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Post by Kapitan on Apr 7, 2020 23:10:23 GMT
Am I the the only person who doesn't mind the la la las of "The Last Song"?
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
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Post by bellbottoms on Apr 7, 2020 23:15:12 GMT
Am I the the only person who doesn't mind the la la las of "The Last Song"? Not only do I not mind them, I think they're la la lovely. Really underrated song.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 8, 2020 0:15:49 GMT
Am I the the only person who doesn't mind the la la las of "The Last Song"? Not only do I not mind them, I think they're la la lovely. Really underrated song. It is an underrated song. The other day I was listening to Pier Pressure and was genuinely moved by the song - and that doesn't happen much with Brian's solo songs. Which leads me into the five year anniversary discussion...Five years? Where did the time go?
I don't really care much for Brian Wilson's solo albums. I wonder if he does? When I first purchase them, I listen to them intently for a few weeks in various settings - in the car, on the computer, getting ready for work in the morning, unwinding at night, etc. - then I put them away and rarely re-visit them unless I'm using a specific song for a comp. Yes, each album does have something to offer. BW1988 had a couple of keepers in "Love And Mercy", "Let It Shine", and parts of "Rio Grande". Imagination featured some outstanding BW and one of my all-time favorite solo songs in "Lay Down Burden". And on and on.
So there was something to appreciate with every BW solo album, but none of Brian's solo albums really stuck with me, or impressed me, or, and I hate to say it, moved me.However, No Pier Pressure seemed to accomplish all three of those qualities. Like I said above, I still go back to it. I'm still impressed by it, not just the songwriting but the vocals. And, most importantly for me, I get some of the same feelings that I experienced with Brian's prior Beach Boys' work.
There's some really good songs on No Pier Pressure. My favorites include "This Beautiful Day", "What Ever Happened", "The Right Time", "Tell Me Why", "Sail Away", "One Kind Of Love", and "Saturday Night". Damn, that's most of the album! But I also like some of the songs that I'm not supposed to like, at least to some extent, like "Runaway Dancer", "Our Special Love", and yes, "The Last Song". Maybe, just maybe, Brian was inspired and did extensively write and/or work on these songs. I genuinely hear some of the old magic in the melodies, in the arrangements, and in the vocals.
I have to recognize and give credit to Joe Thomas. Is it a coincidence that whenever Joe works with Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys, they sing really, really well? I think Brian's - and Al's - vocals on No Pier Pressure are great. In some places, I'm literally caught off guard and pleasantly stunned. Is this what Brian Wilson would've sounded like naturally at age 72 if he didn't fry his voice on cocaine in 1975? He's going for notes, hitting notes, high notes like on no other solo album (with the possible exception of the Disney album).
To me, what keeps No Pier Pressure from reaching its full potential are two things that were implemented to help the album reach its full potential - the guest artists and the number of songs. Simply, the guest vocalists were not necessary. They just clutter things up; they ruin the continuity. They don't sound right. Couldn't the combination of Brian and Al and possibly Blondie cover all the bases. Or, maybe No Pressure would've been a good opportunity to give one of the band members a shot at a lead vocal. Could've Darian handled "Saturday Night"?
Now, just so I don't sound like the biggest hypocrite ever, yes, I usually prefer more than less, especially when it comes to an album's tracklist. And, No Pier Pressure certainly fits that description. The Standard Edition is 13 songs at 42:55. I think that's fine because I can't think of any song that I would cut. Now, the Deluxe Version is 16 songs at 51:03. I think I'd trim that a bit, although I like those additional songs, too. This is a toughie but I think I'd stick with the Standard Version. And don't even get me started on those ridiculous Bonus Tracks on the Target Version. Those were an insult to No Pier Pressure, like those bonus tracks were necessary to sell more albums.
Yes, No Pier Pressure is a keeper, a good 'un. It's a shame it wasn't a Beach Boys' album. It would've been one of their better ones. And, yeah, I still occasionally get a little bit of a sad feeling, a little bit of a sigh when I listen to No Pier Pressure, knowing what turmoil and controversy surrounded it, and knowing how great it could've been as a Beach Boys' album. Uh oh, does that make it another woulda/coulda/shoulda album?
