Beach Boys solo albums

Looking Back With Love

Carl Wilson's self-titled debut

Youngblood

hahaha wtf a song called "The Grammy"

Holy moley, clicking on the Looking Back With Love link tells me this:

Producer Curt Boettcher/Brian Wilson

I saw a TV studio performance of the title track and it was Mike Love at his most unctuous. But this makes me wonder, is the record itself any good? What's the story?

Jeez, what a bunch of hokey covers Mike Love has on his album. I wouldn't mind hearing his take on "On And On And On" but the thought of him whining through "Teach Me Tonight" - yuck!

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curt_Boettcher --

He also produced Mike Love's solo album Looking Back With Love, which many Beach Boys fans regard as the worst album ever associated with the group.

I saw some Carl solo footage from the early '80s. It was funky pop-rock mildly coked out, midly new wave, and totally post-Fleetwood Mac LA. I've always wanted to hear the record above. But something tells me Dennis rules the Beach Boys solo sweepstakes.

Al Jardine is currently recording his solo debut.

I recently picked up Bruce Johnston's "Going Public" LP (at a deep discount, of course)...it's not too bad as far as late-70's SoCal soft-rock goes..."Disney Girls" is the highlight, of course, but the disco versions of "Pipeline" are also pretty great...(his rendition of his own "I Write The Songs", however, is pretty grate)...

Carl Wilson on TV 1981

is this what yr referring to, Quantum?

I believe so, Shakey. It might have been the other song they played on that episode (the one where Carl used electric guitar). But yeah, I remember that white tie/black shirt outifit.

That's not a bad song. It reminds me a little bit of of Rick Nelson, who also did an album around that same time, 1981, where he also swtiched to wearing satin.

I love all the Beach Boys' voices, but Carl's will always be my fave.

hey, don't forget blondie chaplin (blondie who?)
http://www.blondiechaplin.com/default_in.html

okay. but what do you think of his solo albums?

i have to reinvestigate his debut from the '70s. i haven't heard that in years.

I can't find the thread where Brian Wilson's production work was under discussion so I'll just post this here... I just got this and it's pretty great, although no "Surf City" = teh sadness.

has anyone heard the American Spring album...? Was surprised to hear their re-work of Dennis' "Lady" on this comp.

Sacramento - Gary Usher

^^^hotness^^^

I have a soft spot for cheesy 60s-70s tunes about relatively obscure California towns (Sausalito, Sacramento, Lodi, San Jose, etc.)

Glen Campbell-Guess I'm Dumb on Shindig

hmmm

the Fataar/Chapin stuff on the BBs records is really great, always been curious about this one.

Where can I get a Brian version of Guess I'm Dumb?

oh I also found the American Spring LP awhile ago - some recycled material (the aforementioned Lady, a different song that lifts the melody from Darling, etc.) Surprisingly great version of the Tenessee Waltz.

x-post

Where can I get a Brian version of Guess I'm Dumb?

wasn't aware there was one...?

yeah I was just wondering.

..becuz that would be sweet.

looks like there's a version on one of these

thankig u!

I'm not sure when any of that stuff is from

Sweet Insanity was a late 80s/early 90s project I think

yuh it could be shite. But I've always thought it would sound great with Brian actually singing it.

lol xp

whoah this Flames album is amazing!! Way better than it has any right to be. Genuinely surprised. Scott Seward needs to hear this asap...

Look forward to listening to it!

I found the American Spring album to sound like a bunch of demos with very poor vocals.

aw I think it has its moments. Agree that the Rovell sisters are pretty weak singers tho.

Shyin Away is pretty goddamn catchy

Carl's solo album is being re released with new liners in a few weeks

which one? what I heard was not good

young blood?

he should have made it jung blood, a concept album about carl jung's theories of consciousness

my problem w Carl's solo stuff was primarily that it has these R&B female backing vox all over it and then Carl singing lead over some p limp compositions. not playing to his strengths or using his voice well.

well, if he was a musical visionary, his name would be brian

huh y'know these youtubez of youngblood actually sound better than I remember. Maybe it was the other solo album I heard? Still not great, but not terrible either.

i've tried a few times w/ carl's solo records but they always seemed pretty dull.

agreed. not sure what to attribute it to really, he delivered plenty of times on BB records - but the early 80s were just grim for the boys all around

it's really heartwarming that he came back strong a few years ago to write that book on celine dion

on the same tip it's great that mike love has reinvented himself as a reggae guy these days
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5417e2a2e4b0b0c7bc717193/54187a00e4b0d3ebd3eea02c/54187b0ae4b0167dcbb1afdf/1410890509290/jah-frontpage.jpg?format=1000w

i read that as, "why does jah keep pestering me?"

