Goin' To The Beach

[Disney Boy (1985)]

Is this the boxset version you're all referring too? Where is it available to hear?

[zachrwolfe]

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[pixletwin]

If you live in the US and purchased MiC thru Amazon it is a free download. The link is in the MiC thread.

[Disney Boy (1985)]

Christ that was appalling! What a sh*t song. Yeah thanks for that Mike. What a classic!

[ontor pertawst]

I think you should quote random lines from it to people in your daily life so they can feel uplifted and vaguely greasy.

[Dave Modny]

I'm actually digging this. Sure, it's a "bit" dopey and slight. But, is it really any more dopey and slight than something like Waves of Love (which I kind of dig as well)? As an appetizer for the box, I think it's done its job. So nice to hear unreleased, (mostly) vintage BBs music.


PS - I'll also concede that I'm probably cutting it some slack simply because it is previously unreleased. Still...nice to hear some "new" and vintage BBs music.

[zachrwolfe]

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[hypehat]

I have no strong feelings about this either way.

[Generation42]

This rendition of "Goin' to the Beach" is pretty much what one would expect after hearing the backing track, the demo and (especially) the recent live version.

The number is just up-tempo and hook-y enough to be mildly pleasurable and, as I said after hearing the live version, the song, while not earth-shatteringly good, by any means, does precisely what one would expect of a Beach Boys outtake from the late 1970's (and does it better, even, than some of the material chosen ahead of it for the KTSA album).  When seen through this light, there's not a darned thing wrong with it.  Could I have lived a full and happy life without ever having heard "Goin' to the Beach"?  Well, yeah, but I'm happy to say that now I won't have to.

I'm also glad to read that so many are enjoying the track.  Bring on Made in California!  

[zachrwolfe]

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[HeyJude]

Posted some thoughts on the song my blog. On the plus side, it's mostly the original 1979 recording from what I can tell.

[Generation42]

On the plus side, it's mostly the original 1979 recording from what I can tell.

I'm curious, do we know the extent of Brian's involvement in both the writing and the recording of GttB?

[HeyJude]

On the plus side, it's mostly the original 1979 recording from what I can tell.

I'm curious, do we know the extent of Brian's involvement in both the writing and the recording of GttB?

The 1980 "Going Platinum" TV special that documents the making of the album actually shows quite a bit of the writing and recording of the song. Brian seemed to be relatively involved.

[Generation42]

On the plus side, it's mostly the original 1979 recording from what I can tell.

I'm curious, do we know the extent of Brian's involvement in both the writing and the recording of GttB?

The 1980 "Going Platinum" TV special that documents the making of the album actually shows quite a bit of the writing and recording of the song. Brian seemed to be relatively involved.

You know, I've heard a lot about that special, but other than a couple of short clips on YT, I've never seen it.  Anyone have an idea who played what on the backing tracks?*

*Just as an aside, I asked the same question about the "Good Timin'" backing track maybe six weeks ago (thinking it would be an easy thing to find out here), but I guess no one knows?

[Tony S]

I have the Going Platinum special; interviews are ok, no Dennis though, and all of the performances are lip synched to the Keeping the Summer Alive tracks. Nothing astonishing.

[Mr. Cohen]

The late '70s Beach Boys always sounded like a karaoke band instrumentally. With the kind of money being thrown at them, you'd think they could try a little harder.

I'm gonna call this song trash. Not because it's necessarily bad, but it's about as rudimentary of songwriting as you could do. There are a million bands that could write a clunker like this. In fact, the bands at those rock & roll "camps" Brian always makes a cameo at have probably churned out stronger material.

Seriously, what's there to like? "Oh wow, they're capable of playing generic chords in time! Listen to that bass hammer away repetitively on the root note! Someone was able to get three of their fingers to plod on the keyboard all at once! And Mike managed to write a pedestrian melody!"

[Jeff]

The late '70s Beach Boys always sounded like a karaoke band instrumentally. With the kind of money being thrown at them, you'd think they could try a little harder.

I'm gonna call this song trash. Not because it's necessarily bad, but it's about as rudimentary of songwriting as you could do. There are a million bands that could write a clunker like this. In fact, the bands at those rock & roll "camps" Brian always makes a cameo at have probably churned out stronger material.

