NOTE:The
new
millennium brought
another sheaf of Beach
Boys tribute albums,
with some very talented
artists
giving fresh, interesting
takes on these
decades-old songs, while
other releases are
content to simply
rubber-stamp the
original songs in a
shameless attempt to
fool purchasers into
thinking they're buying
the real deal.
John Hunter Phillips,
Gary Usher, Brian Gari,
and a slew of various
artists have done the
best job of selecting
and re-interpreting rare
gems, while two
children's projects
bomb, and John B and the
Surfin' Safaris should
go bury their heads in
the sand.
The
Music of the Beach Boys:
Relaxing Solo Piano
Interpretations With
Nature
Northsound
Music
Group ASAC 70512 [CD];
Released October 20,
1998
1. Wouldn't
It Be Nice? 2. Surfer
Girl 3. God Only
Knows 4. Wendy 5. Don't
Worry Baby 6. In My
Room 7. Girls On
The Beach 8. All
Summer Long 9. Warmth Of
The Sun 10.
Caroline, No
REVIEW:
Your tolerance for
this CD is based pretty much
on how much you enjoy
new-age piano music - Fred
Simon, the solo artist here,
has played for such seminal
instrumental labels as
Narada and Windham Hill, and
his lengthy resume states
that "Fred has recorded
and/or performed with Ralph Towner (Oregon), Paul McCandless (Oregon), Larry Coryell, Lyle Mays, Iain Matthews (Fairport
Convention), Jerry Goodman (Mahavishnu
Orchestra), Steve Rodby and Paul Wertico (Pat Metheny
Group), Bonnie Herman (Singers
Unlimited), Kurt Elling, Fareed Haque, David Onderdonk, Ingrid Graudins, Ross Traut, The Stan Kenton
Orchestra, and many
others." The Chicago
native has pedigrees in
both Jazz and New Age
styles, but this album is
heavily the latter, and
while I found the playing
and interpretations simple
and lovely, they also have
a sameness from track to
track that lends the album
towards background music,
rather than an active
listening experience.
Still, I confess
that I have a bit of New
Age music in my
collection, and at times I
like to pull it out on
winter evenings and enjoy
the ambiance that it lends
to cozy, romantic
occasions. Many rock
listeners will simply
scoff at this genre and
look elsewhere, but if you
enjoy the more melodic
melodies which Brian
Wilson penned, then you
might find something to
enjoy here. The
music is competing
throughout with the soggy
sounds of surf (hence, the
'nature' moniker in the
title), but it's not
terribly intrusive, and
creates a through-sound
motif that stays in the
background. The
thing that endears me most
to the artist is found in
his liner notes, where he
confesses that it was by
doing this project that he
fell in love with the
music of Brian Wilson.
I was clued into the
presence of this CD by
intrepid site visitor Joel
Reed Parker, and after a
frustrating search, found
very few copies in the
marketplace. The
label has shut its doors,
and the CD, which received
a limited run, has long
been out of print.
New copies
occasionally show up at
small dealers, so if
you're interested, keep
your eyes peeled.
ADDITIONAL NOTE:
I've discovered that
there are actually TWO
versions of this album
floating around - the
above, with 'ocean' noise,
and a separate release
which has NO ocean noises
- piano only. Here's
the cover of the
ocean-free disc (and it's
this
disc that is advertized on
Amazon.com):
Smiling
Pets
Sony
Records Japan SRCS 325
[CD Only];
Released February, 1998
1.
Adventures
in Stereo
"Wonderful" (2:10)
2. Secret Chiefs 3
"Good Vibrations"
(4:01)
3. Melt-Banana
"Surfin USA You're
Welcome" (3:22)
4. Short Hair Front
"I'm Waiting For The
Day" (2:59)
5. The Olivia Tremor
Control "Do You Like
Worms? (Do You Dig
Worms?)" (4:01)
6. Jim O'Rourke
"Fall Breaks and
Back to Winter
(Spring Breaks and
Back to Winter)"
(3:05)
7. Sports Guitar
"Wonderful" (2:49)
8. Thurston Moore
"Here Today" (4:13)
9. OnoTetsu "Tones"
(1:37)
10. "teabreak" (:39)
11. Forms
"Heroes and
Villains" (4:42)
12. Harpy
"Cool Cool
Water" (2:46)
13. Seagull
Screaming Kiss Her
Kiss Her "You Still
Believe in Me"
(2:51)
14. The Ships
"Little Pad" (2:43)
15. David Grubbs
"Wind Chimes (After
Perpetuity's Noon)"
(4:09)
16. Feelds "I Just
Wasn't Made For
These Times" (3:15)
17. John McEntire
"Let's Go Away for
Awhile" (2:42)
18. DM3 "Caroline,
No" (3:14)
REVIEW:
Released only in
Japan on Sony records,
"Smiling Pets" presents
what I consider to be the
best homage to the music
to Brian Wilson that I
have heard to date.
