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Author Topic: Can someone explain how R&R Music was a Top 10 hit for 6 weeks?  (Read 7619 times)
alf wiedersehen
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« Reply #25 on: August 21, 2014, 07:59:13 PM »

It was probably the Mafia's doing.
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Eric Aniversario
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« Reply #26 on: August 21, 2014, 10:53:10 PM »

Does anyone remember which version was played more on the radio? (I was only a few months old at the time).

The single version is 100x better than the album version. And the newly constructed MiC version is nice, but still does not compare to the single version.

Rock and Roll music has often been the highlight of different shows I've seen over the years.  The live arrangement has a groove to it that is missing in all the studio versions.
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Sound of Free
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« Reply #27 on: August 22, 2014, 12:14:31 AM »

"It's OK" starts cold (no real intro) and is barely 2:00 long at best with a sizable fade-out.. for 1976 radio its too short. This is a song that needed someone to write a beginning to! Shocked

You're right. And Kayla Williams did a nice job!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnhTZObOTcU

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Cabinessenceking
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« Reply #28 on: August 22, 2014, 02:03:23 AM »

"It's OK" starts cold (no real intro) and is barely 2:00 long at best with a sizable fade-out.. for 1976 radio its too short. This is a song that needed someone to write a beginning to! Shocked

You're right. And Kayla Williams did a nice job!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnhTZObOTcU




She is amazing.. I heard her take on Vegetables 4-5 years ago and it blew me away  Grin
It's OK is her best cover IMO. It's better than the Beach Boys version!
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c-man
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« Reply #29 on: August 22, 2014, 04:23:49 AM »

It was a hit because of the great singalong chant Brian arranged for it: "Rock, roll, rock-and-a-roll". That and all the other factors mentioned.
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Paul J B
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« Reply #30 on: August 22, 2014, 07:16:04 AM »

It was a hit because of the great singalong chant Brian arranged for it: "Rock, roll, rock-and-a-roll". That and all the other factors mentioned.

It was a good song, and even though the production of R&R Music as well as the entire 15 Big Ones album is poor, when asking why it was a hit you need to go back and look at all of the other top 10-40 stuff from that era. In reality at the time, a lot of their "not so great stuff" was really as good or even better than many many hits during those years. How were "Afternoon Delight"  and "You Light Up My Life" huge hits in the '70's ?

At the time 15 big ones came out I loved it. R&R Music was a new release by my favorite band since Endless Summer caught me......a band I would go on to follow and love the rest of my life.
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Joel Goldenberg
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« Reply #31 on: August 22, 2014, 07:32:35 AM »

"America's Band" comes out with a hot new summer single around the time of the Bicentennial. How could it miss?
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Matt P
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« Reply #32 on: August 22, 2014, 07:52:28 AM »

I'd like R&R Music if it wasn't for the "Rock, roll, rock-and-a-roll" chant; for some reason that really grates on me.
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« Reply #33 on: August 22, 2014, 08:09:47 AM »

I've always enjoyed the BBs recording and live performances of this song.  I think it's fun, catchy and rocks along quite well.  It was really good in the C50 show I saw (Cincy) in that long string of nothing but hits towards the end of the show.  The single version is almost unarguably better, and the MIC version is pretty good too.
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« Reply #34 on: August 22, 2014, 08:14:59 AM »

And the newly constructed MiC version is nice, but still does not compare to the single version. Rock and Roll music has often been the highlight of different shows I've seen over the years. 

