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Author Topic: TLOS on vinyl  (Read 24045 times)
MBE
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« Reply #50 on: August 21, 2008, 01:23:58 AM »

Here is a review I wrote for amazon.com. It's more general then anything I would write here, but my thoughts are pretty much there. I gave it four out of five stars. One thing I should mention that I didn't in the review is that Brian really articulates his vocals quite well. He seems into the recording process alert.

First off I a big LP fan so I must comment my joy on this being released on this format first. The gatefold cover is wonderful, the special label very in tune with the rest of the artwork. The pressing is fairly quiet and the sound just jumps out at you.

Brian's production is spot on which it has been ever since he started using acoustic instruments again. The songs are well writen, better then most of his solo albums, but outside of "Midnights Another Day" cannot be directly compared to his work of 1961-72. Overall the LP is kind of theatrical, a modern rock oprea. I can honestly see this being done as a play, though like the reworkings of the Who's "Tommy" a lot of the guts would probably be lost. The spoken narrative doesn't seem needed as the songs flow nicely. Brian's voice can never recapture the beauty it had when he was in his twenties, but he seems to be able to use it's reduced range with skill now. Brian's had a great solo band since he begain to tour as a solo act and it's nice to hear him do new material with them. Scott Bennett's work holds up well against the work supplied by long time Wilson co-author Van Dyke Parks. All and all Lucky Old Sun will strongly appeal to those who enjoy Brian's work, but it remains to be seen whether it can win him new fans. With today's market more open to classic acts I think he's got a shot.
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Wirestone
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« Reply #51 on: August 21, 2008, 07:59:37 AM »

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Why bring in that instrument suddenly? Does Brian play that too?

Of course. Along with the violin, cello and double bass. How else could he have string sections? He overdubs himself!
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« Reply #52 on: August 21, 2008, 09:27:17 AM »

So the question is why is it a big deal to some people if BW does not come up with every single note in a production himself? Nobody else is held to that kind of standard, IMHO.

I do all my stuff!  I'm a composer, arranger, one-man-band, producer, and mastering engineer!   

It probably sux--and nobody would buy it, but I do it all!  LOL
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« Reply #53 on: August 21, 2008, 11:05:33 AM »

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Because they've bought and fallen in love with the idea of this crazy genius who could and did do it all, a one-man-band and production team. You know, the Boys go out on tour while Brian would write, arrange, engineer, perform, produce and mix records for them. It wasn't ever true, obviously. But it's a really enticing story. And once people are in and start realizing that he's just a really great pop musician (as opposed to a god or at least superhero), they get pissy.

Luther: This is an excellent point. The Peter Ames Carlin biography is great in the respect that you come to the understanding that Brian is in many essentials the same guy today as he was in the 50s, 60s, 70s ... People have a lot invested in their understanding or conception of the Brian of any particular era. But he's always required other high-caliber creative people around him, and he's always been a somewhat frustrating guy. Why couldn't he keep making hits? Why did he retreat to his room? Why did he fall under Landy's "spell"? Why were his vocals so oddly phrased? Why did he allow Melinda in? Why has he recorded 50 versions of "Proud Mary"?

These are not separate questions. These are all the same question -- "why isn't Brian doing what we want him to do?" And Brian has often stubbornly done -- or refused to do -- what folks think is best. Sometimes it's to his detriment, sometimes to his benefit.

I don't think any of this detracts from his incredible range of abilities -- for I think Brian combines talents as producer, arranger, player, songwriter and vocalist in a way that is seldom seen in pop (which lends itself to overstatement as a result. Brilliant? Yes. Music incarnate? Um ... Probably not.) His work in the 60s was without a doubt touched by genius. But he has never worked in a vacuum. And he has never claimed to. Yes, he clearly needs more help these days to create songs and recordings. But he has been canny in the last 20 years to choose to work with largely sympathetic collaborators (yes, even Joe Thomas to an extent) who have helped his music stay largely how I think he wants it to sound.
« Last Edit: August 21, 2008, 11:11:18 AM by claymcc » Logged
Dancing Bear
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« Reply #54 on: August 21, 2008, 01:46:36 PM »

I just listened to a needledrop rip.

