New album info (as it rolls out...)

[Craig Feldspar]

the itunes clips are AWESOME. Just listened with noise canceling headphones. This is really going to be a great album! I'm an autotune hater as much as the next guy, but the use of it here, while noticeable, really doesn't bother me. Surprisingly impressed.

[lance]

All of their records are pretty dated to their respective eras, though. 15 Big Ones is more authentically 70s sounding than Born to Run, for me, meaning that I hear shag carpet, plaid pants and wood paneling in that music, whereas in Born to Run I hear epic poetry. I can pretty much say the same of all their records. Even MIU captures that late 70s disco exhaustion that the non-punk world got. I think the Beach Boys tend to take prevailing trends and magnify them.

[Heysaboda]

YIKES

I left for 3 hours and there are 8 more pages.

I am still going to AVOID all the clips.  I want the Full Monty experience!   

Love reading all the pro and con comments.  "alot" of interesting opinions on both sides.

Get it?  "alot"

-- David

Just got signed up for the Record Room too!

[Awesoman]

"Shelter" - I've finally figured out the main reason I dislike Jeff's voice. Aside from the hoarseness/bloatedness, the constant cracking, the modification of Brian's written parts and sitting way too high in the mix, one of the biggest attractions for the Beach Boys was that their voices, despite being grown men, have almost always had this child-like quality to it. Even when Brian fried his voice with coke and cigarettes, he still had that quality to it. Even at 70 years old, the guys still have that quality to their voices. It's diminished a bit, some members more than others, but it's still very much there. It's playful, it has this energy to it that I can't really describe. It's just not there in Jeff's voice. At all. It's the opposite. Jeff's voice makes me want to do taxes and wash dishes. And there are times when it seems as though he's aware of it and tries to put a "silly" face on it, but it makes things even worse. I hate to bash the guy, it's just that all the things I just named combine and then clash with the other guys' voices, it creates some kind of dissonance (maybe not technically, but you know what I mean). This is the best I can describe this.

I've never really been on the "Hate Foskett" bandwagon, but I will admit his vocals on these songs are a little clunky.  A few listens to his solo albums will prove this guy has a good voice; but he's not really providing it on this record.  The absence of Carl in the vocal blend is definitely felt on every track. 

[brother john]

Monicker, you really do know how to spread some joy and light.

I second that. They're all about 70, maybe they can't sing in tune any more? If this is what it takes, then fair enough. It is what it is. Monicker, you do have much more sensitive ears than anyone else on the board (you were very upset about Smile Sessions and yes, I did hear what you heard, but I didn't let it bother me) and most people here either haven't noticed pitch correction or don't mind it. As Wirestone says, let's not spoil the party. The release of this record will be a special event for everyone here.

[brother john]

Jeff's voice makes me want to do taxes and wash dishes.

This is the greatest thing i've read in a long time. That is a brilliant way to put it. I always thought to myself that his falsetto (i will give him due for his mid range, which i think is pretty good) sounds like a grandma singing out of her range, trying to do a whacky imitation of The Beach Boys. But, yes, taxes and dishes.

Very well put. It is the timbre of Jeff's voice which is displeasing to the ear.

[runnersdialzero]

Pitch correction was used on Brian's 1988 solo debut. Can you really tell? You can't, and it's because they manually adjusted his pitch when it needed to be done instead of lazily throwing a filter over the entire vocal. We've heard Brian live without pitch correction, we've heard the other guys recently without pitch correct, and they can still sing just fine while having the occasional iffy moment, but they've had those since the 60s. Harmonies aren't meant to have a creepy synthetic pitch-perfect quality. That's why some folks have a problem with it, especially someone like Al, whose voice has held up the best over these 50 years. His vocals do not deserve to be compromised like they have on "From There To Back Again". No one is being irrational or attempting to sour anything for anyone, we're just upset because the folks in charge of this are trying their damnedest to fix what isn't broken and it's unnecessarily compromising the quality of the final product.

[phirnis]

Judging from the longer clips at iTunes, to me this isn't anywhere near as good as the stuff of theirs I enjoy best (Love You, Holland, early hits, etc.) but honestly I didn't expect it any other way. Not a big issue at all.

