jmayer43
Denny's Drums
Posts: 58
Likes: 32
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Post by jmayer43 on May 1, 2024 14:37:58 GMT
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Post by Kapitan on May 1, 2024 14:54:51 GMT
While I know it has its defenders, I am very lukewarm on MIU Album. A few of the songs are pretty good, a few are OK, and some of it is dreck (especially lyrically, not that the Beach Boys are the greatest lyricists of all time even with their best work).
The lack of Carl and Dennis is noticeable. Even when I don't love their "progressive" music, I think it would have been better at the time than more covers or, sad semi-remakes like "Kona Coast," and frankly, Love's lyrics in things like "Belles of Paris," "Pitter Patter" and "Match Point..." (I'll avoid referencing "Winds of Change" other than to mention I'm avoiding referencing it.)
But there are some nice vocals at times. And as I said, I think some of the songs are OK to pretty good. Not a single classic in the bunch, though, in my opinion. (I know "My Diane" has its supporters in that respect. I disagree.)
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Post by kds on May 1, 2024 16:22:05 GMT
While this probably isn't saying much, I think MIU is better than its reputation. I really enjoy Sweet Sunday Kinda Love, My Diane, Pitter Patter, and the somewhat polarizing Winds of Change. Though I much prefer the Christmas versions of Belles of Paris and Kona Coast.
I think Kap's probably right though that there really aren't any "classics" on the album, but I think that's a theme on most of the post Holland albums.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on May 1, 2024 20:08:12 GMT
I'm a fan of M.I.U. Album. I wouldn't say it's a favorite by any means, but I appreciate it for what it is...and isn't. The vocals were cleaned up (especially Brian's), the subject matter of the songs (other than "Hey Little Tomboy  ) is fairly Beach Boyish, and the oldies are good (I think "Peggy Sue" might be Al's best lead vocal ever). Yes, the album is lacking an all-timer or two, but some of the songs have a lot of merit. Brian wasn't as involved as he was with 15 Big Ones and Love You, but I think he was involved enough. I can feel his presence. And, there are very few embarrassing moments on the album. I guess that's an odd compliment but considering some of the Beach Boys' later stuff...
My biggest disappointment with M.I.U. Album has always been the lack of songs/music. 15 Big Ones had 15 tracks, Love You had 14, and M.I.U. Album dipped to just 12. And I can feel the difference. For as much as they recorded at M.I.U., it's hard to believe they couldn't add another song or two. I did:
The Beach Boys - Our Team (1978)
Side 1 1. Come Go With Me 2. Wontcha Come Out Tonight 3. Hey Little Tomboy 4. Peggy Sue 5. Sweet Sunday Kinda Love 6. Belles Of Paris 7. She's Got Rhythm
Side 2 1. Winds Of Change 2. Pitter Patter 3. Winter Symphony 4. Kona Coast 5. Match Point Of Our Love 6. My Diane 7. Our Team
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nater414
Denny's Drums
Posts: 31
Likes: 58
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Post by nater414 on May 1, 2024 20:45:44 GMT
I like that sequence of songs quite a lot, Sheriff.
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Post by lonelysummer on May 2, 2024 5:01:40 GMT
It seems to me that M.I.U.'s reputation has improved in recent years. It might help in the long run, too, that those sessions are discussed in the official biography, while BB85, Still Cruisin', Summer in Paradise and Stars and Stripes are not.
Personally, I see S&S as rock bottom - despite being Carl's last recordings with the group. MIU has never rated high in my book, but anytime you have all 5 core Beach Boys together, there's going to be at least a few worthy moments.
