The Smiley Smile Message Board

I've been doing a lot of listening to Adult/Child recently. I'm wondering what everybody here thinks of it. Let's pretend that this is a "real" album, in the context of 15BO/Love You/MIU/LA Light. Where would this album have gone, had it been released? I actually think that this would have been one of the better albums that the group put out. Everybody Wants To Live is, in my opinion, a minor "masterpiece". The same goes with It's Over Now and Still I Dream Of It. I also think that Deep Purple is one of Brian's greatest 1970's vocals.

I actually really love "It's Trying to Say." nice background vocals.

It's not perfect but I like it much more then Love You. The vocals are a bit better, the production is a lot more ambitious, and the tracks selected from the archived among my favorites. It's not up to pre 1976 standards, but it would have made for an interesting release.

I agree with you, MBE, on the production. Just listen to the backing track on Life Is For The Living. It kicks butt! Ok, maybe you have to be into brass to like it.  ;D Who was in charge of the production? Was it Brian? I doubt that Carl would have "sweetened' it like he did with Love You. This was the start of his "decent into the abyss", as AGD so poetically once put it.  ;D

Adult/Child is like the bastard offspring of Pet Sounds and Love You, an alternately introspective and goofy Frankenstein's monster of an LP. Deeply flawed, but it was 1977. We were lucky the man did anything then. Better than almost anything that came after, though.

Standouts are all the new cuts.

I love the music on this album.. flawed but still stirring + emotional..I dont think it would have been a huge Lp in sales but it would have done better than..Love You..I read somewhere a long time ago the lp was rejected for release...HMM..?? I find the music BB recorded that stretches  the boundaries of their classic sound very interesting..Its too bad much of it isnt accepted by the average fan..

Abyss for who Carl? Yes 1977 also saw Dennis began his real decline.  Brian by the end of the year was going downhill too.

Dick Reynolds arranged and Brian produced the 4 big band tracks. I don't know what Carl did behind the board.

If I were to make a 1977 LP in leiu of Adult Child or Love You it would have
I'll Bet He's Nice
Night Was So Young
My Diane
Come Go With Me
Sherry
Ruby Baby
You've Lost That Loving Feeling
Sea Cruise
It's Over Now
Still I Dream Of It
Everybody Wants To Live
Lazy Lizzie (forgot about this) so new inclusion.
Of course if Dennis wanted to lend a few songs that would have been great.
Games, H.E.L.P. and Good Time are all great but should have been saved for something like Ten Years Of Harmony.

Life Is For The Living, Hey Little Tomboy, It's Over Now, Everybody Wants To Live, Lines, It's Trying To Say, Still I Dream Of It. Seven tracks, I don't love all of them, but they are not the problem.

Deep Purple is horrible. H.E.L.P. and Games Two Can Play are cute as unreleased tracks in a box set, but head scratching when thrown here as if no one's gonna notice they were recorded almost a decade before the rest of the album. Shortenin' Bread: Yawn. On Broadway: I kinda like Al's vocals, but this track doesn't bring anything new to the table. It sounds like a cheap New Jersey band hacking it in a wedding.

Whoever sequenced this album just didn't care. Where's "My Diane", which is beter than 70% of those tracks?

I agree with some of these posts, the new material is fine but the older stuff doesn't fit, something with these tracks would have been better;

Life is for the living
Still I dream of it
It's over now
Lines
Everyone wants to live
Its trying to say
Hey Little Tomboy

Add on;
Marilyn Rovell
Lazy Lizzie
My Diane
That Special feeling (if it was finished)
Sherry she needs me

Overall this may have been more cohesive and solidly enjoyable! (apart from Sherry)

I think that Adult/Child is a great album and would've been a minor treasure in the BB catalog. Shame it wasn't released, as it's much more accessible than Love You (which is, nevertheles, one of my favorite BB albums). I'd agree that "My Diane," "Sherry She Needs Me," "You've Lost That Loving Feeling," "Sea Cruise" and "Lazy Lizzie" deserve release, in addition to AC.

Oddly, it beat Joe Jackson by half a decade, in a pop artist doing Big Band material, even though Brian only had 4 cuts like that. Not sure what they would have sounded like without Dick Reynolds's arrangements, though.

I run across the occassional big band/swing revival record from the '70s and '80s, but most of them are more like tributes to the Glenn Miller era, and more than a tad dorky. I have come across very little that pointed to the full-on swing revival of the mid-'90s, and bands like Cherry Poppin' Daddies or Squirrel Nut Zippers, both of whom I love. That psychotronic notion, tongue-in-cheek and lacivious to boot... it's always missing from the '70s and '80s swing material. But Brian's four songs, especially "Life"... they work in being contemporary and old-sounding, and not lame at all. Just my opinion.

I do have a lot of these tracks on LP, as a bootleg called 1976 New Album...the track listing is as follows:

Side A:
My Diane
Marilyn Rovell
Hey Little Tomboy
Ruby Baby
You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling
Sherry She Needs Me
Come Go With Me

Side B:
Mony Mony
On Broadway
Sea Cruise
H.E.L.P. Is On The Way
Games Two Can Play
When Girls Get Together
Honkin Down The Highway

...decent album, a little scattered of course. I guess I can see how their record company didn't think this stuff was commercial...I still like it though  ;D

What was 'Winter Symphony' originally intended for? I love this song, and think it should have been included on something.

The 1978 Chirstmas album.

What I probably love most about BW's 1977 music is its unadulterated directness. Love You might be "flawed" in the sense that it's obviously not a pop masterpiece in the most conventional sense (think Pet Sounds), and I can see why critics do obviously not feel safe enough around it in order to call it a classic. Yet as an emotional listening experience, the album is hard to beat, to my ears anyway. You might not even want to play this music to some of your friends, but to me it is music you can actually relate to, which is always so hard to find, isn't it? If The Beach Boys released Adult/Child in '77 or '78, it might have tanked just like the M.I.U. Album. Who knows? It would have been quite an intriguing addition to their catalogue anyway and it really is a shame that a song as beautiful and touching as Still I Dream Of It did not see official release for so many years. It probably should have been a one-off BW solo single.

Adult Child is a real lost classic, the true follow up to Love You.  It would have been a great record (which would have bombed commercially, i'm sure).  I have a vinyl boot and it seems the record was completed and ready to go (sequenced w/ the correct fades, etc).  

Adult/Child was assembled June 27, 1977.

I really like most of the material on A/C, and it is among the top half of BBs albums for me. There's no question the older recordings in the middle of new ones throws things off, but considering they'd just done that pretty blatantly on the previous few albums, I guess that's not a problem. I love Lines and Baseball, specifically. Very much.

Oh, but I think On Broadway is atrocious. Really bad. Fucking awful, in fact.

I also love the big band swing vibe - I think there should have been more tracks in that vein rather than just Deep Purple, Life is for the Living, It's Over Now, and Still I Dream of It.  The old tracks and cover don't fit unfortunately.  Definitely had potential to be a great though uncommercial album.

I'm mostly unfamiliar with the 'Adult Child' track listing, apart from the released tracks and the ones on 30 Years of good Vibrations.

'Games Two Can Play' is a very nice track.

But nothing earth shattering.

I agree that the older tracks don't quite fit. Somebody here mentioned Marilyn Rovell as a possible inclusion. I think it would have been a GREAT fit.  :) It would probably have fit well backed with Lines. Two charming little songs, with rather odd "childlike" lyrics. You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling would have worked well in my opinion. It could have been stuck into the "big band" section. I get the feeling that this would have been a "cult classic", had it been released. Kind of like how Love You is today.

I remember thinking that the old/new track mix could work depending on how you sequenced the album -- perhaps starting off with some of the younger-sounding and younger-oriented material, "Hey Little Tomboy" and the oldies, "Games Two Can Play", "Lines", maybe "Marilyn Rovell" for a childlike view of marriage, working your way into more grown-up concerns like "HELP"... then hitting you with more adult-oriented tracks like "It's Over Now".  In fact, a progression from the early stuff to a sort of divorce mini-set -- "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling", "My Diane", "It's Over Now", and the rest of the big-band material to wrap up with "Still I Dream Of It" -- could make a pretty damn powerful record...

I admit I think 15 Big Ones is better for Susie and Love You Better for Good Time. Not because they "fit" but because I like 1969-70 Beach Boys far more then 1976-77 Beach Boys.

