|
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Dec 6, 2022 20:08:03 GMT
Child of Winter is also a guilty pleasure. Honestly, it's a bit stupid when it turns into "Here Comes Santa Claus" a minute or so in - but I like - and it's disappointing they don't go back to it later in the song. I'm a fan of "Child Of Winter", and I love the "Here Comes Santa Claus" part. I also wish they would've returned to it later in the song but that would've lengthened the song significantly, and remember, this was a single. And, yeah, Brian's spoken part doesn't do the song any favors. "Child Of Winter" is a nice curio to have. It's actually a fluke that Brian finished it, that the song wasn't rejected by the record company, and that it actually got released. However, I can't help but think what it could've been with some re-writing and re-arranging.
Oh, and "Child Of Winter" followed by "Morning Christmas" is glorious. Would've been a nice way to end a Christmas album.
|
|
|
Post by Kapitan on Dec 6, 2022 20:09:23 GMT
There "Here Comes Santa Claus" part is great. The spoken word part is the worst part, by a mile.
|
|
|
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Dec 6, 2022 20:16:07 GMT
Isn't it strange how Brian's last two (released) recordings during that time frame - "Mount Vernon And Fairway" and "Child Of Winter" - contain weird, spoken word voices/interludes by the man himself. Brian was so reluctant to actually sing during that period, then he lays down these strange spoken word voices.
|
|
Emdeeh
Pacific Coast Highway
Posts: 520
Likes: 532
|
Post by Emdeeh on Dec 6, 2022 20:48:21 GMT
Which reminds me of Brian doing his Milt Love impression on the new box set. Judging by the reaction, he nailed it.
|
|
|
Post by Kapitan on Dec 7, 2022 17:10:54 GMT
Best: Winter Symphony
Morning Christmas and Child of Winter are right there in the running, but I give the edge to Winter Symphony. It feels the most fully developed and has a bit more going on than MC, and lacks the spoken word bit that I dislike in CoW. All three are really good, though. I almost never really like Christmas songs (except in a classical music or more traditional context--but pop-Christmas songs are almost never something in my wheelhouse), but I like all three of these.
Worst: I Saw Santa (Rockin Around the Christmas Tree) This has almost everything I dislike in a song, from the spoken bits to the forced-cutesy-kids bits to a bad mix to an uninteresting song. Just not for me at all.
|
|
|
Post by B.E. on Dec 7, 2022 23:47:06 GMT
Best - “Morning Christmas”
Worst - Bells of Christmas”
I’m surprised at all the votes for “(I Saw Santa) Rockin’ Around the Tree”. I always thought it was pretty cool, unique, and lively - at least relative to much of the rest of the sessions. And its a bit less forced-sounding. (Some of the lyrics and deliveries in the other songs are quite awkward and unconvincing.) I’m not saying it’s a great track or anything, but the competition is light. And it actually does rock a little bit.
|
|
|
Post by Sheriff John Stone on Dec 7, 2022 23:53:24 GMT
Worst - Belles of Christmas” "Bells Of Christmas" was my 3rd choice behind "Winter Symphony" and "Morning Christmas" for Best Song. I thought it was the only song on Merry Christmas From The Beach Boys that had a chance at radio airplay had it been released as a single. May I ask what you don't like about it.
|
|
|
Post by B.E. on Dec 8, 2022 0:22:03 GMT
Worst - Bells of Christmas” "Bells Of Christmas" was my 3rd choice behind "Winter Symphony" and "Morning Christmas" for Best Song. I thought it was the only song on Merry Christmas From The Beach Boys that had a chance at radio airplay had it been released as a single. May I ask what you don't like about it. Well, “Belles of Paris” is one of my least favorite Beach Boys song and “Bells of Christmas” is worse-sounding. Especially Mike’s lead vocal. Just A/B the first line or two of each with headphones and you’ll hear a noticeable difference. The “Paris” vocal is much better sung and the vocal production sounds much more professional. There’s a lot of reverb or something on the Christmas version, perhaps it’s wetter, I don’t know, but it sounds bad. Also, even the background vocals of both versions aren’t really Beach Boys worthy. The parts I like sound dull and the parts I don’t like (the high harmonies) are lame and irritating. It is interesting, though, that the “bells are ringing” background vocals are omitted from the intro of the Christmas version. I only noticed that today when I re-listened to these tracks. All that said, I almost went with “Santa’s Got an Airplane”. Trying to turn that into a Christmas song made it sound even more like a novelty…which I wouldn’t have thought possible. I sorta still like it, but ultimately it just doesn’t work (and the vocals are pretty subpar in spots). I also got turned off pretty quick to “Christmas Time Is Here Again”. Al sounds silly trying to force some of those new Christmas lyrics into the melody. Again, just not up to snuff. I’m glad it was released as “Peggy Sue”.
