Barco
Denny's Drums
Posts: 41
Likes: 72
|
Post by Barco on Jun 21, 2023 3:43:00 GMT
Just finished my third listen of Love You now. So far my opinions are mixed, I should say. While there are some songs and sounds I can dig, there are a lot of weird things going on. Brian's lyrics are, I don't know, regressed? Some of them feel either really creepy or extremely childish if you are aware of the writer's age. This would obviously be more broadly acceptable if this album was written and recorded by really young men as opposed to grown adults. I can't say where I stand on the matter because at the same time it's constantly weird and mad, some of it is pretty charming. Knowing what I know about Brian Wilson's story and mental state at the time, however, it makes total sense that he would come to write material like this. Some quick thoughts:
Roller Skating Child - pretty infectious and has a couple of funny one liners Mona - an old favorite of mine, the only song I knew before those three listens Good Time - one I liked, the synths sound great Ding Dang - what? Solar System - charming, but it drags. could've been so much better if it ran shorter. Say about half its original length The Night Was So Young - sounds like something that could be on SS or Friends. I like it. I Wanna Pick You Up - God noOverall, I think it's OK. Not great, not atrocious. Most likely I'll not go back to this record once this top 10 is over, though. Keep listening, brother! You're on your way. That's 4 1/2 out of 7 that you already like, and I don't see "Honkin' Down The Highway", "I'll Bet He's Nice" or "Airplane" on your list...yet. Maybe... but it's not looking like it! After a couple more listens, I guess my thing with Love You is that while I don't particularly dislike the majority of its songs, I don't love or care for a lot of the material either. Sure, there are some nice songs and moments on the album. Enough to have me going back to it like I do some of their albums, though? Too early to tell for sure, but I don't think so at the moment.
|
|
|
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jun 21, 2023 11:31:42 GMT
B.E. was absolutely correct by designating the Love You songs as being from 1977. That's when the album was finished and released. That's how the songs should be...dated. However, I just wanted to make a point that 1976 was an unbelievably prolific year, songwriting-wise, for Brian Wilson. He started the year by writing some songs for 15 Big Ones, then he wrote a bunch of songs that didn't make it onto an album, and he closed out 1976 by writing the Love You album. That's a lot of music. Somewhere out there is a master list of all the songs that Brian wrote (and produced) in 1976, and there weren't many years when he wrote more.
|
|
|
Post by Kapitan on Jun 21, 2023 11:59:08 GMT
B.E. was absolutely correct by designating the Love You songs as being from 1977. That's when the album was finished and released. That's how the songs should be...dated. However, I just wanted to make a point that 1976 was an unbelievably prolific year, songwriting-wise, for Brian Wilson. He started the year by writing some songs for 15 Big Ones, then he wrote a bunch of songs that didn't make it onto an album, and he closed out 1976 by writing the Love You album. That's a lot of music. Somewhere out there is a master list of all the songs that Brian wrote (and produced) in 1976, and there weren't many years when he wrote more. To some extent, that would be because of Dr. Landy making him write songs as part of his treatment. But regardless of the division between personal motivation, the inspiration, the band pressure, and the homework aspects, it worked. He did get busy. Didn't really write a lot of hits, but he wrote.
|
|
|
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jun 21, 2023 20:25:03 GMT
This is a list of some of the songs that Brian Wilson wrote and/or produced in 1976. I included the oldies because Brian did expend some time, effort, and creativity in working on those songs.
