THE BEACH BOYS - That's Why God Made The Radio SS member reviews

[EgoHanger1966]

I'll do a track by track thingy: (all imo of course!)

Think About The Days - I'm underwhelmed by this. The piano parts make me think of the music JD hears in his head on the show Scrubs. I think it would have been suited better opening the suite, but I'm rating it as the opening of the album. 5/10
That's Why God Made The Radio - This track has really grown one me since hearing it what seems like a long time ago. It reminds me of Goin' On and Good Timin'. Fun to sing along with. 8/10
Isn't It Time - This track is so infectious. Although the lyrics might seem cheesy in another song, they work here. I like how the chorus is repeated again and again, and Al is utilised perfectly on his lead parts. 9/10
Spring Vacation - This is a guilty pleasure. I don't WANT to like this, but it's so damn catchy, and Brian is singing with a lot of emotion. 7/10
The Private Life of Bill and Sue - If Mike wrote this, you'd all be hating it. The subject matter is pretty trite, I just can't dig this one so much. The chorus and harmonies save it somewhat. 5/10
Shelter - I LOVE this one! Classic Brian. It's like a mixture of so many tracks - the biggest ones that come to mind are Don't Worry Baby and Darlin'. The ending is very power pop. 9/10
Daybreak Over The Ocean - As I've said before, I like the mellow sound. Mike sounds great. 8/10
Beaches In Mind - It's not bad. Wish there was a Brian introspective song in it's place though. 6/10
Strange World - I'm not big on the intro, but I really like when the Phil Spector/Wreckig Crew big drums come in. The lyrics to this one are great. Did you guys catch the "You Still Believe In Me" reference (not telling you where it is!). 8/10
From There To Back Again - This is as good as ANYTHING the Beach Boys or Brian have ever recorded. The best song Al Jardine has ever sang lead on for a BB record. The "Pet Sounds" vibe is nailed. Many have tried it, I've never heard it as good as it is here, combined with the sections approach of SMiLE. Perfect. 10/10
Pacific Coast Highway - A heartbreaker from Brian. Wish it was longer. 10/10
Summer's Gone - Everytime I listen to it, I can't help but think it's one of the best things ever created. Caroline No Part II is right! I've listened to this about ten times now, and after everytime, I'm just left in awe and speechless. Again, equal to anything they've ever done. 10/10

Album total:79 %

[EgoHanger1966]

Did anyone notice the wierd little *blip* in Spring Vacation? I think (without checking) it's somewhere around the 1:15 mark. Sounds like a digital/technical glitch.

I'm sorry, guys - the wierd sound is around 2:15 of Spring Vacation.

You mean the slight organ glitch at 00:02:13 into 00:02:14? I can tell you it's there on the (European) retail (CD) version. Just checked.

Yeah, that. It's on my American copy. I didn't catch that it was an organ though.

[Ron]

I'm surprised more people haven't embraced "Strange World".  I'll admit the song doesn't completely get to where it could... it's almost like it's unfinished or needs a theme or some kind of resolving message or something, I don't know. 

It's very good though, very Brianish in that weird way that Brian does.  The lead even has that strained Brian "Wall of Brian" sound even without the wall of brian if you know what I mean. 

It's a very interesting song, and ... in a word.... Strange. 

[Runaways]

i gave in and gave myself one listen of bill/sue and shelter from guardian's 5 song post thing. 

man shelter...i don't get why that one isn't getting a lot of love.  The vocal stuff brian is doing, great chorus, great tune. 

[Ron]

So far, here's a quicky review, I dont' want to be too negative so I'll just not say anything if I have nothing good to say.


1.  Intro - Can't remember the name.  It's impressive, but since it repeats twice (thrice?) is almost just seems like a vocal exercise.  Reminds me of "One for the boys" or whatever it was called on "Brian Wilson".  Not that it sounds the same, just that it's Brian fleshing out a little harmony bit.  It's neat though that it opens up the album, and immediately you have no choice but to be impressed by how well these guys still sound.  Immediately you get "Oh sh*t... they can still sing"  out of it.

