BeachBoys.com: The Complete Guide

Carl Wilson
Carl Wilson
Caribou NJ2 37010 [LP]; Released 1981

1. Hold Me (Carl Wilson/Myrna Smith) 4:03
2. Bright Lights (Carl Wilson/Myrna Smith) 3:47
3. What You Gonna Do About Me (Carl Wilson/Myrna Smith) 4:27
4. The Right Lane (Carl Wilson/Myrna Smith) 5:13
5. Hurry Love (Carl Wilson/Myrna Smith) 4:44
6. Heaven (Carl Wilson/Myrna Smith/Michael Sun) 4:23
7. The Grammy (Carl Wilson/Myrna Smith) 3:04
8. Seems So Long Ago (Carl Wilson/Myrna Smith) 4:56

REVIEW: Carl teamed up with Myrna Smith (former backup vocalist for Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin and wife of Wilson's then-manager Jerry Schilling) to put together this slight album. Carl wrote the music to all the numbers, while Ms. Smith did the lyrics and sang backup on every number (and shared a duet with Carl on one.) Side One is all up-tempo rockers, and having just listened to the album again, it struck me how bland they all are. "Hold Me," "Bright Lights," "What You Gonna Do About Me?" and "The Right Lane" are completely undistinguished, containing workmanlike melodies, pedestrian lyrics, and thin production. The chord changes and melodies are very simple, and the whole thing smacks of being quickly written and recorded. Side Two fares better, with three ballads (something Carl's voice is particularly tuned for), all of which are somewhat memorable, especially the gently swaying "Heaven," (which ironically contains ocean imagery and a perfect harmonic tag) and the bittersweet "Seems So Long Ago." The first cut of side two, "Hurry Love" is also a nice ballad, benefiting from Carl's fine voice. There is one out-and-out embarrassing cut: "The Grammy" is a pretentious number relating a high-minded rocker's apathy at receiving a Grammy Award (also, ironic, since the Beach Boys have never won the prestigious award). Carl has a distinctive voice and is also a great guitarist, but this album lacks weight.

REVIEW: Re-teaming with lyricist Myrna Smith from his debut album, as well as pulling songs from a number of different sources (including Billy Hinche, John Fogerty, and Elvis Presley writing team Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller) Youngblood is a measure above Carl's debut in a couple of ways: first, there are several good songs on this album ("Youngblood," "Givin' You Up," "She's Mine," "Of The Times"), and one VERY good song (a joyful "What You Do To Me"). It's also well produced, with moments of sweet harmony, stinging guitars and soaring vocals, which only Carl could supply. Youngblood is also a fairly hard-rocking album, with more defined touches of R&B thrown in, which is fun to hear. Carl has his own sound and style that's distinct from the Beach Boys, much like Dennis did, and Youngblood is such an improvement over Carl Wilson, that it's a shame he didn't press on to better things. On the other hand, there are also several unmemorable songs, (a bland "If I Could Talk To Love", and the throwaway "Rockin' All Over The World"), which shows that while Carl is certainly not without his measure of songwriting gifts, he cannot supply a full album's worth of good material. Finally seeing the light of day on CD in 2010, collectors who manage to lay their hands on it probably won't be sorry.

REVIEW: Like A Brother is a difficult album to review, simply because it touches some close feelings in me. Being Carl's last full project before his death, and having taken so long to see the light of release, the anticipation for it ran fairly high, and while it's a tight, professional album, it has faults, mostly in weak songwriting and fairly sterile production. That said, however, I recommend it for anyone who has enjoyed Carl's voice or songwriting. Like Dennis and Brian, Carl was given the gift of expressing his soul in his voice and writing, and in the course of the album, it is Carl's heart-on-his sleeve talent that pushes this album up. "I Wish for You" is simple and fragile, and the closing song "Like A Brother" contains notable references to older brother Brian, "Run Don't Walk" benefits from Carl's rocking lead, and his harmony vocals throughout are distinctive and welcome. This album is comparable in overall value to his previous solo outings -- better than his first, somewhat lesser than his second, but as an epitaph to a life, it becomes music to be treasured, since we will not see its like again.

