The Beach Boys - The Beach Boys
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Free Music Notes for The Beach Boys
Free Music Review: The Beach Boys 1985
Hit: 5 Stars
Unlike the other review, I think the album was awesome. It was great to have Brian back on falsetto on Getcha Back, California Calling was their return to good surf music, plus there are some great Brian cuts such as Crack At Your Love, Male Ego, It's Just A Matter Of Time, I'm So Lonely, and others. It is filled out the rest of the way with some Carl Wilson solos much like his 2 previous albums. I've worn my copy out because I've listened to it so many times.Free Music Review: The long-awaited eponymous album... not.
Hit: 2 Stars
The Beach Boys, minus drummer Dennis Wilson who had tragically killed himself in 1983, returned to the studio for the first time in over five years to create this self-titled album. To be fair, it's a step-up from their previous recent contributions (Keepin' the Summer Alive, LA - Light Album, and M.I.U.), but that's not saying much.
A hot producer of the day, Steve Levine, who was also the producer for the eighties new wave group Culture Club, was brought into the recording process, with results on par with what you would expect when the producer for Culture Club works on your album. Brian was dragged almost kicking and screaming into working on this album. Thankfully, although he didn't have a hand in the writing, the opening 'Getcha Back' is a wonderful slice of nostalgic pop, and a modest hit topping at number twenty-six on the Top Forty. You can hear Brian in the harmonies - back on falsetto! He sings the closing section as well and drags the whole song up to a higher level. Many of the songs here sound like Carl Wilson solo projects. His vocals do their best to rescue rather substandard material. This is noticeable on the likes of second song 'It's Getting Late'. 'Where I Belong' is possibly the most affecting moment of the whole record and it's largely thanks to those heavenly Carl Wilson vocals.
Brian's contributions to this record in terms of writing are very disappointing, which is not surprising when you have your therapist co-writing material with you ('Crack at Your Love's lyrics are just abysmal; a sixth-grader could of done as good of a job). He also co-wrote 'California Calling' with Al and it sounds very dated. The production doesn't help but it's hardly a shining jewel in any case. 'It's Just A Matter Of Time' and 'I'm So Lonely' are affecting songs but they don't quite sound fully developed. The closing 'Male Ego',with very dodgy lyrics apart, is mildly entertaining - musically if not lyrically displaying Brian's character. One of the few occasions his melodic touch shines through here.
Other songs include 'Passing Friend', which was written for Culture Club but given to the Beach Boys by Boy George and sung by Carl Wilson. Thank god Carl doesn't try to emulate Boy George, though. Be thankful for small mercies! 'I Do Love You' is a Stevie Wonder song sung by Carl with assistance from Al (and background vocals by Wonder). Bruce contributes 'She Believes In Love Again' which does overcome somewhat glossy production to end up sounding, for good or for bad, just like a Bruce Johnston song.
So you want to know if you should pony up the money to buy this? I would hesitently say yes, if for no other reason than this is the last true Beach Boys original album - over half of their last album 'Still Crusin' are simply songs from their sixties' hey-day.