Not a BB solo album per se but the Ricci Martin album, Beached, from 1977 is produced by Carl and Billy Hinsche, features a lot of Carl and various BB associates on it, some nice tunes and a really good production. Here's a nice, if perhaps overly glowing write-up on it:

Friday, August 2, 2013
A Great Lost Pop Album-Ricci Martin's Beached (Produced by Carl Wilson and Billy Hinsche) by Peter Reum

Ricci Martin is Dean Martin's son, and younger brother of Dino Martin of Dino, Desi, and Billy. Not coincidentally, Carl Wilson and Billy Hinsche produced this album. Of course, Carl married Ricci and Dino's sister Gina later in the Eighties. The first indication that there might be an album was when Ricci's single Stop Look Around came out on Capitol. The single did not sell. The album was optioned by CBS/Epic, and was released in 1976 on the Epic label. The Stop Look Around/Moonbeams 45 was released. The album was a beautiful oasis of sophisticated pop rock at a time when radio was a mishmash of proto disco, guitar rock, and silly slop.

What made the album special? Well, for one thing, it was beautifully arranged. The songs are catchy, well performed, and need no "tricks" to make them listenable. The backing vocals, by Carl Wilson, Peter Cetera, Gerry Beckley, Bobby Figueroa, Billy Hinsche, and Ricci himself, are immaculate. The credits read like a who's who of the Beach Boys/Chicago crowd from 1975. What I loved about the album when I played it in-store back in the Seventies was that people would come in grumpy and out of sorts, and leave in a great mood, even if they didn't buy the album. The album got lots of play along the Front Range of Colorado, and I heard on Denver, Boulder, and Ft. Collins stations.

The backing tracks here are so easy, so tasteful. Billy and Van Dyke Parks contribute synthesizer, and Carl plays mellotron. Dennis Wilson, Ricky Fataar, Ed Teduri, and Ricci himself drum. A marvelous highlight besides the aforementioned tracks is Spark of Me, which begins with some piano by Ricci, then goes into a gorgeous, understated piano/drum based track. Choruses add synthesizer, strings, and mellotron. There is a beautiful change of tempo and modulation on the bridge. Truly a wonderful, moody, yet reassuring love song. Brass by Chicago's horn section add stunning beauty to Street of Love, another slow to mid tempo tune that is incredible. The drums here sound like Dennis. Strings add a flavor of hope, and clarinets add a dash of irony. This is love, Mid Seventies American Style.

A Carl Wilson/Ricci Martin co-written song, Everybody Knows My Name is a catchy tune that probably feels the most like a Beach Boys song on the record. The horns come in midway, and follow the lead vocal. Backing vocals are what one might imagine a Beach Boys song would sound like in 1975, had they recorded and finished songs during that time. Belle of the Ball is built around a riff that is begging for Chicago to record it. The tune is something that would be easy for that group to pull off. In the place of horns, Carl, Billy, and Ricci decided to add vocals and a tasty synthesizer line.

My Old Radio recalls the Fifties, and drips of nostalgia without sounding overly silly. Precious Love is a tune that asks "what happened" that caused a relationship to end. Sleigh bells and phased guitar make a cameo on the song's bridge, and backing vocals are heavenly. Perhaps there is a little too much synthesizer on that track. I Don't Like It is a tune that tends to bemoan being out of love, yet also allows the singer to rationalize by saying "it's ok to be alone." I Had a Dream has somewhat of a minor key feel to it, which is piano based, and which is a piece of classic pop. It seems to address a person who is in a state of either madness, or emotional disturbance. It is a great song, and stands out as the best tune on what was the second side of the album.

Here I Go Again is the album's final song, and is fairly understated. I can hear Van Dyke Parks here, using the synthesizer to sound like an accordian. It's a brief slice of pop that begs to be a minute longer. It is a terrific sketch of a tune. The album as issued in Japan on cd offers the single mixes of Stop Look Around and Moonbeams. This mix of Stop Look Around has Carl and Billy prominent on backing vocals. Moonbeams is more understated in the single mix. It is one of those songs you could swear you have heard before because it is so accessible and catchy.The fade from the single is bizarre, but that isn't Ricci's fault.

So there it is, an album that is classic pop rock, recorded at Brother Studio, probably in 1975 and early 1976. Lots of Beach Boys, lots of Chicago, several Beach Boys Band members on board, and the best of LA's sessions players of the time. I have waited many years to get the cd, and it doesn't dissapoint. If you are still into vinyl, the album is relatively easy to find, especially online. Don't miss it, and thanks Ricci! I am glad to hear your work again....