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Post by The Cincinnati Kid on Apr 8, 2020 0:59:18 GMT
Not only do I not mind them, I think they're la la lovely. Really underrated song. It is an underrated song. The other day I was listening to Pier Pressure and was genuinely moved by the song - and that doesn't happen much with Brian's solo songs. Which leads me into the five year anniversary discussion...Five years? Where did the time go? I don't really care much for Brian Wilson's solo albums. I wonder if he does? When I first purchase them, I listen to them intently for a few weeks in various settings - in the car, on the computer, getting ready for work in the morning, unwinding at night, etc. - then I put them away and rarely re-visit them unless I'm using a specific song for a comp. Yes, each album does have something to offer. BW1988 had a couple of keepers in "Love And Mercy", "Let It Shine", and parts of "Rio Grande". Imagination featured some outstanding BW and one of my all-time favorite solo songs in "Lay Down Burden". And on and on. So there was something to appreciate with every BW solo album, but none of Brian's solo albums really stuck with me, or impressed me, or, and I hate to say it, moved me.However, No Pier Pressure seemed to accomplish all three of those qualities. Like I said above, I still go back to it. I'm still impressed by it, not just the songwriting but the vocals. And, most importantly for me, I get some of the same feelings that I experienced with Brian's prior Beach Boys' work. There's some really good songs on No Pier Pressure. My favorites include "This Beautiful Day", "What Ever Happened", "The Right Time", "Tell Me Why", "Sail Away", "One Kind Of Love", and "Saturday Night". Damn, that's most of the album! But I also like some of the songs that I'm not supposed to like, at least to some extent, like "Runaway Dancer", "Our Special Love", and yes, "The Last Song". Maybe, just maybe, Brian was inspired and did extensively write and/or work on these songs. I genuinely hear some of the old magic in the melodies, in the arrangements, and in the vocals.
I have to recognize and give credit to Joe Thomas. Is it a coincidence that whenever Joe works with Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys, they sing really, really well? I think Brian's - and Al's - vocals on No Pier Pressure are great. In some places, I'm literally caught off guard and pleasantly stunned. Is this what Brian Wilson would've sounded like naturally at age 72 if he didn't fry his voice on cocaine in 1975? He's going for notes, hitting notes, high notes like on no other solo album (with the possible exception of the Disney album).
To me, what keeps No Pier Pressure from reaching its full potential are two things that were implemented to help the album reach its full potential - the guest artists and the number of songs. Simply, the guest vocalists were not necessary. They just clutter things up; they ruin the continuity. They don't sound right. Couldn't the combination of Brian and Al and possibly Blondie cover all the bases. Or, maybe No Pressure would've been a good opportunity to give one of the band members a shot at a lead vocal. Could've Darian handled "Saturday Night"?
Now, just so I don't sound like the biggest hypocrite ever, yes, I usually prefer more than less, especially when it comes to an album's tracklist. And, No Pier Pressure certainly fits that description. The Standard Edition is 13 songs at 42:55. I think that's fine because I can't think of any song that I would cut. Now, the Deluxe Version is 16 songs at 51:03. I think I'd trim that a bit, although I like those additional songs, too. This is a toughie but I think I'd stick with the Standard Version. And don't even get me started on those ridiculous Bonus Tracks on the Target Version. Those were an insult to No Pier Pressure, like those bonus tracks were necessary to sell more albums. Yes, No Pier Pressure is a keeper, a good 'un. It's a shame it wasn't a Beach Boys' album. It would've been one of their better ones. And, yeah, I still occasionally get a little bit of a sad feeling, a little bit of a sigh when I listen to No Pier Pressure, knowing what turmoil and controversy surrounded it, and knowing how great it could've been as a Beach Boys' album. Uh oh, does that make it another woulda/coulda/shoulda album? My comment about the whole thing being a very pleasant listening experience and your post made me think of something. You could argue it's the only album that's just a good collection of songs and isn't trying to rely on any particular theme. BW88 is overly 80s imo, OCA wasn't his, Imagination and Smile (obviously) relied heavily on the Beach Boys, GIOMH was a cash in on Smile, TLOS was a concept album, Gershwin and Disney were filling a specific niche. No Pier Pressure is just Brian making contemporary songs and the use of guest artists (who helped write the songs) confirms it, for me anyway. Some people like to crap on who the artists were, but I think they're all pretty well respected and the songs themselves will hold up over time. People my age usually get a kick out of thinking a Beach Boy made an EDM song and generally enjoy it. On your comment about hitting high notes, on One Kind of Love when he sings "calling out for you", it really is like I'm transported for a second to what Brian might have sounded like without the vocal damage. There are more than a few moments like that on the album. That's one reason why The Last Song is so frustrating for me. He should've gone full falsetto on the line "another chance to sing to you", but he never quite gets there. Anyway, I'll stop my rambling now because I really do enjoy the album. In fact, I think I'll go give it a listen
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 8, 2020 1:22:54 GMT