For some reason I love, and can't get enough of, this era of the Beach Boys.  Quite possibly my favorite.  Maybe there's something very "direct" about it, as someone mentioned, I don't know.  Brian was so involved, strangely enthusiastic, but at the same time a train wreck and sporadic.

So from an artistic stand point, there's a lot--just as much, maybe even more--soul-bearing here as I find in the Today/Pet Sounds/Smile era.  Perhaps that's it.  Added to it though is that miraculous window into one's creative world, without any pretension or "need-to-be-liked" or apparent "success-drive" that you would find in someone trying to score hits.  There was a lot of pressure for Brian to maintain formulas, expectations and chart-appearance in the 60s.  But not here.  They were happy to get the ole' bear into the studio.  Even more happy when he had some "feels."

Clearly Brian was needed, so I'm talking just about Brian here.  Though even for the rest of the guys, this era has some of the more interesting Brian-less efforts.   It was a brief period -- after they stopped trying to redefine themselves as "not the Beach Boys" in the late 60s-early 70s, but before they succumbed fully to the Disneyland train wreck of the late 80s-90s.  They're oddly comfortable saying "Listen, we're the Beach Boys...we're men now, not boys...we drink, we smoke, Brian's half-retarded himself--can't hide that anymore...but you know what?....people love us.  Brian's out of bed now so, let's record a song about tennis balls.  Dennis is on the kit and Brian's got a wild synth bass line to go with it. :smokin"

That directness is delicious.  Brian on TV saying, "Oh yeah, coke this, acid that...I came back, but I don't know in how many pieces."  That's even more direct than any of the Madonna-shock-me, reality-show Bullcrap we get today.  And I ain't foolin.

But that directness combined with some of Brian's most unique and fascinating compositions is quite a powerful concoction to me.  I really hope they make available all of this material.  Demos, finished and unfinished material.  If Love You made it out (still can't believe it!!) than Adult/Child and all the rest from this time should too.

A Brian Wilson demos compilation is long overdue.

Man, oh man is it ever.

The piano demos are at the purest level of Brian's art.  I love the sweetening, lush harmonies, synth and minimalistic drumming that gets added, but the piano demos with Brian's vocals...those are priceless.  I think it's because you can truly hear the dense chords.  Even in what sounds like simple material...the piano demo reveals a lot of intricate voicings.

Much of the same qualities that make those amazing vocal-harmonies so fascinating exist in just the plain ole piano demos.  Probably because he writes those harmonies on the piano in the first place...or its the same process for him to think of those handful of notes interacting.

I have a piano acetate of Hoagy Carmichael in the '50s, and it's incredible. Over the years, piano-only recordings and demos have come out by Duke Ellington, Randy Newman, Cole Porter, Gershwin and other. Brian Wilson has the added tragedy that not nearly all of his demos ended up making it to record as fully-realized productions. So these songs are a unique part of his canon.

I made a CD of about 25 of his demos, in sequential order... this was about eight years ago. Not sure what all has surfaced. But I just took demos that were on various rarities collections and bootlegs and put them together. Nothing unreleased or unbooted or anything. Just wanted to hear how they all sounded together. And it was just as I thought. An incredible listening experience.

Excellent point.  In Brian's case these demos also serve as a MAJOR, MAJOR gap filler.  If they exist....

There's a lot of them. I'm always trying to find more from what Terry Melcher called "The Aesop Era"... when BW would come out of his bedroom, like Aesop out of the forest, and play a beautiful song, then disappear. It's not quite that drastic, I've been finding, though some stuff seems to be lost, just as Melcher said. But Brian did lay some of these songs to tape, and demos exist. This would otherwise be known as the Bedroom Years, which I would put at 1970-75, with the biggest period being 1973-74. After Murry died, and before he started work on 15 Big Ones.

But there's so much good stuff from all eras, in terms of these piano demos.

There were also lots of demos from the Sunflower/Surf's Up era, according to Desper, stuff Brian would work on when no one else was around, and then leave unfinished or erase. 

Forget "compilation". We need a 30 CD set, please. Hell, I'll even take the hundreds(literally...) of "homework songs" that Landy had him do. ;D

Brian was doing too much in 1970 to call that a bedroom year at all. In fact it was the most public he had been in three years. Brian looked almost slim, was writing great songs, and I feel it to be really the last great Brian year as we originally knew him. The interviews he did are clear and seem to come from the same Brian as before. 1971 he still looked ok and according to Desper was doing more on Surf's Up then we thought. He also was doing Spring, and showed up at least once at a show. There was a difference, he was writing less, acting more eccenric in interviews. 1972 we see a change he is pulling back in the studio, gaining weight, but still when he did work it was top notch. Carl once noted that the So Tough sessions were the first time he realised Brian was doingg cocaine regularly.  1973 was the big decline, but I think Brian was far worse off from 1977-82 though he was in public more often then he was during the 68- mid 73 era. I look at like this Brian was then strong enough to work when he felt like it and play live when he felt like it. Until 1972 or so he worked often enough to maintain a strong presence. But those later years 15 Big Ones, KTSA,  the tours, I just see him not doing it for any other reason then he no longer had the will to fight it.

You probably meant that "Play" was nothing earth shattering, but as far as Adult/Child material goes, "It's Over Now" was easily one of Brian's most meaningful songs, and of course it sat in the can for 16 years! I really love that song personally, although it shouldn't have been slowed down, it's natural speed is far more preferable.

was "its over now'  intended to be slowed down? 

If it HAD come out, it would have been in my top 5 albums. I'm not ashamed to admit that I freaking love the music on this. Better than 15 BO and Love You, honestly. If Brian had spent the rest of his career doing music like this, I'd have been happy. Why in the blue gravy f*ck are Brian's "people" trying to push Brian towards the 1965-era, when it should be the 1976-7 period that would suit Brian best now?!

Got off topic. Anyway, thumbs up from me. And dammit, "Games Two Can Play" should've been on Surf's Up at the very least.

First time I heard Games Two Can Play, I thought, "Wow, this is absolutely terrible." Then I listened a few more times and I like it a lot, but it makes so much sense that they wouldn't release this, especially in 1971 when they were trying to be serious.

Gotta say this thread inspired me to revisit these tracks and this time period in BB history.  Since I've had a bellyfull of "Games Two Can Play" and "H.E.L.P." (both of which deserve to languish in obscurity on the Good Vibes Box), I restructured the album a bit for personal listening.  These earlier curiosities of Brian's are interesting just to see what he was up to - but don't really hold up as strong songs in their own right or fit into the broader scheme of anything.  Why they were chosen for the box instead of real lost gems like Dennis's "A Time To Live In Dreams","Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again", "Lady", "Carry Me Home" etc. is beyond me.  (Or if they really HAD to stick with Brian "Soulful Old Man Sunshine", "Sail Plane Song", or the vocal snippet from "Old Man River" would have been much better unheard choices IMO.  Hell, even Mike's 4/4 "Big Sur" could've won out.) 

Uh, back to Adult/Child... I also ditched "Hey Little Tomboy" (nice melody/arrangement, but *shudder), the insipid "On Broadway", and "Shortnin' Bread" - just because they don't seem to fit very well.

I really wish Brian completed a "Big Band" Beach Boys album, with Dick Reynolds filling out the arrangements.  It definitely would have been artistically satisfying if not commercially viable at the time.  Most of the songs Brian was writing around this time have a uniqueness to them with the way he takes the slice of life situations that he was in at the time: going to the gym (Life Is For the Living), listening to Frank Sinatra (It's Over Now), bumming around his house (Everybody Wants To Live), waiting in lines at the movies (Lines), watching a baseball game (I'm Starting To Say), and waiting for the maid to cook dinner (Still I Dream Of It) and marries them to larger emotional themes and lyrics that are very universal.  (Something that a song like "Johnny Carson" fails to do).  Because of this back and forth these songs take on a surreality that is wonderful. 

There is also something distinctly Americana about the themes, arrangements, and subjects that these songs explore - an Americana that Brian hadn't tapped into yet - but was obviously always interested in.  I really do wish he had the discipline and enthusiasm to have seen this project through... I feel the same way about his brief experiments with recording musicals and standards (Old Man River/Old Folks Home/Walk On By) in the late sixties.  Fantastic stuff.