I beg to differ on BOTH of those accounts!
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« Reply #35 on: August 22, 2014, 08:17:00 AM »

I know I'm in the minority here but I love this song. I love Mike's vocal, the production, everything.
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SenorPotatoHead
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« Reply #36 on: August 22, 2014, 08:18:44 AM »

The mid 70's were, I believe, a time when people wanted to have fun, be reminded of the "good old days", etc.   It was the Bicentennial too, post Watergate/Nixon.   It was a fun, throwback song, and I think people were nostalgic for that, plus they missed Mike's nasal tones - really.  
However, "It's OK" would have been a better choice as a lead single - it was an original, and a throwback to the "good old days" as well....
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TimeToGetAlone
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« Reply #37 on: August 22, 2014, 08:48:25 AM »

At least the single version is considerably better than the album version.  I still wish It's OK was the first single though.  It's also anthemic, it's original, and a better recording overall.  A top 30 placing is nice enough, but surely an early summer release would have boosted its fortunes.

much as I like the thought above.. the problem was and really still is even with the MIC version, "It's OK" starts cold (no real intro) and is barely 2:00 long at best with a sizable fade-out.. for 1976 radio its too short. This is a song that needed someone to write a beginning to! Shocked
It is a little on the short side, but of course that's one of those things I love about The Beach Boys.  Unless the song is going to be musically diverse, most pop songs don't really need to be longer than 3 minutes.  R&R Music being only 15-20 seconds longer tells me the public would have been okay with it, but I would love an intro as you suggest!
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Ron
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« Reply #38 on: August 23, 2014, 11:07:41 PM »

And it was in the top 20 for 2 months! Can anyone explain the mood around this song at the time it was released? Considering what was going on at the time with the BBs, it was really a minor miracle that they were able to pull out a hit like this. Granted, it was essentially a musical retread of "Surfin' USA", but somehow it worked.

Was this treated as a big return for the Boys? How did Brian feel about the success?

I've read some claim that it was only a hit because the public was hungry for anything new from the BBs, but somehow it achieved a level of success a song like "It's OK" couldn't quite capture.

Did this song feel contemporary at the time? In a way, it feels like a transmission from a drunk space station.

Incredible!

Years ago I coudn't stand the damn song.  I've found over the years though that there's something a little endearing about it, I don't know what the hell it is, but maybe to a casual listener they find something they like in it?  I don't know.

What amazes me is why they even TRIED that song.  Chuck Berry did such an amazing job... and then the Beatles arguably did it even better... then the Beach Boys come along and it sounds like a joke. 

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« Reply #39 on: August 24, 2014, 12:20:16 AM »

First off, we're talking about two different songs.

The single mix of RRM is so vastly better, with so much more punch and verve, that it makes the album track sound like an ugly cousin. It's like the difference between Ronda and Rhonda. One just sits there, while the other one sounds like a hit.

Why? It's loud, dumb, catchy pop music. Brian's rock, rock and roll chant gave an already-catchy tune a second hook. Mike camps it up incomparably. The Moog bass has never farted more thunderously. Everyone has a good time, and no one has to think very hard or learn extra chords.

I've always been a fan. Of the single version.
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« Reply #40 on: August 24, 2014, 12:51:47 AM »

I'd like R&R Music if it wasn't for the "Rock, roll, rock-and-a-roll" chant; for some reason that really grates on me.

That part is mixed way too high in the album version, to the point of competing with the lead vocal. It's mixed at a much more reasonable level on the single version.
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« Reply #41 on: August 24, 2014, 12:54:13 AM »

First off, we're talking about two different songs.

The single mix of RRM is so vastly better, with so much more punch and verve, that it makes the album track sound like an ugly cousin. It's like the difference between Ronda and Rhonda. One just sits there, while the other one sounds like a hit.

Why? It's loud, dumb, catchy pop music. Brian's rock, rock and roll chant gave an already-catchy tune a second hook. Mike camps it up incomparably. The Moog bass has never farted more thunderously. Everyone has a good time, and no one has to think very hard or learn extra chords.

I've always been a fan. Of the single version.

This. It's mind-boggling how the album version winds up on so many high profile compilations.
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« Reply #42 on: August 24, 2014, 12:59:21 AM »

It's mind-boggling how the album version winds up on so many high profile compilations.