It is an underrated song. The other day I was listening to Pier Pressure and was genuinely moved by the song - and that doesn't happen much with Brian's solo songs. Which leads me into the five year anniversary discussion...Five years? Where did the time go? I don't really care much for Brian Wilson's solo albums. I wonder if he does? When I first purchase them, I listen to them intently for a few weeks in various settings - in the car, on the computer, getting ready for work in the morning, unwinding at night, etc. - then I put them away and rarely re-visit them unless I'm using a specific song for a comp. Yes, each album does have something to offer. BW1988 had a couple of keepers in "Love And Mercy", "Let It Shine", and parts of "Rio Grande". Imagination featured some outstanding BW and one of my all-time favorite solo songs in "Lay Down Burden". And on and on. So there was something to appreciate with every BW solo album, but none of Brian's solo albums really stuck with me, or impressed me, or, and I hate to say it, moved me.However, No Pier Pressure seemed to accomplish all three of those qualities. Like I said above, I still go back to it. I'm still impressed by it, not just the songwriting but the vocals. And, most importantly for me, I get some of the same feelings that I experienced with Brian's prior Beach Boys' work. There's some really good songs on No Pier Pressure. My favorites include "This Beautiful Day", "What Ever Happened", "The Right Time", "Tell Me Why", "Sail Away", "One Kind Of Love", and "Saturday Night". Damn, that's most of the album! But I also like some of the songs that I'm not supposed to like, at least to some extent, like "Runaway Dancer", "Our Special Love", and yes, "The Last Song". Maybe, just maybe, Brian was inspired and did extensively write and/or work on these songs. I genuinely hear some of the old magic in the melodies, in the arrangements, and in the vocals.
I have to recognize and give credit to Joe Thomas. Is it a coincidence that whenever Joe works with Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys, they sing really, really well? I think Brian's - and Al's - vocals on No Pier Pressure are great. In some places, I'm literally caught off guard and pleasantly stunned. Is this what Brian Wilson would've sounded like naturally at age 72 if he didn't fry his voice on cocaine in 1975? He's going for notes, hitting notes, high notes like on no other solo album (with the possible exception of the Disney album).
To me, what keeps No Pier Pressure from reaching its full potential are two things that were implemented to help the album reach its full potential - the guest artists and the number of songs. Simply, the guest vocalists were not necessary. They just clutter things up; they ruin the continuity. They don't sound right. Couldn't the combination of Brian and Al and possibly Blondie cover all the bases. Or, maybe No Pressure would've been a good opportunity to give one of the band members a shot at a lead vocal. Could've Darian handled "Saturday Night"?
Now, just so I don't sound like the biggest hypocrite ever, yes, I usually prefer more than less, especially when it comes to an album's tracklist. And, No Pier Pressure certainly fits that description. The Standard Edition is 13 songs at 42:55. I think that's fine because I can't think of any song that I would cut. Now, the Deluxe Version is 16 songs at 51:03. I think I'd trim that a bit, although I like those additional songs, too. This is a toughie but I think I'd stick with the Standard Version. And don't even get me started on those ridiculous Bonus Tracks on the Target Version. Those were an insult to No Pier Pressure, like those bonus tracks were necessary to sell more albums. Yes, No Pier Pressure is a keeper, a good 'un. It's a shame it wasn't a Beach Boys' album. It would've been one of their better ones. And, yeah, I still occasionally get a little bit of a sad feeling, a little bit of a sigh when I listen to No Pier Pressure, knowing what turmoil and controversy surrounded it, and knowing how great it could've been as a Beach Boys' album. Uh oh, does that make it another woulda/coulda/shoulda album? My comment about the whole thing being a very pleasant listening experience and your post made me think of something. You could argue it's the only album that's just a good collection of songs and isn't trying to rely on any particular theme. BW88 is overly 80s imo, OCA wasn't his, Imagination and Smile (obviously) relied heavily on the Beach Boys, GIOMH was a cash in on Smile, TLOS was a concept album, Gershwin and Disney were filling a specific niche. No Pier Pressure is just Brian making contemporary songs and the use of guest artists (who helped write the songs) confirms it, for me anyway. Some people like to crap on who the artists were, but I think they're all pretty well respected and the songs themselves will hold up over time. People my age usually get a kick out of thinking a Beach Boy made an EDM song and generally enjoy it. On your comment about hitting high notes, on One Kind of Love when he sings "calling out for you", it really is like I'm transported for a second to what Brian might have sounded like without the vocal damage. There are more than a few moments like that on the album. That's one reason why The Last Song is so frustrating for me. He should've gone full falsetto on the line "another chance to sing to you", but he never quite gets there. Anyway, I'll stop my rambling now because I really do enjoy the album. In fact, I think I'll go give it a listen No, you're not rambling, and actually you're making some excellent points. Yes, I believe part of No Pier Pressure's charm is that it isn't trying to fit a concept or mold. It's just a collection of songs that stand on their own, and stand quite well.
