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Post by The Cincinnati Kid on May 30, 2019 4:07:44 GMT
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on May 31, 2019 2:37:27 GMT
Not bad, not bad at all. The backing track is very good; excellent guitar. I think Johnny Ramone would approve. The background vocals are fine, too. They actually add a little hook there. I'm no expert on autotune but I don't hear very much, if any. So, Scott Totten did his job.
I'm struggling a little bit with Mike's vocal. It's not bad or embarrasssing, and you can't take that for granted with The Beach Boys. I'm trying to forget that Mike's pushing 80 and judge it/him on the merits of the vocal. But I hear his voice faltering at times, and that's something you can't have on a Ramones' song. I give Mike credit for an ambitious choice of a cover (if it was, indeed, his choice; we know he approved it), and I give Mike credit for rockin' this hard at age 78. I can't think of anybody who ever did that. Listening to this song does kinda make you wish Mike and The Beach Boys would've rocked like this in 1976, 1980, and even 2012 with David Lee Marks in attendance!
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Post by The Cincinnati Kid on May 31, 2019 3:02:44 GMT
I've really been enjoying the song and I think his vocal is fine. It might have been a bit to wordy for him, but I never thought his voice was particularly suited to harder rock type songs anyway. I listened to this and All I Want To Do back to back a couple times and the vocals don't sound *too* far apart. I'm most excited that the production on it is very well done. Too bad Scott didn't produce UTL
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Post by kds on May 31, 2019 12:24:20 GMT
I've really been enjoying the song and I think his vocal is fine. It might have been a bit to wordy for him, but I never thought his voice was particularly suited to harder rock type songs anyway. I listened to this and All I Want To Do back to back a couple times and the vocals don't sound *too* far apart. I'm most excited that the production on it is very well done. Too bad Scott didn't produce UTL Yeah, the production on this, and the Christmas album Mike released last year, are far superior to UTL (and maybe even NPP).
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Post by Kapitan on May 31, 2019 12:29:39 GMT
The track isn't bad and the lead vocal isn't good.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on May 31, 2019 21:33:22 GMT
Here is Mike performing "Rockaway Beach" live - with Marky Ramone on drums. It would've been so great if they would've done like the Ramones, or The Beach Boys come to think of it, and done about three or four songs back-to-back-to-back-to back like "Rockaway Beach", "Surfin' Safari", "Do You Wanna Dance", and "Surfin' Bird".
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Post by kds on Jun 10, 2019 18:22:57 GMT
Mike Love continues to perplex me. First - and just to get this out of the way - Mike, and any of the Beach Boys for that matter, can record whatever they please. They've earned that right. But my question is, why does Mike continue to cover so many other songs, Beach Boys' songs, and now his own songs (from Looking Back With Love)? Mike is an intelligent man, and I'm sure he keeps somewhat in touch with BB biographies, magazine/newspaper articles, interviews, and maybe even Facebook and YouTube comments - regarding the band and himself. Mike has to know what the public perception is when it comes to his reputation as an artist, or lack of. He has to be familiar with the labels and criticism, but, I guess, he just doesn't care. And, I guess maybe that's a good quality to have, you know, not letting others influence what's really in your heart.
I've often wondered if Mike had any heart-to-heart conversations with his children, especially Christian and Ambha, and what they had to say about Mike's current musical direction. Both Christian and Ambha seem to be intelligent, articulate people, and of two distinctly different generations. I'm curious if they tried to influence their old dad into recording more contemporary music? I'll say again that Mike appears to not really care, and he's going to record stuff that he likes, regardless of it not even being recognized/mentioned in music publications, regardless of it being criticized when it is recognized/mentioned, and its total lack of commercial success. Why is Mike Love recording this stuff? Doesn't he get his fill with live performances? Didn't he get it out of his system many years ago? Doesn't he realize that very few people even want to hear these remakes?
