gfxgfx
 
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
logo
 
gfx gfx
gfx
680601 Posts in 27601 Topics by 4068 Members - Latest Member: Dae Lims March 29, 2024, 06:19:16 AM
*
gfx*HomeHelpSearchCalendarLoginRegistergfx
  Show Posts
Pages: 1 ... 11 12 13 14 15 [16]
376  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Getcha Back is such a tease! on: July 12, 2012, 01:17:31 PM
The video is awful...but that was typical of the era.  I think on YouTube you can watch "Getcha' Back" and "It's Gettin' Late" back-to-back.  They're hard on the eyes...though I do like the scene where Brian shows up in the delivery van!  Classic!

Steve Levine did mention in Mark Dillon's book that Mike did want his vocals speeded up so that he sounded younger...but come on...there is a limit before it sounds fake.  He also seemed to indicate that the falsetto is, in fact, Brian...though I think it was looped.
377  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: \ on: July 12, 2012, 01:08:41 PM
You just never know what was up with BW.  He sounds whacked out of his skull.  It's both humorous...but deeply disturbing.  What is sad is that this was a man who clearly needed mental help...but was not getting it (or not getting what he needed).  I've struggled with my own battle with mental illness for many years (different from Brian's, but disabilitating in it's own way) and it's amazing what the right kind of help can accomplish.  For whatever reason...he simply did not receive the care he needed...and now who knows what kind of damage has been done.  It's such a shame.
378  Smiley Smile Stuff / 1970's Beach Boys Albums / Re: Carl And The Passions- So Tough on: July 12, 2012, 09:25:43 AM
Guercio discusses it in pretty good detail in Dillon's book.  He at least makes it sound that he had a large hand in getting the band to give the fans what they want under the promise that if they did so...they'd start packing larger venues and bringing in some money.  He was right...but in doing so...he obviously created a monster.
379  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Getcha Back is such a tease! on: July 11, 2012, 08:37:59 PM
The line "He may have money and a brand new car" is terrible.  It almost sounds like if his voice gets any more processed you won't be able to understand what he's saying.  Such a shame because at the core it's not a bad song.  I've always wondered if it was a case of Mike wanting to sound younger??  The whole LP has some decent songs...but they're just ruined with processed 80s goo.
380  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Soulful Old Man Sunshine on: July 11, 2012, 08:29:19 PM
Well, the first time I heard it (on Endless Harmony) I was blown away.  This is a lost Beach Boys track?  It may have been cobbled together in 1993 or whatever...but the parts were there for a truly great song.
381  Smiley Smile Stuff / 1970's Beach Boys Albums / Re: Surf's Up on: July 11, 2012, 08:25:10 PM
It could have been so much better.  Drop "Take A Load Off" and "Student Demonstration Time" and add Dennis' "4th of July" and let his "Wouldn't It Be Nice to Live" close out the LP after "Til' I Die" as he originally intended.  Honestly, as much as I love the track "Surf's Up" it doesn't belong on this LP.  It was a product of the past.  One of the biggest problems I think they had in the post-Smile era was trying to sound hip by bringing back bits of that LP here and there...but that ship had sailed.  It belonged to the Summer of Love...not 1971.  
Easy to say 40 years after the fact. They were under pressure from Warner's, and like VDP basically said, adding Surf's Up (a mythical Smile track at the time) made it sure to raise much more interest in the new album. And it did. Smiley
You are correct on all accounts.  Wishful, revisionist thinking on my part!  I just wish they'd get around to releasing Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again so that I could program my own dream "Surf's Up".  What's really sad about this period is that the group was really trying and really making some excellent music that nobody was listening to.  The overall quality of Wild Honey through Holland is actually pretty high (in my opinion) yet it remains so obscure to most people.
382  Smiley Smile Stuff / 1970's Beach Boys Albums / Re: Carl And The Passions- So Tough on: July 11, 2012, 08:21:47 PM
I just read something about Jim Guercio pushing the "oldies" thing on them (I think from Mark Dillon's book).  He said that he went to see them and they were playing newer stuff and the audiences were sparse and lethargic and he told them that if they started mixing in some of the oldies that they could build the crowds and their popularity...which proved to be true.  I think you still get that today.  I just saw them on the 1st and you have a large chunk of the audience who just wanted to hear the "Endless Summer" type songs and as soon as something like "All This is That" was performed they headed off to buy another beer. 
383  Smiley Smile Stuff / 1970's Beach Boys Albums / Re: Surf's Up on: July 11, 2012, 12:14:48 PM
It could have been so much better.  Drop "Take A Load Off" and "Student Demonstration Time" and add Dennis' "4th of July" and let his "Wouldn't It Be Nice to Live" close out the LP after "Til' I Die" as he originally intended.  Honestly, as much as I love the track "Surf's Up" it doesn't belong on this LP.  It was a product of the past.  One of the biggest problems I think they had in the post-Smile era was trying to sound hip by bringing back bits of that LP here and there...but that ship had sailed.  It belonged to the Summer of Love...not 1971. 
384  Smiley Smile Stuff / 1970's Beach Boys Albums / Re: Carl And The Passions- So Tough on: July 11, 2012, 12:10:37 PM
This is a pretty bad a*s LP!  This was still when they were trying to forge ahead...still trying to be legit.  After "Holland" it all went downhill so fast and before you knew it we had the Mike Love Endless Bummer Stage Show and 12-minute disco tracks.  The addition of Blondie and Ricky was genius.  I love how they were allowed to bring in their sound to the traditional mix rather than have what made them different muddled to conform with what the Beach Boys were supposed to sound like.  It just sounds unlike anything else in their canon.  This was a vital, yet imperfect, LP made by a functioning band.  No, it's not "Pet Sounds" or even "Sunflower" but it can stand tall on it's own.  It's just a shame that the marketing was so, so poor for this LP.  I love listening to it from start to finish...and that's not something I can say about every BB LP!

