Amusement Parks U.S.A - thumbs up or thumbs down?

[JK]

Up.

[joshferrell]

I like it,too me it sounds like Brian is trying to sound like Jan and Dean, that's not a bad thing since I like Jan and Dean.

[Disney Boy (1985)]

I love love love love LOVE the music you get at carnivals and funfairs. Those organ sounds - bliss! Amusement Parks USA accurately reflects that and I'll never forget how blow away I was the first time I heard it. Great song!

[rab2591]

It has grown on me throughout the years. I LOVE the instrumental from SOT, and the MiC version is perfect (without the laughing sound effects).

Thumbs up from me.

[Freddie French-Pounce]

Neutral. I love the backing track but the words are a massive turn off. The themes in the song had been explored much better in earlier songs.

Exactly. I don't even like Amusement Parks that much, and I don't hail from the U.S.A. - This song was never gonna work on me!

[Ron]

I like the music, but the lyrics just sound so forced... because... they are.  It's like somebody said, "HEY! Write a song about a squirrel!" so somebody writes a song about a squirrel. 

I love amusement parks, though.  Palisades Park is awesome.  Amusement Parks U.S.A. just doesn't hit the mark for me. 

[Ron]

married to a subpar vocal melody to boot.

Yeah... I think that's it.  I know a lot of people are saying they like the chorus, but to me the melody isn't right.  it's kind of shouty, too.  Just doesn't flow right.

[Disney Boy (1985)]

Neutral. I love the backing track but the words are a massive turn off. The themes in the song had been explored much better in earlier songs.

Exactly. I don't even like Amusement Parks that much, and I don't hail from the U.S.A. - This song was never gonna work on me!

Why does not hailing from the USA affect your enjoyment of Amusement Parks USA? I'm from Yorkshire in England and I bloody love it! I don't not like it because it isn't called Amusement Parks Yorkshire. Do you not like Surfin' USA either? "Urgh, they're singing about places I've never been - what a turn off!"

[metal flake paint]

married to a subpar vocal melody to boot.

Yeah... I think that's it.  I know a lot of people are saying they like the chorus, but to me the melody isn't right.  it's kind of shouty, too.  Just doesn't flow right.

Well, perhaps that was the intention as they'd want their voices to be heard over the noise at amusement parks

[Gabo]

If this wasn't a Beach Boys forum I think it would get almost all "thumbs downs"

[Cabinessenceking]

haha it's not a super piece but it sure fits on SD&SN!

[chrs_mrgn]

This track grew on me so much, I used to hate it. I don't even necessarily like it all too much but compared to a lot of the other early tracks this one is thumbs up.

[Ron]

married to a subpar vocal melody to boot.

Yeah... I think that's it.  I know a lot of people are saying they like the chorus, but to me the melody isn't right.  it's kind of shouty, too.  Just doesn't flow right.

Well, perhaps that was the intention as they'd want their voices to be heard over the noise at amusement parks

Ha, yeah... that might be it.  I like "The Girl From New York City" and they're shoutin' all over that... but when you start the song with the "LETS TAKE YOUR CAR!!!!" it's just jarring and doesn't flow good.  What the HELL do I know though, i'm sure he had his reasons for making it sound like that. 

[Disney Boy (1985)]

If this wasn't a Beach Boys forum I think it would get almost all "thumbs downs"

On the contrary, if I stumbled across this track on youtube and it was by a different band, I'd immediately want to seek out the rest of their catalogue. I genuinely think it's a fantastic (and fantastic sounding) song and I'd no inclination at all that other BB fans felt differently until I joined this board.

[Gabo]

If this wasn't a Beach Boys forum I think it would get almost all "thumbs downs"

On the contrary, if I stumbled across this track on youtube and it was by a different band, I'd immediately want to seek out the rest of their catalogue. I genuinely think it's a fantastic (and fantastic sounding) song and I'd no inclination at all that other BB fans felt differently until I joined this board.

Amusement Parks USA is an atrocity.  Like someone said on the Summer Days review page, it's not only a bad song but "an assault on the senses." It's shocking that it was released the same year (and on the same album) as well produced and written songs like Let Him Run Wild and Help Me Rhonda.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

If Mike Love had written the lyrics for SMiLE, we might get songs like this along with Good Vibrations of course. But that would have been fine by me. Although, I love Van Dyke's lyrics as well, I do sympathize with Mike in that he was a Beach Boy after all. They had enough talent to keep song writing in band.  Mike showed on Today, he could do what Tony Asher did. On GV, he could be poetic, yet more commercial than Parks. But don't get me wrong, I love the acid alliteration! But I also think lyrics for Amusement Parks and Custom Machine are highly underrated IMO.

[Micha]

It's a good one.

[Disney Boy (1985)]

If this wasn't a Beach Boys forum I think it would get almost all "thumbs downs"

On the contrary, if I stumbled across this track on youtube and it was by a different band, I'd immediately want to seek out the rest of their catalogue. I genuinely think it's a fantastic (and fantastic sounding) song and I'd no inclination at all that other BB fans felt differently until I joined this board.

Amusement Parks USA is an atrocity.  Like someone said on the Summer Days review page, it's not only a bad song but "an assault on the senses." It's shocking that it was released the same year (and on the same album) as well produced and written songs like Let Him Run Wild and Help Me Rhonda.

An atrocity? I've no idea what you're talking about. To my ears, it sounds fantastic - largely because it is.

[Bean Bag]

I like it cuz it's crazy.

It's quite psychedelic without being overtly psychedelic, because we all understand there's "manic" fun for kids -- going all crazy on the rides -- at an Amusement Park.  But, it's a clever aspect to focus on - the manic thing, I mean.  And they nail it.  Brilliantly using this as an obvious introduction into the hall o' mirrors world of psychedelic music that was to come, without anybody taking too much notice.

This song along with Back of Mind from Today, are the first real indications (I think) where Brian Wilson was going some place new, yet again.  Yes complex, but also dark and churning and very aware and all encompassing with regards to the human psyche.

Am I over analyzing this song?  Exactly... but it's still very much the case.

[Watch a Cave]

I really like the crazed frenetic energy of this song.  A bit psychodelic too..  great fun to my ears.

[Freddie French-Pounce]

Neutral. I love the backing track but the words are a massive turn off. The themes in the song had been explored much better in earlier songs.

Exactly. I don't even like Amusement Parks that much, and I don't hail from the U.S.A. - This song was never gonna work on me!

Why does not hailing from the USA affect your enjoyment of Amusement Parks USA? I'm from Yorkshire in England and I bloody love it! I don't not like it because it isn't called Amusement Parks Yorkshire. Do you not like Surfin' USA either? "Urgh, they're singing about places I've never been - what a turn off!"

I know ,I was just trying to justify my point.

[mikeddonn]

I love it, great melody and arrangement and I'm from Scotland.

[JK]

They liked it in Japan too, where it was released in November '65 as a 45 b/w "The Rocking Surfer" and according to BJL (in the first link) reached #3:

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php?action=printpage;topic=10091.0

http://yokono.co.uk/collection/beachboys/single/single2.html

My apologies if this is all old news...