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Post by Kapitan on May 2, 2024 11:12:41 GMT
It seems to me that M.I.U.'s reputation has improved in recent years. ... MIU has never rated high in my book, but anytime you have all 5 core Beach Boys together, there's going to be at least a few worthy moments. On the first part quoted above, I think that's true of most of the previously poorly regarded albums. I personally suspect it has more to do with the nature of trends than anything else. Just as happens on a grander scale with bands or styles of music, I think people almost get tired to some extent of agreeing with consensus and instead find ways to have new perspectives. (I'm not saying people are consciously contrarian, just that this is the way it seems to go.) You see the same thing in every field: in history, for example, you'll find books about previously poorly regarded presidents suddenly rethinking them as pretty good; or slagging previously praised ones. On the latter part ... if only all five core Beach Boys had been together, maybe MIU Album would have been better. Dennis and Carl are barely there, and weren't there (meaning at MIU) for the primary sessions. Ron Altbach is more a contributor (by far) than either of those two. But all that said, there still are some worthy moments.
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Post by Kapitan on May 2, 2024 11:34:54 GMT
It might help in the long run, too, that those sessions are discussed in the official biography, while BB85, Still Cruisin', Summer in Paradise and Stars and Stripes are not. (I guess I could have just quoted the whole post and reacted to it all in one response!) I don't agree with this. It's possible, but I doubt it. After all, S&S was a part of the Endless Harmony doc, and I don't think it got any boost either then or since. And the part of the new book dealing with MIU isn't exactly glowing. Al is really the only guy who talks specifically about it, and for the most part he's saying it doesn't sound all that good due to the recording situation in Iowa. He talks about working with Ron Altbach, how Ron handled production of tracks while he (Al) produced vocals, and Brian chimed in sometimes. Mike's comments are along the lines of his gripes in the famous '90s Goldmine interview, where he complains about lack of cohesiveness. (He isn't wrong about that era; he's just wrong about what a cohesive, commercial sound would have been.) Brian's only comments on that late 70s era are a sentence or two that if I'm not mistaken were simply lifted from his autobiography, something to the effect of "most fans dont' like those late 70s albums. There were only a couple of good songs, "Good Timin" and "Goin On."" He doesn't have anything specifically on MIU, which to me says something about how invested in it he was. Point being, when I saw the EH doc and heard about Love You, I was interested and sought it out--so I think you're right that inclusion in these books or docs CAN matter. But presentation matters, too, and in this case, MIU isn't exactly being shown in the book as worth seeking out if you don't already have it. I don't think inclusion in the book will matter in its reputation.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on May 2, 2024 11:57:26 GMT
I feel very strongly that every Beach Boys' album, regardless of the quality or lack of, be researched/discussed/documented to the greatest possible extent - just for historical purposes. I think it's that important. If the individual Beach Boys themselves don't want to elaborate...fine. But I would seek out every possible participant, musician, observer, whatever and get it down in writing, on the record.
I know it's 60+ years and dozens of albums to cover, but the longer I go as a fan, the more I'm surprised and especially disappointed at the lack of respect and...urgency to document...the Beach Boys' history - all of it. I don't own the new book and obviously I haven't seen the new documentary, but from everything I've read, they both (will) fall short in that area.
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Post by Kapitan on May 2, 2024 12:01:32 GMT
I feel very strongly that every Beach Boys' album, regardless of the quality or lack of, be researched/discussed/documented to the greatest possible extent - just for historical purposes. I think it's that important. If The individual Beach Boys themselves don't want to elaborate...fine. But I would seek out every possible participant, musician, observer, whatever and get it down in writing, on the record. I know it's 60+ years and dozens of albums to cover, but the longer I go as a fan, the more I'm surprised and especially disappointed at the lack of respect and...urgency to document...their history - all of it. I don't own the new book and obviously I haven't seen the new documentary, but from everything I've read, they both (will) fall short in that area. I agree 100%. And time is running out. Hell, in terms of getting insights of many relevant people, time has already run out. One issue is that there is always sensitivity around certain topics, people, moments--and understandably so. But it's unfortunate and ironic that these things become more acceptable to really dig in to only after the person or people involved aren't there to set the record straight.
