The M.I.U. Album

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

My wife and I were listening to this the other day. We went through this thing where each night we'd listen to a BB album all the way through, and review each track together. Did that from SS all the way through SIP.

My feelings about it? Same as hers pretty much.  Exact quote:

Me:"What's so funny?"
Dana: " Well...sweetie...This album is pure crap, but it's GOOD crap, if that makes any sense".

Yeah, it did. File under- guilty pleasure.

You know what? This gives me an idea! We'll run through the albums again, and I'll put up comments on each song from both of us in the respective thread. Could be fun...

[busy doin nothin]

When it comes to grading Beach Boys albums, I'm like the easiest teacher you ever had in school.  I give them all at least an A -- from Surfin' Safari through Light Album (I've just ordered KTSA/'85 and I'm waiting for it to come in).  I give quite a few A-pluses too -- Pet Sounds (A++), Sunflower, Summer Days, Smiley Smile, Carl & the Passions, Surf's Up, All Summer Long, Surfer Girl, Love You.  M.I.U. is definitely an A in my book.


SHE'S GOT RHYTHM -- Just a fantastic track, very fun and catchy.  This should have been a single.  Not that it would have been a hit, but it's about 50 times better than all the Bee Gees' hits from that same period -- and Brian's falsetto, even in 1978, was so much better than Barry Gibb's.

COME GO WITH ME -- Al was starting his trend toward MOR shlock, but hadn't crossed the line yet.  This is a good cover, with solid Beach Boys harmonies.  Amazing historical note: my first Beach Boys purchase was the greatest hits comp "Made in USA" in 1987.  "Come Go with Me" and "Rock and Roll Music" are the ONLY Beach Boys songs from the Seventies included on that compilation.  No wonder I had no idea until many years later that they actually made incredible music in that decade.

HEY LITTLE TOMBOY -- Love the sleigh bells.  Extremely catchy, unique melody.  The lyrics are a little weird, but I take them as tongue in cheek.  Just a fun song.  Love Brian's low vocal on verse #2.  This is as good as the best stuff on Love You.

KONA COAST -- This may be the best Mike/Al piece of songwriting -- they had a great template to work from (Brian's "Hawaii").  The production is maybe a little soul-less, but how can you like the Beach Boys and not like this song?  I love the middle eight (the part Al sings).  Brian's falsetto sounds great.

PEGGY SUE -- Probably the weakest song on the album.  I'm not that big a fan of the original.  Certainly listenable, though.

WONTCHA COME OUT TONIGHT -- A sweet, mellow song.  It's great to hear Brian's voice sounding so good.

SWEET SUNDAY -- The album really takes off on side two.  This is an outstanding song.  Beautiful, Spector-esque.  Classic Brian songwriting in how the energy grows through the bridge and into the last verse.  Carl sounds very sweet on this one -- love his ad-libbing on the fade.

BELLES OF PARIS -- Classic Mike Love lyrics.  They're kind of silly but also clever.  The group's voices sound as good as they ever did.  An excellent piece of songwriting and production -- love the church bells.

PITTER PATTER -- Great, original song -- cool chord changes.  Love Mike and Al's harmonizing ("a rain-swept plain").  Pretty funky.  A good Jardine vocal -- I love the man's voice.

MY DIANE -- This is where the album heads into that very special territory only Brian Wilson has ever charted.  A beautiful, heart-wrenching song.  Chord changes and melody are a combination of very simple and traditional and totally off the wall.  Denny was the absolute right choice to sing this -- his voice is utterly authentic.  Love the sweet, sweet strings in the second verse.  Love the wah-wah guitar.  My favorite song to scream along with in the car. 

MATCH POINT OF OUR LOVE -- The lyrics are arguably silly, but they're also clever.  The melody is phenomenal, and Brian's voice is so sweet -- the best it ever sounded after Sunflower.  The bridge is another trip into Brian Wilson land -- "no one ever held me the way you did" -- so simple, so much hurt in it.  Love the drumming.  This is another one I scream along with in the car.

WINDS OF CHANGE -- This one is really growing on me.  It veers dangerously close to schlock territory but fortunately never quite gets there.

This album is a heavy dose of Brian and Al (certainly Al's biggest turn on any BB album).  I happen to love Jardine, and everyone here loves Brian, so why doesn't M.I.U. get more respect?  If you listen without prejudice, I think you'll really enjoy M.I.U.  And if you don't, then why bother being a Beach Boys fanatic?

