HELLO. Your old pal Muggins here. Lost my login and email a while back so I created a new account. Let's jam on brews, beats and buddies!

You've been away a long time, man. Three years? Welcome back! :=)

Today's song is Karen.

Fluff really. The Boys approach it with considerable gusto.

4.

[Alexander Nevsky]

Stuck in the trap was a rat snake! I got in touch with my sister who came over and helped open up the box. The snake's head was stuck in the glue. Working gingerly, trying to soothe the snake (it's okay snaky snaky, we're trying to help you; he wasn't buying that) we got virtually all the paper off, his eyes and mouth were clear, and he quickly slithered away.

Eek! That's amazing. Rat Snakes are non-venomous, I see, but they can be quite big!

Last night I finally got round to watching Alexander Nevsky. And quite an exhausting experience it was too. Eisenstein wasn't one for half-measures...   

Very sad. Another troubled soul. I hope he's at peace now.

Today's song is All Dressed Up for School.

I like it. It has a lot of things going for it, beginning with the opening "Louie Louie" riff. Great group harmonies, with some nice bass touches from Mike.

5.

It was "All I Wanna Do", sung and co-written by Mike, that made me fall in love with the Boys' music in 2003. 

Of course the long delay between releases and SS threw a wet blanket on everything as you mentioned.

One of the biggest and most absurd wet blankets was to release "Then I Kissed Her" as a 45...

[I worked in the record department of a UK store at the time and PS, Revolver and Blonde on Blonde were the three top sellers. PS had been given massive radio coverage (by the offshore pirate stations) and by then I'd heard "SJB", "GOK" "WIBN", "Here Today" and "Caroline, No". Even then, the album was regarded as a masterpiece in the UK. I'd bought it in early '67 by which time there was talk of Smile, which was to be a sort of a continuation of "GV". I was bewildered as much as anyone else when I bought SS later that year. It took several months before I came to terms with it and then actually got to like it!]

1) What was the reaction among your peers/fellow BB fans/general music fans to Pet Sounds, and then Smiley Smile as it happened?

I worked in the record department of a UK store at the time and PS, Revolver and Blonde on Blonde were the three top sellers. PS had been given massive radio coverage (by the offshore pirate stations) and by then I'd heard "SJB", "GOK" "WIBN", "Here Today" and "Caroline, No". Even then, the album was regarded as a masterpiece in the UK. I'd bought it in early '67 by which time there was talk of Smile, which was to be a sort of a continuation of "GV". I was bewildered as much as anyone else when I bought SS later that year. It took several months before I came to terms with it and then actually got to like it!   

2) What genre were the Boys considered to be in the 60s/early 70s?

I'd say they were always pop. Although until "GV" they were regarded as really pushing the envelope. But even after that, every new BB 45 was an event. Sunflower went unnoticed but Surf's Up might have been considered a foray into "progressive" music, mainly on the strength of side 2.   

3) Was the fandom of The BBs (in the late 60s) a different subculture than those were listening to stuff like the Stones and whatnot? Basically my question is, were BB fans more Hippies, or more "Square"? I ask given the Boys' image as a clean-cut, All-American group.

I don't know. I only really knew one other fan. I wouldn't put them in either camp. They seemed to defy those categories, in my experience.   

4) Was it hard to be a BB fan after 1967; if so, why?

Not for me, as I didn't mix with any particular musical crowd. I didn't mix, period.   

Why if some random nobody gets to here everybody chimes in to welcome them? But if it's banned at forum B poster - silence, nobody dares? Waaaaaay funny, ha! What's the big deal? Is everybody scared "ooh I don't want to be *that* poster who welcomed this infamous PS user FredGroman"? Who cares? Again, we must be apathetic toward other forums' bans. Apathy is key.

FredGroman is a troll. As AGD would say, "Do not feed."

Today we discuss the album The Beach Boys Today!

Definitely one of ten BB albums I'd take to the moon (or have in my padded cell, lol).

