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Post by Kapitan on Jun 1, 2021 11:55:26 GMT
Solo albums:
Last Great: TLOS, I guess. I have been waffling between that and BWPS, which also happen to be the only two Beach Boys' solo albums I think are even approaching great. Truth be told, I don't now whether TLOS even reaches it, but I'm going with it.
Last Good: NPP. Mike's albums just never do it for me. The combinations of remakes, simple songs with uninteresting music, corny lyrics...they are at their best competent, but I can't go with good. NPP had some truly high level songs, songs that I wish we were about to hear on a final BBs album for the 60th. ("Sail Away," for example, and "Saturday Night.")
First Bad: Going Public. But if not for this one, then it wouldn't have been a long wait. The 1981 solo albums were both serious contenders: Carl Wilson is a mediocre album flirting with bad, and Looking Back With Love is bad.
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Post by kds on Jun 1, 2021 12:30:46 GMT
Solo Albums (My ratings are based solely on the solo works of the five classic members - Brian, Mike, Carl, Dennis, and Al)
Last Great - TLOS - I honestly think this is the only BB related solo album that approaches true greatness.
Last Good - NPP - For a late career album, this is quite good for the most part.
First Bad - Looking Back With Love - Just mediocre.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jun 4, 2021 11:36:47 GMT
Solo Albums:
LAST GREAT: Pacific Ocean Blue - This was an easy one because Pacific Ocean Blue is the ONLY great one of the bunch! I could go on and on about this album (and have!), but, to me, one of the best aspects of Dennis's solo album is that it was necessary, it had a purpose, it was what it was supposed to be - a reason for a solo album in the first place. Dennis had so much to say outside the Beach Boys' parameters and he said it. Solo album after solo album by various Beach Boys came and went with nothing...new to offer...that they couldn't record with The Beach Boys - and record better. Dennis did.
LAST GOOD: No Pier Pressure - There are some darn good songs and some darn good vocals on this album. It's one of the few Beach Boys' solo albums that held up over the years, and one of the few that I actually revisit. However, it still stings that it wasn't the follow-up to That's Why God Made The Radio.
FIRST BAD: The Almost Summer soundtrack album by Celebration (and the second one, too) was pretty bad, but that's not really a solo album. I guess I'll have to go with Carl Wilson's first solo album, only because it preceded Looking Back With Love by a couple of months. Simply and unfortunately, Carl Wilson is boring. It should NOT have been - it was an album by The Beach Boys' lead guitarist(!), and Carl said before the album that he wanted to rock a little. Carl also said at the time that he wanted to "step outside The Beach Boys" which he also failed to do. I so wanted to like this album. I listened to it for as long as I could and then just put it away. "Heaven" is Carl's best solo song but it's hard to build an album around just one song.
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Post by kds on Jun 4, 2021 13:38:43 GMT
Solo Albums:
LAST GREAT: Pacific Ocean Blue - This was an easy one because Pacific Ocean Blue is the ONLY great one of the bunch! I could go on and on about this album (and have!), but, to me, one of the best aspects of Dennis's solo album is that it was necessary, it had a purpose, it was what it was supposed to be - a reason for a solo album in the first place. Dennis had so much to say outside the Beach Boys' parameters and he said it. Solo album after solo album by various Beach Boys came and went with nothing...new to offer...that they couldn't record with The Beach Boys - and record better. Dennis did.
LAST GOOD: No Pier Pressure - There are some darn good songs and some darn good vocals on this album. It's one of the few Beach Boys' solo albums that held up over the years, and one of the few that I actually revisit. However, it still stings that it wasn't the follow-up to That's Why God Made The Radio.
FIRST BAD: The Almost Summer soundtrack album by Celebration (and the second one, too) was pretty bad, but that's not really a solo album. I guess I'll have to go with Carl Wilson's first solo album, only because it preceded Looking Back With Love by a couple of months. Simply and unfortunately, Carl Wilson is boring. It should NOT have been - it was an album by The Beach Boys' lead guitarist(!), and Carl said before the album that he wanted to rock a little. Carl also said at the time that he wanted to "step outside The Beach Boys" which he also failed to do. I so wanted to like this album. I listened to it for as long as I could and then just put it away. "Heaven" is Carl's best solo song but it's hard to build an album around just one song.
I almost went with Carl's solo debut, but even though the rest of the album isn't much to write home album, I think Heaven saves it from me considering it "Bad."
