Just watched Love and Mercy again for the first time since soon after it became available on disc.  This movie is one Brian calls a pretty accurate rendering of what really happened.

With that in mind it would lump Mikey right in there with Murry and Eugene.  3 blind idiots.  See how they ran Brian into a deep freekin' hole?  A pox on their contributions. 

Murry was a jealous wart.  Landy was lost in the clouds of illusion formed only for himself and that 'love' character was just a sniveling, whining little beeyatch.  Ya Brian plummeted...pushed over the edge and left to wallow by deaf, dumb and blind.

Is THAT enough "love" for ya?

But he could grow a heck of a beard, though, right?

2.5/5

I like some of the originals. Had to Phone Ya is quite lovely, and It's OK is catchy. Back Home just rocks, would've loved to hear the boys do this version of the song in the 60's/early 70's. That Same Song is corny, but I love the chorus with the gospel choir and shows that the group had at least some creative flair left. Susie Cincanitti is alright, too. I dislike Everyone's in Love with You and The TM Song. The covers are...a mixed bag. Rock 'N Roll Music has only been covered by uh, everyone, and the BB's version just doesn't add anything new to it, so it ends up sounding generic to me. Blueberry Hill and In the Still of the Night are also boring. Chapel of Love is decent, as I love that song in general, but Brian's hoarse vocals are really distracting here. His falsetto ad-libs during the song (yeah yeah yeah's, 'all the birds all sing') sound like someone making fun of Brian Wilson rather than Brian Wilson himself. At least it has some energy. Perhaps the only one I really like is Just Once in My Life, as it has a lot of emotion and the chorus is powerful. Also it's one of those songs that seems sad to me when I think about what Brian and the boys were going through in the 70's and 80's. It sounds like the type of song you sing when you're saying goodbye to someone, or something, like the world is about to change but not really for the better. Not a bad album, but hugely disappointing considering what the band was doing just a few years earlier.

I've listened to quite a bit of of Paul's solo stuff over the years, but there's so much of it that I haven't heard or barely heard (mostly his 80's work and beyond). And The Beatles are my favorite band (Beach Boys are 2nd), so naturally I'd be interested in his solo career. One of the first albums I loved was his Back in the US tour CD from 2002, he sang a mix of solo and Beatles songs and it actually introduced me to The Beatles music as well.

So far, for me:

McCartney: Great debut. Yeah it's fragmentary, under-produced, and annoyingly unfinished at times (would've loved a full length version of The Lovely Linda or more lyrics to That Would Be Something). But that's part of the charm for me: even half-baked McCartney stuff was better than almost anything else out there. The melodies throughout are beautiful, and the fully realized tracks are breathtakingly brilliant (Maybe I'm Amazed, Junk, Every Night, Teddy Boy). Not to mention he plays all the instruments and does most of the vocals himself. Amazingly talented man.

Ram: Good, but not as memorable as McCartney for me. I love 'Heart of the Country', gorgeous vocals, and can't get enough of the crazy 'Monkberry Moon Delight'. 'Too Many People' rocks as well, but some of the rest is solid rock 'n roll but not his best.

Redrose Speedway: I enjoy 'My Love' but haven't heard too much of the album to have an opinion yet.

Wildlife: Quite good in a 'McCartney' way: under-developed, but still flashes of brilliance of everywhere. Only he can make songs called 'Bip-Bop' and 'Mumbo' work. The title track is nice, I like 'Love is Strange' and 'Dear Friend'. Not his best and I can see why a lot of people might not like it, but I do.

Band on the Run: My favorite album of his so far, the title track, 'Jet', 'Let Me Roll It', 'Helen Wheels' and one of is best overlooked gems, 'Bluebird, which is hauntingly beautiful. The lyrics are a little weak at times, but I can't criticize his melodic sense, or his singing and instrumental chops. Brilliant.

I've heard a lot of his other solo songs as well from say 'Back to the Egg', 'Venus and Mars' and 'McCartney II', plus his more recent stuff, but I want to listen to the actual albums again before I start forming my opinions. I think overall I enjoy Paul's solo career the most, but I think John at his best was even better. The thing is that Paul was more prolific, the guy has recorded music basically non-stop since like the late 50's. So naturally he has 'more' songs I like simply because he recorded more, but he also has 'more' songs that I don't like than John as a result as well. Hmm. I'll have to think about this. As for George, All Things Must Pass is brilliant, and I heard Living in the Material World but wasn't too impressed, which sorta turned me off to listening to anymore albums of his, but I'll have to give his other work a chance soon.

