"Soulful Old Man Sunshine" Reaction

[37!ws]

I wasn't deep into BB history or lore back in 1998, but I was blown away by this song when I listened to the soundtrack.

What was the reaction among hard core fandom? 
Had this been widely booted?
 If not, was anybody aware that it existed?
 In short, how surprised were you by it in 1998? 

I went from not ever hearing the faintest rumor of its existence to a complete mind-blowing revelation as I listened to it. Just wonder if it rocked the BB Fan world as much as it rocked mine at the time.

I may have heard vague references to the song, and I think I remember reading the title in one of the lists in Brad Elliott's book, but I'd never heard the song. The only time it ever made an appearance was on that In My Room fan-recorded charity album (featuring a couple of tracks from Nick and Darian) in which sales went to help the homeless in California. Someone did a cover of "Soulful Old Man Sunshine" on that  album, but it was an interpretation done from sheet music someone found. Melodically, it's pretty similar to what's on Endless Harmony.

I remember very well the day Endless Harmony came out in 1998. I bought it, popped it into my portable CD player in my car (played through the stereo via cassette adapter, of course), and just played it from the start. I was still driving through the Best Buy parking lot when the fully-produced version of "SOMS" came up, and just the first few seconds of it just freakin' blew me away...the vocals...oh, Gawd, the vocals...wow...

Heh...what I REALLY remember was not knowing exactly what that "Heroes and Villains" demo contained, and I nearly drove off the road and a tree off Theodore Street in Crest Hill, Illinois when I heard that magic phrase "I'm in the great shape..."

[job]

To each their own, I think. A bubblegum effort, overblown vocal arrangement, not much of a song in there, and a half-arsed lead from Carl. As exciting as it is to hear the busy vocal arrangement, I don't think there is much to this song.

Agreed.

[Mr. Cohen]

When "Soulful Old Man Sunshine" was first released, I recall it being highly regarded. Many called it a lost classic. Some still do. I think what it has going for it is novelty value. If you've heard everything the BBs did a million times, "SOMS" is a breath of fresh air. It's a quality pop song with a full production. I don't see it as a lost hit, though. If "Friends" and "Breakaway" weren't good enough for Americans, this wouldn't have worked either. I see the UK charting it decently, though.

[Mr. Cohen]

If "Breakaway" was never released back then, we'd be screaming about how it was a lost #1. The American public sucked, lol.

[Lee Marshall]

I bought Breakaway...up in Toronto.  It was, if memory serves, the VERY FIRST stereo 45 I ever owned...with Dennis' Celebrate the News [also in stereo] on the flip side.

The Beach Boys had cooked their goose.  Too little over too wide a gap in time.  They were yesterday's news.  It wouldn't have mattered what they released.  And live?  Those were the days when Mike was on stage 'mincing'.     It was just agonizing... ...and off-putting. 

[drbeachboy]

I bought Breakaway...up in Toronto.  It was, if memory serves, the VERY FIRST stereo 45 I ever owned...with Dennis' Celebrate the News [also in stereo] on the flip side.

The Beach Boys had cooked their goose.  Too little over too wide a gap in time.  They were yesterday's news.  It wouldn't have mattered what they released.  And live?  Those were the days when Mike was on stage 'mincing'.    It was just agonizing... ...and off-putting.  

I saw them in Summer 69 and again in early 72 and he was dressed fairly normal in 69 and as a Carnival barker in 72. Didn't notice him mincing on stage at either show. Nor was he mincing on the two Good Vibration shows that aired on TV between 1970 and 1972. He did the Jagger moves in 1975-76, but that toned down too by 1977-78.
 
The biggest gap in output was only between Pet Sounds and Smiley Smile or Good Vibrations to Heroes & Villains single-wise. They had 2 albums in 67, one each from 68 through 73. 3 Singles in 67, 2 in 68 and 2 in 69. I wouldn't say the gap was all that wide.

[Watch a Cave]

My first reaction upon hearing the opening harmonies of this song back in 98 was... "Holy sh*t!!!".  I couldn't believe it.  How was this unreleased?

However.. for me the rest of the song didn't quite live up to that stunning opening acapella part.  I never really liked the instrumental track that much,  but the harmonies throughout are really nice.   Mike and Carl sound especially good in the harmony stack.

[Lee Marshall]

Ya Doc...Listen to Live in London and you'll hear what I'm talking about.  In terms of the gap...they had HUGE presence with Pet Sounds and all things leading up to and also connected to it...plus that gawd awful first Best Of album...PLUS Good Vibrations.  Gigantic hit.  Then... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... and ... ... ... ... ... ... ... and ... Followed by still no album ... ... ... and Heroes and Villains and ... ... ... ... ... and Smiley Smile which they snuck in the back door of the record shops and hid on the shleves where it wouldn't be seen.  The reaction?  y a w n...that's a gap.  So they rush recorded and released Wild Honey and while Darlin did OK...it was still more over-all y a w n and gappage.  It was ... ... ... ... ... pretty much done.  So much so that really, REALLY great albums like 20/20 [which also had some hits on it] Friends, Sunflower, Surfs Up, Carl and the Passions [which really didn't yield any hits] and Holland which would eventually see Sail On Sailor enjoy a bit of recognition all pretty much stiffed...at least in Beach Boys terms and numbers.

They were no longer relevant.  They were OUTSTANDING and immensely talented.  And almost nobody gave a rat's butt.  ['cept for us died-in-the-wool fans.  but we were geeks.]

