immediately with the CD.  Which came first CD or vinyl?  

Correct, to balance the running times on each side.

I pretty much love this album.  Played it a ton last summer, still play it occasionally. 

I think FTTBA is a legit all-time "melancholy" Beach Boys classic, and Isn't It Time is allllmost a legit all-time "fun" Beach Boys classic.

I'm always surprised by the hate that Bill & Sue get, I realize the verse lyrics are kinda cheesy, and the verses themselves aren't super exciting, but man, that chorus is so much fun, so many voices, so great to sing along to, and perfectly fine lyrically.  (I also think it's some kind of awesome that there's a new Beach Boys song from 2012 that's about reality TV and namechecks Jersey Shore (well, maybe the place more than the show, but still))

And and and I know two people named Bill and Sue who are a real life couple, so that's fun.

When i first got the album I made my own mix of it, removing Daybreak and Beaches in Mind, and adding Don't Fight the Sea.  But you know what, eventually I started to miss Daybreak and Beaches.   I'd be lying if I said I haven't woken up in the morning humming those songs to myself more than once.  They do get pretty catchy after a few listens.

I also like that you can sorta make two EPs out of this if you want, one of more respectable, mature, melancholy Beach Boys, and one of cheesier, funner Beach Boys.

No autotune complaints really, no production issues, I think Al sounds great on FTTBA, and I can hear the Harpsichord in Shelter just fine  :)

I think this album is a minor miracle, all things considering, and pretty darn good, not considering any things.

Still love this this album. It's a miracle that it happened at all, and for them to deliver what (at least for the Beach Boys) is a 4-5 star album is the ultimate gift to the fans. Even more so than the tour (which was also phenomenal).

There are some weak tracks (Private Life, Shelter and Daybreak), but there are no bad tracks. And some tracks rank among their best, ever.

Still hoping against hope for the "rock n roll" album, but I realize there's almost no chance of that happening...

All this having a go at BergenWhitesMoustache is growing increasingly irritating to read. The guy is entitled to his opinions. (And with reference to another recent thread, he was spot on re Brian/Dennis' 70's output).

Annnnyway, TWGMTR: six good-great songs, two ok songs, four absolutely appalling songs. And in no way whatsoever does it rank above Shut Down Vol 2 for Christ's sake!

I thought that it was re-sequenced to create a fun-in-the-sun Side 1 and a more introspective and personal Brian Wilson Side 2. It certainly worked out that way. If the changes were made for timing considerations then this was a happy accident.

Beaches In Mind is kind of bad and the album should have included a couple of faster-paced real rockers. It doesn't sound as good as it did a year ago- the rose tint is wearing off- but it's a good album nonetheless. I'd still rate it as their best since Surf's Up.

I don't think anyone has an issue with him giving an opinion.

Seems to me all he did do was offer an opinion initially, and got some smart comment, which was just a bitchy comment, nothing serious. We all do it. Yes, he overreacted a bit, but as the guy said he had a bad cold. Again, we've all come on here in a bad mood before and taken stuff too seriously. Then no one want to back down and it turns into a big pissing match. Bergen adds some good stuff to the threads. Just let it go, that's my thoughts.

I'm not sure how I feel about the album 1 year on, it's definitely good

At the time I felt relived it wasn't a total abomination but why did we set the bar so low? This is The Beach Boys, the greatest band of all time. I'm starting to feel it could've been a lot better.

That said, I wouldn't change the last 3 songs for anything .

Thanks, man. Reading this thread, I feel like I should give the vinyl play list a spin to see if I like it better. But I'm probably set on this one for life-- Too many listens to change now.

'Their best since Surf's Up'? Seriously? I mean, yes, it's all just individual opinion etc., but really.... TWGMTR better than the mighty Holland? An album featuring Carl and Dennis in their song-writing prime; an album with Trader and Only With You on it; an album with Mike and Al's finest ever collaboration on it; an album with Sail On Sailor and two of Brian's most eccentric, fun, crazy productions ever on it... TWGMTR is better than that? And better than Love You? Wow.

Personally, I'd say TWGMTR is their best since Beach Boys '85 (there's nothing on it as powerful as Where I Belong, but in terms of consistency it's superior), arguably their best since L.A. Light Album. Hey ho, each to their own...

Really?!

Total length of tracks 1-6: 18:58
Total length of tracks 7-12: 19:54

Total length of tracks 1-4, 8, 7: 18:36
Total length of tracks 6, 5, 9-12: 20:16

Dividing the CD tracklist into two would actually produce a more "balanced" split than rearranging them like they did!  Not that there are any particularly compelling technical reasons why the running times of each side of a vinyl record need to be balanced anyway.

If the presence of three solid gold Beach Boys classics were the sole mark of a great album, there'd be more love for Still Cruisin'.

Well, not counting the old tracks, (which had already appeared on albums and cannot therefore be counted), which tracks are you referring to?  :p

I'm totally counting the old tracks.  They're on the album!

I do like the idea that previously released material remains impervious to counting though.  They should have called last year's compilation "0 Big Ones".

The running order of the vinyl LP may well have been changed for reasons technical rather than artistic but it makes for a better flow. Bill & Sue especially works much better musically in the context into which it is placed...though it's still not a strong song.

Overall, TWGMTR was a far better album than I expected. It was no car crash, has no truly dire tracks on it...of the songs I consider to be good some are quite fun and some are quite deep.

I'd even go as far as to say it's their best since Sunflower! ;D

That is, I shouldn't really state it as a fact like I just did, because as you say, it's all just individual opinion. The fact is that both CATP and Holland bore me to death, but that shouldn't make you enjoy them less.