Focusing mostly on the Pet
Sounds/Smile era
(hence the title), it
immediately struck me how
daring this collection is,
and yet how often it
succeeds where other
tribute albums have
failed. Why?
Primarily because it seems
the artists are having
such fun with the
music. Culling
artists from the fringe of
popular music, each seem
to have dumped a bin of
old Beach Boys 45s into a
meat grinder and come up
with some of
the screwiest
arrangements of Brian
Wilson songs that you're
likely to hear.
Listen for example to the
school girl-like shrieking
of Melt Banana as they
fuse "Surfin' USA/Welcome"
into something
not-of-this-world.
Or the dreamy sway of "I'm
Waiting for the Day" which
is morphed into a
prom dance/doo-wop
swinger. Olivia
Tremor Control swipes
liberally from Beach Boys
bootlegs in their
recontruction of "Do You
Like Worms?," and Jim
O'Rourke paints a soothing
aural landscape in "Fall
Breaks and Back to
Winter." In fact,
out of the entire album,
there are only a couple of
tracks which I consider
out-and-out clunkers,
(especially the numbing
"Here Today" by Thurston
Moore) which for a tribute
album is a rarity. But the
great majority of this
collection is filled with
screwy, yet disarmingly
childlike covers like
"Little Pad" and "Wind
Chimes" which manage to be
reverent and challenging
at the same time. A
cheerfully zany way to
reevaluate our favorite
band, and highly
recommended.
The New Symphonic
Orchestra Plays The Beach
Boys
Disky 855472
[CD],
Released
1999; Ryder
Music [Reissue] 2005
ZERO STARS
1.
Sloop John B
[Wilson] 3:48
2. I Get Around
[Wilson] 2:41
3. God Only
Knows [Asher,
Wilson] 3:00
4. Then I Kissed
Her [Barry,
Greenwich,
Spector] 2:38
5. Before Long
[Scheffer] 3:05
6. Fun, Fun, Fun
[Love, Wilson]
2:33
7. Do It Again
[Love, Wilson]
2:30
8. Sail on
Sailor [Almer,
Kennedy, Rieley,
Wilson] 3:17
9. I Still
Believe in You
[Scheffer] 3:19
10. I Can Hear
Music [Barry,
Greenwich,
Spector] 3:08
11. Kokomo
[Love, McKenzie,
Melcher] 4:02
12. Don't Forget
Me [Scheffer]
3:24
13. Help Me
Rhonda [Love,
Wilson] 3:00
14. Good
Vibrations
[Love, Wilson]
4:22
15. Barbara Ann
[Fassert] 2:22
REVIEW:
A German import that I
stumbled upon while surfing
the web, I am
astounded that crap
like this finds its way to
the marketplace - that
producers, "artists" and
stores consent to record and
sell what essentially
is "elevator" music,
only without even attaining
that admittedly low standard
of production.
Essentially a
one-synthesizer job with
every instrument sounding
cheap and tinny, the only
"orchestra" present is
apparently
some slob sitting
in his basement sequencing
these songs with about as
much enthusiasm as if he
were attending a parole
hearing. This is
seriously deficient work;
from the clunky
hunt-and-peck melody line
employed on "Then I Kissed
Her" to the musical
castration of "Good
Vibrations" to the
flabbergasting chutzpah of
wanna-be composer Mr.
Scheffer who takes this
opportunity to plug three
of his own
melodically-challenged
compositions into the mix
("Before Long," "I Still
Believe In You" and "Don't
Forget Me"). Even fine
piano honky-tonk moments as
those found on "I Get
Around" and "Fun, Fun, Fun"
are undercut by the
horrendous synthesized
strings and dime-store drum
sound which bleats out of
every chorus. It must
take a special kind of
talent to transform
thrilling numbers like "Sail
On Sailor" and "Do It Again"
into lurchingly bad karaoke
music, or maybe just a good
strong blow to the head can
accomplish it, but whatever
the impetus, it needs to be
stopped (I suggest an
angry, pitchfork-wielding
mob - I'll bring the
torches). This is anti-music
- about
as 'rock and roll' as your
grandmother's false teeth,
and just as appealing.
I strongly suggest that
whoever is producing this
garbage get a job, get some
therapy, and change the
title of your CDs to Talentless
Wretch Wastes His Time and
Your Money.
