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the story behind the Beach Boys' Surfin' - 50 years later - from WSJ
Joined: Jul 29, 2009 Posts: 2605 Boss Angeles, CA 
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Posted on Nov 24 2011 07:46 PM
mom_surfing wrote:
Sometimes me too when the mood hits. This is the period were Brian's songwriting was probably it's best before things got really far-out. —BOSS FINK "R.P.M." available now from DOUBLE CROWN RECORDS! |
Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 2309 Stockholm, Sweden 
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Posted on Nov 25 2011 08:04 AM
I too like both these albums but would also add their 1965 Summer Days (And Summer Nights!) LP which includes some great songs like "Girl Don't Tell Me" and "Let Him Run Wild". It also has the big hit "California Girls" although I've never been a huge fan of that song. Anyway, check out this interesting 1965 TV show color clip. The boys aren't the greatest actors though. |
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 10331 southern Michigan 
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Posted on Nov 25 2011 09:19 AM
A very interesting discussion - I never expected anything close to this when I posted the piece! (In fact, I almost didn't post it at all, since there wasn't much surf music content and I thought everybody knew this story already.) The BBs were definitely a hugely important gateway drug for me getting into surf music. I started listening to them back when I was 15 or something, and just loved them. Any time I made it to the beach, the Beach Boys were mandatory listening - or just in the summertime in general. I remember being at a South Carolina beach with a friend and we'd laugh every time they'd sing 'in my woody I would take you...', having no clue that a woody was a car! (To be fair, the 'in' didn't make my sense, but close enough for hormonally amped-up teens... I also don't really get the hoopla about Pet Sounds. To me it's a fairly boring album, especially compared to what they did before then. Three exceptions, though: God Only Knows is amazing, and Sloop John B (I wonder if they got that from DD?) and Wouldn't It Be Nice are quite good, too, especially the first one. But the rest is, well, ehhh.... I thought Good Vibrations was astounding and mind-blowing, certainly among the best rock songs ever. But I hadn't listened to any of the Beach Boys post-Pet Sounds stuff, so wasn't familiar with any of the Smile-album recyclables until I saw the DVD of Brian Wilson performing all of Smile a few years ago. It left me mostly cold and befuddled - what's the big deal?? I still prefer the pre-Pet-Sounds Beach Boys output, and have everything they did up to that point. Pretty brilliant, all of it, from the raw beginnings to the lush arrangements of stuff like California Girls (which I still love). And there are many album-only gems on all those records, lesser known stuff that's just as good. And of course, all the instrumentals are very cool, too! In fact, the Beach Boys' version of Moon Dawg was the first surf song I ever learned to play, back in '87! I still think their version was the best, of the dozens of versions out there! A final word on Pet Sounds - Norm mentioned it wasn't a huge commercial success, and I think that's true in the US. But in England in particular, I believe it was a HUGE album, both commercially and artistically. You can hear that influence in a lot of British '70s music. Heck, even Hank and Bruce after disbanding the Shads and starting their '70-'73 vocals-only venture Marvin, Welch & Farrar, heavily incorporated the Beach Boys' sound and harmonies. And on the first two post-breakup Shadows albums, they covered (instrumentally) both Good Vibrations (on 1973's Rockin' With Curly Leads) and God Only Knows (on 1975's Specs Appeal) - and IMHO did an amazing job with both. Ivan |
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Joined: Jul 29, 2009 Posts: 2605 Boss Angeles, CA
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Posted on Nov 25 2011 11:24 AM
Cool, Ivan. It's interesting to note how The BB's where a "gateway" for a few people here. That was certainly the case back in the early sixties for land-locked teens from the rest of the country who probably didn't even know what surfing was. My first exposure when I was a kid was on oldies radio and hearing them in the film American Graffiti. I instantly became a fan. My first purchase was the "best-of" LP Endless Summer. After that I sought out all of their original releases. I also didn't get Pet Sounds when I first heard it, but I really liked the singles "Sloop John B" and “God Only Knows”. The idea to cover Sloop John B was Al Jardine’s idea. Brian rejected it at first because he said he didn’t like The Kingston Trio. I mentioned Pet Sounds wasn't as big as their previous efforts but it still broke the top ten LP's chart on Billboard and the single Sloop John went to number 3. It was