Plus, even if you hate the rest of the LP...Dennis' voice on "Cuddle Up" is absolutely stunning. 
385  Smiley Smile Stuff / Concert Reviews / Re: Show 42: Marcus Amphitheater - Milwaukee, WI 7/1/12 on: July 11, 2012, 12:00:36 PM
I was surprised at how really good Mike sounded...seriously, in every TV appearance I've seen him do since probably 2000 (INCLUDING the recently-aired PBS special) he sounded awful...as if he only had half a vocal cord...but he sounded great on Sunday night.

And I'm pretty sure I was the only one singing along to "Ballad of Ole' Betsy." And of course, it just reminded me of that bug I've always had up my ass about how they spell "Ole'" -- I mean, wtf is the apostrophe replacing!?

BT-dubs...I don't remember seeing anybody mentioning it before (then again, I've been avoiding concert reviews), but...for "Pet Sounds," Dave was the only Beach Boy on stage...almost as if "Pet Sounds" were supposed to be simply something to get everybody back from the bathroom or snack bar or what have you. He did a decent job with the lead on that one, but he doesn't hold a candle to Walusko...I'm guessing part of it might actually be simply the effects unit, actually...

Good point about Pet Sounds.  I hadn't thought about that.  Maybe it was just a chance to give Dave a moment in the spotlight...but Nicky Wonder has become the god of that song.
386  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: \ on: July 11, 2012, 11:01:43 AM
First time I heard this track it blew me away (and not in a good way)!  Out-of-control Brian...but strangely when I play it for people we end up laughing so hard we have tears in our eyes!  I cannot even imagine how much cocaine was ingested before this song was laid down.  If you have not heard it...find it and listen.  You owe it to yourself!
387  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: The very worst Beach Boys related 'song' ever released on: July 11, 2012, 10:25:52 AM
"Hey Little Tomboy," hands down.

F'fn creepy!  It makes me sad that Brian was actively involved with this hunk of garbage.  Mike just sounds creepy...like some old dude leering at young girls.  This song deserved to remain in the unreleased bin.

