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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Beach Boys regional popularity
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on: November 17, 2015, 03:57:53 PM
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I think in more politically and culturally conservative areas in the U.S. that the BBs somewhat maintained their popularity longer than in more culturally liberal areas.
They were perceived as more traditional, wore the unis late in the game, still had relatively short hair and lets face it, still had some of that surf hot rod hangover which was still popular, lots of those songs weren't derided yet and were still cherished as somewhat recent golden oldies.
Time period I'm talking about is 67 to 70.
I distinctly remember hearing such singles as Bluebirds Over the Mountain being played on KAAY, Little Rock and also hearing Do It Again winning the nightly callers poll for favorite song on WHB Kansas City. Also remember The Monkees' Mommy and Daddy and Tear Drop City singles winning that nightly call in poll also.
Breakaway being played on WLS, Chicago, hearing that unexpectedly played quite a bit.
Some loon DJ in Springfield Mo playing Sunflower in its entirety upon its release on a 250 watt easy listening AM station.
So not to bash any area of the country, just my personal impression that maybe in the south and Midwest people back then did hang on to acts a little longer and weren't quite so eager to just toss them out for the next new thing. My examples are anecdotal for sure, but I think there may be some truth to my contention. As opposed perhaps to on the coasts.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Did The Association fill the void left by The Beach Boys from 1967-68?
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on: November 17, 2015, 03:44:54 PM
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I think they were a pretty incredible group. I had a college roommate who insisted that the Assn. was a modern version of the BBs. I disagreed with him, as he was talking about how irrelevant the BBs were in 1970 because they had done surf and hot rod music. Huh?
Everything That Touches You was really pretty amazing, the harmonies, and also Along Came Mary I think sometimes is overlooked because of over familiarity, but that too is an incredible vocal harmonic performance.
Don't know exactly what void they would have filled vis a vis the BBs in that time period. Boys were still recording and no one could be the BBs better than the BBs.
You could just as easily ask, did the Turtles fill the void of the BBs, etc. Er, no. But they too were pretty good on their own terms.
Lots of different harmony groups back then and none of them really replaced each other.
Except America did replace CS&N! Just keeding!!
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Dennis Freakin' Wilson
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on: November 17, 2015, 03:28:09 PM
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Pretty sure Dennis would be the first to admit that he had not surpassed Brian in terms of songwriting, production or emotion.
I think Dennis was pretty great in his own "write", but this is simply a manner of quality and quantity (Brian) surpassing quality and lack of quantity (Dennis).
I kind of think of him as Dave Davies to Ray Davies, another "secondary" band member who was prodigiously talented but never got his true chance to shine, whatever the reasons.
Maybe potentially Dennis could have surpassed Brian...but alas, we will never get the opportunity to know that.
But beyond that, lets just love 'em both. No need to downgrade either one. Both great in their own way.
Though it is true that Dennis never got the credit due him both during his lifetime and after his passing. Sad but true.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: What if the band had their own Geffen/Azoff/Grant type Manager?
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on: November 16, 2015, 04:27:10 PM
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I don't think management would have made much of a difference in the group's history, the way it turned out. They actually put out great music until 15 Big Ones and much of it died a commercial death, not for management reasons, but just simply the music they were putting out was not in synch stylistically with the changing times.
Kind of like how a group like the Guess Who put out some fine albums after their AM hits dried up, but no one cared to listen. Also I guess the problem of being such a hit driven act and the hits suddenly drying up.
Never did understand why Wild Honey the single did not do better. Must have been some sort of Heroes and Villains backlash. Thought the theremin and organ break alone would have made it a bigger hit.
But as much as I liked some of the late sixties singles, it really did not surprise me that they were not bigger hits. They were very pleasant most of them, but just not very exciting or ground-breaking. Perhaps the same charge could be made about the albums, though they were musically very strong, but just not the type of music kids were getting into at that point. I remember in high school a very high IQ kid putting me down for listening still(!) to the BBs when I should have been listening to the emerging Grand Funk. But he was like a couple of year's younger and that made all the difference in tastes! Though now I listen to GF and the BB's, ha!
Maybe if Tom Parker had managed them he could have saved their career. Maybe they needed their own Comeback Special!
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Belles of Paris
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on: November 16, 2015, 04:17:10 PM
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I think that is one of the interesting thing about the latter-day BBs. Most fans were in agreement that many of the albums were spotty. But when they cite which songs they consider to be the best and worst and the albums, there is not a lot of consensus. One man's fave is another man's bottom of the pile.
