The Smiley Smile Message Board

Discuss, review and rate The Beach Boys, released May 1985.

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It deserves some fraction that is less than .5, but I'm rounding down. In my judgment, the band should have just quit.

Dennis is sorely missed, and this isn't the Beach Boys to me. The remainder of the band try reasonably, with slightly distressing results. Carl's contributions are great, Brian's awful.

I really don't dig it. 1.

It suffers not from content, but from production. These tunes might have been salvaged had they not used, drum machines & crappy synth programming. Not their worst, but real close.

I don't listen to it often these days.  But in the 80's, and even into 90's I listened to it occasionally.  I like about half of it.  The Carl stuff was good.  I do believe one could make a not great, but decent album, combining 85 with KTSA.

Or take those good CW songs and put them with the best stuff from CW and Youngblood for a very nice Carl in the 80's LP.  I think THAT is the way to go. 

And I agree that the production could have been improved significantly.  Even the much maligned MIU album sounded better in that respect.

Two - for Where I Belong, Getcha Back (at last a pastiche that isn't half bad), It's Gettin' Late (dumb lyrics) and Male Ego, BW's best contribution.

2. This is what made BW88 and Sweet Insanity suck for me: TOO MANY SYNTHS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It makes it really suck. I do confess though I do like Getcha Back, I'm So Lonely, and Crack At Your Love (one they are funny and two it works especially ISL).

I listened again today.

I punched myself in the face. Jesus, what trash...

It's powered by Satan. Especially Passing Friend.

I like to think Satan would power music that has more balls. Or at least some balls. Or some soul, good, evil or otherwise. Just something a little less...pasteurized?

No way, man. Satan comes with a soprano sax and a perm, playing mellow sounds for the masses. God powers the heaviness, from Little Richard to Black Sabbath. And there's none of that on this album.

I truly don't get the hatred for this album.  True it is largely uninspired.  But it isn't bad (and for the BB, that is saying something.  When they were bad, it was like a train wreck).  There are some majestic moments.  Where I Belong is a great track, and I also like It's Getting Late.  California Calling is fun because of Ringo.  Plus, it was nice to see Brian as a BB again as well.

3 for me -- no masterpiece, but a step up from much of the late 70's work.

I just think there is nothing even moderately artistic about it. The entire thing is a series of reworkings of earlier, superior material set to timely production values for a blatantly commercial intent. No real problem with that-people are in it to make money. But it's awful, and thus deserves no money. In fact, I hope they send me my $13 back. (Or whatever the twofer cost for that and KTSA.)

Reworkings of earlier, superior material? What album are you talking about? This is The Beach Boys (the album). Keepin' The Summer Alive would fit the bill of being a series of reworkings of earlier, superior material, but there's nothing trunk about The Beach Boys.

I'm shocked.

 :o

How about California Calling?

New song trading on an old formula. So was Kona Coast. Hell, so was almost all of the new material on 15 Big Ones!

And the best of it was mediocre; most of it, worse. I hate 15 Big Ones...but not as much as I hate The Beach Boys (85) or KTSA.

15 Big Ones is Pet Sounds compared to KTSA and The Beach Boys. Hell, even MIU is Pet Sounds compared to those two.

Preach it, Luther.

Um..okay.

Dominus vobiscum et spiritu tuo.

And, ah...

Requiem aeternam dona eis domine et lux perpetua luceat eis. Te decent hymnus deus in sion et tibi reddetur votem in jerusalem.

How was that?

In nomine Satanas!

I think you'd need to figure out what ablative case of Satan is. Um...no idea what Satan is in Latin, but one would assume (if you use the word satan itself) something like Satanis or Satane.

Wouldn't it be possessive? In the name of Satan? Maybe it should be Satani.

Oh, yeah. Name would be ablative (in), but it is genitive. So something like In nomine satani (although it would depend on which declension satan is, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5).

I'm assuming it's a first declension noun. But those nouns that don't end in an a or an i are usually second declension, masculine. In which case it would indeed be In nomine Satani.

Seems like we've got that one solved, then. BB85.

Yeah, it sorta sucks. What the f*** is up with I'm So Lonely? What a crappy song, man!

That's the best song on the album.

I don't know whether to be happy to see Latin on the board (I have a Masters in it) or sad to see a decent little album get trashed...

And it WOULD be genitive case, and I would think it would be a 3rd declension -- Satanis.  But I don't know church Latin that well, just classical.  But you could always do diaboli which is 2nd Declension genitive.

Where were you when we needed you yesterday? Either way, glad we got our answer.

But "decent little album?" I have to disagree strongly on that (obviously).

Carl's stuff on The Beach Boys is halfway decent, the rest mostly sucks.

Yes it was an over produced 80s album, but Carl sounded great and there are some tunes hear that are enjoyable (guilty pleasures or otherwise).  for me, "it's gettin' late" is worth it, but I also like the vocals on "Male Ego" which overcome the very cheesu lyrics. 

Is all the New Material on 15 Big Ones reworked from earlier stuff?
i know had to phone ya is from trombone dixie

the cool section in talk to Me, what was that from, is there anymore of it? I think it's Tallahasse Lassie, why was it included?

Did you by chance mean for this to go elsewhere? Say, the 15BO thread?

ah, never mind, it was for this post, but it doesnt matter now...i was thinking something else

May I ask why the words "new" and "material" warranted capitalization?

Heh heh.

sorry  :D  the sentence started out with that for some reason then i kept it

once i thought i'd be an english major...you see where that went

I'm a f u cking nerd. See below.

you, a nerd? I wear a freaking Boba Fett watch! I'm 21!

i guess that's more along the lines of geek though... ;D

I was actually thinking about why Brian's songs are so below par on here, or at least people dont like them as much...I believe it's because he really didnt want to be with the Beach Boys anymore and was looking to do solo stuff and he already had stuff he wanted to do like there's so many, little childeren, perhaps melt away (i dont know when that was written), and stuff he might have written before the Usher sessions...maybe The First Time was included or even City Blues...but whatever the case, I think he gave the guys his duds: I'm So Lonely and It's just a matter of time, which may have not been a dud, I think he might have written that with Mike, so maybe that was during the BB 85 sessions...He seemed proud enough to preview it on American Band. BUT, Male Ego to me is a fine song, and i believe Landy-Love-Wilson wrote this together so it was part of the BB 85 as well...i dont know...just a thought.

