| 680601 Posts in
27601 Topics by 4068
Members
- Latest Member: Dae Lims
| March 29, 2024, 07:01:41 AM |
| |
Show Posts
|
Pages: [1]
|
5
|
Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Your Top 10 Beach Boys songs! Explain.
|
on: May 16, 2012, 12:17:37 PM
|
Slip on Through – I think Dennis was at his vocal peak here—just enough wailing and rasp. It’s just a wonderful, exciting opener, and I think it’s aged better than Dennis’s other contributions to Sunflower (though all are wonderful).
‘Til I Die – It’s so beautiful and so gutting and so true, and it was written entirely by Brian. Anyone who’s been depressed or felt isolated can relate to this song all too well. The minute of chanting at the end is breathtaking.
You Still Believe in Me – I’m glad he couldn’t take the bells out. The lyrics aren’t about childhood, but it’s still one of the most nostalgic songs I’ve ever heard, in the best way. The kind of aching I could bathe in.
She Knows Me Too Well – If Brian’s wonderful falsetto weren’t enough, that “She knows me…she knows me…” harmony makes the song for me.
God Only Knows – I can’t imagine I need to explain.
Feel Flows – It’s totally new-agey, but in a way that holds up beautifully today. I love the production—the breath at the beginning, the reverse echo.
Cuddle Up - Among the most stripped down songs the Beach Boys have done, and the most romantic. Dennis’s voice was already deteriorating, but he uses that vulnerability so effectively.
California Girls – That opening.
Add Some Music – I wouldn’t have put this on my list a week ago, but after hearing it live at the Beacon, I’m completely in love with this song. It’s a nice message, and the harmonies are so wonderful.
Warmth of the Sun – I mean, it’s perfect.
|
|
|
11
|
Smiley Smile Stuff / Welcome to the Smiley Smile board / Re: Hi - I'm new to the board.
|
on: February 22, 2012, 08:59:19 PM
|
I'm way too new myself to be able to welcome you without sounding like I'm putting on airs (one week seniority!), but can I just say how jealous I am that you get to see them at Red Rocks? I flew out there for a Stevie Nicks show last August and was completely blown away by that venue. If I lived in Denver, I'd see a lot more shows!
|
|
|
13
|
Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Carl
|
on: February 22, 2012, 12:47:25 PM
|
Having lost two brothers, both strong creative forces in the band, he knew he couldn't beat down the Al faction. Huh? By the '80s, Al was much more closely aligned with Carl. They went to dinner together on the road, their wives were friends, they shared a dressing room. Al was the guy pushing for more adventurous material in the setlist. This is embarrassing: I meant to say Mike, not Al! I've barely been sleeping. Sorry, folks.
|
|
|
14
|
Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Carl
|
on: February 22, 2012, 11:45:49 AM
|
I think he was the most particular about Brian's post 1974 vocals and material and perhaps he just didn't think Brian could pull it off. Honesty as Carl never did an extensive post early eighties interview it is really hard to say with 100 confidence.
I remember reading this in Carlin's book - Brian apparently wanted back in the touring group (and to play Pet Sounds in it's entirety, natch!) but Carl was against this, and I think it was for vocal reasons. Melinda is the source of this, though, and I know some of you have views. Well I don't take it on her word alone. It just seems that Carl wasn't into what Brian was doing in the ninties. Carl = No taste. It's funny but he seemed to have great taste in the sixties and early seventies. Then he went really MOR. Despite this I think he was a good man and the very little contact I had was very nice. No doubt he was a wonderful guy. None at all. And an amazing singer. But it is so strange when you consider that Brian -- for all of his issues and challenges over the years -- still seems to have some artistic drive. And if you average out the music from his solo career, it's clear he still has a desire and the ability to create BW-sounding music. And Carl, who learned at Brian's knee (so to speak), and figured out how to produce records that sounded nearly identical to Brian's, who could write entrancing (if meandering) original tunes, somehow just totally abandoned a self-directed artistic path. I mean, what was Carl's bag? What did he really like to play and sing? I suppose it's the solo albums, but even those don't quite ring true to me. Something about Carl's journey -- such a young kid when drafted into the band, the quiet mediator in an abuse-filled home -- meant that while he had so much of the artistic potential of Brian and Dennis, he largely kept it bottled up. And by the time he had the space and opportunity to express it more widely, the muse had mostly left him. It's really rather sad, when you think about it. For as tragic as Dennis's story was, he made at least one great (if flawed) solo record, and contributed a half-dozen or so sterling songs to the BBs in the 70s. Carl never quite got there as a creator. He largely served as the custodian for his brothers' vision. I can only guess at how it all happened, but I think it can be taken as a sign of Carl's mental and emotional health. Happy, stable people are able to shift their goals according to their circumstances. Having lost two brothers, both strong creative forces in the band, he knew he couldn't beat down the Al faction. My guess is that Carl didn't want to fight or to be in a band filled with animosity. He let go of some of those creative aspirations, and found happiness in putting on the best show he could and in being present for his family.
|
|
|
15
|
Non Smiley Smile Stuff / The Sandbox / Re: The Beach Boys and Ronald Reagan???
|
on: February 19, 2012, 07:12:00 PM
|
Re Dennis - hard to believe he was a right-winger. The guy was so flipping open-minded he befriended Manson lest we forget. Tracks like 4th of July and Carry me Home are right-on, not right-wing. Ditto Carl.
It actually wouldn't shock me to learn he was a bit right-leaning. I know he said some offensive things about gay people, and while you might take his friendship with Manson as a sign of "openness," he must have know that this was a racist group. There's a socially conservative streak there. Disclaimer: Not trying to imply that all Republicans are racist or homophobic.
|
|
|
16
|
Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Carl
|
on: February 19, 2012, 11:07:41 AM
|
I would guess that his kids were a factor, as was his age. At a certain point, one begins to feel silly trying to push the edge of the envelope, as fans fail to respond, year after year. At a certain point, an artist wants some validation, and decides to take himself a little less seriously.
|
|
|
25
|
Smiley Smile Stuff / Welcome to the Smiley Smile board / It's probably really lame to register the day after the Grammys...
|
on: February 13, 2012, 01:59:07 PM
|
...but I'm doing it anyway. Sorry!
Hi, I'm Grace. I'm a 22-year-old college senior. I've been a fan of the Beach Boys my entire life (and really, how many people out there aren't casual fans?), but now that I've just about exhausted the available material from "my" other bands (Fleetwood Mac and the Mamas & the Papas), I thought it was time to probe deeper into the Beach Boys. I've been listening to Sunflower and Pacific Ocean Blue obsessively lately and generally investigating the band on my own, but of course, the best way to really know a band is to get into the fandom.
Happy to be here, and so excited to learn more about the band!
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|