WIBNTLA Reviews

[clack]

Very good song made great by the vocal and the arrangement/production. I'd rate it just below 'Surf's Up' and 'Til I Die' and ahead of 'Feel Flows'. Great lost (until now) classic.

[petzounds29]

 I DO

[Sheriff John Stone]

In 1972, The Doors released Full Circle, which was their second and last album recorded after the death of Jim Morrison. There is a song on that album, "The Piano Bird", which has a very similar instrumental fadeout as on "Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again". The fadeout on "The Piano Bird" is dominated by Charles Lloyd on flute. I'm assuming Charles played the flute on the Surf's Up album sessions. I just thought it was interesting and wanted to mention it.

[Dunderhead]

It certainly holds up to multiple listens doesn't it?

[Andrew G. Doe]

You notice that '4th of July' fades in and out kind of strangely, I always thought it might have been spliced out of an early version or something.

The song as presented on the 1993 box was comped from three separate tapes:

- the instrumental track...

- Carl's work vocal...

- a safety copy of the flute coda.

Also, remember that "Live Again" & "4thoJ" didn't make it to Surf's Up because Carl & Dennis butted heads over the sequencing and Denny pitched a hissyfit and pulled his tracks from the album.

[Andrew G. Doe]

I also think it's likely that "Carry Me Home" was viewed as pushing the social commentary too far by various folks, and would have been taken out of the running relatively early.

Given that "CMH" wasn't recorded until after Surf's Up was released, I'd venture it was never in the running for inclusion. 

[Letsgoawayforawhile]

What a perfect magical song.
Wow.

[MBE]

I disagree with any that say this is short of a masterpiece. Til I Die (and maybe Long Promised Road) is the only other thing from those sessions in the same category.

[pixletwin]

You notice that '4th of July' fades in and out kind of strangely, I always thought it might have been spliced out of an early version or something.

The song as presented on the 1993 box was comped from three separate tapes:

- the instrumental track...

- Carl's work vocal...

- a safety copy of the flute coda.

Also, remember that "Live Again" & "4thoJ" didn't make it to Surf's Up because Carl & Dennis butted heads over the sequencing and Denny pitched a hissyfit and pulled his tracks from the album.

I think many of us hear would die to know what Carl's suggested sequence was and what Dennis' suggested sequence was. I am surprised this has never really been categorically stated (at least not to my very limited knowledge).

[Summer_Days]

Heard it on Youtube. Utterly amazing. 'Baby Blue' is still my favorite Dennis song, but this might be second or third. I dunno if I like it as much as 'Forever' but man....frickin' spectacular. That man could sing, don't let anyone tell you different.

[runnersdialzero]

Not getting the negativity toward the tag. It was made to seem like aimless noodling after the song was actually finishedm by earlier reports, but holy jeez, I really like it and wished it didn't fade so early. You just start to get into where it's headed when it starts to fade. I'm not normally into this sort of thing, but it's perfect, as is the supposedly incomplete "guitar solo" section. Perfect as is, all of it.

The song as a whole is really great. I don't understand how it took this long to release a song this good. I'll also say that I've been tired of the hype for maybe a couple years now and, as childish as it is, I was tired of hearing about it by this point. It's so darn good, though. I won't babble on about my experience too much, but I did manage to hold off a few hours, as I'm out of town right now on a (coincidental!) trip to the shore. Very lucky to have Wi-Fi access where I am, it wasn't expected.

Anyway, took a walk, stood in the ocean, looked out and listened to a few songs from MIC, including this one five times. First two listens were waves of goosebumps, third brought a bit of teh choked-up-ness (if only because of a few particular lines which hit close to home for me right now and omg no-longer-living guy does beautiful things). Again, I don't want to babble on for the sake of seeming like an over-dramatic dipshit, but it was a very, very nice experience.

Thanks, Denny.

[Wrightfan]

The tag is like...my favorite part 

[runnersdialzero]

Also, insidery folks, how much more of the tag is there before it kind of seems like the folks had stopped trying to play the part seriously? Is Dennis' intention for this section really known?

Also, while I love the song, I have to say I can't really place it on the Surf's Up album. Maybe it's the fact that the mix is more modern and clean where as the Surf's Up album has a slight layer of murk over it, but it just doesn't seem to fit anywhere, to me. Carl And The Passions or Holland seem much more fitting, for various reasons. Either way, again, I'm baffled as to how Dennis did not insist on its release on a later album, especially POB where he had no one to answer to but himself, and further baffled as to how such a great and important piece of the Beach Boys catalog remained shelved for frigging forty-two years.

[Gabo]

I haven't heard it... but the title doesn't even seem that promising. Seems rather forced.

[BergenWhitesMoustache]

Has the rough mix 'people in the know' have heard got the autotune and classic rock lead guitar on it?

[wantsomecorn]

Fun fact: I just found the song on tumblr, and went to view it from the beach boys tag onto the blog, and as soon as it loaded, out comes out "Wouldn't it Be Nice". From Pet Sounds. Thinking I've been gipped, I throw down my headphones in disgust and realize that the song has not been started. However, spotify was open, and had started playing "Wouldn't It Be Nice" at that EXACT moment. Freaky.

As for the song itself: It's nice. Very good. I wouldn't call it Dennis' magnum opus (much of POB outstrips it in my opinion, as well as Carry Me Home) but this is easily one of the best combinations of his earlier rocking material like Slip On Through with his heartfelt ballads like Barbara. My favorite bit was the tag, I'm almost curious to hear what that extra noodling would sound like.  

[BergenWhitesMoustache]

If I was a more vindictive man, I'd find the c**t who mixed this, and flush his sorry head down the toilet.

[Wirestone]

Has the rough mix 'people in the know' have heard got the autotune and classic rock lead guitar on it?

Don't hear any of the first, but the "repeating figure" guitar part has always been talked about as part of the original recording.

[Niko]

I'm almost curious to hear what that extra noodling would sound like.  

That will be on the next box set  

[Dove Nested Towers]

What a perfect magical song.
Wow.

This is one of the crowning glories of the Beach Boys canon IMO. The level of emotionality, triumphant yearning, and mystical, transcendent joy on display in this vocal, arrangement, production and overall concept elevate it to another level entirely. The melancholia in much of his work is here transfigured into a clarion call for the beauty of love and a celebration of the sensitivity of the human spirit. MAGNIFICENT!

[Wirestone]

If I was a more vindictive man, I'd find the c**t who mixed this, and flush his sorry head down the toilet.

That would be Mark Linett. Nice guy. Care to elaborate?

[Gabo]

Just heard it, definitely NOT as bad as Barbara or Make It Good, but it's still not on the level of any of the other Surf's Up tracks. I'm glad it's not on it.

[Mikie]

If I was a more vindictive man, I'd find the c**t who mixed this, and flush his sorry head down the toilet.

You're really something else, aren't ya?  I'd hate to cross paths with you if you were any more vindictive.  We'd find out really quick who's head would end up in the toilet.  Hint hint: It wouldn't be mine.  

[zachrwolfe]

‍

[BergenWhitesMoustache]

If I was a more vindictive man, I'd find the c**t who mixed this, and flush his sorry head down the toilet.

You're really something else, aren't ya?  I'd hate to cross paths with you if you were any more vindictive.  We'd find out really quick who's head would end up in the toilet.  Hint hint: It wouldn't be mine.  

I don't give a triple toed flying f*** what some pitiful little messageboard c*** thinks about me. Go f*** yourself