I try to listen to this thing once in a while but can't stomach it. Aside from Getcha Back, not much to offer. Very poor and horribly produced. Not Levine's fault, it was the 80's afterall.

BUBBA, YOU ARE AN APOLOGIST OF EVERY WRACKED IDEAL.

THAT SAID, I FEEL LIKE BRIAN IS TALKING TO DENNY FROM THE GRAVE ON "I'M SO LONELY"

AL IS SINGING I'M SO GAY ON " CRACK..."

I LOVE BRI'S MIDDLE 8, THO. LONELY NIGHTS....

Getcha Back is a guilty pleasure but overall unbelievable crap most notably "passing friend" (boy frikkin george writing for the beach boys  :'() and "California Calling"

Gotta love Getcha Back, It's Getting Late, and even though it is a big cheeseball I still ove Crack At Your Love.  Other than those, there isnt much about this album I really enjoy.  It's Just A Matter Of Time is pretty good also I suppose.

I agree with your evaluation CD although I'd add "She Believes in Love Again" and "Where I Belong", and maybe "Male Ego" if we're counting that as an album track.  Even the Stevie cover turned out all right.  "Passing Friend" sure is a train wreck though... "Chasin' the Sky" might have been a better choice, although I don't know if that was produced by Steve Levine or not.

i totally agree, chasin the sky woulda fit in. and ive always dug the stevie wonder tune as well

I hate this album. Brian never sounded worse, the songs stink, yawn!!!! Getcha Back is decent but ugh!!! Tim White Loved this LP WHY

The worst of the 3 80ies album, but some songs are great like "Getcha Back", "It's Getting Late", "California Calling", "It's Just A Matter Of Time" and "Passing Friend".

Nothing guilty about it for me; I've always liked it. I'd have trouble giving the album overall anything above a "2" rating, though.

My advice: Skip the album and find a copy of the "Getcha Back" b/w "Male Ego" 45.

The 45 is what I play I never pull out the LP

Brian's falsetto on Getcha Back is just so.. weird. I can't explain it; it just doesn't sit with me well.

I've been listening to this album alot lately. It sucks (especially when you listen to it right after Pet Sounds) but for some reason I can't get enough. Passing Friend should've been released as a single, it's so 80s it would've become a hit. The bass in Crack at Your Love is funky.

in Great Britain Passing Friend was released as a single....didn't do a thing in the UK-charts.

I actually "get off" (as Brian would say), on this album. I'm aware of it's high cheese content, but it's still an entertaining listen for me. My beach boys discography ends right here. Quite frankly, i'm kind of worried to try 'still cruisin' and 'summer in paradise'.

If I was you (knowing that you like '85) I would get Still Cruisin'. Okay, it's no masterpiece and there is 3 oldies put on there, so basically there's only 7 tracks but most of those aren't that bad (except perhaps Make It Big). But yeah, you can do without Summer In Paradise. You aint missing out on much there.

thanks mikeyj, i'll look into it.

a mention for "Passing Friend" but not "Where I Belong"?!

"Passing Friend" is the worst thing on the album by a long shot. "Maybe I Don't Know" is awful too.

Talk about a hard-won honor. There's barely a moment on the album that doesn't make me feel like vomiting.

LOL That post was 1 1/2 years ago and since then I love "Where I Belong". And I do love the whole album too, it's not on my favourite top 20 Beach Boys albums list but still it's nice. I can listen to all 12 songs, my favourite is perhaps "She Believes In Love Again".

As bad as this album is, it's better than KTSA, Still Cruisin', and Summer in Paradise. I can listen to the whole album without cringing, but its taken me many many listens to be able to do that. My favorite songs from it are It's Getting Late, She Believes In Love Again, Where I Belong, I'm So Lonely, Male Ego. Where I Belong stands up to their early 70s work, IMO. The rest of the album is mediocre in comparison to that one song.

Some time ago someone posted on some of these boards that it was actually Jeff Foskett doing the falsetto part.

blasphemy! KTSA is a great album! take that back!

I listened to it for the first time in years today, and was surprised to find myself quite enjoying it. Carl definitely puts in some great performances. Of course the production is awful, but the majority of songs are pretty acceptable - though I could do without Passing Friend (crap lyrics, forgettable tune) and California Calling (enough with the fuckin' surfing already. You're middle aged men - take off the bad Hawaiian shirts and grow up, I don't care if you are trying to pass it off as 'arch' or a pastiche). 'I Do Love You' is really poor. I bet Stevie Wonder has a trunk full of songs like this that he didn't think were good enough to put on one of his own albums.

'Maybe I Don't Know' would have done pretty well in the UK as a single at that time. Gary Moore does a good job on that track.

'Where I Belong' is really good. Shame it had to be on this album...would have been a classic if they'd recorded it 12 years earlier.

'It's Just A Matter Of Time' is pretty nice, as is 'Getcha Back'. 'Male Ego' is ok too.

So this one just about scrapes a 3 from me.

the production is horrendous, but i'm REALLY digging 'where do i belong', 'i do love you', and 'its just a matter of time'

its hard to explain really :/

For some odd reason, I really love the intro to "It's Gettin' Late".

I don't like it. The sound is soooo sterile and lifeless. Stewart Levine didn't have any 'feeling' for the band. Even the vocs sound as if they were generated by a computer.

I like about half the songs/arrangements. The sound I can live with, though I think Brian Wilson 88 uses that eighties technology much more effectively. This and KTSA are probably two of the worst albums I own, but I don't hate them as much most of you do--the Stevie Wonder song is awesome, too.

It's gotten to the point where I like every song on this album. Carl's voice can turn any bad song into a good one.

Gave it another try last week. Still, there's only two tracks I like: "Where I Belong" and "Goin' On".

A "vocals only" version of this one would be nice to have.

I know they're on the same 2-fer. But Goin' On is definitely on Keepin' The Summer Alive...

:-[ Yep, shame on me.... Goes to show how much I love those two albums....  ;D

I gave it a 3.  It sound a bit to 80s-ish to me.  My favorite tracks are It's Gettin' Late, Where I Belong and Getcha Back.

