Mike`s solo career

[Nicko1234]

Obviously that invites the `what career?` comments but just a few queries about Mike`s stuff.

After the first version of Unleash the Love was leaked, have any other new songs appeared on boots? I know that `Make Love, Not War` was played on TV but which other titles are known about?

For the Country Love album, how many of the songs were covers and how many were originals? Obviously I know that the legendary `Wrinkles`was one of Mike`s as it later metamorphosed into `Summer in Paradise`.

Were the songs that Mike worked on with Adrian Baker in the 80s all covers?

[Aegir]

Wrinkles eventually metamorphosed into Summer in Paradise?

[Nicko1234]

I haven`t heard the song for ages but I remember reading that the music for `Wrinkles` was adapted into `Summer in Paradise`.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Whoever wrote that must be tone deaf - the two melodies are totally different.

[Andrew G. Doe]

For the Country Love album, how many of the songs were covers and how many were originals? Obviously I know that the legendary `Wrinkles`was one of Mike`s as it later metamorphosed into `Summer in Paradise`.

Just the one cover, of "Today, I Started Lovin' You Again".

Were the songs that Mike worked on with Adrian Baker in the 80s all covers?

No, some were originals.

[MBE]

He is the only Beach Boy with a US top 30 hit with Almost Summer. His unreleased First Love is pretty good considering the era. Unleash wasn't bad either. The Adrian Baker stuff is awful. Country Love mediocre. The ones that came out..Looking Back is fairly poor to me and the Mike and Dean stuff pretty lightweight. Disco Celebration (of whoch only a handful of copies are known to exist) is awful, but the Almost Summer and Celebration self titled albums have a few nice songs on them. They are rather backwards in some ways, but they are pleasent nostalgia unlike say Summer In Paradise.

[oldsurferdude]

while obviously not a student nor admirer of  Mike's musical contributions with or without the group, he should have stayed a good distance from solo output. His vocals were good for the early/middle years, however as things progressed (?) his leads or even mere involvement (not bv) started to sound cringeworthy-people heard that nasal element and thought "surf " music. In a very small nut shell:

                      Mike's solo LPs-dreck
                      Carl's solo LPs-listenable with a good vocals and a few good songs
                      Al's solo LP's-n/a, but on what has been previewed, great vocals

                       Bruce's LP-
                       Dennis' Lps-POB is very good as a whole-Bamboo(sp?) ok
                       Brian's LP's-with a range from poor to brilliant, he leaves the rest of them somewhat in the dust.

[Nicko1234]

while obviously not a student nor admirer of  Mike's musical contributions with or without the group, he should have stayed a good distance from solo output.

I strongly disagree. I actually think that quite a bit of the stuff from Mike`s solo projects has been better than the band`s releases over the same period of time. For example, Sad Sad Summer, I Don`t Wanna Know, Daybreak, You`re Looking Better, First Love, Country Pie, Paradise Found, Glow Crescent Glow, Cool Head, Pisces Brothers... I genuinely struggle to think of 10 songs that the group released from 1976 onwards that I like better than those.

[Dancing Bear]

I don't know about the others, but Sad Sad Summer is gorgeous and would easily find a place in any Beach Boys or solo Brian album recorded after 1978.

[mikeyj]

I strongly disagree. I actually think that quite a bit of the stuff from Mike`s solo projects has been better than the band`s releases over the same period of time. For example, Sad Sad Summer, I Don`t Wanna Know, Daybreak, You`re Looking Better, First Love, Country Pie, Paradise Found, Glow Crescent Glow, Cool Head, Pisces Brothers... I genuinely struggle to think of 10 songs that the group released from 1976 onwards that I like better than those.

Really? Wow! I could easily think of ten - especially if you are including things that went unreleased at the time but were released later on (eg: Still I Dream Of It etc.)

[MBE]

I don't know if I can say those are better then any Beach Boys songs but Love was writing better stuff for his solo projects overall.  Granted there are a small handful of songs he did for the group from 1978 on that are just as good.

[Nicko1234]

Really? Wow! I could easily think of ten - especially if you are including things that went unreleased at the time but were released later on (eg: Still I Dream Of It etc.)

Yes, really.

I agree about Still I Dream of It but there hasn`t been that much previously unreleased stuff that has come out I guess.

From the albums I would say that these are the only songs that I would pick:

SIP - Nothing
SC - Somewhere Near Japan
BB85 - Where I Belong
KTSA - Nothing
LA - Baby Blue
MIU - My Diane, Pitter Patter
Love You - The Night Was so Young, Airplane, I`ll Bet He`s Nice
15BO - Nothing

Other people probably feel completely different of course but I would rank both First Love and Unleash ahead of SIP, SC, BB85, KTSA and 15BO and possibly ahead of one or 2 of the others too. Maybe I just don`t like the stuff that the band has done in the wilderness period that much either.

[tpesky]

Really? Wow! I could easily think of ten - especially if you are including things that went unreleased at the time but were released later on (eg: Still I Dream Of It etc.)

Yes, really.

I agree about Still I Dream of It but there hasn`t been that much previously unreleased stuff that has come out I guess.

From the albums I would say that these are the only songs that I would pick:

SIP - Nothing
SC - Somewhere Near Japan
BB85 - Where I Belong
KTSA - Nothing
LA - Baby Blue
MIU - My Diane, Pitter Patter
Love You - The Night Was so Young, Airplane, I`ll Bet He`s Nice
15BO - Nothing

Other people probably feel completely different of course but I would rank both First Love and Unleash ahead of SIP, SC, BB85, KTSA and 15BO and possibly ahead of one or 2 of the others too. Maybe I just don`t like the stuff that the band has done in the wilderness period that much either.

Mike, is that you? Jai guru dev! 

[TonyW]

One reads and hears a lot of really strange things in the Beach Boys world but I have never read, nor expect to read the phrase, "Mike Love's critically acclaimed solo album" ...

[oldsurferdude]

One reads and hears a lot of really strange things in the Beach Boys world but I have never read, nor expect to read the phrase, "Mike Love's critically acclaimed solo album" ...

Absolutely! And you're never gonna, ever. Those types of accolades are reserved for Brian and Dennis-so far.