No Pier Pressure (board member reviews)

[RickD]

After a few listens its a great album.
Sail Away and Last Song are getting the replay treatment.

Something about The Last Song. Maybe its the context but it really hits home. much like Midnights Another Day did.

So much for the crappy duets album some people seemed to be wishing upon us. 
Thanks Brian.

[PaulTMA]

It's absolutely horrible.

[Micha]

Brian Wilson has enrichended my life incredibly with his gorgeous music crafted with the Beach Boys' voices. If I could keep just one person's musical output - including his work with the Beach Boys - it would be Brian's. So I do feel kind of ungrateful because I put NPP on the shelf after listening it through twice. I guess when the vinyl comes out I'll give it another try, but in the meantime I'll put Today! and Pet Sounds back on rotation.

NPP is musically and thematically much broader than TLOS, but it doesn't catch me the way TLOS does.

Further listening and I'm not going to compare NPP to Pet Sounds but what I will say is that no Beach Boys/Brian Wilson has, since Pet Sounds, been so complete in terms of quality song writing, performance and production that make the album a complete work and not just an ad hoc collection of songs.

It is interesting you feel that way, while NPP reminded me rather of 20/20 in its - what word to use? - "incongruity" sounds to negative for what I mean to say - "diversity" maybe? My sentiment is the opposite of yours, anyway, if I may respectfully say so.

The first half of NPP has in some way an 80s vibe to several tracks that makes me think of being taken from an alternate universe BB album between KTSA and BB85.  After the second listening through I put on "Crack Of Your Love" from BB85 for comparison and found that to be in a similar vibe of songwriting.

There's one song that I really like and made me rock my foot, that's "Guess You Had To Be There" which creates some of that kind of joy I take from Brian's early works. But from the whole album it's the only track I'd consider for use on a mix CD.

"On The Island" is nice to listen to too, and "I'm Feeling Sad" and "Saturday Night" sound very modern in a good way.

"Sail Away" made me miss Mike Love's voice, and "One Kind Of Love" made me miss Brian's old voice, it would be perfect for it. I wish those two were recorded before 1972.

"The Last Song" - you're going to hate me for this, but the Lalala part makes me cringe, especially the first one. I wish they had some instrument(s) play that melody. The other parts of the song are good, emotional in a "Midnight's Another Day" and "Summer's Gone" way but not quite reaching that level of greatness.

I don't remember anything about the other tracks that's worth saying. The saddest moment during my first listening was "In The Back Of My Mind", because as a song and with its overall sound it was so much more appealing to me than what I heard before. Brian seems to mock himself a bit too much in his performance though.

Weeeell - to end with a positive statement: While TLOS will stay closer to my heart than NPP, NPP is much better than GIOMH.

[Micha]

It's absolutely horrible.

You're joking probably or you have never listened to the first three or four tracks from SIP.

By the way, the German package of NPP includes a booklet sized flyer advertising the Love&Mercy film to open June 11. On the backside of the flyer 50 Big Ones, the Pet Sounds box and MiC are advertised.

[PaulTMA]

It's absolutely horrible.

You're joking probably or you have never listened to the first three or four tracks from SIP.

By the way, the German package of NPP includes a booklet sized flyer advertising the Love&Mercy film to open June 11. On the backside of the flyer 50 Big Ones, the Pet Sounds box and MiC are advertised.

I'm not joking.  Why having listened to SIP make any difference to the quality of this 2015 album?  I've gotten used to learning to listen past horrible production with Beach Boys-related stuff, but this is too much.  It doesn't help that the songs aren't very good either.  Joe Thomas is easily the worst person to ever be involved with Brian Wilson.

[EgoHanger1966]

Joe Thomas is easily the worst person to ever be involved with Brian Wilson.

Really? Really?

[phirnis]

...
"The Last Song" - you're going to hate me for this, but the Lalala part makes me cringe, especially the first one. I wish they had some instrument(s) play that melody. The other parts of the song are good, emotional in a "Midnight's Another Day" and "Summer's Gone" way but not quite reaching that level of greatness.
...

As a fellow German, did the "la la la" part remind you of Deutscher Schlager music? Because that's what came to my mind the first time I heard it. Would be interesting to hear if you felt similar about it or if it's something entirely different that made you cringe.

[Mike's Beard]

What I've heard so far is a mixed bag but it's good to hear Brian trying some different styles all the same, if I had to hear clippity clop percussion or bass harmonica again i think I would scream.