REVIEW: Carl Wilson had one of the most unique voices in rock music. It could alternate between lush sweetness ("God Only Knows") and and ragged rhythm and blues ("Wild Honey"). And this CD manages to gather most of his lead vocal contributions which he made to The Beach Boys over the course of twenty-five years. I wouldn't recommend anyone rushing out to buy this compilation, since anyone with the Beach Boys catalog and a CD burner could do as well, and maybe even better, since a few tracks are omitted ("Bluebirds Over The Mountains"?) What could have made this disc something special is the inclusion of rare-and-getting-rarer tracks from Carl's two solo albums (see above), which have yet to see the light of day in the Western hemisphere (not counting the pricey compilation put out a couple of years ago to benefit the American Lung Cancer Society). But if you're really into collecting rare Beach Boys stuff, this is a pretty interesting track lineup, but as you can see, nothing really rare, but an interesting compilation, if you're interested in that sort of thing.

REVIEW: Hearing this album may be a shock for those who still think of Dennis for the teeny-bopper rock of "Do You Wanna Dance?" or the sweetness of "Little Bird" - dark, coarse, and grungy, Pacific Ocean Blue is Dennis Wilson cutting his own path through American rock music. Written, produced and sung by Dennis, with help from longtime friend Gregg Jakobson, Pacific Ocean Blue begins with the layered, Spector-ish "River Song," with it's swirling piano and alternately rocking and tender vocals before strolling into the bluesy honky-tonk of "What's Wrong." Next comes the druggy and intimate ballad "Moonshine," followed by the trembling opening strains of "Friday Night," a slow rock jam. "Dreamer" is much the same, accented with a grumbling bass harmonica and horn section. The next cut, "Thoughts Of You" is one of my favorites, a lovely ballad with a stumbling, halting piano accompaniment, and Dennis singing very intimately, before the song drifts off amid rising strings. "Time" is just as good; almost stream-of-consciousness writing with a single trumpet solo building into a fuller, chugging finale. "You And I" is perhaps the lightest song included, with acoustic guitars and electric piano punctuated only with soft percussion. Next comes the environmentally-charged title track, which is a much-less pretentious number than anything his cousin has written. My next favorite song, "Farewell My Friend" doesn't take many chances, but is a melodic, emotional number. Next comes the friendly twang of "Rainbows" with banjo perking up the track, before the album closes with the optimistic, lush "End Of The Show." Dennis' voice is very gruff, but he uses it to great effect, and this album is unmissable.

Mike Love
Looking Back With Love
Boardwalk NB 1 33242 [LP Only]; Released 1981
ZERO STARS

1. Looking Back With Love (J. Studer/C. Thomas/D. Parker) 3:38
2. On And On And On (Benny Anderson/Bjorn Ulvaeus) 3:02
3. Runnin' Around The World (J. Haymer/B. Aaronson) 2:48
4. Over And Over (Robert James Byrd) 2:16
5. Rockin' The Man In The Boat (J. Studer/J. Arnold/M. Brady) 3:20
6. Calendar Girl (Neil Sedaka/H. Greenfield) 3:16
7. Be My Baby (Ellie Greenwich/J. Berry/Phil Spector) 2:39
8. One Good Reason (J. Studer/M. Brady) 4:08
9. Teach Me Tonight (S. Cahn/G. DePaul) 3:28
10. Paradise Found (Mike Love/J. Studer) 3:51

