The delay of MIU's release...

[kookadams]

With the MIU album being finished in the late fall of '77 , did it take almost a year to come out because they had signed to columbia but were still on warner bros? And who agrees that if Love you had been their final album would they have maybe acquired more artistic integrity rather than issuing mediocre albums like the Light album, KTSA and the selftitled85 etc?

[Andrew G. Doe]

With the MIU album being finished in the late fall of '77...

Which it wasn't: the last session was June 28th 1978. The California Feeling album was assembled and mastered 12/24/77, and a revised version mastered five days later. The M.I. U Album was mastered 4/20/78 and apparently remastered 6/29/78 before being released 9/25/78

...did it take almost a year to come out because they had signed to columbia but were still on warner bros?

The band signed to Caribou (not Columbia) round about the time Love You was released, not realising they still owed Reprise one more album (after Adult/Child was rejected, probably in July 1977). Hence the MIU sessions.

[EgoHanger1966]

I don't want to open up a can of (do you like) worms, but why do so many people hold Love You up to the sky as some high piece of art??? I see why people like it, but let's be realistic - we like this as hardcore Beach Boys fans who want to hear "new" Brian Wilson material. Croaky and raspy voices, simplistic and sometimes dumb lyrics, scraggly harmonies, strange backing tracks. This music is insane. If The Beach Boys had ended on Love You, it wouldn't have done a thing for their "artistic integrity".

[kookadams]

I know what ya mean about later mastering and mixing but I meant about it being mostly finished at the end of 77 and caribou- cbs(columbia ) etc....  and as far as the previous about love you: the lack of the BBs signature voices was prevalent but the songs were killer, love you was up there as one of the best albums of 77 with the ramones rocket to russia and so fourth///

[RiC]

I don't want to open up a can of (do you like) worms, but why do so many people hold Love You up to the sky as some high piece of art??? I see why people like it, but let's be realistic - we like this as hardcore Beach Boys fans who want to hear "new" Brian Wilson material. Croaky and raspy voices, simplistic and sometimes dumb lyrics, scraggly harmonies, strange backing tracks. This music is insane. If The Beach Boys had ended on Love You, it wouldn't have done a thing for their "artistic integrity".

I disagree with you completely. If Love You was done by any other band or artist than Beach Boys, it would've been a groundbreaking record.

[EgoHanger1966]

I don't want to open up a can of (do you like) worms, but why do so many people hold Love You up to the sky as some high piece of art??? I see why people like it, but let's be realistic - we like this as hardcore Beach Boys fans who want to hear "new" Brian Wilson material. Croaky and raspy voices, simplistic and sometimes dumb lyrics, scraggly harmonies, strange backing tracks. This music is insane. If The Beach Boys had ended on Love You, it wouldn't have done a thing for their "artistic integrity".

I disagree with you completely. If Love You was done by any other band or artist than Beach Boys, it would've been a groundbreaking record.

In what way?

[kookadams]

I don't want to open up a can of (do you like) worms, but why do so many people hold Love You up to the sky as some high piece of art??? I see why people like it, but let's be realistic - we like this as hardcore Beach Boys fans who want to hear "new" Brian Wilson material. Croaky and raspy voices, simplistic and sometimes dumb lyrics, scraggly harmonies, strange backing tracks. This music is insane. If The Beach Boys had ended on Love You, it wouldn't have done a thing for their "artistic integrity".

I disagree with you completely. If Love You was done by any other band or artist than Beach Boys, it would've been a groundbreaking record.

think about it, in 1977 the BBs were the only legendary rock band that had been around as long as they were up to that point that were able to put out a brand new album after a 4+ year absence of no new material, not counting 15 big ones- considering that it was 2/3 a cover/tribute album, and even tho 15 big ones is often dismissed for that reason it was still very crucial for giving them their first new commercial success to that degree in a decade! And as widely known Love you was brian's album with the BBs name on it for contractual obligation.

[RiC]

I don't want to open up a can of (do you like) worms, but why do so many people hold Love You up to the sky as some high piece of art??? I see why people like it, but let's be realistic - we like this as hardcore Beach Boys fans who want to hear "new" Brian Wilson material. Croaky and raspy voices, simplistic and sometimes dumb lyrics, scraggly harmonies, strange backing tracks. This music is insane. If The Beach Boys had ended on Love You, it wouldn't have done a thing for their "artistic integrity".

I disagree with you completely. If Love You was done by any other band or artist than Beach Boys, it would've been a groundbreaking record.

In what way?

In many ways. It's dismissed by everyone (except the hc-fans, of course) only because the cover says: "The Beach Boys". Pet Sounds will propably always be the only thing that mainstream takes seriously, in artistic way, by The Beach Boys. I seriously don't know why. But anyway, Love You is one of the most unique and intelligent pop/rock-albums I've ever heard. It deserves much more recognition.