I've never understood why Mike never wanted to do something that reflected his artistic side. Oh, there's nothing wrong with good old rock and roll; I'll take it any day. But you would figure that Mike reached his been there/done that quotient a long time ago. I really expected that if Mike was eventually going to record again, that he would, like his cousin Brian, link up with a collaborator who would/could write the songs or parts of the songs, new songs. We've used the term "stretching out musically" so many times in the past with Brian, but, hey, what about Mike? Doesn't he ever want to get away from the surf & turf image and the "word man" self description and the musical lightweight reputation? With this recent burst of productivity, Mike had the chance to prove some things to some people, to maybe step out and surprise his critics, and least of all, to do something...different.
This isn't a post to hammer Mike. I leave that to The Haters. They'll have a field day with this album. They've been waiting for it. Salivating. They live for it. I'm just questioning Mike's musical direction and why he chose this one...again. I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Im Mike's defense, The Beach Boys were massively successful when he was writing lyrics about surfing and summertime fodder, and to this day, for better or worse, The Beach Boys are still thought of my much of the general populace as a summertime band. Case in point, Sounds of Summer has once again entered the charts. Does that mean we need an album of this ilk that feels like one of those albums of rerecordings they used to sell in the cheapo section at Sam Goody 20+ years ago? Probably not. But, The Beach Boys, nor their members, have really never been logical. Why start now?
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jun 10, 2019 20:24:41 GMT
Mike Love continues to perplex me. First - and just to get this out of the way - Mike, and any of the Beach Boys for that matter, can record whatever they please. They've earned that right. But my question is, why does Mike continue to cover so many other songs, Beach Boys' songs, and now his own songs (from Looking Back With Love)? Mike is an intelligent man, and I'm sure he keeps somewhat in touch with BB biographies, magazine/newspaper articles, interviews, and maybe even Facebook and YouTube comments - regarding the band and himself. Mike has to know what the public perception is when it comes to his reputation as an artist, or lack of. He has to be familiar with the labels and criticism, but, I guess, he just doesn't care. And, I guess maybe that's a good quality to have, you know, not letting others influence what's really in your heart.
I've often wondered if Mike had any heart-to-heart conversations with his children, especially Christian and Ambha, and what they had to say about Mike's current musical direction. Both Christian and Ambha seem to be intelligent, articulate people, and of two distinctly different generations. I'm curious if they tried to influence their old dad into recording more contemporary music? I'll say again that Mike appears to not really care, and he's going to record stuff that he likes, regardless of it not even being recognized/mentioned in music publications, regardless of it being criticized when it is recognized/mentioned, and its total lack of commercial success. Why is Mike Love recording this stuff? Doesn't he get his fill with live performances? Didn't he get it out of his system many years ago? Doesn't he realize that very few people even want to hear these remakes?
I've never understood why Mike never wanted to do something that reflected his artistic side. Oh, there's nothing wrong with good old rock and roll; I'll take it any day. But you would figure that Mike reached his been there/done that quotient a long time ago. I really expected that if Mike was eventually going to record again, that he would, like his cousin Brian, link up with a collaborator who would/could write the songs or parts of the songs, new songs. We've used the term "stretching out musically" so many times in the past with Brian, but, hey, what about Mike? Doesn't he ever want to get away from the surf & turf image and the "word man" self description and the musical lightweight reputation? With this recent burst of productivity, Mike had the chance to prove some things to some people, to maybe step out and surprise his critics, and least of all, to do something...different.
This isn't a post to hammer Mike. I leave that to The Haters. They'll have a field day with this album. They've been waiting for it. Salivating. They live for it. I'm just questioning Mike's musical direction and why he chose this one...again. I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Im Mike's defense, The Beach Boys were massively successful when he was writing lyrics about surfing and summertime fodder, and to this day, for better or worse, The Beach Boys are still thought of my much of the general populace as a summertime band. Case in point, Sounds of Summer has once again entered the charts. Does that mean we need an album of this ilk that feels like one of those albums of rerecordings they used to sell in the cheapo section at Sam Goody 20+ years ago? Probably not. But, The Beach Boys, nor their members, have really never been logical. Why start now? No, I'm afraid I can't give Mike a pass in this area.