What I really didn't expect about a new BB album was that there would be songs on it I enjoy listening to just as much as their old hits. In fact there's four of them: Think About The Days, Isn't It Time, Strange World, and Summer's Gone.

Two other surprises were Spring Vacation, which I enjoy listening to way more than I would a song of that style, and that there's a good Mike Love song on it. Daybreak is his best since Big Sur, I think. (The "First Love" version of that is atrocious, though, so the way a song is recorded can make a huge difference!) Mike's vocals are the best since Holland.

Beaches In Mind should have been a heavy rocker. The verses have really no arrangement at all. One of the lacks of TWGMTR is that it doesn't have any rocker on it. (They should have finished the Paley version of Desert Drive for this album, with Mike on lead...)

The title track... is pleasurable, but does suffer from the too clean production. In concert it was much more impressive. I still learned to play it on the guitar, so this and Isn't It Time are the only post-60s BB song I can play.

A strange thing is that the famous FTTBA leaves me absolutely cold. So be it.

The only piece I enjoy a bit less than at first is the opener, which after more listens seems a bit repetitive, but still gorgeous.

Now the parts I don't like... The first two lines of the verses to Shelter are really bad, both arrangementwise and melodywise. Reminds me of bad German Volksmusik. The chorus though is absolutely beautiful. And there's a song...
...which I think is the worst they ever did, worse than the worst on SIP! ::)

Best one since Surf's Up? Wow... Very enjoyable but, for me, nowhere near as good as Surf's Up, Holland, Love You, even the Light Album. In my estimation this new one is much closer to the better moments on Still Cruisin', SIP, Imagination, and some of the stuff on TLOS. You can't beat what the original group did together I think and it's all perfectly natural.

I like the album too. Okay, there are some tracks I'll sometimes skip, but there are tracks I'll skip on some of the 60s BBs albums too. Brian has always put some amazing songs and some not-so-amazing songs on albums (Pet Sounds and Smile excepted). And with those late 60s/early 70s albums people are citing, there was songwriting/singing support from Carl and Dennis. Considering they're not around, this album is really good. The last three tracks make it worthwhile and something to be proud of.

Year after I still like the record. Nothing changed - favorites remained favorites & least are least, though to Bill & Sue's defense, I'd say the verses & the intro are rather pleasant. Currently I'm more into Daybreak over the Ocean. Minus Spanish-sounding guitar, it's impeccable! Great singing from Mike & Co.! And Beaches in Mind is cool! Glad to see some Smiley Smilers dig it too.

Re autotune use: imo it sounds very stylish, esp. on Mike's & Al's vocs. Good to know The Boys try sth. modern & fresh, without going to extremes. Also, it's quite entertaining to hear them in this sort of way.

Still feel the same way. The LP is a better mix and order, and it's the best group LP since "Holland". Not a huge fan of it, but enjoy it more than I thought I would.  3.4/5

Still love this album and am incredibly proud that my favorite group was able to put together something of such (generally) consistent quality given their post-1977 output. I can honestly say I don't dislike any of the songs, although "Bill and Sue" is the weakest, despite offering some amusing subject matter. "Strange World" is the weakest part of the suite, but it's still a very pleasant listen.

Stray observations:

- "TATD" is a poignant introduction, although I think it would be better suited with a different placement on the tracklist, perhaps as part of the suite. Plus it would be cool to open the album with the title track.

- "Isn't It Time" - Their most unabashedly fun song since the mid-60s. Nothing cringe-worthy about the lyrics, although I hate what they did with the live version. This is what present-day BB should sound like. The individual voices are all showcased masterfully. I actually don't mind Jeff on the bridge.  

- "Spring Vacation" - Something tells me I should disdain this song but I don't. The lyrics are toss-offs--more family reunion, 'all is forgiven' tripe--the guitar tone is pitiful and the auto-tune is felonious...but I can't help but adore it.  ::) The chorus lyrics make for an interesting case study, though.

- "Shelter" is gorgeous. Yes, it's essentially a re-write of another BB song or two, but so what? It wouldn't be the first time that's happened. I can't help but wonder how amazing this song would have been sounded in 1965.

- I actually enjoy "Daybreak," and, having not heard the original Mike Love version, I like that Al's voice cuts through during the intro. The percussion is unnecessarily busy and Mike's sped-up vocals during the post-solo pre-chorus are a bit distracting but overall it's harmless. For a Love-penned track, we could have gotten a lot worse. I would not have minded had they brought in Christian Love--doing his best Carl Wilson impression--to record some more BGVs for the rest of the record to give it a fuller BB sound.

- "Beaches in Mind" has the wimpiest guitar tone of any BB song ever and could have benefited from a faster tempo. As it is, there aren't any fast rockers on this album and "Beaches" just slogs too much. And of course, we couldn't have a 50th anniversary album of new BB material without at least one dumb self-referential lyric. Thanks, Mike.

- "FTTBA" might be the be best song they've recorded since "Holland." Al's voice has held up the best of any of the BB (with the possible exception of Bruce) and is criminally underused on this record. "PCH" is also beautiful.

- I've heard "Summer's Gone" accused of being 'boring'--a fair critique--but it's basically "Caroline, No" at twice its length, which I'd probably find boring, too.  The few moments of auto-tune are disappointing but ignorable.

All in all I wish the album was a bit longer. I enjoy Al's "Waves of Love" and kind of wish it had found its way on there. I've found that it actually fits in nicely between "Shelter" and "Daybreak."

The album still gives me chills from the opening notes.