2. That's why God made the Radio - It's almost a novelty song because of the title... they all sound great, I think when people who are first listening to it hear that "Paradise When I/Lift Up My Antennai" lyric they'll really appreciate it.  I like how warm, thick, and gorgeous it is.  It sounds like they kind of wanted to just go full-on pop song for at least a few tracks, and this is one of them.  They still have that 70's mentality when the band was looking for a Single for an album, this is their single for this album, and I"m sure it was discussed that way while they were recording. 

3. Isn't it Time - I love the vocals, I don't like the production that much.  I like the sing songy way the vocals bounce around, and love the little burp/vocoder "Isn't ittt timmme" that pops out in the chorus.  Kind of ballsy that Brian left it so stripped down.  Mike sounds fantastic on his verse, the guy is really a great vocalist when he's in the studio.  He has that 'sound' that he had when they first started, you can tell that the guy who sang 409 is still the guy singing on this song, it's pretty much his speaking voice, but he keeps the nasal sound under control and sounds just how you'd want a Beach Boys lead to sound.

4. Spring Vacation - I made a seperate post for this, it grew on me, and I now think it's one of the strongest songs, easy, on the album.  If you listen to it with fresh ears, forget about their history, forget what you know about Mike, just listen to the song like a teenager would listen to it while he's driving to the Beach... it's pretty damn good.  I'm excited about the possibility of this being the second single, it has massive potential.

5. The Private Life Of Bill And Sue - I don't like it.  I'm sorry.  Maybe it'll grow on me.  I love Brian Wilson to death but this just doesn't work in my opinion.

6.  Shelter - I've skipped this one more than I should, so I don't quite get it yet, everyone is harping on it though so I'm going to keep giving it a try. At first, though, it's not doing it for me. 

7. Daybreak Over The Ocean - I like the lyrics, love the opening, but it sounds so boring and dreary.  I don't like half-asleep Mike Love, it just doesn't do anything for me.  I wish they would have hyped it up a little bit, you can be introspective and peaceful without putting me to sleep.

8. Beaches In Mind - I keep skipping this one, it does nothing for me.

9. Strange World - I think this song is great.  It's not 'fully realized', I think it could have used a little more time in the incubator, but what's there is all good, I just think it's missing something.  This was the first song on the album that made me say "Yeah! This is what I'm looking for!"  It has a throwback sound, though, and has that 'crazy' sound that Brian did throughout the 80's and 90's, and on "GIOMH".  I mean that in an endearing, good way.  It has the same splash of genius behind it that "Saturday Morning in the City" has, for instance.  Again I like it, but wish he would have done more with it.

10.  From there to back again - Beautiful in every way, everybody rises to the occasion.  Fantastically realized, a really beautiful, thoughtful, interesting song.  That it dashes off in a different direction towards the end made me cheer it when I heard that.  I think my exact words were "HELL YEAH!" as I was driving down the road.  Here's a beautiful, thoughtful song, and just when you think you have it down pat, BOOM here's the Beach Boys.  Exciting, lively music.

11. Pacific Coast Highway - You always want to hear something like this on a Beach Boys record, eh?  I'm left pissed off that they cut apart his little suite that this was in, it's obviously just a small small part of the story, it's almost BALLSY that they only put this little piece of such a fantastic song on there.  I realize maybe it's meant to link, but still... WHAT THE HELL IS ON THE CUTTING ROOM FLOOR?  This is fantastic!  Anybody who claims that Brian is dead, or isn't the same guy we love from "Pet Sounds" should be tortured with this song like they do down in Guantanamo.  How anybody can miss that this guy is still everything he once was, in there somewhere, is beyond me. 

12. Summer's Gone - Fitting end to the album, very beautiful.  Not the groundshaking song others have proclaimed it to be, but beautifully sung, it leaves you wanting more when it's over.  You almost don't want the album to be over, but you know it is.  The last little, classic, Beach Boys pad that's behind that last "Summer's Gone" chorus is very emotionally draining. 

[the professor]

everybody loves the last 3 and yet has a different idea about who the runt in the litter is.

Only on samples, for me it's the darned Bill and Sue, from which I like the vocals but not the "song" as an entity.

Daybreak sounds like the old 50 tune "handy Man" in some of its progressions.