My twelve song comp:

Life Is For Living   
Deep Purple   
Marilyn Rovell   
Had To Phone Ya   
It's Over Now   
When Girls Get Together (Instrumental)
Everybody Wants To Live   
My Diane   
Lines
I'm Starting To Say   
New England Waltz (Instrumental)
Still I Dream Of It   

P.S.  Anyone know the scoop on "New England Waltz"?  Nice little instrumental, was it actually arranged by Brian?  Maybe I don't wanna know...

"There's been songs about Celebration / But if you ask me I can't see why / There's too much pain, too much pain in my heart now / You're gonna have to prove it to me" - Everybody Wants To Live

Could this possibly be a dig at Mike's musical side project that Brian participated in?  Would the dates align with when this song was originally written?

No Celebration was over a year off then.

I know A Time to Live in Dreams wasn't discovered until the 90s.

What do you think this is, Lennon and McCartney? ;D

 :bow

Well, I guess that would explain that!


Haha... hey man, at least McCartney never made John Lennon sing "The Battle Hymn Of The Republic"

When I listen to Adult/Child...I hear a story like this:

A man struggling to live in the middle age of his years, gaining some wieght...lonely after a hard break-up...trying to enjoy life again...to find a 'new world' through movies and baseball and etc. Theres even a call for spiritual release in It's Over Now and Still I Dream of It, with references to heaven, angels and Jesus. There is a feeling through this song cycle of being trapped in this conditional world and trying to accept the world, yet there is a 'crying out' for a happiness that will be eternal. What an interesting contrast to Dennis's POB...fascinating and yet I can relate to this music emotionally.

Good thoughts Leo.  You could almost replace the lyric "Baseball's on..." with "life goes on..."

There is something strangely satisfying about this music.  I'm not sure what it is...you may have nailed it with your analysis above, I've actually never thought about it that deeply....beyond the surface. 

What I've liked is that there IS, there simply is something beyond or below the surface. True probably with most of their music and probably ALL of Brian's music.

What lies beneath the surface is all sorts of things...and it's that layered quality, in terms of human meaning - not just musical depth, that has us all here.

In listening heavily to Pet Sounds lately, I reaffirmed or rediscovered that point.  On top, there's Wouldn't It Be Nice, great melodies -- classic Beach Boys songs....but underneath...well...........there's something going on.

such a testament to BW's abilities that listening to this album today, i assumed that 'it's over now' was a big band standard style piece before looking it up and realizing he wrote it!

I find it depressing, miserable, and indicative of everything that felt bad about the late 70s. It ain't no lost classic for me.

It has its moments though.

Better than MIU though, no?

That's a tough one. I only recently got MIU, and I didn't see what's so bad about it. Other than it's just very...mediocre. Which almost makes it worse than bad, in a way, in that it elicits so little emotional reaction.

At least Adult Child has "Still I Dream of It", which is a great song, but still a tremendous downer in the form it's in. Is HELP really supposed to be on this album? If so...I like that one quite a lot. (Is there a true track order/lineup to this album?)

"It's Over Now" is great in its own way, but it's so sad, I can't bear to listen to it. Seriously. Most of this album makes me feel realllllly old, and not in a good way...more like a John Lennon's "Nobody Love You When You're Down and Out" way.

Would a kind soul send me all there is out there from Adult/Child, i don't have anything on this pc ):

Hell if "love you" and "MIU" are out, why not officially release "adult/child"?

Man, what's up with all this "Shortenin' Bread" hate :'( it's the last gasp of Brian's Love You sound and style, even if it isn't his song. Not the most essential Beach Boys track ever, but I love it (as well as several other Adult/Child tracks, obviously). It's absurd, it's hilarious, it makes me smile, it has what's probably Brian's best bass vocal, it rocks and it has a great energy to it.

I'm going to play devil's advocate here, bear with me.  ;D

So, if it elicits that sort of intense emotional response within you, doesn't that mean that the music has connected with you in a way that has even gone as far to make you uncomfortable? If so, isn't that what makes brilliant, genuine music? Does Pet Sounds elicit that same sort of response from you?

I think, if even two songs elicit that intense reaction from you, where as MIU does nothing, that makes Adult Child THAT much greater than MIU.

It'd be nice. I have to wonder if the folks in power would allow it, though, as it's probably pretty odd to the person who hasn't heard as much of Brian's 70s material as we have.

Still. A lot of this material doesn't deserve to still be unreleased after about 35 years or so.

Agreed. I like several songs from MIU, but sans "My Diane", nothing from MIU comes even remotely close to songs like "It's Trying To Say", "Shortenin' Bread", "Life Is For The Living", "Still I Dream Of It", "It's Over Now", and probably others. There was definitely enough material for another truly great album among all the songs they had kicking around in those days. Keep in mind they'd bring "Good Timin'" on the next album, so go ahead and consider that, too.

Meh, i'm sure they'll wait and make a big box out of it a la SMiLE sessions.

Can anyway make a decent cover for this? i only find weird stuff on Google :(

Brian Wilson projects 1970-1982 box. 8)

(http://i368.photobucket.com/albums/oo126/chronstinct/shut-up-and-take-my-money.jpg)

While looking through some random Brian Wilson pictures via Google i've found this one and thought it would fit quite well actually, somehow :
http://www.nowtoronto.com/_assets/issues/3243/brianwilsonmickeymouse.jpg
actually i've got an idea : i think collage art is wonderful and using this style would make an epic artwork for this imo,
would be awesome to have this very picture in the middle with other weird funny stuff around about life and some pictures of the rest of The Beach Boys.

Isn't that the picture from the Spring promo shots?

Oh maybe, i don't really know, just thought a picture from the 70's would be enough cause i can't seem to find some really decent ones or in good quality from the Love You/Adult Child era to make a solid cover (that doesn't need some effect to make it look cool or whatsoever).

I picked this one cause it's a great black and white picture where Wilson looks good and has a Mickey shirt, thought it would make a cool connection with the album title.. kinda, heh.

I think a good cover would be that photo taken (I think) on Brian's birthday in June, 1977. He is shaven and is blowing out a birthday cake - like an adult child! Wasn't that about the time Adult Child was assembled?

Oh wow yea, good idea! you mean this one, along with his two lovely brothers? :
(http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lafvi707rN1qc88wyo1_500.jpg)

(maybe i can start collection different pics to make a collage stuff, starting with this one and the mickey shirt one? would that be wrong?)

That's the one! I forgot that Carl and Dennis were in the shot, but, hey, they are pretty prominent on Adult Child anyway.

No need for any reason anyway, a picture of Brian with Carl and Dennis is always a great picture :)

Agreed. and any picture where they're also whistling is super special

Whistling? They're blowing out the candles! Or....maybe they ARE whistling (remember the day, remember the night, all day long....), or, maybe they're harmonizing (ooooooooooohh) ;D

Small problem - that was taken in 1980, at Knebworth.

I'll be using this quick mockup for unreleased Brian stuff until the day someone whips up a better one (highly likely) or Capitol releases some official art along with the boxset (unlikely, but preferred).

(http://i46.tinypic.com/b4vzm1.png)

I love the material. But I've made my own compilation eliminating 'Games Two Can Play' and 'H.E.L.P' and adding 'My Diane'. Looks something like this :

1.Life Is For The Living
2.On Broadway
3.Hey Little Tomboy
4.Shortnin' Bread
5.It's Trying To Say
6.Lines

7.Everybody Wants To Live
8.Deep Purple
9.My Diane
10.It's Over Now
11.Still I Dream Of It

Side Two is where the magic happens. :)

I know it's a non-Brian written standard, but I think his version of Deep Purple from these sessions is magical. He really puts the lyrics across. Majorly underrated imo.

Whoops. OK, how about a photo of the band at the 1977 Central Park concert? The one with Brian wearing the blue American Spring shirt with the RED pants? I saw a couple pictures of that show on another recent thread/posting...

No one's stopping you! A lot of great mid-70s Brian pics can be found on this amazing post http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,6052.msg99268.html#msg99268

Most on youtube my friend. Just convert them by searching 'youtube to mp3'. The remaining cuts from the Landlocked sessions, It's Over Now and Still I Dream Of it are found on the GV box.

Since that is now out of print I see no reason why you shouln't just torrent them... (DONT BAN ME GODS OF SMILEY SMILE, IT IS AFTER ALL OUT OF PRINT RIGHT?)

