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Post by Kapitan on Jul 29, 2020 11:49:52 GMT
The album of the week is the Beach Boys' third 1965 studio album, Party!, a mostly covers "live" album that reached the Top 10 in both the US (#6) and the UK (#3) and spawned the hit "Barbara Ann" (US #2, UK #3).
Note: the plan is currently to start new "Album of the Week" threads each Monday going forward.
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Post by kds on Jul 29, 2020 12:19:56 GMT
Party is the Beach Boys album that I tend to find toughest to rank. For what it is, it's pretty good, and can be a fun listen. But, it's also a really weird stop gap between SDSN and Pet Sounds, and if not for Smiley Smile would probably be their worst album of the 1960s.
Plus, some songs tend to go against the "Party" theme with You've Got to Hide Your Love Away, The Times They Are a Changin, and Devoted to You (even if the latter is the best song on the album IMO). No offense to Al, but when he plays The Times They Are a Changin at the "party," I keep waiting to hear Bluto grab his guitar and smash it to bits.
And did we really need another version of Papa Oom Mow Mow? And the making fun of ourselves BB medley is basically Party's version of a "talk track."
Otherwise, Hully Gully, Tell Me Why, I Should've Known Better, and Mountain of Love are pretty good.
Then, there's old Barbara bringing up the rear. It's a fun song. It probably doesn't deserve the status it holds in the BB catalog, but that's that way it goes sometimes.
I can't recall what I've rated Party in the past, but I'll go five.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 29, 2020 13:18:36 GMT
I don't know how I'm going to vote on this one. I never listen to it: I mean never. Of all the studio albums from the beginning up through 85, this has to be the one I listen to the least even though it's better in many ways than several other albums in that span. I just don't much like it, and what I dislike most of all are the fake "party sounds." The concept otherwise--a no-frills, simple arrangements kind of album--is fine with me, not really unlike what they did a couple years later in some ways.
But mostly eschewing vocal harmonies and adding canned laughter, etc., just kills it for me. I'm guessing I'll be voting in the 4 territory, but I might give it a fresh listen first.
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 202
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Post by bellbottoms on Jul 29, 2020 13:42:37 GMT
I’m going 7 for Party. I love it, and when I feel like listening to the Beach Boys but I can’t decide, it’s one of my go-to’s. It’s far from perfect, but that might be a large portion of why I rate it so highly. I consider this version of Papa Oom Mow Mow to be the official one. The self-cover medley is a blast. I’d swap out a Beatles song or two for something from the outtakes (Ruby Baby, Satisfaction). The party sounds are where I dock a few points (especially grating are the “shhhhhhh” when Dennis is singing You’ve Got to Hid Your Love Away, and the audience participation in The Times They are a Changin’) Other than that, this album has a way of unfunking (defunking?) me. It’s an uncomplicated, feel-good, mood lifter, which is all I can ask for with an album such as this.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jul 29, 2020 14:55:35 GMT
Wow, I thought I was going to be the dissenting vote again, and was very surprised to fall in line with kds and Kapitan.
With the exception of Stack 'O Tracks, this is my least listened to Beach Boys' album. Easily. There's several reasons - the track selection, the annoying background talking, the yelling instead of singing at times, and the main reason which is the production/arranging. I do not like or prefer the unplugged sound with The Beach Boys overall, and definitely not for an entire album. They could pull off the acoustic arrangements much better in 1965-66 than any other time in their career because their voices were at their best. In later years it would've been a disaster. I just find the Party music unfulfilling and slightly grating.
I appreciate that they came up with a...different...(humorous?) mix of songs/musical styles, but after "Hully Gully", Alley Oop", and "Papa-Oom-Mow- Mow", I'm starting to head for the door. Even when they try to get serious with Al and Dennis, something sounds a little off. They obliterate the mini-BB medley. I am a fan of "Barbara Ann"; they nailed that, and I don't care if it's overplayed. "Mountain Of Love" is excellent.
On other BB message boards, I have seen Party mostly praised. Is that because it's cool to go acoustic? Is it because it was a change for the group, a unique album? I'll end like I usually do. There might've been ways to salvage this album; it could've been improved. Better songs. Cover a cool BB song ("The Lonely Sea" for instance) A new, original song? Scrap the party noise. More instruments used; maybe a keyboard. More Brian.
A 4.5 but for voting purposes I'm going down to a 4.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jul 29, 2020 15:13:16 GMT
No offense to Al, but when he plays The Times They Are a Changin at the "party," I keep waiting to hear Bluto grab his guitar and smash it to bits.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 29, 2020 15:34:10 GMT
Wow, I thought I was going to be the dissenting vote again, and was very surprised to fall in line with kds and Kapitan.
...
On other BB message boards, I have seen Party mostly praised. Is that because it's cool to go acoustic? Is it because it was a change for the group, a unique album?
On the first point quoted above, remember you're on a smaller and less typical board these days.
And related, on the second point, I have to say the reason is probably simply that Party is usually not praised by critics or fans in general, and so Beach Boy partisans have to champion it. I honestly think it is less about the album itself and more about standing up for Beach Boys fandom/genius/etc. I'd bet that if you gave them the exact same album but they somehow didn't realize whose voices they were hearing, their opinions would be wildly different.