Other clunkers...
"Livin' With a Heartache" straight-up BLOWS!  I can imagine Kenny Rogers singing this circa 1979/80 in a light blue leisure suit!
"Oh Darlin'" is an insanely wimpy sounding song.  Brian's original at least has some soul to it.  Production is syrupy goo (thanks, Bruce).  The chorus is awful "...it's like a missing piece of puzzle has appeared..."
"Sumahama" sounds like something you'd hear just before the nitrous knocked you out and you woke up missing your wisdom teeth.
"Winds of Change" is awful.  When did Barry Manilow join the Beach Boys?
"Somewhere Near Japan" is incredible terrible.
"Student Demonstration Time" is putrid!  Mike sounds so behind-the-times...and to think they bumped something like 4th of July and Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again makes me ill.
388  Smiley Smile Stuff / 1980's Beach Boys Albums / Re: Ten Years Of Harmony on: July 11, 2012, 08:22:27 AM
I mean when I read an interview with Brad Elliot when they did the Brother Years best of I wanted to hit him when he said Dennis stuff wasn't commerical enough to include. Without his stuff the so called Brother Years would not have been half as interesting.

Amen, brother!  Dennis still doesn't get the respect he deserves as a performer and songwriter.  It's almost criminal in how his work has been neglected.  I've heard several times that there is a lot of his songs in the can that have never seen the light of day.  My biggest hope is that we get to hear Wouldn't It Be Nice to Live Again sometime soon!  I've only heard the great cover but to believe that various parties cut that track and 4th of July off of Surf's Up is criminal.  There had to be so much jealousy leveled towards Dennis as he developed.  The story of the band giving him an ultimatum of quiting his solo career or quiting the group is really sad (and sadly typical of the history of the group).
389  Smiley Smile Stuff / 1980's Beach Boys Albums / Re: Keepin' The Summer Alive on: July 11, 2012, 08:12:14 AM
I have given this LP a new appraisal!  After years I've pretty much dismissing it...I decided to give it a couple of decent spins.  It's not horrible.  You have to consider it in the context of when it was released.  It was not the follow-up to "Pet Sounds" or even "Holland" for that matter.  The group was a bit of a mess by this point...but they managed to pull something out of nothing.

1) Keepin' the Summer Alive is a pretty solid rocker.  It's a great lead-off track.  Carl's lead is great.  I love the bass vocal line.  I really think this is one of the better songs they did during this period. 

2) Oh Darlin' is not a good song.  Way too insipid.  I guess I like the gruffer version with Brian on lead vocals...but even that couldn't have saved it from just being boring and sappy.  The chorus is pure gunk...and a total momentum killer after the relatively good lead track.

3) Some Of Your Love is another pretty decent song.  The sax riff in the beginning is interesting.  Some nice harmonies...though Mike's voice sounds really processed.  Not a lot of substance, here, but it's a fun listen.

4) Livin' With a Heartache is a song I completely hate.  All I'll say is that it sounds like a Kenny Rogers/Alabama outtake.  Shame on you, Carl!

5) School Day is a pretty non-essential track…but Al does his best to breathe some life into it.  At least it sounds like they were having fun. 

6) Goin’ On is a Beach Boys’ classic.  Nothing more needs to be said.

7) Sunshine is a song I rank with Some Of Your Love.  Filler…but pleasant filler.

Cool When Girls Get Together is such an odd track for this LP…I mean my goodness…how old was it by this point?  It does not fit the overall sound of the rest of the LP because it was recorded nearly ten years earlier.  This track should have been rejected again and left off of the LP.

9) Santa Ana Winds is a track I have a soft spot for.  I like Al’s folksy eco-songs.  This one is a-okay with me.

10) Endless Harmony is okay.  The soaring harmonies at the very end save it from just being Bruce Johnston syrupy goo. 

If you give it a chance there are decent songs on this LP.  Don’t toss the whole thing in the trash.  The Beach Boys from this period are a tough listen.  The diamonds aren’t readily evident…and it takes some effort and some painful listening to dig through the rubbish to find them…but they are there!
390  Smiley Smile Stuff / Welcome to the Smiley Smile board / Another disciple joins the ranks! on: July 10, 2012, 08:02:15 PM
Wow!  I can't believe it's taken me so long to find this forum!  It's nirvana for a fanatic like myself.  My name is Chris and I was born, raised and still live in Greendale, Wisconsin (a suburb of Milwaukee).  I'm 35-years-old.  I've been what you could call a music "geek" for nearly as long as I can remember...and when you're a music geek you will eventually cross paths with the Cult of Brian Wilson.  It's unavoidable.  Some of us pass by...some of us are casually sucked in and some of us become full-on disciples.  That would be me.  I quickly discovered that Brian's music struck a major chord in my head...it really got to me.  It was unlike anything I'd experienced to that point.  I heard so much of myself in his music: the sensitivity, the fear and uncertainty...the hope and love.  Like many of you, I first got into the "classic period" exploring each LP one at a time.  Through those repeated listens I learned that the band was more than just Brian.  I learned that Mike was an incredible lead singer and that he had an uncanny knack for capturing the life of an American teenager in his lyrics.  I learned that Denny was more than a pretty face...that he had an incredible, primal feel for the drums.  I learned that Carl's voice came straight from heaven and that he and Dave were a great one-two garage rock punch on guitar and I learned that Al had perhaps the most versatile (and strongest) voice in a group made up of great voices!

