The Beach Boys - Sunflower / Surf's Up
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Free Music Notes for Sunflower / Surf's Up
Free Music Review: An Excellent Album
Hit: 5 Stars
"Sunflower" is really one of The Beach Boys' greatest albums ever, ranking up there with "Today", "Pet Sounds" and "Friends". This version of the band is quite different. This is really their first album that does not have anything to do with anything even remotely about surfing. Here, they focus on romance and social issues."Sunflower" comes roaring out of the starting gates with the funky groove of Dennis Wilson's "Slide On Through". Next is the excellent "This Whole World", featuring a passionate Carl Wilson vocal and doo - wop style harmonies. "Add Some Music To Your Day" is quite different from the first two tracks. It is slower, with the soft picking of the acoustic guitar the most prominent of the backing instruments. However, the song is a standout thanks to beautiful, full - throated harmonies. The album suddenly jumps back into your face with Dennis Wilson's "Gotta Know The Woman". This is the best song yet. Dennis's voice is very strong here, and the rhythm section (featuring a nice, chugging piano) is very tight on this one, as are the harmonies. Following this the splendid Bruce Johnston composition "Diedre", featuring Johnston singing a narrative of a fiery redhead who is returning to town. After this, the album gets back on the rockier course with yet another Dennis Wilson composition, the rocking "It's About Time". Kicking off with a great guitar/drum intro punctuated by Dennis's voice, this song is a true standout.
Next comes Bruce Johnston's odd but catchy "Tears In The Morning", which features nice drumming and a prominent accordian. Following is the truly amazing "All I Wanna Do". Kicking off with an eerie guitar introduction then drifting into Mike Love's soothing lead vocal. Truly a classic. Next comes the best song on the album. "Forever" is without a doubt the greatest song Dennis Wilson ever wrote, and his amazing vocal skills are also demonstrated on this track as well. "Our Sweet Love" features a gorgeous Carl vocal. "At My Window" is a bit of a downer, but not that bad. "Cool Cool Water" is another amazing song. Featuring some dynamic vocal experimentations and part of the lost "Smile" track "I Love To Say Da - Da", this ends the album on all - time high.
1971's "Surf's Up" is a noticably weaker album for several reasons. Firts up, several songs here are just plain filler. "Don't Go Near The Water", "Take A Load Off Your Feet", "Student Demonstration Time" and "A Day In The Life Of A Tree" are as bad as can get. And the great Dennis Wilson is completely shut out of this album. But the remainder of the album reaches the same level of excellence as "Sunflower" did. "Long Promised Road" is an ingenious Carl Wilson composition that does not get too preachy, but adresses the problems of life and the search gfor a sollution. Bruce Johnston's "Disney Girls" is a real classic, warm amd tender, featuring beautiful harmonies and sweet lyrics that recall a much simpler time. "Feel Flows" is another really strong Carl compsoition, and "Looking At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song)" is Al Jardine's chance to shine. "Til I Die" is the last great Brian Wilson composition. Featuring haunting lyrics and bonechilling harmonies, it is truly a masterpiece. Closing the album is the breathtaking title track, a salvaged "Smile" recording that kicks off with a newly recorded Carl Wilson vocal section before sinking into Brian's 1967 demo. The result is unbelievably brilliant.
These albums really are worth full price. It is mainly important because these are the last albums with the band working as a full unit. After "Surf's Up", Bruce Johnston quit (he eventaully returned in 1979), Brian began his long stay in bed (he rejoined in 1976), and Dennis sank further and further into drug addiction and his creative fire died with it.
Free Music Review: Add Some Music To Your Life!