I think they could've had a halfway decent album on their hands with some different songs. I was thinking a tracklisting like this (or something similar):

Chasin' The Sky
She Believes In Love Again
It's Gettin' Late
City Blues
Male Ego
Getcha Back
I'm So Lonely
It's Just A Matter Of Time
Oh Lord
Where I Belong
Love Remember Me
Wild Situation

I really wish they would release an eighties collection that puts all the new songs on Still Cruisin' plus the non-album singles of the era all together. Not that it's that great or anything....but it would be better listening than this album.

I'm probably listening to this record on much more of a regular basis than any other user on this board as to me it's such an interesting case of a failed attempt at updating their classic sound. It's too bad they called it a day in terms of making new albums right after this as they were just getting started. A bunch of great lead vocals (mostly by Carl) and three songs which I would consider top notch don't make a good album of course, but still I can see why Bruce Johnston would call this their best offering since Sunflower (though I wouldn't necessarily agree with that sentiment - Surf's Up was their best one since Sunflower...).

I would say all their albums since Sunflower were better than this one. Maybe he meant the albums he had worked(extensively) on? IN which case five of them are disqualified. But LA light and Keeping the Summer Alive and Surf's Up and Holland  are all better...though maybe Surf's UP is arguable due the uneven quality--is there another album in the universe that manages to hit such peaks and plunge into such lagoons of shittiness like Surf's UP does? Beach Boys is more or less evenly bad...
Or maybe because Beach Boys isn't the hodgpodge that the other albums are? Or maybe it sounded better twenty four years ago?
Or maybe he was just desperately trying to sell a few albums?

I can totally agree on what you wrote about the Surf's Up album. It's still one of my favorites however as it features quite a few contributions that might well be among the group's greatest ever songs and furthermore the whole story about the record's genesis and Brian's role within the band around that time was what probably first got me deeply intrigued with the Beach Boys and the numerous myths surrounding the group.

Bruce Johnston obviously had a lot to do with the making of BB85, most notably (as I understand it) suggesting Steve Levine as producer after having met him before while working with British (?) group Sailor. Therein lies a great mystery however, as I frankly don't see why the Beach Boys would allow BJ to decide on the group's artistic direction after the commercial failure of both the Light Album and KTSA.

Oh, God, yes, it's one of my favorites too, definitely. Five stone-cold Beach Boy Classics. I don't think I would be nearly the Beach Boys fan I am without those songs.
 I was just trying to find some justification for Johnston saying it was the best one [that he had worked on] since Sunflower.

Did I say five? I meant six.
And to be honest, the other four aren't that bad, I even like SDT. But the peaks are high and lows significantly lower, so in that sense maybe it's a deeply flawed album.

For anyone who cares: Rocketship Records in Silverlake CA has a whole bin of "Getcha Back/Male Ego" 45s in the original picture cover for $1.99 each!

And no, I don't work for them!

Okay, so I listened to this album as a whole for the first time. Not horrible, not great.

The one thing that struck me was "It's Just a Matter of Time." Something was weird. I had heard that song before. I had to listen a couple more times and then it hit me. It's Brian channeling "This Boy" by the Beatles. The bass line, the vocal arrangement, etc.

GREAT CALL!

I never thought of it that way, I like that though!

Wow, yeah I never noticed that! But then again, I don't listen to early Beatles or late Beach Boys too often.

It's really a shame that the production is so terrible. This really tries to be a good album. The songs are decent...some of them. Getcha Back is a good song with nice harmonies, especially from Brian. Brian's bit at the end is great. Mike's vocal strains a little. It's Getting Late is a really good song. It's one of my favorites. Where I Belong is one of Carl's greatest songs. She Believes In Love Again is a great song. I think it's Bruce's best. The production is just a little bit to processed though. California Calling MIGHT have been decent  had it been recorded about 10 years earlier.  Now it's just...degrading. Al's faux enthusiasm is annoying and quite frankly pisses me off. It's Just A Matter of Time has terrible lyrics, but it's a decent song. It's a fun little doo wop style song.  Male Ego kicks about 5 kinds of ass. ;D To paraphrase somebody talking about the last few films Laurel and Hardy made,and to turn it into a Beach Boys reference: All in all, I think we should pat the boys on the back for one last noble group effort and go on to more important things, like Pet Sounds.

I don't know what's wrong with me, but I've been thinking "California Calling" might be genius... :o

The album is pretty bad but boy does Getcha Back sound great on vinyl. Huge sound.

Listening to it for the first time now (just got back from Half price Books 20% off sale, scored BW88 again, my copy skips).

Much better than I feared, a couple of keepers on it. Hate the drums /synths too. The vocals seem stronger than I would have guessed. Now to get KTSA...

 :lol Your profile pic made me bust out laughing!

i have very mixed feelings about this album. as a younger fan it's a lot easier for me to stomach levine's production -- this is the version of the BBs that was crammed down my throat as a kid, so the twinge of nostalgia makes it go down pretty smooth. as a collection of songs, it's on the same mixed-to-poor scale as the last couple of albums, with the predictable carl highlights ("it's gettin' late" is a JAM, such a great vocal) and a great brian-assisted throwback single in "getcha back". the tracks on the lower end of the spectrum are so hilariously ill-conceived that no one could have produced them except... well, the beach boys in 1985. i'm talking "california calling." "crack at your love" probably falls into this category but jardine singing over that production is just so Gosh Darn hilarious that it's worth it for me as a novelty alone. hearing brian sing "i'm so lonely" and realizing that's the best original cut he could come up with for the album is pretty depressing -- decent melody but it's just such a charmless, flat retread of the whole "love you" naivete.

all in all, pretty much par for the course for the post-rieley BBs, but more divisive than it really should be because of the production. 2 1/2, rounded up to a 3 for nostalgia's sake.

Very odd album with a weird mix of 1980s production and The Beach Boys.

I am drawn to this album for reasons I don't quite understand. The good tracks are just fine, fine, soft rock. The worst.... well. She Believes In Love Again is absolutely dire. Poor Bruce, he'd be the greatest asset the Beach Boys had since Brian stepped back if he wasn't so soft. His songs are utterly destroyed by the cheese factor, but he's a musical powerhouse.

Carl rocks the f*ck out of this record, though. His last good leads, imo.

Oh, and it doesn't count, but MALE EGO. What a jam that song is, that beat is f*cking killer.

I love Male Ego. Simple, basic and primitive, especially compared to the rest of the album. Love Brian and Carl's vocals on it.

