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Post by Kapitan on Apr 19, 2022 15:27:59 GMT
We often talk about different eras in the Beach Boys (and their solo careers): surf/garage, pop, psychedelic, rhythm and blues, progressive, rootsy rock, yacht rock, nostalgia, and so on.
I'm wondering about people drawing analogies between eras. Are there any musical analogs (or nonmusical, for that matter) you draw between eras that make you think of them in similar ways? Or if there haven't been ... can you think of any now?
For example, the approved party for TWGMTR certainly seemed to be comparing the music to that of 1965. Personally I don't think the musical similarities are particularly strong, but if you thought so, you could mention that.
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Post by kds on Apr 19, 2022 20:04:04 GMT
I can't really think of any to be honest.
Even the harmony vocals sound different in the different eras. Although, the lone exception that I hear is on California Saga: California. The harmony vocals on that track sound as close to the classic era (1963-66) vocals as any of the early 70s era.
Thematically, of course, from Do It Again to Beaches in Mind, they did revisit the beach / surf stuff a few times.
But, other than that......
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 19, 2022 20:11:47 GMT
I have to be honest, I didn't have anything really in mind when I asked, either. Just curious, because I think you can always draw parallels. Not perfect matches, but parallels.
One recurring theme in my mind is promotions along the lines of "Brian's Back." Obviously once, it was that official campaign. But it felt a bit like that to me in the promotion of the 85 album, and to a lesser extent, in the mid-90s, when it was first that he and Mike were allegedly working together on new stuff, and then of course Stars & Stripes. In the late 70s and early 80s he had been in and out of the group, though technically on each album to varying degrees, and so with 85 having several Wilson credits and a seemingly healthier Wilson in the group, it's clear that was a focus. Then in the 90s, again pushing that he was writing with Mike, then getting a production credit (co-producer, or just vocals producer?) on S&S...
They didn't really do that same approach in 2012, even though he was clearly the main attraction, essential to the whole thing. But they definitely marketed it then as "we're all back together for this," not "we've got Brian back." (Which makes sense, in that they were also bringing back Al and David, as opposed to the earlier times.)
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Post by kds on Apr 19, 2022 20:26:13 GMT
The Brian's Back thing is a good one. Maybe even expand that to "We're back" and include the Kokomo / Still Cruisin stuff.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 19, 2022 20:47:19 GMT
I'm not sure this is what you're looking for, but I'll give it a shot.
- Surf's Up / Carl & The Passions / Holland (1971-1973) ... a "country feeling"
I don't know if it coincides with Jack Rieley's management/influence, or the addition of Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar, but there's a little bit of a country music tinge on those three albums. Consider these songs:
- Don't Go Near The Water - Take A Load Off Your Feet - Lookin' At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song) - You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone - Hold On Dear Brother - Steamboat
- California Saga: Big Sur - California Saga: The Beaks Of Eagles - California Saga: California - Out In The Country
- San Miguel - Sweet And Bitter - When Girls Get Together
Some of those above songs feature banjos, harmonicas, twangy guitars, acoustic guitars, and lyrics that reflect "the outdoors" and not your typical "love songs". To me, those songs are earthier and grittier from past Beach Boys' songs, though 20/20 was probably closer to the turning point. Also, and I know this sounds funny, but the Beach Boys' wardrobe around that time was more country-influenced.
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 19, 2022 20:56:52 GMT
I'm not sure this is what you're looking for, but I'll give it a shot.
- Surf's Up / Carl & The Passions / Holland (1971-1973) ... a "country feeling" What I was thinking was actually comparing different eras, so for example if you wanted to argue this era resembled Stars & Stripes because of the country influence.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 19, 2022 21:21:07 GMT
I'm not sure this is what you're looking for, but I'll give it a shot.
- Surf's Up / Carl & The Passions / Holland (1971-1973) ... a "country feeling" What I was thinking was actually comparing different eras, so for example if you wanted to argue this era resembled Stars & Stripes because of the country influence. OK. Got it. Let me think about that.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 19, 2022 23:14:49 GMT
The only two I can think of are both Brian Wilson solo albums.
Brian Wilson Presents Smile -> That Lucky Old Sun: I think that Brian was happy (surprised?) with the critical and commercial success of BWPS and tried to...revisit...certain parts of it. He hooked up with another band member - this time Scott Bennett - to collaborate with. Brian brought back Van Dyke Parks for some lyrics/poetry. You also have the linking of tracks a la BWPS. And, the inclusion of "Can't Wait Too Long" is also SMiLE-ish. Are all of these things coincidental?
Pet Sounds->Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin: The first time I heard Reimagines Gershwin, I said to myself, "Brian Pet Sounds' it." From what I read, Brian took the Gershwin project very seriously, so much so, that he inserted arguably his best work, or his most-ballyhooed work - Pet Sounds - into those Gershwin songs. The production, the arrangements, the instruments, and the harmonies are somewhat reminiscent of Pet Sounds. That's how I hear it anyway.
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Post by B.E. on Apr 20, 2022 0:05:32 GMT
The only two I can think of are both Brian Wilson solo albums.
Brian Wilson Presents Smile -> That Lucky Old Sun: I think that Brian was happy (surprised?) with the critical and commercial success of BWPS and tried to...revisit...certain parts of it. He hooked up with another band member - this time Scott Bennett - to collaborate with. Brian brought back Van Dyke Parks for some lyrics/poetry. You also have the linking of tracks a la BWPS. And, the inclusion of "Can't Wait Too Long" is also SMiLE-ish. Are all of these things coincidental? While I generally consider these albums being of the same era, on an album-to-album basis I think these similarities/parallels are undeniable.
