"That's Why God Made The Radio" aka the new Beach Boys cd hit the racks yesterday. Is it any good? Does it rank with the best work of Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys? Let's answer the second question first. The Beach Boys best work ranks with the best albums recorded by any of the so-called "giants" going back to Edison's "Mary Had A Little Lamb" (covered by McCartney and Wings in the 70s). When your peak work, "Pet Sounds" gets compared to "Sgt.Pepper" "Exile On Main Street" "Blonde on Blonde" "In The Wee Small Hours"...you can see how difficult a task it is to assess a new work by Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys. Does it rank up there with their best. Probably not. If McCartney puts out a worthwhile album, it is probably not gonna equal "Pepper" or "Abbey Road." However, "TWGMTR" is, nevertheless, a worthwhile and rewarding listen and gets a high recommendation from this old Beach Boys fan.
First of all, the fact that we even have new Brian Wilson and the Beach Boy's music in 2012 is remarkable. The last "proper" Beach Boy's album was "Summer In Paradise" which went straight to the cut-out bins in the early 90's. Brian was not on board for that disc. Even as a fan, I didn't find much on that outing to recommend. For the Beach Boys to pull together a work as enjoyable as this release, not to mention beautiful in parts, is amazing. There are moments here that refer back to their best work.
Back in 1998, Brian recorded a solo album with country music producer Joe Thomas. The album, "Your Imagination" did successfully revive Brian's career to a degree with that effort's main criticism being a certain "sterility" to the backing instrumental tracks. Brian's vocal's were top-notch as were the vocal arrangements but the backing's had a certain "Middle-of-the-Road" quality to them. The Wilson-Thomas partnership broke up in a haze of bad vibrations, acrimony and litigation. The roots of this album are the demos that Wilson and Thomas wrote for the never-recorded followup. It seems that all but one track, the Mike Love penned "Daybreak Over The Ocean" stem from those demos. One reviewer, in assessing the new album said it was as if Brian released a new solo album and invited the other Beach Boys to contribute vocals. Not such a bad thing if you ask me.
With the exception of a couple of lyrical efforts by Mike Love to pretend that "Smile" and the last 45 years had never happened, "Spring Vacation" and "Beaches In Mind," (easily skippable in the cd format by judicious use of the "ff" button) the album has an almost "autumnal" perspective. It seems that, at one point, Brian was working on a project that would be his swan song to recording and some of the lyrics were written from the perspective of a writer who realizes that his life's days were dwindling down to a precious few.
The album starts off with the gorgeous "Think About The Days" whose wordless vocal, and minimal instrumentation (piano and....is that a French Horn I hear?) add up to one of their most melancholy, yet beautiful pieces ever.
This intro is followed by the single, which is the title track and the bouncy "Isn't It Time" which features a vocal by Al Jardine who sounds like he hasn't aged a moment since he waxed "Cotton Fields" in 1968.
The tunes getting the most attention are probably the "mini-suite" which closes the album. "From There To Back Again" "Pacific Coast Highway" and "Summer's Gone" flow from one to another, like the "Large Medley" on Abbey Road. "Summer's Gone has a Wilson/Thomas/Jon Bon Jovi (?!?) writing credit!
One day begins
Another ends
I live them all and back again."
Sadly beautiful.
Could it have been better? Brian is in strong voice with his battered vocal instrument fitting the lyrical perspective of these tunes. Al Jardine sounds like a much younger man. His "solo/Beach Boys" tune "Don't Fight The Sea," featuring as it does a vocal by beloved Wilson brother Carl, would have fit nicely on this album (maybe in place of one of the Love penned tunes?). More Al would have been nice. Honorable mention to Jeff Foskett who picks up the Carl's mantle with his wonderful voice taking the parts Carl would have sung. He also sings the falsetto parts the younger Brian would have nailed. It's time to make him a full fledged Beach Boy (if you wanna keep him on salary that's fine-give him the "title" of full fledged band member. He has earned it!.
If Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys go out on this note, it will be a fitting and appropriate way to call it a career. At least, they would be ending it on a high note, with strong echoes of their greatest work. If they record again, I hope they meet the standard set by this album.
Highly recommended to those who already love the Beach Boys and are familiar with their body of great work!
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