- Palisades Park - Blueberry Hill - Sea Cruise - On Broadway - In The Still Of The Night - Mony, Mony - Rock And Roll Music - Just Once In My Life - A Casual Look
- Chapel Of Love - TM Song - Talk To Me - It's OK
- Had To Phone Ya - Running Bear - Shake, Rattle And Roll - Secret Love
- Peggy Sue - Michael Row The Boat Ashore - Let's Dance - That Same Song - Short Skirts - Back Home - Clangin' - Ruby Baby - Hey Little Tomboy - Marilyn Rovell - My Diane
- Sherry She Needs Me (vocals only) - That Special Feeling - Hey There Momma - We Gotta Groove
- You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' - Lazy Lizzie - 11th Bar Blues
- Honkin' Down The Highway - I Wanna Pick You Up - Mona - Solar System - Let Us Go On This Way - Love Is A Woman - Roller Skating Child - Johnny Carson - Airplane - The Night Was So Young - I'll Bet He's Nice - Let's Put Our Hearts Together - Ding Dang
|
|
|
Post by lonelysummer on Jun 22, 2023 1:49:22 GMT
This is a list of some of the songs that Brian Wilson wrote and/or produced in 1976. I included the oldies because Brian did expend some time, effort, and creativity in working on those songs.
- Palisades Park - Blueberry Hill - Sea Cruise - On Broadway - In The Still Of The Night - Mony, Mony - Rock And Roll Music - Just Once In My Life - A Casual Look
- Chapel Of Love - TM Song - Talk To Me - It's OK
- Had To Phone Ya - Running Bear - Shake, Rattle And Roll - Secret Love
- Peggy Sue - Michael Row The Boat Ashore - Let's Dance - That Same Song - Short Skirts - Back Home - Clangin' - Ruby Baby - Hey Little Tomboy - Marilyn Rovell - My Diane
- Sherry She Needs Me (vocals only) - That Special Feeling - Hey There Momma - We Gotta Groove
- You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' - Lazy Lizzie - 11th Bar Blues
- Honkin' Down The Highway - I Wanna Pick You Up - Mona - Solar System - Let Us Go On This Way - Love Is A Woman - Roller Skating Child - Johnny Carson - Airplane - The Night Was So Young - I'll Bet He's Nice - Let's Put Our Hearts Together - Ding Dang
He was supposed to be working, right? That was part of the program of rehabilitation. Well, they certainly got Brian working. I'll let others debate the results.
|
|
|
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jun 22, 2023 11:40:47 GMT
I think Landy's "making" Brian write songs occurred early in the treatment, sometime during the "throwing a bucket of cold water on Brian to get him out of bed" period. From what I read somewhere (and I don't remember the source so I can't quote it), yes, it was more music therapy and less serious songwriting. It was Brian playing along, regurgitating old melodies and chord patterns from his past which he was simply revisiting. Landy didn't have a clue.
I always viewed Brian's motivation for his 1976 songwriting and producing as threefold. First, for reasons that have been explored and debated in depth, the group, The Beach Boys, "turned to" to Brian to have him write hit singles and produce a great album for them. It had been three years since Holland, the band was extremely busy touring, and with the overwhelming success of Endless Summer/Spirit Of America there was pressure to release something new. The second reason is very similar to the first. The Beach Boys' record company, Reprise, again seeing the effects of Endless Summer/Spirit Of America, wanted the same thing. And the third reason? Yes, I think Brian Wilson felt some pressure from Dr. Landy, his family, The Beach Boys, the record company, the fans (?), and probably some self-imposed pressure. However, I also think that Brian himself wanted to get healthy again, wanted to do the music thing again, wanted to make people happy again. No, of course he didn't want the pressures that went along with all of that. Been there done that. How'd that work out? But, when it comes right down to it, Brian Wilson = music. That's who he was/is. That's all he knew. That's all he did.
