I collected my thoughts on the contents of the box set after listening to it for a week so this got quite lengthy.
My main thought while going through most of this stuff is that i don’t know of anyone else who realizes the full potential of music and elevates it to a sort of alchemy like the Beach Boys. When they are at their best, that brew of everything coming together in that highly idiosyncratic way that only they can concoct, it just
sounds like actual magic. It really is on another plane. I also kept thinking, “What the f*** is this band? They are aliens.” I don't think i will ever fully understand them or ever stop being amazed by them (on multiple levels). My favorite thing i’ve read so far about the box set is from Quzi who said, “I’m unsure as to whether this set better proves that this is the best band in the world or the stupidest!” The answer, of course, is both.
Despite my posts in the YLTLF thread, ultimately, i am more happy with MiC than disappointed by it (redundant song selection aside). I am finding the issues on MiC easier to put aside than those on TSS (this project also just generally holds less weight than TSS). I think the sound is generally all right, though i too am in the camp who finds the EQ and mastering overly bright/harsh and will be turning down the treble knob a good amount.
As for some of the individual tracks:
This Whole World a cappella - This was the first track i went to, as i’m someone who wants an entire a cappella and backing track box set of some sort more than anything else. I was expecting glory on this one and that’s just what i heard. I listened to it three times in a row before i moved on to something else because i just couldn’t process what was happening to my mind, i felt so much joy and i wanted to cry. It really never ceases to astound me how different a Beach Boys song can sound when the vocals (or backing track) are isolated. The wordless section right before the outro is sublime, just out of this world. I would’ve never known those harmonies sounded like that! It’s cool to hear Brian’s lead part, but i can see why it was replaced. Would love to hear, if it exists, a whole pass at the song from him.
Slip On Through a cappella - This one blew my mind to bits, especially that second dizzying verse. That second verse is some of the craziest, most intricate backing vocals they’ve ever recorded. I have to admit that when the MiC tracklist was first announced, i thought this was a weird choice, of all songs, for an a cappella mix (though i still welcomed it), but i totally see now why it was an obvious choice. It's just so incredibly revealing. It is astounding how much information there can be in Beach Boys songs and how much of it gets buried.
Meant For You alternate version - This is why i love this band. Meditation, a pony, and a puppy dog. Who else but the Beach Boys? The perfect antidote to classic rawk.
Where Is She - What an unexpected kind of sound, not what i had imagined this one sounding like based on the descriptions we had. This is a quiet little late night miniature bedroom masterpiece. I feel a universe more emotion and heaviness in an offbeat little song like this with kind of clunky but really heartbreaking lyrics and a “straight” subtle delivery than from any Dennis piano ballad. This is where it’s at for me.
We’re Together Again - Those strings! This song really comes together now and sounds as great as any of their top late ’60s stuff. How can any band leave songs of this caliber in the vaults? Only the Beach Boys. I would kill to be able to write something half this amazing. And this was just a little throwaway song they tossed off and left in the vault for decades.
You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ - As it's been noted already, some of the magic of the bootleg version is gone due to the excessive echo (and how incongruous it sounds with the period), but let me tell you, this is SUCH a great arrangement, production, and performance that i honestly think it can’t be ruined. So take that. This one is one for the ages. I love how fast and coked up it starts and then immediately slows down as if Brian realized this. I’d genuinely rather listen to this than the original Righteous Brothers recording. There, i said it.
Amusement Parks USA early version - I love how absolutely bonkers this sounds. What an eccentric song and production that only Brian Wilson in the mid ‘60s could have ever come up with. This recording has so much power, it almost sounds like it’s on fire. I had to check to see if there was smoke coming out of my speakers. I don’t know what it is but this version and mix has more energy to it than the album version.
Sail Plane Song - I’ve always adored this demo. I don’t think what Linett and Boyd did to it sounds
bad per se, but it makes me uncomfortable because it’s such a significant alteration to the production of what is ultimately a demo. As others have pointed out, it already feels dated to 2013. It’s funny, i showed this song to a friend and they said something like “Whoa, they were doing stuff like that back then? This sounds so modern!”
So, yeah, about that... Brian Wilson and Mark Linett Present Sail Plane Song. Also, why is the organ in the third verse gone? That was a highlight for me in the EH mix.
California Feelin’ - I’m generally more okay with composite revisionism than with revisionism that takes actual artistic liberties in coloring the production. To add a crazy panning delay or drench an entire mix in the wettest reverb is on a whole other level than to mix different vocal takes of the same song. My issue is with affecting the overall sound of historical recordings more so than futzing with chronology. Anyway, the band is in really great form here pretty late in the game. I love the sparsity of the arrangement and those anti-rock classic Beach Boys drums. It’s so great how understated, of all things, the chorus is. Bruce sounds like honey and the backing vocals are golden.
