Brian Wilson

[StillSurfin]

'Melt Away' is a great track, listened to it alot recently. I would like to hear an updated version. I also like 'Love & Mercy', 'Walkin The Line', 'One for the Boys', 'There's So Many', 'Let it Shine' (would have liked to have heard Jeff talk about Brian on the documentary about Jeff & ELO), 'Meet me in My Dreams Tonight' & 'Rio Grande', overall it's a very good album.

The 80's production on this album and other album's produced in the later half of the 1980's when recording moved away from analog is that the more 'solid' quality of the music was replaced with a more synthetic type sound. Now artists have gone back to in some cases using analog recording and/or analog instruments as I think that gives music a more 'authentic' sound. The computers, synths etc. used at the time had their limitations too, although some of the old vintage synths/drum machines etc. have their own unique sound too like the Linn-LM1 & 2, Arp, Fairlight synth etc. 

[Orange Crate Art]

I love the songs but I don't like how it's produced. I don't like 1980's style synthesizer sound. However, the songs are great. Love & Mercy has incredible harmonies and is definitely one of his best non-Beach Boys songs. Walkin' The Line is energetic and I dig the shouting-style of singing. Melt Away, if it were recorded with the Wrecking Crew in '66, would've been acceptable on Pet Sounds in my opinion. Baby Let Your Hair Grow Long has an amazing middle-eight. Little Children is bouncy and fun. One For The Boys is dark but delicate. There's So Many has a cool tag. Night Time and Let It Shine are fun rockers. Meet Me In My Dreams Tonight should've been a single. Rio Grande is my favorite part of the album, probably because I'm a SMiLE nut, but parts of it remind me of Mount Vernon And Fairway, too. It proved that in 1988 Brian was capable of making progressive music. I've always wondered how much input Gene Landy really had in the whole production of things. I'm guessing not as much as Landy may have claimed, but who knows...

[Seaside Woman]

When this was released mobiles were the size of house bricks and only a few had them. Our house didn't have internet yet and any news of Brian was very thin on the ground.

My husband was working and on the road when an item came on the radio saying Brian Wilson was releasing a new album and here was a track 'Love & Mercy'.

He had to find a phone box to ring me and let me know and I'm saying to him, how did the song go, this to man who can't even clap in time.I went to town and went into the record shop and there it was the LP. My God, how happy was I. This album always brings great memories with it.

[bluesno1fann]

In my opinion, this is his best solo album.
I've got a "Not for sale - Promotional" Copy of this album on Vinyl!
"Love and Mercy" is my favourite track, but the others are quite good as well.
For what it is, it's much better than most of the Beach Boys stuff that came out around that time.
4 out of 5

[Lonely Summer]

I love TLOS, but it's so different in mood and sound, really hard to compare the 2. The Brian of 1988 was enjoying kind of a second adolescence, and so to my ears, this album is kind of an 80's Beach Boys Today/Pet Sounds mishmash. A lot of energy in the performances...so it might be my favorite solo of Brian's...but hard to choose between these 2.

[Dudd]

Goddang, Meet Me In My Dream Tonight is so good. Listened to it like a hundred times and it still gives me chills - has to be cranked though.

When/if you get past the production, this album really is something special.

[Tomorrowville]

I really love this album, and think it's the strongest overall of Brian's non-SMiLE solo albums.  Count me as one who is not bothered by the production - I don't mind it because it is unabashedly, ridiculously rolling around in its '80s synth-ness, much how "Love You" is unabashedly, ridiculously rolling around in its '70s synth-ness, and that makes it easy for me to just roll with it (I much prefer BW88's unashamed crazed '80s synth-ness over "Imagination's" sterile, weak sauce adult contemporary-ness).  And songwriting wise, I think it's greatness, with only one true stinker ("Night Time," naturally) and only a couple of songs besides that one that I tend to skip ("Little Children," "One for the Boys," maybe every so often "There's So Many").  I love the rest - I much prefer the peppier, poppier version of "Love & Mercy" to the slowed-down one from the later live performances, "Walkin' the Line" through "Baby Let Your Hair Grow Long" is a great run of songs, and after a little sagging in the middle the album pops back to life for "Let It Shine," "MMiMDT," and "Rio Grande," which (however and whoever came up with the idea) is still one of the best things Brian's created in his solo career, IMHO.