Right now I am more thinking about parking and picnicking for tomorrow

[Ron]

I think one of the reasons I don't like Bill and Sue is because when I heard the title, I thought it was going to be something like "Good Kind of Love", a little intimate love song about a couple people.  While I guess that's kind of what it is, it just doesnt' strike me as interesting as it could have been.  No sh*t when I heard the title, I immediately thought of "Eleanor Rigby", and how you learn about Eleanor, or Father McKenzie, and how you're looking in their house and seeing how they live and what they think about.  Or "Good Kind of Love", where you see this guy and girl and the love they have for each other "a little bit of lovin and some kissin and a huggin that's how they fell in love!"   

So I was expecting that, and it just didn't meet up with what I had made up in my head about the song. 

[FatherOfTheMan Sr101]

I don't like half-asleep Mike Love,

When I first read this I was like "wait... WHAT DID I DO?!?!" hahahaha...

[Ron]

I don't like half-asleep Mike Love,

When I first read this I was like "wait... WHAT DID I DO?!?!" hahahaha...

Sorry, it took me a minute to figure out what you were talking about, lol.  I'll have to check out your single!

[Al Jardine: Pick Up Artist]

Ok.

I'm going to be completely honest.

I'm not a fan.

I'll do a full write-up in a bit, but the moments of easily-detectable Autotune, and the very plasticky, electric, inorganic feel to it is a major turnoff. A lot of it feels like somebody imported .midi files into GarageBand.

And now I'll step out as the tomatoes start getting thrown at me.

[Ron]

No tomatoes, I understand... you're just a more nuanced listener, which makes me wonder, why would a snob like you be into the Beach Boys in the first place (JUST KIDDING NOT REALLY THOUGH)

[Phoenix]

I've had high hopes for the album from (nearly) the start and I can't say I'm disappointed.  Although having staggered access to eight (if you include "Daybreak") of the twelve songs before the album itself, I was able to take in each song at a time, which made the listening experience much less jarring to going in cold with twelve new songs.  To me, the weakest tracks are "Daybreak Over The Ocean" and "Beaches In Mind" and that opinion isn't based on Mike's involvement.  I never had a problem with "Daybreak" and I still think it's an OK song, I just don't think it fits the feel with the rest of the album.  "Beaches In Mind" isn't a bad song either, it's just one too many songs on the album of roughly the same caliber and theme.   After hearing "Spring Vacation" etc, "Beaches In Mind" is just "more of the same."   Also, I agree with those who said a tweaking of the sequencing would have improved the album but overall, I think it really is the best album since Holland.  (Sorry.  I'm in the camp that thinks Love You makes a terrible Beach Boys album and should have been released as Brian solo album, if at all.  I don't hate Love You I just don't think it fits in the band's catalog).


One other note, I have a friend who's way more than a casual fan but nowhere near as obsessive as some of us here.  He also respects Brian and has seen him live twice but doesn't own any of his solo stuff, as he feels Brian belongs with the Beach Boys (the sum being greater than its parts).  His favorite BB albums are Pet Sounds, Smile, and Sunflower and this album's early hype had him really excited.  Then he heard the first single.  I think the song is fine but upon hearing it he said, "It's like they purposely tried to make it unappealing to anyone under the age of 65."  I don't agree but needless to say, he was disappointed.  With that in mind, I made him two copies of the CD's: One "as is" that he's to listen to AFTER taking in the first CD and giving me his own review of it, and an "enhanced" version I put together, with a tweaked sequence, and two songs from Imagination, in place of the two weakest tracks I listed above.  The Imagination tracks are of course not Brian's best work but they match the production and don't stray too far from the rest of the album's feel. 


If anyone is interested, I'll let you know how he feels about the two different version.  I'm curious to see if my adjustments make any difference to him.

[runnersdialzero]

No tomatoes, I understand... you're just a more nuanced listener, which makes me wonder, why would a snob like you be into the Beach Boys in the first place (JUST KIDDING NOT REALLY THOUGH)

[Wirestone]

There are many things going on in this album, and many of the songs are deeper than you might think.

Bill and Sue and Shelter are actually both deeply impressive, but for different reasons. The sequencing robs them of a lot of power. They, along with TWGMTR, are all top-flight BW numbers.

Beaches in Mind and Spring Vacation are examples of Brian attempting to write Beach Boys songs. And they have good and bad points. I actually like the much-derided BiM, simply because it's so breezy. It's light and airy.