|
|
|
Post by B.E. on Dec 8, 2022 0:36:39 GMT
I probably liked “Child of Winter” more this time around than I ever had before. I like the song, the production ain’t bad, and Mike actually still sounds pretty good on it*. Heck, even Brian’s weird voice part isn’t as intrusive as I remembered.
*I tend to think of Holland as the end of an era for Mike, vocally, but maybe I should push that out a year to this record.
|
|
|
Post by kds on Dec 8, 2022 13:49:00 GMT
"Bells Of Christmas" was my 3rd choice behind "Winter Symphony" and "Morning Christmas" for Best Song. I thought it was the only song on Merry Christmas From The Beach Boys that had a chance at radio airplay had it been released as a single. May I ask what you don't like about it. Well, “Belles of Paris” is one of my least favorite Beach Boys song and “Bells of Christmas” is worse-sounding. Especially Mike’s lead vocal. Just A/B the first line or two of each with headphones and you’ll hear a noticeable difference. The “Paris” vocal is much better sung and the vocal production sounds much more professional. There’s a lot of reverb or something on the Christmas version, perhaps it’s wetter, I don’t know, but it sounds bad. Also, even the background vocals of both versions aren’t really Beach Boys worthy. The parts I like sound dull and the parts I don’t like (the high harmonies) are lame and irritating. It is interesting, though, that the “bells are ringing” background vocals are omitted from the intro of the Christmas version. I only noticed that today when I re-listened to these tracks. All that said, I almost went with “Santa’s Got an Airplane”. Trying to turn that into a Christmas song made it sound even more like a novelty…which I wouldn’t have thought possible. I sorta still like it, but ultimately it just doesn’t work (and the vocals are pretty subpar in spots). I also got turned off pretty quick to “Christmas Time Is Here Again”. Al sounds silly trying to force some of those new Christmas lyrics into the melody. Again, just not up to snuff. I’m glad it was released as “Peggy Sue”. I'm actually the opposite on the Belles / Bells songs as I much prefer the Christmasey version. I also came close to voting for Santa's Got an Airplane. I've never really been a big fan of any version of Loop De Loop, or whatever it goes by.
|
|
|
Post by The Cincinnati Kid on Dec 8, 2022 14:50:29 GMT
Best: Winter Symphony Worst: Santa's Got an Airplane
|
|
|
Post by Kapitan on Dec 8, 2022 15:05:34 GMT
Worst - Belles of Christmas” "Bells Of Christmas" was my 3rd choice behind "Winter Symphony" and "Morning Christmas" for Best Song. I thought it was the only song on Merry Christmas From The Beach Boys that had a chance at radio airplay had it been released as a single. May I ask what you don't like about it. Funny to see this one up for discussion, because at first I actually was thinking I liked it more than I remembered. The song actually lends itself to a Christmas song, I think--I mean, the chiming bells and all. But there is something in the mix and some of the vocals that sounds really shoddy. It sounds like a hasty, almost homemade afterthought over the track. Had they put more work into it, though, I think it would have been downright (dare I say it?) good!
|
|
|
Post by kds on Dec 8, 2022 16:09:08 GMT
Eight voters checked in, although one abstained from voting "Worst." As I thought, it was a two horse (open sleigh) race between Winter Symphony and Morning Christmas. Those are two 70s BB Christmas tracks I revisit the most.
Best
Winter Symphony - 4 Morning Christmas - 4
Worst
(I Saw Santa) Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - 3 Bells of Christmas - 2 Santa's Got an Airplane - 1 Morning Christmas - 1
|
|