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

[The Heartical Don]

I don't demand perfection. I'm just surpised is all.

I actually read: surpissed.

[The Shift]

bbc guy:

Tim Chipping ‏ @timchipping
I can't quite believe it, but they've really pulled it off. Best Beach Boys album since 1979. You will weep.

Would be better if it were best since 1977... LA Light is fine I guess, so looking forward to it!

Or another way of looking at it according to that guy is of their last 3 or 4 efforts this is the best. Since everything after L.A. was pretty bad to awful what exactly does that mean? Again I could argue not exactly a reason to get excited.
In any case having been cautiously optimistic, to cautiously pessimistic about the record, I'm now somewhere in between. If there are indeed a fair amount of decent songs I guess that is cause for celebration....all things considered.

My mind keeps coming back to this. As a long-in-the-tooth devoted fan and a professional journalist with a cynical, suspicious mind, every instinct is telling me that to back away from this album and write it off before spending good money on it would be the sensible way forward.

But I'm smiling to my deep, dark, rotten core that this is even happening.

If this album was a suite made out of Ding Dang, Belles of Paris and Hey Little Tomboy, produced by Melinda, Murry and Landy using mics smuggled into the bathroom to record each BB singing in the shower… well, I'd still be chuffing ecstatic.

That AGD, Mr Chips and others are suggesting it ain't half-bad… well, I feel like the cat that got the cream and shagged the bride on his way to the bank to shove my third-in-a-row winning lottery ticket up the manager's ass.  I'm a happy boy.  Be happy.

[Runaways]

the fact that AGD said some people will hate it makes me wanna temper the enthusiasm a bit. 

[coco1997]

the fact that AGD said some people will hate it makes me wanna temper the enthusiasm a bit. 

Most likely because some people will be hung up on the middle portion of the album where the Boys "get their yuks out".

[LostArt]

bbc guy:

Tim Chipping ‏ @timchipping
I can't quite believe it, but they've really pulled it off. Best Beach Boys album since 1979. You will weep.

Would be better if it were best since 1977... LA Light is fine I guess, so looking forward to it!

Or another way of looking at it according to that guy is of their last 3 or 4 efforts this is the best. Since everything after L.A. was pretty bad to awful what exactly does that mean? Again I could argue not exactly a reason to get excited.
In any case having been cautiously optimistic, to cautiously pessimistic about the record, I'm now somewhere in between. If there are indeed a fair amount of decent songs I guess that is cause for celebration....all things considered.

Now you're talkin'.  The glass is half full, not half empty (at least that's how I'm looking at it).  If we get a handful of really nice songs, I'll be pretty happy, and we've already got one good one (IMO of course).  I've even got my 15 year old daughter liking That's Why God Made The Radio.

[LostArt]

the fact that AGD said some people will hate it makes me wanna temper the enthusiasm a bit.  

You should know that even the most die hard Beach Boys fans will disagree about what's good and what's not.  Some people will hate it.  Who cares?  Lots of people hate Smiley Smile or Love You.  I'm hearing lots of folks say that they don't like TWGMTR at all.  Whatever.  I like it a lot, and that's all that matters to me.

[pixletwin]

From what we've read, I'm pretty sure this will be better than Summer In Paradise, and that is all I am asking for.

[Old Rake]

From what we've read, I'm pretty sure this will be better than Summer In Paradise, and that is all I am asking for.

And yet, a dollar says there will be people who say it isn't. There will be people, no matter how good it is and no matter what a remarkable achievement it is/isn't who will automatically claim it is the worst album ever made by humans. You can bet, as they say, your bippy.

[Summertime Blooz]

Even if it's 8 winners and 4 losers out of 12, and 3 or 4 songs are of the same quality as TWGMTR, I think we are talking about a great album. Of course the album's pacing problems that have been described (all of the duds are clumped together in the middle)is not a serious problem nowadays, and can be rectified to one's taste by re-sequencing things more to your liking and burning your own CD (with Do It Again 2012 included, natch).

[LostArt]

From what we've read, I'm pretty sure this will be better than Summer In Paradise, and that is all I am asking for.

And yet, a dollar says there will be people who say it isn't. There will be people, no matter how good it is and no matter what a remarkable achievement it is/isn't who will automatically claim it is the worst album ever made by humans. You can bet, as they say, your bippy.

C'mon, man.  You can bet at least a $20.  You'll win that bet.  And I'm glad you decided to drop by, Old Rake.  

[guitarfool2002]

Is there any band who will release a new album which will please everyone? Is it just numbers of Beach Boys fans who need to be reminded some will like it and some will not, and is there really a different standard of expectation and judgement of this band?

