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Post by Kapitan on Oct 8, 2023 13:41:45 GMT
I've said many times that if the Beach Boys' output were restricted to the first few albums, I would not even really consider myself a fan of the group. Sure, I like a few of those songs well enough, but they're really just not my thing. (The same could be said for if their entire catalog consisted of just, say, KTSA through SiP.)
The brief era during which the Beach Boys contained Ricky Fataar and Blondie Chaplin is identifiable as a unique time for the band. There are several reasons for this, including the increasing numbers of songs from Dennis Wilson and Carl Wilson and the overall production/guidance of Carl Wilson. But of course another major factor are the compositional, instrumental, and vocal contributions of Fataar and Chaplin.
Only a few of their songs were actually released on (American releases of) original albums: four songs either written by or featuring lead vocals by Ricky and/or Blondie appeared on Carl & the Passions: So Tough and Holland. But we had a few more from other sources, like the version of Holland with "We Got Love," or bootlegs with a few other songs. More recently, Sail On Sailor included a few other previously unreleased songs.
We now have enough material to make a single album of the Ricky/Blondie, or Flame-, centered Beach Boys material. The songs I've compiled make for a 9-song, 37-minute album of studio material. There is room for debate with songs like "He Come Down" and "Funky Pretty," in which Blondie has prominent vocals, but isn't necessarily the lead singer. There are also live versions of the Flame song "Don't Worry, Bill" (or "Wonder-Bill") with the Beach Boys. I omitted those.
But what do you think of this material? How do you rate it, either as Beach Boys music or just as early '70s music in general?
The Beach Boys' Flame 1. It's a New Day (D. Wilson, D. Dragon, S. Shapiro) 2. Oh Sweet Somthing (R. Fataar, B. Chaplin) 3. Hold On, Dear Brother (R. Fataar, B. Chaplin) 4. Here She Comes (R. Fataar, B. Chaplin) 5. Sail On, Sailor (B. Wilson, T. Almer, R. Kennedy, J. Rieley, V. Parks)
6. We Got Love (R. Fataar, B. Chaplin, M. Love) 7. Leaving This Town (R. Fataar, B. Chaplin, C. Wilson, M. Love) 8. Hard Time (R. Fataar, B. Chaplin) 9. Carry Me Home (D. Wilson)
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
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Post by bellbottoms on Oct 10, 2023 15:31:53 GMT
I’m a fan. Admittedly I’ve never sat down and listened to The Flames’ music without the Beach Boys, but I do think Blondie and Ricky really infused something positive to the Beach Boys during that brief period. They rocked. They sounded so tight, and of the time, and yet the music holds up today. The live material from this period is some of my favourite as well, I am a big fan of the bluesy/rootsy flavoured versions of the 1960s songs from Beach Boys in Concert.
I had never heard Oh Sweet Something before today and I had to go back and check to make sure it wasn’t some mistake, initially it sounded like some White Album era Beatles outtake or something! I love this track. It looks like it was composed solely by Blondie and Ricky and that’s why it maybe was not included on any Beach Boys albums? (man I am so out of touch). I really enjoyed this playlist. Even if it kind of, sort of, really doesn’t sound like the Beach Boys, most of the time.
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 10, 2023 15:54:51 GMT
I had never heard Oh Sweet Something before today and I had to go back and check to make sure it wasn’t some mistake, initially it sounded like some White Album era Beatles outtake or something! I love this track. It looks like it was composed solely by Blondie and Ricky and that’s why it maybe was not included on any Beach Boys albums? (man I am so out of touch). I had never heard it either, prior to the Sail On Sailor box--was it even booted? If so, I never heard it. I think both that and "Hard Time" are really cool, even if neither sounds like The Beach Boys at all. That said, I think there was a very cool Beach Boys right in those years, and it might have been more successful as a new music act had it remained together while still remaining a hugely successful live act just based on their fabulous back catalog. My understanding is that the Flame did finish a second Brother Records album, but that it was never released. I was actually about to speculate whether these songs were intended for that album, but a quick Googling does provide the track list for that album, and these are not on there. They seem to have been intended for Beach Boys. I guess considering we've long known that they recorded almost as separate bands at times (such as during CATP), that isn't so surprising. Had the tunes been selected, Carl, Al, and Mike probably would've tacked on some background vocals and called it a day.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Oct 10, 2023 19:20:07 GMT
I voted for It's OK. My opinions on the Blondie & Ricky Era are all over the place, so I basically tried to average it out, taking the good with the bad and the in-between, and it came out to, for this exercise, It's OK.
- I didn't think it was necessary for the group to make Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar bonafide members, and I preferred that they didn't. Not that it really mattered much to the fans as far as the makeup of the band. I don't think most fans knew...or cared. But, maybe that designation carried more weight inter-band, because it resulted in more songs and vocals than if they weren't members - and that's where it affected the fans - with the new music.
- Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar are easily in the top tier of musicians that the Beach Boys ever employed. They were brilliant. You could hear it. Easily.
- I can appreciate "the sound" that the 1972-1973-74(?) band produced. It moved. It rocked in places. It was country-tinged. It was kinda hip. It was modern. It was contemporary. It was different - and that's where I have my biggest problem(s). Was it too different...for The Beach Boys? The band took a chance. If fans thought Smiley Smile was too weird, if fans thought Friends was too mellow, if fans didn't discover the charms of Sunflower, well, I can only wonder what they thought when they heard Carl & The Passions and Holland. Large portions of those two albums were influenced by Blondie and Ricky, and those are the portions that were NOT Beach Boys' music. It wasn't Beach Boys-sounding music from the past, and it didn't really sound like new Beach Boys' music either. Your mileage may vary. Maybe you liked that new sound, that progression.