Midnight's Another Day is a very good song. Live Let Live, Going Home and Southern California are ok.
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« Reply #55 on: August 21, 2008, 02:40:01 PM »

Got it yesterday. Pretty ambitious for Brian these days, and I'm happy it came out.

The bad points for me -- some of the nostalgic lyrics sound hokey, albeit less so than, say, MIU or one of Mike Love's hokey throwback lyrics. Actually, I'm wrong. These throwback lyrics are a lot more nuanced and introspective than a Mike Love one. The interlude poetry readings sound uninspired as read by Wilson. I love Van Dyke's voice now, and think it would have sounded so much better if he'd read them himself. The mix -- Brian's voice is mixed too prominently in some parts, the drums are way to friggin' loud and the bass sounds almost non-existent in the mix. As for the songs themselves... all nice, but mostly forgettable melodies. Outside of "Lucky Old Sun" (which is a classic composition), "Can't Wait Too Long," "Live Let Live" and "Midnight's Another Day," a lot of these songs are just pleasant, but forgettable. I also wish some of the other members of the band would get to sing some lead parts. Scott sounded great in the few isolated lead parts that he sang. Why does Brian have to sing all the leads?

The good, for me, is that the whole thing is actually listenable, unlike Imagination or GIOMH. I put it on today, with a pillow and blanket on the floor, and the fan blowing on me, and didn't look at the lyrics or obsess over the packaging, and the whole thing washed over me. It is quite beautiful, taken as a whole, and even if Brian slurs the words a bit, or his voice isn't that great anymore... it sounds really cohesive and fresh. I also really like the gentleness of "Southern California." It's not the greatest melody in the world, and I can't remember the melody beyond the first few lines of the song, but it's still somehow tender and a great way to close Brian's most ambitious solo album yet. Not including the live stuff or the re-recordings with Don Was or Smile... I'd say That Lucky Old Sun ranks right after the 1988 solo album, and probably equal with Orange Crate Art, IMHO.
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« Reply #56 on: August 21, 2008, 03:23:02 PM »

I find the songs quite strong, really. Surprisingly strong, and with little recycling. But different strokes, I 'spose. These are mostly not what I would consider big, pounding charismatic songs (Goin' Home magnificently excepted). They are somewhat gentler in tone and character.
« Last Edit: August 21, 2008, 04:09:21 PM by claymcc » Logged
brianc
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« Reply #57 on: August 21, 2008, 04:12:12 PM »

What happen to your longer post, Clay? It was really good.

I only say that, if it weren't for me being a big Brian Wilson fan, I'm not sure how much I'd be into the album. That said, it's a good song-suite of his various styles, and I can't help but think that if people like Joanna Newsom or Michael Penn sang on the album, it'd be a completely different story. I think Scott and Brian's band have a lot to be proud of though. Sorry to keep doing the "if only"... "but it's good" thing. Sort of my weird way of weighing an album these days.
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MBE
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« Reply #58 on: August 21, 2008, 04:17:04 PM »

Hmm now brianc made me want to rank it. I will only do released solo work. LOS is easily the best collection of new(ish) songs Brian has presented solo. The vocals are expressive (if somewhat wild in places), the music has a nice flow, there isn't anything truly bad on it.

There are individual tracks on the 1988 album that are better, but the production and several weak cuts (Walkin The Line, Night Time), make it less of a whole.

Of the collections of old songs live and/or studio only Smile is more essential.

I never liked Orange Crate Art much, but I do see a connection theme wise. I don't feel much of Brian on OCA and too much is clever for clever's sake. The music on LOS is also much more rock influenced and for me that isn't a bad thing.  

Imagination has the best sounding vocals, but worst production and few songs worth hearing twice.

GIOMH isn't as bad to me as some make it. The production is solid, and I don't think the singing is as bad as his early ninties or Love You era work. What's wrong with it is (using the 2 LP version) that there is one side of good stuff, two side of average stuff, and a side of pure fluff.
The Xmas is fun, well produced etc, but limted by it's subject matter and amount of covers.