Sherry She Needs Me - This song and particularly this version is nuts in a really subtle way -- the lyrics, the ragged voice, the incongruity between the lead vocal and the backing track, and then the young sounding backing vocals coming in at the end, and the chord changes. It really wasn’t a bad idea to put 1976 Brian over this backing track, i think his then voice gives it a great edge that adds even more to the uniqueness of the song. It might have been a little too sweet had he tracked the vocal in ’65. As is, it’s a true gem and i’m really glad to have it here despite Sherry, baby, it’s time WEE~IOUE**UGHH#% said goodbye.
You’re Still A Mystery - What a shockingly great song and production (not totally ideal, but consider the time). One of the biggest delights on the entire box set for me. Easily better than anything on TWGMTR, in my opinion. I like Brian’s tone here, and the Auto-Tune, though totally unnecessary, actually doesn’t bother me
too much (of course i wish it wasn’t there). I don’t see how there’s any way this lead vocal could be mid ‘90s Brian.
Soul Searchin’ - So glad to have this version in good quality. Such a great, punchy backing track and really idiosyncratic backing vocals, kind of wild, especially considering the tameness of the period. Man, they still had it. In the mid ‘90s!
Why - So great to get stuff of this caliber just out of nowhere like this. I really don’t think the guy ever lost “it” -- i think it just visited him less and less as the years went by. This almost sounds like it was written to be an instrumental...by someone else! I agree with whoever said it almost sounds like BW pastiche. This right here is what bands like the High Llamas wish they could do, ha.
WIBNTLA - I’ve had to force myself to listen to it more than i ordinarily would despite being mostly pretty bored by it. The legend, man, the legend. After several listens i think the song is all right, though it gets better with each listen. But i don’t think (at least yet) that it’s as good as 4th of July or especially any of his ’68-’70 songs (excluding Be Still). But i think it’s better than anything that came after it except for Steamboat, which destroys WIBNTLA. I think it’s totally absurd the hype this got, but hey, we all have our opinions. I just don’t find interesting Dennis’ “Dennis” style (as opposed to his “Beach Boys” style like Little Bird, Celebrate The News, Never Learn Not To Love, etc.) and WIBNTLA seems to be somewhere in between the two. Those sustained shouty notes on the chorus grate on me (to say that this was his best vocal, i think, is nuts), and i hate the drums. I find the verses to be the best part of the song, and i actually like the coda and the transition into it. Go figure. Surf’s Up had songs with much more interesting arrangements and productions, i think. I can’t imagine this song on the album (on CATP though, yes), so i’m actually glad it ended up being left off. Here’s an unpopular opinion for you -- give me Take A Load Off Your Feet (one of my favorite BB songs), or any of Al’s other Surf’s Up songs, and Bruce’s Disney Girls, over WIBNTLA.
California Feelin' demo - I had no idea Brian could play piano like this, so unexpected. That is actually the more interesting/revealing aspect of this demo for me than his voice. I don’t really see myself listening to this one too much, but i’m really glad to see that unsafe choices like this made their way on.
Back Home ‘63 - Nice backing track, but this song doesn’t really lend itself to this sort of arrangement. Brian’s delivery, and even the vocal melody itself, don’t quite work with this sort of WC arrangement/production. With the way Brian is singing, if you had only heard the vocals in isolation, you’d think it’d be a sparser backing track. It sounds more like he’s singing
over the track rather than
to it or
with it, if that makes sense. I can see why this was not used and tried again later with the more stripped down “rustic” Sunflower type arrangement.
Back Home ‘70 - Such a great bass tone and drum sound on this one. Man, the 15BO arrangement is so half assed when you compare them to the other two.
Don’t Worry Baby alternate lead - I can see why Brian decided to have another go at the lead. Glad he did, but also glad we have the opportunity to hear stuff like this. We’re pretty lucky that stuff like this still exists.
Had to Phone Ya backing track - This is one golden nugget. Another bit of proof that BW could put together something just as great as his peak work nearly a decade after he supposedly lost it. Who makes music like this? What is this? It’s in a different universe from “rock” or “pop.”
Mona Kana - So great to have this in full quality. I’m an oddball because this one and Mexico, for me, are all time Dennis highlights. I think he is in top form here and it blows my mind that this was never used. This band, man. This could be opening titles of a Jerry Goldsmith score -- some of the mightiest praise in my book.
Guess I’m Dumb backing track - One of Brian’s best, sounds really great here, though the horns seem too loud for a BW production.
Don’t Go Near The Water backing track - I wonder why this is missing so many overdubs. I know it’s not, but it almost sounds like a different version of the backing track.
It’s interesting that Transcendental Meditation shows up as a backing track and Our Sweet Love as an a cappella mix, but neither are anywhere else on the set. Doesn’t entirely gel with the arguments about how they couldn’t have really replaced certain selections for “new” additions because of the issue of paying for more rights.
It’s Over Now - Great to have it speed corrected. Some aspects of the mix improve upon the GV mix (more clarity in the horns) and other parts of the mix are really puzzling, particularly the bridge with the strings being absurdly loud and Marilyn’s vocals being almost comically buried
. I know Marilyn’s voice is off-putting to a lot of people but come on...
Barnyard Blues - Was pleasantly surprised by this one too, as i wasn’t expecting anything, but this is pretty cool. Nice to see something so playful from Dennis. Great tack piano.