2. It sounds like Boy George.

1.    "Getcha Back"  
2.    "It's Gettin' Late"      
3.    "Crack at Your Love"  
4.    "Maybe I Don't Know"      
5.    "She Believes in Love Again"      
6.    "California Calling"      
7.    "Passing Friend"      
8.    "I'm So Lonely"      
9.    "Where I Belong"  
10.    "I Do Love You"      
11.    "It's Just a Matter of Time"  
12.    "Male Ego"  
Seriously, take out those 4 songs and give it a listen. Of course it has some 80's flare it is BB85! Every band, group or act was tainted by the 80's sound/fashion in a way. The songs are catchy and listenable if you can get use to the production. 3.5/5 but I'll round it up to 4/5.  :wink

Man, Am I glad that I don't have your taste. ;)

I tried this one again today on Spotify. There is about half a decent album here. Minus the production - here are the songs I liked enough not to skip and play all the way through:

Getcha Back (of course, I already knew and liked this one).
Crack At Your Love
California Calling
Passing Friend
I'm So Lonely (wouldn't sound too out of place on BW88)
I Do Love You

Funny, until today I do not remember anybody really liking Passing Friend. Here we get two. Everytime I hear it I imagine Boy George with Carl's face and beard. ;)

Mate, there's only four decent songs on the album and you've taken out two of them!!

I don't get the hate for Passing Friend. It's not great, but it's not the piece of sh*t everyone thinks it is. I'll say that I like it more than I'm So Lonely.

If I play the album in full I don't bypass it, but then again I don't go out of my play it on it's own either. My least favorite track beside this one is California Calling. Probably their worst try at recapturing their past glory.

Beneath the terrible production, there is some material I kind of enjoy. 'Getcha Back', 'It's Gettin' Late' and 'Where I Belong' are good songs to me, and I even enjoy 'She Believes In Love Again'.

An improvement over 'Keepin' The Summer Alive' and definitely better than the other 80's and 90's albums, but weaker than anything from the 70's. 3.

And you as well. Maybe I smoke too much reefer but I honestly think this album is not as bad as everyone makes it out to be! Passing Friend is good for the era, so much better than most of the crocks of sh*t coming out in '85.

I like 'Where I Belong' alot, I think its a very fine 80's song.

I like 'Male Ego' for some reason the lyrics cry out that its Brian. Like a 80's production of Love You/Adult Child, am I a bad person now?
What do people think about this song? is it bad? good?
The lyrics speak truth though, so much truth.

I think people around here like it more than I do. For me, it's somewhere in the "decent" zone. Not as bad as 'Maybe I Don't Know' or 'Passing Friend', but definitely not a highlight. It's a take it or leave it.

I've never liked Brian's voice. He sounds like shouting. I get that the lyrics are funny in some way, but that's not enough, IMO.

I wouldn't call it brilliant, but it screams "Brian" to me in a way that not one of the actual BB '85 album tracks really does. I remember being surprised, having obtained it via the "Getcha Back" 45 and then listening to the album itself, that it didn't make the original album lineup.

Funny how some things don't age well. At the time, CC was one of my favs on the album. Now it just seems dated, even if it is the least 80's production on the album.

Never heard the entire album but head enough to make a partial review. The main problem with the album is the production. It's too 80s slick. That was my major problem. It's also lackluster, which is why I never really bothered to seek out the entire album. There are however, some decent songs. Getcha Back although it would sound way better without the slick production, It's Getting Late has a killer Carl vocal, Crack at Your Love has a great Al vocal, Male Ego for Brian, and She Believes in Love Again is also a good track. My major problem with the production is the use of electronic drums. The sound of them is just jarring to my ears and I found them annoying. Dennis is sorely missed here, had he been alive I believe the outcome might be different.

I've just given the KTSA/TTB two-fer another chance.  I don't know why...but I have their entire catalog and then some on my iPod so I thought what the heck.  The Beach Boys has it's moments...but it's such a relic of its time.  Way too electronic.  Mike's vocal on Getcha Back makes me cringe.  The music has no soul...it sounds like it was created by robots and the band just sang on top of it (oh wait, that's basically what happened)!  I guess all you can say is that it was an attempt to stay "hip" though I'd say that by 1985...Levine and his sound were already a bit past their freshness date.  He gets a lot of props for his work with the Culture Club...but they were essentially through after 1984's bad "Waking Up With the House On Fire".  Brian doesn't sound like he's all that happy to be there...but then again he was in the middle of the Doctor Eugene Landy Twilight Zone...so who knows what was going on.  They tried...they succeeded in a few halfway decent songs...but nothing you want to think too deeply about.  Still...it contains nothing as bad as "Livin' With A Heartache" which sounds like a Kenny Rogers/Alabama reject!

The thing I like about this album, the more I listen to it, is the strange collision between Levine's and Brian/The Beach Boys' styles of production, best demonstrated by Getcha Back. You can feel the Brian coming out of that - the percussion hit on the 4, the block harmonies, bari saxes doing THAT line, strategic doubling of Mike  - versus all the eighties 'modern' techniques. "You want echo on the snare" turns into it becoming a gated monstrosity, the harmonies are precise to the point as not human, looping BW's falsetto, terrible effects on Mike...

It's such an anachronism, because you can feel that Carl really embraced it and unleashed some Prince-ian tight processed whiteboy soul (It's Gettin Late being the prime example) and Bruce just did powerballads. And then you have BW's doo-wop "Gene says I should put my good songs on my solo album, so I'm going to rewrite X" and Al and Mike being, well, Al and Mike. SoCal goofs.


It's such a weird album in it's mediocrity.

Weird how so much synth and sax can hurt an album but yet it can help an album like Love You

I just listened to California Calling in my car and it sounded great, I really enjoyed it. I kinda wished this type of instrumentation and production would have been used on this album instead of the latter that used all over the album.

BTW, why so much hate for Male Ego?

There's something terribly wrong with me. I bought the twofer about a month ago, mainly so I could have KTSA. KTSA has better production values by a long shot, but I kept coming back to BB85, and I really, really like it now. I know I should be repulsed by the synths, sterile vocal sound, and everything else, but I just end up enjoying the album despite all of that. I think Passing Friend is a fantastic track - Carl rips into the vocal and tears it a new one. Crack At Your Love is so damn catchy, the backing track is so awful that it's awfully good, and Al's vocal is impassioned. I Do Love You is overlong, but it's full of twists and turns vocally - very melodic stuff. There isn't a song I dislike on this album now, although It's Just A Matter of Time doesn't hit the spot for me.