Best since Holland, easily -- but where "Holland" starts glorious and peters out into something mellow and amiable, this one ambles along charmingly until the sun starts going down, and then devastates you.

Cheers,
Jon Blum

After all the lawsuits, petty arguments, and artistic disputes that have plagued these guys for the last 50 years, this is the most perfect album we could've gotten from this group.

Sure, I would've loved to have Brian in complete control of the creative vision. I would've loved an entire side devoted solely to his Life suite. But instead, we got some fun tunes, some heartfelt tunes, even a great solo tune from Mike Love. It wasn't the Pet Sounds that many of us were dying to hear, but many of the songs on this album are Pet Sounds worthy...which we should truly be grateful for.

One year later, I really don't listen to the album that much (but then I don't listen to many other Beach Boys albums all the way through). I play Daybreak and Pacific Coast Highway quite a bit. Shelter and Isn't It Time I play more often than not.

I still think Beaches in Mind is complete garbage and should have been left off the album. The lyrics are barely a step above 'Santa's Going to Kokomo' and the chords are just as imaginative. But it doesn't diminish the beauty of the rest of the album.

In all, I give this album 4/5 stars.

Nah man, it's not "easily" the best since Holland, that would be ignoring some of the few decent songs that can appear on M.I.U., KTSA, L.A. that even has a decent production (not the best for some of them but at least isn't insulted by autotune), and overall the great Love You which works far better as a whole and even tries to aim for something different and refreshing.. so come on, not "easily".

best album since LA Light I reckon

Agreed. It's easily their best since Beach Boys '85, that's about as far as I'd be willing to stretch it personally... Love You is consistently good throughout, whereas TWGMTR swags dreadfully in the middle. And the highlights on L.A. are better than the highlights on TWGMTR. There's nothing on the latter to rival Baby Blue.

Calling it the Best Beach Boys album since 85 or LA isn't much of a compliment  :lol

It's the best Beach Boys album since Stars & Stripes Vol 1.

Wait a minute - you think From There to Back Again does not at least RIVAL Baby Blue?!?! And "Baby Blue" of all songs??? Wow man. You can't say "there's nothing on (TWGMTR) to rival Baby Blue" as if that's definitively true and expect that to go unchallenged. I seriously mean no offense by this, but honest to god that is one of the most ludicrous things I've heard in a while. Maybe you're joking, it's hard to tell with these posts sometime!!

FTTBA is an absolute stone cold Beach Boys masterpiece. I love pretty much everything they've done, but you'd have a hard time saying that about any BB song since at least Love You, if not earlier. My opinion of course.

All in good fun man, but wow, honest to go I cannot even process your view on this, if you're serious.

Errr...I personally agree that "From There To Back Again" is a better tune than "Baby Blue" (in my opinion). But "Baby Blue" is a great song, full of emotion. One of the best, if not the best, of Dennis Wilson's songs. So I gotta ask why you think it's so crazy that somebody would rank "Baby Blue" as a great song. Have you even heard it? Carl sounds majestic on that song, and Dennis uses his ruined voice to the best effect he's ever had.

The last 3 songs on TWGMTR are probably the best 3 consecutive songs on a Beach Boys album since Surf's Up.

It may not be the best album since Holland, but definitively since Love You (and I'm a big fan of MIU, to boot).

Ok, first of all I can say ''there's nothing on TWGMTR to rival Baby Blue'' because a) I'm entitled to an opinion, and b) I just did say it.

Secondly, what on earth do you mean by saying: ''And Baby Blue of all songs???'' What do you mean 'of all songs'? What, you don't rate Baby Blue? I think you'll find you're in the minority opinion there, my friend. Baby Blue is an exceptional song, by far the best track on L.A., and one of Dennis' all-time greatest ballads, which is saying something. It's 'an absolute stone cold Beach Boys masterpiece' to use your own words. So I'm curious as to why you think it's so ludicrous to say it's superior to anything on TWGMTR - because it is.  

Make It Good/All This Is That/Cuddle Up.

I realise I'm probably setting myself up for a roasting here, but I think relief plays a large part in a lot of people over-praising TWGMTR.

Here's what I mean...

When I first heard the song That's Why God Made The Radio on the radio I remember being really relieved that it was credible, that - after two decades of utter dross - it wasn't appalling. Phew! It was only after several listens that I realised I didn't actually particularly like the song. It was, you know, ok. Not great, but not awful. Not a patch on their prime; rather bland production; a pretty slight song all things told. But as I say, I was just so relieved that it wasn't another Problem Child or Summer Of Love I found myself pretty pleased with it.

Upon buying the album, again I was relived: the opening track was fabulous - almost Friends-like. Wow, who expected that! Isn't It Time was also good, and the closing suite was very strong.

However, the production throughout remained bland. Likewise, the use of auto-tune was very depressing - this is the Beach Boys for God's sake, not JLS! And the poor tracks really were very, very poor indeed.

But I was so relieved that it wasn't all very, very poor - that a fair chunk of it was actually very, very good - that I was thoroughly wowed.

Since that initial relief however I've re-listened to the album on numerous occasions and the above mentioned flaws have really started to make themselves apparent. It seems a lot of people are willing to overlook TWGMTR's flaws in a way they aren't when it comes to earlier albums.

But TWGMTR is a very flawed album, and although I remain very pleased that it wasn't a complete dud such as SIP, it's not of equal quality to their glory years.

So there.

 

I'm not a big fan of Cuddle Up. Brian's vocals and the arrangements on PCH and Summer's Gone really sway my vote.