'Nuff said.
John
Hunter Phillips: Diamonds
On The Beach - A Beach
Boys Tribute CD
JHP
Entertainment/The
Orchard [CD];
Released March 10, 2000
1.
Our Prayer
2. Do It Again
3. Wild Honey
4. One More
Night Alone
5. Labaina
Aloha
6. Susie
Cincinnati
7. God Only
Knows
8. Somewhere
Near Japan
9. I'm Waiting
for the Day
10. Marcella
11. Keepin'
the Summer
Alive
12. Lay Down
Burden
13. Kiss Me
Baby
14. Roller
Skating Child
15. Rockin'
All Over the
World
16. Sail On,
Sailor
REVIEW:
John Hunter
Phillips has created a
whole album of Beach Boys
"re-creations" on this
smoothly sung and played
covers of Beach Boys and
Beach Boy solo
tracks. With a
beautiful, chameleon-like
voice, Phillips manages to
eerily sound like Mike, or
Carl, or Brian as he pays
homage to these
songs. The track
selection is all over the
map, giving this album a
greater diversity than
other tribute albums: from
"Our Prayer" to "Roller
Skating Child", from Summer
In Paradise's
"Lahiaina Aloha" to Wild
Honey's title
track, he seems to show a
preference for later Beach
Boys songs - no "Surfin'
Safari" or "Little Deuce
Coupe" here, but you will
find rare Carl Wilson solo
tracks, like "Rockin' All
Over The World" and
"One More Night
Alone" from Carl's Youngblood
album, and Mike's
"Somewhere Near Japan"
taken from the Still
Cruisin'
album. Brian's solo
career is also noted with
"Lay Down Burden".
Other interesting choices
include "Susie
Cincinnati", and "Keepin'
The Summer Alive".
John even brings on
long-time Beach Boys
sideman Billy Hinche on
the cover on "One More
Night Alone".
Although I don't
particularly agree with
all the song choices,
since the Beach Boys later
years are not considered
by anyone to be their
best, Mr. Phillips tries
to point out high points,
and to a great degree, he
succeeds; I enjoy "Lahaina
Aloha" more than the one
found on SIP, and the
added harmonies that he
adds to "Marcella" is
great. The only
drawbacks to this disc are
the sometimes cold feeling
that the synthesizers
bring to the songs, or the
feeling that
the backing tracks
are too thin and
processed, rather
than dense and
organic - like the bass
heard on "God Only Knows"
which almost sounds like
it's being played on a toy
piano. And I don't
much care for the Jamaican
vibe he brings to the
arrangement of "I'm
Waiting For The Day" -
interesting, but it just
doesn't work. But
that's the whole point of
listening to discs like
this - to hear these old
songs recast in a
different mold, and make
them new again; and John's
fine singing, and
interesting song selection
make this album worth
checking out.
The
Warmth of the Sun
Varese Sarabande
302 066 1172 [CD Only];
Released May, 2000
1. New
York's A Lonely
Town - The Trade
Winds
2. G.T.O. -
Ronny & The
Daytonas
3. Hot Rod High
- The Surfaris
4. Girl On The
Beach - Rick
Henn
5. Sunshine
Music - Papa Du
Run Da Run
6. You're Gonna
Ride With Me -
The Hondells
7. Competition
Coupe - The
Astronauts
8. There's No
Surf In
Cleveland - The
Euclid Beach
Band
9. I Believe In
Her - The Trade
Winds
10. I Live For
The Sun -
Jeffrey Foskett
11. Yellow
Balloon - Yellow
Balloon
12. My World
Fell Down -
Sagittarius
13. She Did It -
Eric
Carmen
14. Rendezvous -
The Hudson
Brothers
15. As Long As
I'm With You -
The Rubinoos
16. Love Tonight
- The Fraternal
Order Of The All
17. Thru My
Window - Jeffrey
Foskett
18. Channel
Surfing - Alan
Boyd
19. Beach Baby -
First Class
REVIEW:
Varese Sarabande
has collected nineteen
rare, and not-so-rare
songs that run the gamut
in homages to the Beach
Boys sound, and while the
track selection veers
wildly in styles from
early surf and hot-rod
anthems to "Smile"-like
compositions, this is an
overall very fine
collection that I can
easily recommend.
