|
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Oct 30, 2019 13:45:03 GMT
I've been listening to 15 Big Ones repeatedly this week. A few brief comments on the individual songs:
1. Rock And Roll Music - I've accepted it over the years, but I wish they would've kept the deleted verse - Keep on rockin' da piano! 2. It's OK - One of my all-time favorite BB songs. I'm glad Brian included Marilyn in the harmonies. Carl should've sung the tag. 3. Had To Phone Ya - It's grown on me, but Brian's tag is so off-putting. The backing track is genius. 4. Chapel Of Love - Brian's enthusiastic lead vocal overcomes his hoarseness. Those high, falsetto interjections are awkward, though.
5. Everyone's In Love With You - I originally liked it but not as much anymore. I liked it better before I knew who the song was about.
6. Talk To Me - Boring. A poor choice of an oldie. The Tallahassee Lassie segment is great. Two Freddie Cannon songs on one album!
7. That Same Song - This song had more potential. Something's missing. 8. TM Song - A three-part mini-suite! Another song that had more potential. Some of the parts I really like. I'm tired of the argument.
9. Palisades Park - The best oldie. Great backing track. The old Beach Boys! Thought they would've performed it live more. 10. Susie Cincinnati - A head-scratching choice considering it was released. It does rock, though. Should've followed "It's OK" (find a ride).
11. A Casual Look - The album starts to fade. This is an almost good song but never quite gets there.
12. Blueberry Hill - A great song (obviously) but something's wrong with this take - maybe Mike's lead? 13. Back Home - Just a great song. A favorite. Love the appropriate lyrics. The chorus is so catchy. And Mike's "back home, back home". 14. In The Still Of The Night - I love the production but not Dennis' lead. Too many ballads on Side 2; this song should've closed Side 1.
15. Just Once In My Life - Took me awhile to appreciate this one. Brian's vocal is rough but impassioned. The Wall Of Sound - 1976 version.
|
|
|
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Oct 31, 2019 12:20:29 GMT
I love this instrumental track. Brian could still produce and arrange in 1976. I wish he would've continued to work with The Wrecking Crew.
|
|
|
Post by B.E. on Oct 31, 2019 16:50:06 GMT
Which instrument is noodling at that start of "It's OK"? I believe it's the same instrument that is also heard playing a repetitive line during the tag. Anyway, for me, it acts as a precursor to the truly rock 'n' roll killing flute playing on "Everyone's In Love With You". Believe me, I'm a fan of "It's OK", but upon close listening: where's the guitar? why are the organ stabs so low in the mix? What's up with noodling? Give me the sax playing that closes out "TM Song" any day! That's the rock 'n' roll that embodies most of the rest of 15 Big Ones.
In regard to Dennis' "find a ride" vocal, I think it's a much needed infusion of grit and excitement to the track. The bass vocal interjections, throughout, also serve a similar purpose.
Speaking of "Everyone's In Love With You", I appreciate that it has its fans, and I liked it well enough initially, but for me it just hasn't stood up to repeated listens. I've finally started skipping it. It certainly doesn't help that it just doesn't sound like it belongs on 15 Big Ones. Not in the least.
By the way, anyone get any serious 1967-Brian vibes from "TM Song". From the skit, to the prominence of the organ, to the "count in" (for both the inclusion of "studio chatter" and an implied modular approach). We also know Brian became interested in TM around that time. Anyway, just for fun, I cued this up. One made me think of the other, is all.
|
|
|
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Oct 31, 2019 17:28:22 GMT
In regard to Dennis' "find a ride" vocal, I think it's a much needed infusion of grit and excitement to the track. The bass vocal interjections, throughout, also serve a similar purpose. Speaking of "Everyone's In Love With You", I appreciate that it has its fans, and I liked it well enough initially, but for me it just hasn't stood up to repeated listens. I've finally started skipping it. It certainly doesn't help that it just doesn't sound like it belongs on 15 Big Ones. Not in the least. I know it's sacrilegious, and while Dennis's vocal on the tag of "It's OK" is...fine, I would've gone with Carl on that part. The song had single written all over it, and Carl had the more familiar radio voice. Also, Carl is a better singer. And, third, there's not enough Carl on the 15 Big Ones album. I would've used him as much as possible. But I know I'm in the minority. I'm with you on "Everybody's In Love With You". As I noted in my above post, I originally liked the song, but as you pointed out, it hasn't aged well and I, too, will occasionally skip over it. I used to really dig Toni Tennille's part, the melody ain't bad, and I also used to like the lyrics. I thought it was about a nice, attractive girl who everybody liked but she couldn't find the right guy. Then I found out the song was about the Maharishi.