Hit: 5 Stars
The year was 1970--the turn of the decade--The Beach Boys had options: Split up, stay together under a different name, or keep The Beach Boys moniker and venture to a different label. They chose the latter, much to this writer's delight. The opening track of "Sunflower"--the late Dennis Wilson's "Slip on Through" is an invigorating track, with its heartfelt backup vocals from his bandmates ("Baby, Baby, Believe Me I DO LOVE YOU, LOVE YOU"), and excellent percussion. Many fans state that the Best Brian Wilson song is "This Whole World"--a great song, yes--but the BEST of this era? "Sail On Sailor" (It would take until the next millennium for this review to finish if I went on to Brian Wilson's BEST song of The Beach Boys career). "Add Some Music To Your Day" is a wonderful suggestion to enjoy one of the greatest God Given Gifts. One can imagine the sun rising during the opening guitar intro of this "Lost" hit. The songs I call the "Sunflower Suite" begin with "All I Wanna Do" all the way to the climactic breathtaking "Cool Cool Water". "Forever" is a beautiful melody, hands down. Still brings tears to the eyes. "Our Sweet Love"? Where do you get a song as original as that today? The harmonies on "At My Window"--Brian Wilson was still a creative presence in the group--he wanted to share the wealth a bit--nothing wrong with that."Surf's Up"--Rolling Stone cited in 1971 that with this release, "the Beach Boys are back"--where did they go? Pardon the cliche, but if a tree falls in the forest, and nobody hears it...I'll stop there. A friend of mine, and loyal Beach Boys Collector, swears by this album. I was able to get a hold of this and "Sunflower" on original vinyl copies back in the late eighties, and over the years I have to say I appreciate "Surf's Up" much more now. "Don't Go Near The Water" is Al and Mike's plea to keep America beautiful. Better than average tune. "Long Promised Road" is one of Carl Wilson's greatest compositions--as if he's saying--"hey we all have our demons, just gotta hang in there"--one would wonder if that influenced Brian to pen "Sail On Sailor"? "Take A Load Off Your Feet"--all kidding aside, has a great soulful vocal from Al. "Disney Girls (1957)" is a treat for all nostalgia fans as well as people who were there for the good ole days. Every review I've read on this so far pans "Student Demonstration Time"--so it's a rewrite, big deal. It rocks! The Group was flexing it's muscles on a different level of intensity. "Feel Flows" ( favorite on the album), is another great Carl Wilson composition. Check the lyrics on both the orignal album and CD--Carl, on the actual song, repeats the first verse, but the lyrics written are completely different. Must have been great to hear this one in a live set in 1971--no doubt Carl stuck it in. "Lookin At Tomorrow(A Welfare Song)" is a great accoustic tune from Big Al Jardine--I don't think it's a coincidence that "A Day in The Life Of a Tree" and "Til I Die" follow one another. "Surf's Up", left over from The "Smile" sessions, is nice to hear with the full group vocals on one of Brian's masterpieces. Sound quality much improved--significant difference over the "Epic" releases of these cds in 1990. Enjoy!
Free Music Review: Among my favorite albums - Period
Hit: 5 Stars
First of all, these two albums are more or less the best albums put out by The Beach Boys (Holland too!). Most of the tracks on both albums are of the 5/5 star variety.
To make my opinion clearer, I will comment on each song individually.
Sunflower (1970)
1. Slip On Through |What a way to start off an album. Absolutely great song, and Dennis' vocals are as great as they ever were. (5/5)
2. This Whole World |Another great song. Blows my mind that this and Slip On Through were a single together and never got #1, or even charted for that matter. (5/5)
3. Add Some Music To Your Day |Great vocal performance from the entire group on this song. (5/5)
4. Got To Know The Woman |I find that this makes a good pair sound-wise with Slip On Through. (5/5)
5. Deirdre |For whatever reason, it took me a long time to grow into liking this song, but like it I do. (5/5)
6. It's About Time |Great groove to this song. The live versions were even better. (5/5)
7. Tears In The Morning |This one I actually listen to very little, but the greatness is there nonetheless. (5/5)
8. All I Wanna Do |Very powerfully emotional, enough said. (5/5)
9. Forever |Best song on the album. Need I say more? (5/5)
10. Our Sweet Love |This is actually where the album loses it a bit for me. This song doesn't do a whole lot for me, but it's still a great song (4/5)
11. At My Window |This song does even less for me. Don't know why, but it doesn't. (3.5/5)
12. Cool, Cool, Water |This song is awesome, though a tad weird. (5/5)
Surf's Up (1971)
1. Don't Go Near The Water |The album starts out with class. Great song, which is more or less how the rest of the album plays out. (5/5)
2. Long Promised Road |One of the groups best songs, and one of Carl Wilson's shining moments. (5/5)
3. Take A Load Off Your Feet |Sometimes I question why this song exists, but being that this album was one of my first albums I owned (I'm 18, if that's relevant to the topic at all), I can't help but love the track anyway. (4/5)
4. Disney Girls |A masterpiece if there ever was one. (5/5)
5. Student Demonstration Time |I don't really understand why people hate this song, because I personally love it, and have loved it since I first heard the record. Mike Love's vocal sounds like it is coming out of a megaphone (probably is actually). Maybe I like it because I also listen to heavy metal (which this song is closer to being than anything else, or at least it is like early heavy metal), or maybe because it is basically The Beach Boys' own Helter Skelter (another song that I have a fondness for), or maybe there's just some anomaly in my brain that makes me like the song. I don't know, but I'm going to go ahead and give this a rating of 5/5, and hope that no one gnaws my ear off for it.
6. Feel Flows |Another Carl Wilson masterpiece. Very trippy sounding. (5/5)
7. Looking At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song) |Al delivers another piece of gold with this one. (5/5)
8. A Day In The Life Of A Tree |This is easily the weirdest song I have ever heard, next to Vegatables of course. Great anyhow; I love Jack Rieley's jarring vocal on it. (4/5)
9. 'Til I Die |A very depressing tune, but it's because of that that makes it so powerful. (5/5)
10. Surf's Up |In short - BEST BEACH BOYS SONG.....PERIOD. (6/5)
Free Music Review: The Sink Or Swim Albums
Hit: 5 Stars
After a well - publicized dispute with Capitol Records that resulted in an infamous split in 1969, The Beach Boys made one of their smartest career move by starting their own Brother Records and releasing these two albums in 1970 and 1971."Sunflower" features some of the greatest Beach Boys songs ever. Among them are Carl's complex "This Whole World", featuring great vocal work by Carl and dazzling chord changes, and "Add Some Music To Your Day" features the classic Beach Boys sound, combining simple instrumentation with beautiful harmonies. Dennis Wilson contributes two great tracks, the 50s' - style rocker "Gotta Know The Woman" and the classic love tune "Forever". The latter features a heartwrenching Dennis vocal and great harmonies on the tag. Closing the album is a missing piece of the "Smile" puzzle. "Cool Cool Water" was originally recorded in demo form in 1968 long after "Smile" was shelved, but midway through the song is a snippet of the "Smile" outtake, the eerie "I Love To Say Dada", which features droning vocals and the sounds of machine guns.