[Jason Penick]

This album is a heavy dose of Brian and Al (certainly Al's biggest turn on any BB album).  I happen to love Jardine, and everyone here loves Brian, so why doesn't M.I.U. get more respect?  If you listen without prejudice, I think you'll really enjoy M.I.U.  And if you don't, then why bother being a Beach Boys fanatic?

Right freakin' on!  Let the rock critics bash this record.  They hate it because they've been told to hate it.  The notion that MIU sucks is a myth that is self-perpetuating.  Hell, most people who hate it probably never gave it more than a cursory listen, and simply thought that because it isn't ambitious like Surf's Up or Holland that it wasn't "serious music" and therefore deserved to be mocked.  Completely overlooked is the fact that this is some serious ear candy... Nothing groundbreaking; but the vocals are amazing, the arrangements are righteous and there are parts of the record that are just absolutely gorgeous.

[I. Spaceman]

No, I'm a big BB fanatic, listened to the album many, many times. Still hate it.

[Jason Penick]

Yes but you are in the minority, Ian.


I feel the same way about KTSA, for what it's worth.

[Compost]

Mostly merda.  2.

Mostly merda.  2.
This is very nearly an album's worth of 'Sumahama'.  I would sooner staple my nut-sack to the wall than listen to this album in its entirety.

[I. Spaceman]

Yes but you are in the minority, Ian.


I feel the same way about KTSA, for what it's worth.

I agree!

[Jason Penick]

I agree!

Your avatar rules.

[busy doin nothin]

Hey Little Tomboy - . . . . It's just such a pure Brian Wilson moment.  Killer melody, great harmonies, creepy and sinister come-ons from the guys to an unnamed, underage hottie.  fodaing brilliant.  People would worship this song if it had come out on Love You instead of MIU.
 

Bells of Paris - Another re-write of an abandoned Christmas track ("Bells of Christmas") this one is actually quite beautiful, featuring great harmonies and a suitably understated lead from Mike.  Nice/ inoffensive.


My Diane - Easily the highlight of the album.  This is actually a "New Album" outtake, featuring Dennis for the only time on this record.  In my "Surf's Up" review, I called "Til I Die" the last masterpiece Brian Wilson ever wrote, but upon hearing "My Diane" again, I will have to relinquish my previous claim and award that title to this song instead.  CONTROVERSIAL OPINION AHEAD:  I like this song better than anything on Love You.

Match Point of Our Love -  Say what you will about the lyrics and their stupid tennis metaphors, this song kicks all kinds of ass.  Reasons to like "Match Point": best Brian Wilson lead vocal, post-'71; great chord changes; amazing bridge section where Brian lays it all out on the line-- "No one ever held me the way you did/ No one could ever love me the way you did./ How could love slip away from me?"-- Is he singing to Marilyn or Diane here?  Either way, JESUS!  That's powerful stuff, and something that gets overlooked by nearly everyone who hears this song.

Winds of Change - Another song that gets hated on that I don't have much of a problem with.  Actually I think this is lovely.  Corny, sure, but nice... just like the album in hails from.  Like many other songs on this record, the highlight is the vocals on the fade; "won't last forever..."  It certainly wouldn't, but this moment encapsulates everything great about America's band.

Jason -- I just wanted to say this is a fantastic review.  I really like what you said here -- especially about "My Diane" and the bridge to "Match Point."  You are absolutely on target.  Cheers, man.

[Jason Penick]

Thanks, brother.  It's nice to see there's other fans of MIU out there.  Maybe we should start a support group or something? 

[punkinhead]

i'd support that, uuhhh, support group...
i was actually just talkin about MIU with a friend today...i was describing how everyone loves the beach boys fun in the sun stuff...but not late 70s stuff like tennis matches & tomboys....though I love this album! i even thought about purchasing a whole case of 8tracks for 15 dollars just for the one copy of MIU on 8track.

[busy doin nothin]

Thanks, brother.  It's nice to see there's other fans of MIU out there.  Maybe we should start a support group or something? 

Definitely count me in the "support group" too.

I just listened to MIU again today.  It's a great album from start to finish.  But the one-two knockout punch of "My Diane" and "Matchpoint" is nearly unparalleled on any BB album.  I'd put it right up there with other incredible back-to-back tracks like "California Girls" and "Let Him Run Wild," "Slip on Through" and "This Whole World," "Let's Put Our Hearts Together" and "I Wanna Pick You Up."