Highlights include the
heavenly harmonies of Rick
Henn on "Girl On The
Beach" (not to be confused
with the Beach Boys song,
this is an original
composition), the clunky
but fun "There's No Surf
In Cleveland" by The
Euclid Beach Band, a
couple of songs by the
very talented Jeff
Foskett, an extremely
eerie Carl Wilson-sounding
vocal (courtesy of Andrew
Gold) on "Love Tonight,"
and even producer Alan
Boyd pops up with a fine
and funny "Channel
Surfing." Also
included is more familiar
fare from Eric Carmen
("She Did It"), First
Class ("Beach Baby"), and
Ronny & The Daytonas
("G.T.O"), as well as a
couple of lost classics
from The Yellow Balloon
("Yellow Balloon") and
Sagittarius ("My World
Fell Down" with guesting
Beach Boy Bruce Johnston
on vocals). A nice
compliment to a Beach Boys
CD collection.
Catch A Wave:
Beach Songs For Kids
Kid
Rhino 79844 [CD];
Released May 23, 2000
1.
Catch A Wave
2. Surfin'
Safari
3. Fun, Fun, Fun
4. Surfer Girl
5. Wipe Out
6. Kokomo
7. Dance, Dance,
Dance
8. When I Grow
Up (To Be A Man)
9. In My Room
10. Itsy Bitsy
Teenie Weenie
Yellow Polka Dot
Bikini
11. Little Old
Lady From
Pasadena
12. All Summer
Long
13. Surfin'
U.S.A.
REVIEW: Nowadays,
it's hard to turn on the
TV without seeing an
advertisement for that
infernal series KidzBop,
with oh-so-cute pre-teens
belting out the latest
hits of the day, and
without doubt selling
their sanitized versions
of hit songs by the
truckload to the Disney
crowd. This CD, put
out years before, tries to
capture the same
demographic, only this
time by plagerizing a
hefty chunk of The Beach
Boys catalog. I
hesitate to even call this
a "tribute" album, since
the producers (from Kid
Rhino, who usually know
better) have no interest
in redefining or
celebrating these songs;
no, their sole purpose is
enticing gullible parents
into purchasing this for
their disinterested youth
demographic. But
hey, I'm a Beach Boys fan,
and I gotta review it
all. Catch A
Wave features young
soloists who warble their
way through a baker's
dozen of mostly Beach Boys
songs, with production
values so stripped of
imagination that you'd
swear you'd stumbled into
some Wizard of Oz version
of a karaoke bar.
The soloist are pretty
sub-par, and mostly
interchangeable, one who
warbles his way through an
interminable version of
"All Summer Long" and
finds his voice cracking
mid-way through.
Another's thin soprano
unable to navigate a
melody AND stay on pitch
at the same time, (see "In
My Room") and all of them
sounding completely out of
their depth singing along
to the obviously
pre-recorded backing
tracks which feature such
bland, faceless playing
and singing, that the
entire album is dragged
down by the hopeless
mediocrity of it all. Add
to that the safe, yet
padded choice of
songs ("Itsy Bitsy
Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka
Dot Bikini"???), and
you're left thinking that
these poor kids could've
choked on all the cynicism
this product
embraces. It would
have been a vastly
better album if the
soloists had exceptional
voices, or star quality;
or if the producers had
opted for a rougher, more
organic sound, but since
neither of these
ingredients is present,
what the listener is left
with is a stale,
exploitative zero.
Recommended only for those
who have to have
everything.
Caroline
Now! The songs of
Brian Wilson and The
Beach Boys
Marina MA50 [CD Only];
