This post has been de-listed
It is no longer included in search results and normal feeds (front page, hot posts, subreddit posts, etc). It remains visible only via the author's post history.
I must say I've always liked this album (as it's basically the Best Carl Wilson solo album that never was) and see it as a missed opportunity in so many ways as it's the last time the Beach Boys truly sounded contemporary.
I see many people have expressed the same opinion recently and even Endless Summer quarterly had the 1985 album featured with a Steve Levine interview.
This seems to be a way off from how it was treated in online Beach Boys fandom when I first joined back in 2009/2010, where it was treated on the same level as KTSA, SIP, and Stars & Stripes.
What changed?
Itās definitely cheesy and itās definitely dad rock in purest sense. No one will accuse The Beach Boys as the coolest band in 1985, despite Carl and Steve Levineās best efforts.
That said; I donāt think it was lazy. Minus Getcha Back and California Calling (not so coincidentally Mike songs), I think it does a good job of not being derivative or with the āNostalgiaā mindedness that permeates the album that follow (including Brianās non-88 solo albums).
I think that negates comparison to the older albums in a sense, since itās mostly different and actively trying to do so. Obviously itās not Pet Sounds, but itās not meant to be (and nothing is)
Subreddit
Post Details
- Posted
- 1 year ago
- Reddit URL
- View post on reddit.com
- External URL
- reddit.com/r/thebeachboy...
Great analysis! It sounds tame compared to a lot of 80s production and Carl just sounds wonderful in this area. Sober, focused, and forward thinking. Shame they couldnāt harness it.