A Series Debut: featuring daring trek through late-period Beach Boys, where brilliance, bafflement, and banjos collide.
From an anonymous diary:
Recovered somewhere in northeastern Columbia some decades ago:
“We finally made it!”
“The Gap tried to defeat us, but our perseverance and belief in ourselves proved victorious.”
“True, Penny and Carter-Wells went missing, and we mourn their loss. Especially Penny, whose upbeat demeanor was a salve in dark times.”
“As for me, I regard our expedition across southern Panama as the most difficult undertaking in the annals of man’s exploration of the jungly areas of the world. Next, as soon as I recover from dysentery and paranoia: Traversing Antarctica in winter’s gloom. Onward!“
I harbor no such grand ambitions as the author above. I will, however, submit that the project below is equally rife with danger and unforeseen difficulties:
I made a playlist: A survey of late career Beach Boys (1970 – 2012).
Sunflower
1970
I promise you, here and in subsequent posts, I’ve listened to every cut on said albums, gems and mud balls both.
At this point, The Boys can still sprinkle some of that Pet Sounds/Smile magic around when a motivated Brian shows up, as ‘Add Some Music to Your Day,’ elegiac and sometimes goofy, attests.
It’s no ‘Caroline, No’, but the harmonies retain their potency.
Surf’s Up
1971
The classics you know and love (title track, ‘Dis[e]ney Girls [1957]’) need no review here.
But Mike Love, along with Leiber & Stoller, surprise with ‘Student Demonstration Time,’ covering the same ground as CSNY’s ‘Ohio’ and accompanied by rollicking guitar and barrelhouse piano.
(Note:
The full playlist appears at the bottom of this post. Enjoy at your pleasure or peril.)
Carl and the Passions:
‘So Tough’
1972
The descent begins.
Brian withdraws. Fataar and Chaplin join up. Everybody writes a song. To no one’s surprise, Brian’s contributions, like the funky ‘You Need a Mess of Help To Stand Alone,’ overshadow the rest.
(Another note:
playlist LCBB contains representative songs from each album, while mostly avoiding the more recognizable tunes and singles. You are warned, and welcome to offer alternatives.)
Holland
1973
A rebirth of a sort.
Contains the three-part ‘California Saga,’ of which ‘California’ and its banjo-inflected travelogue structure stands out. This release also included an EP, Mount Vernon and Fairway, Brian and Carl’s baffling, mostly spoken-word fairy tale.
One thing about The Beach Boys: they could get unexpectedly weird out of nowhere.
15 Big Ones
1976
Brian’s back. Or so they’d have you believe.
In the interim, Endless Summer and Spirit of America get released and the band reenters the spotlight.
- So on one hand, ‘Fun, Fun, Fun’ is back in the public’s consciousness.
- On the other, ‘Back Home’ represents the best of where The Boys are now. It’s not a flattering comparison, no matter how ‘fun’ the latter is.
The Playlist (so far):
Sunflower
- “Forever”
- “Add Some Music to Your Day”
- “Slip on Through”
- “All I Wanna Do”
Surf’s Up
- “Don’t Go Near the Water”
- “Student Demonstration Time”
- “Feel Flows”
Carl and the Passions – ‘So Tough‘
- “You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone”
- “Marcella”
Holland
- “California Saga: California””Trader”
- “We Got Love”
- “Steamboat”
15 Big Ones
- “Susie Cincinnati”
- “Back Home”
Coming Up In Part 2:
- Covering 1977-2012, nine albums, and less songs: coming soon.
Make of that what you will.
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Going back to check out what we missed out in real time is pretty much standard behavior in the era of streaming. I find that even if I think something is decent, only a tiny fraction of the myriad things I dive into will merit a second listen. I usually move on to something else and forget about it. When we would buy an album back in the day, if it didn’t stick right away, it still had a chance to grow on us after multiple listens, because it was something we owned. Those days for me are pretty much over with a scant few exceptions here and there.
All this to say that I did go back and listen to some past-their-peak Beach Boys a few years back, as I had heard that Sunflower was an underrated gem. Nothing hit me in a way where I gave it a second listen and I didn’t go back to that land again. You have encouraged me to try again. I’m listening now to “Add Some Music to Your Day” and it’s a good song. I may not ever choose to listen to it again, but it’s good. Taking a spin some others on your list as well.
It’s not on your list, but I recently sang “Sail On, Sailor” off of Holland at karaoke. My brother loved it, but not sure if anyone else in the bar even knew what it was. It was fun to sing though.
Nice to find the good from an era of the band that has largely been dismissed.
I remember being thought of as moderately cool when I showed up at Gina Fannatuccci’s party with a copy of Holland. It was OK to like “those old 60’s guys” again.
Unfairly or not, every time I see a 2020s Beach Boys performance announcement or concert clip, I cringe a little bit. It seems to sully the heritage.
And it’s not because they got “old.” McCartney Springsteen, and even The Stones can carry it all off without it feeling gratuitous. So far, at least.
That’s a great song, and it’s on my BB favorites playlist. I was trying to avoid the singles from these albums to highlight the ones that seem most representative of the whole to me.
This is good, stob. It’s only been 10 years or so since I even knew that people liked post-Good Vibrations Beach Boys output. But I’ve never really taken the time to dive in. I’m going to take this as homework.
Agreed. I was never a big fan but I’d hear something in the wild and think, “I should listen to more of them.”
I appreciate your efforts in listening to all these albums so I don’t have to. A hand picked best of is of great assistance. Looking forward to the next part and completing the playlist.