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Post by kds on Aug 12, 2021 13:46:30 GMT
I was toying with the idea of a possible late summer release with the closing trilogy, maybe even with Think About the Days as an intro. I can definitely see that, a September release maybe.
Remember how major "film" videos were such a big deal back in the heyday of MTV? Almost every Michael Jackson video (and especially his albums' first singles), or those Illusion GnR videos, were really promoted. It was advertised when they'd premiere, even when they'd run sometimes.
Obviously the era of MTV was gone by then, but you could still have had a media campaign advertising it for weeks in advance. Snippets of those (obviously beautiful) sounds in strategically placed ad spots for key demographics. Promoting it as a multipart suite from the genius who brought you Pet Sounds.
Then the short film/video combining historical clips of the band aging over the years, sentimental sepia-toned images of Carl and Dennis, etc. My god, it's the kind of thing that Parenthood or This is Us viewers would swoon and die over. (Hopefully not literally.)
Oh yeah, I remember those "film" videos on MTV. Some artists were still doing stuff like that in the 2010s, but it seemed like YouTube was more of the medium. I remember Lady Gaga and Beyonce doing a 10-15 minute short film for the song they did together around that time (Telephone?). So, I think something like that would've worked pretty well for the Life Suite. Unfortunately, by September 2012, the contractual obligations were just about done, the album plus two obligatory singles were already out. The only thing left was to play the remaining shows before going back to business as usual. Yet another situation where competition management could've made something really good into something truly special.
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Post by B.E. on Aug 13, 2021 0:08:00 GMT
No rules here. Go with what you would have rushed out and bought in a heartbeat. Go with a non album B-side? Sure! Make your own rules. Explain your choice if you'd like or just put it out there and see what everyone else thinks. First and foremost, thanks to you and this thread idea, I've listened to more Beach Boys the past two days than I had the past two months! Sorry if I strayed a bit far but I really got into the idea of ONE single per album. And, in doing so, I tried to lean towards "best" as opposed to "favorite". Basically, I tried to 'double-A side' the Beach Boys into the stratosphere! Just look at those singles through Holland, my Lord! Also, I like the idea of really giving the fans value for their money. I mean, if you release 3 singles per album...that's the 6 best tracks...why bother buying the album at that point? So, with that in mind, I felt better "relegating" some stellar material to album-only status. SURFIN' SAFARI "Surfin' Safari" b/w "409" SURFIN' USA "Surfin' USA" b/w "Shut Down" SURFER GIRL "Surfer Girl" b/w "Little Deuce Coupe" LITTLE DEUCE COUPE "Be True To Your School" b/w "Custom Machine" [NON-ALBUM SINGLE] "Little Saint Nick" b/w "The Lord's Prayer" SHUT DOWN VOL. II "Fun, Fun, Fun" b/w "Don't Worry Baby" ALL SUMMER LONG "I Get Around" b/w "All Summer Long" BEACH BOYS CONCERT -no singles- BEACH BOYS CHRISTMAS ALBUM -no additional singles- BEACH BOYS TODAY! "When I Grow Up (To Be A Man) b/w "Kiss Me, Baby" SUMMER DAYS (AND SUMMER NIGHTS!!!) "California Girls" b/w "Help Me, Rhonda" BEACH BOYS PARTY! "Barbara Ann" b/w "There's No Other (Like My Baby)" PET SOUNDS "Sloop John B" b/w "The Little Girl I Once Knew" "Wouldn't It Be Nice" b/w "God Only Knows" [NON-ALBUM SINGLE] "Good Vibrations" b/w session highlights or instrumental SMILEY SMILE "Heroes and Villains" b/w "You're Welcome" WILD HONEY "Darlin'" b/w "Here Comes The Night" FRIENDS "Friends" b/w "Little Bird" 20/20 "Do It Again" b/w "I Can Hear Music" [NON-ALBUM SINGLE] "Break Away" b/w "Cottonfields" SUNFLOWER "This World World" b/w "Forever" SURF'S UP "Surf's Up" b/w "'Til I Die" CARL & THE PASSIONS - SO TOUGH "Marcella" b/w "All This Is That" HOLLAND "Sail On, Sailor" b/w "California Saga: California" IN CONCERT -no singles- 15 BIG ONES "Rock and Roll Music" b/w "It's OK" THE BEACH BOYS LOVE YOU "I'll Bet He's Nice" b/w "The Night Was So Young" MIU ALBUM "Come Go With Me" b/w "My Diane" LA (LIGHT ALBUM) "Good Timin'" b/w "Lady Lynda" KEEPIN' THE SUMMER ALIVE "Goin' On" b/w "Keepin' The Summer Alive" THE BEACH BOYS "Getcha Back" b/w "Where I Belong" STILL CRUISIN' "Kokomo" b/w "California Dreamin'" SUMMER IN PARADISE --no singles-- THATS WHY GOD MADE THE RADIO "That's Why God Made The Radio" b/w "Isn't It Time"
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Post by B.E. on Aug 13, 2021 0:39:12 GMT
I don't think it would matter what songs were chosen as singles from Sunflower. It was the album era, and people needed to experience the album. It might not have mattered more just in the context of the band's relative decline in popularity: when you're not seen as cool, you're not seen as cool.
Yeah, I think it's just a matter of being 'in' or not. Is Sunflower more of an "album era" album than Plastic Ono Band? Is "This Whole World" less commercial-sounding than "Mother"?
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Aug 13, 2021 12:06:15 GMT
THE BEACH BOYS LOVE YOU "I'll Bet He's Nice" b/w "The Night Was So Young" I was thinking about a Love You single. They only released one single from the album, "Honkin' Down The Highway"/"Solar System", which was a bit confusing because, although they were leaking oil, The Beach Boys were still very popular in early 1977. I think "Honkin' Down The Highway" was an OK/good choice; it was Beach Boy-ish, it featured an Al vocal (though it was one of the worst of his career), and it wasn't embarrassing (like some of the songs/vocals were on 15 Big Ones and Love You).
Addressing your choice, B.E., I think those are the two songs I would've chosen, too. They might be the two best songs on the album, and why not go with the best. However, I think I would've flip-flopped the A-side and B-side. I think the rough Dennis and Brian vocals on "I'll Bet He's Nice" would've been a little off-putting for most fans, especially on the radio. And, Carl's vocal on the bridge is slightly shaky, too. With "The Night Was So Young", I think you have a slightly better song and consistently better vocals, both lead and background. I can actually hear that being played on the radio - and working. The fade is a little underwhelming, but...
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Post by B.E. on Aug 13, 2021 22:39:27 GMT
THE BEACH BOYS LOVE YOU "I'll Bet He's Nice" b/w "The Night Was So Young" I was thinking about a Love You single. They only released one single from the album, "Honkin' Down The Highway"/"Solar System", which was a bit confusing because, although they were leaking oil, The Beach Boys were still very popular in early 1977. I think "Honkin' Down The Highway" was an OK/good choice; it was Beach Boy-ish, it featured an Al vocal (though it was one of the worst of his career), and it wasn't embarrassing (like some of the songs/vocals were on 15 Big Ones and Love You).
Addressing your choice, B.E., I think those are the two songs I would've chosen, too. They might be the two best songs on the album, and why not go with the best. However, I think I would've flip-flopped the A-side and B-side. I think the rough Dennis and Brian vocals on "I'll Bet He's Nice" would've been a little off-putting for most fans, especially on the radio. And, Carl's vocal on the bridge is slightly shaky, too. With "The Night Was So Young", I think you have a slightly better song and consistently better vocals, both lead and background. I can actually hear that being played on the radio - and working. The fade is a little underwhelming, but...