As for your last post: I wasn't expecting their voices to sound that good, or the arrangements to be so beautiful. So I was overly happy when I heard it. That doesn't make the album any less desirable 1 year later.

It has "flaws", I guess, but most people perceive flaws based on their own personal taste...what you call a flaw is something someone else probably enjoys. I loathe Beaches in Mind, but others enjoy it - this doesn't mean they're over-praising the album, it just means they enjoy what others don't.

L.A. is really an underrated album I think. Good Timin', Angel Come Home and Baby Blue are all classics and the rest ranges from good to very good in my estimation. It's also very coherent, much like Holland in fact. Too bad there's so little Brian here but GT makes up for it. Dennis and Carl were both incredible singers by that point. Love the Brian pictures inside the sleeve. Album should've been a hit!

hahaha - just checked back in - haven't gone through all the comments, but look, Baby Blue is a great song (of course I've heard it SweetDudeJim!). I didn't say it wasn't, but the Beach Boys have alot of great songs from all phases of their career, and to me, Baby Blue is not particularly exceptional. I'm seriously glad that it hits others on a deeper/more fulfilling/enjoyable level, but I don't think I'm alone here when I say that although very good, it's not a stone cold classic (to reuse my favorite phrase). WHEREAS BY COMPARISON, I can't believe that any less than the vast majority of Beach Boys fans would consider FHTBA a SCC ("stone cold classic").

And of course people can have opinions -- but if we Beach Boys fans can't razz each other, then I think we're taking it all a little too seriously. And I'm sure that's not what the Beach Boys would want us to do.  ;D

Oh man Disney Boy.... you're making this so difficult. All This is That is absolutely phenomenal. Unfortunately it's sandwiched by dreadful shoot-me-in-the-face muck.  ;D hahaha - but seriously if someone introduced me to the Beach Boys with Make It Good and Cuddle Up, I would disown them if they were my child, defriend them if a friend, quit my job if they were my boss, fire them if they were my employee, lose my faith if they were my priest, and get divorced if my wife. Anyone with me here? Anyone??

Well, since you asked...

I like "Cuddle Up" quite a bit. But, I'll agree with you on "Make It Good." I'm as big a Dennis fan as anyone, but for me, "Make It Good" embodies all the worst, most overwrought and ponderous tendencies x 10 that Dennis could ever be accused of. He was rarely off-mark in the channeling of his emotions and instincts, yet, he was with this one.

But...that's just me.

I like about 70% of the album. There are a few lightweight songs, but overall it was surprisingly satisfying to my ears. I don't get too worked up about production values or studio tools. If the songs are solid, they will outshine whatever recording equipment or techniques were used.  The main criticism I have is that they didn't pull something of Carl and Dennis's to put on the album. There is plenty laying around that could have been utilized.

Forgot to add this to my first post here: 1 year later I love the song 'Strange World'. I remember disliking it when I first heard it, but it has really grown on me.

I think "Radio's" still quite solid after a year. Production-wise, I believe it will also hold up a lot longer than something like "Imagination," -- that one with its glassy, triple-tracked wall-of-Brian vocals. I was as swept away as anyone at the time for the mania of that release -- "the first all-new, Brian Wilson record to be released in over a decade" -- and find it virtually unlistenable today. Now, THAT one is MOR and bland in the worst kind of way. Conversely, I honestly don't think I'll feel that way about TWGMTR in 15 years because the strengths of the record (e.g. the "suite" at the end, the vocal production) are very strong, and they dwarf whatever MOR leanings Joe Thomas tends to have. As far as the autotune goes, it's simply this generation's studio tool-du jour. Not organic...but just the way it is. Perhaps, it's a bit overused and obvious in places, but short of spending 3 months in the studio to get everything as good as possible, I think it's a satisfactory solution to hear Brian in the best light vs. what might've been (and yes, I'm aware that Al's voice is doused in it as well on FTTBA).


As far as the songs themselves, looking at my initial track rankings, I still think it's pretty much the same order today. Though, I honestly don't hate the "fun-in-the-sun, name-checking, cliche-ridden" songs as much as I did at first. As a friend of mine stated...they're dopey...but they're infectiously fun, catchy and dopey. Not flat-out annoying and irritating. And while I would obviously prefer more of the "serious stuff," again, I don't flat-out hate them these days.


On the other hand, I think the record still had it faults. It really didn't feel like a group Beach Boys album in the traditional sense, where *everyone* usually brought their (hopefully) best stuff to the table and had more input. It felt rushed. But I guess that was then, this is now. Carl and Dennis are both dead. The rest of the guys are 70-years-old. Musical politics. Etc, etc. Vocally-speaking, I find it an absolute crime that that group's strongest vocalist, Al, the one whose sound could still bring back memories of days gone by, was almost an afterthought. I still shudder when I recall reading things like that he was initially only supposed to sing a tiny bit of FTTBA. Always the second-class citizen I guess and that "politics" thing again. I know it was necessary to showcase Brian, but did he really need to sing lead on the majority of the album's tracks? At the very least, if they truly wanted a hit "radio" single, it might've been a better idea to let Al take the initial lead on "Isn't It Time"...and go from there (I actually could hear *Brian* singing the "all of the things we used/want to do" bit instead).


All-in-all...still a solid "B" for me. I still listen to it regularly. And those last 3 songs (really more like the last 4 songs for me)...whoa....more than I ever expected or could've asked for. FTTBA is a flat-out Beach Boys classic, IMHO. :)

Kind of a cheesy album imo. Everything sounds so self conscious, even the suite. Songs like "Beaches in Mind" sound like they could have come off a mediocre latter day Crosby Stills and Nash album, rather than a Beach Boys record.