What’s with the backing track balance on Surfin’ U.S.A.? Does it sound weird to anyone else?
Fun, Fun, Fun - It's strange and cool to hear the two drums on each channel. Also, HORNS!
When I Grow Up 2012 stereo mix - Another case of presenting the music with a bigger sound than it originally had.
In The Back of My Mind 2012 stereo mix - Nice mix, questionable reverb quality -- listen at the very end to the decay of the reverb, sounds so hokey.
Love the Party intro before There’s No Other and that stuff like that made it on to such a big release.
Darlin’ in stereo sounds amazing. This is how it’s done. Hello horns.
Do It Again in stereo! Sounds great, although i prefer the bridge in mono. That baritone sax on the right channel sounds so good. By the way, i am now convinced that the tone and delivery of Brian’s falsetto in DIA is the exact tone and delivery that Jeff Foskett tries to emulate whenever he sings falsetto (or fosketto).
Wild Honey in stereo sounds pretty great, so driving and open, but i wish the song’s centerpiece, the Tannerin, was more upfront in the mix like in the original mono mix. Man, the backing vocals really come alive in stereo.
Country Air in stereo - Wow, those countermelodies in the backing vocals! Obviously never noticed that little inhaling
ahhh at :30. Once again though, this mix is trying to sound bigger. The Wild Honey record is pretty dry. Why pretend it’s not? Also, why mix the Chamberlin so low when it’s such a prominent part of the arrangement?
Rock and Roll Music - This sounds like a bulldozer trampling the 15BO mix. What a transformative mix, makes you really realize what an eccentric cover this is. I mean, who would
ever cover Chuck Berry and make it sound like this? 15BO needs a good reevaluation, i think. There’s some gold buried in places throughout that album.
It’s OK - That little Joe Meek sounding phrase at the start is one of my favorite little moments on the entire box set. Someone please tell me what synth that is. I think this alt. mix also improves on the original, though not nearly as much as R&R Music.
I wish they had used this opportunity to use the “Landlocked” mix of Good Time rather than the Love You mix. Or at least a recreation of it if the master is missing.
Susie Cincinnati new mix- The single mix is still, for me, the definitive one for this song, has more energy than this one or 15BO.
Is there a phase issue on Disney Girls? I don't see why or how there would be, but it sounds phasey (more than usual).
I’m not a live music/live recordings person at all, so i am one of the very few people around here that has no interest at all in any kind of live archival release (i’ve never even listened to any of their live albums), but one of the biggest surprises for me on the box set is the live in Chicago performance of Runaway. This is a great performance and, for whatever reason, it transcends my complete lack of interest in live recordings. I think it has something to do with the deliciously twangy 12 string, Al’s energetic delivery (a bit of a different sound for him and the group), and maybe the fact that i keep wanting to sing Summer Wine and Cuckoo Clock over it! The instrumental section is out of sight.
It’s cool to hear Friends and Little Bird live when they were still new songs, but i can’t see why i would ever want to hear them again when they're so close to the studio arrangements yet so inferior to them. My only other thoughts on the live stuff is that You’re So Good To Me is a pretty terrible performance and i can’t see why it would be included, unless it was to showcase Al covering for Brian. Don’t care for the ‘70s rawkkkage. And the ’90 performances make me cringe.
Really happy to have the Lei’d in Hawaii stuff including a rehearsal (i don’t consider these live). Also, i wasn’t terribly interested in the BBC stuff at first but they definitely have their appeal in their rawness and peculiar lo-fi quality. Hushabye is my favorite of the three with its kind of surf treatment of the arrangement. It's a really nice spin on the studio arrangement, which is one of my favorite BB recordings. So i’m glad to have this BBC stuff too.
Why Don’t They Let Us Fall In Love - Hey, this one surprised me, really not bad at all. Pretty good even. Has a kind of updated 15BO vibe. I don’t mind at all that they sound a little drunk.
Da Doo Ron Ron - I had only ever heard this one time before MiC. For a reason. Horrid lead vocal and just such an uninspired idea. What...were they doing here? I’m going to listen to the Crystals version 500 times in a row to erase any trace of this from my memory.
It’s A beautiful Day - This is pretty hard to get through. I think i had actually never made it all the through before listening to it here. Goin’ to the Beach sounds like fresh air coming after this atrocity. I am not one of those who think that Carl’s vocals alone can redeem these kind of disastrous songs. I actually think from the mid ’70s on he over sang everything and he developed this forced quality to his tone.
Was actually expecting more embarrassing stuff in the latter era vault stuff, but i was pleasantly surprised. One last thing i want to mention (and this is not a complaint really, just an area of confusion) is that i can’t make sense of the running order of disc 6. Does anyone have any insight as to why such a non-chronological or thematic order was chosen, why it’s just all over the place? And why is some of the vault material (ex: Sail Plane Song) on the other discs rather than on disc 6? And why is the BBC stuff at the very end? Just wondering what the idea was here. I haven’t had a chance yet to read the liner notes so maybe the answer is there.
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