Note for attending a Dick Dale concert...Bring earplugs.  He plays fucking loud!!!  I guess he can't hear that well anymore.     It was an indoor venue in a small club though, so that probably didn't help much.  But man can he play.

Without the context behind the song, put generally, the song is about liberation from authority and being able to do what you want.  Wouldn't it be nice if we could do this, without our parents or those assholes interfering.  Not very conservative to me.  And just because the song doesn't clearly say "let's f*** all night long", doesn't mean it's advertising celibacy before marriage.  In fact, waking up in the morning when the day is new sounds like a pretty good implication of the opposite, especially for Top 40 radio in '66.

To me, 'Today!' works better, conceptually, as an album.  Grouping the rock on one side, and ballads on the other, it feels less like a random collection of singles and album filler, and more of a flowing entity like Pet Sounds.  And the "filler" on the album is just as good as the other material, in some cases better.

'Summer Days' is a good album, but it just feels like a step backward in comparison.  The concept of an album all about summer had been done already, and the songs just don't flow as well as 'Today!'.  And the filler on the album really does seem like filler (Amusement Parks, Bugged At My Ol' Man).  Also, the lack of any serious ballads (The type of song BW was doing the best at this point), is a serious offense as well.  But then you take into consideration that the album is home to California Girls, Salt Lake City and Let Him Run Wild, and all is forgotten. 

Still, it seems like Summer Days and Party were more of a diversion to make Mike and the group happy while Brian plotted something more like "Today".

[at least]

Man that's crazy sh*t.  I think that anybody who sees Brian as evil, especially Pet Sounds era, is fucking insane.

And you'd think in an essay about how The Beach Boys are satanists they'd pull out the Manson card at least once.

Gotcha.   

Still would be cool if it were a 45 single though.

Anything by The Chantays, Link Wray or The Lively Ones is good in my book.  And all of the surf music that Tarantino's used in his movies is great.

And also the soundtrack to "The Endless Summer" by the Sandals is awesome.  Especially the theme.

So it's a gold vinyl?  I guess that's pretty cool.

here's a clip of Brian and George Martin in the booth exploring God Only Knows

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP1U3vhG4o4

What documentary is that from?  Looks interesting.

I wish George Martin didn't sound so overwritten and rehearsed when he does these things.  I've only seen a glimmer of someone who seems like a real person, and that's when he played that take of "A Day in The Life" in Anthology and smiled.  Most of the time it seems like he's giving some great speech, even when he talks about Lennon dropping acid in front of him.

Ok, how about the awful, "Be True to Your School?"  Rah Rah!

If you mean the version with the Honeys , then I agree with you, but not the LDC version.  Classic Beach Boys. 

The cheesiest Beach Boys song I think is probably 'The Surfer Moon', but only because of it's production.  Add to that all of the Dick Reynolds produced stuff on the Christmas Album.

And in terms of most cheese per Beach Boy, it has to be Bruce.  I like a lot of his songs, but his voice combined with his melodies=cheese.  Even 'Dierdre'.  But a lot of people would consider the entire BB catalog 'cheesy', including The Beatles and any old music.  But I prefer old cheese to new crap.

How is John Stamos such great friends with Mike Love? Someone posted some pics recently of a party at John Stamos house and Mike Love & Bruce Johnston were partying and singing there.

He was their drummer in the 80's for some gigs before he got big.  I have an old tape my dad recorded of an early Stamos sitcom "You Again" where his character auditions as a replacement drummer for the Beach Boys.

I see alot in common between Pet Sounds and Revolver. When I first got into music, two of the first albums I listened to were Pet Sounds and Revolver. And there I was, thinking the Beach Boys just sang about surfing and cars and the Beatles sang primitive 50s-derived pop songs, then listening to Pet Sounds and Revolver, weird spacey music from 1966, nothing that I had ever heard before. They both have similar moods, similar feels. I can't really describe it, but there's something in there they both have.

Revolver and Pet Sounds have some similar motifs going between them, the easiest parallel being between "Here There And Everywhere" and "God Only Knows", cited as Paul's influence for his song.  It also seems like "I Want To Tell You" is George's trippy version of "Please Let Me Wonder" (Not Pet Sounds, but close).

Revolver is definitely darker and druggier than PS, but I think both are easy to link also due to their proximity to eachother.  I love both albums, but it feels like Pet Sounds is joy permeated by sadness, whereas Revolver is the other way around.