I said earlier - these advance reviews are just fine if people are that curious, but it may be a better choice to just wait for the actual product in this case, or even those little song previews on Amazon to be posted. You're reading someone else's opinion and getting a mental picture of the music which you do not have the choice to hear with your own ears and semi-open mind...in some cases one person's "Jimmy Buffet" could be another person's Jobim, or they could both suck equally...but it's not too far off and not that much of a life-changing event to wait another few weeks for full songs in high quality.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

I don't demand perfection. I'm just surpised is all.

I actually read: surpissed.

 

I'm not saying it was that, but I do like your interpretation of my spelling error. Which now means that I can't edit it.

[LostArt]

Is there any band who will release a new album which will please everyone? Is it just numbers of Beach Boys fans who need to be reminded some will like it and some will not, and is there really a different standard of expectation and judgement of this band?

I said earlier - these advance reviews are just fine if people are that curious, but it may be a better choice to just wait for the actual product in this case, or even those little song previews on Amazon to be posted. You're reading someone else's opinion and getting a mental picture of the music which you do not have the choice to hear with your own ears and semi-open mind...in some cases one person's "Jimmy Buffet" could be another person's Jobim, or they could both suck equally...but it's not too far off and not that much of a life-changing event to wait another few weeks for full songs in high quality.

It's very surprising that Beach Boys fans especially need to be reminded that some will like it and some will not.  As the 'rate these Beach Boys songs' poll here from a couple months ago proved, Beach Boys fans on this site can not agree at all on what's a great song and what's a clunker.

I have read the opinions of two people who have heard the album...just curious.  Obviously, one can not judge an album/song based on another's ears/tastes/perceptions.  As a rule I don't pay any mind to reviewers in the media.  I am one who will definitely not listen to any samples on Amazon.  I held out for the Smile tracks from TSS, too.  For me, I like to hear the whole album the first time from start to finish, without interruption.  That's just me.

[guitarfool2002]

Is there any band who will release a new album which will please everyone? Is it just numbers of Beach Boys fans who need to be reminded some will like it and some will not, and is there really a different standard of expectation and judgement of this band?

I said earlier - these advance reviews are just fine if people are that curious, but it may be a better choice to just wait for the actual product in this case, or even those little song previews on Amazon to be posted. You're reading someone else's opinion and getting a mental picture of the music which you do not have the choice to hear with your own ears and semi-open mind...in some cases one person's "Jimmy Buffet" could be another person's Jobim, or they could both suck equally...but it's not too far off and not that much of a life-changing event to wait another few weeks for full songs in high quality.

It's very surprising that Beach Boys fans especially need to be reminded that some will like it and some will not.  As the 'rate these Beach Boys songs' poll here from a couple months ago proved, Beach Boys fans on this site can not agree at all on what's a great song and what's a clunker.

I have read the opinions of two people who have heard the album...just curious.  Obviously, one can not judge an album/song based on another's ears/tastes/perceptions.  As a rule I don't pay any mind to reviewers in the media.  I am one who will definitely not listen to any samples on Amazon.  I held out for the Smile tracks from TSS, too.  For me, I like to hear the whole album the first time from start to finish, without interruption.  That's just me.

Definitely, agreed. I usually stay away from reviews until I have the option/choice of hearing it on my own. Music is such a personal thing, and I will mostly read reviews after the product is officially available or if it's already on the market - if I'm interested in what that reviewer has to say, and that's rare. Not saying there isn't a place and demand for sneak peeks and opinions and "advance leaks" all of that, but I'm thinking of whoever was posting the Smile box set reviews/commentary before the box came out and it only served to boost their profile on a forum and keep people guessing - when the box came out, all of the commentary was swept into the bin and listeners heard it (and judged it) for themselves.

Again, that's just me too! But it's not unreasonable to assume people might have vastly different reactions and opinions to hearing the same thing - that's human nature and the nature of voicing opinion. I'd rather wait and let the process play out instead of seeing folks tweeting opinions for weeks before the album drops. That way you have the option to agree or disagree based on the actual music.

[guitarfool2002]

Word on the street is that all the cool kids are loving themselves some Spring Vacation.

Should someone call the plumbers? 

[LostArt]

Word on the street is that all the cool kids are loving themselves some Spring Vacation.

Should someone call the plumbers? 

nyuck, nyuck, nyuck.

[I. Spaceman]

Is there any band who will release a new album which will please everyone? Is it just numbers of Beach Boys fans who need to be reminded some will like it and some will not, and is there really a different standard of expectation and judgement of this band?