[busy doin nothin]

Forgot to add "When Girls Get Together" and "Santa Ana Winds" as another phenomenal one-two Beach Boys punch!

[Jason Penick]

Have you heard the original version of "Santa Ana Winds"?  Slays the released one, IMO.

[busy doin nothin]

Have you heard the original version of "Santa Ana Winds"?  Slays the released one, IMO.

No, I haven't heard the unreleased version.  I have read several folks on this board say that it's better than the KTSA version.  If so, the unreleased version must be pretty incredible! 

I'm very unknowledgeable about Beach Boys bootlegs -- the only one I have is "Pacific Ocean Blue," which I stumbled across online two years ago.  Thank God, because I really love that album (although one track is missing on my version -- "You and I").

A lot of folks on this board seem to prefer earlier versions over released versions of various songs.  The only cases where I am knowledgeable enough to make that claim is on "Time to Get Alone" -- I really like the Hawthorne, CA version better than the one on 20/20 -- and "Breakaway" -- I also prefer the Hawthorne version.   But it seems to be a common thread among Beach Boys fans.

[Aegir]

The unreleased versions are usually less polished.. they have more realness, you know?

And POB isn't a bootleg, it's just out-of-print.

[busy doin nothin]

By the way, I have subsequently heard the early, unreleased version of Santa Ana Winds.  While it is undeniably rougher and harder-rocking, I don't agree that it is better.  I think the gentler, more polished released version fits the country-folk nature of the song better.

[Jason]

A lot of folks on this board seem to prefer earlier versions over released versions of various songs.  The only cases where I am knowledgeable enough to make that claim is on "Time to Get Alone" -- I really like the Hawthorne, CA version better than the one on 20/20 -- and "Breakaway" -- I also prefer the Hawthorne version.   But it seems to be a common thread among Beach Boys fans.

Since when does Analogdemon post on two different names?

 

[Beach Boy]

one of my favourite beach boys albums

kona coast, come go with me, hey little tomboy, my diane, she's got rhythm etc. 

i like it 

[Lorenschwartz]

Thanks, brother.  It's nice to see there's other fans of MIU out there.  Maybe we should start a support group or something? 

Definitely count me in the "support group" too.

I just listened to MIU again today.  It's a great album from start to finish.  But the one-two knockout punch of "My Diane" and "Matchpoint" is nearly unparalleled on any BB album.  I'd put it right up there with other incredible back-to-back tracks like "California Girls" and "Let Him Run Wild," "Slip on Through" and "This Whole World," "Let's Put Our Hearts Together" and "I Wanna Pick You Up."

I'll up you one, dawg...my diane match point & winds of change!!!!
             lkike the nigt was so..ill bet hes nice..lets put our hearts,...
             a day in the life...til i die...surfs up.

[JimC1702]

I just added this CD to my collection yeterday (the two-fer with L.A).  I wasn't expecting much the way it has been generally panned.  I threw it in the tray of my computer while I was surfing last night and was very pleasantly surprised.   I liked it! 

I'm looking forward to giving it a more critical listen through headphones soon.

[punkinhead]

yey, we won another one over

[matt-zeus]

I've alwya loved MIU, its ace, I heard it after LA and KTSA which I really don't like, and was expecting more of the same. IMO it is the last great BB album, its got a lot of Brian on there and avoids Bruce Johnstons horrendous production like on LA and KTSA which ironed out all of the idiosyncracies of the BB that I love.

[Steve Mayo]

i kinda liked the lp when it first came out. i think al pulled off a good production job no one else did in the late 70's. he does have brian singing much better than the previous 2 lps, even the high parts that were missing before. i cringh at some of the lyrics but then i always did at most of mike's 70's words when he was trying to write like it was ten years previous. i even like peggy sue, at least the bass rocked more than a lost of the previous bass lines in a lot of the 70 lp's. but i can NOT stand pitter patter, big piece of sh*t to me back then and now still. but to each their own. i am not out to convert anyone but i kinda like the lp, and a lot more than the 15 big ones sh*t. even like the alternate winds of change. i even remembering it being reviewed under 3 titles, cal. feeling, then winds of change then miu. one even called it the best of the brian redux era for his vocals. i agree but others are free to cast stones at it.

[Jason Penick]

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