OK, Zach, your point is well-taken.

The problem I have with it is that the feeling it does give me is so...awful. Just because something elicits a feeling, doesn't mean it's always a positive thing. (That's why I don't listen to death metal, nor consider it brilliant.) When I listen to something that sluggish, sad, sloppily arranged, fat-sounding, it makes ME feel exactly the same way. I suppose if I already felt that way, maybe I'd feel a kinship to it--the way I used to with Neil Young's Tonight's the Night. Or the Lennon song I mentioned. Currently, I've had enough dark in my life I don't care to listen to something that continues that feeling or makes it worse.

You mentioned Pet Sounds--that doesn't depress me. It describes doubt and insecurity, but clothes it in beauty. It still feels life-affirming. That's the key, I guess. Adult Child feels like an abandonment of life, not a reexamining or contemplation of it.

So, to your point, yes A/C does have value as art. It's just not something I can listen to for pleasure at all.

I'm babbling--hopefully there's some sense in what I wrote. Gotta run to work.

Very nice tracklisting here. This is how A/C should have been back then. Like a 70's version of Today!
I wonder since there should be 6 tracks on each side whether there is one more good song from the period that woulda made good value.. Sea Cruise maybe?

I believe Youtube isn't the best place to find audio files in their higher quality?


Thank you friend!

I like Sail On, Brian's comp a lot.... Could I take a shot at the 12th track? I'm not sure of the exact recording date of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin"', but I use it on my mix:

THE BEACH BOYS - Adult Child

1. Life Is For The Living
2. Shortenin' Bread
3. Hey Little Tomboy
4. It's Trying To Say
5. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'
6. It's Over Now

7. Deep Purple
8. My Diane
9. On Broadway
10. Lines
11. Everybody Wants To Live
12. Still I Dream Of It

A little ballad-y, a little sad, but you use what you got....  :police:

You can call me crazy but I think that Still I Dream Of It is one of the most incredible songs I've ever heard.  It has this amazing Crazy Zen quality.  Beautiful song!  Dreamy/sad/wistful/happy all at once!  I love both the demo and the strings version.  I also love the crazy Zen quality in Everybody Wants To Live.

Free the Adult Child album now!  It should be released to the unsuspecting populace.  It really shows how unconventional the Boys could be.  (Think Neil Young's Tonight's the Night.)

Maybe a release date next year?

This post from Billy C (from 4 years ago!) is sheer unadulterated and unalloyed genius!

FREE ADULT/CHILD NOW!

Till then I'm just a dreamer!

There is a core of good songs for Adult Child. But Brian couldn't sustain the big band sound, which means that you have several songs that are in an entirely different sound world than the rest of the record. The other newly recorded songs are cool, but even sparser than Love You in production. And then you have the recycled early 70s stuff (which some of the mixes cannily avoid, I notice) and the covers. It just doesn't hold together for me.

If Brian had managed another big-band track or two (to make it an album side) and another quirky, low-fi number or two (to make it another side), then you could have had a true "Adult Child" album -- with one side being for "adults" and the other for "children." And Christ, that idea makes so much sense that I'm suddenly wondering if that wasn't Brian's original intent with the record. That's how he had sequenced the Christmas album, after all.

I agree. Some if not most of the recordings - not the songs - but the tracks/vocals are borderline embarrassing in their simplicity. I wonder if Carl would've/could've done another facelift or makeover on Adult Child like he did with Love You?

I guess A/C as a proper album will never be released, but they should include remastered clean versions of these songs at least.

You've Lost That Loving Feeling
Shortening Bread (Brian on bass vocal version)
Lines
Life Is For The Living
It's Trying To Say
Everybody Wants To Live
Deep Purple

No need for more really since its all on GV..
I think we can expect at least a couple of these for this 50th celebration box.

"It's Over Now" is a better song to me than "Still I Dream Of It", especially that second piano demo I keep hyping. Those demos -- especially that one -- need official release.

It's an enjoyable if artistically lightweight album. I think it's probably best that it stayed in the vaults.
I really enjoy 'Life Is For The Living' - mainly for the funny lyrics ('don't sit on your ass, smoking grass' is a classic line); although elsewhere it's actually the lyrics that are my main issue. 'Everybody's Got To Live...' has catchy piano but the lyrics are painful, just horrendous ('if you start laughing you're just a coward', 'the cigarette butt when you throw it in the water goes ssshh').
The lyrics on It's Trying To Say and Lines aren't quite as bad - enjoyably goofy, rather than irritating - and thus I can enjoy the catchy melodies without distraction.
'It's Over Now' and 'Still I Dream Of It' are, in my opinion, massively over-rated by some fans on here - the lush production can't disguise weak melodies and (again) poor lyrics. (The lyrics on Love You are also generally poor but for some reason they add to Love You's charm, whereas here they more often than not have the opposite effect: detracting from what would otherwise be good songs.
Hey Little Tomboy is seriously f**ked-up here, thank God they drop the spoken word sections for the released version!
Games Too Can Play and HELP would have been by some considerable distance the weakest tracks had they been included on the album released at the time of their conception - Sunflower. Here however, they're notably of better quality than most of the surrounding material. They stick out like a pair of sore thumbs.
Al's vocal on 'On Broadway' is terriffic and the backing track is nice, while the version of 'Shortenin' Bread' here i personally much prefer to the LA Light Album version - there's more interesting vocal work, less screeching guitar (I love the almost feminine backing vocals on the chorus).

All in all, it's a definite 3 out of 5. Fun but deeply flawed.

Oh, and 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling' is one of my all-time favourite Beach Boys cover versions - however it's not listed as part of the album on my cd, only as a bonus track, so i didn't mention it in the above review (likewise Sea Cruise, Be My Baby, etc)

Can't say I agree. I heard and loved these songs as Brian's sparse piano demos first, only later discovering they were actually completed. No issues with the lyrics to either song, each containing at least a line or two that I think are really something special, too. That's me, though.

The lyrics on those songs are GREAT.

'Time for supper now/smell the kitchen now' - no, no, no, no, no!!

It's Brian doing Sinatra (who was still going strong at that point), so I don't think it's anything that can be claimed as being groundbreaking.

I think he says "pffst".  :lol

And that's one of my all-time favourite lyrics. Brian in every possible way.

Another one I like is the "Frank Sinatra" one from 'It's Over Now'.

does anyone know what that awesome swirly effect he appears to use in all the big band tracks 'cept "Life Is For Living"? know what i mean?

"A little while ago, my mother told me Jesus loved the world..." Followed by the bit about finding a girl. It's a little cringeworthy, but still very honest and true to where he was at at the time.

The cover version by Ed Harcourt leaves those lyrics intact, and somehow makes them work even so. Good version. As is the Brian demo.

I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss Brian’s lyrics in “Still I Dream of It” because of their apparent “simplicity”.  The very best poems, for example the work of Robert Frost, are known for their simplicity and economy of expression.

Poets such as Baudelaire, Rimbaud and Hölderlin often take quotidian, routine, even very boring events of the day and imbue these events with deep or sometimes startling or troubling psychological characteristics.  These boring events become a starting point for the poem’s expression.

In “Still I Dream of It” Brian has tied together a fairly boring event, waiting for supper, with questions about his inner peace and happiness.  Later on, in the bridge/middle 8, the juxtaposition of “Jesus loving the world” with “finding a girl” is actually quite remarkable.

I find this poem to be both deeply troubling (“made mistakes” … “will I even learn”) and yet perhaps a little hopeful, since at the end the Poet is still dreaming of a better world.

BTW, do I actually think that Brian was actually influenced by any of the above poets?  No, of course not.  But as just a “poem”, to me it stands beside any of the work by those other poets.

So, this is a remarkable, remarkable work, and should not be causally dismissed.

I can’t neglect saying: the music is pure beauty (going to the augmented chord in the middle 8, gorgeous), as is his singing.

Sorry, have to say it: genius!

Well, different strokes.

I think those kitchen lines are great. They totally personalize that song, 'hear the maid whistle a tune, my thoughts are fleeting now'. I just love those elements in the lyrics. I just love the idea of this rich guy smelling dinner as it's being made by his whistling made while thinking such dark, suicidal thoughts. The mundanity of those lyrics juxtoposed with  That Jesus Loved the world couplet later in the song...which is so  shockingly direct, comically personal, and yet SO RIGHT a the same time. No, when I first heardthat song, I wasn't even a fan and it blew me away, especially the lyrics--and back then lyrics were the main thing for me.