[Disney Boy (1985)]

I don't want to open up a can of (do you like) worms, but why do so many people hold Love You up to the sky as some high piece of art??? I see why people like it, but let's be realistic - we like this as hardcore Beach Boys fans who want to hear "new" Brian Wilson material. Croaky and raspy voices, simplistic and sometimes dumb lyrics, scraggly harmonies, strange backing tracks. This music is insane. If The Beach Boys had ended on Love You, it wouldn't have done a thing for their "artistic integrity".

I disagree with you completely. If Love You was done by any other band or artist than Beach Boys, it would've been a groundbreaking record.

In what way?

In many ways. It's dismissed by everyone (except the hc-fans, of course) only because the cover says: "The Beach Boys". Pet Sounds will propably always be the only thing that mainstream takes seriously, in artistic way, by The Beach Boys. I seriously don't know why. But anyway, Love You is one of the most unique and intelligent pop/rock-albums I've ever heard. It deserves much more recognition.

Unique? Absolutely. There is truly nothing else like it.

Intelligent? Sorry... in what way exactly?

I really like Love You. Is it generally a tad over-praised by fans? Yes. Do I prefer pretty much everything pre-1974? Yes. But it's still great. Brian was (still, just) a musical genius.

But intelligent? Most of the time it seems almost willfully dumb. Holland is an intelligent record. Love You however is a childlike, crazy pop gem, tinged with madness and genius.

[RiC]

I don't want to open up a can of (do you like) worms, but why do so many people hold Love You up to the sky as some high piece of art??? I see why people like it, but let's be realistic - we like this as hardcore Beach Boys fans who want to hear "new" Brian Wilson material. Croaky and raspy voices, simplistic and sometimes dumb lyrics, scraggly harmonies, strange backing tracks. This music is insane. If The Beach Boys had ended on Love You, it wouldn't have done a thing for their "artistic integrity".

I disagree with you completely. If Love You was done by any other band or artist than Beach Boys, it would've been a groundbreaking record.

In what way?

In many ways. It's dismissed by everyone (except the hc-fans, of course) only because the cover says: "The Beach Boys". Pet Sounds will propably always be the only thing that mainstream takes seriously, in artistic way, by The Beach Boys. I seriously don't know why. But anyway, Love You is one of the most unique and intelligent pop/rock-albums I've ever heard. It deserves much more recognition.

Unique? Absolutely. There is truly nothing else like it.

Intelligent? Sorry... in what way exactly?

I really like Love You. Is it generally a tad over-praised by fans? Yes. Do I prefer pretty much everything pre-1974? Yes. But it's still great. Brian was (still, just) a musical genius.

But intelligent? Most of the time it seems almost willfully dumb. Holland is an intelligent record. Love You however is a childlike, crazy pop gem, tinged with madness and genius.

You just answered to your own question 

[Lonely Summer]

I don't want to open up a can of (do you like) worms, but why do so many people hold Love You up to the sky as some high piece of art??? I see why people like it, but let's be realistic - we like this as hardcore Beach Boys fans who want to hear "new" Brian Wilson material. Croaky and raspy voices, simplistic and sometimes dumb lyrics, scraggly harmonies, strange backing tracks. This music is insane. If The Beach Boys had ended on Love You, it wouldn't have done a thing for their "artistic integrity".

I agree with you 100%. I think LA is a much better album to play for Beach Boy "newbies" - it's too bad that 10 minute disco track is on there. Cut it down to under 4 minutes - the single version - and throw in It's a Beautiful Day, and you have one of the best later BB albums.

[Nicko1234]

I disagree with you completely. If Love You was done by any other band or artist than Beach Boys, it would've been a groundbreaking record.

Nah.

Only a massively famous band could hand in a very obviously half-finished (being generous) album and have it released. Most bands would have been laughed out of the record company`s offices.

[phirnis]

I don't want to open up a can of (do you like) worms, but why do so many people hold Love You up to the sky as some high piece of art??? I see why people like it, but let's be realistic - we like this as hardcore Beach Boys fans who want to hear "new" Brian Wilson material. Croaky and raspy voices, simplistic and sometimes dumb lyrics, scraggly harmonies, strange backing tracks. This music is insane. If The Beach Boys had ended on Love You, it wouldn't have done a thing for their "artistic integrity".

I agree with you 100%. I think LA is a much better album to play for Beach Boy "newbies" - it's too bad that 10 minute disco track is on there. Cut it down to under 4 minutes - the single version - and throw in It's a Beautiful Day, and you have one of the best later BB albums.

Why do you care what "newbies" might think of these records?