I'm glad you're enjoying Brian's vocals, especially his high vocals. As you know, it's not every "later" album when you will find them. And to think that he did them at such an advanced age.
I have to take some exception to your comments on the guest artists. I don't think they were necessary, at least not THAT MANY! I have nothing against their talent or their voices; they're all very successful on their own. I just don't appreciate the fit, or lack of. But that's just an opinion; others' may vary. I'm just glad you're enjoying the album as much as you are.
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Post by The Cincinnati Kid on Apr 8, 2020 1:39:03 GMT
My comment about the whole thing being a very pleasant listening experience and your post made me think of something. You could argue it's the only album that's just a good collection of songs and isn't trying to rely on any particular theme. BW88 is overly 80s imo, OCA wasn't his, Imagination and Smile (obviously) relied heavily on the Beach Boys, GIOMH was a cash in on Smile, TLOS was a concept album, Gershwin and Disney were filling a specific niche. No Pier Pressure is just Brian making contemporary songs and the use of guest artists (who helped write the songs) confirms it, for me anyway. Some people like to crap on who the artists were, but I think they're all pretty well respected and the songs themselves will hold up over time. People my age usually get a kick out of thinking a Beach Boy made an EDM song and generally enjoy it. On your comment about hitting high notes, on One Kind of Love when he sings "calling out for you", it really is like I'm transported for a second to what Brian might have sounded like without the vocal damage. There are more than a few moments like that on the album. That's one reason why The Last Song is so frustrating for me. He should've gone full falsetto on the line "another chance to sing to you", but he never quite gets there. Anyway, I'll stop my rambling now because I really do enjoy the album. In fact, I think I'll go give it a listen No, you're not rambling, and actually you're making some excellent points. Yes, I believe part of No Pier Pressure's charm is that it isn't trying to fit a concept or mold. It's just a collection of songs that stand on their own, and stand quite well.
I'm glad you're enjoying Brian's vocals, especially his high vocals. As you know, it's not every "later" album when you will find them. And to think that he did them at such an advanced age.
I have to take some exception to your comments on the guest artists. I don't think they were necessary, at least not THAT MANY! I have nothing against their talent or their voices; they're all very successful on their own. I just don't appreciate the fit, or lack of. But that's just an opinion; others' may vary. I'm just glad you're enjoying the album as much as you are. I guess one reason why I like the guests artists is because they're contemporary to me. I watched (and still watch) New Girl, which stars Zoey Deschanel, Kacey Musgraves had a few songs I liked (and since put out an amazing Grammy winning album), and Nate Reuss had some good songs with his band fun. It's another way I can connect with the album and feel like it's relevant and not just another album by a guy who wrote his last hit song decades ago (regardless of how good the songs since then are).
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Post by kds on Apr 8, 2020 12:13:29 GMT
At least in concert, Marks is actually allowed to play, unlike the other Brian / Joe albums he appears on. On that note, how in the world was Marks not brought in to play guitar on "Run James Run"? Great question. As perplexing as the guitar solo on Spring Vacation being handed to Jeff Baxter.
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Post by kds on Apr 8, 2020 12:14:09 GMT
Am I the the only person who doesn't mind the la la las of "The Last Song"? I don't mind the la la la's. I just think they happen to be on a very generic sounding song.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 8, 2020 12:16:01 GMT
On that note, how in the world was Marks not brought in to play guitar on "Run James Run"? Great question. As perplexing as the guitar solo on Spring Vacation being handed to Jeff Baxter. It is! And that one is no offense to Baxter, who is obviously great. But it would be a bit like Van Halen bringing in Steve Vai to do a solo.
Re Run James Run, I wouldn't be surprised if the original idea was for Jeff Beck to do it. It was discussed around the time of those sessions. But once that fell apart, Marks just seemed like an obvious choice (no disrespect to Nick Walusko, who I assume is the one who actually did the eventual playing).
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Post by kds on Apr 8, 2020 12:21:46 GMT
Sheriff, I agree with your point that the album feels a little long with 16 songs on the deluxe edition. However, I also feel that the three extra songs (which are for some reason inserted right into the middle of the album) are better than several of the songs that made the final cut of the proper album. For me, the easiest cuts would be Runaway Dancer, Guess You Had to Be There, and The Last Song. I actually liked The Last Song when the album was first released. However, when I hear it now, it just sounds like a forced attempt at another Southern California or Summer's Gone. I even like the Peter Hollins track over these.