But it is important to go back to 1978 and "Almost Summer" by Celebration. Yes, Mike did have some success with this Beach Boy knockoff (written mostly by Brian Wilson BTW), and a few years later "The Beach Boys Medley" and the single release of "Come Go With Me" also charted fairly high. However, there are two distinctions to be made. First, those were Beach Boys' written and/or sung and/or produced and/or just had their name attached to them, and second, that was 40 years ago! In some ways, that's the worst thing that could've happened.
Flash forward to 2019. Yes, The Sounds Of Summer is charting, albeit at what, 100-something? But there is a big difference between The Beach Boys mussic and Mike Love's solo music. Big difference. Can you say Looking Back With Love? Can you say Unleash The Love? Is there really a big demand for this type of music (old surf & turf tunes), and more importantly, is there any demand for 78-year-old Mike Love's new "imitations" or re-recordings? Absolutely not. I'll go back to the above mentioned question. Did he really think there would be? Who is he trying to sell? Who is he trying to appeal to? Maybe he's trying for another fluke like "Kokomo". But seriously, Mike's been churning out this fake Beach Boys' stuff for decades now, and it doesn't sell shit. People roll their eyes, they don't open their wallets. And it makes Mike look bad. Apparently he doesn't care because he keeps doin' it!!!!!!
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Post by kds on Jun 10, 2019 20:35:49 GMT
Im Mike's defense, The Beach Boys were massively successful when he was writing lyrics about surfing and summertime fodder, and to this day, for better or worse, The Beach Boys are still thought of my much of the general populace as a summertime band. Case in point, Sounds of Summer has once again entered the charts. Does that mean we need an album of this ilk that feels like one of those albums of rerecordings they used to sell in the cheapo section at Sam Goody 20+ years ago? Probably not. But, The Beach Boys, nor their members, have really never been logical. Why start now? No, I'm afraid I can't give Mike a pass in this area.
But it is important to go back to 1978 and "Almost Summer" by Celebration. Yes, Mike did have some success with this Beach Boy knockoff (written mostly by Brian Wilson BW), and a few years later "The Beach Boys Medley" and the single release of "Come Go With Me" also charted fairly high. However, there are two distinctions to be made. First, those were Beach Boys' written and/or sung and/or produced and/or just had their name attached to them, and second, that was 40 years ago! In some ways, that's the worst thing that could've happened.
Flash forward to 2019. Yes, The Sounds Of Summer is charting, albeit at what, 100-something? But there is a big difference between The Beach Boys mussic and Mike Love's solo music. Big difference. Can you say Looking Back With Love? Can you say Unleash The Love? Is there really a big demand for this type of music (old surf & turf tunes), and more importantly, is there any demand for 78-year-old Mike Love's new "imitations" or re-recordings? Absolutely not. I'll go back to the above mentioned question. Did he really think there would be? Who is he trying to sell? Who is he trying to appeal to? Maybe he's trying for another fluke like "Kokomo". But seriously, Mike's been churning out this fake Beach Boys' stuff for decades now, and it doesn't sell shit. People roll their eyes, they don't open their wallets. And it makes Mike look bad. Apparently he doesn't care because he keeps doin' it!!!!!!
Im not so much giving Mike a pass. I'm just kinda taking it for what it is at this point. Though there are times that I think Mike actively tries to give fodder to the anti Mike crowd, the biggest example being the Do It Again re re make with McGrath and Stamos. Mike covers himself and keeps trying to chase that summer sun. Brian puts a techno-esque song and a country pop song on an otherwise strong album. Al couldn't release a solo album without a version of Help Me Rhonda. Its a strange world.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jun 10, 2019 20:44:18 GMT
No, I'm afraid I can't give Mike a pass in this area.
But it is important to go back to 1978 and "Almost Summer" by Celebration. Yes, Mike did have some success with this Beach Boy knockoff (written mostly by Brian Wilson BTW), and a few years later "The Beach Boys Medley" and the single release of "Come Go With Me" also charted fairly high. However, there are two distinctions to be made. First, those were Beach Boys' written and/or sung and/or produced and/or just had their name attached to them, and second, that was 40 years ago! In some ways, that's the worst thing that could've happened.