I think it's flutes drenched in reverb, maybe vibes in the mix? Also heard on God Only Knows on the last verse.

I'd love to have a whole 'big band' album.  Guess Brian lost interest. Of the other stuff recorded roughly during that period, it's very much of its time and would fit on the other 76-78 albums, but I don't feel it sits well with the big band stuff.

I always heard the 'Whistle a tune...' line as 'With solitude...' whoops.

Yeh that swirly bit i do love, i'll say that!

My favourite aspect of those songs. Again the divine golden goose Brian Wilson lays yet another concealed golden egg in His works.

 :bow

But that's about the only thing i like about those songs - that 'neeeeoooow-weeeeooooow' song on the fades. Otherwise - meh!

'Heaven, heaven is faraway, angels no longer play' - awful, awful, awful lyrics.

You consider these awful, awful, awful? How are you able to listen to other songs of theirs?

Jeez! :O

I listened to this album in full for the first time today, as I made my first lengthy drive to work.  By the end of it, I wanted to kill someone.

WHY would you EVEN CONSIDER releasing an album where NO ONE CAN F**KING SING IN KEY?!  "Deep Purple" is atrocious!!

Mike sings in key on "Hey Little Tomboy"  ;D

I would kill for that song's existence to cease.

At least I can honestly say that the whole band is equally to blame here... it's not just Brian singing badly.  I've NEVER heard Carl sing as wobbly as he does here.

As for "Hey Little Tomboy".... *sigh*  Look at the trek it took: "New Album," didn't come out.  "Adult Child," didn't come out.  "California Feeling," didn't come out, got reworked as "Winds Of Change."  "Winds Of Change," didn't come out, got reworked as "M.I.U."  Now, the thing that gets me about this is, first, it wasn't until the final "M.I.U." when they FINALLY decided that the spoken section where the Beach Boys gang up on/gangrape said tomboy should not be included.  It took TWO YEARS to figure that out? 

Even still, without that section, none of the group spoke up and said "Hey, this should never be released"??  There's an interview where Brian is talking about how there's a song on their next album (which would've been "New Album") about a tomboy, and the boys were really proud of it.  Yes, folks, they were proud of the ORIGINAL version, with dialogue!  What's wrong here??

Aren't most of these at the wrong speed which is partially responsible for Carl's subpar performances? I sped up Everybody Wants to Live and he sounds much more natural and Carl-like.

I can't imagine Dennis liking Hey Little Tomboy, but then again Dennis hooked up with ML's daughter so I dont really know what im talking about. I think they liked the idea of the song and wanted to support Brian as much as they could. It was after all the record company that rejected A/C, not the band.

Dennis did "School Girl".  I don't think the theme exactly repelled him...

Cheers,
Jon Blum

It sounds more like a Moog with arpeggiated notes put through some kind of filter.

Also, play back 'It's Over now' with 48k sample rate and you can hear what it's supposed to sound like ;)

It's because of the Hey Little Tomboy lyrics and Brian's pitchiness on Deep Purple, that I took what seemed like the best and made my fantasy Adult/Child album:

Life Is For The Living
Soulful Old Man Sunshine (if it would have fit anywhere, it would have been on Adult/Child, although the harmonies overshadow anything else on the album)
Lines
Shortenin' Bread - It really works after Carl's singing on the end section of lines (He's gonna tell her)
Still I Dream of It

It's Trying To Say
Sherry She Needs Me - 1976 vocals with 1965 backing track?  Works for me, especially if there were more backing vocals on the version we have now
It's Over Now
Everybody Wants to Live
My Diane - Brian vocal demo, it's about as raw and emotional as they come

The last three songs on this are pretty depressing, and the total run time is only 27 minutes (of course Friends was 25:30 and Wild Honey was 24:00, so it's not unheard of), but I think it has an overall Sunday morning alone in the house type of feel to it that may have been Brian's intention.

wat

I'm a little nervous to say that I do like "Little Tomboy". I don't suffer any mental disorders. I just like the song but I hate the lyrics. It's like "I'd love to pick you up", catchy but creepy lyrics

I Wanna Pick You Up wouldn't be anywhere near as good without the creepy lyrics.

I don't think there's anything to be ashamed of. I like it too. It's got a nice, catchy melody and most of the times that's enough for me.

Sorry, I meant the Dennis vocal demo from the Love You sessions.  Head not screwed on all the way.

yeah, I spent like an hour fruitlessly scouring the internet to find this supposed Brian demo and now here I find it doesn't exist! ahhh

I even listened to the earlier Dennis version about four or five times to make sure that beyond a shadow of a doubt it was Dennis.

Sounds like a phaser/flanger to me, applied to a guitar as an effect.  Very popular studio effect in the 70s.

Can I just say that Lines is one of the most tantalizing fragments that Brian ever worked on.

I dig the verse, especially Brian's voice on the second. The part of Carl doesn't sound complete and is a bit to jagged for my taste, but man did that song have potential, more lyrics telling about something banal on the cinema screen and some creative bridge would make that song a quirky classic. As it stands I cannot put it in a playlist due to the 'He's gonna tell her' part

The 'He's gonna tell her' section is the only good bit!! Prior to then it's a lame lyric set to an utterly nondescript melody; in fact the song only comes alive when the end section begins (take out the 'He's gonna tell her' part and there's nothing left!)

The beginning bit is pretty good, I think - it's very Harry Nilsson. The "He's gonna tell her bit" is in line with the more wacky, quirky side of the Wilsons - but it almost seems like an ape of the end of "Airplane".

I love Lines, beginning to end. I think that whole Adult Child thing is pretty great, with a couple exceptions. Fascinating piece of work.

Ill-fitting for "Still I Dream Of It", in particular. Not a fan of that arrangement in general, really

Exceptions, eh? do tell. personally I think On Broadway is pretty weak. 

For me, it is Hey Little Tomboy that is the great offender. Then H.E.L.P., which wasn't good enough to be on yet another unreleased album. The two weakest after that are On Broadway and Shortnin' Bread. But the other 8 tracks, those are worth standing by.

Carl sounds fine (albeit not great, as he usually was) if you put the song in its proper speed.

Yup, play back at 48kHz.

The problem with 'Tomboy' is that it's a fairly inoffensive tune paired with utterly insane, borderline illegal lyrics about teaching young girls to be women, if you know what I mean. As a song, it's fairly pedestrian, but those lyrics are the dealbreaker for everybody.

Anyone prefer the LA version of Shortenin' Bread?

Could never get my heard around it much, even back in '79 when I was young and open-minded.

Late coming to this thread but the one word that strikes me about Adult/Child is 'unreleasable'. There are some good songs here and there but they don't fit together at all. It's a shame that Brian lost interest in the big band theme and the album was filled with whatever other songs were lying around.

It's Trying to Say and Lines would be decent contenders for the box set though.

New Album was much worse as Brian gave up even earlier and chucked 8 old songs onto it.

The early version of My Diane would be nice for MiC though.

I love how Carl sings and yells in the AC version.

The Good Vibrations box set had two unreleased songs from Adult/Child, so I'm hoping there will be some more on Made in California.  My two picks would be "Life is for the Living" and "It's Trying to Say."  I agree that a full-fledged release of the album in its entirety is unlikely.  It's a shame, though, since I'm not sure it would have sold any more poorly than M.I.U. and is a much better album musically, in spite of its weaknesses.

Also have one of those, and agree with your comments. i love it with all its rough spots and quirkiness.  First heard some cuts from it at the first fan convention in Oakland that Les Chan put together in 1982, particularly Life Is For The Living, and simply had to have it, which I finally did a couple of years later.

I think it would've been a good idea back in 1978 for  them to say: " hey, neither of these albums are particularly strong, but we've got some good material from both. Why don't we just combine them like we did on 20/20 and maybe it can turn out alright?"

Who knows, perhaps that could've given more critical success if not commerical. I'm pretty sure Carl and Dennis advocated this move but were overrun by Mike and Al...

They did that with Hey Little Tomboy.  The only song they considered good enough to take from New Album to Adult/Child to MIU.  :-D Considering the state of the group at the time, if they had taken any more songs from Adult/Child then they probably would have picked On Broadway...