Text copyright 2013 by Peter Reum-All Rights Reserved

http://peternreum.blogspot.com/2013/08/a-great-lost-pop-album-ricci-martins.html?m=1

man am i laughing at that 'mike love' cover

jah needs to give mike some space

Talk about a weirdo

http://www.beachboys.com/mikelove.jpg

"Lots of Beach Boys, lots of Chicago, several Beach Boys Band members on board, and the best of LA's sessions players of the time. I have waited many years to get the cd, and it doesn't dissapoint."

I love how earnest beach boys fans are.

Anyone ever hear this?

http://theseconddisc.com/2015/07/21/catch-a-wave-second-disc-records-expands-ricci-martins-all-star-beached-featuring-carl-wilson-dennis-wilson-chicago-horns-and-more/

whoops just saw the post upthread sorry

so uh mike love not war unleash the love is now available for your listening pleasure

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRRaqL2VXRU8djMHRWTCJJZhX2E-rfgQ

always excited by a chaki beach boys thread revive

first track delivers the expected mix of shitty 90s "funk" drum loops, pathetically limited vocals, terrible instrumentation, and dopey lyrics

second track opens with some nice a cappela harmonies at least

will anything on this album be as good as "Wrinkles" though?

pls keep liveblogging mike love not war

Pisces Brothers includes a devotional chant to his favorite hats

lollll

if you need a palette cleanse after this, listen to this 1971 show its really great https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk5ZXhVWQGA&list=PLvRRaqL2VXRW35IYlQi9te5RezGC_tSN7&index=14

lol why'd he rerecord brian's back in 2007?!

because that song is a beloved timeless classic, that's why!!!

and that's the year he lost (another) lawsuit against brian.

Brian's Back (Hand Me That Dagger)

10,000 Years ago features a banging breakbeat underneath a scorching electric guitar solo and a sing-song rap from Mike about surfing Lemurians

Too Cruel is a Dave Mathews-style "funky" acoustic guitar number featuring Mike's son Christian Love on lead vocals, which goes into a sad reggae sort of rhythm on the choruses. Lyrics detail Mike's frustration with Murry Wilson's business practices.

first track delivers the expected mix of shitty 90s "funk" drum loops, pathetically limited vocals, terrible instrumentation, and dopey lyrics

I was going to try to summarize this track but you did it so well!

Mike Love does Dionne Farris

(But not like THAT)

Cool Head, Warm Heart - sounds like scrapped session material from Summer in Paradise (which I actually kind of like.... :X). I bet Mike thought this was a real jam when he was recording it.

Anything for You - I thought Mike Love hated Love You?

Pisces Brothers - Barf. Happy birthhhhhhhhh-days back in time. Rewrite lyrics. Then he sings about the maharishi....okay, skipping the rest of this one

Everyone's in Love with You - coming from Mike Love, this is a gross title because you know he's singing about some chick who's 1/3 his age. Atrocious synths and surprisingly low key. Get Mike a cup of coffee.

10000 Years Ago - Mike Love does Funkadelic. Or is it Savage Garden? "Ohm, shantih shantih" - WTF.

Glow Crescent Glow - zzzzzzzzzz

Too Cruel - more anachronistic '90s drum loops and reggae sounds though quite a decent groove as it is sung by his son. Fun fact: Christian Love wears a hat too: http://www.dahoovsplace.com/Events/Concerts/BeachBoys/ChristianLoveGuitarist7.jpg

Brian's Back - not any more he's not

I Don't Wanna Know - sounds kind of like Fastball, or Carl Wilson. It sounds like they picked up their backup instruments at a church that went out of business.

Love Foundation - terrible lukewarm pap

Only One World - this would be impressive if it had been written by a nine-year-old

Main takeaway: Christian Love is kind of a good singer?

Everyone's in Love with You - coming from Mike Love, this is a gross title because you know he's singing about some chick who's 1/3 his age. Atrocious synths and surprisingly low key. Get Mike a cup of coffee.

He re-recorded this? Jeeeeeee...

from the Mike Love Discography web page. A list of the last Mike Love singles in chronological order:

1983: "Jingle Bell Rock" (with Dean Torrence)
2006: "Santa's Goin' To Kokomo"
2007: "Hungry Heart"
2015: "(You'll Never Be) Alone on Christmas Day"

Three Christmas songs and a Springsteen cover. Nicely done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lxGstAel7c