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Post by kds on Jul 7, 2022 12:45:44 GMT
Happy Birthday to Blondie Chaplin, former Beach Boy and current Brian Wilson touring mate, who turns 71 today.
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Emdeeh
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 520
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Post by Emdeeh on Jul 7, 2022 13:40:15 GMT
Happy birthday, Blondie!
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 7, 2022 14:41:59 GMT
A happy birthday to a very talented, and one could argue under-used, Beach Boy. And "only" 71? I didn't realize he was so much younger than the others. Amazing that he'd already been five years or so into his music career when he joined the Beach Boys, yet was only about 20 at that point!
I know the style he and Ricky Fataar brought to the group isn't to everyone's taste, but I, for one, would have loved to see it carry on through the '70s, at least. No, it didn't always necessarily fit to what the band had become famous for, but they didn't really stick to that old sound anyway (and he proved he was more than capable of carrying a heavy load on that stuff, too, during his time with the band on the road).
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Post by kds on Jul 7, 2022 14:47:18 GMT
A happy birthday to a very talented, and one could argue under-used, Beach Boy. And "only" 71? I didn't realize he was so much younger than the others. Amazing that he'd already been five years or so into his music career when he joined the Beach Boys, yet was only about 20 at that point!
I know the style he and Ricky Fataar brought to the group isn't to everyone's taste, but I, for one, would have loved to see it carry on through the '70s, at least. No, it didn't always necessarily fit to what the band had become famous for, but they didn't really stick to that old sound anyway (and he proved he was more than capable of carrying a heavy load on that stuff, too, during his time with the band on the road).
Yeah, I actually didn't realize he was so young. I've always liked what he and Ricky brought to the band, and I agree it would've been interesting to see what might've happened had The Beach Boys carried on with that lineup.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 7, 2022 14:56:31 GMT
I think their styles fit relatively well with Carl's and Dennis's styles, and those two were a big part of the band through the '70s (though to different degrees on different albums). I think Al could have found his fit with them, too. Frankly, it's Brian whose music probably fit the most awkwardly in terms of songwriting ... but in terms of performance, I think of things like "Marcella" and "Mess of Help" especially as strong fits. And let's be serious, Brian wasn't exactly providing a lot of top-shelf stuff in the '70s anyway.
POB meets CATP/Holland seems to me a pretty reasonable expectation of what would follow, probably getting cleaner in an LA kind of way over time. And that's a pretty cool band to imagine.
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Post by kds on Jul 7, 2022 15:01:41 GMT
I think their styles fit relatively well with Carl's and Dennis's styles, and those two were a big part of the band through the '70s (though to different degrees on different albums). I think Al could have found his fit with them, too. Frankly, it's Brian whose music probably fit the most awkwardly in terms of songwriting ... but in terms of performance, I think of things like "Marcella" and "Mess of Help" especially as strong fits. And let's be serious, Brian wasn't exactly providing a lot of top-shelf stuff in the '70s anyway.
POB meets CATP/Holland seems to me a pretty reasonable expectation of what would follow, probably getting cleaner in an LA kind of way over time. And that's a pretty cool band to imagine.
I agree with all points. And considering Brian wasn't really contributing much during this era, I think Blondie and Ricky's contributions really filled that void extremely well. I don't feel like Ricky and Blondie blended with The Beach Boys that well on CATP, but did much more so on Holland. So, it's a shame to me that that version of the band wasn't allowed to continue to grow.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jul 7, 2022 21:50:18 GMT
Yes, Happy 71st Birthday to Terrence William "Blondie" Chaplin, ex-Rolling Stone!
I always thought it was strange the way Brian utilized Blondie in concert, with Blondie coming on stage (and then leaving again) way late in the show. I could see them doing that when Blondie first joined the act, just to see how it might work. But, Blondie's been with Brian how many years now. I think he's earned the right to play the whole set! Couldn't they have scattered "Sail On Sailor", "Wild Honey", "Feel Flows", and maybe "Long Promised Road" throughout the set. Maybe they felt Blondie (and those songs) would blow Brian away.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 7, 2022 21:57:38 GMT
I always thought it was strange the way Brian utilized Blondie in concert, with Blondie's coming on stage (and then leaving again) way late in the show. I could see them doing that when Blondie first joined the act, just to see how it might work. But, Blondie's been with Brian how many years now. I think he's earned the right to play the whole set! Couldn't they have scattered "Sail On Sailor", "Wild Honey", "Feel Flows", and maybe "Long Promised Road" throughout the set. Maybe they felt Blondie (and those songs) would blow Brian away. I could not agree more, and actually wondered if it was that Blondie didn't want to do the whole show for some reason. This might sound stupid, but is it a money thing? For $X, you only get half a dozen songs?
If anyone knows why they do it that way, I'd certainly be grateful for the information. Because as Sheriff John Stone says, it's very odd ... and it's been happening that way now for what, five or six years?
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Post by kds on Jul 8, 2022 0:56:53 GMT
Seven years now. It started with the NPP Tour in 2015. I said back then that they should use Blondie's presence to do more 1972-73 era songs.
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Post by carllove on Jul 8, 2022 2:19:13 GMT
Blondie’s performance was my favorite part of the concert and just like that - it was over. I could have watched him all night.
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Post by jk on Jul 7, 2023 19:21:04 GMT
Happy 72nd birthday to Terence "Blondie" Chaplin!!
Is this his finest hour with the Boys?
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 7, 2023 20:21:11 GMT
Happy 72nd birthday to Terence "Blondie" Chaplin!! Is this his finest hour with the Boys? Happy birthday to the man, but for my money, nope, it's not his finest hour with the group. Vocally, that would be "Hold On, Dear Brother." I might even prefer "Leaving This Town" to it, if it were just a little shorter. I'm just not that big a fan of "Sail On Sailor."
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Post by kds on Jul 8, 2023 1:02:03 GMT
I love Sail on Sailor, but not so sure it's Blondie's finest hour. Most well known, probably. But, vocally, I'd take Hold On Dear Brother.
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Post by jk on Jul 8, 2023 9:45:44 GMT
To each their own, of course. I have a soft spot for "SOS", having heard it on the radio when it was released as a single in early 1973. I never knew it was Blondie singing it (I'd never heard of Blondie, period) until the new millennium.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jul 8, 2023 12:34:41 GMT
After all these years, I'm still not sure where I stand with the contributions of Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar to The Beach Boys. One thing I'm sure of - those two are among, if not the best musicians that ever played with the band. Great musicians.
But, they did contribute to a sound, both instrumentally and vocally, that was different. No doubt about that. I'm just ambivalent as to whether it was good for the group. I did like the energy. I like(d) electric guitars, so it was nice to hear those instruments in the mix, especially after the lack of rock & roll on Sunflower and Surf's Up. I guess Blondie and Ricky added some coolness to the group, though that was never a priority. The music took precedence.
Their songs? I find them underwhelming. Long and plodding at times. Very un-Beach Boys-like. I would've preferred songs by the other Beach Boys. And I'm not a fan of the vocals either. Yes, it's been said a million times but I would've preferred a Carl or Dennis or Brian lead vocal on "Sail On Sailor". I think a Carl Wilson lead vocal would've propelled "Sail On Sailor" from a minor hit to a bigger hit single (though I think the lyrics ultimately doomed it).
All of that being said, I'm glad Blondie was able to mend some fences and return to the Beach Boys' family, albeit in the solo Brian's band. I really enjoyed his mini-sets. His musicianship, singing, and energy was a highlight of the shows for me. And, I'd love to see him back in the Beach Boys' band, though there is little to no chance of that happening. As was mentioned above, he's only 72 years old.
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