So I played TWGMTR for my parents and well..

[UK_Surf]

I played it for my girl last night and she reckoned it's sh*t. My three year old Sierra's not that bothered either. Jack, born in January, gave a lovely smile while it was playing but then let rip a hunderous fart, so it was probably just wind.

Took me a while - and several dozen listens - to pick out individual voices but this is dominated by several factors:

1. Brian's voice is easily the most dominant.
2. Seems to me that a lot of "work" has been done on some of the other voices.
3. There's so much echo & reverb on the choral and individual voices that any real distinctiveness is buried. Every now and then one of the guys' voices is pushed up a little so that each gets a showcase but that's it.
4. There's a few unidentifiable voices in there (Foskett? Scotty? Others?) which I could live without.
5. I'm no audio engineer and don't have the necessary ear, but I suspect auto tune had been applied with a decorator's brush to much of the block harmony vocals.

But Y'know, so what! It's reunion schmaltz, it's syrupy and sweet and it says "we're back!". Love that line "He waved his hand gave us rock and roll..."

Listening in bed this morning with the headphones on so as not to waken The Dissenter, I detected a vocal part I hadn't heard before. Deep, not really in tune, rumbly and not in time either but repetitive; no discernible auto tune either. Had to listen real hard... to work out The Dissenter was snoring.

This post almost single handedly  improved my experience of the tune. Give Jack a hi-five for me...

[Heysaboda]

I played it for my girl last night and she reckoned it's sh*t. My three year old Sierra's not that bothered either. Jack, born in January, gave a lovely smile while it was playing but then let rip a hunderous fart, so it was probably just wind.

Took me a while - and several dozen listens - to pick out individual voices but this is dominated by several factors:

1. Brian's voice is easily the most dominant.
2. Seems to me that a lot of "work" has been done on some of the other voices.
3. There's so much echo & reverb on the choral and individual voices that any real distinctiveness is buried. Every now and then one of the guys' voices is pushed up a little so that each gets a showcase but that's it.
4. There's a few unidentifiable voices in there (Foskett? Scotty? Others?) which I could live without.
5. I'm no audio engineer and don't have the necessary ear, but I suspect auto tune had been applied with a decorator's brush to much of the block harmony vocals.

But Y'know, so what! It's reunion schmaltz, it's syrupy and sweet and it says "we're back!". Love that line "He waved his hand gave us rock and roll..."

Listening in bed this morning with the headphones on so as not to waken The Dissenter, I detected a vocal part I hadn't heard before. Deep, not really in tune, rumbly and not in time either but repetitive; no discernible auto tune either. Had to listen real hard... to work out The Dissenter was snoring.

As usual, John M. has it spot on!

Brilliant!

[cube_monkey]

I am impressed you would play something for your parents.     That is refreshing.   

[The Shift]

I daren't play something for my folks these days. They live 35 miles away and I don't have a stereo loud enough.

[drbeachboy]

When I was a kid my parents heard my music whether they liked it or not. I didn't give a sh*t either way. They played their music whether I liked it or not. They liked Big Band, while me and my siblings like Rock & Roll. Different generations, different musical tastes. Though dear ol' Dad loved Ballad of Ol' Betsy; his own car's name.

[MBE]

Man I would have liked to see the old "Produced By the Beach Boys" credit. I'm just going to enjoy it for what is and hope nothing is exceedingly in bad taste. If I want classic Beach Boys it only means grabbing it off the shelf. Again the important thing is that they do seem to be ending their story with class, instead of letting it dissolve pathetically with all of them at odds.

We haven't seen any final production credits yet.

Joe Thomas is not confirmed as a producer or co-producer.

The only official word we've had on the subject is from Capitol Records, saying that Brian produced the album.

I wasn't aware of that. With all the threads I must have misconstrued it.

However I'm still a skeptic about Thomas being involved on any level though. I just haven't been pleased with the work he had done with Brian or the others in the past.

Still all I hope for is something that is pleasent and unlike the eighties and nineties catalog. TWGMTR fits that so if the rest of the LP is as good I will be cool.