an even bigger success in England as you mentioned and would eventually go Platinum. I can’t say I don’t entirely get all the hoopla around Pet Sounds, but I personally think all the pre-Pet Sounds stuff is much better. What I think happened was critics and respected musicians latched on to it in a big way that’s why you can’t even say Beach Boys without someone saying Pet Sounds right after. I saw Brian live about a year ago and even though his voice is battered he still was great. He enthusiastic played his earlier stuff alongside the more critically approved stuff which was very cool, even busting out “Custom Machine” which gave me a real thrill. —BOSS FINK "R.P.M." available now from DOUBLE CROWN RECORDS! Last edited: Nov 25, 2011 11:28:46 |
Joined: May 14, 2007 Posts: 1753
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Posted on Nov 25 2011 12:25 PM
Norm, I had thought there might be a Tokens connection there with the Beach Boy's decision to cover Sloop John B., but that isn't the case, as you describe. In 64, the Tokens recorded "The Wreck of the John B.", but the song had been known in folk circles for a while. Actually, it was your great RFB show that led me back to the Tokens, with your selection of "My Friend's Car". I didn't know they had done a hot rod album! It was in checking into that, that I found out they also covered some Beach Boys, and also a version of "Sloop", that pre-dated the BB recording! Apparently, just a coincidence, though. No "smoking gun" here..haha. I had a great experience seeing the Tokens in a Lake Tahoe casino lounge at about 2 in the morning. I thought it would be one of those cheezey reviews, and to my surprise, there were original members (including the great lead singer) and they were REALLY GOOD! Still totally had "it". Wow, Klas--I had never seen color footage of the Boys from that era. I do have an appearance that just happens to also be from an earlier black and white episode "Jack Benny Show". In your clip, Love's attire already looks to be less "beach" and more Carnaby Street! |
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Joined: Jul 29, 2009 Posts: 2605 Boss Angeles, CA
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Posted on Nov 25 2011 12:55 PM
Scott, very cool that you got to see the Tokens. Sloop John B was is one of those standards that many people covered. The BB's arrangement is I think what sets it apart from the others and made it a chart topper. Here's another clip that again blasts apart the often repeated myth that they couldn't play their instruments. The Beach Boys were a real band first before they became a vehicle for Brian's musings. The energy on this stuff is palpable and Denny does indeed rock on the drums. —BOSS FINK "R.P.M." available now from DOUBLE CROWN RECORDS! |
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 5320 the outer banks of north carolina
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Posted on Nov 25 2011 07:54 PM
ivan said 'Three exceptions, though: God Only Knows is amazing, and Sloop John B and Wouldn't It Be Nice are quite good, too, especially the first one. But the rest is, well, ehhh....' those are the three i like too and agree with your ehhh statement. as i wander a little off topic......when our son was young we use to sing BB songs every night right before bedtime. when he was 10 i got tickets to see them in VA, a three hour drive and wouldn't you know it we had a hurricane that washed out our road and couldn't go. so i now had a sobbing child on my hands. i still have the tickets. fast forward another year and i got tickets again but didn't tell him in case another natural disaster hit. took him to the venue in VA without telling him who we were seeing. he was beside him self when he finally figured out it was the BB's. he stood in front of me through the entire set and sang every single song except 'kokomo' (i do not like that song at all) so it wasn't part of his repertoire. sorry for drifting off topic |
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Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 5320 the outer banks of north carolina
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Posted on Nov 25 2011 08:02 PM
klas.....i remember seeing this when it first aired but my parents only had a black and white tv. this is the first time i've seen it in color. — |
Joined: Apr 24, 2011 Posts: 1087 Surf City, NC
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Posted on Nov 25 2011 09:08 PM
Man..I don't know how any true musician can listen to "Pet Sounds" and NOT be floored?! Or even their early stuff?? Harmony and back-up singing is almost a lost art now-a-days. — |
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Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 2309 Stockholm, Sweden
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Posted on Nov 26 2011 05:47 AM
websurfer wrote:
