Lesser albums by the BBs compared to lesser albums by their contemporaries

[Malc]

As for Chicago... when WAS their last really good release ?? Chicago XVIII ?? Sisyphus ??

YIKES! Well before that! I get off the Chicago train after Chicago 13, the Donnie Dacus era is a masterwork compared to the Cetera 80s power ballad schlock.

Agreed that Chicago XII (Hot Streets) was the last GREAT album, and Dacus's debut, and the follow up wasn't bad either - even with the pompous monstrosity of the title track (their equivalent of HCTN) - but after a few duffers I felt that XVIII and XVIIII - or should that be XIX - the latter being the first non-Cetera offering (now with Scheff) kinda got them back on track for awhile. Shame it didn't last. That said, the Stone of Sisyphus album had its moments too ?

[elnombre]

"Substandard Goop" is spelled with a *P*.

Pubstandard goop.

Is substandard goop anything like supernatural baloney?

And speaking of The Monkees, Mickey Dolenz is 70 today (Sunday). How about that.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

It's not fair to compare the Beatles because they were still in their prime when they broke up. If the Beach Boys broke up after 20/20 then they really didn't have any real embarrassing moments either. Even lesser early albums like Little Deuce Coup wasn't bad for 1963. Party was fun for what it was and seems more heart felt than 15 Big Ones.

[PaulTMA]

Can someone PLEASE tell me what the name of the Bee Gees' rap song is, purleeeeaze?

[joshferrell]

yes as far as the Doors, the two albums they did after he died (Other voices and full circle) were REALLY bad...Other voices sound like the Partridge Family, way too poppy and happy for them I can see Jim quitting the band if he had lived to hear these songs, Full circle is a little bit better but both weren't nothing to to die for...lol.. also Ray's voice wasn't very good,he sang like Bill Murry (the star wars lounge singer) from SNL, almost like Barry Manilow .. An American prayer was cool, for what it was though...

[Lee Marshall]

Even lesser early albums like Little Deuce Coup wasn't bad for 1963. Party was fun for what it was and seems more heart felt than 15 Big Ones.

Lesser albums?  Little Deuce Coupe was the Beach Boys' and Brian's FIRST GREAT ALBUM.  Lesser?  LDC kicks some serious ASS. It did it in 1963...and it still does. 

[RubberSoul13]

If the Beatles had stayed together as long as the Beach Boys, eventually they would have put out 1 or 2 plain awful albums. Thankfully, the former Fabs blessed us with such unlistenable solo works as George's Electronic Sound; John & Yoko's Two Virgins, Life with the Lions, and Wedding Album; Ringo the 4th; Paul's Off the Ground and ...well, that could quite a lengthy list. The cute Beatle keeps cranking them out, for better or for worse.

Off The Ground is a BEAUTIFUL piece of work.


Pipes of Peace and Press To Play are the stinkers in the McCartney catalog.

[Outtasight!]

I dunno. I can't think of many albums worse than SIP and KTSA. With most bands' worst albums, I tend to at least find something on them that is pretty good so I don't have to admit they're bad albums.  For fun though let's compare the BB's worst stuff to other bands' worst.
The Beach Boys: Summer in Paradise
The Beatles: Let It Be
The Who:  Numbers
The Doors: The Soft Parade
The Rolling Stones: Dirty Work
Pink Floyd: Ummagumma
Billy Joel: Streetlife Serenade

whoa, The Who by Numbers is a major album. Perhaps Townshend's best writing (along with Quadrophenia and Chinese Eyes). Seriously good album. The last great work by Moon to boot.

[Lonely Summer]

If the Beatles had stayed together as long as the Beach Boys, eventually they would have put out 1 or 2 plain awful albums. Thankfully, the former Fabs blessed us with such unlistenable solo works as George's Electronic Sound; John & Yoko's Two Virgins, Life with the Lions, and Wedding Album; Ringo the 4th; Paul's Off the Ground and ...well, that could quite a lengthy list. The cute Beatle keeps cranking them out, for better or for worse.

Off The Ground is a BEAUTIFUL piece of work.


Pipes of Peace and Press To Play are the stinkers in the McCartney catalog.

Off the Ground is just awful, maybe one or two decent songs - "Hope Of Deliverance" is nice; 'Press to Play" is another one i can't stand. Might be a couple of good tunes on there, but they're buried under all that 80's production. I don't know why "Pipes of Peace" gets knocked so much - maybe just because it was the followup to "Tug of War"? There's nothing as masterful on POP as "Take it Away", "Wanderlust", or "Somebody Who Cares", but i still find it a good listen. "The Other Me" and "Keep Under Cover" have nice tunes, even if the lyrics are a little dodgy.

[PaulTMA]

Can someone PLEASE tell me what the name of the Bee Gees' rap song is, purleeeeaze?

I'm starting to think this doesn't exist.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

Even lesser early albums like Little Deuce Coup wasn't bad for 1963. Party was fun for what it was and seems more heart felt than 15 Big Ones.

Lesser albums?  Little Deuce Coupe was the Beach Boys' and Brian's FIRST GREAT ALBUM.  Lesser?  LDC kicks some serious ASS. It did it in 1963...and it still does. 

I think it was their worst album up to that point. Probably not until Party was something even worst. But again, I think it was solid for the times. It has several rehashed songs. You mean to tell me, you don't think the Surfer Girl lp wasn't great? To me, that is excellent for 63!