|
|
|
Post by B.E. on Oct 31, 2019 17:49:26 GMT
I know it's sacrilegious, and while Dennis's vocal on the tag of "It's OK" is...fine, I would've gone with Carl on that part. The song had single written all over it, and Carl had the more familiar radio voice. Also, Carl is a better singer. And, third, there's not enough Carl on the 15 Big Ones album. I would've used him as much as possible. But I know I'm in the minority. I agree that "It's OK" could have been more successful if a few minor changes were made, but we'll have to agree to disagree on the rest. I'm with you on "Everybody's In Love With You". As I noted in my above post, I originally liked the song, but as you pointed out, it hasn't aged well and I, too, will occasionally skip over it. I used to really dig Toni Tennille's part, the melody ain't bad, and I also used to like the lyrics. I thought it was about a nice, attractive girl who everybody liked but she couldn't find the right guy. Then I found out the song was about the Maharishi. I wasn't aware it was about the Maharishi at first, either.
|
|
|
Post by Kapitan on Oct 31, 2019 17:53:40 GMT
I think the “find a ride” is fine. Obviously Dennis isn’t as good a singer as, well, anyone else in the band (except, sadly, Brian at that time), but it wasn’t a challenging line, so it’s a good place to use him. I don’t think a different singer on that line would matter much.
|
|
|
Post by B.E. on Oct 31, 2019 18:50:47 GMT
I cannot for the life of me make up my mind about Just Once In My Life. There is something deeply likeable about it, and yet also something kind of disturbing about it. I hadn't really thought about it before, but I think I've always been conflicted as well. Ultimately, I'd brush those feelings aside and rate it highly, but there is something about it that keeps me from enjoying it and praising it to the extent that many other fans seem to. Maybe what's deeply likable about it is 1) the underlying song is great 2) it's a cover by a favorite band 3) it's basically a duet between Carl and Brian (which is rare, isn't it?). So, some combination thereof. Some people might also include the arrangement and the use of new technologies (as you alluded to). For me, I suspect that the arrangement is part of the problem. It's very moog and string heavy. To the point that the backing track sounds a bit "static" to me (I don't know how else to describe it). I think there's something similar going on with the backing track of "Chapel Of Love". Conversely, you've got the more percussive sounding guitar strumming in "Palisades Park" or the bright guitar stabs in "Blueberry Hill". But, I'm not sure. Maybe it's just the vocals are a bit too imperfect in spots. Brian singing "ba-by, ba-by" deserves criticism, but I really enjoy how impassioned the rest of his vocals are. Carl singing "then I'd be left without" @ 1:23 is probably the worst vocal of the entire album. It sounds like he's seriously struggling to get the words out of his mouth.
|
|
|
Post by Kapitan on Oct 31, 2019 19:10:58 GMT
I think Brian is both impassioned and bad vocally there. And it’s no contradiction. It is why I also struggle: it’s the aural equivalent of watching an actor portray a train wreck, like Nic Cage in Leaving Las Vegas or something. But with Brian there, it’s compelling but because it’s real, it’s terrible.
|
|
|
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Oct 31, 2019 19:30:29 GMT
I've struggled with "Just Once In My Life" from Day One. I've come to accept it more these days, but I have to mention that it might have to do with the back story of Brian Wilson at that particular time, 1976.
I have to think that another take might've improved the recording, especially Brian's "ba-by, ba-by" part. But I'm also NOT totally sold on the Carl/Brian duet merits. Later down the road, especially with some of the songs on The Beach Boys (1985) and "California Dreamin'", Carl and Al perfected the trading off of verses and choruses, and I wonder what an Al Jardine vocal replacing Brian's might've done for "Just Once In My Life".