People break up.

Of course Paul has never had plastic surgery. He died many years ago. Now, his replacement, he had a bit of work done back in the day. 

LMW
28IF

 

Even though a lot of the songs are on previous BB albums, Little Deuce Coupe is one of my favorite albums.  From the cover to the concept album quality of the album.  Favorite Song: Cherry Cherry Coupe.  Way better than 'Land Ahoy'.

And I like This Car of Mine too, Joe.  Even if the song is way too short. 

Would something like this have a final (or at least preliminary) track listing for the '67 Smile, maybe even clues to Brians original sequencing?
If somebody actually buys this, they need to scan the damn thing already.

Recorded for Today.

Per Craig Slowinski -

"Left out of the running for Side One of "Today!", doubtless because the lyrics were considered too "risqué" (lines like "oh - she's so fine - what a turn-on!" were probably inappropriate for teenage pop records at the time), this is a slight yet neat little rocker that displays an inventive wordless break (heard at the beginning and again later in the song), great playing from Dennis (drums) and Carl (12-string rhythm and lead guitar), and no less than four bassists (one of them Alan Jardine)! "

I think this is a nice little parallel to the Beatles facing a similar challenge on "A Day In The Life" with the lyric "I'd Love to turn...you...on", causing it to be banned by the BBC.  Though Brian had even more reason not to release it because of the climate in 1964 vs. 1967.  Still, pretty interesting.

And that mono mix is exactly the sort of thing that shouldn't be languishing in vaults.  I wonder what the vocal overdubs are, for a song already covered in vocals?

POB is probably the most personal collection of stuff that came out of Lennon.  It's like a letter to every Beatles fan that says "it's over".

I don't think anything on the album sounds primitive or amateurish.  The arrangements might be simplistic, but I dig the piano on songs that feature it (Especially Isolation, Remember and Love) and the guitar on this album is a really unique sound, even to Lennon's other stuff.  And God is a really ballsy powerful song.  I have to admit I usually turn the album when it's over.  Seems like a good song to end it.

And even though the screaming is an aquired taste, at least he means it.  It's better than the screaming on 'Revolution'.

I haven't heard the original mix, so I'll keep an eye out for the Dr. Ebbett's.  If you guys haven't heard any of The Beatles Dr. Ebbett's output, you're missing out.  Way better than those shitty EMI releases.

I wouldn't call myself a hardcore fan, but 'Straight Up' is a great album, and 'No Matter What' is a great song.

The tracks where Brian doesn't sing lead are the ones that stand out, specifically That's Not Me, God Only Knows and Here Today.  And any parts that Mike sings are refreshing.  Brians voice is all over the album, and as great he is, the group adds a little contrast and a lot of the backing vocals the group provide add a lot of texture to the songs.  I'm thinking about those sliding harmonies on That's Not Me and Here Today specifically...  Hard to pull stuff like that off with one voice, even with overdubs.

But you're right in some respects.  I think part of the reasons why Pet Sounds has become such a popular "favorite album" with music geeks the last 10 years or so is because of how "Un-Beach Boy" it is.  If only they would discover everything's good, and not just Pet Sounds.   

Mentioned on here a while ago, on a few verses of Busy Doin' Nothin' Brian and Marilyn sing the part together.  It sounds almost like double tracking, their voices are so similar.

And Priore mentions in his SMiLE book that the Survivor's filled in a few vocal parts on The Surfer Girl LP when the boys were on tour.  Not sure about the truth of that though...

Damn, I never knew that was Spector.  And I love Easy Rider!  Guess I didn't watch the extras on the DVD close enough...

A reunion show (or tour) probably would work.  As long as Brian could bring most of his band (With Al and Bruce doing their parts).  And Brian should definitely have final say in terms of a set list.  I agree that this shouldn't turn into "The Mike Show".

All differences aside, how cool would it be to have Brian playing bass with Al and Mike on stage again?  I think that's why a show like this might happen.  It could be one last shot.

And how ironic if both Pet Sounds and Smile material were performed, in effect to revive Mike's career?  I bet that might make Brian smile a little inside... 

Thanks for the comments.  I probably could do a better job pasting the vocals, but I think the slight differences in rhythm between the two takes prevent a perfect match. 