I actually think "Roller Skating Child" is the most commercial track. Throughout my selections I was favoring up-tempo material because I think ( all things being equal) that's what gets the most airplay (especially when it comes to the Beach Boys). I kind of feel that a ballad really needs to be stellar/memorable to make it. Anyway, I spent quite a while trying to find the right partner for "Roller Skating Child". My first thought was "Honkin' Down The Highway", and for all the reasons you stated. It's just more of what people would have expected/wanted from the group (i.e. less weird). But, listening to it as a prospective single really brought to my attention the feeling that it drags a bit. Maybe that's what's keeping Al from a better performance? So, then I considered "Let Us Go On This Way". Sure it might be a bit of a shock, in its roughness, to many listeners coming from the Beach Boys, but it's got good energy, it's cool, and I like how the the first two tracks on Love You sound together. (And, I just want to point out here that I'm thinking about all these singles as double A-sides.) Ultimately, I couldn't quite convince myself. Then there's "Mona". It's got some life, and it sounds pretty good alongside "Roller Skating Child". That would be a pretty fun single (especially by Love You standards), but again, "Mona" just isn't "double A-side" material. That's where I came to the same conclusion you did - "why not go with the best?" I really believe that's the way to go MOST of the time. Especially if you're wrestling over songs that probably won't chart (well) anyway. Just put your best foot forward. Hope for critical success if not commercial... By the way, I also considered the vocals of "I'll Bet He's Nice". That's partially why I was initially willing to go with "Roller Skating Child". Honestly, every time I listen to Carl's vocal on the bridge it sounds worse. It really makes me kinda sad, because it's always been my favorite song on Love You. That should be the most exciting part of the song (as the demo demonstrates!) but Carl sounds borderline comatose. It's really too bad, because I like the idea of Brian, Dennis, and Carl sharing a lead vocal like that.
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Post by Kapitan on Aug 13, 2021 22:43:36 GMT
I actually thought of "Mona," myself. Maybe a "Mona"/"The Night Was So Young" pairing.
Though realistically I don't see anything from Love You topping the charts.
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Post by B.E. on Aug 13, 2021 22:51:49 GMT
I actually thought of "Mona," myself. Maybe a "Mona"/"The Night Was So Young" pairing.
Though realistically I don't see anything from Love You topping the charts.
No, certainly not, and I'm not suggesting they would. I think there's a pretty clear dip post- Holland in the overall quality of the singles, but tightening things up with one single per album puts the best face on it. Love You might be the toughest because it's arguably the least commercial batch of recordings AND the quality is fairly consistent throughout.
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Post by B.E. on Aug 13, 2021 23:04:17 GMT
MIU ALBUM "Come Go With Me" b/w "My Diane" To me, "Come Go With Me" is automatic - we've even had history prove it out. But, what to put with it? As we've been discussing, "why not go with the best?" won out. Now, not everyone will agree that "My Diane" is next best, but I think it's pretty highly regarded among hardcore fans. So, ultimately, I went with the more serious, heavy, emotional track - even if it had little or no chance of charting. The flipside, though, is the lightweight but quite pleasant "Wontcha Come Out Tonight". It's even got a bit of a lyrical tie-in. I can almost imagine it on the radio in '78 - just a "hey, check out this nice little tune from the Beach Boys new album". Nothing too memorable, gone as quick as it came, but Brian's smooth vocal would have been welcomed (and I don't just mean by hardcore fans who analyze such things, but by unsuspecting casual fans.) That said, again, that song and few other candidates from MIU just aren't top-shelf material...and so "why not go with the closest thing?
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Post by Kapitan on Aug 13, 2021 23:04:45 GMT
Absolutely, on all counts.
You've captured Love You precisely: consistent, but not commercial. Whatever it is, be it trash or be it genius, it is. It si consistent as the thing that it is.
I also happen to think it's really, really good. Maybe not for all the right reasons, but I do think it's really good. And I even think there are songs in there that actually are commercial ... just not as recorded by the Beach Boys at that time.
