Mooster7
27 May 2002, 12:17
Hey! I had a great time listening to some of this. :)
This post is lengthy. Only Lioness is required to read it all. It's a Mooster review of two Beach Boys CD's, so the rest of you know right now whether or not you want to stay and loiter.
I'll talk about the two records, the songs you mentioned specifically and other songs of note I found. I did listen to them in their entirety - not just the highlighted tracks. ;)
WILD HONEY:
'Wild Honey' - I didn't care for the Hi-Lo warble on the synth. This is still a good tune, and I think it would make a great cover. Especially with a punk beat.
'Darlin'' - I liked this one quite a bit, but I would never cover it in a band. It reminds me of the the R & B and Pop tunes that came later in the 70's, so this number is inspirational and really ahead of its' time.
Speaking of being inspirational; I can't prove it, but it was obvious to me that Queen's Freddie Mercury had listened to a lot of BB's in his formative years. To me this is especially notable while listening to 'Here Comes the Night' and 'Let the Wind Blow.'
'I Was Made to Love Her' - This was one of my favorites off both albums. I will definitely consider this one as an addition to my repetoire of cover tunes. I could play this song and no one would ever guess it was the Beach Boys. They might even think it is original. I would drop the background vocals. They aren't traditional BB's, but I would drop them anyway and hammer the song a bit more. Very good. I was impressed.
'I'd Love Just Once to See You' - Wasn't necessarily one of the best tracks, but I liked it because it was basic. I think the strength of the BB's isn't so much in virtuoso playing, but rather in their tightness and composition. Definitely composition. This number is stripped down a bit and this make it easier to "observe" the comp style for anyone interested in that sort of thing. I am.
'How She Boogalooed it' - This is a great song for any egotistical guitarists out there. It shows how you can have fun with the rhythm section without being overly complicated.
SUNFLOWER:
'Slip on Through' - Interesting percussion. I didn't grab my guitar for this one. There really isn't much for a guitarist to do on a lot of these songs. As a guitar player, I like to be busy and complicated. However, I really liked the bass track, so I grabbed my bass. I've been playing bass for only a couple of years. I'm not so bad, but I don't write really interesting bass lines. The BB's do, and on this track particularly.
'This Whole World' - Didn't like it sorry. :( I didn't even like playing along with the bass.
'Got to Know the Woman' - Now HERE is a song! Good old fashion Rock. It's kind of tongue-in-cheek. I think Robert Plant could get away with singing it seriously. Then again Plant can get away with tight leather pants, and wild blonde hair at age 60.
'I'ts About Time' - This was another favorite I discovered. Has a good 60's sound to it. Not Beach Boysy in the traditional sense at all. I was sorry it didn't last longer. I would make it last longer. ;)
'Forever' - Good slow dance tune. I was surprised that I had never heard it before at a school dance or something. Not the kind of song I play a lot, but I admit it is good. The only thing I don't like about it is right at the 0:48 mark there is a vocal "my, my, my girl" which is mixed too high on the left side. It is obtrusive, sudden and it freaks out my cat. :eek:
'Cool, Cool Water' - This song reminds me of after sex cuddling. This is better though, because it only lasts five minutes. :D
There were three tracks on the two CD's which were very Beatles. "Aren't you Glad' 'A Thing or Two' and 'Tears in the Morning.' Tears is pure Beatles and is the best one.
In summation, I'm glad you made these suggestions. For the most part you were correct in that these albums don't really have the traditional BB sound. At the same time, I have to say that I enjoyed these to the point that I went out and bought a traditional BB Best of, and I'm hating the surfer tunes much less than I used to. Once again, it's the composition and the tightness of the band that I respect. Good technical writing that I hadn't previously noticed.
I don't want to sound like I'm up my own ass, but plug a Fender Stratocaster into a Marshall, and I'll blow any Wilson off the stage. My bass playing and pure writing skills though aren't fit to lick their boots. I was pleasantly surprised that I respected them quite a bit - geez, even liked them - at the end of my listening session. These CD's are keepers.
There you have it Lioness. I take back most of the bad things I've said about the BB's. I cannot say that in the future I will always come to your defense in future BB posts as I'm not really all the way on board yet with the old surfer songs. :) But if someone wants to blast you on Wild Honey or Sunflower I'll act as your shield while you play the part of the avenging sword! Now I wish I could be in OZ for the show. I'd buy you a beer. Peace Lioness and thanks again,
Mooster
This post is lengthy. Only Lioness is required to read it all. It's a Mooster review of two Beach Boys CD's, so the rest of you know right now whether or not you want to stay and loiter.