Some of the bad songs though, benefited mankind as they were used in hilariously stilted promotional videos.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fl5iF9YuZg


When, Isn't It Time comes on, though, I always get up to dance.  :B I love that song.

Not sure consistent is exactly the word I would use to describe that album.  ;)

Yeah, man, you tell 'em. All those albums of originals from the Beach Boys between 1992 and and 2012 were total dross. I mean I can't believe they put out... um... uh... uhhhh... d'ehhhh... hm... erm... uhhhhhh... um... ummmmm... d'yeehhhh.... n'yehhhhhh... rehhhhh... b'dehmmmmm... b'ffff, I don't... ehm... boof... uhm... if you... did you... I mean, uh... d'yehhh... d'yeeehhhhh squidward... d'yeeehhhhh squidward... d'yeeehhhhh squidward... d'yeeehhhhh squidward... d'yeeehhhhh squidward... d'yeeehhhhh squidward... d'yeeehhhhh squidward... d'yeeehhhhh squidward... d'yeeehhhhh squidward... d'yeeehhhhh squidward... d'yeeehhhhh squidward... d'yeeehhhhh squidward... d'yeeehhhhh squidward... uhhhh... uhhhhhhhhhhhh... hm... hmmmm... HMMMM... NNNGGGGHHHHHHH>.... HHHHHHHHHHNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH......... A>JJJJJJJJJJJFJJJJJJJJJJJJ.................. APPPPPRPRPAPAPRPAPRPAR.................. FIDDLEFADDLEWIDDLEWADDLE......... PIF... PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF PIF PIF PIF PIF PIF PIF PIF PIF PIF PIFPIF PIF CITY PIF CITY PIF CITY PIF CITY RAE DAWN CHUNG RAE DAWN CHUNG RAE DAWN CHUNG RAE DAWN CHUNG RAE DAWN CHUNG RAE DAWN CHUNG RAE DAWN CHUNG RAAAEE DAWWWN CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNG KISS THE MIDGET. KISS HIM. KISS HIM. KISS THE MIDGET. KISS. THE. MIDGET. KIIIISS THE MIDGETETETEGETEGETG KISS THE FUCKING MIDGET DOO DOO DOOO DOO DODO WHERE THE DEEEEERAND THE ANTELOOPE PLAAAAAAAYYYYY KISS. THE MIDGET. KISS. THE MIDGET. KISS. THE MIDGET. KISS. THE MIDGET. KISS. THE MIDGET. KISS. THE MIDGET. KISS. THE MIDGET.

yeah man. genitals and stuff. that's hilarious.

I'm with you guys. Make it Good is the only song from the Carl led era I just can't listen to.

That's one of the fascinating things about the Beach Boys: you can get two people, both of who are huge fans of the group, and yet who can both have completely different tastes in music.

For the record, it seems to me that you've just flat-out misunderstood Make It Good and Cuddle Up, the latter of which in particular is just arse-clenchingly fabulous.

To put it another way, if its a choice between Dennis Wilson in his song-writing prime, writing songs with enormous emotional intensity, or some Joe Thomas productions, well I know where I stand.

Which brings me on to the very worst thing about TWGMTR, something even worse than the auto-tune, and that's the instrumentation. I mean, Christ, it is bland. Back in the day, a Brian Wilson production could have the cheesiest lyrics imaginable, but something you could always rely on was that the instrumental track would be great. He knew what sounded nice, what sounded fresh, what sounded tasteful.

However, on TWGMTR the instrumentation is frequently ghastly. MOR guitar. Michael MacDonald-style keyboards. There are exceptions - the life suite for example - but more often than not it sounds like the Beach Boys are singing over the top of some Katie Melua backing tracks.

So how any Beach Boys fan can prefer this to Holland or Love You (or even CATP) is, to me, completely unfathomable...

A near-great record! 4 and a half out of 5 stars. Improved by the vinyl sequencing.

I've interwoven the tracks of TWGMTR with those of Gershwin and Disney, with Al's Don't Fight the Sea thrown in for good measure, and come up with a seamless compilation.

If these are warm-up to a renewed creative commitment, I'd say something special is coming our way!

http://www.examiner.com/article/brian-wilson-s-11th-solo-album-on-its-way

YES!!!

That's a solid point.  Honestly -- I think after BW'88, I just tossed aside any notion of a BW/BB record ever being "interesting" in the instrumentation dep't.  Especially a Beach Boy record.  Interesting arrangements - sure.  Interesting vocals/harmonies -- expected.  But instrumentation -- no.  I'm not saying he hasn't done interesting things instumentationally -- but I'm not expecting it.

After BW'88 (and you could argue BB'85 -- to the extent he was involved) I assumed Brian was solely focused on finding, exploring and expressing his sensitive, personal feelings -- first and foremost -- in the most satisfying way.  His feels.  And tidying up his songwriting skills and using his formula of harmonies and little feels -- that's his zone.  The musical aesthetic with regards to the sonic "textures" (AKA "the production") was, at best, just a neat, "nice-to-have."

I mean, it was enough for him to just be there, in the studio.  That's why we have Joe Thomas, etc.  Brian probably agreed he wanted to express his ideas "normally" -- as best as possible, and in the fashion of the times.  And just let the musical ideas do the talking, rather than the studio trickery and combining four basses and ten guitars through a leslie speaker.  If that makes sense.

