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Post by jk on Jan 25, 2024 22:10:21 GMT
Going against the grain here but my vote goes to "California Saga: California", which I heard when it was released as a single in 1973.
I heard "ASL" three decades later when I bought the album as part of the twofer with LDC. I'd seen American Graffiti in the mid or late 1970s but the song simply didn't register at the time.
As for "CSC", one low squelch on the synth and I was sold!
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Post by kds on Jan 25, 2024 23:54:22 GMT
ASL also perfectly ends my favorite Simpsons episode - Summer of 4 Ft 2, their Season 7 finale which saw the Simpsons go to the beach.
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Post by B.E. on Jan 28, 2024 15:44:46 GMT
I think this will be a pretty easy choice for me as I think one unquestionably checks both the “could” and “should” boxes (and was included in my list) while the other doesn’t (and wasn’t included in my list). I’ll hold off on voting, and revealing my pick, but you can probably guess where I stand. Who knows, though, maybe I’ll be swayed. Well, I certainly wasn't alone in my thinking: "All Summer Long" it is.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 30, 2024 12:41:25 GMT
The winner by a mile in a 7-1 vote is "All Summer Long" over "California Saga: California." ASL will be the #15 seed in the real bracket.
I will post our next matchup later this morning.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 30, 2024 18:21:23 GMT
Play-in Matchup #3: Livin’ With a Heartache v. Runaway (Live)
Play-in round for the 14th seed in the tournament bracket proper features the 1980 song "Livin' With a Heartache" and the 1965/1982 (see more below on that...) live recording of the song "Runaway." The former was a single, the latter was not, and neither was a hit for the Beach Boys. But some of us feel they should have been Top 25 hits, and so let's metaphorically duke out which was more deserving.
14) “Livin’ With a Heartache,” written by Carl Wilson and Randy Bachman, was released as a single: it was the band’s second of the 1980s, released in May 1980 and backed with “Santa Ana Winds.” The single mix—posted below—is a full minute shorter than the album version’s 4:06 running time.
One might’ve thought the public would have eaten it up. The week before it was released, Christopher Cross and Kenny Rogers with Kim Carnes were both in the Top 10, while Linda Ronstadt, Charlie Dore, Boz Scaggs, and Dolly Parton were among the other country/soft rock acts in the Top 40. It was a good time for that style of music.
However, “Livin’ With a Heartache” failed to chart, and the group would not release another single for nearly 15 months, when the remix “Beach Boys Medley” came out in July 1981. That said, two BBT board members chose it!
19) “Runaway (Live),” written by Del Shannon and Max Crook, was a #1 hit for Del Shannon in 1961. (Sorry for spoiling the surprise for the Hot 100 thread!) The Beach Boys began performing it at least as early as 1963, then in 1965, and again in 1982-83 and 1987-88. However, the song was never recorded in the studio or released as a single.
However, a 1982 version from the 1986 Sunkist-sponsored, Brother-released, mail-order compilation/tour companion album 25 Years of Good Vibrations, and a 1965 Chicago performance appeared on Made in California (2013) and the copyright extension Live in Chicago 1965 (2015).
Two BBT board members chose this song, though admittedly without specifying which version. I’ve included both, and will let you choose for yourself. Maybe that’s not quite kosher, but I think we can deal with it.
1965:
1982:
This poll will be live until midnight, Friday, Feb. 2, so you’ll have the rest of today and all day Wednesday and Thursday for discussion and voting.
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Post by jk on Jan 30, 2024 20:18:23 GMT
Play-in Matchup #3: Livin’ With a Heartache v. Runaway (Live) I'm one of the two posters who submitted "Runaway" -- and never expected it to make the grade! "Runaway" was the song that turned my pre-teen conception of pop music on its head: “So you could do this too!” I look forward to its arrival, courtesy of Del Shannon (an unlikely pop hero if ever there was one), in the "Hot 100" thread. Al nails it on both BB occasions, although I prefer the less polished 1965 version. "'Livin' With A Heartache" meant nothing to me, so I gave it a quick listen and didn't recognize it or particularly like it. So, Al's "Runaway" gets my vote.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jan 30, 2024 21:23:36 GMT
Another tough one, and for me, a little complicated.