[Mike's Beard]

Love You is the last time Brian broke any new ground as an artist so it's an important record, but I don't think as a whole it's a very good record. For every moment of genius there's a really bad song. Clearly MIU was a reaction against it with it's smooth conventional production and while the overall effect is somewhat bland, song for song I prefer it over Love You.

[Outtasight!]

I don't want to open up a can of (do you like) worms, but why do so many people hold Love You up to the sky as some high piece of art??? I see why people like it, but let's be realistic - we like this as hardcore Beach Boys fans who want to hear "new" Brian Wilson material. Croaky and raspy voices, simplistic and sometimes dumb lyrics, scraggly harmonies, strange backing tracks. This music is insane. If The Beach Boys had ended on Love You, it wouldn't have done a thing for their "artistic integrity".

Each of those things you have mentioned is why i love Love You.

[Sheriff John Stone]

I think the melodies and arrangements on Love You are genius. Popular music genius. In 1976, I don't know if Brian had the talent left for another Pet Sounds and SMiLE, but the tracks on 15 Big Ones and Love You display that he still had "it", the "it" that only Brian Wilson had. I still listen to some of the stuff on 15 Big Ones and Love You and marvel...how did he come up with that! I never get tired of listening to Love You.

If you compare the lyrics on Love You to those of Asher, Parks, Reiley, or Love, yeah, they are not as articulate or sophisticated or poetic. But they do communicate in a way that Brian's other collaborators didn't - or couldn't. I think I  know exactly what Brian was feeling on Love You. Sometimes I listen to Jim Morrison or Bob Dylan or Lou Reed and I'm blown away. They sang about things that I never experienced and I never will experience. And that's what's cool about listening to them. They can take you to places that you will never travel to. Well, on Love You, Brian shared experiences with us that we did live, we did understand, and we did FEEL. It's three o'clock, I go to my sink, I pour some milk, and I start to think. God please let us go this way. I'll bet he's nice. Tell her she smells good tonight. I can't wait to see her face. I want to pick you up. Is somebody gonna tell me why she has to lie. Johnny Carson is a real live wire!

Yeah, the vocals are hard to take sometimes. I wish Brian would've done an extra take or two, or, even if he waited another couple of weeks, his voice might've cleared up even more. But they're honest in-your-face vocals, with HONEST being the key. Love You is all about honesty. It's a true picture of our guy, Brian, in late 1976. He sat down and composed 13 songs and bared his soul. I miss that Brian. We never saw that guy again.

[RiC]

I think the melodies and arrangements on Love You are genius. Popular music genius. In 1976, I don't know if Brian had the talent left for another Pet Sounds and SMiLE, but the tracks on 15 Big Ones and Love You display that he still had "it", the "it" that only Brian Wilson had. I still listen to some of the stuff on 15 Big Ones and Love You and marvel...how did he come up with that! I never get tired of listening to Love You.

If you compare the lyrics on Love You to those of Asher, Parks, Reiley, or Love, yeah, they are not as articulate or sophisticated or poetic. But they do communicate in a way that Brian's other collaborators didn't - or couldn't. I think I  know exactly what Brian was feeling on Love You. Sometimes I listen to Jim Morrison or Bob Dylan or Lou Reed and I'm blown away. They sang about things that I never experienced and I never will experience. And that's what's cool about listening to them. They can take you to places that you will never travel to. Well, on Love You, Brian shared experiences with us that we did live, we did understand, and we did FEEL. It's three o'clock, I go to my sink, I pour some milk, and I start to think. God please let us go this way. I'll bet he's nice. Tell her she smells good tonight. I can't wait to see her face. I want to pick you up. Is somebody gonna tell me why she has to lie. Johnny Carson is a real live wire!

Yeah, the vocals are hard to take sometimes. I wish Brian would've done an extra take or two, or, even if he waited another couple of weeks, his voice might've cleared up even more. But they're honest in-your-face vocals, with HONEST being the key. Love You is all about honesty. It's a true picture of our guy, Brian, in late 1976. He sat down and composed 13 songs and bared his soul. I miss that Brian. We never saw that guy again.

I agree with every word, except I personally love the raspy vocals. But I understand why some people don't like them. Brian is very underrated lyricist. His style is, just like people have many times stated, childlike and not so sophisticated, but it's the same time completely unique and one of a kind. Nobody else can write like he does. Nobody.

[Moon Dawg]

  Why the delays for MIU? Because everyone involved knew that it stunk.

[Cabinessenceking]

there was no artistic integrity tp save after an album like 15BO. Talk about blowing it.