The groups taste around that time was certainly questionable, so it's not surprising. A smart man would have put Its Over Now and Still I Dream Of It on any Beach Boys record and the critics faith in BW would have been restored. Instead, MIU had Belles Of Paris.

I recently went back and started watching the first season of SNL on netflix. A lot of the musicians playing around that time seemed to have a similar earthy rugged vibe as 15 Big Ones, Love You and Adult Child around that time. Brian's undergroomed look may not have stuck out back then as much as today.

I wasn't born until 1977, so I don't remember. But today, I am considered undergroomed, but might be one of the more well groomed of the 1970s.

I love everything about the A/C version of "Shortenin' Bread."  Thing rocks Sofa King much!

It's a nice little oddity, deserves to be released in my opinion. For me the only mediocre songs on there are Lines, On Broadway, and maybe HELP Is On The Way. Everything else is fine (yes, even Hey Little Tomboy, as goshdarn creepy as it is). If I had to choose I'd say Love You is better, but this isn't far behind at all.

Lines is a wonderful slice of life song.  I like it. Bit like Busy Doin' Nothing. Has a feel of Love You about it too.

I don't think there is any chance of this album being released (except for in chunks) and it's a shame that instead of the box set that we aren't getting the 1970s albums released with bonus tracks (as happened with BW88 yonks ago). Love You with some demos and the best songs from this and New Album would have been a really interesting release.

It isn't bad, but not as good as some of the other songs on the album (in my opinion!). Though I don't at all hear Busy Doin' Nothing, and I love that song to bits. On Broadway is definitely underwhelming though... that's probably the weakest on the album.

With some more development it could've been the latter days "Busy Doin' Nothing", I like the verses but I feel the "he's gonna tell her, she's gonna tell him to" part isn't that pretty to hear and is rather disappointing considering the sense of a buildup one gets from the verses.

It's also totally BW for the time, ie crazy.

I do hope it makes on the boxset though, it's one of the better A/C songs, those verse chords are classic BW. Also Baseball and Marilyn Rovell need to make it on there (the latter not in the running, but I always see it as contemporary)

"Busy Doin' Nothin'" & "Lines" = apples & oranges.

I like those two, though I will admit I can't decide whether I prefer the AC or LA version of Shortenin' Bread.

I think Life Is For the Living is a surefire bet for MiC. It was in the Brian Wilson Songwriter 1969-1982 documentary, sounding very nice, so they had to have remastered it at some point leading up to the anniversary and the box set. It was also the only unreleased song on either of the the two DVDs, so that has to speak for something, too.

See, I'd think Life Is For The Living is one of the last songs that would make it on there! It's bonkers!

If "It's Trying To Say" doesn't make the box set Capitol can expect a strongly worded letter from someone shady

If any track makes it, it's that. What a song. One of my favourite Dennis leads, too!

If you can't dance to "It's trying to say", you shouldn't dance at all

I agree that It's Trying to Say should definitely be included.

But I am perhaps one of the few who wouldn't be disappointed if Life is for the Living is omitted. The sound of a fat crazy man and his drunken brother preaching about physical fitness doesn't appeal to me. Dire lyrics and sloppy vocals on this one.

:lol

I think Deep Purple would be a great inclusion on the box set. I've always thought it was one of the better Brian vocals from the period. The same goes for Oh Darlin' a few years later.

If I had a sitcom, I'd push so hard to get "It's Trying to Say" as the theme song.

There's definitely a strike of genius in 'Lines' (great chord changes!) - I bet Mike composed the crappy outro though :D

I really want to hear this (aborted) album. Where can I hear it???

Also, did Still I Dream Of It ever make it past demo stage??

A full version is on the 1993 box set.

Links to some album tracks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66TSlRjVKqU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXrSpAZERTE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP1O-iuF21o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0ql5RIZgOg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puALrwbQ7DE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymySEnO5Su4

This might have been addressed earlier, but what in the blue gravy hell is up with Carl's voice on these tracks? Is it a tape speed problem? Asking because he kind of sounds like sh*t, but it doesn't sound natural.

It's slowed down about 3%

1976-1978 is such a fascinating time for the Beach Boys musically.. i really need to order 15 Big Ones/Love You and get into this stuff more

You don't have the Love You album? wow, you need to get on that.

The song does have that classic sitcom theme feel to it, especially during the first verse. However, because of the second verse and on, whatever sitcom uses it would have to take place in a AA minor league baseball dugout as we delight in the hijinks of the permanently benched relief pitcher Cal Sardine.

And is there a more awkward line than: "Oh, those athletes work so hard" ?

"I'm gonna teach you to kiss
 You're gonna feel just like this"

Actually anything from that song

That's the first time I've heard "Everybody Wants to Live" and I love it. Great 70s BW sound.

Some revised lyrics, more precise lead vocals and a healthy serving of background vox would have made these tracks fantastic (well, not all of them).

Would any of Dennis' sings have sat comfortably on Adult/Child? Maybe one without On Broadway and Shortening Bread?

Live Is For The Living is the best thing on the album! Way better than It's Trying To Say. Hope it makes it onto MIC.

It's Trying to Say is good, but that part when they keep repeating Baseball's on until it reached a crescendo, is too long.  It they could edit that down, unlikely, it would be more appealing. 

So awkward, but so catchy. Ath-a-letes  ;D

I've always thought the chord progression was born for the uptempo production stylings of something like A Hard Day's Night. It's truly bizzarely realised on Adult/Child, I mean, it's still interesting, and I love it, but there's further untapped awesomeness lurking beneath the surface for sure.

I always really liked Everybody Wants To Live, but Brian's voice sticks out above the rest of the group. It's like the original "Jeff Foskett syndrome".  ;D

For fun, I sped up "Everybody Wants To Live" and made it sound more live. The reverb patch I applied probably could've used more tweaking - it sounds good on Carl's parts, but it gets a bit too echoey when Brian comes in.

https://soundcloud.com/george-vieira/everybody-wants-to-live-just

It's good to hear Brian singing with Dennis.

It's Trying to Say does lack something, IMO.  Quite a lot in fact.

If It's Trying to Say had been on MIU, it would be seen as in roughly the same class as She's Got Rhythm or Pitter Patter.  But being unreleased seems to give it a couple of extra stars for many of you.

And yes, the crescendo is unforgiveable.

Here's all of Love You:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv4f8gcTwPs (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wv4f8gcTwPs)

I think all of 15 Big Ones is on Youtube, but honestly, that album simply isn't hearing all of. It's one of my least-listened to Beach Boys albums.

I haven't listened to 15 Big Ones yet... I hear it's pretty poor but I might as well listen to it sometime just out of interest.
It's on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwbktfkF8M0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwbktfkF8M0)

This is my first post and I'm completely embarrassed about the song I'm going to address, but what the heck.

I think when assessing "Hey Little Tomboy," it makes more sense to think that it was most likely written from the point of view of a teenager and not an adult and was meant to be cute, not sexual. Three songs on the original vinyl side one of "Love You" were written from a teenager's perspective ("Let Us," "Roller Skating" and "Honkin'") and Brian had previously done this earlier, with songs ranging from "We'll Run Away" to "I Get Around" to "Wouldn't It Be Nice."

"Tomboy" might have made more sense conceptually had it been placed on side one of "Love You," where it would have fit in amongst the references to going to school, folks letting kids stay out late and the like. It definitely doesn't fit on "MIU," where it's the only song written from such a perspective (excepting maybe "Wontcha Come Out Tonight"). Nor does it really work on "Adult Child," surrounded by big band numbers (etc.), and containing that ridiculous spoken word section that unwittingly anticipates David Lee Roth's rap on "Panama."

It's up for question whether Brian wrote from the perspective of a teenager because that was his mindset or because he was writing with an imaginary audience in mind (and yes I know Usher and Asher co-wrote two of the early songs I mentioned, but Brian sang them and was the auteur). I say it's the former. But I always wince when I see people criticizing the song as "pervy" when I had always assumed it was written from the perspective of a 16-year-old to another 16-year-old. Songwriters often conjure "characters" when they sing in first person, and I think that's what Brian was doing here. This once came up on an NRBQ board regarding a "sexist" Al Anderson song called "Feel You Around Me;" my feeling was that Al was playing a character and that he really didn't "work two jobs just to pay (for a girlfriend's) clothes."