So all in all I think LOS is Brian's best release outside of Smile. Yes it's very theatrical and sometimes corny, but the songs and performances are there.
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« Reply #59 on: August 21, 2008, 04:17:42 PM »

if people like Joanna Newsom or Michael Penn sang on the album, it'd be a completely different story.
That's kind of an odd statement, first in that I wonder why you chose those two people, and second, in that I wonder how you mean? I think certainly this album would be out of place coming out as it is without an old-timer's name on it. The nostalgia struck me right away (and I'm sure you can dig up the posts if you want) as a little much--and a little creepy in fact--and I still feel that way. So of course someone who's in her 20s, like Newsom, couldn't be a part of it. (Never mind that her music sounds nothing like this.) But Penn ... if the words weren't so blatantly "look, I'm Brian, I used to be sick but I'm ok here in CA," it could be from that kind of artist. I think the biggest problem with this album for me--and for me means we're talking about my problems, not necessarily anyone else's or even the album's--is that it was an attempt to make pop songs into a serious piece of "art with a capital A." Pop is already high art: if you make pop songs, make pop songs. There was no reason to link it all together, even though it works in places pretty well. Regardless, my opinion is that it's the best non-Smile BW solo album. And that means it's the best Brian Wilson album of (generally) original material. I'm still absorbing it and will continue to, and I have no doubt my specific opinions will shift over time. But I'm very impressed with the band's work.
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« Reply #60 on: August 21, 2008, 04:26:02 PM »

We know the references, but they could be about any man's journey. Michael Penn is in his forties. I chose him, because he's one of a handful of L.A. pop artists that sort of carries a cryptic pop lyric. Newsom too. Her slice-of-life lyrics aren't all that different from Brian's "Love You"-type lyrics. Childish yet insightful, and slightly tragic. I didn't have any specific piece in mind, jsut a notion of those kinds of artists that are pop, folk and psychedelic, while at the same time being distinctly sub-culture, and not necessarily mainstream. Then again, Brian has some unique singers in his band that could have carried some of these lyrics themselves. Darian and Nick would be the only ones I'd immediately qualify as being part of sub-culture, but the others seem to be developing more. Maybe I'm wrong there.
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« Reply #61 on: August 21, 2008, 04:30:43 PM »

Honestly, I am still a little curious as to your point, as to if it were someone else singing, would that be a good thing or a bad thing to you? Are you saying that the music isn't strong enough that if it were coming from a non-legend, we'd dismiss it? Or that you'd prefer it to come from someone else? (I may well be dense at the moment, if not always. I certainly am drunk at the moment, if not always.)
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« Reply #62 on: August 21, 2008, 04:45:55 PM »

Any comments on the actual sound quality of the vinyl?  How's the pressing?
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« Reply #63 on: August 21, 2008, 05:35:12 PM »

Luther,

I think the songs might have had more variety, and more legs, if in the hands of singers that have a little more vibrancy, at the moment. So I think it would make it better. But again, it's an ambitious project that I'm sort of digging around for mentally, why it didn't fully jibe for me. But it might just be my taste, or that I'm too cynical.

The sound quality is warm, as always. My speakers are really solid, so listening to vinyl or CDs on them are perfectly fine. I can't pick up anything that would make me feel like I was in the room, like I do with my 45 of "Penetration" by the Pyramids. But it's a good sounding vinyl slab.
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« Reply #64 on: August 21, 2008, 06:20:51 PM »

I have been listening on two turntables (no microphone ;-) - a vintage Technics hooked up to my bedroom commercial stereo, and an ION USB hooked up to my recording studio monitors. In both cases, the pressing sounds excellent - it would have been nice for it to come on 2 disc virgin vinyl as was rumored, but for a 1 disc 180 gram release, it doesn't get much better than this - even on my cheaper turntable, it sounds gorgeous, low-noise, low-pops and clicks.

Also, the mastering is much better than the CD is likely to be - usually the CD releases are compressed to hell in the mastering process, although SMiLe had decent CD mastering... the SMiLe 180 gram vinyl sounds better to me...