I'm with you, man. It's nowhere near as bad as people make out. It's certainly not in the MIU/KTSA/SIP league of awfulness that's for sure. There's terrific songs on there to discover amidst the poor tracks and the dated production: It's Gettin' Late, Where I Belong, I Do Love You, Male Ego - these are all strong songs, especially Where I Belong, which to me is a BB classic!

It took me way too long to give BB85 a real chance...but it's not a bad LP...if you can look beyond the somewhat dated production.  I think they're in really fine voice.  Carl especially kicks major butt on this LP. 

the vinyl experience of this album is what turned me on to the album. I had always heard here on the board that the vinyl sounds a bit "ballsier" and the folks who said that were right! Take a listen to it on there and see what I mean. It makes me appreciate the album that much more.

I've got a copy that I bought used...looks like it's been played once.  I'll give it a spin tonight!

You are correct.  I had a chance to listen to the original CBS vinyl and it sounded great.  For way too long I've been dismissive of this LP...but I gave it another chance following a discussion on this forum and it really is not a bad record.  If you can get past the 80's production you'll find some good songs and some impressive singing.  Carl, in particular, kicks butt on this LP.  I love his vocal on "It's Getting Late".  Bruce's lead on "She Believes In Love Again" has a somewhat grittier tone than normal and it sounds good.  I've actually found myself spinning this LP on my iPod in the car on a regular basis these past couple of weeks.  It sounds great turned up loud and played with the windows down on a hot day.  An overlooked effort.

I heard quite a lot about this album prior to picking up the KTSA/BB85 two-fer in 2000. Much of what I read was dismissive. Until I bought the CD, all I'd ever heard from the album was 'Getcha Back' which I loathed (still do), so I was worried.

Well, this album is not quite as bad as I figured it would have been. I like, I guess a bit in a guilty pleasure way, 'It's Gettin' Late' (Carl can sing just about ANY song and turn it from garbage to more than listenable), 'Maybe I Don't Know', 'I'm So Lonely' (seriously!), 'Where I Belong' and the great doo-wop vibe of 'It's Just A Matter of Time'. Everything else on the album sucks in my opinion and should be avoided at all costs.

Carl Wilson is almost the only reason to listen to a lot of post-Love You BBs albums.

Someone once said that Carl could sing the phonebook and it'd be great.


BTW, no love for Male Ego?
It's always been a highlight for me.

I just can't get into 'Male Ego'. I like it a bit better than the dreadful 'California Calling' and the pitiful 'Getcha Back', but I still don't like it very much.

I agree re Getcha Back. There is just NOTHING TO IT. The chorus sounds like a particuarly uninspiring bridge leading up to an actual chorus that never arrives. It's so flimsy and lightweight. It definately deserves to be ranked alongside the weaker material on the album, not the good stuff.

Yes a pleasant album overall. Chill out people!

Mark Dillon's book let me see this LP in a different light.  I kind of wrote it off for years...dismissing it as too "digital" too "80's" sounding.  However...when you consider the fact that it WAS recorded in the mid-80's...and when you can look past that...you'll find a good record.  The songs are fairly strong throughout.  The singing is great (Carl really shines throughout)...and the harmonies are excellent.  I've found myself listening to this on my iPod on a regular basis.  It's a really, really catchy recording.  If you haven't given it a real listening in awhile...do yourself the favor of taking time to do it.

Getcha Back is one of the best produced vocal sounds ever, the backing vocals at least

Yeah, but Mikes vocal is, erm, questionable :lol

Listening again, I always want to break into the chorus of 'Getcha Back' in Crack At Your Love', but the logical chorus would then be 'Getcha Crack', and, well, yeah...

UGH.

Just bought this album....Okay, call me crazy, but I mostly love the production on this album - the 80s synths are great, I love the reverb heavy drums (I'm a huge fan of Genesis' 'Invisible Touch' - so the production is far from offensive to me).

The songwriting is absolute crap. I mean, all of these songs (besides Getcha Back, Male Ego) have the potential to have great hooks, but they're just not there.

Getcha Back, Crack At Your Love, Maybe I Don't Know, I'm So Lonely, and Male Ego are the only good songs on here. And calling them "good" is a stretch.

Let it grow, brother.
On first listen I liked about half of it, now it's one of my five favorite Beach Boys albums.
The only song I don't think is great on this album is "It's Just A Matter of Time". Never really picks up.
Male Ego is a terrible, terrible song, but it's so bad that it's hilarious - Brian sounds like an old perv looking for chicks at a mall. Can't help but SMiLE every time he utters the phrase "tasty ladies".
Another so-bad-it's-actually-good one is I'm So Lonely. Really Really So Lonely.

Passing Friend is probably my favorite thing on the album. I love Carl's vocal and the playfulness of the vocal melody.

I actually bought it partially because of your high praise a month or two back! I remembered you saying how much you liked the sound of it or something, and I LOVE that 80s sound, but I just can't see any 'replay' value in a lot of these songs.

I will keep listening to it though - I really try to like everything they release!

That "tasty" bit in Male Ego made me laugh too :lol I love the chord changes in that song.

Have you heard 'Bop Bop on the Beach'? By Jan and Dean and the Flirts (I think) - co-written with Mike Love and a couple others. It sounds like it would go perfect with this album to my ears.

i dig it's just a matter of time and carls songs. they have more life than the rest of that 80s trash. period

I must say that between 1979 and 2012, there was only one great Beach Boys album. This is it. Extremely underrated.

Getcha Back should have been a much bigger success, certainly far better than Kokomo. Brian's backing still impresses me, considering how i though he had already destroyed his voice.

It's Gettin' Late and Crack At Your Love are both great songs as well. Maybe I Don't Know is my favourite track from this album. She Believes In Love Again is another gem.

It's safe to say that Carl Wilson is the reason why this album is so good, as well as Steve Levine. I actually enjoy the 80's production, i know some people don't, but personally i really like it.

California Calling is the first clunker. It sucks. I know Ringo Starr drums on this, but it's still crap. Passing Friend is a lot better, but sort-of forgettable. I'm So Lonely is the best Brian track on this album, although it's still not as good as Carl's and Bruce's tracks.

Where I Belong is slightly overrated, but still great. I Do Love You took a while to grow on me, now it's a favourite!