Funny enough, as a 21-year-old discovering "MIU" many years ago, it was "My Diane" that gave me the willies, not "Tomboy." The latter reminded me of high school, but when I read a Dave Marsh article that said "Diane" was about his sister-in-law...weird!
 

I like Tomboy, but there's just something unshakeably creepy about the whole thing... I think it might be the singing.... "Hey little tomboy, sit here on my lap"... hm. Great assessment though!

Tomboy rules....love the Adult Child version. I never thought of it as creepy just hilarious. Again, here is a song where it sounds like guys are really having fun. It is so funny- the melody is great...would it work with different lyrics?...

After numerous listens, I've come to the conclusion that Adult Child is a solid album with absolutely abysmal sequencing that somehow manages to somehow bury all the best material (save Still I dream of it) and emphasize the worst songs on the album. Honestly I feel it'd be a much better album if went like this instead

Side 1
1. Life is for the Living
2. H.E.L.P. is on the Way
3. Hey Little Tomboy
4. Deep Purple
5. Games Two Can Play
6. lines

Side 2
1. Shortnin' Bread
2. It's Trying To Say
3. Everybody Wants To Love
4. It's Over Now
5. On Broadway
6. Still I Dream of It


this way you have a really emotional song followed up by an incredibly silly one with almost nonsense lyrics, the album ends on a solid core of emotional songs, with On broadway sandwiched in there, since in my opinion it's biggest sin is being boring and unremarkable rather than painful, so it'll make it look slightly better if it's in the middle of a pack of much better songs.

I like On Broadway sped up a little. Gives it a little more umph.

Love the album more and more, unique sound in the BB catalogue and fits Brian's voice so much better.. it's such a shame the whole thing never got finished or saw really the light, definitely the new SMiLE for me.

I can't say, as we already spoke about it earlier in this thread, that i'm a fan of the covers we can find on google, the ones with the weird colors using the Brian pic from the SMiLE sessions, it just feels odd to me.. but i'm not an expert when it comes to this, i don't have the programs, so with little that i've got, i tried something that i had on my mind for a while as for the artwork for Adult Child, some kind of collage type, so here's what i could do that would look close to it, using pics from that era but also from earlier that would fit with the rest or the title
http://imageshack.us/a/img822/7618/15kl.png
that's the basic, but it feels too dark/sad so i tried different versions, with titles and by giving it some color
http://imageshack.us/a/img545/3871/8v2.png
http://imageshack.us/a/img809/7941/95st.png

if anyone want to add something to that montage, do their own thing on it, or has some cool new covers to offer....

It's gotta be this one.

(http://imgs.inkfrog.com/pix/ska-co/beachboyNude1.jpg)

Forgot about that one.... :lol

That should seriously be Brian's new album cover

it'd be great for a 3 disc set of piano demos, outtakes, AND Adult/Child! John Q Public says this sh*t makes him want to pretend the death of physical media isn't in progress.

Maybe I'd be able to review it if they released more than two Gosh Darn tracks from it in the last forty years GOD DAMN EHT

I wonder if Melinda has seen this picture or Brian has told her about it?

I'm sorry, this just paints the most hilarious picture I can probably conjure up in my head.

Brian: "Melinda I... I have something I need to tell you."
Melinda: "What is it Brian?"
Brian: "I've wanted to tell you for so long. I uh... back in the 70s... y'see, I..."
Melinda: "Brian, please tell me."
Brian: "There's... this picture... a nude picture of me sitting in a chair wearing a funny hat. I mean you can only really see my ass crack and..."
Melinda: "What."
Brian: "It was a long time ago! It was such a different time. I was on cocaine, and..."
Melinda: "A nude photo."
Brian: "... yes. I'm eating food in it too and..."
Melinda: "With a funny hat."
Brian: "... yes'm."
Melinda: "... I need to be alone. We'll talk about this later."
Brian: "Melinda, listen, I just..."
MELINDA: "WE'LL TALK ABOUT IT. LATER."
Brian: "Melin..."
MELINDA: "DRHARHRHRRHGGHGAGHRRR I'M NOT SUTPID. I'M NOT STUPID D'RAHRAH... GGGGG'RRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" *Melinda grows fangs and gains empty eyes and green skin and grows thrice her size and starts breathing fire*
Brian: "HOLY sh*t, KIDS, IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN. DARIA WHOSE NAME I ONLY REMEMBER BECAUSE I'M A *HUGE* FAN OF THE TELEVISION SERIES AND OTHER KIDS AND 90 DOGS, GET OUT OF THE HOUSE NOW"

She should consider a set of postcards.

Bravo Runners! :lol :lol :lol

I would have liked to have "Lazy Lizzy" come just before "Tomboy" that way at least it tells a story....

So if I were to tell a story through the tracklisting it would be something like this
1.Life is for the living
2. Brian's Back
3.everybody want's to live
these 3 tracks would tell the story of Brian coming back
4.maryln rovell (sp)
5. Lazy Lizzy
6. Hey little tomboy
7.my diane
this section would be the "Love life" section of the album (so to speak)
8.help is on the way
9.Lines
10.games two can play
11. it's trying to say (Baseball)
this section would be the "healthy" section getting back into shape
12.deep purple
13.still I dream of it
14. it's over now
 these songs would be the straight forward swing suite to finish off the album

I think that section would speak more for the fact that Brian had some disturbing sexual feelings at that time. I mean, those Rovell sisters were hardly oil paintings...

 :lol :lol

Dude, you are incredibly funny

Just heard Hey Little Tomboy for the first time ever! Great little song! Also love the HELP song! Really funny. Love Mike and Carl's vocals on Tomboy.

They have - of the twelve tracks on the master handed to Reprise shortly after June 27th 1977, exactly half - six - have been released in some way or another since 1978.

Side 1:
Life Is For The Living
Hey Little Tomboy - on MIU
Deep Purple
H.E.L.P. Is On The Way - on the 1993 box
It's Over Now - on the 1993 box
Everybody Wants To Live

Side 2:
Shortenin' Bread - on LA
Lines
On Broadway
Games Two Can Play - on the 1993 box
It's Trying To Say
Still I Dream Of It - on the 1993 box

But both Shortenin' Bread and Hey Little Tomboy are different versions/re-recordings of the original A/C album masters?

All of the original Adult/Child songs are available to listen to on YouTube, so to those who haven't heard it - go listen. The synth-heavy A/C version of Shortenin' Bread is great - far better than the LA version.

Not the original Adult Child album mix.


Fair 'nough, although to me, these songs/recordings belong to a different era (although these are indeed the '77/'78 mixes of the songs)


Yes.


Inferior re-recording.

I was kinda joking/exaggerating with my original post, but seriously, of the songs and recordings that are true to the era, we got an overdubbed/remixed version of one song on MIU, a lesser re-recording on LA, and two on the '93 box set.

It really kind of breaks my heart that there was a big opportunity to delve into another true unreleased album on the box set and it was basically passed up entirely sans a remix of one song. "Life Is For The Living" is totally an evolution of the Love You style, "Shortenin' Bread" and "Everybody Wants To Live" are classic Brian, the melody for "It's Trying To Say" is one of the most infectious things I've heard in my entire life, and "Still I Dream Of It" now remains out of print on CD. It's a shame.

I think the original recording of "Shortenin' Bread," found on the Adult/Child boot is fantastic, and rocks just about as hard as anything the fellas ever recorded.

It's a song which delivers a punk feel, featuring a terrific, impassioned vocal delivery (Carl's voice-crack, and all), with 70s production (including that glorious, fart-y synth), a suggestive, sexually-charged lyric, an incessant, driving beat and an unstoppable hook which drills itself right into your brain (and all this in under three minutes).  What's not to love?

Give it a spit shine, and get it released, guys!

based on the comments here, here's my lineup for Adult/Child (I really dig the 70s ''Today!'' concept of rock/slow sides!)

Side A

Life is for Living
On Broadway
Marilyn Rovell
Sherry, She Needs Me
It's Trying To Say
Lines

Side B

Everybody Wants To Live
Deep Purple
My Diane
It's Over Now
Still I Dream of It
You've Lost That Loving Feeling

While I think Adult/Child is valuable as a historic document, if you want to enjoy it you have to really turn your brain. The lyrics are distractingly bad.  While Love You's lyrics add a childlike whimsy to the music, Adult/Child's succeed only in making Brian's compositions sound like absolute garbage. They aren't idiosyncratic, they are juts bad. Even the gorgeous "Still I Dream Of It" opens up with embarrassing lyrics referencing cooking. I can appreciate the melodies in many places, but the lyrics make me question why I'm listening to them.