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Post by kds on May 2, 2024 13:52:27 GMT
It seems to me that M.I.U.'s reputation has improved in recent years. ... MIU has never rated high in my book, but anytime you have all 5 core Beach Boys together, there's going to be at least a few worthy moments. On the first part quoted above, I think that's true of most of the previously poorly regarded albums. I personally suspect it has more to do with the nature of trends than anything else. Just as happens on a grander scale with bands or styles of music, I think people almost get tired to some extent of agreeing with consensus and instead find ways to have new perspectives. (I'm not saying people are consciously contrarian, just that this is the way it seems to go.) You see the same thing in every field: in history, for example, you'll find books about previously poorly regarded presidents suddenly rethinking them as pretty good; or slagging previously praised ones. On the latter part ... if only all five core Beach Boys had been together, maybe MIU Album would have been better. Dennis and Carl are barely there, and weren't there (meaning at MIU) for the primary sessions. Ron Altbach is more a contributor (by far) than either of those two. But all that said, there still are some worthy moments. I also think there's a tendency for fans to revisit those albums not so well received at the time of release as any band's output inevitably slows down or ceases all together. I know after Eddie Van Halen passed away, I've probably listened to Van Halen III more than I did in the previous 22 years it existed.
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Post by Kapitan on May 2, 2024 13:57:11 GMT
On the first part quoted above, I think that's true of most of the previously poorly regarded albums. I personally suspect it has more to do with the nature of trends than anything else. Just as happens on a grander scale with bands or styles of music, I think people almost get tired to some extent of agreeing with consensus and instead find ways to have new perspectives. (I'm not saying people are consciously contrarian, just that this is the way it seems to go.) You see the same thing in every field: in history, for example, you'll find books about previously poorly regarded presidents suddenly rethinking them as pretty good; or slagging previously praised ones. On the latter part ... if only all five core Beach Boys had been together, maybe MIU Album would have been better. Dennis and Carl are barely there, and weren't there (meaning at MIU) for the primary sessions. Ron Altbach is more a contributor (by far) than either of those two. But all that said, there still are some worthy moments. I also think there's a tendency for fans to revisit those albums not so well received at the time of release as any band's output inevitably slows down or ceases all together. I know after Eddie Van Halen passed away, I've probably listened to Van Halen III more than I did in the previous 22 years it existed. Absolutely. In fact I think that's part of the trend/cycling. When there is a set (or very slowly growing) body of suject material, it's going to be reassessed, and re-reassessed, and re-re-reassessed, etc. Not just for Beach Boys albums, or music generally, but for anything. And frankly, that's probably a good thing in the big picture, because the most likely alternative is for it to be forgotten: people can't just keep the same perspective on things indefinitely and keep interest. It doesn't seem to be in us. (How long can generations of people say "yes, I, too, agree!"?)
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Post by The Cincinnati Kid on May 2, 2024 18:19:48 GMT
I've always enjoyed MIU. While it's probably the only album in the discography where I wouldn't rate a single original song a 9 or 10, it is full of songs I'd rate in the 7 range. Winds of Change is in my top 3, I've never understood the hate it gets. The end of the song is one of my favorites in their entire discography. Come Go With Me is a great cover. When I'm in a mood to listen to some MIU songs, I usually end up listening to the whole album. It's one of those not great, but pleasant listens all the way through.
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Post by Kapitan on May 2, 2024 19:00:51 GMT
I thought it might be interesting to people to read some of what was said about the album in the new BBs book. Its section spans pages 365-368, but if you just consider the interview text (removing images, credits, track listing, etc.), I'd say it gets about 1 1/3 or so pages ... and the 1/3 is actually from Jerry Schilling telling the famous pre-LA Walter Yetnikoff story ("gentlemen, I think I've been f--ked."), and so not really about MIU.
There are quotes from Al and Mike, nothing from Brian, Carl, Dennis, or Bruce. Some highlights (taken from different sections, but not out of order; ellipses indicate where I'm skipping ahead):
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) is fairly Beach Boyish, and the oldies are good (I think "Peggy Sue" might be Al's best lead vocal ever). Yes, the album is lacking an all-timer or two, but some of the songs have a lot of merit. Brian wasn't as involved as he was with 15 Big Ones and Love You, but I think he was involved enough. I can feel his presence. And, there are very few embarrassing moments on the album. I guess that's an odd compliment but considering some of the Beach Boys' later stuff...
