Friends

[Myk Luhv]

Definitely remove "Transcendental Meditation" and put "We're Together Again" in its place. Plus, it'd fit the theme better!

[rab2591]

I know many people love the song TM....often it is goaded as being part of Brian's humor...Maybe it is...if so, then I find this attempt at humor to be annoying. I should clarify: the song in itself is not annoying, and possibly funny. However, it is a buzzkill on the album.

I'd just end the album at 'Diamond Head' - When listening to it I see myself alone on Diamond Head watching the sunset paint the sky...slowly getting darker and until the song ends...this is where the album should have ended. Instead, TM comes blasting on (at what seems about 500 decibels higher than the safe listening level) and ruins the vibe (for me, anyways).

I see the entire album as a story of growing up and maturing into adulthood....it has a real Pet Sounds vibe to it. I think I've mentioned this before, but one thing that bugged me about Peter Carlin's book was that not enough time was spent in the Friends era. I want details about Brian's writing. I want snapshots of the studio. Even on 'Brian Wilson Songwriter' there wasn't much info on Friends - I just remember Bruce Johnston lambasting the album for sucking tremendously.

[rab2591]

Listening very carefully to Busy Doin' Nothing, I think there is a theremin line buried underneath the mix coming out of the right channel, at the start of the second verse. Has anyone else noticed it?

I'm listening to Friends right now with my studio monitor headphones - I can't believe I haven't tried listening to this album with these headphones before. Definitely heard the theremin and I'm also hearing so many different sounds that I've never heard before....such as:

:28 seconds into 'Wake the World' there is some very distant background chatter - it is incredibly faint. There is also some chatter around the 1:21 mark.
At exactly 1:23 into 'Be Here In The Mornin'' there is a short and faint high-pitched humming coming out of the left speaker.
At :44 in 'When A Man Needs A Woman' someone says "yeah" - I can only hear this on my headphones. Also, there sounds like there is a separate vocal recording around the 1:42 mark - it's a falsetto being sung in the same key - I can't understand the lyrics, but the melody fits the song perfectly...unfortunately it is buried in the mix.

This album is incredible. Okay, totally happy that the SMiLE boxset is coming out, but I'd be really happy if I had a Friends boxset too! Please!

Agreed. On WAMNAW I've always thought the extra vocals are actually a kid or baby. Also right after that part listen for the extra strong kick, which I guess is like a baby kicking in the womb.
I also love the doorbell on the chorus of Be Here in The Mornin'

This is secretly Brian's best album.

Is the kick at 1:53 on the right speaker? I hear a deep heavy bass "kick" there. Love the theory btw! There are a lot of audio tricks (that seem to have a lot of meaning) peppered throughout this album.

[Dunderhead]

There's also of course the sound of curtains sliding open on Wake The World

[hypehat]

And the 'Well, alright!' when they sing about getting no calls from their ACTUAL managers. It's so bloody homebrewed, yet with exquisite production. An example to lo-fi musicians everywhere. This could be a perfect record. TM works as a drone jazz thing, and it is so woozy it doesn't throw me off so much.

That said, I see absolutely no reason why Brian decided to leave off TTGA or IWTS, unless they weren't finished.

[Jonas]

I don't think I'd want a Friends box set for the unreleased material as much as I'd want instrumentals, vocals only, and seeeessssiiiooonnnsssssss (though I always assumed a lot of these backing tracks were one shots)

[rab2591]

I don't think I'd want a Friends box set for the unreleased material as much as I'd want instrumentals, vocals only, and seeeessssiiiooonnnsssssss (though I always assumed a lot of these backing tracks were one shots)

Most definitely. I'd love to hear a vocals-only Anna Lee. Besides Pet Sounds, I think Friends is the most accessible, most underrated Beach Boys album and it does deserve a Boxset. But I'm not complaining about what we have got already (and what we will be getting in the next few months).

[Don_Zabu]

Listen to the way Mike's voice resonates on "Meant For You" - could they have asked for a better bass singer?