"The Private Life of Bill and Sue" reminds me of both Imagination and the M.I.U. Album. Not a great piece of art but kind of pleasant and, as I said before, VERY catchy. So far, this might be my favorite. "Isn't It Time" is a bit too retro for me in terms of the lyrics. The music itself is (again) pleasant enough. "Pacific Coast Highway" reminds me of "MAD" but the B-Pain thing really is distracting. Overall, very promising. "Beaches in Mind" sounds completely forgettable to these ears, as does "Spring Vacation", which I think is laughably bad. "Shelter" is pretty good I guess. Not a big fan of Foskett's vocals, however, and the B-Pain thing is way too prominent too. "From There to Back Again" could be one of the album's definite high points. Bit underwhelmed by "Summer's Gone". Never been a fan of "Daybreak Over the Ocean". Could be their best since Still Cruisin' or maybe even BB85; as a whole, probably better than KTSA but not too close to the individual high points of the Light Album.

[brother john]

we're just upset because the folks in charge of this are trying their damnedest to fix what isn't broken and it's unnecessarily compromising the quality of the final product.

Fair enough.

[NatureShowInStereo]

To me, it almost sounds like an album they should have put out long ago. By that, I mean 90s or early 2000s. It fits in the Beach Boys' evolution of sound.

[roll plymouth rock]

spring vacation, good vibration, summer weather, we're back together....easy money, ain't life funny, hey what's it to ya? hallelujah

[Iron Horse-Apples]

I apologise for yesterday. Whilst I feel vindicated in defending my right to have a subjective opinion without being called a "hater", there is no excuse for name calling in return.

Please guys, be aware though. There is a knock on effect when you try to belittile people whose opinion you don't share.

My two favourite albums are Smiley Smile and Love You. There are a lot of people on here who can't stand these albums. Whilst I find that bewildering, I would defend their right to have their opinion to the death.

I find the clips physically painful to listen to. I hate the pitch correction. Whilst I will listen to the album tracks on Youtube when they become available, I will not be spending money on an album I will never play. I would rather spend that money on a nice day out with my daughter!

The Beach Boys are entertainers. They don't owe me anything, and I don't owe them anything. There is no rule saying that to be a Beach Boys fan you have to blindly love everything they do. (And I'm not for one moment saying that's what any of you are doing, that is addressed to me and the genuine sadness and disapointment I feel)

They enjoy a privileged lifestyle because of us fans.

Do they deserve this? Absolutely

Have they earned this? Undoubtedly

Are they above criticism?...........I don't think I need answer that

This ain't the blooboard guys.

[monicker]

Monicker, you really do know how to spread some joy and light.

I second that. They're all about 70, maybe they can't sing in tune any more? If this is what it takes, then fair enough. It is what it is. Monicker, you do have much more sensitive ears than anyone else on the board (you were very upset about Smile Sessions and yes, I did hear what you heard, but I didn't let it bother me) and most people here either haven't noticed pitch correction or don't mind it. As Wirestone says, let's not spoil the party. The release of this record will be a special event for everyone here.

I wanted to counter the claim that the Autotune, as heard on the iTunes clips, was nowhere near as bad as one might have thought, because i noticed it even more on the higher quality. But, yeah, i don’t need to say anymore. And i don’t mean that in a snarky way at all. Honestly, these issues can’t at all be compared to the Smile Sessions box or argued in the same way because, ultimately, these are creative decisions that someone is making on the new record, so how much can the naysayers really say? It comes down to tastes. That, however, wasn’t the case at all with TSS. And for the record, my ears aren’t the greatest--in the videos posted in the Autotune thread, there were a lot of instances where i couldn’t hear it. 

[buddhahat]

Wow Isn't It Time is great! It's the closest thing here to a classic sounding BB record. It kind of feels like MIU/LA Light/KTSA era to me and I don't mean that as a slur - it's like one of the better tracks from that era, which is no mean feat in 98 or 2012 or whenever this was actually written.

Shame about the autotune though, but don't want to dwell too much on that. It is as it is. I can imagine Bruce bringing that idea to the party, for some weird reason.

Based on these Itunes clips I'd say I like about 2/3rds of the album which has way exceeded my expectations. Summer's Gone sounds gorgeous. I remember a quote from Carnie Wilson or one of his daughters where she eluded to some incredible Caroline No like track that Brian had kept in the can. I always wondered about that. I know it's a long shot but maybe this last one is what she was referring to.

