W i l d H o n e y

[SMiLE Brian]

Those are some psychedelic, happening songs.

Nothing psychedelic about the album in any form. Just a great album done in the way Sam Phillips (of SUN Records) would've recorded it

Sam Phillips actually making an album with the group sounds awesome.

Unfortunately it's too late.

One can only dream of the awesomeness. I miss those old labels like Sun and Chess records.

[dmcguire70]

I know I'm going rub people up the wrong way on this but whilst I really like Wild Honey, I dislike the title track. Carl vocals are scratchy and are grating to the ears. Its hard to believe it's the same  Carl that sang God Only Knows or even Cabinessence.

[William Bowe]

There's a Top 30 Beach Boys' songs thread in action at the moment, and I'm making the effort to keep score on an aggregated best-of list. At the moment the only song from Wild Honey is Darlin', which is hanging on at #28. My own favourite, Let The Wind Blow, is currently just outside the Top 30. Perhaps this thread's Wild Honey enthusiasts might like to drop by and give the album some love.

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,9812.50.html

[chris.metcalfe]

While we have a WH topic..

Personally I think the 2 fer sounds terrible, sound wise is that the best out there or is there a better sounding release to buy?

The 2000 twofer sounds a lot better than the 1990 one.

[SurfRiderHawaii]

Since they found this new version of "Surf's Up" on the Wild Honey tapes, one wonders what's took them to those tapes.  A re-release?

[runnersdialzero]

Since they found this new version of "Surf's Up" on the Wild Honey tapes, one wonders what's took them to those tapes.  A re-release?

I believe it was said a stereo mix was being prepared, but there were no plans for a release (at least not anytime soon). I would guess things are just being archived right now.

[tansen]

Lol, it's ridiculous to say Wild Honey doesn't have a psychedelic influence, or even psychedelic elements in it. Anyone with a pair of ears and can hear that.
Also, nice to see ghost is back, that guy is both funny and has some good opinions.

[puni puni]

umm ill believe my best friend ghost is back when theres some moog talk

[Aegir]

If newguy is ghost, that proves that he's just a troll. I like to think ghost was a genuine poster with a questionable sense of humor.

[SurfRiderHawaii]

Since they found this new version of "Surf's Up" on the Wild Honey tapes, one wonders what's took them to those tapes.  A re-release?

I believe it was said a stereo mix was being prepared, but there were no plans for a release (at least not anytime soon). I would guess things are just being archived right now.

Capital did announce that more commemorative releases were coming.  No details yet.  Based on what their doing with Pink Floyd (well, EMI), and the superlative sales for Smile, I'm betting we'll see a new WH release in 2012.

[oldsurferdude]

Lol, it's ridiculous to say Wild Honey doesn't have a psychedelic influence, or even psychedelic elements in it. Anyone with a pair of ears and can hear that.
Also, nice to see ghost is back, that guy is both funny and has some good opinions.

Maybe to  your ears and that's fine-WH wasn't psy when it was released and it's not now or ever will be to me. It was Brian's return to simplicity at the time according to the rock press. Generally straightforward tunes. What would you classify as psy on the album?

[Newguy562]

If newguy is ghost, that proves that he's just a troll. I like to think ghost was a genuine poster with a questionable sense of humor.

idk who ghost.. is maybe it's an inside joke between all of yall.

[tansen]

Lol, it's ridiculous to say Wild Honey doesn't have a psychedelic influence, or even psychedelic elements in it. Anyone with a pair of ears and can hear that.
Also, nice to see ghost is back, that guy is both funny and has some good opinions.

Maybe to  your ears and that's fine-WH wasn't psy when it was released and it's not now or ever will be to me. It was Brian's return to simplicity at the time according to the rock press. Generally straightforward tunes. What would you classify as psy on the album?

I'm not saying the album is psychedelic per se, but that it most definitely has psychedelic elements. For instance the use of reverb and compression on some of the songs, the use of theremins and mellotron, things like that. It's the same with 'Odessey and Oracle', it's not psychedelic in the same way as 'Aoxomoxoa' or 'Piper at the Gates of Dawn' (which obviously are psychedelic in two different ways) but it certainly has psychedelic elements.

In fact, Allmusic states that WH is a combination of Contemporary Pop/Rock, AM Pop, Sunshine Pop, Psychedelic, Psychedelic Pop.
http://www.allmusic.com/album/wild-honey-r1423

I agree.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

If newguy is ghost, that proves that he's just a troll. I like to think ghost was a genuine poster with a questionable sense of humor.

idk who ghost.. is maybe it's an inside joke between all of yall.

Well, here you're definitely playing dumb because the guy's name is at the top of this thread and you see it everytime you click on it.

[Rocker]

Lol, it's ridiculous to say Wild Honey doesn't have a psychedelic influence, or even psychedelic elements in it. Anyone with a pair of ears and can hear that.

Then you never really listened to 50s R'n'B, etc., did you ? The only psychedeic thing about Wild Honey is Bruce's organ solo and even that could be discussed. Influence is another prospect but musicalley there's (almost) nothing psychedelic in the whole album

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

The Wild Honey disc in my 70's vinyl two-fer with 20/20 sounds pretty dang good!