Brian's choices in arrangements and use of two 1970 outtakes also make me question both his intent and insanity. Looking at his lyrics and selection of material it is impossible to think of the album as the work of a healthy, functioning man like even Love You can. Love You was the sound of a genius getting back on his feet, Adult/Child sounds like the same man again losing his grip on reality.

Exactly - hence my "in some way or another comment".

The orig. mix of Adult Child is top-10 BB for me easily. Really needs to be released in it's original form ... I've lamented about it before, but here is a fully COMPLETE album -- mixed and ready -- from a classic period of the group that is just lingering. I'd bet in time it would be a bona-fide cult classic, like Smiley and Love You.

I feel like bumping this old thread, hope that's ok ettiquet-wise:

 I blummin love this album, I'll throw that out there straight away.

 Beautifully uneaven, as Love You (which I also adore...), it's so honest and mixed up, almost like a playlist rather than a coherent album.

The mix I listen to is:

Life is for the living one of my fav tracks ever, and I mean ever, by anyone. Ticks all my personal boxes, such a great arrangement, like a musical. I really connect with this track.

Hey Little Tom Boy Jesus, this is an uncomfortable track. I really like the arrangement, very catchy, find myself singing segments then feeling bad. Realistically, a terrible song.

Deep Purple I just don't get this. I feel nothing. The vocal is nice, timbre-wise but very bland.

HELP is on the way great tune. Enemas?! Yes. I want to order that Radient Raddish top (
http://society6.com/product/radiant-radish_t-shirt#11=49&4=81). I haven't yet heard that Christmas track using the same tune. I'm trying to make a BW/BB compilation album of heath songs together lead by this.

It's over now Love this, lush arrangement. I'm a sucker for a good flute / French Horn part. Great lyrics.


Everybody wants to live just once  I mentioned I loved this album, right? What are awesome tune. Lyrics, melody, arrangment all brilliant, organ ending sublime.
 The first verse of this song has to be one of  my favourite ever, what a different and crazy way lyrically to start a song.

Shortnin' Bread I drop this track into playlists all the time, I can't help but love it. I'm always reminded of the Alice Cooper ancedote and like to think of Brian obsessed with this track. Very comparable to Love You's 'Ding Dang'

Lines I really like this strange, strange song. On the surface it's really simple tune in every aspect but its so, I don't know - charming? Its this 'Daniel Johnston' side to BW I that I really connect with, personally.

On Broadway this is is a bit of a crazy inclusion. I like the song, but it totally doesn't belong here. I like the history behind it and can enjoy listening  to it but still jars the album a bit.

Games that two can play Really catchy with an uncomfortable sexual undertone… solid album filler

It's trying to Say I love this and I don't know why, it's a simple, singable romp. I find myself singing it loads, the 'Baseballs on' section is hypnotic, love the lyrics and it sums the album and BW period up quite well, musically and lyrically..Quite out there and yet so mainstream in many way. My life is better with this track in it.

Still I dream of it Quite simply, sublime, one of the best tracks ever. The first verse/chorus again is so memorable and poignant.  I simply could not hear this track enough.

 So there is my completely detached analysis,. If it was released at the time? Almost a certain commercial 'meh' and with good reason. It's quirky, uneven, confused, almost unmarketable. Hardly the tick sheet of 'hit'. Lyrically and Musically I find this album so satisfying and honest. When paired with 'Love You' I think of it as the second best BB period overall  after 'Pet Sounds/SMiLE'.

jus like how half of the orig Smile came out on Smiley Smile, 20/20 and Surfs Up...as well as parts on Wild Honey and Sunflower.

I really wanted to like Adult/Child, but it's just too hit and miss for me.

On Broadway and H.E.L.P. do nothing for me.
Lines seems like it could be good, but it needed to be fleshed out, it's too short.
It's Trying To Say, Games Two Can Play and It's Over Now just seem flat.
Though I think Life Is For The Living, Hey Little Tomboy, Shortenin' Bread and Still I Dream Of It are all fantastic songs.

I used to actually hate H.E.L.P Is On The Way, that is until I tried to play it on the piano. It's really fun to play and the chord progression is awesome! Classic in the same vein as Vegetables. Brian knew his stuff.

Here is a take I found of Adult/Child on the internet: https://soundcloud.com/descape5/the-beach-boys-adultchild-full-album-unreleased-1977

Many think it's classic, for some reason. Though I like it, that's not a word to describe it. It IS hit'n'miss, but it's charming lil album. "It's Over Now" has one of the worst Carl leads, yet the music is stunning. Waaaaay better than overrated "Still I Dream of It" which doesn't affect me at all. Ditto "Deep Purple", so dull. But wait, did you just call "Shortenin' Bread" "fantastic"?? It's a mere riff going on & on, what's there to cherish? Booorrre.

It's weird. I love Love You but I just cant get into Adult/Child. I like it for what it is, a weird unreleased curiosity. I enjoy a couple of the songs, but overall it just drags and doesnt interest me very much. It doesnt sound like a unified body of work the way the other great Brian-led albums do. From SMiLE to Today to Pet Sounds and Love you...the songs on those albums all feel like they're cut from the same cloth. Each one is its own unique work of art. A/C doesnt have that internal consistency. It feels like a weird slapdash hybrid.

I disagree with a lot of his creative instincts, but in this one case I think Mike made the right call to reign Brian in. Maybe if they did a whole album of big band stuff or salvaged some of the other tracks to use as the base for their next album it would've worked out?

Bumped this thread just to say that, every once in a while, I just get in this mood where I truly believe ADULT CHILD to be AMAZING!  Mama's little baby loves shortnin, shortnin...

 Mate, I feel like that nearly all the time.

 In the BW Songwriter documentary (which I looooove) the talking heads talk about what might have been with this album, how it was Brian evolving naturally from his Love You phase and developing his new creative voice. I couldn't agree more. There are four albums I just can't hear enough (see my signature) and this one is constantly on for me.....

Truly is an amazing album! You should check out some of these extended and alternate Adult/Child songs I posted up last week!

Life Is For The Living (Extended Alternate Version)
https://youtu.be/CFgkKws45TY

Hey Little Tomboy (Extended Alternate Version)
https://youtu.be/IU3sLxdBAHE

It's Trying To Say Baseball (Extended Alternate Version)
https://youtu.be/_jv8oqNF_mY

H.E.L.P. Is On The Way (Alternate Version)
https://youtu.be/SWnAZdLsgzA

Shortenin' Bread (Version 4)
https://youtu.be/f6UusO1fxPU

Still I Dream Of It (Alternate BEST QUALITY!)
https://youtu.be/oRsQwVBbPDw

Life Is For The Living (Instumental Backing Track
https://youtu.be/y1mLqRASUm4



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I was about to create a thread by this title, and saw that it already existed. Hope this isn't too much of a bump. Adult/Child doesn't really have much of a weak spot, maybe I don't dig Deep Purple or Games Two Can Play *as much*, but all in all it's quite good.

On the other hand, the album really suffers from a lack of unifying sound. The different arrangements/productions make it feel like more of a compilation. I don't mind the big band stuff, but it would've been nice to have an entire album in that style, or another album full of synths to follow up 15 Big Ones and Love You. I think Still I Dream of It and It's Over Now would sound amazing in the style of the previous two albums.

Honestly though, while I do love the 69-71 era songs used on Adult/Child, 15 Big Ones, and Love You (Susie Cincinnati, Good Time, HELP Is On the Way, Games Two Can Play; you can throw When Girls Get Together in this bucket too since it was considered for New Album and was used in Keepin The Summer Alive), they are a bit distracting in terms of vocals/production. There were enough great songs from this era to fill out these albums that would sound less anachronistic.

I think I would substitute:

Susie Cincinnati->Sea Cruise
Good Time->You've Lost That Lovin Feelin (I know Love You had no covers, so maybe not ideal)
HELP Is On the Way->Sherry She Needs Me
Games Two Can Play->Marilyn Rovell

My Diane is also sublime but that probably wasn't going to come out until after Brian and Marilyn split up, I guess.