Okay, this is not really related to Lifesicle but it kind of
is. As I’ve mentioned, my projects always get fueled by some obsession with a
band or artist or concept, and in the past I’ve had a concurrent outlet for
whatever it is I’m obsessing on, the most notable example being Becoming
Marlo/The Bowie Project. I haven’t created a Beach Boys outlet, so it’s getting
tied up here, lol. But you know what, I think that’s fine. Lifesicle is more intertwined
with the Beach Boys than Marlo was with Bowie -- that link was a bit more
discrete.
I’m well into the post-surf, post-Pet Sounds/SMiLE era of the Beach Boys canon, aka Smiley Smile to Sunflower (1967-70). In my mind, Pet Sounds stands alone. I have 3 playlists – pre-Pet Sounds, Pet Sounds, and post-Pet Sounds, lol. That might change as I continue listening to the rest of the albums, but that’s where it stands right now.
I’m currently pretty obsessed with the following songs… I cannot stop listening to them.
Heroes and Villains (Smiley Smile, 1967/ SMiLE Sessions, 2011)
The Smiley Smile version is good, but the SMiLE Sessions one is outstanding. I was going to post the Smiley Smile one because I haven't really gotten to the SMiLE Sessions yet in my listening journey (I'm a purist and I'm going in the order of album releases). But this video is a million kinds of awesome so just don’t worry about
it.I’m well into the post-surf, post-Pet Sounds/SMiLE era of the Beach Boys canon, aka Smiley Smile to Sunflower (1967-70). In my mind, Pet Sounds stands alone. I have 3 playlists – pre-Pet Sounds, Pet Sounds, and post-Pet Sounds, lol. That might change as I continue listening to the rest of the albums, but that’s where it stands right now.
I’m currently pretty obsessed with the following songs… I cannot stop listening to them.
Heroes and Villains (Smiley Smile, 1967/ SMiLE Sessions, 2011)
All I Wanna Do (Sunflower, 1970)
If Edge 107 was to play this right now and not name the band, I bet the kids would all be losing their minds. It sounds so current. And I feel like Foster the People lifted their entire vibe from this song.
I’d Love Just Once to See You (Wild Honey, 1967)
Who knew the minutiae of being a self-imposed shut-in could be so adorable.
Wake the World (Friends, 1968)
Monday morning blues be gone.
Break Away (Single, 1969)
This single didn’t appear on an album. It should have. So good. It captures all my favourite things about the Beach Boys in one great song.
Celebrate the News (Break Away B Side, 1969)
The B-side to Break Away, so also not on an album. Again, this could easily be a hit in current radio rotation. So quirky. Even kind of Beck-like in its arrangement, long before Beck was a thing.
This Whole World (Sunflower, 1970)
Just a great doowop rock song. It has all the things. That part with the long drawn out “ahh-oooooooom” just kills me. Waiting for that “bop-diddy” to kick in. And then it does. Me gusta.
Never Learn Not To Love (20/20, 1969)
Disqualified because of it's connection to Charles Manson? Tough call. The Beach Boys took something that came from a dark twisted mind and they made something really pretty out of it. Strange coincidence: I'm a fan of the show Aquarius. One of the storylines just happens to follow the Manson/Dennis Wilson relationship. Anyway, Aquarius was on hiatus for a few weeks, and I was busy making my way through Beach Boys albums. The day I started listening to 20/20 ended up being the same day that the new Aquarius episode aired - where Manson listens to what the Beach Boys did to his song. They didn't play the song in the episode, but I had heard it earlier in the day anyway, so I knew what Manson was hearing through those headphones, and what he meant when he said "pretty", which gave me a weird kind of satisfaction.
Diamond Head (Friends, 1968)
Instrumental, ambient, mind-transporting, sublime.
With Me Tonight (Smiley Smile, 1967)
Simple, gorgeous perfection. So many chills. Whenever I hear this while painting, I imagine that it's the stream of inspiration I've found myself floating in that is with me while I'm working. I always end up closing my eyes and singing along.
Mama Says (Wild Honey, 1967)
It’s so not about the lyrics. It’s about the acapella harmonies and the myriad ways you can sing the same two lines. But then again, it could be about the lyrics, because it’s mostly good advice. If you do all those things on the regular and don’t miss any, you’ll probably be alright. Poof.