[love]

And yeah, I love David Ruffin's solo work. He was great with the Temptations, but his first 3 or 4 solo albums are mostly excellent. 'David', the album from which I got those songs, was released in 2004 after being in the vault for decades. Check it out: every song is a masterpiece, and it's one of the greatest albums I've ever heard (and I don't say things like that lightly).

Song I'm obsessing over today:

Queen: I'm Going Slightly Mad - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od6hY_50Dh0

Agree on both counts. Ruffin's My Whole World Ended is fabulous, too. I just love that album.

And the latter, while a lot of later Queen doesn't really stand out for me, that particular tune returns to my head all the time. I'm not a huge fan of the production--it was of the time, and the synth sounds and atmosphere of it aren't really my thing--but the song is just so good. The melody of the refrain is great, not really something you'd expect from a rock band, it reminds me more of a musical showtune (not that this is a rarity for Freddie's songs). Plus it's just funny. Freddie was so funny.

I think the music video gave me a greater appreciation for the song, especially knowing that Freddie was not well, and the video shoot was quite taxing on him.   Through all the pain and the knowledge that he was dying, he retained his humor.

That makes The Show Must Go On (closing track from the same Innuendo album) one of the most powerful in their entire catalog. 

the captain - I agree, My Whole World Ended is great too. Both that and 'David' are my favorite two albums of his. I also enjoy 'David Ruffin' from 1973 and 'Gentleman Ruffin' from 1980 (they sure loved putting his name in album titles). Yeah, the heavy synth production stuff I've never been a big fan of (with a few exceptions of course). I go back and fourth on Queen because they are technically one of my favorite bands, but I don't care for a surprising amount of their songs. I don't like their really early stuff too much, nor their 'mid-period' sound from 1980-1984 save for a few songs; but I absolutely love their late 70's and late 80's/early 90's work the most. I think it's unfortunate how a lot of their best work went basically ignored in the US, when it was very popular in a lot of other countries (reminds me of another band that we all know and love...)

KDS - Yes, I was going to mention that Freddie wrote the song because of how he was feeling. Allegedly he was suffering from dementia caused by AIDS, and thus he was going 'slightly mad'. The video and lyrics reflect this. So it is entertaining (he probably thought it was and his bandmates too from what I could glean from some behind the scenes footage), but tragic at the same time. Which could be said for the entire album 'Innuendo', that one has entranced me since I first heard it when I was 14. It's my favorite Queen album. I love 'The Show Must Go On' too, and 'These Are the Days Of Our Lives'. Not to mention the title track...dang, I'm gonna have to listen to it again.

Um which song am I obsessing over now? I'll go with a classic

"The Beach Boys - I'm Waiting for the Day"

Welcome, JL. Didn't hear the 2 songs you say.

Larry recently posted the famous band's (yet I didn't get chance to check them) song: https://ironleg.wordpress.com/2017/07/30/genesis-where-the-sour-turns-to-sweet/

3/5

Interesting.

And yeah, I love David Ruffin's solo work. He was great with the Temptations, but his first 3 or 4 solo albums are mostly excellent. 'David', the album from which I got those songs, was released in 2004 after being in the vault for decades. Check it out: every song is a masterpiece, and it's one of the greatest albums I've ever heard (and I don't say things like that lightly).

Song I'm obsessing over today:

Queen: I'm Going Slightly Mad - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Od6hY_50Dh0

David Ruffin - I've Got a Need For You

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6462RXQudTY

Also his version of A Rainy Night In Georgia from the same album:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-xm1EYyp6g

Can't get enough!

^ Dang, that is prominent. Stamos looks good for his age, too. I like the guy, I honestly don't have a strong opinion about him either way. I do find his association with Mike Love's Beach Boys to be sorta funny, though.

I've always felt like this album was always a mish-mash of songs that were all over the place stylistically. But given how it was their last album before they left Capitol, I guess I'm not surprised. Anyway, Cotton Fields and Bluebirds Over the Mountain are so-so for me, but I don't really like any versions of those songs that much. They're nice, but nothing too impressive. Better is I Can Hear Music, with great production and vocals from Carl, plus a breathtaking acapella section towards the end. Time To Get Alone is lovely, as is I Went To Sleep, so Brian's contributions are excellent as usual. Then of course there's Our Prayer and Cabin Essence, both Smile tracks, which don't really fit in with the rest of the album, but are such strong tracks they're still more than worthy additions to the track listing. I don't care for the Dennis songs this time around, either, but it's good to see him continue to try and improve his songwriting abilities. It's a bit of a mess with all the different variety of songs (but on the plus side, you could argue that there's something for everyone), and not all of them are up to par, but it still manages to be a pretty good outing.

