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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jun 30, 2020 12:30:03 GMT
Oh well, I thought "Time Will Tell" would fare better. I think it's an excellent song and an excellent Beach Boys' salute. Back in the 70's and 80's, in various places, "Time Will Tell" did get some praise and recognition in Beach Boys' circles. OK, carry on. (I just wanted to use this emoticon. What is its significance?)
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
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Post by bellbottoms on Jun 30, 2020 15:11:30 GMT
How about two songs with a really similar vibe? Island Girl vs. The Tide is High vs Despite the difference in tempo, when listening to one, I often find myself singing the lyrics to the other! EDIT: I'll reserve my decision for after I see what anyone else has to say (if anyone else has anything to say...)
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Post by kds on Jun 30, 2020 15:25:46 GMT
While I'm probably one of the few BB fans who enjoys Island Girl, I'm going with Blondie on this one. I think it's a better overall song for that vibe.
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Post by Kapitan on Jun 30, 2020 15:55:16 GMT
I'm not a fan of either song, really, but I'll take Blondie's version of "The Tide is High" over the BBs here. And since the version bellbottoms posted may not be available in your country--it isn't in mine at the moment--here is another version that might be.
It's coincidental that these came up, as I had just been thinking about "The Tide is High" when listening to "Los Angeles" on the new Haim album.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jun 30, 2020 16:14:58 GMT
Never cared much for "Island Girl". It's only OK. Carl's part is the only part that I really like. Always thought it was another inferior attempt at the "Kokomo" formula. They brought Brian into the mix to supply some yelling.
"The Tide Is High" wasn't Blondie's best, but it did sound pretty good on the car radio. When I was DJing, I used to work it into the limbo line.
I'll go with "The Time Is High".
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Post by Kapitan on Jun 30, 2020 16:17:20 GMT
They brought Brian into the mix to supply some yelling.
(But you're not wrong)
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Post by B.E. on Jun 30, 2020 17:17:21 GMT
Wow, bellbottoms, they are very similar! Worthy of the 'songs that remind you...' thread. I was all ready to vote in favor of "Island Girl", being familiar with it, and liking it, but I think "The Tide Is High" is better. I really enjoyed that. Maybe it's my familiarity with the Beach Boys' (and Buddy Holly's) music working against it, but as much as I enjoy it, "Island Girl" just feels much more derivative by comparison. As for Brian and Carl's vocal performances, I don't think Carl is singing with much less force or in a significantly more appealing way. I think Al out-sings all the Beach Boys, and non-Beach Boys, on that track.
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
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Post by bellbottoms on Jun 30, 2020 18:46:27 GMT
Thanks for the alternate youtube link, Kap. Sorry about that folks!
I really like both of these songs and I'm torn as to which one is better. I prefer the tempo of Island Girl and Al's rock-out vocal moment, but The Tide is High is just a little bit more pulled together. I also love Debbie Harry's vocal on it. It's very close. I thought there might be more of an even split, but Tide is clearly winning, and there is a part of me that wants to just say Island Girl for the hell of it.
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Post by Kapitan on Jun 30, 2020 18:48:21 GMT
I thought there might be more of an even split, but Tide is clearly winning, and there is a part of me that wants to just say Island Girl for the hell of it. There's that contrarian spirit this board was built on!
(Well, OK, we were really built on not being jerks to one another. But in not being jerks while being contrarians!)
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Post by B.E. on Jun 30, 2020 18:58:12 GMT
The Tide is High is just a little bit more pulled together. Part of that, for me at least, is the production. I think the production is tighter and less dated.
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bellbottoms
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 727
Likes: 201
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Post by bellbottoms on Jun 30, 2020 19:43:40 GMT
The Tide is High is just a little bit more pulled together. Part of that, for me at least, is the production. I think the production is tighter and less dated. Yeah, I think I agree. Tide is definitely tighter with better sounding instrumentation. But it's also repetitive. And the relative looseness of Island Girl gives it variability, which earns it a point.
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Post by kds on Jul 6, 2020 12:57:43 GMT
Have you ever listened to a solo album and thought "If this album has been released by (artist X)'s former band, it would be far more popular / revered"? Two of my favorite groups of all time are Pink Floyd and The Beach Boys. Roger Waters and Brian Wilson each launched solo careers in the 1980s, and predictably, their solo careers haven't exactly set the world on fire like Paul McCartney, Ozzy Osbourne, or (sigh) Sting. But, each artist managed to release an album that, had it been released under the banner of their old band, might be more well known outside their loyal fanbases.
Roger Waters - Amused to Death (1992) v Brian Wilson - That Lucky Old Sun (2008)
Among Floyd fans, Waters' Amused to Death album is generally considered his best post Floyd album, and for good reason. Songs like What God Wants Part 2, Perfect Sense, The Bravery of Being Out of Range, Three Wishes, It's a Miracle, and the title track among others evoke that classic Floyd sound far more than Roger's previous two solo albums. Had these songs been Pink Floyd songs, it's possible you might hear them on classic rock radio as often as Learning to Fly.
With Brian, TLOS is often cited as his best solo album (that didn't begin life as a Beach Boys album in the 60s). Had Forever You'll Be My Surfer Girl, Goin Home, Midnight's Another Day, or Southern California been Beach Boys songs, they might be more well known.
So, which solo album is better? I'm going with Brian here. Clocking in at 72 minutes, ATD lags a bit in the middle, Roger having made that 1990s CD era mistake of trying to fill out a disk. Brian's album at a brisk 45 minutes, doesn't really lag. And, the lowlights (spoken word bits) don't linger.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 6, 2020 13:16:27 GMT
I'll listen to Amused to Death today and see what I think of the comparison, but as a big fan of TLOS and only a lukewarm one of Waters, I can guess which way I'll lean.
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Post by kds on Jul 6, 2020 14:12:24 GMT
Another point that I forgot to make about ATD. Roger Waters was never what I'd call a gifted vocalist. But, his vocals on Amused to Death are the worst of his career. Waters didn't really adjust to his worn vocal cords until he became a touring artist again in 1999. By the time TLOS was released, Brian had adjusted to his vocal issues.
So, vocally, advantage Brian also.
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Post by Kapitan on Jul 6, 2020 14:44:50 GMT
OK, while my listen count is far from fair (probably 100+ full TLOS listens compared to precisely 1 AtD listen), it isn't a hard choice for me: TLOS by a landslide.
Both albums are a little on the pretentious side. I was disappointed at the time of TLOS that it went the "cram it into a concept album" format with the interludes, etc., and still hold that same criticism. But Waters being Waters goes far further in the concept direction.
I share KDS's critique of Waters' voice. But I think it's made worse by an album that doesn't really have a lot in terms of memorable melodies or hooks to begin with. I saw that AllMusic gave it 4.5/5 stars and was amazed. It's probably more in the 3/5 range for me. It isn't BAD. Plenty of good players involved, decent production for the time (though I don't love that either). Overlong, not especially memorable, not especially interesting. No fun at all, and not good enough to overcome that absence.
Translated to a 10 scale, I think this would be something like TLOS 8, AtD 5.5 or 6.
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