In other words -- Brian bailed on being the Producer that he was, a looong time ago.  After SMiLE, pretty much.  Maybe Wild Honey.  That's my opinion.  Love You and 15 Big'ins are his moderate "return" to producing.  And I think he phoned that in just enough to get a sound .... which is why I love it!  Brian was really just being his anti-producing self, a la Wild Honey Smiley Smile.  But it was so freakishly simple that it scored points in the instrumentation/production dep't, because in 1977 everybody was doing big, glossy disco.

But I don't think he cares about producing or getting interesting with instrumentation anymore.  Obviously.

:lol

Anybody have any idea how much TWGMTR has sold so far?  I know it started strong and dropped fast, did it get to 500,000 units at least?

Anyone remember when vintagemusic claimed it would sell 3-5 million copies?  :lol

I was listening to the 2002 California Feelin' version, it is interesting how that's 10 years away from TWGMTR but how it does similar, in every way possible, the voice (with less effects tho), the sound, the band .. i was thinking how it could really fit in that album, reworking on a personal version of that album, i would definitely put this instead of Beaches In Mind and leave it there, seems to sounds nice right after Daybreak Over The Ocean

Most anything by anybody would sound spectacular after hearing Daybreak Over The Ocean unless, of course, you're prone to liking trash like kohkohmoe.

You have to admit though, that the refrain/chorus is catchy as hell. Adding the Boys on top of the original vocals sounds terrific. Actually, it would have been better had they dropped a verse and added another chorus. Christian's vocal really adds the Carl vocal missing in many of the other songs on the Album.

Hahahaha, well i'm not part of the Kokomo fans that's for sure.. but i don't mind that little Daybreak track, they did a nice job on a song that has some nice verses and chorus, nothing near groundbreaking or revolutionary of course.

Is spelling words or names that you dislike supposed to be funny and/or insulting and/or clever? Because its obviously none of those. It's just stupid. Incredibly stupid. You must be what, 13 years old? Maybe a really immature 14 year old? Grow up. My God.

You're absolutely right, it's none of those and if it annoys you, all the better!! But for Christ's sake, get a little more creative with your name calling, will you Timmy? :p

Why on Earth do you bother, oldsurferdude?  What do you get out of posting random insulting drivel at every opportunity?  I'm asking out of genuine curiosity here.  What itch is this scratching for you?

Regards,
Jon Blum

To be fair to OSD a lot of his recent posts have been relevant to the topic in hand and have not mentioned his hatred of Mike/Bruce which has been a refreshing change. On the flipside you also get posts with the tiresome mis-spelling.

There is no joy in your soul. TWGMTR is what it is. If you can't listen to without obsessing about 'autotune' - about which I suspect you know very little - then I am sorry for you.

There is no empathy in your brain. Other people are what they are. If you can't read other peoples posts  without obsessing about 'viewpoints other than your own' - about which I suspect you know very little - then I am sorry for you.

Thank you Stephen.

:)

On what grounds can one expect that another knows 'very little' about auto-tune?...there is not a lot to know really.

So it's been a while since I actually listened to the released version of this album.  I had decided early on that I didn't care for 4 of the tracks (Bill and Sue, Shelter, Beaches In Mind and Strange World).
So I made up my own version adding tracks from Postcard (DFTS, Drivin', WoL, Alway Will... sometimes taking out WoL for San Simeon).  I decided I liked it better that way.

But with the 1-year anniversary of the CD, I decided to go back to it for a fresh listen.

Only this time I used the vinyl sequencing.

And I have to say, that makes a huge difference for me.  I'm really able to enjoy the whole thing all the way through.

Yes, I hear the bland instrumentation and the overly processed vocals and the other JT touches and I don't like that, but every one of these songs has something to offer.

And with the new sequencing, I find myself starting to appreciate the bvs and arrangement of Bill and Sue. And the chorus of Shelter (I wish it was Carl and not Jeff we were hearing, that song just yearns for Carl).
Beaches in Mind is somehow less annoying placed after SV.

Bottom line, I've always looked past its flaws and enjoyed it, but I like it more now than I did a year ago.

 New Sequence =
TATD
Radio
IIT
SV
BIM
Daybreak
Shelter
B&S
SW
FTTBA
PCH
SG

This record definitely has a soft spot in my heart being the only Beach Boys record of new material that I was able to purchase on release day. I can only imagine how cool it was for folks who've been following them for decades. I mean, it's pretty crazy considering their history that they were able to get back together and release it.
I revisited it last night, and my opinion of the record is pretty similar to what I felt a year ago, possibly mildly more negative now that the "new" factor has waned.

It's just a forgettable album. Neither good, nor bad as a whole, with some good, and some bad parts. Having never heard Summer In Paradise, I don't really know if I can call it the worst produced of their records, but it's gotta be close. I mean, the lead guitar in "Spring Vacation"?!?! Really Jeff Baxter? But the production, for me, can't hide that most of the songs are just bland. Sure, I know some folks love the suite at the end, and I think it's fine, but I think you'd be hard pressed to include any of them up to par with Beach Boys prime moments. And maybe that's where I'm looking at it all wrong, maybe it shouldn't be compared to the Beach Boys of old. With the lack of Dennis and Carl, how can it even be comparable?

In ten years, the production alone of this record will be seriously dated. To me, this was the first time the band, as a whole, sounded as though they were just going through the motions. Sure, you had some bad songs on some decent albums at times, "Sumahama anyone?", but it still sounded as though they were attempting to push forward. This record doesn't have that factor to me. And it doesn't need to, their back catalog speaks for itself. And how many people do you know at their age that have put out anything half decent? Even Sir Paul has been fairly meh since Chaos And Creation In The Backyard.

Don't mean to step on y'all's toes either, I know how defensive y'all get.