3.5/5

Superb album, and one of the best albums to come out in the 60's. I really like the first side, Dance, Dance, Dance, When I Grow Up to Be a Man, Do You Wanna Dance and even the album version of Help Me Ronda are all classic. Some of the songs I don't care for as much, but they're still really well done. The production was taking a big step forward and it's apparent even with these songs. The second half of the album is absolutely amazing, obviously, and it's hard for me to pick my favorite. She Knows Me Too Well, might be it though, those vocals from Brian, especially on the fade are heartbreakingly beautiful, but then, so is Please Let Me Wonder and Kiss Me Baby. I'm So Young you could say is a bit on the corny side, but I still love it anyway, and Dennis does well on In the Back of My Mind. If only Bull Sessions was replaced with something else, or Help Me Ronda with the later, better version, this would've been even better. Still hard to complain about anything though.

5/5

Don't Go Near The Water: Catchy, and I love the ending (reminds me of Little Pad from Smiley Smile and that era of the group in general), but I can't help but find it a little...unintentionally funny. The lyrics are a bit too simple to be effective, and when Al Jardine comes in singing so passionately about toothpaste, soap and ocean bubble baths, it makes me chuckle. But I guess it's charming, in a way.

Long Promised Road: Beautiful, but this time the lyrics are a bit too cryptic. I like "So hard to answer future's riddle when ahead is seeming so far behind/So hard to laugh a childlike giggle when the tears start to torture my mind", but "So hard to lift the jeweled scepter/When the weight turns a smile to a frown/So hard to drink of passion nectar/When the taste of life's holding me down...not so much. Carl's voice is great though and the bridge is a highlight of the album.

Take A Load Off Your Feet: Pretty weird, but pretty neat.

Disney Girls: I think it's gorgeous, but syrupy, lovely but overproduced at times. I actually like how this sounds with just piano. Next to Deirdre this is my favorite Bruce song.

STD: Not my cup of tea, but not bad. It is loud and dated as noted before, but entertaining nonetheless.

Feel Flows: Like Long Promised Road, the lyrics here are cryptic and confusing, but I actually like them, they give the song a sci-fi type of feeling. The solo in the middle of the song goes on too long, but overall I love the structure of the song and the vocals are perfect.

Lookin' At Tomorrow: A quieter, sad song. Not my favorite on the album, but I enjoy the line "I've been laying on my back/Like a freight train off a track". Pretty good stuff from Al.

A Day In The Life Of A Tree: I've heard that some people hate this song, and others love it. I'm on the "love" side, but the lead vocal from Jack Reilly can be painful to listen to. That's what's supposed to add to the song though, I suppose. The lyrics and overall concept are brilliant.

Til' I Die: Haunting, brilliant, amazing. What else can I say that hasn't already been said? I also enjoy the Stephen Desper mix of this song, maybe even more than the original.

Surf's Up: See above. Leave it to Brian to steal the show with the last 3 songs on an already fairly strong album while he was going through some issues. Carl's lead vocals work just fine in the first half, but I think this is a song that is just meant for Brian's voice, and when he takes over the song just goes to another level. His delivery is warm but haunting. Like Disney Girls, I love the piano only demo of this song with Brian. Maybe the boys didn't 'have' to dig up this song and name the album after it, but I'm sure glad that they did.

Overall, I'd give Surf's Up a 4/5.

I like this one a lot, one of my favorite BB albums. It's full of beautiful, tuneful songs that are worth listening to over and over again. Add Some Music to Your Day is awesome with it's shared lead vocals from the group (I wish they had done that more often), Forever is Dennis' big moment, but other songs are highlights as well. Our Sweet Love is very nice and I can't get enough of Carl's tender vocals; Deirdre is probably my favorite Bruce song, and Cool, Cool Water is a great vocal experiment that's catchy as heck. Shout out to Slip on Through for being another solid contribution from Dennis. Some of the material is a bit too cheesy, the songs aren't as strong or substantive as on Pet Sounds and it's obviously not as wild as Smile. But Sunflower can stack up against virtually any other BB album. This, Surf's Up and Holland are their strongest albums of the 70's in my view.

4.5/5

Exactly, well said Wirestone. Songs like Wendy with the cough left in come to mind.

Yeah. In Be Here in the Morning, I think him or somebody says "Alright then" in the background. I like those little mistakes.