- I would have preferred that Blondie and Ricky stayed in the background and served as backing musicians only. That way, maybe the other Beach Boys would've felt more obligated or pressured to come up with more new songs for those two albums. I would gladly trade Blondie and Ricky's songs for another Brian Wilson song, maybe two Dennis Wilson songs, or songs from Mike, Carl, and Al. I don't dislike all of Blondie and Ricky's songs. "Here She Comes" is a good song. "We Got Love" is decent. "Hold On, Dear Brother" is meh, though the lyrics are prophetic. I do not like "Leaving This Town". There were enough sketches, demos, outtakes, and other goodies on the Feel Flows and Sail On, Sailor box sets that the group could've used.
- I'm not a big fan of Blondie and Ricky's voices. I've stated my opinion of Blondie's lead vocal on Sail On, Sailor" ad nauseam. I'll simply ask...was it really NECESSARY to have Blondie and Ricky sing lead vocals? It just contributed to having Carl & The Passions and Holland sound more un-Beach Boyish. I think they were taking some chances and really asking their fans to stretch out, to move on. Ultimately, the Blondie and Ricky Era didn't last very long. It fell apart, probably for more personal than musical reasons. Could've that sound flourished post-1975 and beyond? Would that group configuration, with the eventual return of Brian Wilson, be able to sound like "The Beach Boys", and that's what everybody - and I mean everybody - wanted from the group 1976 onward.
Kapitan, I really like your The Beach Boys' Flame mix. Thank you for sharing it. And, yes, I would include "Funky Pretty" in the mix. It has enough Blondie and Ricky feel/vocals to qualify. You know I love projects like that, so I hope you don't mind if I take a shot:
The Beach Boys - It's A New Day
Side 1 1. Oh Sweet Something 2. Here She Comes 3. Funky Pretty 4. Leaving This Town 5. Sail On, Sailor
Side 2 1. Hard Time 2. Hold On, Dear Brother
3. Carry Me Home 4. We Got Love 5. It's A New Day
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Emdeeh
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 520
Likes: 532
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Post by Emdeeh on Oct 10, 2023 20:17:43 GMT
I voted for "It's OK," because I like their music, but I find it sometimes uneven.
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 10, 2023 20:19:13 GMT
bellbottoms, for even more Beatlesque music from The Flame, check out their debut Brother Records album, and in particular these two songs: "Lady" "Don't Worry, Bill" (often done as a medley with "Wonderful" with the Beach Boys): I don't love the album, but it has grown on me to the point I'd say I like it. (That's true of other music by Blondie and Ricky, too, both in and out of the Beach Boys.) What's funny is, I think their 1970 album fits better with the Beach Boys than a lot of what they actually did with the Beach Boys.
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 10, 2023 20:19:55 GMT
I voted for "It's OK," because I like their music, but I find it sometimes uneven. While I voted I'm a fan, I have to agree it's uneven. (Of course, so is the Beach Boys'!)
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
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Post by bellbottoms on Oct 12, 2023 15:24:48 GMT
bellbottoms , for even more Beatlesque music from The Flame, check out their debut Brother Records album, and in particular these two songs: "Lady" "Don't Worry, Bill" (often done as a medley with "Wonderful" with the Beach Boys): I don't love the album, but it has grown on me to the point I'd say I like it. (That's true of other music by Blondie and Ricky, too, both in and out of the Beach Boys.) What's funny is, I think their 1970 album fits better with the Beach Boys than a lot of what they actually did with the Beach Boys. These are both great, thanks for sharing! Makes me think maybe it would be worthwhile to check out their other output after all. Not just because these both have Beatlesness about them, but because they are just good songs. "Lady" was especially enjoyable.
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Post by kds on Oct 12, 2023 18:02:56 GMT
While I agree with others that its uneven, I voted I'm a Fan because the songs that I like...I really like (Hold On Dear Brother, Leaving This Town, and Sail on Sailor). Hell, even the lesser songs aren't really a bad listen.
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Post by Kapitan on Oct 12, 2023 18:36:43 GMT
bellbottoms - the one thing about their earlier material is, unless I'm misremembering, only the Brother Records self-titled 1970 album is remotely like the tunes I posted (which are from that album). I believe they were mostly a soul band, and often soul and rock and roll covers, before that. (And Blondie only joined shortly before the Brother era.) I think those albums are as The Flame s, as opposed to the Brother album being The Flame. kds - what did you think of the unreleased tunes that made it onto Sail On Sailor, "Hard Time" and "Oh Sweet Something"? I don't recall whether you'd mentioned those in particular before. Or for that matter, the kind-of semi-released "We Got Love" (obviously released on some pressing(s?), but not mostly, though also available live before this).
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Post by kds on Oct 13, 2023 3:15:19 GMT
bellbottoms - the one thing about their earlier material is, unless I'm misremembering, only the Brother Records self-titled 1970 album is remotely like the tunes I posted (which are from that album). I believe they were mostly a soul band, and often soul and rock and roll covers, before that. (And Blondie only joined shortly before the Brother era.) I think those albums are as The Flame s, as opposed to the Brother album being The Flame. kds - what did you think of the unreleased tunes that made it onto Sail On Sailor, "Hard Time" and "Oh Sweet Something"? I don't recall whether you'd mentioned those in particular before. Or for that matter, the kind-of semi-released "We Got Love" (obviously released on some pressing(s?), but not mostly, though also available live before this). I do like Hard Time. I probably need to listen to SOS a little more. To be honest, I can't place Oh Sweet Something. I've always though We Got Love would be a great fit for Holland. I'd actually swap out Funky Pretty for it.
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