Thing about Belles of Paris, whatever you think of it, you can't really say it sounds like any other song you have ever heard. And lyrically, Matchpoint is such a goofy lyric it never fails to make me laugh...sometimes at it and sometimes with it. And the fact the ridiculous lyrics are sung with such evident sincerity. Also it is amusing that apparently with Matchpoint they were attempting to cash in on the pro tennis craze of that time period. Surfin', hotrods and ....tennis??
It is truly a shame they never "covered" Sidewalk Surfin. That's another fad they could have leapt onto for fifteen seconds.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Top Five Favorite Beach Boy Tunes
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on: November 08, 2015, 01:46:55 PM
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Cuckoo Clock Cassius Love vs. Sonny Wilson Winds of Change Shutdown Volume II Ding Dang
Bonus selection: Ten Little Indians
Because these lists are so lame. In other words, who cares what anybody's five favorite BB's songs are? Personally, could not name a top five if I had to and why would I want to. What is it with some American's obsession with lists and rating things? I basically like almost everything they ever did....pretty sure that is the stance of most folks on this here site. My top 100 wouldn't vary much in quality compared to my second "top hundred". Such is the breadth of quality in the catalog. No real need to attempt to quantify the unquantifiable.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: BEACH BOYS’ PARTY! Uncovered and Unplugged
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on: October 20, 2015, 03:20:38 PM
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I suppose most know this, but there is a good discussion of BB's Party in the book Outlaw Blues by Paul Williams. IIRC, he makes very positive statements about the album and a good argument for its importance. Also, even though they weren't really unplugged in a sense, the album has been seen by some as a sort of precursor to the Unplugged MTV Series concept. Also pretty notable for perhaps being the first release by a major artist in which they goof on themselves with the parody-type versions of LDC, IGA, etc. Also some glorious group singing on songs like Hully Gully and There's No Other Like My Baby. A rather sublime version of Devoted to You. And lots of other little pleasures.
I remembered reading some statement about their cover of The Times They are a Changin' as being a gracious acknowledgement by the Boys that there were other things going on outside their southern Californian world from time to time, which struck me as pretty funny.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Lady Lynda: A Masterpiece
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on: October 05, 2015, 03:44:03 PM
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I liked Lady Lynda when it first came out but repeated listenings of the Bach intro got very annoying. Also it just simply was not that good of a song.
However they did a delightful "vocals only" part during the song in concert which sounded incredible back in the day. But it probably was only a hit in England cause they were coming there to the CBS convention and that generated some excitement for the single over there.
You knew when the group was releasing Jardine-written singles something was very wrong!
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Legacy of Endless Summer
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on: October 05, 2015, 03:34:05 PM
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The hits re-issues need not have stopped the group's ongoing creativity. Likely the success of those albums contributed to a feeling of, oh hell, lets just do the oldies and forget about the new stuff which really doesn't sell in any appreciable quantities anyway. It was easier to just tour the old stuff. As Jardine would say, "follow the path of least resistance".
Other factors involving the group's acquiescence into the oldies format most likely were the personal problems that some or all of the members were experiencing. It is a shame that they were unable to figure out a way to both exploit the re-issues and use them to generate positive reaction to any new music. But the new music was starting to go downhill anyway. Holland was good but not as good as Surf's Up. CATP was ok, good in places but kinda spotty too.
I think they had just largely run their course, musically. How many things can you do with what is basically a vocal group? Had they evolved into a better instrumental group over time, perhaps they could have continued to evolve. But they really didn't.
From their apparent failed attempts to work with Guercio to do an album of new original material post-Holland , it kind of became a foregone conclusion that they would dip their toes back into nostalgia.
So Endless Summer in my opinion was a savior for the group, if only mainly for financial reasons and re-generating a basic level of respect for their earliest work.
Re-makes of oldies had always served them well on the singles market.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: BW loves The Jesus and Mary Chain!!
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on: October 01, 2015, 06:04:54 PM
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Subject line definitely should have been BW loves a song by the Jesus and Mary Chain.
Though I did own a video by them and was surprised at the amount of imagery which seemed "surf/BB" related or associated in them. But don't ask what they were...been too long since I watched it and no longer own a VCR player.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Two Lane Blacktop
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on: September 29, 2015, 03:42:19 PM
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It was touted in a cover article in Esquire upon release as being the movie of the year. It wasn't.
