Is it time to reappraise 15 Big Ones?

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

There's no getting around the creepiness of RSC because the TITLE has the word CHILD. The whole song is about how hot she is, and what he's gonna do when her "mom's not around"...and she's a CHILD according to the song's TITLE. Absolutely creepy. BTW I do think its the best potential single on the LP because of the great beat and the great chorus...but with those lyrics and that title...no chance. I mean I like the song, i really do...but its f'n embarrassing and pedophile lyric material, no doubt. Such is the case with much of the late '70's Beach Boys material...as you are cringing, or blushing, or vomiting...you are also often tapping your foot and singing along. Weird times.

Not to mention the fact that he already made sweet love to her when her Mom WAS around!!!!!

Great song though! Mike sounds great (if creepy) on lead and I absolutely LOVE the last verse where the other BBs come in on harmony!! So great!

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

I think RSC as a track would maybe go down easier with the general public if there was a real bass on the track to give it more of a bottom end.

The Beach Boys could've easily re-recorded it (ala Roxy Music: Angel Eyes) as a single and worked it up a bit more "traditionally" for the masses and it may have been a hit...... IF...... radio would even play the damn thing.

[Jon Stebbins]

I think RSC as a track would maybe go down easier with the general public if there was a real bass on the track to give it more of a bottom end.

The Beach Boys could've easily re-recorded it (ala Roxy Music: Angel Eyes) as a single and worked it up a bit more "traditionally" for the masses and it may have been a hit...... IF...... radio would even play the damn thing.

You are right, a real bass makes a big difference. I have a live video from the L.A. Forum in 1977 where they absolutely kick butt on RSC with Ed Carter on bass, Dennis on drums, Carl doing the guitar fills...it sounds way better to my ears than the track on the LP.

[Jason]

Not to mention the fact that he already made sweet love to her when her Mom WAS around!!!!!

Great song though! Mike sounds great (if creepy) on lead and I absolutely LOVE the last verse where the other BBs come in on harmony!! So great!

He played in the grass when mom was around and played in the mud when mom wasn't around.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Nicely put 

You, Mike, and Brian might wanna collaborate on some tunes!

[Jason]

I don't know if our European friends will get the joke...

[Myk Luhv]

Why Prince hasn't covered something from that period is a humourous wonder to me. He should!

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

If we're lucky maybe Kayla will do a Prince-style version of Roller Skating Child!!!   

[Jason]

Imagine a mashup of When Doves Cry with Roller Skating Child...the first single from BLACK SOUNDS, a mashup of Prince and the Beach Boys.

[hypehat]

I don't know if our European friends will get the joke...

Oh, no need to worry about that. You filthy git 

[c-man]

I think RSC as a track would maybe go down easier with the general public if there was a real bass on the track to give it more of a bottom end.

The Beach Boys could've easily re-recorded it (ala Roxy Music: Angel Eyes) as a single and worked it up a bit more "traditionally" for the masses and it may have been a hit...... IF...... radio would even play the damn thing.

You are right, a real bass makes a big difference. I have a live video from the L.A. Forum in 1977 where they absolutely kick butt on RSC with Ed Carter on bass, Dennis on drums, Carl doing the guitar fills...it sounds way better to my ears than the track on the LP.

How about this version from a few months later, where Brian plays the bass...not necessarily BETTER, but definitely FACINATING...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1EPXBQV3yM

[drbeachboy]

Did anyone ever think that RSC was written and sung from the point of view of a teenage boy?  How about the Beatles "Little Child"? Is that considered creepy too? I guess we read into things whatever we want to. I try not to over analyze lyrics of rock and roll music. From everything I've ever heard it has always been, anything goes, and everything is fair game.

And what about this "writing in character" stuff? Of course the Boys' write in character. Brian was neither a surfer or dragger, yet he wrote many a song about each. How about "Don't Back Down" for example. He surely wasn't writing about himself in a real way.

[Mr. Cohen]

Something I keep forgetting to ask: what's the deal with all of those a cappella songs supposedly recorded/written around the 15 Big Ones that Dennis said sounded like the Vienna Boys Choir? What happened to those? Or was Dennis just making stuff up?

[adamghost]

I think RSC as a track would maybe go down easier with the general public if there was a real bass on the track to give it more of a bottom end.

The Beach Boys could've easily re-recorded it (ala Roxy Music: Angel Eyes) as a single and worked it up a bit more "traditionally" for the masses and it may have been a hit...... IF...... radio would even play the damn thing.

You are right, a real bass makes a big difference. I have a live video from the L.A. Forum in 1977 where they absolutely kick butt on RSC with Ed Carter on bass, Dennis on drums, Carl doing the guitar fills...it sounds way better to my ears than the track on the LP.

How about this version from a few months later, where Brian plays the bass...not necessarily BETTER, but definitely FACINATING...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1EPXBQV3yM

That's a legendary clip.  I've seen footage from a tour in '77 or '78 where Brian is on bass for the entire show, not singing much but essentially fully integrated as a member of the backup band.  His bass lines are a little dumbed down but pretty solid...and the most striking thing is how animated he is, running around the stage in full rock star mode all through the show.  Compared to the images we're used to of Brian sitting stolidly behind a usually inaudible piano, it's a bit of a shock to see.

Peter Ames Carlin implies that Brian wanted to be more active in the stage show in the late '70s, but Carl wouldn't let him out of fears that the overall performance would suffer.  There's some evidence that that was indeed the case based on footage in '77 and '78.  Whether that was the right decision or not, it's easy to imagine Brian's boredom with the situation...and worth noting that when Carl left in '81, Brian briefly returned to a more active role in the stage band (with mixed, but often disastrous, results)

[adamghost]

Did anyone ever think that RSC was written and sung from the point of view of a teenage boy?  How about the Beatles "Little Child"? Is that considered creepy too? I guess we read into things whatever we want to. I try not to over analyze lyrics of rock and roll music. From everything I've ever heard it has always been, anything goes, and everything is fair game.