I also question "Just Once In My Life" as the album closer, but I can't seem to settle on what a better one would've been. Maybe "That Same Song".
|
|
|
Post by B.E. on Oct 31, 2019 19:36:55 GMT
especially Brian's "ba-by, ba-by" part.
I know many fans struggle with Dennis' vocals of this era, but I'd have liked it if Dennis sung that part. Then we'd have the 3 brothers singing lead a la "I'll Bet He's Nice".
|
|
|
Post by B.E. on Oct 31, 2019 21:21:41 GMT
A few more thoughts on 15 Big Ones:
I really enjoy Brian's leads on "That Same Song" and "Back Home". The gruffness of his voice doesn't bother me. In fact, I enjoy it. These are fun songs and he performs them accordingly, in a loose, playful style. In "That Same Song" I like how he sings "thing-a" instead of just "thing", that he sings "rock" with more intensity with each pass, and the way he sings "it grew and it grew until it spread like fire". You can practically see the smile on his face @ 1:29 on "because" just after he butchers "m-i-l-e". And, finally, I love the tentative, improvisational "wo-o-a-ah" @ 1:55. Some fans probably hate it, but I think it's charming. They could have easily omitted it from the final mix but they didn't. That's what Brian was going for. There's a lot of that on 15 Big Ones. Think of the backing vocals in "Chapel Of Love" (which I hadn't realized, initially, were adopted from The Ronettes version, regardless...). It's fun, improvisational, and wild. I understand that the performance, particularly Brian's, will be off-putting to some fans, but I like it. And, I like hearing Mike and Al joining in (I think Al is there). Then on "Back Home" we've got Carl's improvisational backing vocals, but here they aren't wild, but soft and breathy. Really strange on its own, in my opinion, but it fits the album. As for Brian's lead, well, I think I'll skip to the end and summarize with a "wooooo! feels okay!"
|
|
|
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Oct 31, 2019 23:40:28 GMT
Yes, Brian's vocals on 15 Big Ones can be enjoyable, which is also strange because his 15 Big Ones and Love You vocals are arguably the worst of his career - not only the worst but HEARTBREAKING in comparison to how great his vocals were just a few years previously. Was there ever a major singer/recording artist who "lost his voice" as seriously and as quickly as Brian Wilson?
It is surprising that Brian was able to make his gruff, hoarse vocals work the way they did on 15 Big Ones because that "voice" was fairly new, and Brian had yet to record or perform live with it. Yet he knew how to use it. In some ways, I like Brian's 15 Big Ones and Love You vocals better than most of his solo years' vocals. His solo years' voice was clearer and stronger, but he didn't sing with the same emotion that he did in 1976.
|
|
|
Post by Kapitan on Oct 31, 2019 23:44:18 GMT
Was there ever a major singer/recording artist who "lost his voice" as seriously and as quickly as Brian Wilson? The closest comparison I can think of is Harry Nilsson--coincidentally right around the same time. From the same things. Sometimes with Brian.
|
|
|
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Oct 31, 2019 23:47:06 GMT
Was there ever a major singer/recording artist who "lost his voice" as seriously and as quickly as Brian Wilson? The closest comparison I can think of is Harry Nilsson--coincidentally right around the same time. From the same things. Sometimes with Brian. ...and at almost the precise time this photo was taken:
|
|
|
Post by lonelysummer on Nov 1, 2019 5:50:04 GMT
lonelysummer how come you didn’t listen to 15 Big Ones until the 2000s? Probably because of the bad reviews. I was buying the albums in order of release so I could hear the progression, but after Holland and The Beach Boys in Concert, I just stopped for a long time. When I got back into buying the remaining albums, I went through them pretty quick. I guess it was partly the thing of "now I finally have them all". And even then, I got replacement copies for some that weren't in great shape. I was still buying vinyl when cd's were all the rage. It was a great time to be a vinyl lover, 90's/00's, except that very little new music was coming out on vinyl. I did get the Sundazed Lost and Found album at some store circa 1995, and that remained the newest BB vinyl in my collection until Getting In Over My Head came out in 2004.
|
|