That vinyl sequencing... I don't know where the side split is, but if it was after Daybreak that would make it the most single-side-played disc in my collection after John Lennon Live Peace In Toronto (where side two is two extended Yoko tracks). Almost everything up to Daybreak is dreck (Isn't It Time is great, the rest isn't), while everything after is good-to-great.

It is indeed.
Shelter kicks off Side Two.

last night I pulled out the cd and just listened to TATD, IIT, Shelter, Strange World, FTTBA, PCH and Summer's Gone. That group of songs, taken together, holds up extremely well and still amazes me that it came from the 2012 Beach Boys.

TATD is just great... as strong an opener as the suite is a closer.

(Aww man, you should revisit side two.  I've only just got back from watching Yoko tearing up "Don't Worry Kyoko" at the Royal Festival Hall, and it was thrilling as hell.)

Just as an experiment I took what are, IMO, the two weakest tracks - "Beaches in Mind" and "Private Life of Bill and Sue" - and replaced them with "Soul Searching'" and "You're Such A Mystery", keeping the vinyl sequence, and inserted "My Love Lives On" just before "From There To Back Again".

It really feels complete to me and gives some very nice closure to the Beach Boys saga, in my mind.

Realistically I only listen to a few tracks on this album now:

The 'suite'
Isn't it time - even though the single version is far superior. I really wish a video would have been made.
Spring vacation - even when Mike channels his inner "wheeeeeeeeeeeeen" via "AAHHHMMMM cruisin the town, diggin the scene"

All the others, IMO are pretty forgettable.

I still find the suite section quite moving...wistful...smoky..dreamy.  we're all (many of us any way) getting older now. These songs must touch many of you, as they do me, to the core.  sometimes so evocotative of loss and the passage of time that I am not able to go on listening, sometimes I shed a tear and keep on listening.

On the other hand, just this past June, at a Mike and Bruce show, the wife and I were  joyfully dancing in the isle  to Isn't It Time.

these guys, as a whole, in all of their incarnations and configurations, still push my buttons.

to me, twgmtr, still stands strong among beach boys records.

I still have this in my car CD player and on my iPod, and it still gets played fairly often. I skip a couple of tracks: Usually Daybreak and sometimes Shelter. But, just today, Think About the Days popped up when I had the iPod on shuffle, and I was struck by how much I still love those harmonies.

Yeah, regardless of people's feelings about Yoko, her music definitely deserves a listen.  Her approach may have been unusual to say the least but when it all comes down to it, she was just pure rock and roll.  Now she's a little more electronic and dance oriented, not a big fan of that sort of stuff but her early Plastic Ono Band recordings are an absolute thrill.

Some time ago I made a custom made TWGMTR which renewed my listening joy quite a bit.

Tracklist:

A
1. Isn't It Time (sped up 1/6)
2. Beaches In Mind (also sped up 1/6, still waiting for a rocking guitar overdub)
3. Spring Vacation
4. Waves Of Love (saxophone version)
5. Strange World
6. That's Why God Made the Radio

B
1. Daybreak Over The Ocean
2. Shelter (needs a minor guitar overdub)
3. From There To Back Again (waiting a soft rhythm guitar overdub)
4. Think About The Days
5. Pacific Coast Highway
6. Summer's Gone

Yes, I ripped the suite apart. This is the way I like it.

It's the only Beach Boys album I play for guests. I don't understand the problem with the sequencing. The guests don't either.

Do you ever consider inclusion of Don't Fight the Sea?

No Do It Again?

My track list:

(http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j312/abbalite/148ce42f84231719b081ab32604af023_zps330d3dd7.jpg)

What is the J Jam mix?

He is a member here. He basically just combined the album version and the single version into one track. It may be overlong for some people, but I liked both versions so this is a nice compromise.

In fact that was what I first tried to replace the dreaded TPLOBAS with, but to me it didn't gel sonically. For a while I had the Paley sessions Desert Drive in, but when I stumbled across Waves Of Love, that was it. Oh, I tampered with that too, I deleted four of the eight dit-dit rounds at the end. (If I could, I'd erase the saxophone and replace it with a Dave lead guitar part...) The older version of Waves Of Love didn't fit sonically either.



It's not really a problem, this is just how I would have done it.



No, I'd have used it as the B-side of the single. Had they done that, I would actually have bought it! :)

I didn't mean you personally, it was a general observation. I guess i just like things the way they are. :=)

Everything's ok, I wasn't irritated. :)

If I want a mix, I drop a load of tracks and replace them with a few from TLOS and Postcard from California. Mostly I listen to it as is and I'm thankful they pulled off something this decent a this stage of their career, after so many years 'apart' and bearing in mind the quality of most of the group work from the Love You onwards. Unlike most people here, I could care less about Isn't It Time and the title track; my favourite tracks are the last four and the first one and I think FTTBA is the best group track since Holland.

Very cool....and funny you should mention this. I actually did something a bit similar a few years before TWGMTR was even a dream. That is, made my own fantasy final BBs album as a way of creating closure. Using one of the two Paley/Was BB tracks, some Postcard cuts, my favorite of Brian's recent solo offerings, and with a couple of vintage "unreleased" Dennis tracks thrown in. I was amazed at how easy it was to do, and how fairly well it all fit together. Partly because a few those tracks had additional BBs involvement -- either singular or otherwise. DFTS, It's Not Too Late, etc.


I *think* this is what I came up with. As much as I liked "Mystery," Brian's original lead seemed out of place to me with his newer vocal performances. With this new release, that's probably not the case anymore. I might have to re-visit that.



