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Post by kds on May 18, 2021 12:28:34 GMT
Mona is one of maybe three or four songs off Love You that I really like. Love You is one of my Top 5 (maybe 3!) albums, but I find "Mona" one of the weaker songs. Oh, I like it, but it's not a favorite by any means. It's not much of a song and Dennis' vocal is questionable. I've always been surprised that Brian gave the song to Dennis to sing. The song is very Brian, including the Phil Spector reference. There are some nice parts in the backing track but they're slightly buried. Maybe a better mix would've helped. Love You a Top Five Album. Are you nuts?
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on May 18, 2021 12:30:11 GMT
Love You is one of my Top 5 (maybe 3!) albums, but I find "Mona" one of the weaker songs. Oh, I like it, but it's not a favorite by any means. It's not much of a song and Dennis' vocal is questionable. I've always been surprised that Brian gave the song to Dennis to sing. The song is very Brian, including the Phil Spector reference. There are some nice parts in the backing track but they're slightly buried. Maybe a better mix would've helped. Love You a Top Five Album. Are you nuts? For a long time Top Three!
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Post by kds on May 18, 2021 12:32:18 GMT
Love You a Top Five Album. Are you nuts? For a long time Top Three! It would probably be in my Top Three if not for 26 other albums.
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Post by B.E. on May 18, 2021 13:45:40 GMT
UCR posted their top ten post Pet Sounds BB songs. I think 1-8 are pretty solid, but I personally wouldn't have Baby Blue or Aren't You Glad in my top ten, even though I like both songs. I love seeing Leaving This Town getting some love, but Til I Die seemed like a glaring omission. I appreciate the love for “Aren’t You Glad” and “Baby Blue”, as you do “Leaving This Town”, but I think there are better songs than all three. And, that’s how the author framed it - 10 best songs. With that in mind, I agree 100% regarding “Til I Die”.
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Post by Kapitan on May 18, 2021 13:49:49 GMT
"Best" is harder to rank than "favorite," but I think my rating along those lines would be some arrangement of:
Do It Again
Darlin'
Time to Get Alone
This Whole World Til I Die Cabinessence
Heroes & Villains Good Vibrations Our Prayer
Surf's Up
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Post by B.E. on May 18, 2021 14:00:13 GMT
I like all three of those songs, and I love "Mona." Obviously an all-time list rather than post-PS list would hurt it in my personal rankings, but even so, you'd find it higher than you might expect on my lists.
But remember, I'm talking favorites, not some sort of objective best.
Mona is one of maybe three or four songs off Love You that I really like. According to my last.fm account, “Mona” is my all-time most listened to song. Granted, that list is heavily skewed towards mid-70s Dennis-centric BBs listening that occurred during 2012-2013 when I was really getting into both. “Pacific Ocean Blue”, “My Diane”, and “Angel Come Home” are also Top 15. I must have listened to a lot of Love You, because “Love Is A Woman” made the cut!
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Post by kds on May 18, 2021 14:08:28 GMT
UCR posted their top ten post Pet Sounds BB songs. I think 1-8 are pretty solid, but I personally wouldn't have Baby Blue or Aren't You Glad in my top ten, even though I like both songs. I love seeing Leaving This Town getting some love, but Til I Die seemed like a glaring omission. I appreciate the love for “Aren’t You Glad” and “Baby Blue”, as you do “Leaving This Town”, but I think there are better songs than all three. And, that’s how the author framed it - 10 best songs. With that in mind, I agree 100% regarding “Til I Die”. I'd generally agree that neither three is really a "best," unless you're talking in terms of best non vocal musical moments. In that case, Leaving This Town is a no brainer, as Feel Flows would be (which was left off).
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Post by B.E. on May 18, 2021 15:40:15 GMT
kds lists "Leaving This Town", Robe Simo included "Deidre", and Kapitan mentioned "Mona" as a runner-up! What? Are you guys nuts? While I’m personally more of a “Mona” fan than “Leaving This Town”, I can understand either making a list of favorites. Each have their strengths. “Deidre”, on the other hand, I can see making a list of BEST songs. I’m not saying it would make my list, but I think it’s very well-done, very high quality. It excels in all aspects - the underlying song, arrangement, performance, and production. I get that Bruce’s style isn’t to everyone’s taste but I think he was closest to Brian in his songs/productions of that era. As a result, arguably, more “Beach Boys”.