I always think it's facsinating to discover the little things like this that Brian would change while recording.  The concept of complex, yet organic and changing arrangements has always been one of my favorite things about his music.

I Know There's An Answer is one of my favorite songs off Pet Sounds.  Even though I prefer the lyrics of Hang On To Your Ego (Not a cop out) and also Brian's vocal delivery.

Anyways, I like the original version, but I also like Take 2, in which the woodwind phrases at the end of the final version are throughout the whole song.  So I combined Take 2 with the vocal only track from the box.  Just cutting and pasting doesn't work, but pasting each vocal section on top of its corresponding part of the song does.  The rythm is a bit off in some spots, but it works surprisingly well.  Never fault the wrecking crew for lack of consistency.  After the first jazzy instrumental break the rest of the song is the final version.  So I've virtually only changed the backing track of the first half of the song.  I think Brian might've removed the woodwind section because it got in the way of the vocals, but I think it sounds nice.  What do you guys think?

Call it revisionism or sacrilege but its here if you want to listen to it:

http://rapidshare.de/files/17948602/I_Know_There_s_An_Answer__With_Woodwinds_.mp3.html

Singles and albums were almost like two different markets back then, and the Beach Boys just couldn't seem to score in either.  They went from a wildly popular act to a niche one, and I think it had a lot more to do with them than it did the changing times.  Remember that the top selling single of 1967 was (I think) Staff Sgt. Barry Sadler with "The Ballad Of The Green Berets" and the top selling act that year (I believe) was not the Beatles or the Stones but the Monkees.  Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons continued to do just fine.

You make a really good point here.  I think we tend to put too much trust in the general publics barometer to recognize good material and support it.  I think a lot of good music (as well as film, art, all forms of media) goes unnoticed in the time it's produced. 

The "changing times" argument is one that always confuses me, because there's evidence for it and against it.  Cancelling the Monterey Pop Fest seems like a big mistake, but can you imagine the '67 era Beach Boys on the same stage as Hendrix?  Also, the lackluster support for Pet Sounds (Which should have been promoted as the breakthrough LP it was) and the burnout of Smile didn't help Brian's confidence any in even trying to remain in the game.  Drop off the radar long enough, and even your biggest fans stop checking back for you.

I think the biggest hurdle they had to overcome was the awkward transition from the striped shirts to "Men with Beards".  From a public image standpoint, the Beach Boys never seemed to get it right.  Music as a commodity doesn't speak for itself, and before Music Videos, concerts and public image were and still are, major promotional tools for Artists.  The Beatles turned away from the matching suits and became themselves not only on stage but in their private lives, however ridiculous the clothing or facial hair.  Watching Mike Love wear those ridiculous hats and Marihishi robes on stage, you don't get the image of somebody being who they are, though admittedly it's hard to tell with Mike.

Part of me tells me that they could've done things differently and remained successful, and another tells me that all recording acts from the early 60's on, were doomed to a life of oldies and Las Vegas.  People were looking for a radical change in '67, and no matter how much the Beach Boys changed with the times, the cliche of surf music and candy striped shirts prevailed.  I think a success Pet Sounds might've turned this around, but it's unlikely such a radical change in music production would've agreed with the same people who made "The Ballad of the Green Berets" a number one record.

Even though there are certain BB songs I like more than those on "Pet Sounds" (Please Let Me Wonder, for a start), I think this is the best album on the whole.  Hits almost every note of relationships and life during the phase between teenage life and young-adulthood.

Perfect arrangement of both backing instrumental tracks and vocal tracks.  None of the backing or vocal tracks are "perfect" by themselves (IMO), but when combined, they combine beautifully.  Perfect album to study, as new details emerge almost every listen.  It took me a long time to hear that honky-tonk piano in "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" behind all of those vocals.  The instrumental bridge of "Here Today" is probably the greatest bit of music I've ever heard.  Seemingly out of control but meticulously arranged.  Brilliant.  There are moments of genius like this throughout the whole thing. 

One of the only problems I have arises when you actually listen to the track only and vocal only mixes.  Sometimes you wish you could hear more of the instrumental bits, like that piano in "IJWMFTT" or more of the vocal group harmonies that slide up and down the scale in "Here Today".  That's more of a personal thing though.  I wouldn't mind that mixing board CD-ROM idea coming to fruition.

And ditto on listening to it in the dark with headphones.  Even Brian advocates it!