The utterly natural combination of a rockin' A-side and a ballady B-side work fantastically well.

All good stuff.

[Madvillainy]

Ha! After taking a long break from MF Doom, I discovered a full-album YouTube vid of Madvillainy.

Great stuff so far! I was bowled over to hear a snatch of "Sleeping In A Jar" from the Mothers' double album Uncle Meat (starts at 3:47)...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWY22Blwouc

The entirety of "It's Ok" - production, backing vocals, lead vocals, the mix. It's all around perfect.

Very cool avatar you got there, rab. 

Agreed about "It's O.K." For me it's their last great paean to summer.

Honestly though, the video is fun.

This. Although I must confess to having a little trouble with McGrath's face. But maybe he'd have trouble with mine.

Today's song is Bull Sessions with 'Big Daddy'.

Said it before, but all three talk tracks have something to redeem themselves. In this case, it's the question of how to follow "ITBOMM". You have to follow it with something, but not another ballad. An instrumental? Maybe. But "BSWBD" fits the bill splendidly. Don't knock it, enjoy it for what it is: a fascinating time capsule.

Fresh Kid Ice (aka The Chinaman) of 2 Live Crew died last Thursday, aged 53.

Their big hit, "Me So Horny", caused no end of a ruckus in 1989. I remember it well. I thought it had, well, balls...

This is the clean version, as the dirty version is pretty dirty!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4rLkMiQ9xM

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2_Live_Crew

RIP, Chris Wong Won.

Getting Dennis to sing "ITBOMM" was a masterstroke. Those last couple of sung lines! That string tag! The entire instrumentation is a work of genius.

But (big but)... how on earth do you follow this? Wait for the next exciting episode to find out!    

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3FxD-RU1UE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd-z5wBeFTU

Rest in peace, gentlemen...

of course, I just had to wake up

Usually a relief but occasionally a pain in the arse.

I dreamt years ago I was sitting in Dennis's car eating a sandwich. Then Marilyn climbed in and offered me the cigar she was smoking when the effin' alarm clock went off. 

Been listening to excerpts from this on YouTube while working. Highly recommended.



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_(Max_Richter_album)

Wow! You nailed it man, down to the handclaps. Mind you, I've yet to hear a cover by you that hasn't nailed it.

As for those 14 months----whatever it takes, Zach. It's always well worth the wait. :=)

Today's song is She Knows Me Too Well.

Surely the word heartbreaking was coined for this song. Brian's vocals in the chorus (and the fade) can't fail to melt even the hardest of hearts.

One fantastic ballad after another----what a side!

[1967: ST]

Listening to the longer version on 1967: ST with the instrumental track exposed, it's clear that there are two keyboards at work. That said, my attempt at a transcription done in February is as close as makes a difference. Though you might choose to make the following modifications:

In bar 10 you could best repeat that G ♭ chord on the fourth beat instead of the tremolando effect. In bar 11 you can hear quaver triplets alternating the B♭ and G at the top of the chord----that might mean simplifying the bass. There are other minor differences but I leave that to you, the player. Don't take my word for all this----please listen for yourself.     

In bar 4, that 's an E♭in the right hand (not a D♭)
In bar 5, the first note in the bass is a D♭ (not an E♭)
The wavy lines in the second system denote a tremolo-like alternation between the notes of those chords (a typically pianistic device)
In the fourth system, that's an A♭ on the second beat in the right hand (not a G♭)

You may want to play the bass an octave lower, as in the video, for greater effect.

Every single SmileySmiler should check out Jens Lekman's latest record 

Just did. I'm sure it's very good of its kind but it's not for me. Perhaps the words are too important. I did my best----sorry!

Murry selling the Sea of Tunes catalogue for peanuts beats anything in terms of cringeworthiness that the Boys ever did.

Yes, a five for me too. Stunning vocal work and a gorgeous backing track.

And how dare they tamper with Mike's flubbed double-tracked "wo (wo) baby" in the stereo version. Oddly, they left in the wrong "wo"!