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Post by B.E. on Jul 29, 2020 16:15:06 GMT
Since when is Party praised? I've seen a few people praise it (including myself), but we are few and far between. Most dismiss it, many trash it. It's typically ranked in the bottom third of BBs albums. I'd say KDS, Kapitan, and SJS' take is the prevailing one. Even bellbottom's positive review only warranted a '7', not a '10'. I'd say that's common, too.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jul 29, 2020 16:23:51 GMT
Since when is Party praised? I've seen a few people praise it (including myself), but we are few and far between. Most dismiss it, many trash it. It's typically ranked in the bottom third of BBs albums. I'd say KDS, Kapitan, and SJS' take is the prevailing one. Even bellbottom's positive review only warranted a '7', not a '10'. I'd say that's common, too. I'm not taking a shot at it or singling it out, but on the Smiley Smile forum in the past and on some other boards, Party! has been praised and Brian specifically was given credit for "going back to the basics" before Dylan and The Beatles. Also, when the MTV and VH1 Unplugged series became popular and considered innovative, Brian and the Party! album were sometimes cited as the precursor or definitely one of the first to explore that genre'. While there may be some truth to it, I still don't think Party! is that...enjoyable...especially when compared to the previous BB albums and the next one.
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Post by B.E. on Jul 29, 2020 16:32:17 GMT
I’m going 7 for Party. I love it, and when I feel like listening to the Beach Boys but I can’t decide, it’s one of my go-to’s. That's interesting! Recently, I'd been considering creating a thread like that. Party, specifically, isn't necessarily a go-to, but the early Beach Boys albums, collectively, are. I've had Surfin' USA - Today on my phone for a few years now, so those are most accessible and the ones I choose from, but the same would certainly apply to SDSN and Party (not so much Surfin' Safari due to its production). On a side note: I think it's helped me appreciate the instrumentals more. I'm not always listening closely, sometimes I'm just looking for background music. In that setting, it works. I consider this version of Papa Oom Mow Mow to be the official one. As do I. Sorry, KDS, I needed another version! Other than that, this album has a way of unfunking (defunking?) me. It’s an uncomplicated, feel-good, mood lifter, which is all I can ask for with an album such as this. I totally get where you're coming from. Right on!
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Post by B.E. on Jul 29, 2020 16:41:16 GMT
Since when is Party praised? I've seen a few people praise it (including myself), but we are few and far between. Most dismiss it, many trash it. It's typically ranked in the bottom third of BBs albums. I'd say KDS, Kapitan, and SJS' take is the prevailing one. Even bellbottom's positive review only warranted a '7', not a '10'. I'd say that's common, too. I'm not taking a shot at it or singling it out, but on the Smiley Smile forum in the past and on some other boards, Party! has been praised and Brian specifically was given credit for "going back to the basics" before Dylan and The Beatles. Also, when the MTV and VH1 Unplugged series became popular and considered innovative, Brian and the Party! album were sometimes cited as the precursor or definitely one of the first to explore that genre'. While there may be some truth to it, I still don't think Party! is that...enjoyable...especially when compared to the previous BB albums and the next one. Yeah, I don't doubt that. All fandoms have those fans. The Beatles probably have the most. According to some, the Beatles did everything first. My impression is just based on SSMB since I started reading it in 2013 and also the deleted PSF and EHF. (It's also possible that ( to a degree) our perspectives might be influencing us, too. I love it, so the negativity sticks out. You don't, so the positivity sticks out. Or not.)
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Post by B.E. on Jul 29, 2020 16:46:42 GMT
And the making fun of ourselves BB medley is basically Party's version of a "talk track." This is the only criticism of the album that lands for me. While it fits the theme of the album, I just don't like it. My least favorite song, and only major misstep. If this were replaced by something on par with the better tracks on the album, I'd give this album a 10! As is, I'll round up to a 9.
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Post by kds on Jul 29, 2020 16:48:03 GMT
The only time I really recall a lot of praise showered onto Party was when the expanded Party / Unplugged release came out in 2015. But, that could be because just about every new product / re-release (unless it's a Mike Love album) was often treated like the Holy Grail on some of the forums I used to visit.
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Post by B.E. on Jul 29, 2020 17:04:22 GMT
The only time I really recall a lot of praise showered onto Party was when the expanded Party / Unplugged release came out in 2015. But, that could be because just about every new product / re-release (unless it's a Mike Love album) was often treated like the Holy Grail on some of the forums I used to visit. Yeah, there's usually a ton of hype around most releases, but how often do people return to them? I know that set has its fans, though, because a lot of BBs fans cite the party sound effects as a major criticism of the original album. Personally, I like Party as it is, so I've never given a proper listen to the expanded version. I've skimmed it. Some interesting cover choices, but seems like a bunch of scraps for the most part. I think they put the best bits on the album.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 29, 2020 17:09:34 GMT
(It's also possible that ( to a degree) our perspectives might be influencing us, too. It's not possible, it's 100% guaranteed. If there is one thing humans are great at, it's finding the flaws, motivations, poor reasoning, etc., in others while assuming each of us is objective!
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