The album goes downhill after that, It's Just A Matter Of Time and Male Ego is quite bad, and forgettable.

4/5. A must-check for any Beach Boys fan, and if there is a second batch of remasters, this should be one of them

Over the years I've come to enjoy it quite a bit.

Highlights: "Getcha Back", "Crack At Your Love" & "Where I Belong".


Rest is so-so. Solid 2/5 (if Pet Sounds is 5/5), overall.

In May 1985 I was 16 and heard Getcha Back on the radio which caused me to go buy this album. I found the album inoffensive enough (I already liked Getcha Back, liked Carl's songs) that I went back the next day and bought "All Summer Long" and my life hasn't been the same since. Needless to say, I kind of have a soft spot for Beach Boys 85

Guys, I really LOVE this album. It satisfies me as much as Sunflower, Pet Sounds, and Friends...and on some days it is the Beach Boys album
that satisfies me the most. Yes, I know what corncob a lot of people have shoved sideways up their arse about this album and it's production but I'm a child of the 80s (I was 15 when this album was released) so I'm a lot more sympathetic to its production than most people here. I love the layers of production and the tunefulness of the album. I liked "Getcha Back" well enough in 1985 but I went absolutely ape-sheet over "She Believes In Love Again" when I first heard it on the radio in early 1986 when I was about to turn 16 and absolutely in love with a girl named Becki in school. The "oooo-OOOO-ooo" background vocals in the chorus of that song emotionally affects me as the background ooo's on "I Can Hear Music".

I didn't hear the rest of the album until I bought the 2-fer in late 2001 and, except for "California Calling" (which embarrasses me and "Crack At Your Love" which doesn't do a lot for me though I don't necessarily dislike it, I love the rest of the album.

I love the hypnotic sway of the layered harmony vocals on "It's Gettin' Late" and Carl's vocal, as always, is very soulful.

"Maybe I Don't Know" has a rhythm and chord changes with the rhythm that makes me think of a heartfelt, soul-searching walk in the rain. This one kind of makes me think of a cross between 80s Chicago and Kenny Loggins. The obviously synthesized background vocal sound that appears from 1:26 to 1:35 on the 2-fer is one of the most atmospheric goosebump inducing sounds I've ever heard. I love everything about this track.

"Passing Friend" is just a good, solid tuneful pop song to me. A Culture Club track with the Boys' vocals on top of it is what it is to me...and I like a lot of Culture Club songs.

The child-like innocence melody of the part in "I'm So Lonely" has been known to move me to tears thinking of the carefree days of my childhood and what it represents to me....though I will say Brian sounds extremely drunk during the verses.

The Stevie Wonder song "I Do Love You" is yet another highlight for me. The unique scales in the chorus is obviously pure-Stevie and, as usual, I love how Carl delivers it.

"Where I Belong" is probably my all-time favorite Carl lead. I find this track so emotional. Very spiritual, this one is.

Well, okay, I forgot "It's Just A Matter of Time" striking me as very slight...but I love it compared to "California Calling".

And I find "Male Ego" to be a complete joy. Makes me smile from ear to ear when I hear it.

I'm going to give this album a 4. The tracks I don't get much into kept me from giving it a 5.....but I was tempted to go ahead and give it a 5 because the tracks I love  actually makes up for the few I don't care for.

I'm taking this CD to work with me tomorrow. I played Friends,20/20, Sunflower, Surf's Up, So Tough, Holland, and In Concert ('73 album) today at work. :)

Smelly Smell, I like a lot of what you've just said. To my dying day I will defend this album with a passion. I think it's a travesty that Where I Belong was left off MIC - it's the greatest song they've released since Baby Blue (and that's including anything on TWGMTR - and I like TWGMTR).

We are on the same boat then, as I will always defend this criminally underrated and under-appreciated album!  :)

I was just a few years into my BB's obsession when this album came out, so it was the first one I got to hear as a new release, so I defend it, too. I don't think it's one of their best, but to my ears anyway, it's leagues better than anything else they had put out since the mid-70's resurgence.

So underrated that makes me almost cry. Highlights bolded. I rated it 4/5.

Getcha Back 4/5
It's Gettin' Late 3.5/5 It's missing something... But the vocals are awesome.   
Crack at Your Love 4/5
Maybe I Don't Know 3/5
She Believes in Love Again 4/5   
California Calling 2.5/5
Passing Friend 4/5 I dig this a lot.
I'm So Lonely 3.5/5
Where I Belong 3/5
I Do Love You 3/5
It's Just a Matter of Time 3/5

Male Ego 4/5
What's the thing with Male Ego, is it officially a part of the album or not? It's missing from my vinyl copy. Anyway, it's awesome song.

Feel the same way. Glad you agree. Maybe I Don't Know should have been rated higher though

Well I like Maybe I Don't Know, but for me that and the last few songs of the album just sound too much the same.

Where I Belong is propably my favorite of the album right now. I'd give it 4.5/5 right now. It should be longer though. I love the melody, lyrics and all the instruments in it. It's very simple and not as over-80's-producted as many other song on the album.

I disagree that it should be longer. Don't get me wrong, I find myself longing for that gorgeous chorus to do the rounds just one more time, but that's part of it's brilliance - it leaves you wanting more. As such it's one of those songs that I can just listen to over and over again, such as All I Wanna Do and Don't Worry Baby and Lady.

It leaves me baffled that anyone could rate anything else on the album above this song - there's just so much power in that chorus, it gets me every single time! Incredible tune - not a month goes by that I don't play it. I really want it to be the song at my upcoming wedding, but my Audrey Hepburn-obsessed missus is insisting on Moon River.

Was the flip to Getcha Back, or original CD bonus track.

3//5 I like this lp but the production bothers me and the 3 BW songs are weak.. I like " Im So Lonely " the best.. The CW songs are great and Bruce"s song is cool also.. Getcha Back is fine + Al"s songs are tryin to sound like the old days + sound forced to me.  The rest are fair.. The vocals are very good but the material + production hurt the promise of this lp.. This is Adult BB music with Mixed results.. This is looking for a hit instead of artistic. Needs decent BW songs + some DENNIS..

But Dennis was dead. I think pulling one of his songs out of the vaults and adding the '80's production to it would've been pretty disrespectful (certainly in hindsight), whereas including one of his songs from the vaults without the '80's production would've left it sticking out like a sore thumb.