Speaking of guests, how in the world was Saturday Night not released as a single? Nate Ruess's voice graced several big hits from 2012-2014 with his band fun and even a collaboration with Pink. Yet, Nate's song, which is IMO easily the best to feature a non Beach Boy, is buried on the tail end of the album.
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Post by kds on Apr 8, 2020 12:24:29 GMT
Great question. As perplexing as the guitar solo on Spring Vacation being handed to Jeff Baxter. It is! And that one is no offense to Baxter, who is obviously great. But it would be a bit like Van Halen bringing in Steve Vai to do a solo.
Re Run James Run, I wouldn't be surprised if the original idea was for Jeff Beck to do it. It was discussed around the time of those sessions. But once that fell apart, Marks just seemed like an obvious choice (no disrespect to Nick Walusko, who I assume is the one who actually did the eventual playing).
And the whole point of TWGMTR was to have the surviving core Beach Boys together again, yet the one song that has an extended solo, they hand off to a Skunk??? Speaking of TWGMTR, you mentioned the harmonies on NPP. I wish Brian/Joe had put that much effort in the harmonies on TWGMTR. There are too many times on that album where the harmonies sound far more like a BW album than a BB album. But, that's for another thread.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 8, 2020 12:26:27 GMT
Sheriff, I agree with your point that the album feels a little long with 16 songs on the deluxe edition. However, I also feel that the three extra songs (which are for some reason inserted right into the middle of the album) are better than several of the songs that made the final cut of the proper album. For me, the easiest cuts would be Runaway Dancer, Guess You Had to Be There, and The Last Song. I actually liked The Last Song when the album was first released. However, when I hear it now, it just sounds like a forced attempt at another Southern California or Summer's Gone. I even like the Peter Hollins track over these. Speaking of guests, how in the world was Saturday Night not released as a single? Nate Ruess's voice graced several big hits from 2012-2014 with his band fun and even a collaboration with Pink. Yet, Nate's song, which is IMO easily the best to feature a non Beach Boy, is buried on the tail end of the album. Runaway Dancer, I agree, ought to go. But I'd keep the other two you omit. If I were cutting two more, they would probably be Somewhere Quiet (just ... why?) and Hollens.
Saturday Night is nothing if not a single.
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Post by kds on Apr 8, 2020 12:30:07 GMT
Sheriff, I agree with your point that the album feels a little long with 16 songs on the deluxe edition. However, I also feel that the three extra songs (which are for some reason inserted right into the middle of the album) are better than several of the songs that made the final cut of the proper album. For me, the easiest cuts would be Runaway Dancer, Guess You Had to Be There, and The Last Song. I actually liked The Last Song when the album was first released. However, when I hear it now, it just sounds like a forced attempt at another Southern California or Summer's Gone. I even like the Peter Hollins track over these. Speaking of guests, how in the world was Saturday Night not released as a single? Nate Ruess's voice graced several big hits from 2012-2014 with his band fun and even a collaboration with Pink. Yet, Nate's song, which is IMO easily the best to feature a non Beach Boy, is buried on the tail end of the album. Runaway Dancer, I agree, ought to go. But I'd keep the other two you omit. If I were cutting two more, they would probably be Somewhere Quiet (just ... why?) and Hollens.
Saturday Night is nothing if not a single.
Somewhere Quiet is pretty non essential, I agree. But, you know these guys just can't stop themselves from revisiting 1960s Beach Boys tracks. Over the past few years, I've grown to like some country music, but the Musgraves track still leaves me cold.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 8, 2020 12:36:53 GMT
I'm a huge Musgraves fan, though not really because of this one. And her contributions are nothing special, actually.
But I like how it doesn't seem TOO redundant despite being the same few chords through the whole song. You hear about song forms like A-B-A, A-A-B-A, A-B-A-B, etc. This song is A-A-A-A-A-A-A! But the differences in what the vocals are doing and instrumental touches make it enjoyable to me. Plus it adds a bit of energy to an album that can use it.
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Post by kds on Apr 8, 2020 12:41:14 GMT
I'm a huge Musgraves fan, though not really because of this one. And her contributions are nothing special, actually.
But I like how it doesn't seem TOO redundant despite being the same few chords through the whole song. You hear about song forms like A-B-A, A-A-B-A, A-B-A-B, etc. This song is A-A-A-A-A-A-A! But the differences in what the vocals are doing and instrumental touches make it enjoyable to me. Plus it adds a bit of energy to an album that can use it. I've heard a couple of her songs, and to honest, they really don't do anything for me. So, it's no surprise that her contribution to NPP doesn't land with me.
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