[drbeachboy]

Ya Doc...Listen to Live in London and you'll hear what I'm talking about.  In terms of the gap...they had HUGE presence with Pet Sounds and all things leading up to and also connected to it...plus that gawd awful first Best Of album...PLUS Good Vibrations.  Gigantic hit.  Then... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... and ... ... ... ... ... ... ... and ... Followed by still no album ... ... ... and Heroes and Villains and ... ... ... ... ... and Smiley Smile which they snuck in the back door of the record shops and hid on the shleves where it wouldn't be seen.  The reaction?  y a w n...that's a gap.  So they rush recorded and released Wild Honey and while Darlin did OK...it was still more over-all y a w n and gappage.  It was ... ... ... ... ... pretty much done.  So much so that really, REALLY great albums like 20/20 [which also had some hits on it] Friends, Sunflower, Surfs Up, Carl and the Passions [which really didn't yield any hits] and Holland which would eventually see Sail On Sailor enjoy a bit of recognition all pretty much stiffed...at least in Beach Boys terms and numbers.

They were no longer relevant.  They were OUTSTANDING and immensely talented.  And almost nobody gave a rat's butt.  ['cept for us died-in-the-wool fans.  but we were geeks.]

I agree with you that they became irrelevant. They didn't really play hard rock, weren't quite psychedelic enough, were too old for the bubblegum crowd. They kind of were their own thing and listeners didn't catch on. Not releasing Smile did hurt them, but I'm still not convinced that it would have made the impact that some here think it would have, especially with the hard rock crowd. Their's was as much a perception issue than the actual music. They were considered square until JR re-imagined them, to coin a phrase.

As for Mike, I think that was his trying to sound "High" and nonchalant cool talk. I've seen them enough times between 69 and 73 to question your mincing term, though. Those must of all been his manly concerts that I saw.

[runnersdialzero]

A bubblegum effort

Fair enough, I disagree, but to each his own.

overblown vocal arrangement

Fair enough, I disagree, but to each his own.

not much of a song in there

Fair enough, I disagree, but to each his own.

and a half-arsed lead from Carl.

A LINE HAS BEEN CROSSED.

[Autotune]

 

Carl was extraordinary! But this is a scratch vocal, not unlike "Go and get that girl" and "Waves of love". Not up to his standards.

[runnersdialzero]

Carl was extraordinary! But this is a scratch vocal, not unlike "Go and get that girl" and "Waves of love". Not up to his standards.

I feel like folks only treat these vocals differently knowing they're scratch vocals. Like, if that knowledge hadn't been put out there, they wouldn't be scrutinized so much and they'd be considered as good as about any other vocal he did during that time.

Regardless, a Carl Wilson scratch vocal still beats a lot of other folks' best, I could never go as far as to call his work on "Soulful Old Man Sunshine" etc. "half-assed".

[The Shift]

Carl was extraordinary! But this is a scratch vocal, not unlike "Go and get that girl" and "Waves of love". Not up to his standards.

I feel like folks only treat these vocals differently knowing they're scratch vocals. Like, if that knowledge hadn't been put out there, they wouldn't be scrutinized so much and they'd be considered as good as about any other vocal he did.

Regardless, a Carl Wilson scratch vocal still beats a lot of other folks' best, I could never go as far as to call his work on "Soulful Old Man Sunshine" etc. "half-assed".

Spot on.

[Sound of Free]

I've said this before here, but when they had all the momentum going into 15 Big Ones, I can't believe the boys didn't kill a couple of the covers and put Soulful Old Man Sunshine (with Carl fixing his flub) and San Miguel (fine as is).

The album needed more originals, and while I can understand leaving stuff like WIBNTLA and Carry Me Home to keep a "fun in the sun" sound like Endless Summer, there's no excuse for putting out lame covers while gems like that were available.

Who cares if they had been recorded years earlier? They would have been "new" to 99.9 percent of the public in 1976 and really boosted the quality of 15 Big Ones.

[Micha]

If "Breakaway" was never released back then, we'd be screaming about how it was a lost #1.

That might very well be the case!

The fact that Carl's vocals was a scratch vocal makes me all the more admire how good they were at the time. Other singers would have loved to be that good after trying for days!

[job]

['cept for us died-in-the-wool fans.  but we were geeks.]

Hoping you meant "dyed in the wool".  Otherwise we would be a pretty boring bunch of fans.

[Lee Marshall]

I hope I did too. ...   Oops.  The only thing worse than my typing is my spelling.

[Magic City Surfer]

Thanks for all the responses, especially Lee.

I was wondering what the state of awareness regarding the song was among the BB faithful and that has been answered.

Is the 1994 issue of ESQ with SOMS story still available?

[bgas]

Thanks for all the responses, especially Lee.

I was wondering what the state of awareness regarding the song was among the BB faithful and that has been answered.

Is the 1994 issue of ESQ with SOMS story still available?

Not certain which issue it is, but all 1994 issues are available for reprint at their site: http://www.esquarterly.com/buy-ESQ.html

[LeeDempsey]

OK I was freaking out...  I just knew that my trip to L.A. occurred in 1994, and that jives with the date of Brian Wilson Tribute in Santa Monica (the legendary one where Brian met the Wondermints).  But I also knew that our "Soulful Old Man Sunshine" cover issue was the June 1997 issue.  I was panicking that maybe I had met Rick on a later trip to L.A., and I had the chronology all wrong...

But I pulled out my box of old ESQ's, and both are right:
1) My original half-page description of "Soulful Old Man Sunshine" was in the December 1994 issue of ESQ.
2) My interview with Rick Henn where he describes the recording process for "Soulful Old Man Sunshine" was in the June 1997 issue, when Rick was promoting the Sunrays Box Set.  There are nine pages dedicated to that one song.  My description of the song from 1994 is repeated in the 1997 issue.

Chris is right; you should be able to buy both issues from our website.  If you have any problems email esqeditor@aol.com for more instructions.

Lee

[chris.metcalfe]

double post