Excellent post and welcome to the forum, Smelly Smell. I really do respect your feelings towards the album and the way that you expressed them, even though I think 'Beach Boys' is easily one of the worst records I own (and I don't know what the hell was I smoking when I gave it a 3). Aside from 'Where I Belong', I feel that every track gets worse with each new listen.

It has become one of my favourite BBs albums. Highlights: GB, IGL, CAYL(♡) & WIB.

I'm sure I've posted this in here before, but too lazy at the moment to look... but this album is really very good.  Its only issue (aside from the sadness of Dennis' recent death hanging over it) is its dated sound quality -- which unfortunately SMACKS you in the face.  And that's really the story.  The 80's sound quality is enough to keep the album from ever being fully appreciated and properly critiqued by many/most fans.

They really tried on this one.  It's not often that the Brian Wilson songs are NOT the reason to buy a Beach Boys album, but that maybe the case with this one.  I'm sure Dennis' death rocked their world and woke them up.  They were getting older and all that.  So I think they really got serious about this effort.  The eponymous title suggesting this as well. 

I think they were taking stock of their contribution to the music world, and weren't taking this one lightly.  As a result, the songs are all very good, sung emotionally and produced with great care and professionalism.  It's also the last time they appeared to "create something new" before they threw in the towel and became a recycled oldies product.

I have a fertile imagination, I suppose -- so I'm able hear the album without all the 80s-ism, if I try to.  But it does, as I said, sideline this otherwise fantastic effort.  Also, like others, I can do a 180 and totally enjoy the nostalgia of the time and relish in the 80s-ism of it all.  Still, I really wish someone was simultaneously recording this on their analog tape deck -- just in case something happened -- a safety copy.

So until that safety copy turns up, this album is going to remain somewhat of an old-ball, fringe delight.

Very well put.

My (slightly incoherent) first impressions:

"Getcha Back" - reminiscent of early Beach Boys; Mike's lead is a bit odd; production is a bit thin; pretty good

"It's Gettin Late"  - sounds like it cut into the song already happening; interesting intro; Nice Carl lead; not a bad song

"Crack at Your Love" - gee, that sounds dated; great Al lead; catchy melody; nice Brian cameo

"Maybe I Don't Know" - cheesy guitar parts, so very 80s; another catchy melody; the song is mixed pretty oddly; everything is sorta in the background without having anything in the front; indifferent about this.

"She Believes in Love Again" - very adult contemporary; sounds very average; it's pleasant, but inessential

"California Calling" - "Surfin' USA" with the production style of "Rock n Roll Music"; just an appeal to nostalgia; was surprised to see that Mike had no involvement with this

"Passing Friend" - why?, what's the point; it's not very good; eeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh; why is it so looooooooong, longest song ever; Seriously? 20 seconds of fade?

"I'm So Lonely" - seems promising; I enjoy this; begging for a different production

"Where I Belong" - this sounds stereotypical; nice harmonies on their part, though; nice and interesting beginning, kinda falls off

"I Do Love You" - not bad; good singing; pretty 80s; end is repetitive

"It's Just a Matter of Time" - better production, fuller; decent song, fine lead by Mike

"Male Ego" - here goes; I like the keyboards; nice backing harmonies; funny lyrics; decent production; fun song, sad when it began to fade

General comments: They had so many producers in the band. Why Steve Levine?     The production is pretty thin throughout.     A great deal of the harmonies are rather similar.

Songs are fine (apart from the covers), production is utterly drab - except for on Male Ego, which is my jam.

I honestly quite like the production on this album. It may be dated now, but it was right for it's time. Kudos to Steve Levine, he did a pretty good job!

As for your song reviews:

Getcha Back - Production is great, Mike's lead the only flaw, great song
It's Gettin' Late - Agreed with everything you said
Crack At Your Love - It's one of the more dated songs. So yeah, Agreed
Maybe I Don't Know - Disagree. Some of the guitar parts are tolerable, the solo is great. The mix helped make this in my opinion the best song off this album. 5 Stars!!!
She Believes In Love Again - Yeah, it's pretty Adult Contemporary. "Pleasent but Inessential"?! tsk tsk tsk... and you call yourself a Brupublican!
California Calling - Agreed, worst song off this album, hands down! Though Mike did sing lead on this
Passing Friend - Not one of the better tracks, but for the most part I totally agree
I'm So Lonely - Agreed. The Production could be better
Where I Belong - Agreed. Great Song, but not one of my favourites
I Do Love You - More than not bad. Beautiful! End may be repetitive, but I really enjoy it, just the same
It's Just A Matter Of Time - Disagree. To me it's Filler. Now this is repetitive!
Male Ego - Disagree. Filler, and should have remained a B-Side

I think at the time he was a hit producer for Culture Club and maybe were looking for a more 'commercial' sound.

I like 'I Do Love You' (would have fit on Stevie's In Square Circle album IMO) and really good vocal by Carl too. Getcha Back harks back to the classic Beach Boys sound and one of the best tracks on BB85.

This one may sound dated in terms of production, but it is very good at its core:

A1 Getcha Back  (5/5) 
A2 It's Gettin' Late    (4/5)
A3 Crack At Your Love    (4/5)
A4 Maybe I Don't Know    (3/5)
A5 She Believes In Love Again    (4/5)
B1 California Calling    (2/5)
B2 Passing Friend    (5/5)
B3 I'm So Lonely   (2/5)
B4 Where I Belong  (3/5) 
B5 I Do Love You    (4/5)
B6 It's Just A Matter Of Time (1/5)

I rate this one a high 2. 

Maybe that's harsh, but there's just not much to this one. 

The album kicks off in grand style with Getcha Back.  I love this track, and it's easily my favorite BB song of the 1980s.  I could do without Mike's overly nasal delivery, but you kinda get used to it.  Brian adds some good lead vocals. 

This is another one of those albums where the songs aren't horrible, but there's really not much memorable on here.  A far cry from the quality albums from 1962-73. 

It doesn't seem to be getting a lot of love, but I really like California Calling.  Maybe it's because it features live drums....from Ringo Starr filling in nicely for the recently departed Dennis.  Call it Surfin USA Part 2, or Do It Again Part 3, but I think it's a fun song. 