And then you have Strange World, which is one of my definite favorites -- it's so perfectly Brian -- and the closing suite, which continues to offer up marvels the more times I listen.

I'll put it this way. I think the best since Holland talk is no joke. Out of the 12 songs on the album, at least half are excellent, and another three to four are very good. The remaining two or three tunes do little to harm the record.

The more I listen, the more I enjoy it. And Brian's description -- "Mellow" -- is spot-on.

[phirnis]

So far, the standout songs for me have to be "The Private Life of Bill and Sue" (definitely the quirkiest thing on this album, somehow I can relate to this sort of stuff very easily), "Strange World" (even though it sounds like it comes from a latter-day Disney kitsch movie; other than that, it's just very sweet and unassuming - and "very Brian" in a way), "Pacific Coast Highway", and "Shelter". "Beaches in Mind" doesn't work for me at all and strangely, "From There to Back Again" doesn't do much for me either. The sudden changes seem a bit gimmicky, but I'll definitely give it some more spins! Perhaps it'll grow on me.

[Ron]

Wirestone, I didn't catch your review, will you expound on what you think is so great about Shelter?  I'm not diggin' it yet, but I keep skipping it.  And where would you rather they be sequenced?

[Wirestone]

Wirestone, I didn't catch your review, will you expound on what you think is so great about Shelter?  I'm not diggin' it yet, but I keep skipping it.  And where would you rather they be sequenced?

With Shelter, the way in is twofold -- first, get hold of the lyrics. A lot of them are by Brian, and it's a little window into his personality. Secondly, as the chorus is repeated in the song, he introduces these crazy syncopated backing vocals. They're pretty cool and unusual -- and almost too much to take in without repeated listens.

As for the sequencing, I just think the Bill and Sue - Shelter - Daybreak combo is way too mellow. It sags. I'd move at least one of those earlier. Possibly just flip Bill and Sue and Spring Vacation. That might be all it needs.

[Ron]

I'll listen to Shelter some more on my way to work in the morning.  That whole middle part of the album does sag, the first four and last four really do it for me. 

[coco1997]

As for the sequencing, I just think the Bill and Sue - Shelter - Daybreak combo is way too mellow. It sags. I'd move at least one of those earlier. Possibly just flip Bill and Sue and Spring Vacation. That might be all it needs.

As I mentioned in another thread, if you slot in "Waves of Love" (album version) between "Shelter" and "Daybreak", it sounds really great and breaks up some of that aforementioned 'mellowness'.

[coco1997]

EDIT: Double post

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Will give a detailed review tomorrow, but the "strange world after all" lyric seems rather humorous considering Brian's Disney cd.

[Eric Aniversario]

I've listened maybe 12 times now, will post a more detailed review later.  But for now, I'll rank the songs according to how I like them.  Like with all albums, there will be some immediate favorites, and some that will take time to grow on me.

1. From There To Back Again (easily their best released song since from 1980 onward)
2. Spring Vacation
3. Pacific Coast Highway
4. Summer's Gone
5. Think About The Days
6. Isn't It Time
7. That's Why God Made The Radio
8. The Private Life of Bill And Sue
9. Beaches In Mind
10. Strange World
11. Shelter
12. Daybreak Over The Ocean

Just to be clear, I like all 12 songs, much like i like 99% of the Beach Boys group and solo output!  Just a ranking...I'd put Daybreak at the bottom not because it's horrible, but because it just sticks out and doesn't seem to belong, probably because we've been familiar with it for many years, and aside from the overdubbed vocals on the intro, doesn't sound that much different than the Mike Love solo recording.

[Ziggy Stardust]

I think Daybreak is actually one of the most catchy and that version is the final one imo

[phirnis]

...much like i like 99% of the Beach Boys group and solo output! ...

Same here! From a certain perspective it's nice to be overly critical and it's fun to argue, but in the end I like almost all of it in one way or another, except for only a small number of really duff songs, such as Problem Child.

[shelter]

I'll do a full write-up in a bit, but the moments of easily-detectable Autotune, and the very plasticky, electric, inorganic feel to it is a major turnoff. A lot of it feels like somebody imported .midi files into GarageBand.

The "plasticky" production bothered me too at first. But then I realized that's how mainstream records sound these days, and that it's actually pretty cool to have an album that actually sounds like the Beach Boys in 2012.