I'll talk about the two records, the songs you mentioned specifically and other songs of note I found. I did listen to them in their entirety - not just the highlighted tracks. ;)
WILD HONEY:
'Wild Honey' - I didn't care for the Hi-Lo warble on the synth. This is still a good tune, and I think it would make a great cover. Especially with a punk beat.
'Darlin'' - I liked this one quite a bit, but I would never cover it in a band. It reminds me of the the R & B and Pop tunes that came later in the 70's, so this number is inspirational and really ahead of its' time.
Speaking of being inspirational; I can't prove it, but it was obvious to me that Queen's Freddie Mercury had listened to a lot of BB's in his formative years. To me this is especially notable while listening to 'Here Comes the Night' and 'Let the Wind Blow.'
'I Was Made to Love Her' - This was one of my favorites off both albums. I will definitely consider this one as an addition to my repetoire of cover tunes. I could play this song and no one would ever guess it was the Beach Boys. They might even think it is original. I would drop the background vocals. They aren't traditional BB's, but I would drop them anyway and hammer the song a bit more. Very good. I was impressed.
'I'd Love Just Once to See You' - Wasn't necessarily one of the best tracks, but I liked it because it was basic. I think the strength of the BB's isn't so much in virtuoso playing, but rather in their tightness and composition. Definitely composition. This number is stripped down a bit and this make it easier to "observe" the comp style for anyone interested in that sort of thing. I am.
'How She Boogalooed it' - This is a great song for any egotistical guitarists out there. It shows how you can have fun with the rhythm section without being overly complicated.
SUNFLOWER:
'Slip on Through' - Interesting percussion. I didn't grab my guitar for this one. There really isn't much for a guitarist to do on a lot of these songs. As a guitar player, I like to be busy and complicated. However, I really liked the bass track, so I grabbed my bass. I've been playing bass for only a couple of years. I'm not so bad, but I don't write really interesting bass lines. The BB's do, and on this track particularly.
'This Whole World' - Didn't like it sorry. :( I didn't even like playing along with the bass.
'Got to Know the Woman' - Now HERE is a song! Good old fashion Rock. It's kind of tongue-in-cheek. I think Robert Plant could get away with singing it seriously. Then again Plant can get away with tight leather pants, and wild blonde hair at age 60.
'I'ts About Time' - This was another favorite I discovered. Has a good 60's sound to it. Not Beach Boysy in the traditional sense at all. I was sorry it didn't last longer. I would make it last longer. ;)
'Forever' - Good slow dance tune. I was surprised that I had never heard it before at a school dance or something. Not the kind of song I play a lot, but I admit it is good. The only thing I don't like about it is right at the 0:48 mark there is a vocal "my, my, my girl" which is mixed too high on the left side. It is obtrusive, sudden and it freaks out my cat. :eek:
'Cool, Cool Water' - This song reminds me of after sex cuddling. This is better though, because it only lasts five minutes. :D
There were three tracks on the two CD's which were very Beatles. "Aren't you Glad' 'A Thing or Two' and 'Tears in the Morning.' Tears is pure Beatles and is the best one.
In summation, I'm glad you made these suggestions. For the most part you were correct in that these albums don't really have the traditional BB sound. At the same time, I have to say that I enjoyed these to the point that I went out and bought a traditional BB Best of, and I'm hating the surfer tunes much less than I used to. Once again, it's the composition and the tightness of the band that I respect. Good technical writing that I hadn't previously noticed.
I don't want to sound like I'm up my own ass, but plug a Fender Stratocaster into a Marshall, and I'll blow any Wilson off the stage. My bass playing and pure writing skills though aren't fit to lick their boots. I was pleasantly surprised that I respected them quite a bit - geez, even liked them - at the end of my listening session. These CD's are keepers.
There you have it Lioness. I take back most of the bad things I've said about the BB's. I cannot say that in the future I will always come to your defense in future BB posts as I'm not really all the way on board yet with the old surfer songs. :) But if someone wants to blast you on Wild Honey or Sunflower I'll act as your shield while you play the part of the avenging sword! Now I wish I could be in OZ for the show. I'd buy you a beer. Peace Lioness and thanks again,
Mooster