[cablegeddon]

I never thought about it before. "I'd love just to once see you" is like the original indiepop. It sounds exactly like early Death Cab for Cutie and Pavement.

[tansen]

Lol, it's ridiculous to say Wild Honey doesn't have a psychedelic influence, or even psychedelic elements in it. Anyone with a pair of ears and can hear that.

Then you never really listened to 50s R'n'B, etc., did you ? The only psychedeic thing about Wild Honey is Bruce's organ solo and even that could be discussed. Influence is another prospect but musicalley there's (almost) nothing psychedelic in the whole album

Um, sure i have, but you are still wrong. See my post above.

[drbeachboy]

The Wild Honey disc in my 70's vinyl two-fer with 20/20 sounds pretty dang good!

Yep, and it is Fake Stereo too. Probably why they split those two releases the way they did. SS (FS)/ Friends (ST), WH (FS)/20/20 (ST).

[Aegir]

I never thought about it before. "I'd love just to once see you" is like the original indiepop. It sounds exactly like early Death Cab for Cutie and Pavement.

what Death Cab or Pavement song sounds like "I'd Love Just Once to See You"?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qNzY33S_jA

[Runaways]

I know I'm going rub people up the wrong way on this but whilst I really like Wild Honey, I dislike the title track. Carl vocals are scratchy and are grating to the ears. Its hard to believe it's the same  Carl that sang God Only Knows or even Cabinessence.

yeah i like the song a lot, i don't like his vocals.

[linusoli]

It always bothers me when people draw these delineations to argue that BW abandoned psychedelia after Smiley Smile, and that Wild Honey is not a psychedelic record
I would maintain that once BW's music cracked into that impressionistic dimension sometime in 65, it remained psychedelic for a long time; just in increasingly subtle and homespun ways.
lyrically? not always. but musically? hell yeah!

psychedelic aspects on wild honey, off the top of my head:

"Wild Honey" the overall sound of the track, the wailing theremins and distant organs, and the stop and start rhythm, it's a very trippy song
"Aren't You Glad" the distant and yet burning tone of the horns, the way the organ buzz piles up, the weird edits between the verses and choruses
"I Was Made to Love Her" again, the overall sound of this thing, that fat bass just locked in with the low piano, while the tambourine and organ (?) hold up the high end, granted these are subjective analyses but i hear something very psychedelic indeed
"Country Air" should be so obvious. the way bruce's high vocal melts into that rooster. that burning organ buzz again, this time threatening to envelop everything. the weird verses that are almost free-form, whistle scat vocals. this song feels like a more controlled 'smiley smile' experiment
"A Thing or Two" one of the trippest songs on the album! the bizarro structure, the way some lines just end really early leaving weird stray guitar notes hanging by themselves in the ether, and then the hard edits into those choruses! The sound of that chorus is one of the fattest ever, that organ just envelops you and the piano/bass syncopated line is just wild
"Darlin" probably the least psychedelic piece on the album and perhaps as a result has always been my least favorite. beautiful song though and that "every night" bridge is as lovely as anything he ever wrote, and again scratching at that heart-rending impressionistic vein he could do so well
"I'd Love Just Once to See You" the overall cathedral like ambience, oddly juxtaposed against such a mundane concept and lyric. the weird hard edit at the end that drops a beat. the sudden fade just as the song feels like its opening up. all very psychedelic touches.
"Here Comes the Night" the intensity with which the choruses ascend up and down the chords, also that thick organ again that just renders your brain to mush. the hypnotic repetition.
"Let the Wind Blow" should be so obvious i'm not even gonna waste my energy. the most psychedelic thing on here.
"How She Boogalooed It" is just a silly song but with a lot of great period details!
"Mama Says" is obviously very psychedelic.

To argue that "Wild Honey" is "JUST" an R&B album is reductionist and oversimplistic in my opinion. Yes, BW was clearly trying to bring the band back to that raw emotion, screaming vocals around a pounded piano thing. but there was no going back from what he had learned. and these impressionistic masterstrokes are all over the record

[Ram4]

I know I'm going rub people up the wrong way on this but whilst I really like Wild Honey, I dislike the title track. Carl vocals are scratchy and are grating to the ears. Its hard to believe it's the same  Carl that sang God Only Knows or even Cabinessence.

yeah i like the song a lot, i don't like his vocals.

Of all the Beach Boys songs that I initially didn't care for but now love, Wild Honey is near the top.  I still would love to hear a better mix (it always had a sound like there was a pillow over the speakers) and in stereo.  But I really like Carl's over the top, going beyond his range vocals.  It's a fun little song.  The theremin is vintage 1967, the cheesy organ solo is priceless, and the whole vibe of the song gets you moving.  I have never heard or seen it live, but I would think it would go over well if the singer could handle it.

And I agree with linusoli's breakdown of the tracks.  Wild Honey definitely has a bit of 1967 psychedelia all over the album!  Definitely toned down after Smiley Smile of course!

[Will C.]

I have never heard or seen it live, but I would think it would go over well if the singer could handle it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRbBPhodF4Q

[drbeachboy]

I don't find that organ solo cheesy. If anything, it is very funky, and I miss it every time I listen to a a stereo mix of the song. The Wild Honey album is a nice mix of many influences. Trying to pin it down to just one main one just doesn't do the album justice.