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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 20, 2019 18:02:42 GMT
Do you remember what it was? Do you remember the actual purchase? What was your reaction when you played it - happy, disappointed, what you expected, NOT what you expected? Do you have a sentimental or soft spot for it?
The first new Beach Boys' studio album that I purchased was 15 Big Ones. I became a Beach Boys' fan in 1975 when my sister bought Endless Summer and when my high school buddy played that and Spirit Of America in the car EVERY DAY on the way to school. And I remember the summer of 1976 well. It started out with "Silly Love Songs" by Paul McCartney, "Sara Smile" by Hall & Oates, "Love Hangover" by Diana Ross, "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen, and "Shannon" by Henry Gross - but NO Beach Boys. As usual, the timing of the new album was off with 15 Big Ones only being released, in my opinion too late, on July 5, 1976.
We all know the story of 15 Big Ones and needless to say, there were several WTF moments when I dropped the needle for the first time. Well, the album sounded good; it was nice and crisp. It was long; there was plenty of music. Even though the front album cover was a disaster with those horrible photos, the artwork was extensive with plenty of older photos on the inside, and a detailed list of the musicians per track on the back cover.
Needless to say I played 15 Big Ones continuously. At first I was patient and would try to play it all the way through. Eventually I did some strategic lifting and moving of the needle. I always liked the first side with the exception of "Talk To Me"; I still don't care for it. I even liked "Everyone's In Love With You"; I thought it was nice ballad and I really liked Toni Tennille's cameo vocal on the song (the Captain & Tennille were huge in 1976). Side 2 came out firing, but I do remember around "A Casual Look" and "Blueberry Hill" moving the needle to "Back Home". Sometimes I would play the last two songs, sometimes not, depending on time and mood.
Ultimately, yes, I would say that I was disappointed. I mean, I was coming off Endless Summer, Spirit of America, and another 40 Greatest Hits comp I purchased. 15 Big Ones didn't stand a chance. I then had to do my homework to find out what the album was all about. Like I said, it had its share of...questionable...moments. Luckily it would only be less than a year before the next new BB album, Love You, came out. Yes, I have a bit of a sentimental spot for 15 Big Ones. It was new, it was exciting, and there was still hope! A lot of hope. Man, those were the days...
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 20, 2019 18:33:16 GMT
Mine, just slightly more than 20 years after yours, was ... Pet Sounds. It would have been '97 or so, and the first of the end-of-the-millenium lists were coming out. Rated very highly on all the "best albums ever" lists was Pet Sounds, by the band I'd been viciously mocking for years for its cheese ("Kokomo," Full House, Sunkist).
So along with a couple of Dylan albums, the first VU album, and assorted other list-toppers I didn't already have, I got the Pet Sounds CD. One of my main recollections of the earliest listens was realizing that several of these songs I'd always known were weird. Specifically, they weren't performed on guitars, bass, and drums, or even those plus keyboards. Right off the bat there are saxophones, accordions, brass, orchestral percussion along with those complicated vocals. It was much more complex than I knew: all of these songs, I only remembered as melodies, not full arrangements.
I really dug in and adored it, even as I kept mocking everything that came before it. (I didn't know there was anything that came after it until "Kokomo," as I just hadn't been conscious of them.) A couple of years later, I heard of Smile and got the French Smiley Smile with some Smile outtakes. And on it went.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 20, 2019 18:54:33 GMT
Wait I just realized I misunderstood the question: NEW album. If we’re talking studio albums and not comps or box sets, it’s TWGMTR, some 13-15 years after I became a fan and by which time I had dozens of Bb related albums!
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Post by kds on Apr 22, 2019 12:14:57 GMT
TWGMTR. I should've bought it at the beginning of summer 2012 when Target had it on sale for $7. When I saw the Boys in June 2012, I honestly wasn't impressed with the two new songs, so I didn't buy it. But, that summer was pretty much my "Summer of Beach Boys" where I really got into their catalog. So, in mid to late August, I bought it from a local Best Buy just so I'd have the BB album released in 2012 and could say I listened to it for part of the summer of 2012.
Well, I enjoyed it so much that I played it every night for almost two weeks straight. The final four songs in particular really got me. Seven years later, it's still one of my favorites.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 22, 2019 12:39:54 GMT
Wait I just realized I misunderstood the question: NEW album. If we’re talking studio albums and not comps or box sets, it’s TWGMTR, some 13-15 years after I became a fan and by which time I had dozens of Bb related albums! Yes, I was referring to the first NEW studio album after you became a fan. It is rare for a fan to go 13-15 years before purchasing their first new album from a group, but The Beach Boys are an exception in many ways.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 22, 2019 12:47:10 GMT
TWGMTR. I should've bought it at the beginning of summer 2012 when Target had it on sale for $7. When I saw the Boys in June 2012, I honestly wasn't impressed with the two new songs, so I didn't buy it. But, that summer was pretty much my "Summer of Beach Boys" where I really got into their catalog. So, in mid to late August, I bought it from a local Best Buy just so I'd have the BB album released in 2012 and could say I listened to it for part of the summer of 2012. Well, I enjoyed it so much that I played it every night for almost two weeks straight. The final four songs in particular really got me. Seven years later, it's still one of my favorites. I thought you were an older (in years of fandom) fan of the group. What would you consider your first year as a BB fan?