Only thing better would be DVD-Audio high-res 5.1 versions! Too bad the labels don't put those out anymore (excepting certain artists who are 5.1 fanatics, like REM)

As far as the singer's proficiency - sure, it's Brian with his latter-day voice, but it sounds like he has REALLY grown into it. I had the demos and was not expecting a miracle from release, but surprise surprise - he seems newly comfortable, and he delivers an incredibly rocking vocal for "Going Home," growling all the way. EXCELLENT.

It's funny that you guys bring up the issue of whether this would be as good with an 'unknown' singer - Scott Bennett clearly has a 'better' (less weathered, more range) voice than Brian - but his demo of "Southern California" just doesn't have the verve and feel that this version does. I still love the vocals he contributes, and it's great that he was so instrumental in making this album - I agree with the earlier post comparing this to "Love You" with fewer synths and a more SMiLe-esque production.

The mix is MUCH better than anything BW has done in his solo career, and even better (to me) than SMiLe, which did have a great mix as well. It sounds very clear and three-dimensional, but warm and timeless. Thank Jeebus it doesn't have the quasi-mono GIOMH sound.

Brian's best Solo release, for my money. Can't stop listening - and it destroys the demos in arrangements, instrumentation, vocals, and.... just about every way. I LOVE BW's vocals!
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« Reply #65 on: August 21, 2008, 06:25:54 PM »

BrianC: I actually edited down my longer post because I worried it was too defensive, and I don't want to say other people have to feel the way I do, or that they're wrong if they don't. Particularly on a subject as subjective as "catchiness." After all, a song can be "catchy" in many ways -- I can remember a lot of Bob Dylan songs, but not many of them have distinctive melodies. It's the lyrics, delivery, arrangement, riffs, etc., that make them stick in your head.

But since you asked -- I just listed out the songs and what about them appealed to me melodically, hook-wise and otherwise. I like a lot of what is going on. In some cases, the songs are quite dense with hooks -- there is stuff going on in the melody, arrangement and playing all at the same time.

Morning Beat -- A strong, funky riff underlies the song, and a pictorial bridge catches the ear.

Good Kind of Love -- An old fashioned pop tune, with two choruses for the price of one.

Forever My Surfer Girl --Intriguing harmonic twists and turns, all in a surprisingly sophisticated song. A touch of Bacharach here.

Live Let Live -- Nothing else need be said. Yes, it's a cousin to Sail on Sailor, but that's a great song to be a cousin to. The "heartbeat" chorus is one of my favorite modern Brian moments.

Mexican Girl -- Controversial among fans, but I like the spirit of the thing. It's something so dorky it could only come from BW. The chorus perhaps falls a bit flat, but the studio recording peps it up.

California Role -- A pastiche of sorts, but an appealing one. It also nicely incorporates the 'roll round heaven' refrain. An ironic song of sorts -- in 1967 "Good Virbrations" lost the record of the year Grammy to the old-timey "Winchester Cathedral." 40 years later, Brian finally gets around to having a megaphone lead vocal in one of his songs.

Oxygen to the Brain -- Aural crack. Perhaps the catchiest song on the record, and shamefully overlooked because of the familiar subject matter. Several pure Brian moments here.

Midnight's Another Day -- The most noted song on the album, and certainly the most dramatic. The performance, lyrics and arrangement are nearly perfect. The melody itself isn't catchy per se, but the melody isn't the point.  It's all about the buildup and release of emotional tension. I ultimately wonder if it's overpraised. Not because it's bad -- it's excellent -- but because all the kudos can obscure other strong songs here.

Goin' Home -- The return of the indelible Shortnin' Bread riff. Again, a song with two choruses -- the second being the most frequently quoted of the album.

Southern California -- First you had Love and Mercy. Then you had Your Imagination. Now we have this tune. All related, but the addition of the bridge has made me a believer.
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Ron
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« Reply #66 on: August 21, 2008, 06:26:51 PM »

All the songs are about a nostalgia trip in california.  If you throw away Brian's 66 year old voice, you throw away the nostalgia.  He might not win any new fans, but I'm tickled pink about the way he sounds on this.  
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« Reply #67 on: August 21, 2008, 07:08:56 PM »

Hmm now brianc made me want to rank it. I will only do released solo work. LOS is easily the best collection of new(ish) songs Brian has presented solo.