[wantsomecorn]

I don't want to open up a can of (do you like) worms, but why do so many people hold Love You up to the sky as some high piece of art??? I see why people like it, but let's be realistic - we like this as hardcore Beach Boys fans who want to hear "new" Brian Wilson material. Croaky and raspy voices, simplistic and sometimes dumb lyrics, scraggly harmonies, strange backing tracks. This music is insane. If The Beach Boys had ended on Love You, it wouldn't have done a thing for their "artistic integrity".

I agree with you 100%. I think LA is a much better album to play for Beach Boy "newbies" - it's too bad that 10 minute disco track is on there. Cut it down to under 4 minutes - the single version - and throw in It's a Beautiful Day, and you have one of the best later BB albums.

Why do you care what "newbies" might think of these records?

We were all "newbies" at one point.

For what its worth, it took me four or five listens to appreciate Sunflower, but I loved Love You the first time I heard it.

[Emdeeh]

I don't want to open up a can of (do you like) worms, but why do so many people hold Love You up to the sky as some high piece of art???

You're not alone. I don't "get" Love You either. It's certainly not a high point, in my opinion.

[The Dumb Angel]

It's kinda difficult to explain why I love 'Love You' so much. It's beyond weird and quirky, but there's something about it that keeps on drawing me back. I feel there's something so intriguing, charming, and magical about the album that leaves me mesmerized every time I listen to it.

[Lonely Summer]

I don't want to open up a can of (do you like) worms, but why do so many people hold Love You up to the sky as some high piece of art??? I see why people like it, but let's be realistic - we like this as hardcore Beach Boys fans who want to hear "new" Brian Wilson material. Croaky and raspy voices, simplistic and sometimes dumb lyrics, scraggly harmonies, strange backing tracks. This music is insane. If The Beach Boys had ended on Love You, it wouldn't have done a thing for their "artistic integrity".

I agree with you 100%. I think LA is a much better album to play for Beach Boy "newbies" - it's too bad that 10 minute disco track is on there. Cut it down to under 4 minutes - the single version - and throw in It's a Beautiful Day, and you have one of the best later BB albums.

Why do you care what "newbies" might think of these records?

We were all "newbies" at one point.

For what its worth, it took me four or five listens to appreciate Sunflower, but I loved Love You the first time I heard it.

Sunflower is one album that just gets better on repeated plays, even decades later. Love You just....well, I uh....I uh....it is what it is.

[Micha]

I don't want to open up a can of (do you like) worms, but why do so many people hold Love You up to the sky as some high piece of art??? I see why people like it, but let's be realistic - we like this as hardcore Beach Boys fans who want to hear "new" Brian Wilson material. Croaky and raspy voices, simplistic and sometimes dumb lyrics, scraggly harmonies, strange backing tracks. This music is insane. If The Beach Boys had ended on Love You, it wouldn't have done a thing for their "artistic integrity".

I disagree with you completely. If Love You was done by any other band or artist than Beach Boys, it would've been a groundbreaking record.

In what way?

In many ways. It's dismissed by everyone (except the hc-fans, of course) only because the cover says: "The Beach Boys". [...]

The only reason I own a copy of the Love You album is because the cover says: "The Beach Boys". Most of the songs are good, but everything else about this record is just ugly to me. IMHO: The singing is ugly, the synth sounds are ugly, the arrangements are without any drive, even the LP cover is ugly. It is only after listening to Love You that I can stand the first four tracks of SIP, because even those horrible songs are more pleasant to my ears.

Had the Beatles released something like that as a comeback album, it would have damaged their image permanently.

Love You is the last time Brian broke any new ground as an artist so it's an important record, but I don't think as a whole it's a very good record. For every moment of genius there's a really bad song. Clearly MIU was a reaction against it with it's smooth conventional production and while the overall effect is somewhat bland, song for song I prefer it over Love You.

IMHO: Had they rerecorded the whole Love You album at MIU in that recording style, it would have been a great album.

[phirnis]

Love You is the last time Brian broke any new ground as an artist so it's an important record, but I don't think as a whole it's a very good record. For every moment of genius there's a really bad song. Clearly MIU was a reaction against it with it's smooth conventional production and while the overall effect is somewhat bland, song for song I prefer it over Love You.

IMHO: Had they rerecorded the whole Love You album at MIU in that recording style, it would have been a great album.

Aside from personal preference with regards to singing style and arrangements, this wouldn't have fit the Love You material at all I think. The M.I.U. production style is perfect for meh stuff like Sweet Sunday (which I do enjoy, to a certain extent), whereas songs like Mona, Johnny Carson or Solar System need to sound a lot more eccentric, even idiosyncratic in order to make sense. Personally you may not like the synth arranements because you prefer a different style or more "organic" instrumentation but they were incredibly inventive and I think it's too bad they were nowhere to be heard on subsequent albums. Brian and the BB never did anything half as original again.