I love the song, "Runaway". Never get tired of hearing Del Shannon's original version on oldies' stations. I also like live versions of "Runaway", including Del's versions, because the song rocks! I like all of The Beach Boys' live versions a lot, too. However, I think they all just miss the mark, if just barely. Al's vocals are fine, they're inspired, but they aren't his best. The tracks move, they rock in places, too. It's mostly a a "guitar" song except for the excellent bridge. And, I especially like the background vocal arrangements, especially on the 1986 version. But, all of that being said, I wish they would've recorded (and/or released) a studio version of "Runaway". The audio/sonic quality of the live tracks is slightly buried/distorted/blurred, as are the background vocals. I would've like to have heard a full-blown Brian Wilson production from 1965, or a Bruce Johnston/group production from 1982. I would've appreciated hearing more of a separation of the instruments and a "perfect" Al vocal, who was singing especially well in both 1965 and 1982. Would've it been a hit? Hey, everything Brian and the guys were recording/releasing in 1965 was a hit. If "Do You Wanna Dance" could be a hit, why wouldn't have "Runaway"? I'm not so sure about 1982. Yes, "Come Go With Me" proved everybody wrong in 1981-1982, but I don't know about that live version of "Runway". Again, maybe a more polished studio version...
I gave very serious consideration to "Livin' With A Heartache". I think it's an excellent song and one of Carl Wilson's best lead vocals ever. It's not especially Beach Boyish; maybe that's why I like it so much. Despite the album title Keepin' The Summer Alive and Carl's title track, I felt that Carl was trying to stretch out, do something adult, something mature with "Livin' With A Heartache" - and I think he achieved it. It certainly sounded different with the guitars and the country-rock feel. Do I think it should've been a better/higher single? That's hard to answer. The song didn't chart so, yes, I think it should've at least charted. I do think it was slightly repetitive, which might be one reason the album track was edited by a full minute. I don't know what to say! I love the song but I don't think it could find a home as a 45 or on the radio. Maybe - maybe - it could've found a niche on FM radio but FM radio was not receptive to Beach Boys' music in 1980.
How about a tie? This isn't fair. My least liked of the three songs is the 1965 live version of "Runaway", but if it would've been released in 1965 - in addition to or replacing another single - it probably would've been successful because of the roll the band was on. You know how the music world worked/works. When a group is hot like the Beach Boys were in 1965, almost anything they released was gonna sell. So, I guess my vote is reluctantly the 1965 live version of "Runaway".
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Post by lonelysummer on Jan 31, 2024 4:19:11 GMT
Runaway was a nice surprise in the 1983 concerts. Especially Brian singing with Al - and dancing! (yeah, you know the video...cue it up) I can't really see that being a hit single in 1982/83, though. In the 60's? Why bother with a cover tune, Barbara Ann, when you've got dozens of great Wilson/Love tunes to choose from?
Livin' With a Heartache should have been a strong AC hit. It would fit in nicely with Christopher Cross and other stuff that was popular in the early 80's. For that matter, Goin' On should have done a lot better as a single, too. So I have to wonder how much promotional muscle Caribou put behind KTSA?
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Post by kds on Jan 31, 2024 4:36:14 GMT
While I like the cover of Runaway, I'm not sure how I feel about a live cover as a potential hit single.
And Livin with a Heartache does have that late 70s / early 80s Yacht Rock feel, a genre I think The Beach Boys could've leaning into more at that time. So, that gets my vote.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 31, 2024 13:21:11 GMT
I really like the song "Runaway," and I like Al's voice as the lead for it. But honestly I'm not a big fan of live songs as singles, and they don't have a great track record of being hits. (I'm not saying there aren'tany: "Rock n Roll All Nite," "I Want You To Want Me," "Baby, I Love Your Way," and a pretty big bunch from the MTV Unplugged era. But in the grand scheme of things, not a lot.) When I listen, I just keep wondering how a studio version might have sounded. Maybe in the hits era, maybe in the Wild Honey era, maybe in Al's productive early '70s period, maybe when the '82 live version was actually released...