But instead it's recorded as it was performed, which is ... well, you know what it is. And now it's the album that it is, with the reputation that it has.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Aug 13, 2021 23:26:00 GMT
For many of the 44 years I've been enjoying Love You, "Roller Skating Child" has been either my favorite song, or second favorite behind "The Night Was So Young". The band performed "Roller Skating Child" live for about a year after the release of Love You BTW. However, as much as I love the song, I think the no-intro opening and Brian's ruining of the tag with his gruff and off-key vocal disqualifies it as a single. Would somebody please correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the early/earlier version of "Roller Skating Child" have a brief percussion-like intro that was ultimately cut?
I agree that, with The Beach Boys, you had a better shot at a hit with a fast(er) song, but "The Night Was So Young" is sooooo good. Of course, that had no intro either, not that it's necessary for a single to have an intro. Come to think of it, not many Love You songs did have an intro.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Aug 13, 2021 23:29:16 GMT
MIU ALBUM "Come Go With Me" b/w "My Diane" To me, "Come Go With Me" is automatic - we've even had history prove it out. But, what to put with it? As we've been discussing, "why not go with the best?" won out. Now, not everyone will agree that "My Diane" is next best, but I think it's pretty highly regarded among hardcore fans. So, ultimately, I went with the more serious, heavy, emotional track - even if it had little or no chance of charting. The flipside, though, is the lightweight but quite pleasant "Wontcha Come Out Tonight". It's even got a bit of a lyrical tie-in. I can almost imagine it on the radio in '78 - just a "hey, check out this nice little tune from the Beach Boys new album". Nothing too memorable, gone as quick as it came, but Brian's smooth vocal would have been welcomed (and I don't just mean by hardcore fans who analyze such things, but by unsuspecting casual fans.) That said, again, that song and few other candidates from MIU just aren't top-shelf material...and so "why not go with the closest thing? "Pitter Patter" or "She's Got Rhythm" for me as the B-side. I know it's fast/fast, but they were in serious trouble - gotta go with your best. Hell, I would've even considered "Match Point Of Our Love". The more M.I.U. Brian the better.
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Post by B.E. on Aug 13, 2021 23:36:43 GMT
Nothing wrong with fast/fast! That said, "She's Got Rhythm" is a hard 'NO' from me. Now, I did consider "Pitter Patter". That's one of those songs that when it kicks off you're like, "man, this is better than I remembered!" but after a minute or so you lose that enthusiasm. I think, in the end, it's just not a great song. (And, again, that's what I'm reaching for in this little exercise.)
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Post by Kapitan on Aug 16, 2021 21:08:43 GMT
15 Big Ones...
Easier than Love You, but still not the most ear-friendly album of all time. When your group is known for vocal harmonies and a few of their voices are rough and sketchy in their pitch, it's not a great sign. No alternate universe of single releases was going to make this one be seen as Pet Sounds ... because Pet Sounds it ain't.
That said, I think the band did an OK job in choosing singles. I would have done it a bit different, though.
1st single: "It's OK" b/w "Rock and Roll Music," released in late May 1976 (which is when "RnR Music" b/w "TM Song" was released). I think "It's OK" is one of their most fun, most successful post-Pet Sounds throwback kinds of songs. It's not just pastiche of their earlier selves, the arrangement is quirky and interesting, and even the rough vocals aren't damning. I'd have put it forward as my best food, with the cover as the B-side, and hoped BOTH got some traction. Both of these songs got some airplay, but I like to think that together it would have been better still--especially if released at the beginning of summer!
2nd single: "Had to Phone Ya" b/w "Susie Cincinnati" I think "Had to Phone Ya" is underrated. Not a surefire hit, no, not by a long shot. Frankly I don't think there is anything really strong to follow up that initial release I have hypothesized above. But it's tuneful and quirky, hopefully something that would appeal. "Susie" is a straightforward rocker to maybe bring things back to more typical sounds, even if it's old and previously released by this time. I'm just not sure what else I'd use... I guess I put all my eggs in one basket, in that lead single.
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