[Runaways]

Monicker, you really do know how to spread some joy and light.

I second that. They're all about 70, maybe they can't sing in tune any more? If this is what it takes, then fair enough. It is what it is. Monicker, you do have much more sensitive ears than anyone else on the board (you were very upset about Smile Sessions and yes, I did hear what you heard, but I didn't let it bother me) and most people here either haven't noticed pitch correction or don't mind it. As Wirestone says, let's not spoil the party. The release of this record will be a special event for everyone here.

I wanted to counter the claim that the Autotune, as heard on the iTunes clips, was nowhere near as bad as one might have thought, because i noticed it even more on the higher quality. But, yeah, i don’t need to say anymore. And i don’t mean that in a snarky way at all. Honestly, these issues can’t at all be compared to the Smile Sessions box or argued in the same way because, ultimately, these are creative decisions that someone is making on the new record, so how much can the naysayers really say? It comes down to tastes. That, however, wasn’t the case at all with TSS. And for the record, my ears aren’t the greatest--in the videos posted in the Autotune thread, there were a lot of instances where i couldn’t hear it. 

part of me thinks that what one person calls autotune could possibly just be a vocal effect.  Definitely on from there to back again.  We all know al doesn't need the tuning, so i think it's a vocal effect.  for whatever reason, brian was diggin it

[Iron Horse-Apples]

Monicker, you really do know how to spread some joy and light.

I second that. They're all about 70, maybe they can't sing in tune any more? If this is what it takes, then fair enough. It is what it is. Monicker, you do have much more sensitive ears than anyone else on the board (you were very upset about Smile Sessions and yes, I did hear what you heard, but I didn't let it bother me) and most people here either haven't noticed pitch correction or don't mind it. As Wirestone says, let's not spoil the party. The release of this record will be a special event for everyone here.

I wanted to counter the claim that the Autotune, as heard on the iTunes clips, was nowhere near as bad as one might have thought, because i noticed it even more on the higher quality. But, yeah, i don’t need to say anymore. And i don’t mean that in a snarky way at all. Honestly, these issues can’t at all be compared to the Smile Sessions box or argued in the same way because, ultimately, these are creative decisions that someone is making on the new record, so how much can the naysayers really say? It comes down to tastes. That, however, wasn’t the case at all with TSS. And for the record, my ears aren’t the greatest--in the videos posted in the Autotune thread, there were a lot of instances where i couldn’t hear it.  

part of me thinks that what one person calls autotune could possibly just be a vocal effect.  Definitely on from there to back again.  We all know al doesn't need the tuning, so i think it's a vocal effect.  for whatever reason, brian was diggin it

I totally agree. It may not be Antares Autotune, but it is pitch correction / quantizer of some make, and the way it has been used is as a vocal effect.

Most, if not all of the major studio software now ships with pitch correction as standard. I use it sometimes, to correct the odd bum note on an otherwise perfect take. You can replace bum notes by dropping in, but by the time you've set this up, you're standing in a slightly different position / distance in relation to the mic, and the replaced note is now incongruous sounding. So pitch correction is the preferable remedy.

You can use it, and you wouldn't know it was there, is what I'm trying to say. When you know it's there, it's a a stylistic choice, it's a vocal effect.

[Runaways]

has anyone run an old beach boy vocals through autotune software?  I'm curious what would happen

[Roger Ryan]

has anyone run an old beach boy vocals through autotune software?  I'm curious what would happen

The vocals would sound perfect...and terrible.

Someone on here autotuned some Freddie Mercury vocals (from "Love of My Life" I believe) and it just destroyed the natural beauty of what Mercury had achieved.

[the professor]

sorry lads, I love it all. I fear some of your critics would die and go to heaven and complain about something. I am now going to stop talking and listen to the music only; rhetorical discourse and competitive wit is no way to appreciate songs.  I'll check back with you when the record is out; I am grateful for this forum, but I am gaining nothing from the snarkiness.

best till then

the professor

[Runaways]

sorry lads, I love it all. I fear some of your critics would die and go to heaven and complain about something. I am now going to stop talking and listen to the music only; rhetorical discourse and competitive wit is no way to appreciate songs.  I'll check back with you when the record is out; I am grateful for this forum, but I am gaining nothing from the snarkiness.

best till then

the professor

i think the majority of the posts here are positive for the new stuff

[b00ts]

I apologise for yesterday. Whilst I feel vindicated in defending my right to have a subjective opinion without being called a "hater", there is no excuse for name calling in return.