Released August, 2000
1. Lady -
Eugene Kelly
2. I Wanna Pick You
Up - Alex Chilton
3. All I Wanna Do -
June & The Exit
Wounds
4. Wind Chimes -
Katrina Mitchell
& Bill Wells
5. Anna Lee, The
Healer - The High
Llamas
6. Ne Dis Pas (Girl
Don't Tell Me -
French version) -
Souvenir
7. Lines - Duglas T.
Stewart
8. Busy Doin'
Nothin' - Camping
9. Good Time -
Stevie Jackson
10. Endless Harmony
- The Free Design
11. Go Away Boy -
The Pearlfishers
12. Stevie - Saint
Etienne
13. Honkin' Down The
Highway - The Radio
Sweethearts
14. Lonely Sea -
Eric Matthews
15. Rainbow Eyes -
Kle
16. Let's Put Our
Hearts Together -
Chip Taylor &
Evie Sands
17. Pet Sounds -
Peter Thomas Sound
Orchestra
18. Heroes &
Villains - Malcolm
Ross
19. Only With You -
Norman Blake
20. Caroline, No -
The Aluminum Group
21. Do Ya - Jad Fair
22. Big Sur - The
Secret Goldfish
23. Good Timin' -
David Ritchie
Coalition
24. Almost Summer -
Kim Fowley
REVIEW: The
potential and problem of
so-called "tribute" albums
stem from two sources: the
artists and the
material. When you
have a variety of artists,
choosing such eclectic
songs as are presented
here, you're sure to have
problems, and this disc
has lots, which is a
shame, since such loving
attention has obviously
been placed in the
preparation of this
album. First, the
good news: there are a
handful of songs on here
that I definitely enjoy;
Eugene Kelly's
Wall-of-Soundish "Lady,"
June & the Exit Wounds
smooth "All I Wanna Do,"
The High Llamas ticking
"Anna Lee, The Healer,"
the choral harmonies on
"Endless Harmony" by the
Free Design, and the great
pop of "Go Away Boy" by
the Pearlfishers all hew
closely to the spirit of
the originals, yet are
subtly, and effectively
reinvented. Also the
quirky charm of "Lines"
comes through in Duglas T.
Stewart's very Brian-ish
interpretation, and
the covers of "Honkin'
Down the Highway" (by The
Radio Sweethearts),
"Lonely Sea" (by Eric
Matthews) and even the
breathy, French chanteuse
vocals of "Girl Don't Tell
Me" have some charm.
The rest of the album,
quite frankly, is
awful. Much of the
problem lies in the dry,
demo-like productions
(much featuring solo vocal
and instrument) or the
(literally) flat, careless
vocals that do nothing for
the songs, and instead
expose the appalling lack
of talent that these
so-called "artists"
possess. If the
general idea of the label
was to strip the songs
down to their essence to
find their core, it
unfortunately comes out
sounding like
bottom-of-the-barrel
budgeting, and a general
disregard for the songs
themselves. Bottom
line? Worth getting
for about half of the
songs, and for the glossy,
well-produced packaging,
just be prepared to skip
several tracks while
listening.
Gary
Usher: Add Some Music To
Your Day (a 1970
Symphonic Tribute to
Brian Wilson) Poptones
MC5038CD [CD Only];
Released July 9, 2001
1.
Caroline No
2. You Still
Believe in Me
3. Busy Doin'
Nothin'
4. Pet Sounds
5. Fall Breaks
and Back to
Winter/Good
Vibrations/Heroes
and Villains
6. Warmth of
the Sun
7. God Only
Knows
8. Please Let
Me Wonder
9. Friends
10. In My Room
REVIEW:
A curio that was
recorded as part of Gary
Usher's experimental
Together Records project
(which involved Beach Boys
contemporaries like Curt
Beottcher and Sandy
Salisbury, as well as
Usher), this project was
shelved when Together
Records folded.
Apparently a loving
attempt to show Brian
Wilson that he was still a
composer of merit when
public opinion was turned
against the Beach
Boys, Mr. Usher
fashioned ten of Wilson's
songs into instrumental
suites, including
"Caroline No," "You Still
Believe In Me," "Busy
Doin' Nothin'," "Pet
Sounds," "Fall Breaks and
Back to Winter/Good
Vibrations/Heroes &
Villains," "The Warmth of
the Sun," "God Only
Knows," "Please Let Me
Wonder," "Friends," and
"In My Room." Less
of a 'symphonic' treatment
than simpler chamber
arrangements, it's not a
bad album, but the
arrangements are more in
the vein of easy
listening/lounge than
classical, with tasteful
strings and harpsichord on
nearly every track.
More telling is how much
Gary Usher relied on the
cream of Brian's recent
songs from "Pet Sounds"
and even "Friends" than
more popular chestnuts
from the band's
heyday. But the
arrangements are very
sterile, and there are no
real "finds" here, just an
extremely pleasant album
that makes for agreeable
background
listening. Released
on the British Poptones
label, along with several
other worthwhile albums
from the aborted Together
Records vaults, it's worth
tracking down if you're in
a mellow mood.
The
Langley Schools Music
Project: Innocence
& Despair
Bar None
Records [CD Only];
Released October, 2001
1.