I liked TWGMTR when it came out. I don't play it that much anymore. I'm not sure why; it's solid. While I like that Brian was significantly involved, the album does give off a manufactured vibe, like it was more a job or a project to accomplish something (get an album out in time for a reunion) than really being "of the moment" or a real reunion. That never should've happened; they had enough time to plan/do this thing. I also wish TWGMTR would've been more of a Sunflower-like team effort - spreading the contributions around.
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Post by kds on Apr 22, 2019 13:17:00 GMT
TWGMTR. I should've bought it at the beginning of summer 2012 when Target had it on sale for $7. When I saw the Boys in June 2012, I honestly wasn't impressed with the two new songs, so I didn't buy it. But, that summer was pretty much my "Summer of Beach Boys" where I really got into their catalog. So, in mid to late August, I bought it from a local Best Buy just so I'd have the BB album released in 2012 and could say I listened to it for part of the summer of 2012. Well, I enjoyed it so much that I played it every night for almost two weeks straight. The final four songs in particular really got me. Seven years later, it's still one of my favorites. I thought you were an older (in years of fandom) fan of the group. What would you consider your first year as a BB fan?
I liked TWGMTR when it came out. I don't play it that much anymore. I'm not sure why; it's solid. While I like that Brian was significantly involved, the album does give off a manufactured vibe, like it was more a job or a project to accomplish something (get an album out in time for a reunion) than really being "of the moment" or a real reunion. That never should've happened; they had enough time to plan/do this thing. I also wish TWGMTR would've been more of a Sunflower-like team effort - spreading the contributions around.
I'm still relatively green. I first became a casual BB fan at the age of 25 (2006) when I bought the Sounds of Summer comp. For the next several years, I basically only listened to the BB in the summer months, but when they reunited in 2012, I decided to go see them, knowing it was likely my only chance to see a full BB lineup in person, and that 48 song setlist hooked me. I know the more I listen to TWGMTR, the more I hear the division, but for me, the songs are good enough to overlook.
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Post by The Cincinnati Kid on Apr 25, 2019 1:18:31 GMT
TWGMTR for me. 2012 was when I really got into the band, so I'm probably one of the few people who bought it without being familiar with even some of the moderate hits. Upon my first listen I was somewhat disappointed, From There to Back Again aside, but as the summer went on I listened to it more and more and is now one of my most listened to albums. I still say Spring Vacation should have been the lead single.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 25, 2019 12:17:04 GMT
I still say Spring Vacation should have been the lead single. So there’d be (almost) nowhere to go but up?
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Post by kds on Apr 25, 2019 12:25:42 GMT
TWGMTR for me. 2012 was when I really got into the band, so I'm probably one of the few people who bought it without being familiar with even some of the moderate hits. Upon my first listen I was somewhat disappointed, From There to Back Again aside, but as the summer went on I listened to it more and more and is now one of my most listened to albums. I still say Spring Vacation should have been the lead single. While I've warmed up a little to Spring Vacation in the last seven years, I'm not sure that one was really single worthy. But, then again, that album probably sold on the fact that it was a BB album featuring Brian Wilson for the first time in almost 30 years and the bundles they were selling at the shows.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 25, 2019 12:39:15 GMT
To kds and The Cincinnati Kid, I'm surprised to read that both of your NEW albums was TWGMTR. You're basically newbies!
"Spring Vacation" not only would've been the perfect first single (the lyrics couldn't have been better) but, other than the closing trifecta which is great, "Spring Vacation" is the best song on the album! It's one of those songs that I never understood why more people didn't like it. There are a few of them out there like "Amusement Parks U.S.A.", "Matchpoint Of Our Love", and "Sunshine" from KTSA.
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Post by kds on Apr 25, 2019 12:45:13 GMT
To kds and The Cincinnati Kid, I'm surprised to read that both of your NEW albums was TWGMTR. You're basically newbies!
"Spring Vacation" not only would've been the perfect first single (the lyrics couldn't have been better) but, other than the closing trifecta which is great, "Spring Vacation" is the best song on the album! It's one of those songs that I never understood why more people didn't like it. There are a few of them out there like "Amusement Parks U.S.A.", "Matchpoint Of Our Love", and "Sunshine" from KTSA.
Plus, I'm 38 years old, before TWGMTR, the most recent new BB album was SIP in 1992, and to be honest, I had no idea that album even existed until 2012.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 25, 2019 13:14:03 GMT
Exactly. It was my first, too, and I became a serious fan in the late 90s!
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Post by B.E. on Apr 25, 2019 13:40:11 GMT
In the meantime, did you guys pick up Brian's solo albums? My first (new) Beach Boys related purchases were BWPS, TLOS, and Disney.
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Post by kds on Apr 25, 2019 13:42:20 GMT
To kds and The Cincinnati Kid, I'm surprised to read that both of your NEW albums was TWGMTR. You're basically newbies!
"Spring Vacation" not only would've been the perfect first single (the lyrics couldn't have been better) but, other than the closing trifecta which is great, "Spring Vacation" is the best song on the album! It's one of those songs that I never understood why more people didn't like it. There are a few of them out there like "Amusement Parks U.S.A.", "Matchpoint Of Our Love", and "Sunshine" from KTSA.
I don't really dislike Spring Vacation (I did upon first hearing), but I think I'd rank it somewhere between 10-12 of the 12 tracks (the other two in the bottom quarter being Shelter and Bill and Sue). Beaches in Mind is the one that I don't get the hate for.
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