1 Getcha Back  (4/5) 
2 It's Gettin' Late  (4/5)
3 Crack At Your Love  (1/5)
4 Maybe I Don't Know  (1/5)
5 She Believes In Love Again (4/5)
6 California Calling (3/5)
7 Passing Friend  (0/5)
8 I'm So Lonely (1/5)
9 Where I Belong  (5/5) 
10 I Do Love You (0/5)
11 It's Just A Matter Of Time (2/5)
12 Male Ego (4/5)

A very mixed bag, I wonder what Lindsey Buckingham or the Gibb Brothers (who had both expressed willingness to work with the guys around this time) would have done with this kind of material? Still track #9 is very much a latter day highlight.
2.5/5 overall.

I have to admit I have a soft spot for Passing Friend, mostly because of how novel it is that the Beach Boys are doing a song written by Boy George and Culture Club guitarist Roy Hay. I also really like Carl's vocal performance.

(http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kFBfhVMg8jc/maxresdefault.jpg)

Been playing this album a lot, courtesy of the new Hi-Res download.  So many conflicting emotions/opinions for me.  On one hand, its a DREADFULLY engineered/recorded album.  Digital HORROR.  The background vocals especially, sound trapped in a low 8-bit prison.  It's scary.  Really scary to me.  The enhanced resolution SCARES me.

On the other hand, it's well put together.  The arrangements and all the rest sound well constructed.  It sounds like the most competent album they've put out since, geesh -- Pet Sounds and Sunflower?  By competent, I mean thought out and coherent.  But with that "competence" you get a lot of ...um (what's the opposite of "interesting?")


I gotta say, the new hi-res Download DESTROYS the 2000 CD.  And again with conflicting results.  The better mastering and higher resolution reveals all the ghoulish technology of the recording.  Yet, it also allows the sound to breathe (as if synthetic machines can actually breathe).  I am hearing this album in a whole new way -- and it's a bizarre trip.  It's spooky to me.  Like Michael Jackson Thriller spooky.



As for the tracks -- yet again, I find myself all over the map.  Loving a song one time, the next time finding it odd.  The songs I consistently love are Getcha Back, Maybe I Don't Know, I'm So Lonely and Male Ego.  Those are classic Beach Boy/Brian Wilson tracks that would fill out any favorites collection for me.

I don't find myself hating anything.  Much of the album, initially made me winch, yes -- hell yes.  But now, after all these years (and in much better hi-res sound) I'm enjoying everything from the clumsy California Calling, the Culture Club ambiguity of Passing Friend, to the Stevie Wonder blind-siding of I Do Love You.  I don't hate any of them.  They're extremely well executed and beautifully sung.  Carl Wilson, I'm looking at you!!

There's also the drenched-in-the-mid-80s-slime of It's Getting Late.  The odd and increasingly addictive Crack Of Your Love, I mean Crack AT Your Love.  And the fan-favorite and quite moving Where I Belong (which I like, but don't quite understand the gushing love for by some).  There's also the sappy/nightmarish 80's slow-dance-ballad She Believes In Love Again (which I would never play for anybody I wanted to impress!) and the decent doo-wop It's Just A Matter Of Time that is nice and easily forgettable.  All finely odd and oddly good.



Let's be real.  This is an album only a mother could love.  Or an insane fan (like myself -- and even many of us will want to vomit).  Save for Getcha Back -- which is a minor classic -- this is a stone-cold, awkward album for the Beach Boys.  Which is why I sort of LOVE it.  I do think I'm So Lonely is the gem though.  That's the diamond in the rough.  Listen to the background vocals, as the song fades.  Doo-doo.  Do-Dooooooo.  Gives me chills.

(http://www.televisionhits.com/factsoflife/anniversary/1985.jpg)(http://usercontent2.hubimg.com/8767687_f520.jpg)

Dooon't knoooow whyyyy weeee love to chase those tasty ladies!!

I spent my whole life drifting
Underneath the sun
I would have wanderer foreveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer
If your breeze hadn't come
You must be an angel

Love WHERE I BELONG.
I think Carl's voice really shines on this record, his vocal peak. He was a true master vocalist.

Where I Belong (5/5)
Getcha Back (5/5)

I'll admit this album is a guilty pleasure of mine, simply because I'm a sucker for 80's pop. I'd give it a 3/5 but it's more of a 1.5/5.

One thing I find odd about these 80' style productions is, well, take Getcha Back for example. It starts off with that huge drum sound, then BB voices...a little baritone sax...and that's about all I hear in terms of instrumentation. It feels like the drums are HUGE, the vocals are up front...and everything else is either absent, or mixed really low. I don't hear any guitar.

Bruce is always so sappy. Carl's vocal is great, but the song is ..well...okay. I've never been all that turned on about the Beach Boys covering Culture Club, either. Maybe if they had put more of their personal stamp on it, but it just sounds like Carl guesting on a Culture Club record. Crack also sounds like a Culture Club track. The rest of the album I like a lot. One that get better with every listen is the Stevie Wonder track, I Do Love You. Carl sings that wonderfully, and Al sounds good on his cameo vocal. Really a shame he didn't get more lead vocals. California Calling and It's A Matter of Time are the most natural sounding tracks, the former would have been a hit if they had released it as a single. I'm So Lonely is very simple for a Brian song,  but it works thanks to a good sax solo, and...well...it's Brian! But Carl is the definite star of this album. Any one of these songs would have fit in nicely on his solo records. The strength of his songs and vocals makes it that much sadder that he was basically silent on their remaining recordings, other than some strong vocals.

I love California Calling.  Maybe it's because its one of the few songs on the album that doesn't sound like a robot is playing drums (thanks Ringo). 

But, it's also a fun song. 

That's the most natural sounding song on the album. There must have been a lot of drummers heading for the unemployment line when the machines took over!

I'd agree with that.  It's a very fun song.

2 stars for Getcha Back, I'm So Lonely and Where I Belong. The rest is rubbish.

Man, sans a few songs I really like this album. Getcha Back, It's Getting Late, Where I Belong, Crack At Your Love, Maybe I Don't Know, Male Ego, all really good songs in my book. The dated 80s synths and cheese is actually a really strong point for me! I'm a huge fan of Tears for Fears and New Order especially, so the yamaha DX sounds drowning each song are very enjoyable for me. I never gave it a fair chance because I've always heard it's an awful album. And yeah, theres some songs here I don't really care for (looking at you California Calling and Passing Friend) but it's one of the more enjoyable post-Holland listening experiences I've had.

:afro