But my choice is "Livin With a Heartache," which makes sense in part because I was one of those two people who nominated it. I don't overrate it, I don't think: it's not an obvious, sure-fire hit. But for the reasons I spelled out in the intro post for this matchup, it just seems like the time was right for it.
And if I don't think it's a great song, I do think it's a good, and catchy, song. Carl does sound great. Had this been on his debut solo album, it would have been one of the top couple of songs on it for sure (though I'd rather things worked the other way, and his better solo songs had been Beach Boys songs, with the guys' vocals).
"Runaway" is the better song, but to my ears, "Livin With a Heartache" as we have it is the more likely hit single.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Feb 1, 2024 2:09:41 GMT
I just checked Wikipedia and saw that, in 1980, "Goin' On"/"Endless Harmony" peaked at #83 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and as was mentioned above, "Livin' With A Heartache"/"Santa Ana Winds" didn't chart at all. The question is...why? Or maybe why not? The group made some noise in 1979 with "Good Timin'" and "Here Comes The Night", an outstanding appearance on The Midnight Special, and a song from a movie soundtrack ("It's A Beautiful Day"). And look at 1980. They performed at a large concert in Knebworth, and then played to over 500,000 people at The National Mall in Washington, D.C. They made another national TV appearance on Fridays, even performing "Goin' On". I'll also add that even though he wasn't the most active band member, Brian Wilson was present for much of 1980. Not only did the Keepin' The Summer Alive album stiff but so did the two singles. What went wrong? Those were two good singles. And then to rub salt in the wounds, in 1981, "The Beach Boys Medley" goes to #12 and "Come Go With Me" goes to #18. The record buying/listening public were just not interested in new Beach Boys music in the 1977-1980 years. It must've been terribly frustrating. Who can I blame?
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Post by B.E. on Feb 1, 2024 3:31:30 GMT
…then to rub salt in the wounds, in 1981, "The Beach Boys Medley" goes to #12 and "Come Go With Me" goes to #18. The record buying/listening public were just not interested in new Beach Boys music in the 1977-1980 years. It must've been terribly frustrating. Which is why “Runaway” as a single circa 1982 is so intriguing. I think it’s the sort of song that could be a hit numerous times over and it fits the Beach Boys perfectly. At a time when the group was struggling both live and in the studio, that live version is surprisingly good. (I also think a sweetened version could have been quite good, and a hit, in 1965.) ”Runaway” gets my vote.
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Emdeeh
Pacific Coast Highway
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Post by Emdeeh on Feb 1, 2024 4:15:46 GMT
The record buying/listening public were just not interested in new Beach Boys music in the 1977-1980 years. It must've been terribly frustrating. Who can I blame? Part of the problem was radio programmers at the time having difficulty how to classify the BBs' singles. Local stations were being bought up by coorporate interests, which programmed the same songs on all their stations throught the US. Radio formats were being locked in at the same time. The BBs' singles didn't really fit the classic rock format (album-oriented) any more, the closest format for them seemed to be adult contemporary. I don't know about the rest of the country, but the greater metro Atlanta area didn't seem to support that format strongly at the time. I heard "Goin' On" and "Good Timin'" played briefly on the air (a week at best), and then they disappeared.
I voted for an Al lead over a Carl lead this time, for "Runaway." I like "Livin' with a Heartache," with its country-lite vibe and Carl's acrobatic singing. But I think "Runaway" is such a solid performance.
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Post by The Cincinnati Kid on Feb 1, 2024 18:33:04 GMT
Livin' With a Heartache gets my vote. Runaway is a better song, but I don't see a world where the 1986 version would be a hit. The 1965 version isn't as good, but probably would have charted if they released it as a single. Livin' With a Heartache fits right in with the top hits of the time, imo.
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Post by Kapitan on Feb 2, 2024 12:36:45 GMT
"Runaway" is our winner in a tight race 4-3, over "Livin With a Heartache." I thought things were leaning slightly the other way, but obviously not! So "Runaway" will advance into our main tournament.
I'll post our next--and last--preliminary/play-in matchup a little later today. Thanks for participating!
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