20/20

[Rick5150]

In "I Can Hear Music" there is a nearly inaudible shout(?) buried under the part where Carl sings "the sounds of the city baby, seem to disappear." It happens at the same time later. I always wondered if this was left on there intentionally.

[JK]

Apart from the juvenile "All I Want To Do" I'd say not a bad track in sight. (Yes, even the much-maligned "screaming guitar" on "Bluebirds" sounds great to me.) I think the sheer variety helps.

I confess to preferring the single, one-word version of "Cotton Fields" but Brian's original has its own charms. "I Can Hear Music" is simply stunning and far superior, I feel, to "Then I Kissed Her" in the Spector stakes. All good stuff. Even the "Smile" tracks fit in nicely.

Well... "AIWTD" is mercifully brief so I'll be charitable (it's the weekend and the sun's out) and give it 5/5. :=)
   

[JL]

I've always felt like this album was always a mish-mash of songs that were all over the place stylistically. But given how it was their last album before they left Capitol, I guess I'm not surprised. Anyway, Cotton Fields and Bluebirds Over the Mountain are so-so for me, but I don't really like any versions of those songs that much. They're nice, but nothing too impressive. Better is I Can Hear Music, with great production and vocals from Carl, plus a breathtaking acapella section towards the end. Time To Get Alone is lovely, as is I Went To Sleep, so Brian's contributions are excellent as usual. Then of course there's Our Prayer and Cabin Essence, both Smile tracks, which don't really fit in with the rest of the album, but are such strong tracks they're still more than worthy additions to the track listing. I don't care for the Dennis songs this time around, either, but it's good to see him continue to try and improve his songwriting abilities. It's a bit of a mess with all the different variety of songs (but on the plus side, you could argue that there's something for everyone), and not all of them are up to par, but it still manages to be a pretty good outing.

3.5/5

[waketheworld]

this was one of the first BB albums I ever owned, after Surf's Up.  I bought it at age 12.  Loved it then and, almost 50 years later, it is still one of my favorites.  Nearly al the songs are excellent. The Smile-era songs represent the high water mark of our civilization, as far as I'm concerned.  The two radio hits are pleasant, and Never Learn Not To Love is awesome.  I didn't realize that it was a grab bag of assorted oddities until years later.

[Julia]

20/20 is like Sunflower and Surf's Up to me, except where the latter two are inexplicably pedestalized by the rest of the fandom (especially nostalgic boomers), 20/20 is rightly seen as a middling mixed-bag. This is where the group really lost their voice, abandoning the charming lo-fi trilogy direction (SS-WH-Friends) before finally rediscovering a suitable new groove with Holland. They clearly didn't know what to do when Brian pulled back after the collapse of SMiLE, but SS/WH/F at least retained that same experimental quirkiness he brought to the table, if in a comparatively underwhelming execution from the glory years. The lo-fi trilogy are still warm, cohesive albums with their own unique aesthetic identities, which helps them stand the test of time decades after the "it's not SMiLE" disappointment has worn off. 20/20 through SU, in contrast, are just messy hodgepodge albums that don't know what they want to be--they feel desperate for a hit again at all costs rather than the group trying out a new sound. The other BBs just lacked that intuitive gift of finding captivating melodies and knowing how to make arrangements really pop. It says so much that on all three of these "turn of the decade" albums, the highlights are resurrected SMiLE fragments from 2-4 years prior. (Everyone praises Carl's compositions in this era, like "Feel Flows" but so help me God, I've listened to them a dozen times over the years and never remember what they sound like 10 minutes after they're over. That's the honest truth.)

None of the songs on 20/20 are distractingly bad or anything, they just seem unfinished and leave little impression. There's a nice riff or something but they don't go anywhere, or have memorable hooks, so they just peter out and you're like "oh, that was a song I guess," and then forget about them soon after. There's so many moments I find myself thinking "why did they do that, what's the purpose?" like Workshop at the end of "Do it Again," or "Prayer" not at the beginning or very end. "Nearest Faraway Place" is trying to be the same ethereal instrumental as "Let's Go Away for Awhile" and "Diamond Head" but it just never quite gets there. It's still the best track on the album that isn't a SMiLE-leftover, though I could've done without the corny music box outro (but that's Bruce for ya, schmaltzy to a fault). It's not a bad record to throw on in the background and vibe to, but it's not going to blow anyone away. Most tracks illicit a response of: "oh that's kinda nice, I guess."

3/5 for the talented vocals and musicianship alone. It's probably as good as the pre-ASL albums hence the same rating.