[Liamo]

Has it struck anyone that Brian was planning on making a break with the BBs after Friends; it has the same wistful, nostalgic feeling of Bridge Over Troubled Waters. That sense of saying goodbye to old friends. The title track itself, meant for you, the ‘good luck’ of wake the world. It seems to explore his need to get away from the pressures of the music industry to a more domesticated relaxed lifestyle (busy doin nothing, anna lee), and family life (when a man needs a woman).
In addition, the instrumental Diamond Head conveys a sense of wanting to get away from it all, while ‘I went to sleep’ apparently dates from the same sessions. Even the amount of co-writing credits gives the impression that he was passing on the songwriting craft to the others so they could carry on without him.
Obviously, circumstances kept him in the band but 20/20 shows a greater reluctance to get involved and late sixties tracks like Breakaway and We’re together again illustrate how he was conflicted about his commitments. Perhaps I’m reading too much into it.
It’s a wonderful album in any case – as someone mentioned, a balming breeze on a summers’ day.

[vandykepeter]

Thanks to all of your wonderful reviews, I went out and bought this album! :-)

It's wonderful! I can highly recommend doing the same, if you like the more mellow side of The Beach Boys!

Besides the title track and Brian's "Busy Doin' Nothin'" I especially like "Be Here In The Morning"!

It's not a 5 because, ultimately, it lacks the magical productions and energy that Brian exhibited in the mid-60's. Therefore a big 4!

[musicismylife101]

Nice mellow and laid-back album. Nice to listen to when you relax. Track picks: Little Bird and Busy Doin' Nothing

[Domino]

Meant for you - Epic opening
Friends - "Let's be friends", unbelievably great
Wake the World - Brian isn't wasting time
Be Here in the Morning - That chorus with Carl and Brian!
When A Man Needs A Woman - Great verses, but the chorus isn't that great.
Passing By - Forget all your problems, you are in heaven
Anna Lee, The Healer - Not great lyrics by Mike
Little Bird - Brian brings in the icing on Dennis cake
Be Still - Kinda boring
Busy Doin' Nothin' - Such a perfect vocal delivery
Diamond Head - Cool stuff
Transcendental Meditation - Great wtf moment

[Les Garçons de la plage]

Not as good as Wild Honey but slightly better than White Album by their UK colleagues which still makes one ask why was this not deservedly appreciated at its time?

[Puggal]

Be Still and Transcendental Meditation are just plain awful. Most of the other songs are okay  to really good, though, and I like "Busy Doin' Nothing" and "Passing By" as much as anything on Pet Sounds or Smile, really.

I can't get it more than a 3/5, though I want to give it a 4. I think it has a mostly nice flow (until Transcendental Meditation wrecks it at the end), but that isn't enough to really give it any more than a 3.

If Smiley Smile is a 4 or 4.5, and Wild Honey is a 4, this has gotta be a 3. Suwwy folx

[silodweller]

This has always been a favourite of mine.  I do tend to skip "Transcendental Meditation" though and program the player to jump straight to "We're Together Again".  That song seems to fit in so well.   

[silodweller]

Does anyone know why they chose to include two distinctly different edits of "Ol' Folks At Home/Old Man River" for the 1990 and 2001 releases?  Compare the two if you're able to, it's very obvious. 

[Orange Crate Art]

I love the Friends album. It's a sweet and cozy little record, until Transcendental Meditation knocks you in the head at the end. I love the two Dennis songs, love Busy Doin Nothin and the title track, Wake The World is great fun (although it's better as a live track on Beach Boys '69). I would've replaced When A Man Needs A Woman and TM with something different, maybe Sail Plane Song and We're Together Again. Great album though. It definitely gets played on my turntable and CD player quite often.

[bluesno1fann]

When I first listened to "Friends" in it's entirety, I was quite impressed. I really enjoyed.
But I never listened to the whole album more than once. Just my opinion, but while still a great album, it's definetely NOT one of my favourites, and I prefer the other albums of the 1967-1971 era over this.
Having said that, this may be because this album never quite grew on me. I dunno why, it may be because parts of it is quite boring. I'm not too sure.
3 tracks grew on me. The title track, "Little Bird" and "Be Still".
3 out of 5

[chrs_mrgn]

First of all, now that I have heard the version of Meant For You on MIC I really wish it had been on Friends rather than the short version.

The short version was one of my favorite tracks even with its length. Mike does a great vocal on it as do the rest of the boys but the alternate version is just great.