[CenturyDeprived]

Can someone PLEASE tell me what the name of the Bee Gees' rap song is, purleeeeaze?

I'm starting to think this doesn't exist.

I know I didn't imagine it... but I can't seem to find it now during a cursory check on Spotify, and don't have the patience to sit through all of the songs on a few of their bad albums. One one of the Bee Gees albums between the late 80s and early 90s, there are songs which border on hip-hop beats/rap vocal styling (a la "Summer of Love"), and there's a bad lyrical homage to an old hit (I think it's "Staying Alive"). Give those "gems" a listen! Reminded me of the worst of The Boys!

[Lee Marshall]

I think it was their worst album up to that point. Probably not until Party was something even worst. But again, I think it was solid for the times. It has several rehashed songs. You mean to tell me, you don't think the Surfer Girl lp wasn't great? To me, that is excellent for 63!

Yes...I DO mean to tell you that Surfer Girl had been 'bested'  Let's see...Surfin Safari came out in late '62.  A kind of passable first effort.  I mean who knew?  What to do?  How to do it?  Who should do what?  I'd give it a 4.5 out of 10...but only because it was attempt one.  There was a ton of room for improvement.  It was also the very FIRST rock 'n' roll album I ever bought.

Surfin USA was a huge improvement.  Suddenly the group had its own 'sound'...and also delivered 'feels' for the first time.  It would have potentially been an even stronger album [it reached #2 on the charts] if Brian had kept 'Surf City' for the Beach Boys.  Too many filler instrumentals.  I'll give it a 6.5

Surfer Girl and Little Deuce Coupe were released jsut 3 weeks apart in mid September and early October '63.  Al had returned to play the live gigs so that Brian could concentrate on the recording process.  Surfer Girl was a step forward.  Only 2 instrumentals.  A couple of good songs a couple of GREAT songs plus 2 songs borrowed from the impending Little Deuce Coupe album...The title song...and Our Car Club.  Boogie Woodie might have been on loan as well.  Surfer Girl [as the title suggests] was to be a last homage to surfing.  I'll give it a 7 out of 10.  

Little Deuce Coupe was a CAR heavy outing.  Everything was about cars except BTTYS...which mentioned having a decal on the car to be seen by others while "cruisin' around the other parrts of the town...in?...a car.  Brian didn't have enough material for Surfer Girl...so he borrowed backwards by putting Little Deuce Coupe songs on Surfer Girl in order to get it 'finished and out'.  The double-sided 2-hit 'single' probably sould have been a double LP.  But THAT just wasn't done in 1963.  The former album has 'In My Room'... a landmark piece of pure brilliance.  After that?  The album released 3 weeks later kicks its ever-lovin' ASS.   I'll give LDC an 8.5.  An obvious progression.  A step forward in writing and arranging.  Thematic.  Powerful.  No real 'filler'.  The group's first outstanding album.  [and a better showcase of Brian's multiple musical talents]

The progressions would continue...

[Magic Transistor Radio]

I think it was their worst album up to that point. Probably not until Party was something even worst. But again, I think it was solid for the times. It has several rehashed songs. You mean to tell me, you don't think the Surfer Girl lp wasn't great? To me, that is excellent for 63!

Yes...I DO mean to tell you that Surfer Girl had been 'bested'  Let's see...Surfin Safari came out in late '62.  A kind of passable first effort.  I mean who knew?  What to do?  How to do it?  Who should do what?  I'd give it a 4.5 out of 10...but only because it was attempt one.  There was a ton of room for improvement.  It was also the very FIRST rock 'n' roll album I ever bought.

Surfin USA was a huge improvement.  Suddenly the group had its own 'sound'...and also delivered 'feels' for the first time.  It would have potentially been an even stronger album [it reached #2 on the charts] if Brian had kept 'Surf City' for the Beach Boys.  Too many filler instrumentals.  I'll give it a 6.5

Surfer Girl and Little Deuce Coupe were released jsut 3 weeks apart in mid September and early October '63.  Al had returned to play the live gigs so that Brian could concentrate on the recording process.  Surfer Girl was a step forward.  Only 2 instrumentals.  A couple of good songs a couple of GREAT songs plus 2 songs borrowed from the impending Little Deuce Coupe album...The title song...and Our Car Club.  Boogie Woodie might have been on loan as well.  Surfer Girl [as the title suggests] was to be a last homage to surfing.  I'll give it a 7 out of 10. 

Little Deuce Coupe was a CAR heavy outing.  Everything was about cars except BTTYS...which mentioned having a decal on the car to be seen by others while "cruisin' around the other parrts of the town...in?...a car.  Brian didn't have enough material for Surfer Girl...so he borrowed backwards by putting Little Deuce Coupe songs on Surfer Girl in order to get it 'finished and out'.  The double-sided 2-hit 'single' probably sould have been a double LP.  But THAT just wasn't done in 1963.  The former album has 'In My Room'... a landmark piece of pure brilliance.  After that?  The album released 3 weeks later kicks its ever-lovin' ASS.   I'll give LDC an 8.5.  An obvious progression.  A step forward in writing and arranging.  Thematic.  Powerful.  No real 'filler'.  The group's first outstanding album.  [and a better showcase of Brian's multiple musical talents]

The progressions would continue...

Well, I won't argue about personal taste.  In my opinion I think it seems week for the most part with a few exceptions.  If they saved some of the good ones for Shut Down 2 it would have been better I think. But that's just my opinion. No need to argue about it.