Flash forward to 2019. Yes, The Sounds Of Summer is charting, albeit at what, 100-something? But there is a big difference between The Beach Boys music and Mike Love's solo music. Big difference. Can you say Looking Back With Love? Can you say Unleash The Love? Is there really a big demand for this type of music (old surf & turf tunes), and more importantly, is there any demand for 78-year-old Mike Love's new "imitations" or re-recordings? Absolutely not. I'll go back to the above mentioned question. Did he really think there would be? Who is he trying to sell? Who is he trying to appeal to? Maybe he's trying for another fluke like "Kokomo". But seriously, Mike's been churning out this fake Beach Boys' stuff for decades now, and it doesn't sell shit. People roll their eyes, they don't open their wallets. And it makes Mike look bad. Apparently he doesn't care because he keeps doin' it!!!!!!
Im not so much giving Mike a pass. I'm just kinda taking it for what it is at this point. Though there are times that I think Mike actively tries to give fodder to the anti Mike crowd, the biggest example being the Do It Again re re make with McGrath and Stamos. Mike covers himself and keeps trying to chase that summer sun. Brian puts a techno-esque song and a country pop song on an otherwise strong album. Al couldn't release a solo album without a version of Help Me Rhonda. Its a strange world. Frankly, kds, I'm done giving these solo Beach Boys passes. Do you realize how long they've all been releasing various solo stuff? Think about it. And with very few exceptions, it's been one disappointment after another, mainly because of re-recordings, covers, and a lack of making meaningful new music. In the last few years, Mike had a chance to avoid all of that, and he only fed into it more.
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Post by kds on Jun 11, 2019 12:45:17 GMT
Im not so much giving Mike a pass. I'm just kinda taking it for what it is at this point. Though there are times that I think Mike actively tries to give fodder to the anti Mike crowd, the biggest example being the Do It Again re re make with McGrath and Stamos. Mike covers himself and keeps trying to chase that summer sun. Brian puts a techno-esque song and a country pop song on an otherwise strong album. Al couldn't release a solo album without a version of Help Me Rhonda. Its a strange world. Frankly, kds, I'm done giving these solo Beach Boys passes. Do you realize how long they've all been releasing various solo stuff? Think about it. And with very few exceptions, it's been one disappointment after another, mainly because of re-recordings, covers, and a lack of making meaningful new music. In the last few years, Mike had a chance to avoid all of that, and he only fed into it more. I'm not really giving a pass, but in all honesty, what should we expect from guys over a half century into their careers? Granted, I'd prefer original material to a covers album, but at this point it is what it is.
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Post by Kapitan on Jun 11, 2019 13:09:03 GMT
I’m with kds, I think, which isn’t to say thrilled with the idea by any means, or “giving passes,” but more just resignation. What does it mean to give or not give a pass to Mike Love? It’s not as if it affects him regardless.
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Post by kds on Jun 11, 2019 13:14:13 GMT
I’m with kds, I think, which isn’t to say thrilled with the idea by any means, or “giving passes,” but more just resignation. What does it mean to give or not give a pass to Mike Love? It’s not as if it affects him regardless. I honestly think that Mike just got tired of waiting for Brian (or Brian's people??) to come around to the idea of another Beach Boys album, and Mike just wants to release new material. Unfortunately, Mike doesn't have a collaborator on par with Joe Thomas or Scott Bennett (both of whom were able to get some very solid late career material from Brian) at his disposal and Terry Melcher has passed on, so we have what we have.
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Post by Kapitan on Jun 11, 2019 13:23:37 GMT
I wish he would find a complementary collaborator. I think Mike has something to offer even now, but his instincts also lead so far into that cheesy, near self-parody. Someone who loves that same RnR/RnB sound Mike loves, but who could also both expand his musical vocabulary and limit his verbal one...
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Post by kds on Jun 11, 2019 14:23:16 GMT
I wish he would find a complementary collaborator. I think Mike has something to offer even now, but his instincts also lead so far into that cheesy, near self-parody. Someone who loves that same RnR/RnB sound Mike loves, but who could also both expand his musical vocabulary and limit his verbal one... I wonder if Scott Totten could steer him into that direction. Scott's at least improved the production.
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