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Post by kds on May 18, 2021 15:50:23 GMT
kds lists "Leaving This Town", Robe Simo included "Deidre", and Kapitan mentioned "Mona" as a runner-up! What? Are you guys nuts? While I’m personally more of a “Mona” fan than “Leaving This Town”, I can understand either making a list of favorites. Each have their strengths. “Deidre”, on the other hand, I can see making a list of BEST songs. I’m not saying it would make my list, but I think it’s very well-done, very high quality. It excels in all aspects - the underlying song, arrangement, performance, and production. I get that Bruce’s style isn’t to everyone’s taste but I think he was closest to Brian in his songs/productions of that era. As a result, arguably, more “Beach Boys”. I think Bruce had a pretty good run there on 20/20, Sunflower, and Surf's Up.
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Post by B.E. on May 18, 2021 16:29:18 GMT
I think Bruce had a pretty good run there on 20/20, Sunflower, and Surf's Up. Who knows, if he hadn’t been kicked out of the group, you might have included CATP and Holland to that list.
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Post by Kapitan on May 18, 2021 16:33:06 GMT
Bruce is a tricky one, because while on one hand he's a superb musician, proven songwriter and producer, etc., he makes Carl look prolific. He really just never seemed to prioritize his own material: even his own solo album is largely self covers.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on May 18, 2021 16:38:08 GMT
kds lists "Leaving This Town", Robe Simo included "Deidre", and Kapitan mentioned "Mona" as a runner-up! What? Are you guys nuts? While I’m personally more of a “Mona” fan than “Leaving This Town”, I can understand either making a list of favorites. Each have their strengths. “Deidre”, on the other hand, I can see making a list of BEST songs. I’m not saying it would make my list, but I think it’s very well-done, very high quality. It excels in all aspects - the underlying song, arrangement, performance, and production. I get that Bruce’s style isn’t to everyone’s taste but I think he was closest to Brian in his songs/productions of that era. As a result, arguably, more “Beach Boys”. Again, I love Love You and like "Mona" but, after "Love Is A Woman", I consider "Mona" to be the weakest song on the album. Even its sequencing/placement on the album is wrong.
Occasionally on BB message boards I have seen the topic of "the least Beach Boyish song", or something to that effect. For me, "Leaving This Town" would top that list. I find nothing Beach Boys-like about it. Nothing. Even as just a song, I find it plodding. Honestly, back in the day of vinyl, I did quite a bit of needle lifting and dropping with that song.
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Post by kds on May 18, 2021 16:50:54 GMT
While I’m personally more of a “Mona” fan than “Leaving This Town”, I can understand either making a list of favorites. Each have their strengths. “Deidre”, on the other hand, I can see making a list of BEST songs. I’m not saying it would make my list, but I think it’s very well-done, very high quality. It excels in all aspects - the underlying song, arrangement, performance, and production. I get that Bruce’s style isn’t to everyone’s taste but I think he was closest to Brian in his songs/productions of that era. As a result, arguably, more “Beach Boys”. Again, I love Love You and like "Mona" but, after "Love Is A Woman", I consider "Mona" to be the weakest song on the album. Even its sequencing/placement on the album is wrong.
Occasionally on BB message boards I have seen the topic of "the least Beach Boyish song", or something to that effect. For me, "Leaving This Town" would top that list. I find nothing Beach Boys-like about it. Nothing. Even as just a song, I find it plodding. Honestly, back in the day of vinyl, I did quite a bit of needle lifting and dropping with that song.
I would agree that Leaving This Town is one of the least Beach Boys songs in their catalog, but I don't find that to be a detriment.
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Post by B.E. on May 18, 2021 16:59:40 GMT
Bruce is a tricky one, because while on one hand he's a superb musician, proven songwriter and producer, etc., he makes Carl look prolific. He really just never seemed to prioritize his own material: even his own solo album is largely self covers. Well, he seemed to during the period in question. In hindsight, it’s only after being kicked out of the BBs (in his prime) and a failed solo career did he seem to lose interest. Edit: I assume the self covers on his solo album were more or less a stipulation. Like Mike needing to include UTL disc 2 to get a solo album on the shelves.
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Post by kds on May 18, 2021 17:02:03 GMT
I think Bruce had a pretty good run there on 20/20, Sunflower, and Surf's Up. Who knows, if he hadn’t been kicked out of the group, you might have included CATP and Holland to that list. It's possible. Although, there's not a whole lot I'd change about those albums, Holland in particular. Unless Bruce had a Diedre or Disney Girls caliber song to replace Funky Pretty.
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