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Post by B.E. on Apr 20, 2022 0:28:27 GMT
We often talk about different eras in the Beach Boys (and their solo careers): surf/garage, pop, psychedelic, rhythm and blues, progressive, rootsy rock, yacht rock, nostalgia, and so on. I'm wondering about people drawing analogies between eras. Are there any musical analogs (or nonmusical, for that matter) you draw between eras that make you think of them in similar ways? Or if there haven't been ... can you think of any now? Very cool thread idea, Kapitan. There are many, many possibilities, as there really are many similarities between the eras. And the eras themselves aren't set in stone, we can (and do) reconfigure them regularly depending on the discussion. I'm not the first to point this out, but I really do liken the Hite Morgan/Surfin' Safari era to Smiley Smile/Lei'd in Hawaii/Wild Honey, with Party! acting as a stepping stone. I think there are both musical and nonmusical similarities linking these specific eras and albums, centering around the production and approach (and, of course, Brian's central involvement). It's sort of a "Get Back" situation...a simplification. To clarify further (and this is just one similarity), they all kinda get the "underproduced" label. Sounds like it was recorded in the garage, the living room, the pool...and I dig that!
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 20, 2022 11:56:34 GMT
Here is another similarity between a couple of eras I see. While I mentioned "Brian's Back" style promotion for the mid-70s, 80s, and 90s, what about the repeated examples of "Brian's Here" or "Brian's Still Back" that precede or follow those campaigns?
Specifically, I'm thinking about the very late 60s and the late 70s/80. With 20/20 we have a band trying to cover the fact of a basically absent Brian. They famously used previously recorded Brian material alongside their own material and pretended all was well. Dennis in the early 70s called it their worst effort for this reason: while I forget his exact language, he gave the impression he thought it was a con.
Then in the late 70s, after the "Brian's Back" campaign, we know Brian's struggles with addiction and mental returned. I'm not sure about the press surrounding LA (during the creation of which he was basically absent and sometimes institutionalized), but certainly they tried to give the impression he was very active on Keepin the Summer Alive. Yet Carl has said Brian "got hot" for just a few days in the studio. While he has a few songs on the album, some are indeed older and his actual performances are relatively minimal.
So there's another similarity between eras, as I see it: both late 60s and late 70s are the band pretending Brian is more present than he actually was.
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Post by Sheriff John Stone on Apr 20, 2022 22:27:21 GMT
The only two I can think of are both Brian Wilson solo albums.
Brian Wilson Presents Smile -> That Lucky Old Sun: I think that Brian was happy (surprised?) with the critical and commercial success of BWPS and tried to...revisit...certain parts of it. He hooked up with another band member - this time Scott Bennett - to collaborate with. Brian brought back Van Dyke Parks for some lyrics/poetry. You also have the linking of tracks a la BWPS. And, the inclusion of "Can't Wait Too Long" is also SMiLE-ish. Are all of these things coincidental? While I generally consider these albums being of the same era, on an album-to-album basis I think these similarities/parallels are undeniable. Yeah, I pretty much butchered this thread. Too hasty in posting and not enough time spent reading and processing. But, you know, The Beach Boys "eras" didn't last very long, maybe three or four albums tops. This is a quick breakdown, IMHO.
1961-1963: Surf & Turf 1964-1966: Brian's Wall Of Sound with The Wrecking Crew 1967-1969: Experimenting with different styles/more group participation 1970-1975: Fast start then Brian's slow retreat/new members and new sounds 1976-1978: Brian Is Back 1979-1985: Changes, changes, changes 1986-1992: You describe/name it (The Melcher Years? )
Almost every album was different from the previous one, and significantly so!
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Post by lonelysummer on Apr 21, 2022 1:21:22 GMT
I feel like the Brian is Back meme was used on many occasions. 1976: 15 Big Ones/Brian makes some appearances with the touring band 1983: Brian is hooked up with Landy again, looks much healthier than he has in years, appears sporadically at BBs concerts 1988: Brian Wilson solo album - the long awaited solo debut 1995: I Just Wasn't Made For These Times film and album/Orange Crate Art - Landy is gone, and now Brian is really back! 1998: Imagination/solo tours start - forget what we said three years ago, now Brian is really back! 2004: BWPS
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Post by Kapitan on Apr 21, 2022 15:33:25 GMT
I feel like the Brian is Back meme was used on many occasions. 1976: 15 Big Ones/Brian makes some appearances with the touring band 1983: Brian is hooked up with Landy again, looks much healthier than he has in years, appears sporadically at BBs concerts 1988: Brian Wilson solo album - the long awaited solo debut 1995: I Just Wasn't Made For These Times film and album/Orange Crate Art - Landy is gone, and now Brian is really back! 1998: Imagination/solo tours start - forget what we said three years ago, now Brian is really back! 2004: BWPS Sort of, but I think there is a difference that is really important. There's the Beach Boys promoting themselves by using "Brian's Back," and there's the Brian Wilson solo career promotion of "hey, Brian is FREE to do what he wants!"
In a way they are the same: the musical genius is back in action.
And in a way they are exact opposites: one one hand it's the prodigal son back in the fold; on the other, it's the man liberated from those who controlled him (including the Beach Boys, in this narrative).
So those last four on the list all fall into the Brian-alone version. The first ones are more about him in the group.
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Post by B.E. on Apr 21, 2022 22:38:10 GMT
1986-1992: You describe/name it (The Melcher Years? ) Actually, I think that is the most appropriate name for the era. I think I'm going to start referring to it as such.
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