1) Partial Dennis instrumental track as a short intro (which I can't even remember now...maybe a bit of Mexico?)

2) Nothin' But Love
3 Soul Searchin' ((BBs version...not GIOMH version)...which transitioned nicely into...
4) Live Let Live (TLOS version)
5) Don't Fight The Sea (the whole gang)
6) Plenty O' Nuttin'
7) Cool Head, Warm Heart (w/ CL sounding very Carl-like in places)


8 ) What Love Can Do
9) It's Not Too Late (w/ Carl of course)
10) Waves Of Love (version w/ Carl)....or maybe it was Drivin'...or Al's California Feeling...or his Lookin' Down The Coast?
11) The Like In I Love You
12) Holy Man (w/ TH doing his best DW)
13) Southern California


I think I even toyed with the idea of putting Message Man...or Hand On My Shoulder some place in there (i.e. for some Blondie content). LOL on the latter.


And poor Bruce...couldn't figure out what to do with him at the time. :)

"Bill + Sue" and "Pacific Coast Highway" have become solid favorites of mine by this point. Also I now really love the title track despite the cheesy middle-eight. Once I heard the backing track I was won over. Not into custom playlists, I usually trust the artists when it comes to song selection and sequence, but I still can't stand "Beaches in Mind" so I usually skip that one.

FTTBA has depth, but the arrangement with the dull piano clanging 4/4 straight just bores me, so I get no kick out of that. "Beaches In Mind" could have been way better if it had been faster and some rocking rhythm guitar in it.

I also decided for myself a selection and running order for the Paley tracks lately, as well as a mix of Still Cruisin' and SIP which makes quite a good album by just leaving off the most embarrassing tracks. So my fantasy world has three full BB albums after BB85: "Still Summer" ;D consisting of the better tracks from Still Cruisin' and SIP, the Paley sessions as "Soul Searchin'" (another good title would have been "Slightly American Music"), and TWGMTR.

I put it on par with MIU, LALA and Imaginations. Below average with a couple of mind blowing songs thrown in. Nothing too Cheesy.

Best BB album since Love You. Definitely will not be forgotten through the years as one member said. The suite at the end has some of Brian's finest work of his career. The rest is good to great. Still can't believe the album exists and sounds as good as it does for 2012.

My custom TWGMTR playlist:

Do It Again (2012 Studio Remake)
That's Why God Made the Radio
Spring Vacation
Beaches In Mind
Private Life of Bill and Sue
Don't Fight the Sea
Waves of Love
You're Still a Mystery
Isn't It Time (Album/Single Mashup by some guy here)
Shelter
Think About the Days
Daybreak Over the Ocean
Strange World
From There to Back Again
Pacific Coast Highway
Summer's Gone

Aaaah, Waves Of Love... ;D Do you use the saxophone version or the Rhonda intro version?

You're Still A Mystery but no Soul Searchin'?

Just added as a playlist ender a track I created using various Smile Sessions Vocals and Brian's vocal wall from the Anton Fig album.  Titled it "Requiem in Sunny Jim Cave."  Works nicely.

01.  That Lucky Old Sun/Morning Beat
02.  Live Let Live/That Lucky Old Sun Reprise
03.  Midnight's Another Day
04.  That Lucky Old Sun Reprise
05.  Tide Pool Interlude
06.  Looking Down The Coast
07.  California Dreamin'
08.  California Feelin'
09.  Don't Fight The Sea
10.  Daybreak Over The Ocean
11.  Only With You ('Bambu' version)
12.  You And I - David Marks
13.  I Love You - Dennis
14.  Run, Don't Walk
15.  Strange World
16.  Think About The Days
17.  From There To Back Again
18.  Pacific Coast Highway
19.  Summer's Gone

(http://i44.tinypic.com/2qxq0xj.jpg)

Still not sure about this yet... Maybe Strange World should come right after Morning Beat and I'm wondering about the inclusion of tracks 9-14 at all.

01.  That Lucky Old Sun/Morning Beat
02.  Strange World
03.  Live Let Live/That Lucky Old Sun Reprise
04.  Midnight's Another Day
05.  That Lucky Old Sun Reprise
06.  Tide Pool Interlude
07.  Looking Down The Coast
08.  California Dreamin'
09.  California Feelin'
10.  Don't Fight The Sea
11.  Think About The Days
12.  From There To Back Again
13.  Pacific Coast Highway
14.  Summer's Gone

Still not sure about the inclusion of Don't Fight the Sea or whether or not I should move Think About the Days to the end. I'll have to change that cover, though!

At work now, just finished listening again to this album...man, the last 3 songs are beautiful. Thanks Brian for the closing suite, specially for 'Summer's gone', that's got to be his most personal statement since 'Till I die'.

Only wish Al would have had more leads in this album...

sorry to rebump this thread but id' like to share my version of what may well be the final Beach Boys album! Enjoy!

1. Think about the days
2. That's why God made the radio
3. Isn't it time?
4. Daybreak over the ocean
5. You're still a mystery (MIC version)
6. Feel the pull (Dennis Wilson POB bonus)

7. Soul Searchin' (MIC version)
8. Shelter
9. Waves of love
10. Strange world
11. From there to back again
12. Pacific coast highway
13. Summer's gone

I thought you were gonna put in some of the best from the new BW album for this exercise. The best of both would make for a fantastic album. Hmmmmm...

I am generally much more of a "Brian guy" than "Mike guy".  However, I think it was a CRIME that Mike's voice is not all over TWGMTR, the song.  Way too much Jeff Foskett on the song (and the album).