And what about this "writing in character" stuff? Of course the Boys' write in character. Brian was neither a surfer or dragger, yet he wrote many a song about each. How about "Don't Back Down" for example. He surely wasn't writing about himself in a real way.

I think that's a good point...LOVE YOU actually does come across as largely being written as Brian's idea of what a teenager would think, the problem being Brian was so far away from that mindset that it just seems bizarre.  I would argue that's the essential problem with the group's efforts to recapture its past...the guys were trying to write about something they were no longer in tune with, so it all sounds like a reach in the dark.  Lyrically, I vastly prefer the later songs where they stuck to more adult or age-neutral themes.  It sounds waaay less forced.

Anyways, I think it's fair to say that Brian was writing in character for a lot of LOVE YOU, but nonetheless it tells us a lot about where Brian's head was at at the time.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Did anyone ever think that RSC was written and sung from the point of view of a teenage boy?  How about the Beatles "Little Child"? Is that considered creepy too? I guess we read into things whatever we want to. I try not to over analyze lyrics of rock and roll music. From everything I've ever heard it has always been, anything goes, and everything is fair game.

And what about this "writing in character" stuff? Of course the Boys' write in character. Brian was neither a surfer or dragger, yet he wrote many a song about each. How about "Don't Back Down" for example. He surely wasn't writing about himself in a real way.

I've always considered The Beatles' "Run For Your Life" more than a mere tad creepy!

[drbeachboy]

I've always considered The Beatles' "Run For Your Life" more than a mere tad creepy!

and quite mean spirited too. That is one jealous boyfriend in that lyric.

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

It's the kind of song OJ might very well have had on a tape-loop in his Bronco's cassette deck!

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Something I keep forgetting to ask: what's the deal with all of those a cappella songs supposedly recorded/written around the 15 Big Ones that Dennis said sounded like the Vienna Boys Choir? What happened to those? Or was Dennis just making stuff up?

Good question...I was wondering the same thing, but always assumed the latter.

[BillA]

I've always considered The Beatles' "Run For Your Life" more than a mere tad creepy!

and quite mean spirited too. That is one jealous boyfriend in that lyric.

I found it amusing that the first Lennon song on Rubber Soul ("Norwegian Wood") was about an affair and the last Lennon song was about suspecting your mate of being unfaithful.  Creepy, mean spirited and hypocritical.

[BillA]

I think RSC as a track would maybe go down easier with the general public if there was a real bass on the track to give it more of a bottom end.

The Beach Boys could've easily re-recorded it (ala Roxy Music: Angel Eyes) as a single and worked it up a bit more "traditionally" for the masses and it may have been a hit...... IF...... radio would even play the damn thing.

You are right, a real bass makes a big difference. I have a live video from the L.A. Forum in 1977 where they absolutely kick butt on RSC with Ed Carter on bass, Dennis on drums, Carl doing the guitar fills...it sounds way better to my ears than the track on the LP.

How about this version from a few months later, where Brian plays the bass...not necessarily BETTER, but definitely FACINATING...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1EPXBQV3yM

That's a legendary clip.  I've seen footage from a tour in '77 or '78 where Brian is on bass for the entire show, not singing much but essentially fully integrated as a member of the backup band.  His bass lines are a little dumbed down but pretty solid...and the most striking thing is how animated he is, running around the stage in full rock star mode all through the show.  Compared to the images we're used to of Brian sitting stolidly behind a usually inaudible piano, it's a bit of a shock to see.

Peter Ames Carlin implies that Brian wanted to be more active in the stage show in the late '70s, but Carl wouldn't let him out of fears that the overall performance would suffer.  There's some evidence that that was indeed the case based on footage in '77 and '78.  Whether that was the right decision or not, it's easy to imagine Brian's boredom with the situation...and worth noting that when Carl left in '81, Brian briefly returned to a more active role in the stage band (with mixed, but often disastrous, results)

What was Ed Carter doing while Brian played bass at this time?

[adamghost]

I don't remember what Ed was doing, or if he was even there.  I assume (and believe) he was playing lead guitar.

[c-man]

I don't remember what Ed was doing, or if he was even there.  I assume (and believe) he was playing lead guitar.

Yes, that is correct.  There were a few songs in those shows where Brian would leave the stage (i.e. Lady Lynda, Everyone's In Love With You, Feel Flows, All This Is That), and Ed would take over the bass for those.

[adamghost]

I don't remember what Ed was doing, or if he was even there.  I assume (and believe) he was playing lead guitar.

Yes, that is correct.  There were a few songs in those shows where Brian would leave the stage (i.e. Lady Lynda, Everyone's In Love With You, Feel Flows, All This Is That), and Ed would take over the bass for those.

Craig, how many tours was Brian, in effect, the full-time bass player?  I was shocked watching this video seeing that Brian was not just participating in the band, but being an integral part of it.

[c-man]

I don't remember what Ed was doing, or if he was even there.  I assume (and believe) he was playing lead guitar.

Yes, that is correct.  There were a few songs in those shows where Brian would leave the stage (i.e. Lady Lynda, Everyone's In Love With You, Feel Flows, All This Is That), and Ed would take over the bass for those.

Craig, how many tours was Brian, in effect, the full-time bass player?  I was shocked watching this video seeing that Brian was not just participating in the band, but being an integral part of it.

Basically, from what I can tell, Brian played bass almost exclusively on the tours he was on throughout 1978.  In 1979, he was back on piano.  David Leaf wrote in his book that Brian played bass throughout one show in December '77, so I guess that's where it started.