Haha, yeah definitely, although I do prefer that outfit over the robe he started wearing towards the end of the decade... Check out this very funny clip of Mike in his robe and long beard appearing to be annoyed at the Paris audience for not clapping to the beat properly, haha. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd9S5KA9lbE I think the first Beach Boys color footage I know of is from when they appeared in the 1965 movie The Girls On The Beach. Here's the great "Little Honda" from it. (The intro with Carl riding a bike isn't from the film though). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viYfWqSECAk Also check out Mike doing the Swim with Annette from the movie The Monkey's Uncle of the same year. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQG10A-ymtg —Last edited: Nov 26, 2011 05:48:43 |
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Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 2309 Stockholm, Sweden
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Posted on Nov 26 2011 06:00 AM
shivers13 wrote:
Yeah, one often hears that Dennis wasn't any good on the drums. I think he was great! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDIBMaCTwFw#t=51s —Last edited: Nov 26, 2011 06:03:12 |
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Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 5320 the outer banks of north carolina
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Posted on Nov 26 2011 07:16 AM
las barracudas.....it's not the musicianship on pet sounds.....i just really didn't care for the other songs....... — |
Joined: Mar 07, 2010 Posts: 2272 North Carolina
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Posted on Nov 26 2011 08:39 AM
+1 in the shivers13 wrote:
+10 ! Fady El Mirage @ ReverbNation |
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Joined: Jul 29, 2009 Posts: 2605 Boss Angeles, CA
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Posted on Nov 26 2011 10:35 AM
RF rules! Yes, that would be an awesome emoticon. —BOSS FINK "R.P.M." available now from DOUBLE CROWN RECORDS! |
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Joined: Jul 29, 2009 Posts: 2605 Boss Angeles, CA
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Posted on Nov 26 2011 10:45 AM
Klas wrote:
Indeed, the energy on that TAMI show stuff is insane. Thousands of screaming girls, no monitors and still their harmonies and playing is great. How did they do that? They were a tight musical outfit. Denny is playing hard on this stuff, almost punk rock, if you will. He was quite dynamic in the studio as well, adding his distinctive style to their surf/hot rod hits. You probaly know this Klas, but Dennis also drums on Gary Usher's Four Speeds recordings. Here's another fine clip of the boys live from '64 in a closed studio showing how well they could nail their songs live... —BOSS FINK "R.P.M." available now from DOUBLE CROWN RECORDS! Last edited: Nov 26, 2011 11:09:56 |
Joined: Mar 08, 2008 Posts: 197 NJ shore
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Posted on Nov 26 2011 12:11 PM
That's impressive. One thing I noticed with a couple of the live performances is that they need to turn up Carl's guitar for the leads —"We're lousy, we can't play. If you wait until you can play, you'll be too old to get up there. We stink, really. But it's great," Johnny Ramone . |
Joined: Dec 20, 2009 Posts: 611 Jax, FL
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Posted on Nov 26 2011 02:18 PM
Man...after watching these old BB videos, I'm going have to break out my RIC 360/12 and work it into some tunes. —Shoot the Pier on Bandcamp My Country EP ... Florida Dirt Fire My French Love Songs ... I really needed a change... |
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 25684 Anaheim(So.Cal.)U.S.A.
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Posted on Nov 27 2011 12:16 AM
mom_surfing wrote:
still off topic, or even more so, but related in a way. Jeff(bigtikidude) |
Joined: Nov 25, 2010 Posts: 191 |
Posted on Nov 27 2011 12:41 AM
I think it was the fair in Lyndon Washington where I first saw Jan and Dean for the first time. I was still in high school. That must have been 1985. I saw them 4 or 5 times after that, and interviewed Dean once for the local newspaper. If it wasn't for them, I probably wouldn't have found my way to instrumental surf music, and to finally playing the guitar. I wonder if Dean still tours? |
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Joined: Mar 08, 2008 Posts: 197 NJ shore
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Posted on Nov 27 2011 09:22 AM
My first concert was Led Zepplin during the Song Remains the Same tour. We were in the next to last row in Madison Square Garden (and the girl in the last row managed to spill her beer all over us). Robert Plant forgot the words to "Stairway to Heaven." "We're lousy, we can't play. If you wait until you can play, you'll be too old to get up there. We stink, really. But it's great," Johnny Ramone . |
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