[rab2591]

Further listening and I'm not going to compare NPP to Pet Sounds but what I will say is that no Beach Boys/Brian Wilson has, since Pet Sounds, been so complete in terms of quality song writing, performance and production that make the album a complete work and not just an ad hoc collection of songs.

It is interesting you feel that way, while NPP reminded me rather of 20/20 in its - what word to use? - "incongruity" sounds to negative for what I mean to say - "diversity" maybe? My sentiment is the opposite of yours, anyway, if I may respectfully say so.

There is indeed a lot of diversity on No Pier Pressure, but one thing that separates it from being anything like 20/20 is that all the material sounds cohesive together. 20/20 was a jumbled mess: different material written/recorded by different people at different times and it sure does sound like it.

Pet Sounds has exotica, huge Spector influence, lush string arrangements, harmonica, banjo, accordion, etc - all these elements shouldn't work together but they do. Similarly, NPP has a lot of these same elements but because they were recorded by the same people, written and produced by the same man, it all works well together and flows in a cohesive manner (even Runaway Dancer and Last Song carry a similar vibe, in terms of atmospheric/studio feel).

[seltaeb1012002]

I was really pumped about this album. Then I saw that Yahoo! interview where Brian revealed the true nature of his & Joe Thomas' collaboration: Joe comes up with the chord changes, some of the melodies, and most of the lyrics. Unfortunately, that knowledge really tainted my listening experience. I knew Joe had input on the songs, but I was under the impression that it was more of a 50/50 collab as opposed to this. That said...

This Beautiful Day -

Brian hitting us with some falsetto right out of the gate. Awesome. Melody lifted from "Summers Gone" played on the cello. Intentional, or just a melody Joe likes?

Runaway Dancer -

Not bad. Feel like the production could've been fleshed out more. But still kinda cool. If we're putting it up against "Night Time" as the dance track of the record, this is clearly the winner.

Whatever Happened -

This is really good. Brian sounds great, although we've got some heavy vocal tunage going on. He is doubled by someone (who isn't Al) on the verses. I get the feeling that this is an Imagination outtake. Joe really likes claves.

On The Island -

Really nice. I like the tropical percussion and guitar sound and love Zooey's vocal. The "Busy Doin' Nothin'" drums hit harder. And that was recorded in '68. Heavy and sloppy vocal tuning - including a badly tuned note on "Thinking of YOU" towards the end.

Half Moon Bay -

Very, very nice. No complaints here. They didn't autotune the trumpet.  

Our Special Love -

I like it. Peter did a great job.

The Right Time -

One of my favorites. The blend on the chorus is the best vocal blend on the album. I'm sure this is pulled from the Imagination era. Or it's just Joe's style.

Guess You Had To Be There -

Best track on the album. Just feels good, and aside from a sloppy edit on "everyone's PROBLEMS" in the 2nd chorus, the vocal editing isn't distracting on this one.

Tell Me Why -

Intro reminds me of the intro of "Dream Angel". Very Imagination. Big ol' 80s snare in the pre chorus. And fake brass in the chorus. Al sounds great. Joe still likes claves.

Sail Away -

Top 3 on the album. This could've made TWGMTR a stronger album. I dig it.

One Kind Of Love -

I like the lyrics. And awesome that a bluesy 7 chord finally pops up. Great string arrangement. The chorus is catchy.

Saturday Night -

Great song. The live version that was up on Youtube briefly was better imo. The organ at the end drives me nuts.

Last Song -

Very nice closer. How can you not love this? However I do hate the shakers, the drum sound, and did I mention Joe likes claves?


Overall I'm feeling kinda meh about this album. Hoping my opinion will change with more listens. I am excited to hear the full "Somewhere Quiet" - judging by the iTunes preview, it could be my favorite on the album. (And of course the ITBOMM demo.)

[phirnis]

I was really pumped about this album. Then I saw that Yahoo! interview where Brian revealed the true nature of his & Joe Thomas' collaboration: Joe comes up with the chord changes, some of the melodies, and most of the lyrics. Unfortunately, that knowledge really tainted my listening experience.
...

I must've missed out on that interview, is it still online? Didn't find it through Google.

[rab2591]

I was really pumped about this album. Then I saw that Yahoo! interview where Brian revealed the true nature of his & Joe Thomas' collaboration: Joe comes up with the chord changes, some of the melodies, and most of the lyrics. Unfortunately, that knowledge really tainted my listening experience.
...