When Murry crashed the party during Help Me Rhonda, I think I remember Brian loses it for a second and goes "Oh *bleep*" and I hear a noise. Other than that I think he handled the situation pretty calmly. lol

I think Brian was probably overall really cool, patient and fascinating to work with in the studio, but no doubt when he wanted a very particular sound or something else (like in Carol Kaye's story above) he could be pretty annoying, honestly. I imagine most geniuses are like that sometimes, though, probably even the studio musicians themselves. In the end he and everyone else are just trying to make the best record possible.

I like this one a lot. Let the Wind Blow, Darlin', Wild Honey, Aren't You Glad, Here Comes the Night and I Was Made to Love Her are my favorite tracks. The latter because it just rocks, though the Stevie Wonder version is better. The thing is, and this may go against the grain, I feel that the other songs, like Country Air and I'd Love Just Once To See You are pretty but they could've been better. I still get the vibes of the stripped down, mellower brilliance of Smiley Smile, but also some of the same rushed, toss-off nature as well. Darlin' and Let the Wind Blow are two of my all time favorite BB songs, but the rest are either solid or just okay. Still good, but I prefer Friends. 3.5/5

Meant for you: Beautiful, peaceful little tune and a perfect introduction to the album.

Friends: Catchy, innocent, and I love the harmonies on this, as well as the drumming.

Wake the World: Not my favorite song on the album, but still good. Still, very pretty, oddly haunting at times.

Be Here in the Morning: One of my favorites on the album, such a beautiful melody, great group vocals. I especially like the harmony from Al at the beginning and very end ("Uuuhhhhaaahuuuhhh/It's been a such a long day.....") and everyone together with Murry on "Make my life full".

When A Man Needs A Woman: The first 40 seconds or so are wonderful, great vocals from Brian and a nice, bouncy melody (love how he sings "There's a baby/yes there's a baby/about to be booooorn"). I wish there had been more verses like that. The organ solo is cool, but the rest of the song feels a bit lacking.

Passing By - Lovely, wordless tune that I find myself humming a lot.

Anna Lee, The Healer: Beautiful chorus, I like how Brian or Carl say "You" on "You'd love to feel those healing hands" right before the rest jump in. It just adds a little more excitement, I guess. The verses are alright, mostly because of Mike's sensitive singing. The lyrics throughout are sorta silly, too.

Little Bird: One of my favorite Dennis songs, it's so weird, and beautiful, but sad. Good drumming also, and the bridge take it to another level (especially with Carl's voice).

Be Still: Not as good as Little Bird, but still a good step in the right direction for Dennis' songwriting abilities.

Busy Doin' Nothin': I love these laid back, tender lead vocals from Brian. The way he sings "What a hot sticky daaaaa-yeeee-aaayyy" is so neat. It's not of my top Brian tunes overall, but still really good.

Diamond Head: Nice, relaxing music. You can just picture a beach and beautiful water with the sunset in the background.

Transcendental Meditation: Huh.

Overall, I'd give the album a 4/5. Some of the songs are amazing, and the sound of the album is uniquely peaceful, but some of the tracks aren't very substantial and/or don't develop the way I would've liked. I rank it ahead of Wild Honey and Smiley Smile, but below Sunflower and Surf's Up.

I remember a while back there was a video of a concert circa 1977 where they were singing Airplane/Back Home. When they were done singing the first song Brian ran to the front of the stage and almost crashed into Mike. Then Mike and Brian start talking, and it looks like Mike's really ticked off, waving his arms around and yelling. I don't know if it was because of what Brian did or something else. Al Jardine is talking to the audience, saying things like "Alright, here's Brian, with a new song, we're getting ready here..." etc. Then the video shows Al's concerned face, zooms out to show Brian looking really angry when adjusting his microphone and then smacking it. His vocals on Back Home were very hoarse but I think he was straining his voice on purpose because he was angry. Then when the song is done he hands/shoves the bass to Mike, says something then walks off while Mike is left awkwardly trying to play a few notes on the bass, I guess to try and save face or something.

When I saw the video I thought it was very surreal, cringey, and sad, a far cry from the early days when they looked so happy performing. Looks like the clip disappeared though, so I can't post it.

Hi, I'm JL. I've been a Beach Boys fan for a long time, pretty much grew up on them since I was little (almost 22 now). Also an aspiring musician myself in singing/songwriting and piano playing. I've lurked here for a while but decided to join and post as well. My top five Beach Boys albums are Pet Sounds, Smile, Today, Sunflower, and I've been really into Friends lately but it's pretty much in a tie with All Summer Long/Summer Days/Holland/Wild Honey/Surf's Up. 

See you around!