IMHO, great album.

[Lonely Summer]

In my opinion, this is his best solo album.
I've got a "Not for sale - Promotional" Copy of this album on Vinyl!
"Love and Mercy" is my favourite track, but the others are quite good as well.
For what it is, it's much better than most of the Beach Boys stuff that came out around that time.
4 out of 5

For example what (except for "Night Time" which you said was your favorite, if I recall)? I think L&M is more beautiful than MA. Let It Shine is def the worst track here.

I like Let it Shine - stays in my head for hours after listening to the album. Night Time just sounds so 80's - the song, not just the production.

[KDS]

After listening to BW 88 again, I rate it a low 4. 

There are some really good songs on here.  Love & Mercy and Melt Away are classics.  The production tries really hard to make it sound like Pet Sounds meets the 80s. 

I really like Jeff Lynne song. 

Rio Grande is.....OK. 

Part of me wanted to downgrade the album for its 1980s production.  But the songs hold up.  And the album is a product of the times.  It's held up better than other albums of the time (ie. Roger Waters - Radio KAOS). 

[undercover-m]

Listening to this album... for the second time today. First on Spotify, now on vinyl... interesting experiential difference.

"One for the Boys" just blew my mind.

I don't know if I could give it a 5, not yet, anyway... The 8-year-old Beach Boys fan that's still inside of me still finds Brian's post-70's voice so different. But I'm growing to love it. And his work on this and all other solo albums.
The harmonies and lyrics definitely stick out to me; they're lovely.

There are some interesting noises and sound effects on this album.
Anyway, listening to Love and Mercy is always a pleasure. I cannot wait to see this man in concert.

[Mike's Beard]

1. Love and Mercy 4/5
2. Walkin' the Line 3/5
3. Melt Away 3/5
4. Baby Let Your Hair Grow Long 3/5
5. Little Children 5/5
6. On for the Boys 3/5
7. There's So Many 2/5
8. Night Time 4/5
9. Let It Shine 2/5
10. Meet Me in My Dreams Tonight 3/5
11. Rio Grande 4/5

I like the production on this, it's a snapshot in time. Still Brian's best album after all these years.
3.5/5

[You Kane, You Commanded, You Conquered]

Rio Grande is nothing short of brilliant, as affecting as Good Vibrations, with FANTASTIC vocals from Brian, especially on ''the great big river, makes my heart beat stroooong!".

[Lonely Summer]

Rio Grande is nothing short of brilliant, as affecting as Good Vibrations, with FANTASTIC vocals from Brian, especially on ''the great big river, makes my heart beat stroooong!".

Agreed. His voice IS different than on the 60's hits, but I think he sounds great. Really enjoy hearing the demos on the Rhino cd, too, fascinating to hear how these songs developed. I almost like the demo of Walkin' the Line better than the proper studio version.

[JK]

Borrowed this from my local friendly record-lending library today. The original 1988 version that is, with Dr. the most
prevalent abbreviation in the CD notes and Landy's name all over everything. I must admit it sounds great! "Melt
Away" never sounded better, although the whole album has an amazing atmosphere. "Overproduced" my Aunt Fanny...

[Lonely Summer]

Borrowed this from my local friendly record-lending library today. The original 1988 version that is, with Dr. the most
prevalent abbreviation in the CD notes and Landy's name all over everything. I must admit it sounds great! "Melt
Away" never sounded better, although the whole album has an amazing atmosphere. "Overproduced" my Aunt Fanny...

Nice to know someone shares my opinion of this album.

[HotAsIce]

some of his stuff is really good

[Lonely Summer]

some of his stuff is really good

Brian's or Landy's?