I said earlier - these advance reviews are just fine if people are that curious, but it may be a better choice to just wait for the actual product in this case, or even those little song previews on Amazon to be posted. You're reading someone else's opinion and getting a mental picture of the music which you do not have the choice to hear with your own ears and semi-open mind...in some cases one person's "Jimmy Buffet" could be another person's Jobim, or they could both suck equally...but it's not too far off and not that much of a life-changing event to wait another few weeks for full songs in high quality.

Some of us enjoy reading the opinions of others who are smart and have good taste.

[I. Spaceman]

Is there any band who will release a new album which will please everyone? Is it just numbers of Beach Boys fans who need to be reminded some will like it and some will not, and is there really a different standard of expectation and judgement of this band?

I said earlier - these advance reviews are just fine if people are that curious, but it may be a better choice to just wait for the actual product in this case, or even those little song previews on Amazon to be posted. You're reading someone else's opinion and getting a mental picture of the music which you do not have the choice to hear with your own ears and semi-open mind...in some cases one person's "Jimmy Buffet" could be another person's Jobim, or they could both suck equally...but it's not too far off and not that much of a life-changing event to wait another few weeks for full songs in high quality.

It's very surprising that Beach Boys fans especially need to be reminded that some will like it and some will not.  As the 'rate these Beach Boys songs' poll here from a couple months ago proved, Beach Boys fans on this site can not agree at all on what's a great song and what's a clunker.

I have read the opinions of two people who have heard the album...just curious.  Obviously, one can not judge an album/song based on another's ears/tastes/perceptions.  As a rule I don't pay any mind to reviewers in the media.  I am one who will definitely not listen to any samples on Amazon.  I held out for the Smile tracks from TSS, too.  For me, I like to hear the whole album the first time from start to finish, without interruption.  That's just me.

Definitely, agreed. I usually stay away from reviews until I have the option/choice of hearing it on my own. Music is such a personal thing, and I will mostly read reviews after the product is officially available or if it's already on the market - if I'm interested in what that reviewer has to say, and that's rare. Not saying there isn't a place and demand for sneak peeks and opinions and "advance leaks" all of that, but I'm thinking of whoever was posting the Smile box set reviews/commentary before the box came out and it only served to boost their profile on a forum and keep people guessing - when the box came out, all of the commentary was swept into the bin and listeners heard it (and judged it) for themselves.

Again, that's just me too! But it's not unreasonable to assume people might have vastly different reactions and opinions to hearing the same thing - that's human nature and the nature of voicing opinion. I'd rather wait and let the process play out instead of seeing folks tweeting opinions for weeks before the album drops. That way you have the option to agree or disagree based on the actual music.

Option?? Why would reading someone else's opinion on art affect your own feelings, no matter if you read them ten years before you experience the art, ten years after, or during? I mean, if I had to worry about that, I'd have a pretty weak foundation of critical faculty.

[ontor pertawst]

Right, so you've never read a good critic who made you think about things a different way or drew connections you didn't consciously make?

 If so, I'd say your feelings were affected by a critic without damaging your critical faculty.

That said, christ -- how many good critics are there? I can't come up with many. It seems to be a pretty depressing field in general.

[Chocolate Shake Man]

Is there any band who will release a new album which will please everyone? Is it just numbers of Beach Boys fans who need to be reminded some will like it and some will not, and is there really a different standard of expectation and judgement of this band?

I said earlier - these advance reviews are just fine if people are that curious, but it may be a better choice to just wait for the actual product in this case, or even those little song previews on Amazon to be posted. You're reading someone else's opinion and getting a mental picture of the music which you do not have the choice to hear with your own ears and semi-open mind...in some cases one person's "Jimmy Buffet" could be another person's Jobim, or they could both suck equally...but it's not too far off and not that much of a life-changing event to wait another few weeks for full songs in high quality.

It's very surprising that Beach Boys fans especially need to be reminded that some will like it and some will not.  As the 'rate these Beach Boys songs' poll here from a couple months ago proved, Beach Boys fans on this site can not agree at all on what's a great song and what's a clunker.

I have read the opinions of two people who have heard the album...just curious.  Obviously, one can not judge an album/song based on another's ears/tastes/perceptions.  As a rule I don't pay any mind to reviewers in the media.  I am one who will definitely not listen to any samples on Amazon.  I held out for the Smile tracks from TSS, too.  For me, I like to hear the whole album the first time from start to finish, without interruption.  That's just me.