Same reason why the wrong - i.e. non-hit - version of "BTTYS" and "Rhonda" were used for so long: carelessness. The suits didn't know there was a single master.
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« Reply #43 on: August 24, 2014, 01:55:06 AM »

R&R Music is one of the few BBs songs that i can't stand to listen to. The album version especially. The single version(s) are better but i'd be embarrassed to play it for non-BBs fans.

It grates instantly and never lets up. A version by the 1964 boys would have been far superior, and drop that annoying Rock-and-a-roll chant too.
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« Reply #44 on: August 24, 2014, 02:24:39 AM »

"It's OK" starts cold (no real intro) and is barely 2:00 long at best with a sizable fade-out.. for 1976 radio its too short. This is a song that needed someone to write a beginning to! Shocked

You're right. And Kayla Williams did a nice job!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnhTZObOTcU



Wow, that is a great one!  Absolutely love Kayla Williams' BB covers!

I can remember exactly where I was when I first heard Rock n Roll Music - driving by the beach in Del Mar, Calif.  I had just pushed a button to change the station and heard the song, on AM radio, about 30 seconds in.  My thoughts were, "Wow, that's the Beach Boys," and, "I absolutely love this rendition of the song!" 

Perhaps someone can answer this question - "Why was there ever an album version in the first place?"  The single mix was released before the album and is vastly superior.  I find it baffling that the album version is on most of the comps, other than the fact that such a move seems par for the course for the BBs. 

And another question - "Who was responsible for the single mix vs the album mix?"  The single had been on the charts for 5 weeks and was already a top 20 song in the US when 15 Big Ones was released, so why did they stick a far less punchy and rather anemic sounding mix on the album?



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« Reply #45 on: August 24, 2014, 04:39:07 AM »

Is the single version on any recent comp?
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« Reply #46 on: August 24, 2014, 07:50:16 AM »

Is the single version on any recent comp?
Most recent release I believe is Greatest Hits Volume Three: Best of the Brother Years.  It also has the seldomly heard single mixes of It's OK and CS: California.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greatest_Hits_Volume_Three:_Best_of_the_Brother_Years_1970%E2%80%931986
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« Reply #47 on: August 24, 2014, 01:27:49 PM »

"It's OK" starts cold (no real intro) and is barely 2:00 long at best with a sizable fade-out.. for 1976 radio its too short. This is a song that needed someone to write a beginning to! Shocked

You're right. And Kayla Williams did a nice job!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnhTZObOTcU



Wow, that is a great one!  Absolutely love Kayla Williams' BB covers!

I can remember exactly where I was when I first heard Rock n Roll Music - driving by the beach in Del Mar, Calif.  I had just pushed a button to change the station and heard the song, on AM radio, about 30 seconds in.  My thoughts were, "Wow, that's the Beach Boys," and, "I absolutely love this rendition of the song!" 

Perhaps someone can answer this question - "Why was there ever an album version in the first place?"  The single mix was released before the album and is vastly superior.  I find it baffling that the album version is on most of the comps, other than the fact that such a move seems par for the course for the BBs. 

And another question - "Who was responsible for the single mix vs the album mix?"  The single had been on the charts for 5 weeks and was already a top 20 song in the US when 15 Big Ones was released, so why did they stick a far less punchy and rather anemic sounding mix on the album?





Good question.  Didn't someone say here once that Brian's mixes were different from what Carl ended up finishing up? Basically the direct opposite of Love You, in that Brian's versions were superior?
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« Reply #48 on: August 24, 2014, 03:44:01 PM »

It's amazing how wild the crowd gets when The Beach Boys launch into "Rock and Roll Music" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i93s023sONQ
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« Reply #49 on: August 24, 2014, 06:13:17 PM »

I LOVE the album version. The single version is compressed as hell and you can barely hear most of the parts, as is everything the BBs mixed without Brian from the mid-late '70s. I think (and this is just my opinion) that the band felt Brian's mix was too busy for AM radio, so they came up with a mix that focused more on a few select aspects. And while it could very well be that the single mix cuts better on AM, I know what version I prefer on my modern sound system!
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