I soon moved beyond the "Endless Summer" Capitol years and into the more mysterious regions beyond "Good Vibrations" that nobody but the fanatics really explore.  I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of music made from "Wild Honey" through "Holland".  Here was a band still trying to push forward...still trying to make artistic statements and succeeding far more than they failed. 

I've even found things to love in the later Mike Love run years. 

I've been fortunate to see Brian live several times...including his Milwaukee show in 1999 which was one of his first solo dates.  I've seen The Beach Boys on the county fair circuit and was incredibly lucky to see their 50th Anniversary show in Milwaukee on July 1st.

I'd be hard pressed to pick a favorite song (I mean, how does one do that) but some that really blow my mind: "Please Let Me Wonder", "Girls On the Beach", "Salt Lake City - great backing track!", "God Only Knows - my wedding song", "This Whole World", "Cuddle Up".

I love Mike and Al's "California Saga" from Holland!

How about my least favorite songs: "Student Demonstration Song", "Take A Load Off Your Feet", most of 15 Big Ones, "Oh Darlin'".

I hold a special place of hatred for "Livin' With A Heartache" which I've always felt sounds like a bad Kenny Rogers/Alabama outtake.

What's my greatest "wish" as a fan?  I want to hear "Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again" released sooner than later!  Does it live up to the hype?  Then I could program my own version of "Surf's Up" before they hacked it up.  I've always had a fondness for Dennis.  Such an underrated songwriter who never got the credit he deserved...and who was treated quite badly by some his bandmates. 

Most bizarre Beach Boys recording: so many to choose from...but I was just listening to Brian's "Drip Drop (Teardrops on My Head" and it's absolute insanity!  I cannot even imagine the amount of blow ingested before he recorded that one!  "Let's go, mf's!"

Anyway, I'm typing this from a hospital room.  Our third child, a daughter, was born yesterday and I was just holding her and playing some of my favorite compositions from the Boys!  I'm glad that the first music she ever heard was by The Beach Boys "Summer's Gone", btw!