I must've missed out on that interview, is it still online? Didn't find it through Google.

https://www.yahoo.com/music/brian-wilsons-impeccable-re-return-i-take-a-lot-115224663666.html

[Nicko1234]

One interesting thing about this album seems to be the differing reactions to Sail Away. Many fans seem to love it but it is being singled out by lots of the reviewers as one of the worst songs on the album. I`m not sure if the reviews on Virginmedia and Presstoplay have been linked to here but they continue that trend. Maybe it`s because those reviewers aren`t so interested in Blondie and Al working with Brian that they have such different views?

[Wirestone]

I was really pumped about this album. Then I saw that Yahoo! interview where Brian revealed the true nature of his & Joe Thomas' collaboration: Joe comes up with the chord changes, some of the melodies, and most of the lyrics. Unfortunately, that knowledge really tainted my listening experience.
...

I must've missed out on that interview, is it still online? Didn't find it through Google.

No. That is not what Brian said.

That is false. The Yahoo interview doesn't touch on authorship at all.

In the Wall Street Journal, not Yahoo, Brian said that Joe writes SOME of the chord changes (this was documented in TWGMTR, too, so it's not actually news), that he (Brian) writes the melodies, and they both write the lyrics.

EDIT: I didn't realize the Yahoo piece had a video component. I was referring to the article alone.

[rab2591]

I was really pumped about this album. Then I saw that Yahoo! interview where Brian revealed the true nature of his & Joe Thomas' collaboration: Joe comes up with the chord changes, some of the melodies, and most of the lyrics. Unfortunately, that knowledge really tainted my listening experience.
...

I must've missed out on that interview, is it still online? Didn't find it through Google.

No. That is not what Brian said.

That is false.

In the Wall Street Journal, not Yahoo, Brian said that Joe writes SOME of the chord changes (this was documented in TWGMTR, too, so it's not actually news), that he (Brian) writes the melodies, and they both write the lyrics.

The Yahoo! link I provided above - in the video at the top:

Brian: "Joe? He brings interesting chord patterns and lyrics, and, uh, some melodies. I wrote most of the melodies but he wrote the chord patterns and a lot of the lyrics."

[RickD]

. Maybe it`s because those reviewers aren`t so interested in Blondie and Al working with Brian that they have such different views?

Yeah. Thats it. It really is a crap song, i just like it because Blondie and Al are on it! The reviewers got it right again. I mean its just a mash up of Sloop and Sail On Sailor.  I read that incisive review too. I wonder if he listened to it.

[Wirestone]

http://www.wsj.com/articles/new-tunes-from-beach-boy-brian-wilson-1427819627

“Joe wrote some of the chord patterns and I did the melodies,” said Mr. Wilson. “We both wrote the lyrics. We’re on the same frequency.”

In other words, the same way that most people have collaborated with Brian since the start of his solo career.

[phirnis]

I was really pumped about this album. Then I saw that Yahoo! interview where Brian revealed the true nature of his & Joe Thomas' collaboration: Joe comes up with the chord changes, some of the melodies, and most of the lyrics. Unfortunately, that knowledge really tainted my listening experience.
...

I must've missed out on that interview, is it still online? Didn't find it through Google.

https://www.yahoo.com/music/brian-wilsons-impeccable-re-return-i-take-a-lot-115224663666.html

Thank you!

[seltaeb1012002]

I was really pumped about this album. Then I saw that Yahoo! interview where Brian revealed the true nature of his & Joe Thomas' collaboration: Joe comes up with the chord changes, some of the melodies, and most of the lyrics. Unfortunately, that knowledge really tainted my listening experience.
...

I must've missed out on that interview, is it still online? Didn't find it through Google.

No. That is not what Brian said.

That is false.

In the Wall Street Journal, not Yahoo, Brian said that Joe writes SOME of the chord changes (this was documented in TWGMTR, too, so it's not actually news), that he (Brian) writes the melodies, and they both write the lyrics.

I haven't seen the Wall Street Journal interview, but I'll take your word for it. I watched the Yahoo! interview right before I listened to the album, just re-watched it, and that is absolutely what he said. Did you watch it?

It is what it is, it's not the worst thing in the world. Just kinda wish I hadn't watched it right before listening to the album! Who knows, Brian could be giving more credit to Joe than he deserves.