Venus and
Mars/Rock Show
(Paul
McCartney
& Wings)
2. Good
Vibrations
(The Beach
Boys)
3. God Only
Knows (The
Beach Boys)
4. Space
Oddity (David
Bowie)
5. The Long
and Winding
Road (The
Beatles)
6. Band On The
Run (Paul
McCartney
& Wings)
7. In My Room
(The Beach
Boys)
8. I'm Into
Something Good
(Earl-Jean/Herman's
Hermits)
9. Saturday
Night (Bay
City Rollers)
10. I Get
Around (The
Beach Boys)
11. Mandy
(Barry
Manilow)
12. Help Me,
Rhonda (The
Beach Boys)
13. Desperado
(The Eagles)
14. You're So
Good To Me
(The Beach
Boys)
15. Sweet
Caroline (Neil
Diamond)
16. To Know
Him Is To Love
Him (Teddy
Bears)
17. Rhiannon
(Fleetwood
Mac)
18. Wildfire
(Michael
Martin Murphy)
19. Calling
Occupants of
Interplanetary
Craft
(Klaatu/The
Carpenters)
REVIEW:
For those of you
who haven't heard the buzz
around this disc, I'll put
a brief explanation
here. In the mid
1970's a schoolteacher in
Langley, British Columbia
recorded his students
singing several songs of
the times, and a few
numbers from the
mid-sixties.
Recently discovered by a
prominent radio disc
jockey, the album
generated enough buzz for
Bar None Records to
release it in CD
format. So why
am I reviewing this
CD? Because out of
the 19 songs included, six
are Beach Boys covers, and
it's a mildly interesting
retro-baby boomer kitsch
item. But that's
about all. I've
attended several
children's school
programs, and this one
varies from them neither
in production or
talent. As I said
earlier, this recording
works best if you
appreciate the innate
innocence of children, as
well as the hazy nostalgia
that this disc ultimately
represents. The kids
sing simplified (read:
clunky) arrangements of
everything from David
Bowie's "Space Oddity" to
the Bay City Rollers
"Saturday Night."
The six Beach Boys covers
include "Help Me Rhonda,"
"Good Vibrations," "God
Only Knows," "In My Room,"
"I Get Around," and
"You're So Good To
Me." The kids seem
to get a kick singing the
upbeat songs, and there is
an undeniably eerie
melancholy on other songs,
but overall the charm of
this project wears thin
very quickly, and the
sound and packaging are
similarly lo-fi.
A
Tribute to the Beach
Boys
Big Eye
Music 4215-2 [CD];
Released November 13,
2001
1. Good
Vibrations
2. Barbara Ann
3. I Get Around
4. Sloop John B
5. Help Me Rhonda
6. California Girls
7. Fun Fun Fun
8. Surfin' USA
9. Surfer Girl
10. Wouldn't It Be
Nice
bonus
tracks:
11. Hungry Heart
(Mike Love)
12. Papa Loved Mama
(Al Jardine, Matt
Jardine)
REVIEW:
Danger!
Danger! Whenever I
see a tribute album that
features anonymous artists
like "John B and the
Surfin' Surfaris" my
spidey-sense starts
tingling, and that ain't
good. A slim ten
songs, all sung by the
same group with the same
cheap, synthesized
production, this is the
kind of product that's
causing America's
landfills to reach
critical levels. The
performances sound like
the tape has been sped up
to simulate the high
harmonies of the original
Beach Boys, making some
numbers (like the ad-lib
shouts on "Barbara Ann")
sound like the singers are
grade-Z munchkins.
BUT there
is a curious reason to
seek out this album for
all you Beach Boys
collectors: the presence
of two "bonus tracks"
which are completely out
of place: the first is a
cover of "Hungry Heart"
which was originally
recorded by Mike Love for
a Bruce Springsteen
tribute album, and second,
a country rave-up called
"Papa Loved Mama"
performed by Al Jardine
and his son Matt.
Both are well performed,
(they blow the rest of the
album clean away by
comparison), but serve no
purpose other than to
entice gullible collectors
to shell out cold cash for
a CD that's mainly useful
as a drink coaster.
Sheesh!
Guess
I'm Dumb: The Songs Of
The Beach Boys
Castle
Records [CD];
Released February, 2002
1.