I found it fairly tedious, but worthwhile enough for the rock star ogling it provided. Oates was good as usual, but Laurie couldn't carry a tune in a bucket.
A friend got a book which was basically the movie script and we quoted lines from the movie for years.
Them cicadies is freaky man.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Top quality original Beach Boys songs/productions after Holland
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on: September 26, 2015, 02:36:16 PM
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I really don't see a 10 of 10 release post-Holland. Most of the songs listed above seem to me to be about 8's at best, with many hovering in the 5 to 7 range. Although I still liked them very much post-Holland, that to me is when the career started heading south in terms of album quality. CATP can be excused partly for being a rush job, but LA, MIU, and 85 scream, "Mediocrity!!". Well, don't exactly scream it, more like actually inhabit mediocrity.
Oh sure, there are a few almost gems scattered amongst the ruins, but even those don't quite make it. Something has been lost along the way and even the better songs seem to be attempting to pick at the skeleton of their former work.
I can still listen to the aforementioned titles, but it is more a labor of forbearance than of love, kind of like the affection a parent might still hold for a wayward child.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Recent Mike Love Interview - Bakersfield Californian
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on: September 25, 2015, 03:28:58 PM
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Hasn't it been well established that the C50 ran the whole dates it was scheduled for and that the Mike and Bruce Band had other dates lined up that they were committed to?
In any event, it was a long tour and most folks who really wanted to see them were probably able to do so.
Its unfortunate that Brian decided at the end that he wanted the tour to continue. He probably should have requested a longer tour prior to the beginning of the tour.
Having said that, I still don't know why NPP could not have been a "BB's" album. How long would it have taken to get the guys into the studio to sing on at least some of the songs. Far as I'm concerned, they could have called it a Boys album anyway with the inclusion of Al/Blondie.
Yes, I know, legalities, realities....sigh
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Talk About Awards For Love and Mercy
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on: September 25, 2015, 03:19:32 PM
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It was a good movie but I really don't think it will win the Oscar for best picture. Probably best shot is acting nominations for Dano, Cusack or Giamatti.
I too though would love to see it win something, but fear it was a little too inside baseball to garner much in the way of nominations. The Compton thing well may overshadow it.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Making the Wild Honey album a classic
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on: September 25, 2015, 03:13:45 PM
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Wild Honey is a perfect album as is.
Its brevity is beautiful. The crudeness of sound, such as it is, only makes it sound more rock and roll.
I love that it was mainly played by the Boys.
Didn't even Lester Bangs refer to it as the album of 1967? And just think of what other great albums were released in '67.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: I had the opportunity to listen to Rio Grande while on LSD and can I just say...
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on: September 18, 2015, 02:36:58 PM
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It's a pretty good track, but it would probably help to be using LSD if you were to think it was THAT great. It gets to be somewhat tedious with repeated listenings. Kind of the Abbey Road thing, string together a bunch of fragments that didn't make songs on their own....What was it that Lennon said about the second side of Abbey, that it was pretty lousy or something to that effect, bunch of incomplete tunes strung together. I've never been much on most of the Beatles stuff past Revolver. Just kinda weedy music, in general.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Singles that received much radio play but performed mioderately in the charts
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on: September 13, 2015, 01:52:22 PM
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I believe the term for such an, ahem, phenomenon in the radio industry was "turntable hit". I also heard somewhere that Come Go With Me was a "turntable" hit. I can believe that. As much as I liked it, I was quite surprised that it charted top forty in its time (got to the low teens if my old memory serves me well). I think the Cowan Record Report or some such outfit was hired to promote it as a single to push the Ten Years of Harmony release, as the Boys mightily needed a hit single at that time.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: I used to steer clear of the later stuff
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on: September 12, 2015, 01:14:50 PM
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Actually, I can't think of a BB's album that doesn't have at least a few interesting tracks on them. And nearly all of them are at least good, if approached with an open mind. Even SIP has some good tunes on it. Ok, I'm not too crazy about Stars and Stripes, but that is the only really lame release and were they even really trying by then? Even an album like MIU has its charming moments, goofy lyrics, moments of music that could only have come from our favorite band, for good or for ill. Heck, on some days I even like Winds of Change, depending on my mood. Not too big on the '85 album either, but if I get in an eighties mood....
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