I was gonna come on here and trash Bruce for the "wimpy" thing as well, but you know what? Yeah, he wrote wimpy stuff, which I'm sure he will admit. But I think what he liked from Brian was his more dynamic stuff. And dynamic doesn't necessarily mean uptempo. It could mean anything from "Wouldn't It Be Nice" to "Surf's Up" to "Surfin' U.S.A." to "Caroline No" to whatever. And to be honest, Friends really isn't that dynamic. So I can see what he's saying. Honestly, for all the their albums from Pet Sounds through Holland, I'd say that Friends is my least favorite. The vibe is okay, but I kinda do agree that the songs themselves aren't really there, which I don't think I would say about Brian's work on any of the other albums around this time period. Honestly, I think he did the whole Friends type sound better on "I Went To Sleep" from 20/20.
Also, what a great interview from him. I feel like you really get a better vibe for the background of each album from Bruce's interviews then you do from Brian or Mike.
A great comment which I agree with.
I like Friends but I can completely understand what Bruce was saying as it does sound half finished.