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Post by B.E. on Jan 1, 2022 20:56:56 GMT
I love pretty much everything Carl wrote; I think that's pretty rare. Sang is one thing, and would get more agreement. Wrote? Honestly I think he was a pretty mediocre writer, with some highs and some lows. Even though I'm not much of a Dennis fan, I think Carl's writing is by far the worst of the three Wilson brothers. Especially by this era of his solo work, I think a lot what he wrote could've been by anyone. I honestly don't even have a great feel for who Carl was as a songwriter. He didn't write much and (seemingly) always used a co-writer. I often wonder what Carl's role was - if any - in the production of his L.A. (Light Album) and Keepin' The Summer Alive tracks. As we know, Carl was the main producer (wasn't he?) on those early 70's Beach Boys' albums. Then, he kinda had to take a back seat when Brian was brought...back. When Brian stopped producing the band after 1977, Bruce, not Carl was chosen to produce. Was Carl COMPLETELY the "good soldier" and let Bruce produce his songs, or did Bruce maybe respect Carl's producing talents and let him call the/some shots? I think the L.A. (Light Album) songs sound like Bruce productions, as does "Keepin' The Summer Alive", but "Livin' With A Heartache" sounds Carl-produced to me. I don't really have a strong grasp on this either. He may have been the primary producer in the early 70s, but other people were involved (especially Bruce). And Carl didn't produce either of his solo albums. Unfortunately (for me, anyway) there's not really a solo Carl project out there (like we have with Brian and Dennis) where he was the predominant writer and producer to really get a great sense of who he was in those roles. (And I, personally, don't know all his co-writers and co-producers well enough to kinda suss out who might have contributed what with any great certainty.)
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Post by B.E. on Jan 1, 2022 21:09:55 GMT
On the single in question, one thing that bothers me somewhat is the roster of musicians: Carl Wilson is the only Beach Boy represented instrumentally, and one of two (along with Bruce) represented vocally.
Of course the group somewhat famously used a lot of outside musicians, particularly instrumentally. But often that was for horns, winds, strings, or for some of the complex compositions. This is a straightforward country-rock song, yet they needed an outside drummer, percussionist, bassist, pianist, and three guitarists?
And vocally, along with Carl and Bruce, we get harmonies from ... Terry Melcher, Curt Boettcher, and Jon Joyce.
The greatest vocal pop-rock band in history is mostly absent from a song they chose to showcase as a single. I think that lends itself to the relative anonymity/blandness of the song. Once Carl's voice is removed, it could be anyone.
Generally-speaking, this really bums me out a bit about the Boys. As a fan, I don't think I feel as connected to the music, or the band itself, as I could have if they remained a more self-contained band. It's just the nature of it. You start to lose your identity. Your sound. The more others are involved, the more removed it all becomes. That's one of the things I LOVE about the Beatles. I know those four players inside and out. The same thing just doesn't exist with the Boys. It's just too bad, really. Because they were an all-time great vocal group, there's really no good reason they should have anyone else singing on their records (outside of a Party!-type track). And they were good enough as a band to at least put down the backing track as a group. Even on Pet Sounds, "That's Not Me" works just fine.
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Post by Kapitan on Jan 1, 2022 21:12:21 GMT
Very interesting post (meaning two posts ago, about Carl's writing and production style). I think you're both right that it isn't clear exactly what Carl's sonic footprint is as a writer or producer, and maybe Carl is best described as a blender, as a team player. Someone who had ideas, who had impressions of what things ought to sound like, but not a style. He's not, say, early 60s Phil Spector or late 80s Jeff Lynne, where he just is who he is and that's the sound.
In addition to being (obviously) a great singer and strong instrumental contributor, he seems to have been a utility player of sorts. Someone who enjoyed and was a part of some pretty diverse music. Probably more than anything, I think of him as a relatively slick rock-and-roller, kind of a yacht rocker, but that's based on his stuff from mid 70s onward (including his guest appearances in that era and his production for Ricci Martin). Certainly it doesn't include his early '70s contributions to the group in the Rieley era. (That said, that material was all done within just a couple of years, so it isn't as if it was a lifetime's worth.)
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