Please guys, be aware though. There is a knock on effect when you try to belittile people whose opinion you don't share.

My two favourite albums are Smiley Smile and Love You. There are a lot of people on here who can't stand these albums. Whilst I find that bewildering, I would defend their right to have their opinion to the death.

I find the clips physically painful to listen to. I hate the pitch correction. Whilst I will listen to the album tracks on Youtube when they become available, I will not be spending money on an album I will never play. I would rather spend that money on a nice day out with my daughter!

The Beach Boys are entertainers. They don't owe me anything, and I don't owe them anything. There is no rule saying that to be a Beach Boys fan you have to blindly love everything they do. (And I'm not for one moment saying that's what any of you are doing, that is addressed to me and the genuine sadness and disapointment I feel)

They enjoy a privileged lifestyle because of us fans.

Do they deserve this? Absolutely

Have they earned this? Undoubtedly

Are they above criticism?...........I don't think I need answer that

This ain't the blooboard guys.

Well-said. I love the group, as do most people who post here, but I agree with you 100% about not owing them anything (although I will most likely purchase the album on day one). There is a certain amount of expectation for us as listeners. For me, "Isn't it Time" is the closest to a classic Beach Boys sound - no audible pitch correction, a very neat backing track, and a really cool trade-off vocal between Michael, Alan, and Brian.

I agree that the pitch correction on Al's voice in "From Here to Back Again" is not as bad on the iTunes samples. I can hear  Joe Thomas-style production on "Strange World" and "Spring Vacation" more than any other tracks. I can remember from the Peter Carlin book where he wanted Brian's band to play "Caroline No" as a 'sexy, sade-type thing' and that's what I hear in some of these backing tracks. Brian's production style over the past few years seems to be most apparent on "That's Why God Made The Radio" and "Think About the Days."

[Iron Horse-Apples]

I fear some of your critics would die and go to heaven and complain about something. I am now going to stop talking and listen to the music only;

Seeing as I hate religion more than I hate pitch correction, you're spot on there Yaffle!

But lets look at what you just said. So heaven is supposed to be a perfect place, but us critics would find something to complain about if we were there because our complaining is psychological. Therefore our complaints have no basis and our opinions are invalid. Neat trick there Prof!

So how would you feel if I said something like this?

"Oh, you lot who like this album would like a dog turd if it had the Beach Boys logo on it"

[The Shift]

I can hear  Joe Thomas-style production on "Strange World" and "Spring Vacation" more than any other tracks. I can remember from the Peter Carlin book where he wanted Brian's band to play "Caroline No" as a 'sexy, sade-type thing' and that's what I hear in some of these backing tracks. Brian's production style over the past few years seems to be most apparent on "That's Why God Made The Radio" and "Think About the Days."

Sade!  That's what I was thinking of when I heard these snippets. Had to review a Sade album for a mag about 26 years ago. When I put side two on it sounded the same as side one. Ah well…

[Emdeeh]

So, someday when the new album gets reissued a few years down the road, would it be possible to have someone like Mark Linett produce a version without any Autotune-type effects? I so badly want to hear these guys singing in their natural voices, without special effects.

[Paulos]

Just listened to the samples on itunes, to me The Private Life Of Bill And Sue sounds like the only real clunker with the rest of the tracks ranging from average to very good, of course it's hard to make a proper judgement without hearing the complete album.

I also think people need to live and let live regarding the new tracks, some people will gush over them, some people will hate them, some people will be indifferent to them. We are all different people with different views on life, music and everything else but are tied together through our love of the Beach Boys. I myself love the title track and am excited about the rest of the album, but I respect that it really doesn't do it for many other fans as is their right, you can't force yourself to like something that doesn't sound right to you.  Case in point, I've listened to the Wild Honey album dozens and dozens of times since I got into the Boys and still don't like it and would be a bit pissed off if someone told me I was being negative for not liking it as has happened here in regards to the new album.