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Post by lonelysummer on Jun 5, 2021 0:26:34 GMT
Okay, I'll take a bite. LAST GREAT: As much as I like TWGMTR, I'm not sure I would call it great. Good or very good, certainly, but Carl's absence is still felt. It feels so strange to have a latter day BB's album without some Carl leads. His vocals alone elevated much of the material on their 80s/90s recordings. So maybe I should pick BB85, but even though I enjoy that album very much, I can't rate it on the same level as ...well, Holland. So Holland is my pick for the last GREAT Beach Boys album, even though there are many enjoyable moments on the albums that came after. I might even rate LA (Light Album) as their last great album if they hadn't put the extended mix of HCTA on it, and replaced it with something as strong as It's a Beautiful Day. LAST GOOD: I already said it We all seem to be in agreement on this one. FIRST BAD: Surfin' Safari? No, it's not bad, just the first studio album of a very inexperienced group. Smiley Smile? No. I understand in context, it was far from what people expected, but no way is it a BAD album - not with those vocals. The stripped down arrangements aren't a problem for me. A good song is a good song, no matter what you play it with. My first thought was to go with 15 Big Ones, which I hated the first time I gave it a serious listen. "This is the same band that made Holland?" Repeated listens have brought forth a few songs on it I enjoy - and none of them are the oldies. This time out, though, I'm going to go with The Beach Boys Love You. I would have thought that, after letting Brian loose in the studio for 15BO, cooler heads would prevail, and the band would return to the democratic approach of the early 70's. Nope. LY feels like a record made for just a few friends. If you know the whole Brian is a Tormented/Demented Genius story, you might find some enjoyment in hearing Brian do his therapy on record, but as a mainstream release, this thing never should have come out.
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Post by lonelysummer on Jun 5, 2021 0:30:29 GMT
solo stuff: LAST GREAT: TLOS. Although I don't rave about it nearly as much today as I did 10 years ago. I may change my vote and go with Orange Crate Art. LAST GOOD: Unleash the Love. I'm the one person that was glad Mike finally put these songs out. It's got flaws, sure, but I do find it an enjoyable listen. Obviously not counting the second disc of remakes. FIRST BAD: I haven't heard Looking Back With Love, or Going Public. Maybe I'll find they're not as bad as everyone says. I love Carl's solo albums, but nearly everyone hates his first album. I can honestly tell you, though, that of the released albums from Brian, GIOMH was the first one I didn't love.
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Post by kds on Jun 5, 2021 0:39:59 GMT
solo stuff: LAST GREAT: TLOS. Although I don't rave about it nearly as much today as I did 10 years ago. I may change my vote and go with Orange Crate Art. LAST GOOD: Unleash the Love. I'm the one person that was glad Mike finally put these songs out. It's got flaws, sure, but I do find it an enjoyable listen. Obviously not counting the second disc of remakes. FIRST BAD: I haven't heard Looking Back With Love, or Going Public. Maybe I'll find they're not as bad as everyone says. I love Carl's solo albums, but nearly everyone hates his first album. I can honestly tell you, though, that of the released albums from Brian, GIOMH was the first one I didn't love. I like quite a few songs on UTL. I also enjoyed 12 Sides of Summer far more than I'd have thought. I just think NPP is a little more consistent.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jun 5, 2021 12:04:59 GMT
solo stuff: LAST GREAT: TLOS. Although I don't rave about it nearly as much today as I did 10 years ago. I may change my vote and go with Orange Crate Art. LAST GOOD: Unleash the Love. I'm the one person that was glad Mike finally put these songs out. It's got flaws, sure, but I do find it an enjoyable listen. Obviously not counting the second disc of remakes. FIRST BAD: I haven't heard Looking Back With Love, or Going Public. Maybe I'll find they're not as bad as everyone says. I love Carl's solo albums, but nearly everyone hates his first album. I can honestly tell you, though, that of the released albums from Brian, GIOMH was the first one I didn't love. This is why message boards - and topics like this - are so interesting. I enjoy reading different opinions, and in this case, I disagree with all three!
That Lucky Old Sun's....greatness...continues to escape me. I don't hear the goodness of Unleash The Love. And, you LOVE Carl's solo albums? I do like Youngblood, however.
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Post by Kapitan on Jun 5, 2021 12:27:32 GMT
This is why message boards - and topics like this - are so interesting. I enjoy reading different opinions... I agree, just so long as the people on the boards are capable of handling different opinions without shouting down, piling on, etc. And thankfully this one has been remarkable in that way.
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Post by carllove on Jun 6, 2021 17:30:37 GMT
Last Great - Holland - IMO, this is the last stand by The Beach Boys as a truly creative group. For the most part, they spent the rest of their career chasing ghosts. Last Good - TWGMTR - I love this album. Almost great. First Bad - Smiley Smile - Other than the two big singles, this is....not good. I was almost ready to agree with you about Smiley Smile, but then realized it has Windchimes and Wonderful on it and I love those songs! Still - you would never find me listening to that album in it’s entirety. I prefer the parts to the sum and even sometimes find Vegetables fun to listen to. I think the biggest problem is that Smiley Smile should have been Smile. It sort of clouds my judgement a bit.