I look forward to hanging out and discussing the more arcane and more importantly learning stuff I don't already know!
391  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Getcha Back is such a tease! on: July 10, 2012, 11:45:17 AM
I've always felt it was Brian.  This discussion is great...but what about Mike's HORRID lead vocal (excuse me if this has been discussed before)!  Yes, we all know he can sound nasal...but there is just something so processed and fake sounding about this track that almost makes it unlistenable to me...which is too bad because it's a catchy song.  I like David handling the lead live these days.  It's a good song...but it's also a victim of its time.
392  Smiley Smile Stuff / 1980's Beach Boys Albums / Re: The Beach Boys on: July 05, 2012, 07:18:36 PM
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!
393  Smiley Smile Stuff / 1970's Beach Boys Albums / Re: Holland on: July 05, 2012, 10:55:48 AM
Maybe the most underrated LP in their entire catalog?  I think so.  Seems to have sunk without a trace in 1973...and it really deserved a far better fate.  What else can one say about "Sail On, Sailor" that has not already been said.  It's simply breathtaking with an absolutely awesome lead from Blondie.  I've always found it interesting that you could add in a "new" lead voice to the mix...but it still SOUNDS like a Beach Boys song.  "Steamboat" took a few listens before I really got into it...but once it gets under you skin it's hard to shake.  Carl's lead on this track is "interesting".  They've got some interesting harmonies going on later on in the song (the whole Mr. Fulton part).  It's such an odd song...full of weird sounds.  I'll admit to being a big sucker for the California Saga.  Great piece of work by Mike and Al...perhaps their best ever.  I actually like this version of "Big Sur" versus the earlier version...the harmonica is nice.  "The Beaks of Eagles" is interesting.  Somehow the poem works.  Al's musical interludes are simply awesome...as is the ominous music/voices playing behind the narration.  "California" is just one of those songs you cannot help but like...almost childlike.  Wonderful harmonies.  I love Mike's lead on this track.  "The Trader" I used to like this song more than I do now.  Carl's singing is absolutely sublime as is the music...but Jack Rieley had really worn out his welcome by this point.  The backround harmonies are also awesome.  I guess in the end I could care less whatever Rieley penned tripe Carl is singing because it simply sounds so great!  "Leaving This Town" is the worst song on the LP.  Way too boring...way too long...especially when they had "We Got Love" which at least in my opinion is far better song.  "Only With You" is a wonderful Dennis track...wonderfully sung by Carl.  "Funky Pretty" is what it is...another looking into the weirdness of Mr. Wilson.  Not a bad track...but still kind of a throwaway.  This LP deserves to be heard by more people.  I've always felt that this was the last time they were actually trying to move foreward artisically.  After this...it was just King Mike Love and his Endless Attempt to Recreate the Summer of 1963.  Brian went to la-la land...Dennis started forging out on his own and I think Carl found himself the odd man out until he just kind of stopped caring too much.
394  Smiley Smile Stuff / Concert Reviews / Re: Show 42: Marcus Amphitheater - Milwaukee, WI 7/1/12 on: July 05, 2012, 07:06:14 AM
First post!  Long-time fan...well...as long-time as a 35-year-old can be!  I've seen Brian live many times and I've managed to sit through a couple of Mike & Bruce county fair shows in recent years.

We had decent seats for the show on Sunday.  I thought the crowd was pretty cadaverous...but judging from what I've seen at many of Brian's shows...I was not surprised.  Still...the show was outside...the crowd was nice...the weather was BEAUTIFUL...stand up and sing (without being too obnoxious).  I swear....half of these people looked like they were out for a night at the opera.  If all you want to do is listen to the music (which is fine...I guess) grab your iPod and sit in your livingroom.  Don't pay money to buy a concert ticket and then cast the evil eye at your fellow concert-goers for trying to have a little fun (fun, fun)!

I thought the set-list was okay.  A good portion of the crowd were "Endless Summer Beach Boys Fans" and they, of course, wanted to hear "Little Deuce Coupe" and "I Get Around" and probably would have been thrilled if they would have simply played those two songs on endless repeat (with maybe a little "Be True To Your School" thrown in).  Don't get me wrong...those songs are always fun to hear in a live setting...but as a fanatic I got a bigger kick out of some of the deeper cuts.  I was lucky enough to be sitting near a fellow fanatic (you know when you're in good company when you can sit and discuss Brian's work on the Spring LP)!.  Great to hear stuff like "All This Is That" but not so great to hear "Still Cruisin'"!  When they broke into that one I had a definite WTF expression on my face.  As a big fan...I obviously would have liked to hear more deep cuts...but it is what it is.

I thought the band sounded good.  I was really impressed with Dave.  He threw in some nice leads.  Bruce looked grumpy (surprise, surprise) but he nailed "Disney Grils" which was great.  Mike wasn't too annoying...he even seemed to have a bit of charm to his usual corny intros and he sang his butt off and really drove the show.  I loved Al's voice.  Has it aged at all?  Brian was Brian.  He seemed disengaged throughout the first set....but picked it up in the second as it featured a more Brian slant.  I thought his vocals were fine.

To be honest...it was a good show.  I enjoyed it and consider myself lucky to have been able to see all of them back on stage together making music.  Waas it perfect?  No.  Did I expect it to be?  No.  Did I have a great time?  YES!
Pages: 1 ... 11 12 13 14 15 [16]
gfx
Powered by SMF 1.1.21 | SMF © 2015, Simple Machines Page created in 1.873 seconds with 21 queries.
Helios Multi design by Bloc
gfx
Powered by MySQL Powered by PHP Valid XHTML 1.0! Valid CSS!