Definitely, agreed. I usually stay away from reviews until I have the option/choice of hearing it on my own. Music is such a personal thing, and I will mostly read reviews after the product is officially available or if it's already on the market - if I'm interested in what that reviewer has to say, and that's rare. Not saying there isn't a place and demand for sneak peeks and opinions and "advance leaks" all of that, but I'm thinking of whoever was posting the Smile box set reviews/commentary before the box came out and it only served to boost their profile on a forum and keep people guessing - when the box came out, all of the commentary was swept into the bin and listeners heard it (and judged it) for themselves.

Again, that's just me too! But it's not unreasonable to assume people might have vastly different reactions and opinions to hearing the same thing - that's human nature and the nature of voicing opinion. I'd rather wait and let the process play out instead of seeing folks tweeting opinions for weeks before the album drops. That way you have the option to agree or disagree based on the actual music.

Option?? Why would reading someone else's opinion on art affect your own feelings, no matter if you read them ten years before you experience the art, ten years after, or during? I mean, if I had to worry about that, I'd have a pretty weak foundation of critical faculty.

A real critic, not the ones who write in magazines or the bloggers who ape the style of the one's who write in magazines, should be able to reveal things that you didn't necessarily know were there and this can help you enjoy it more. That being said, what gets called "criticism" (i.e. music reviews in magazines) is not actually criticism, as far as I'm concerned, just PR for the album.

[I. Spaceman]

Yeah, yeah, ya'll are right. The best critical writing can illuminate the strengths and flaws of a given work. I was really saying that no review has caused me to like or dislike anything. Nothing has been ruined for me.

[LostArt]

I was really saying that no review has caused me to like or dislike anything.

As it should be.

[guitarfool2002]

Aye, there's the rub - I wasn't saying critical writing wasn't anything beyond someone's choice to read it or not read it. I was saying in general, I personally do not pay attention as much to advance reviews of an album. Everyone of course has the right to read them or ignore them, every writer can choose to publish it or not, every blogger or internet journalist can choose to send out Tweets with commentary on the albums, that's not the issue. The issue was stating why I don't pay attention to them or let them sway opinions.

A biggie for me is the fact that advance reviews are asking fans to put a lot of faith in the reviewer who is holding and judging that advance copy, where the other potentially hundreds of thousands of fans can only read what they see published by that writer or critic. Can the fans agree or disagree with *anything* that reviewer or writer may say if they don't have access to the same product in order to form an opinion? If we are curious about an album by "Artist X", do we listen to Rolling Stone over Entertainment Weekly, do we listen to Jim DeRogatis over another regional or local critic who publishes in the weekly city paper or 'zine? No matter what the choice, if the album is yet to be released, we're at the mercy of those opinions, positive or negative, and it's not a level playing field until everyone can put the music on and hear it firsthand.

That is the problem I have with advance reviews or advance copies in general, especially albums: They exist by design to promote the album, and the collateral damage of the practice is finding a reviewer who might think the album sucks and proceeds to go around bashing it before anyone can hear it on their own. I got a few hints of that happening during this thread, judging by what a few posters have said after reading Twitter posts and whatnot. Is the benefit of the advance publicity worth someone critiquing on Twitter setting up people to think when they buy the album, they'll not like it?

I enjoy and appreciate rock journalism when it is done well, I love reading what rock critics past and present have to say on any number of topics and have a collection of their books and collected writings/reviews to use for reference. But I'm more accepting of that because I can easily buy any album they are writing about and I can also read some of those without feeling like some of the reviews are not much more than (as rockandroll said) an advertisement or advance PR for the upcoming album release.

But again, I'm definitely not suggesting anything beyond what I do and feel personally about this stuff.

[I. Spaceman]

Yeah, the Twitter reviews and such are garbage in my opinion and if anyone is taking them seriously and letting their advance opinion be swayed by them, that is lame. But the thoughts of Andrew and Summ-A-Briz, the latter of which is an old Smile Shop regular under a new name, are of the knowledgable and trustworthy sort, and I appreciate them and find I will likely agree with them in the main. I find myself more willing to give the album a fair-minded chance because of those thoughts (tho they won't determine whether I will like the album ultimately).

[Catbirdman]

For my part, I am valuing highly the perspectives shared by Andrew and that other guy on the Record Room, and I'm suspending judgement until I get a chance to hear it for myself. Granted, when I hear the words Jimmy Buffett used by both sources, that, for me, is a 99% sure thing REASON TO BE SCARED. But hey, even if that part of it turns out to be as bad as it sounds, I'm sure the album will have plenty of shade and light to digest.

Wow, there's less than a month to go now... won't be long.