Not to single out your posting, more sort of a general comment... but it does amaze me somehow how fans can make "easily the best album of new stuff from Brian in thirty years" sound like faint praise.  :-)

Cheers,
Jon Blum
(Forty years if you don't rate Love You...)
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« Reply #68 on: August 21, 2008, 10:21:05 PM »

Thanks for reposting your comments claymcc. I found them interesting and very much like my own feelings for this disc. I will be writing a full review for my website (it is a university sports site, but I occasionally write music reviews for it), and once it is written I will post a link in case anyone is interested.

Honestly, I love this album. Can't get enough of it.
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MBE
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« Reply #69 on: August 22, 2008, 03:12:48 AM »

Hmm now brianc made me want to rank it. I will only do released solo work. LOS is easily the best collection of new(ish) songs Brian has presented solo.

Not to single out your posting, more sort of a general comment... but it does amaze me somehow how fans can make "easily the best album of new stuff from Brian in thirty years" sound like faint praise.  :-)

Cheers,
Jon Blum
(Forty years if you don't rate Love You...)

Well I make no bones about the fact that everything Brian did before 1975 is better to me. Mainly because of his voice, but it's also a bit more consistent. Still I think this is a great album by most standards, and do my best not to let the imposing shadow of his earlier stuff get in the way of me liking it. Funny that I mention consistency because this (outside of Smile) is the most consistent LP he has worked on since Holland. So actually my praise isn't faint, just slightly measured because he was beyond good to me at one time.
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« Reply #70 on: August 22, 2008, 12:36:56 PM »

I'm really not particularly keen on the run of songs that goes from Good Kind of Love through to California Role. Those all sound a bit bland to me and it's unfortunate that there all bunched together as it means the more I listen to this, the more I'll be inclined to skip this entire section. Outside of that, I think side 2 is fantastic. MAD and Going Home are vintage BW compositions to my ears, I really like Southern California and Oxygen To the Brain sounds like it could belong on Adult Child, which is no bad thing. Personally though I'd take BW88 over TLOS, for the quality of the songwriting, which ultimately is the most important thing for me. I agree, the unity of this and the arrangements are impressive though.
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MBE
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« Reply #71 on: August 22, 2008, 06:29:00 PM »

Side 2 is really different, the songs are longer and more ornate.   I like Side 1 though, it reminds me of Abbey Road.  Meaning that Brian took a quirky set of songs and with his production acumen was able to make it flow as a whole. 
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brianc
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« Reply #72 on: August 25, 2008, 11:14:49 AM »

Vocally, Brian sounds perfunctory, at best. Lyrically, it's pretty surface. I could have written better lyrics about L.A. in a second. I mean, I remember when my friend told me about the press-conference that BW did at the Capitol Tower... someone asked him why he wanted to do an album about Los Angeles, and he dribbled out a quickie, "I don't know." [Next question.]

I mean, jeeze. It's not slike some great evocation on Los Angeles or California. There's zero soul to these lyrics. If the melodies were mined from some past BW demos, that's cool. The arrangements sound good. The melodies are fine. But the whole thing sounds uninspired. It makes me pine for the Love You/Adult Child era.
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« Reply #73 on: August 25, 2008, 09:34:32 PM »

You seemed to like it a lot more the other day especally the vocals.
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« Reply #74 on: August 25, 2008, 10:09:03 PM »

Vocally, Brian sounds perfunctory, at best. Lyrically, it's pretty surface. I could have written better lyrics about L.A. in a second.

Okay... go.  *checks stopwatch*

I think, as happens so often in fan sites regardless of their subject, familiarity breeds contempt...  people get so used to the sort of material under discussion that the bar for acceptance gets raised unseemingly high.  As someone who hasn't immersed himself in the canon of Literature About LA to the extent it sounds like you have, I found the lyrics and readings nicely evocative.  Not revelatory, but then it doesn't need to be to be worthwhile...

Cheers,
Jon Blum
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