Cabinessence (20/20, 1969)
SMiLE harvest/transplant. Stunning. This is why Brian Wilson is the *edit
And now here comes the part where I compare the Beach Boys
to David Bowie, because my mind does that kind of thing.
In the 70’s and beyond, Bowie was experimental as fuck. Every album had a different sound. He wasn’t trying to find a sweet spot to land on, he was growing and trying new things, and he was celebrated for it. His whole career, that’s what people remember him for – being able to take any genre and make it his own, sometimes even create something completely new out of it.
And I feel like the Beach Boys did that in the latter half of the 60’s, or at least tried to, but no one even knows that. They just got their collective nuts kicked every time they went for it. Well… maybe one of them got his nuts kicked more and harder than the others, and maybe some of the band were responsible for that nut kicking, but I think the nut kicks happened on a bandwide level as well as the individual level. My point is… they had a “white soul” album (Wild Honey, 1967) before Bowie did (Young Americans, 1975). Did Bowie do it better? Possibly. But he didn’t get the nut kicks like they did. Different personality, maybe. But I kind of feel a bit like they paved the way for him to be more successful at it than they were.
By success, I’m not even talking about the songs themselves being good. What I mean is the openness with which the post-Pet Sounds albums were received. Yeah yeah, this has all been written about before, ad nauseum, probably. But some friggin’ awesome BB songs came out of that era, and like, no one knows them. They were written off. For trying to be original and new. For not sticking with the surf thing.
Last night my SO asked me what I was listening to while I was painting, and I said, uh, you know the answer to that. But he said it didn’t sound like the Beach Boys. And he’s right, a bit. It’s not what people expect. At least, not the average listener. If you’re a casual Beach Boys fan, and even if you aren’t, seriously, check out the post-surf albums. Give them a wholehearted listen. They’re not perfect, and I’m not going to go into the things that bug me about them, but they are worthwhile. Even the weaker songs all seem to have at least one wow moment in them. Give them a spin and I guarantee you will fall in love with something from that period.
In the 70’s and beyond, Bowie was experimental as fuck. Every album had a different sound. He wasn’t trying to find a sweet spot to land on, he was growing and trying new things, and he was celebrated for it. His whole career, that’s what people remember him for – being able to take any genre and make it his own, sometimes even create something completely new out of it.
And I feel like the Beach Boys did that in the latter half of the 60’s, or at least tried to, but no one even knows that. They just got their collective nuts kicked every time they went for it. Well… maybe one of them got his nuts kicked more and harder than the others, and maybe some of the band were responsible for that nut kicking, but I think the nut kicks happened on a bandwide level as well as the individual level. My point is… they had a “white soul” album (Wild Honey, 1967) before Bowie did (Young Americans, 1975). Did Bowie do it better? Possibly. But he didn’t get the nut kicks like they did. Different personality, maybe. But I kind of feel a bit like they paved the way for him to be more successful at it than they were.
By success, I’m not even talking about the songs themselves being good. What I mean is the openness with which the post-Pet Sounds albums were received. Yeah yeah, this has all been written about before, ad nauseum, probably. But some friggin’ awesome BB songs came out of that era, and like, no one knows them. They were written off. For trying to be original and new. For not sticking with the surf thing.
Last night my SO asked me what I was listening to while I was painting, and I said, uh, you know the answer to that. But he said it didn’t sound like the Beach Boys. And he’s right, a bit. It’s not what people expect. At least, not the average listener. If you’re a casual Beach Boys fan, and even if you aren’t, seriously, check out the post-surf albums. Give them a wholehearted listen. They’re not perfect, and I’m not going to go into the things that bug me about them, but they are worthwhile. Even the weaker songs all seem to have at least one wow moment in them. Give them a spin and I guarantee you will fall in love with something from that period.
The Beach Boys are the greatest band in American music history, bar none, and a big part of that comes from their post-Pet Sounds output. And I'll take Wild Honey over Young Americans any day of the week. (I'll take Wild Honey over Pet Sound most days, too.)
ReplyDeleteI started listening to Surf's Up for the first time on my way in to work this morning and ended up crying on the bus for like the last three songs. When I got off the bus I was practically inconsolable. Great way to start the week, lol.
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