I Just Wasn't Made For These Times

[Charles LePage @ ComicList]

Discuss, review and rate I Just Wasn't Made For These Times, released August 1995.

[the captain]

Best available version of Melt Away, and some other good interpretations, too. I also like this Still I Dream Of It--far better than the finished version. I don't like the background vocals much, at least as compared to either the current band or the Beach Boys, but it's still pretty good.

[Compost]

3-ish. 

[Jason]

A very interesting album. Nothing special (except for that demo, wow), but fun to listen to.

[Don't Back Down]

I bought this for around eight bucks, and it's a good listen. I think this has to be my favorite rendition of "Wonderful", I don't know why I just like it the best. The backing vocals to me sound closest to the Beach Boys versions, but listening to Brian's new band more and more, it tops the backing vocals on this album but their vocals "better than the Beach Boys"? I'd say no.

[monkee knutz]

Charles... there's no barf avatar. I demand one immediately.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Worst vocals of Brian's career.

That is all.

[Matinee Idyll]

Damn, I think they're Bri's best vocals of his solo career, before or since...

I love the vibe of the record, really nice and laid back.  And the backing vocalists are fantastic, blend alot better with Bri's voice than his current band.

[Aegir]

I felt with this, and the documentary that accompanied it, it seemed as if part of Brian's mouth was numb. Imagine someone, with an otherwise beautiful voice, coming home from the dentist, and the drugs haven't worn off yet. That's this album in a nutshell.

I like the instrumentation and song selection, though. Who would've thought Brian, who had always been interested in moving the Beach Boys forward, would choose to rerecord Do It Again? Not me.

[NC]

This was the first BW solo album I ever bought. Purchased it the week it came out, despite all the bad notices, mainly cracking on Brian's voice. There's still some stuff I like on this album. "Melt Away" sounds great, and though Brian's vocals may sound a little unpolished, there's a lot of feeling in them. There's some bite in his voice, not the bland, processed voice we've been hearing for the last few years.

[Matinee Idyll]

There's some bite in his voice, not the bland, processed voice we've been hearing for the last few years.

THANKYOU!

I love the vocals on this, and the backing vocalists are SO sweet... Awesome blend, great bass singer.  How these could be the worst vocals of Brians solo career, when there's GIOMH, 88, and OCA around is beyond me...

For me, the only arguable one is SMiLE... he MIGHT be better on that.

[the captain]

I hate these backing vocalists, and would've strongly preferred a few of his current band.

I do like the general production on the album, though, and while I'm not willing to say I prefer the more "live"-sounding Brian, I certainly enjoy it in this context. Listening to him strain for higher notes, like in Warmth of the Sun, is a pleasure in this context, whereas when he's quadruple-tracked and allegedly polished, it pains me to hear him miss similar notes. Those albums have no excuse. Here, he just had permission to go for it and miss.

It adds to the vibe the film.

[TV Forces]

Damn, I think they're Bri's best vocals of his solo career, before or since...

[Jason]

Wow, I thought these were Brian's worst vocals of his solo career. Oh well......agree to disagree.

[shelter]

Damn, I think they're Bri's best vocals of his solo career, before or since...

I agree.

I love this album. Great song selection and nice, mellow and very enjoyable performances.

[CosmicDancer]

I would have to give this a 2.  I do think that Melt Away is best heard on this record and of course the Still I Dream Of It demo is phenominal.  I like teh demo version much more than the Adult/Child studio version.  The other songs are performed well enough but I dont like Brian's voice on this at all and the bg vocals really dont do it for me either.  Great song selection though.  Pleasent enough but not my cup of tea.

[Rocker]

I really like this album. It has some of that Johnny-Cash-american-recordings-smiley-smile-feel. There is still so much soul in Brian's voice, though technically it was not that good around this time.
BTW why doesn't get Van Dyke any credit for "Wonderful"?

[Zander]

An excellent album apart from the fact is a little too short in length. I'd would have liked a few more additional songs. Worth the purchase just for Caroline, No and Wonderful. Best version of Love of Mercy also...

[Lonely Summer]

Surprised to see so many positive comments about Still I Dream of it. That scratchy demo doesn't belong on this album, disrupts the flow. Other than that, I like it. Nice mellow vibe, and the song selection shows much more of the inner Brian than the setlists they put together for his solo tours. If I want to hear Surfin' USA, Fun, Fun, Fun, and Barbara Ann, I'll go see the Mike and Bruce show. No one can do Help Me Rhonda better than Al. And no one is going to do Til I Die or Warmth of the Sun better than Brian. Was blown away when I saw the film, and Brian seemed to really be putting himself into these songs instead of just freezing up like a deer in the headlights. I'm surprised he didn't do more work with Don Was.

[Mahalo]

I just got this album today. I like the production. I pretty much bought it because of the version Warmth of the Sun. I love Brian's vocals, they are natural. Love and Mercy sounds great.

This is like Brian playing in my living room while I'm entertaining guests for a dinner party....


 


4

[matt-zeus]

I think he would play in your living room if you cooked him dinner...!

I like this one too, I like his mid 90s vocals, not as robotic as the Landy era.

[lance]

It's an organic album but I'm not nuts about the arrangements. Not that they're bad, in fact they are very tasteful and understated.
 
In other words, they don't sound like Brian Wilson to me.

Great that it's organic sounding and all, but not something that I need to hear. I burned a few songs of this one but that's about all I need. I think Still I Dream of iIt murders the GV box set version, though.I heard the demo before the polished version and the first time I heard Still I Dream of It I remember fleetingly thinking, damn, that writer is brilliant.
The finished version...in my opinion...has had the life squeezed out of it.

[Lonely Summer]

Yep, this album and Imagination have those bland A/C arrangements, BW88 is swamped with those %@*! synths, and GIOMH has those offkey vocals. BW's solo catalog is pretty weak, except for the unreleased stuff.

[lance]

I'm warming to the first album and beginning to look past the sound. It's got what I consider to be real "Brian Wilson" arrangements(whatever that really means!) and within those arrangements really are flashes of absolute brilliance. I'm trying to look at the album without any "I hate Eighties production" prejudices. When I manage to do it, it's pretty good and definitely the work of the same man who did Pet Sounds and Love You, if also of inferior quality. It may be in twenty years or ten years that sound will not sound so bad to people's ears as they do now. (?)

Haven't heard Imagination yet, though I will buy it eventually. At least some of the songs on that one will be new(to me).

[The Heartical Don]

I really like this album. It has some of that Johnny-Cash-american-recordings-smiley-smile-feel. There is still so much soul in Brian's voice, though technically it was not that good around this time.
BTW why doesn't get Van Dyke any credit for "Wonderful"?

Wonderful review. I adored it and the accompanying film. Brian's vocals on 'Wonderful' are extremely touching. And yes: 'American Recordings'. A 4.