Good
Vibrations - Todd
Rundgren
2. Guess Im Dumb -
Dani Sheridan
3. The Girl Dont Tell
Me - Tony Rivers And
The Castaways
4. Youre So Good To Me
- The Factotums
5. Jai Pas Le Temps
(No Go Showboat)
6. The Little Girl I
Once Knew - The
Freshmen
7. God Only Knows - P
P Arnold
8. Dont Worry Baby -
The Ivy League
9. The Man With All
The Toys - The
Variation
10. Darlin - The Paper
Dolls
11. The Girl From Salt
Lake City - Tony
Rivers And The
Castaways
12. The Girl From New
York City - Tony
Rivers And The
Castaways
13. In My Room - The
Factotums
14. Papa Oom Mow Mow -
The Freshmen
15. The Little Girl I
Once Knew - The
Bystanders
16. Im Waiting For The
Day - Peanut
17. Here Today - The
Factotums
18. Rock N Roll Music
- Dickie Rock And The
Miami Showband
19. Chapel Of Love -
The Cadets Ft Eileen
And Noel
20. Louie Louie - The
Kinks
21. The Wanderer -
Dickie Rock
22. Why Do Fools Fall
In Love - Marion Ryan
23. I Wanna Go Home -
Lonnie Donnegan
24. God Only Knows -
Sounds Orchestral
25. I Can Hear Music -
Mark Wirtz
26. Wipeout - The
Saints
REVIEW:
Castle Records
has put out an
interesting, but slight
"tribute" album culled
from the Beach Boys'
British contemporaries
that were originally
recorded on the Pye,
Piccadilly and Immediate
labels. The results
are sometimes fascinating,
such as The Freshman's
take on "The Little Girl I
Once Knew;" or The
Factotums tight pop
construction on "Here
Today," both of which have
enough variations from the
original versions to make
them good listening.
Other tracks are merely
curios, such as the
amphetamine-laced jitter
of "I'm Waiting For The
Day" by Peanut, or P.P.
Arnold's
"somebody-put-her-out-of-her-misery"
wailing on "God Only
Knows." Most of the
artists here are
second-tier "stars" that
most fans won't have heard
of: (The Factotums, The
Variations, The
Bystanders), but there are
also some recognizable
faces such as Petula
Clark, Todd Rundgren, and
The Kinks. The charm
of this album is in the
"British Invasion"
production values and in
some of the daring choices
these artists make in
their song selection: Dani
Sheridan tackles "Guess
I'm Dumb" (one of Brian's
rarest, and best songs),
Tony Rivers & The
Castaways do a double-city
tour by covering "Salt
Lake City" and "The Girl
From New York City," and
Petula Clark records the
lesser-known "No Go
Showboat" with French
lyrics! But buyer
beware: some of these
so-called "Beach Boys"
songs are merely songs by
other artists that the
Beach Boys covered
themselves at one time, so
also included on this disc
are sometimes extra-cheesy
versions of "Papa Oom Mow
Mow," "Chapel Of Love,"
"Rock 'n' Roll Music,"
"Louie, Louie," "The
Wanderer," and "Wipeout"
-- hardly the first songs
that fans would attribute
to The Beach Boys, and the
last third of this album
really begins to scrape
bottom. Overall, an
OK disc that has enough
interesting cuts to
warrant a recommendation.
Monkeys
Uncle:
In Bed With Brian
Wilson [EP]
Aroma
Records Smell-CD-01 [CD
Only];
Released March, 2002
1.
Good
Vibrations
2. Vegetables
3. Cabin Fever
4. She's Goin'
Bald
5. Surfin' On
Acid
6. Wonderful
REVIEW:
First of all, I
need to thank whoever it
was who sent me this
CD. Somehow,
someone found out my
home address, and
shipped it right to my
front door!
Second, understand that
my two-and-a-half star
rating above is entirely
subjective. There
is a strong probability
that many people out
there will like this CD
more than me, since it
is well-produced,
well-sung, and an
overall cunning piece of
work. Basically,
this is a six-song EP
that combines four Beach
Boys songs ("Good
Vibrations,"
"Vegetables," "She's
Goin' Bald," and
"Wonderful") and two
original instrumental
compositions ("Cabin
Fever" and "Surfin' On
Acid"). The songs
are performed by a
single person, Alan
Castellaro, who combines
fuzzy trance techno and
a sort've 60's acid
redux, which is -- well,
unique. From the
Smell of Vinyl webite
(no longer available)
they state that only 500
copies of this, their
first release, have been
pressed, so I'm guessing
they're not shooting for
the Top of the Pops, but
it's still a solid
release, and has a
winking sense of humor
about it that I find
kind've endearing.
The packaging and layout
are all faithful to
Beach Boys history,
right down to the orange
swirl label printed on
the CD! A nice
homage that is
another collector's
item.
Brian
Gari Sings Brian
Wilson
Original
Cast Records [CD Only];
Released June 4, 2002
1.
Break Away
2. The One You
Can't Have
3. Guess I'm
Dumb
4. Good Time
5. Dance Dance
Dance
6. Wonderful
7. Drive In
8. Busy Doin'
Nothin'
9. All Dressed
Up For School
10. Thinkin'
'Bout You
Darlin'
11. Your
Summer Dream
12. Don't Back
Down
13. Summer
Means New Love
14. Had To
Phone Ya
15. Caroline
No
REVIEW:
Brian Gari pays
reverent homage to Brian
Wilson in this
intelligent, well-chosen
collection of songs.