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Post by Kapitan on Jun 6, 2021 17:53:45 GMT
Last Great - Holland - IMO, this is the last stand by The Beach Boys as a truly creative group. For the most part, they spent the rest of their career chasing ghosts. Last Good - TWGMTR - I love this album. Almost great. First Bad - Smiley Smile - Other than the two big singles, this is....not good. I was almost ready to agree with you about Smiley Smile, but then realized it has Windchimes and Wonderful on it and I love those songs! Still - you would never find me listening to that album in it’s entirety. I prefer the parts to the sum and even sometimes find Vegetables fun to listen to. I think the biggest problem is that Smiley Smile should have been Smile. It sort of clouds my judgement a bit. I also love Wind Chimes and Wonderful, but I have to admit I don't much like the Smiley version of either.
Vegetables, on the other hand, I actually REALLY like. I know people consider it a throwaway or stupid, but I love it.
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Post by carllove on Jun 6, 2021 19:16:57 GMT
I was almost ready to agree with you about Smiley Smile, but then realized it has Windchimes and Wonderful on it and I love those songs! Still - you would never find me listening to that album in it’s entirety. I prefer the parts to the sum and even sometimes find Vegetables fun to listen to. I think the biggest problem is that Smiley Smile should have been Smile. It sort of clouds my judgement a bit. I also love Wind Chimes and Wonderful, but I have to admit I don't much like the Smiley version of either.
Vegetables, on the other hand, I actually REALLY like. I know people consider it a throwaway or stupid, but I love it.
Well now that you mention it, I listen to disc 2 of the GV 30 years box set at least twice a week, so my love for Wind Chimes and Wonderful came from hearing those versions. I guess I need to give the Smiley Smile versions a listen again. It’s been at least a year since I’ve heard them. Might change my mind about Smiley Smile again! Lol!
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Post by bellesofparisstan on Jun 6, 2021 20:27:01 GMT
Last Great: L.A. (Light Album) Outside of the 10 minute disco song, which I actually love I just think it goes on a couple minutes too long, this album is perfect. Absolutely everyone shines on this thing, I love the way it’s mixed and produced, and both Dennis and Carl get the spotlight for one last time, with some of their best material. Last good: I would say Still Cruisin’, just because all of the songs are just so fun and I don’t mind the 80s overly happy feel of the album, but given that it has a song that’s not even theirs, and three older tracks on it, I’m going to consider that more of a compilation than an album, and go with… The Beach Boys They updated their sound for the 80s, and at least in my opinion, it actually works. Carl puts forward some of his best tunes, better than a lot of the stuff that made his actual solo albums, Brian is on decent form, and Al and Mike are pretty good. My real sore spot with this album are the two tracks from Boy George and Stevie wonder, which to me could have been replaced with some actual Beach Boys songs. Those two songs are definitely not bad, but they both sound like mid 80s culture club and Stevie wonder songs, just Sang by Carl. They really ruined the flow of the album in my opinion, and it would’ve been much stronger without them. Brian recorded a version of water builds up during the sessions for this album, and Al and Mike had some Great tunes they could have pulled out. They even could have rescued an old Dennis tune if they really wanted to, and just made some slight tweaks to make it sound more 80s. It’s not too late, at least the original mix that is on bootlegs, already sounds like something that could have been from the 80s. It has those huge drums and everything. First bad: Keepin’ the Summer Alive as you can probably tell by my profile name, I don’t hate MIU at all. However, KTSA their first album where they sound like they could not care less. The tunes are decent, and could have been so much better. The early mix of Santa Anna winds, the version of Oh Darlin with a Brian lead vocal, both are better than what made the album. It’s almost like they’re singing songs that they just don’t care about. Everyone sounds checked out, Carl sounds like he was intoxicated throughout the entire Album Sessions, Mike Sounds like he would rather be anywhere else, the only one who actually sounds like they’re trying is Al. But the real problem with the album, is the absolutely horrendous production. I have no idea how Bruce went from producing LA, which at least in my opinion is sonically beautiful, to just a couple months later producing this mess. The mixes are dry, the vocals are overly processed so much that it doesn’t even sound like the Beach boys harmony stack anymore, it just sounds like noise. Sunshine is mixed so poorly that for the longest time I couldn’t even tell what the lyrics were because the vocals are crushed together. There are parts of the album that are actually harsh to my ears. They give me a headache. They have had weaker albums before this, but this is definitely their first album that I would be comfortable calling bad. The only saving moments of the album are The title track, which even though it suffers from the same production issues of the rest of the album is still fun, and Goin’ On. Everything else is either just bad, could have been done so much better, or exists in better versions elsewhere
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Jun 6, 2021 20:28:14 GMT
I'm curious how non-Beach Boys' fans feel, or would feel, about Smiley Smile if they heard it. The only people I ever read or hear talk about it are BB/BW fans. I personally never played it for...anyone. It would be interesting to see a survey.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 6, 2021 20:57:21 GMT
I once played a few tracks from Smiley Smile for a non Beach Boys fan friend of mine and he laughed through it. I think he laughed the hardest through Wind Chimes. After that whenever we would talk about something goofy, he would break out into that high "winnnnnddddd chimmmmmesssss" part that comes in after the first line. Became kind of an inside joke with us.
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