And lastly, I apologize if I put out bad vibes. Anyone who's seen me post, or has heard my fan mixes knows that I love Brian & The Beach Boys to death. The album is not bad. Just hearing that rubbed me the wrong way. Bad timing I suppose.

[puni puni]

isn't it interesting that Brian's best vocals occur when Joe is co-producing. 

It's a thousand times more interesting that the only track that has no identifiable ottotune, 'One Kind of Love', is the only song without a Joe Thomas credit.

[Shady]

This Beautiful Day

Brian continues his run of having the best opening songs in music 5/5

Runaway Dancer (feat. Sebu)

I dig it. Odd way to open an album but that's a good thing 4/5

What Ever Happened

Gives me chills. Brian sounds incredible 5/5

On the Island

Allow me to light a cigarette and pour a drink while listening to this one. Zooey and Brian could make a very classy album together. Give that whistler a grammy. 4.5/5

Half Moon Bay

Not essential, not filler, a nice instrumental. 4/5

Our Special Love

I love this song, credit to Brian and Peter for amazing vocals. Original.  5/5

The Right Time

Thank god Al kept it clean because those pipes sound better than ever 5/5

Guess You Had to Be There

Kacey Musgraves, I love you 5/5

Don’t Worry

A lovely message and a monster of a chorus, need to hear this one live 5/5

Somewhere Quiet

One of the lesser songs on the album, could be a grower, who knows? Al sounds great 4/5

I’m Feeling Sad

Classic Brian Wilson, not much else to be said 5/5

Tell Me Why

Brian always has a song that makes me teary eyed. I love it 5/5

Sail Away

Something special having all these guys together on one track. Amazing harmonies. 5/5

One Kind of Love

Are we seriously getting songs this good from Brian in 2015, remarkable, incredible, fabulous. I could heap praise on this one all day.

Saturday Night

Great song. Easily a hit if it's actually given a chance, which it won't be. Awkward edit towards the end. 4.5/5

The Last Song

He's made me cry again. I can't do this song justice with a quick review, it's a special song that we all should cherish. 10/5

Overall

Brian's best solo album. 5/5. It has it's faults musically and lyrically but Brian is at his best on this record. I don't understand how he's making albums this good in 2015 but I am so grateful for it.

[rab2591]

I was really pumped about this album. Then I saw that Yahoo! interview where Brian revealed the true nature of his & Joe Thomas' collaboration: Joe comes up with the chord changes, some of the melodies, and most of the lyrics. Unfortunately, that knowledge really tainted my listening experience.
...

I must've missed out on that interview, is it still online? Didn't find it through Google.

No. That is not what Brian said.

That is false.

In the Wall Street Journal, not Yahoo, Brian said that Joe writes SOME of the chord changes (this was documented in TWGMTR, too, so it's not actually news), that he (Brian) writes the melodies, and they both write the lyrics.

Who knows, Brian could be giving more credit to Joe than he deserves.

I'd venture to bet that this was the case. He said at least one other conflicting thing in that interview that didn't make any sense to me. I guess this is just a case of Brian being Brian.

[Nicko1234]

isn't it interesting that Brian's best vocals occur when Joe is co-producing. 

It's a thousand times more interesting that the only track that has no identifiable ottotune, 'One Kind of Love', is the only song without a Joe Thomas credit.

That is interesting. Though I would say that while sounds in good voice on the rest of the album, `One Kind of Love` is his worst vocal imo.

[rab2591]

isn't it interesting that Brian's best vocals occur when Joe is co-producing. 

It's a thousand times more interesting that the only track that has no identifiable ottotune, 'One Kind of Love', is the only song without a Joe Thomas credit.

That is interesting. Though I would say that while sounds in good voice on the rest of the album, `One Kind of Love` is his worst vocal imo.

Wow. THAT opinion is interesting. He sounds as good on 'One Kind of Love' as he does on anything on Gershwin or Disney, and that line "calling out for you" - best vocal of his solo career, in my opinion.

[Debbie Keil-Leavitt]

I'm so glad I went back through the thread this morning, or I'd have missed Ontor's review.  I'm not kidding when I repeat that I wish Ontor would be hired as a major review writer.  Granted, he would have had to consider a general audience if he happened to be writing for RS, but they'd still have his wit, knowledge and perception. I'd start reading RS reviews and buying more music, if they were even slightly more like this.  But alas, I'll probably stick to the political articles and some artist profiles.  Thanks Ontor for somehow making me more interested in this record.  I didn't think it was possible to want to hear this even more.