Seriously, what's there to like? "Oh wow, they're capable of playing generic chords in time! Listen to that bass hammer away repetitively on the root note! Someone was able to get three of their fingers to plod on the keyboard all at once! And Mike managed to write a pedestrian melody!"

But ... but ... it's "Goin to the Beach," don't you see?  It has the word "Beach" in it.  "Beach" as in where people go surfing and spend their summers.  And the "Beach Boys."  Beach, I tell you.  So if you don't like this track, or you think it's a bad idea to market the box set with "Goin' to the Beach," or if you think they should be promoting that "arty" stuff, you're denying the group's history.  Don't be a denier.

[Mr. Cohen]

At least when Mike worked on the song with Brian, Brian jazzed it up a little with a more creative bass line. But Mike probably that it was too weird. People want fun, not crazy Brian bass lines!

[oldsurferdude]

Christ that was appalling! What a sh*t song. Yeah thanks for that Mike. What a classic!

Brian couldn't save GTTB. Wonder what kind of tooth and nail fight mYke luHv put up to have this included on MIC. Let's face it, MIC wasn't gonna see the light of day without this work of art included.

[drbeachboy]

The late '70s Beach Boys always sounded like a karaoke band instrumentally. With the kind of money being thrown at them, you'd think they could try a little harder.

I'm gonna call this song trash. Not because it's necessarily bad, but it's about as rudimentary of songwriting as you could do. There are a million bands that could write a clunker like this. In fact, the bands at those rock & roll "camps" Brian always makes a cameo at have probably churned out stronger material.

Seriously, what's there to like? "Oh wow, they're capable of playing generic chords in time! Listen to that bass hammer away repetitively on the root note! Someone was able to get three of their fingers to plod on the keyboard all at once! And Mike managed to write a pedestrian melody!"

But ... but ... it's "Goin to the Beach," don't you see?  It has the word "Beach" in it.  "Beach" as in where people go surfing and spend their summers.  And the "Beach Boys."  Beach, I tell you.  So if you don't like this track, or you think it's a bad idea to market the box set with "Goin' to the Beach," or if you think they should be promoting that "arty" stuff, you're denying the group's history.  Don't be a denier.

Why the smart-ass remark? Are you making fun of people who just may like it? If you don't like it, that is fine, but really, is it necessary to ridicule others? Promoting anything other than what the general potential buyer may know isn't going to help sell the box set. Many in here are deluded if they think promoting Smile era music or the later stuff will help sell units. The old stuff sells. We have seen that for years. So far, Capitol has gotten it right. Also, I don't see this song any differently than I do any song from the KTSA time frame.

[Mr. Cohen]

Yes, the old stuff sells. But "Goin' To The Beach" isn't the old stuff. It's part of Mike's late '70s/early '80s oeuvre that was a cynical, strained grab for the past that failed critically and popularly. OK, so Mike got it right once with "Kokomo". That doesn't redeem KTSA.

[drbeachboy]

Yes, the old stuff sells. But "Goin' To The Beach" isn't the old stuff. It's part of Mike's late '70s/early '80s oeuvre that was a cynical, strained grab for the past that failed critically and popularly. OK, so Mike got it right once with "Kokomo". That doesn't redeem KTSA.

Huh? I don't get the KTSA-Kokomo relationship. Goin' To The Beach is styled after the old stuff, Kokomo was not. I absolutely agree with your remarks pertaining the late 70s, early 80s, but I think fans of the older stuff will gravitate more toward this than other late stuff. What I don't get is why because you don't like it that everyone should not like it?

[Mr. Cohen]

I meant that he got the whole grabbing for the past thing right with "Kokomo", living up to the earlier fun in the sun image in a way that felt natural.  And it's the success of "Kokomo" that surely has motivated decisions like this, using the song "Goin' To The Beach" to promote a new box.

And I'm not saying everyone should hate this "new" song. I just wanted to voice my own displeasure with it. You can like it.

[oldsurferdude]

Yes, the old stuff sells. But "Goin' To The Beach" isn't the old stuff. It's part of Mike's late '70s/early '80s oeuvre that was a cynical, strained grab for the past that failed critically and popularly. OK, so Mike got it right once with "Kokomo". That doesn't redeem KTSA.

Here comes some more "woot abuse"-

[SMiLE Brian]

I agree with Murry. The harder Mike tried to recapture the surf sound, the less it sounded like the early material. Songs like "goin to the beach" just don't have any heart.