Picking some of the best
and brightest of the Beach
Boys catalog, Mr. Gari
faithfully recreates the
arrangements from the
original songs, and
essentially recasts them
with his vocals; this CD
is the very definition of
a vanity project.
The strengths of this
approach are obvious: the
songs stand up very well
-- "Break Away," "The One
You Can't Have," "Guess
I'm Dumb," "Good Time" and
many others reveal Mr.
Gari as a died-in-the-wool
Brian Wilson nut who's
scoured his record
collection for his
favorite songs. His
arrangements echo the
originals very closely,
and the songs he's chosen
will undoubtedly be a
revelation to people who
only know the hits.
But with his approach
being so faithful, it begs
the question: "Why
bother?" Who would
want to pay money for
music that is basically
Brian Gari doing Beach
Boys karaoke? (albeit some
rare and hard to find
karaoke). Beach Boys
fans will undoubtedly
already have heard most of
these songs in their
original version, and Mr.
Gari does little to
reshape them in any
significant, revelatory
form. The main
difference then, in the
bulk of these numbers is
the presence of Mr. Gari's
very nasal voice, which
honestly, doesn't do a
thing for me. . .
just my personal
preference; but this CD
will definitely appeal to
fans who are looking for a
new way to hear these old,
wonderful songs, and maybe
make some new discoveries
as well.
Making
God Smile: An Artists'
Tribute to the Songs
of Beach Boy Brian
Wilson
Silent
Planet Records SPR0904-2
[CD Only];
Released June 20, 2002
1.
Your
Imagination - Tom
Prasada-Rao &
Amilia k Spicer
2. Good Vibrations -
Phil Keaggy
3. I Just Wasn't Made
For These Times -
Sixpence None The
Richer
4. I Know There's An
Answer/Hang On To Your
Ego - Aaron Sprinkle
5. Love and Mercy -
Randy Stonehill
6. Help Me Rhonda -
Kevin Max & Jimmy
A
7. Heroes and Villains
- Phil Madeira
8. Add Some Music To
Your Day - Kate
Campbell
9. 'Til I Die - Doug
Powell
10. In My Room - Jason
Harrod
11. This Whole World -
Dolour
12. Vegetables - Terry
Taylor
13. Don't Worry Baby -
Derrick Harris
14. Wouldn't It Be
Nice - Jan Krist
15. Pet Sounds -
Brooks Williams
16. Lay Down Burden -
Jane Kelly Williams
17. Surf's Up - Rick
Altizer
REVIEW:
Without a doubt
the BEST Brian
WIlson/Beach Boys tribute
album yet, this is an excellent
crop of covers, performed
by mostly little-known
artists, I was really
pleased with what I heard
on this album. It's
stuffed with
fully-produced, sparkly
arrangements with just a
bit of bite to them that
makes each song really
come alive. The
focus of the producers was
to show off Brian's innate
spirituality that he's
often expressed in his
favorite songs, and the
artists here succeed
brilliantly. For
example, the trippy piano
part that introduces Aaron
Sprinkle's take on "I Know
There's An Answer/Hang
Onto Your Ego" is perfect
-- bright and shiny.
And Sixpence None the
Richer (the only artist
here I've heard of) turns
in a fab take on "I Just
Wasn't Made for These
Times." There's a
grand finish at the end of
Phil Keaggy's "Good
Vibrations," and the
harmonies on Randy
Stonehill's "Love And
Mercy" is
breathtaking! Worth
buying for just that
track. Kevin Max
& Jimmy A sound like
they're channeling U2 in
their clever re-imagining
of "Help Me Rhonda" (and
yes, that's a compliment),
and there is a lazy,
summer-days (and summer
nights) feel to Phil
Madeira's instrumental
"Heroes and
Villains." Kate
Campbell uses chiming
guitars and a gentle
country swing to "Add Some
Music To Your Day," and
Doug Powell creates a
drenching guitar-and-vocal
power-pop wall of sound
for "'Til I Die."
There's more, and all of
it good or at least
interesting. The
songs sound brand-new,
instead of decades old,
and that's a great tribute
to Brian and to these
artists. The fat color
booklet includes each
artists' impressions of
the songs they've chosen
and of Brian Wilson.
Included as a bonus for
those who purchase this
set from the Silent
Planet
website is a second
disc of nine additional
tracks which won't be
available in stores and
which includes a couple of
alternate mixes,
additional songs, and one
new song by
Harrod & Funck called
"Brian Wilson's Room" which
is a reverent folk-tinged
song, a perfect closer to a
near-perfect album.