The title track really was a grower for me. Didn't care for it at all when I first heard it but it slowly has been one I've found myself visiting more often.

Be Here In The Mornin - that lead vocal is just crazy! I thought for the longest time that there was some sort of effect on it, who is doing the lead vocal? Is That Bruce? Also Dennis adds some magic to the end of the track as his vocal is sounding pretty gruff.

When a man needs a woman reminds me a lot of the band Of Montreal. I was listening to them a lot along the time when I first heard this song around 2009. The guitar work really reminds me of their stuff from 2005 to around 2009. If you want to heard some new music PM me and I can give you some reccommendations of what to listen from them.

Anna Lee The Healer - this song I heard around the same time as I heard Smiley Smile so I thought that this was sort of the kind of material that the BB put out consistently. In fact it would fit in with Smiley Smile really well don't you think?

I think overall I give this album a 3.75/5

[RiC]

5/5. Up there with Love You. It always get me into better mood. The two instrumentals are both amazing and there's not a one dull song on the whole album. Pure Masterpiece.

Meant for You 5/5 Propably the best little song ever. Maybe even better than Ding Dang!
Friends 4/5
Wake the World 5/5 So underrated!
Be Here in the Mornin' 5/5 I love Dennis at the end.
When a Man Needs a Woman 4.5/5
Passing By 5/5
Anna Lee, the Healer 4/5
Little Bird 5/5
Be Still 4/5
Busy Doin' Nothin' 5/5 Just awesome.
Diamond Head 5/5
Transcendental Meditation 3.5/5 The lyrics are a little bit off. Music's great.

[Mr. Wilson]

4/5 I prefer side 1. It flows and don't skip any songs.. Side 2 is weaker.. TTGA IWTS WTA should be on here and take off the last 2 tracks plus Anna Lee is a clinker to me also.. This LP sure didn't fit the times it was recorded in that's for sure..

[Summer_Days]

In it's best moments ('Friends', 'Wake The World', 'Meant For You', 'Little Bird', 'Be Still' and 'Busy Doin' Nothin''), this album can feel transcendent. Friends is the sound of the Beach Boys completely out of step musically, lyrically, emotionally with the late 1960s... and I'm
all the more glad that they were; it makes the music stand up more over decades, keeping it from being overly dated. When you discover albums like Friends, Wild Honey, Smiley Smile, 20/20, Sunflower, Surf's Up, CATP and Holland, you feel and hear a band that is quietly making some of the best and often most unnervingly sweet music ever. The Beach Boys couldn't be less popular in this era (stateside, anyway) and honestly, looking back, I'm glad for it. That makes the discovery of these albums all the more special. It's like buried treasure.

Friends is music for my tired soul to cool out by. 4.5 outta 5.

[Moon Dawg]

  FRIENDS was a sleeper, for me anyway. In its way, ideal soundtrack music for a beautiful summer day. I remember various tracks going through my mind while floating in the pool once.

 Does it rate with the great rock albums of 1968? (BEGGARS BANQUET, THE BEATLES, ELECTRIC LADYLAND, CROWN OF CREATION, etc?) Doesn't really matter as this LP seems to exist in a context of its own. And as David Leaf once noted, it is a bridge to the more sonically sophisticated SUNFLOWER.


 ****

[Dudd]

Friends is overall a lovely album, though just a little overrated - Little Bird and Meant For You honestly don't do a lot for me. And I have to agree with everyone else that TM is a rubbish closer. It's a shame... I think Can't Wait Too Long would have been the ideal way to end this one. But oh well.

Everything else, however, is gorgeous! Passing By and Busy Doin' Nothing are two near-perfect tracks.

[punkinhead]

4/5 I prefer side 1. It flows and don't skip any songs.. Side 2 is weaker.. TTGA IWTS WTA should be on here and take off the last 2 tracks plus Anna Lee is a clinker to me also.. This LP sure didn't fit the times it was recorded in that's for sure..

I was just about to post how much Side 1 is superior in the way of how it flows and it sounds. The production quality is more homely brewed with the basic organ and easy percussion. I always thought Anna Lee/Little Bird and somewhat Busy Doin nothin were similar to side 1 but Little Bird is a little more high quality and Busy is really well orchestrated...not that I love any of the side 1 or side 2 tracks more, that's just the way I view their sounds.