When you think about it, other than Brian's mental/physical condition (and that's significant, I'm not overlooking it), it had always been that way. All of those reasons, all of those motivations I listed above, were always there. Yes, for a few years in the mid-1960s, Brian was certainly more competitive and driven, but he was faced with the same pressures. 1976 wasn't much different than most of Brian's Beach Boys' career. The bottom line? How good were the new songs? How good was the production? How does it rate next to his other work? It's a matter of opinion. I love the stuff. Flawed? Hell yeah. But, to me, it's still Brian. Very Brian. A different Brian? Yes, again. But he was always changing. This was just...another Brian.
|
|
|
Post by Kapitan on Jun 22, 2023 12:11:15 GMT
Let's not forget another reason: Brian said himself in interviews at the time, he wanted to get to work to make some money.
|
|
|
Post by Kapitan on Jun 23, 2023 11:43:37 GMT
These were my votes, subject to some slight adjustment in the waning moments but stable so far:
Rock and Roll Music It's OK Susie Cincinnati Back Home Mona Johnny Carson Good Time Solar System The Night Was So Young I'll Bet He's Nice
|
|
|
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jun 23, 2023 12:24:29 GMT
This was Brian in November 1976, right around the time he wrote/recorded Love You:
|
|
|
Post by kds on Jun 23, 2023 13:01:51 GMT
I'm glad to see Mona getting some love here. As I recall on some of the bigger BB Forums I've been on over the years, even amongst LY fans, that song never really seemed to have a lot of fans.
|
|
|
Post by lonelysummer on Jun 24, 2023 1:52:37 GMT
I'm glad to see Mona getting some love here. As I recall on some of the bigger BB Forums I've been on over the years, even amongst LY fans, that song never really seemed to have a lot of fans. I'm not a big fan of Mona. There's not much too it - just verse after verse, no chorus, no middle eight. I first heard it on a UK ep, paired with Rock and Roll Music, Marcella, and Sail on Sailor.
|
|
|
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jun 24, 2023 3:01:35 GMT
I'm glad to see Mona getting some love here. As I recall on some of the bigger BB Forums I've been on over the years, even amongst LY fans, that song never really seemed to have a lot of fans. I'm not a big fan of Mona. There's not much too it - just verse after verse, no chorus, no middle eight. I first heard it on a UK ep, paired with Rock and Roll Music, Marcella, and Sail on Sailor. I like "Mona" a lot, but it's not one of my favorite Love You songs. I wish you could hear the individual instruments more in the mix, especially the sax. Does anybody know a Mona?
|
|
|
Post by Kapitan on Jun 24, 2023 12:09:54 GMT
I'm not a big fan of Mona. There's not much too it - just verse after verse, no chorus, no middle eight. I first heard it on a UK ep, paired with Rock and Roll Music, Marcella, and Sail on Sailor. I like "Mona" a lot, but it's not one of my favorite Love You songs. I wish you could hear the individual instruments more in the mix, especially the sax. Does anybody know a Mona? No, but it was a relatively common name up until the 60s. For that matter, I don't know a Rhonda, either--I've only known one in my life. While they were around when I was a kid, you don't bump into a lot of Wendys. You don't run into many Sherrys nowadays. Or Susies. Rubys. Lizzies. Marilyns. Somebody making music now would probably be saying Olivia, Hannah, Emma, Ava... And those were all old-lady names when I was a kid.
|
|
|
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jun 24, 2023 12:24:28 GMT
I like "Mona" a lot, but it's not one of my favorite Love You songs. I wish you could hear the individual instruments more in the mix, especially the sax. Does anybody know a Mona? No, but it was a relatively common name up until the 60s. For that matter, I don't know a Rhonda, either--I've only known one in my life. While they were around when I was a kid, you don't bump into a lot of Wendys. You don't run into many Sherrys nowadays. Or Susies. Rubys. Lizzies. Marilyns. Somebody making music now would probably be saying Olivia, Hannah, Emma, Ava... And those were all old-lady names when I was a kid.
|
|
|
Post by kds on Jun 24, 2023 13:29:13 GMT
I'm glad to see Mona getting some love here. As I recall on some of the bigger BB Forums I've been on over the years, even amongst LY fans, that song never really seemed to have a lot of fans. I'm not a big fan of Mona. There's not much too it - just verse after verse, no chorus, no middle eight. I first heard it on a UK ep, paired with Rock and Roll Music, Marcella, and Sail on Sailor. I don't think it really needed a lot.
|
|