"Surf's Up" is uneven and takes some time to get used to. The opening track, "Don't Go Near The Water", is a politics - themed protest song about pollution that has meaningful lyrics but comes out lightweight. Next comes the first shot of genius on this album. Carl's "Long Promised Road" features great introspective lyrics and a dazzling Beach Boys production. Bruce Johnston emerges from the shadows with "Disney Girls", a lovely ode to a simpler time featuring airy harmonies and a lovely Johnston lead vocal. The one dark spot on this album is "Student Demonstration Time", a protest number featuring good lyrics but is dragged down by a terrible blues melody. "A Day In The Life Of A Tree" features DJ Jack Reilly on lead vocals, and while the title may seem rediculous, it's actually a beautiful number that capsulizes the life of Brian ( Wilson, that is ). "Til I Die" is Brian's mournful autobiography that features his eerily beautiful lead vocal amidst the backdrop of the other Beach Boys' luscious harmonies. Closing the album is another missing piece of the "Smile" puzzle. The title track is an astonishing song divided into two parts. The first half features a great instrumental production and a thrilling Carl lead vocal. The second half consists of Brian's piano - only demo from 1967 featuring his lovely vocal. Spliced on to the end of the song is an updated version of the "Smile" song "Child Is The Father To The Man". Then, the album is over.
After these two albums, The Beach Boys made two more great albums "So Tough" and "Holland", two good ones ("15 Big Ones" and "Love You" ) and 4 mediocre ones ("MIU", "Light Album", "Keepin' The Summer Alive" and "The Beach Boys" ). But if you want to experience the best of The Beach Boys' later period, then this is the place to go.
Free Music Review: A Lost Gem
Hit: 5 Stars
What a shame this material has never before been available on CD!If all you've got from "Sunflower" are the songs on the Good Vibrations Box Set, you're missing a few good ones - like ALL OF THEM. Seriously, "Sunflower" is a solid effort; a "lost gem" clearly among the Beach Boy's best, just as I'd heard.
Unlike the "sparse production," of prior albums, beautiful harmonies and rich vocals have returned in all their glory that is Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. Joyous, uplifting, and at many times, beautifully haunting, you can't help but listen to "Sunflower," and think, "this is the Beach Boys?" No album showcases the group's diverse musical talents as "Sunflower" does.
Included from the Box Set, of course, are the fantastic, "Add Some Music To Your Day," "This Whole World, and "Our Sweet Love." Dennis as an artist REALLY shines on this album, bringing us the wonderful ballad, "Forever," the bluesy "Got to Know the Woman," and the fun rocker, "Slip on Through."
And of course, there's more magic from Brian Wilson, including the haunting, "All I Wanna Do" - a fantastic collaboration with Mike Love - and "Dierdre," - a pleasant, melodic collaboration with Bruce Johnston that just grows on you. Other highlights from the album include the high-energy, Santana-esque, "Its About Time" - a great rocking tune by Carl - and the legendary "Cool Cool Water" - more genius from Brian Wilson.
Peaking at only #138 in the States after its release, this album went right over your head, America. Too busy rocking out to the Partridge Family and Cher, I guess.
I must admit, I'm not as much of a fan of "Surf's Up" - an even more eclectic album than "Sunflower" - but one that fails to pull it off.
Definitely NOT a cohesive album, many tunes are an awkward attempt to make the Boys "socially relevant," complete with political and ecological themes and lyrics. But it just doesn't sound or feel like the Beach Boys - and even the Beach Boys know it (Brian Wilson hated the tune, "Student Demonstration Time," for example, saying, "its just not the Beach Boys.")
If only America had embraced the wonderful "Sunflower" . . .
In any event, in addition to the lows, the album does have some incredible peaks - there's a revamped version of Brian Wilson's "Surf's Up," from the aborted "SMiLE" album and "`Til I Die," - two of Brian Wilson's most introspective and stunning works, if not his finest hour as an artist and songwriter. Also included are fan favorites, "Disney Girls (1957)" - from Bruce Johnston, and "Long Promised Road," from Carl Wilson.
Although all these tunes are available on the box set, its still worth having "Surf's Up," for the sake of owning it. You MUST buy this two-fer, its a classic - you can't beat the price and you get "Sunflower," on compact disc!