REVIEW: Here it is, the nuclear waste of Beach Boys product. Sinking lower than any other album (with the exception of perhaps Summer In Paradise which was also virtually a Mike Love solo album), Looking Back With Love may the be worst record ever. Strangely, for a man who's claimed to write most of the Beach Boys most popular hits, Mike does very little writing on his debut solo album, taking credit only for the final track, "Paradise Found." (Maybe he should take Neil Sedaka to court and claim his share of "Calender Girl.") The opening track sounds as if it were Mike's lyrics though, with prominent songwriter J. Studer rhyming "vibrations" with "assassinations" in the worst beginning to an album I've yet to hear. The rest of the LP is either dumb-bell remakes of classic tracks, lecherous, innuendo-filled originals, or "Beach Boys" wannabes that are sucking air. Add to that his extremely nasal voice that only works when couched in full harmonies, thin production (lots of synthesized stuff here), and absolutely NO creative sparks to be heard, and you get an album that really warrants a hazard label. It's more disappointing to realize that one of the producers on the album was none other than wunderkind Curt Boettcher (here titled as Becher), who was easily on par with Brian Wilson in the 1960s in his producing and singing skills; but here, Mr. Becher sounds like he's simply cranking up the music box and letting it run down. Avoid at all costs, unless you can get for free (and you're into masochism.)

REVIEW: Mmmm... is it just me, or does the subtitle to this album contain the undeniable stench of "Golden Oldies?" The third CD to surface from the Adrian Baker sessions appeared at Chrysler/Dodge Dealers throughout Canada, and simply pulls the majority of its tracks off of the previous two collections, and adds four new tracks: "Kokomo" (oh good, another version), "Good Vibrations" (in a sterile, lifeless rendition); and two originals by Mike Love from 1991: "Summertime Music" which features Mike Love on lead vocals and an annoying Jamaican rhythm section trying to cover Baker's similarly annoying shrill falsettos, and finally the "Fun, Fun, Fun" rip-off "Camp California" which is so cheery and chipper that I'm fully expecting my hypoglycemia to kick in after one listen. Adrian Baker undoubtedly is a talented arranger, and probably the most canny mimic of Brian's harmonic acrobatics that I've heard, but his production style is so clean, so controlled and so processed, that it makes every song here sound like it was stamped out on a production line. I can understand why Mike Love found him an ideal partner for these productions; in the absense of Brian Wilson, Adrian is an excellent copyist - but after too many of these chilly echoes, I have a strong hankering for hearing the real Beach Boys.

Mike Love Not War (AKA Unleash the Love)
Unreleased Album [CD]; Produced by Paul Faureso c.2005

1. Unleash The Love (Love)
2. Cool Head, Warm Heart (Love)
3. Anything For You (Love)
4. i) Happy Birthday (Thank You) (Lennon/McCartney)
ii) Pisces Brother (Love)
5. Everyone’s In Love With You (Love)
6. 10,000 Years (Love)
7. Glow Crescent Glow (Love)
8. Too Cruel (Love) featuring Christian Love
9. Brian’s Back (Love)
10. I Don’t Wanna Know (Love) featuring Christian Love
11. Love Foundation (Love)
12. Daybreak (Love)
13. Only One World (Love)

REVIEW: While Mike Love has had more unreleased material stay in the vaults than any other Beach Boy, it's fair to say also that a great preponderance of this material deserves to stay unreleased. That being said, this album, which has been making the rounds in Beach Boys' collector's circles, is undoubtedly the most polished, most accessible solo album Mike has recorded - and while it still has its faults (mostly in its forced, preachy lyrics) the arrangements (vocal arrangements by Mike and Adrian Baker) are extremely good, and in fact make all the songs sound much better than they might otherwise. Many of the tracks have been reworked from earlier projects, but here all shine much brighter than in their original incarnations: "Too Cruel" in particular sounds reborn with a charismatic vocal by Mike's son, Christian, and although I might question Mike decision to re-record the vapid "Brian's Back" which firmly belongs in the 1970s where it was written, here it sounds more wistful, and less crass, than it has in earlier recordings. Other songs that surprised me was the strong "10,000 Years" (which is rumored to be an off-shoot of a collaboration with Dennis Wilson), and the gently lilting "Anything For You". And the thrice-recorded "I Don't Wanna Know" again benefits from Christian Love's bluesy vocal, showing off the song as being one of Mike's very strongest compositions. In fact so many of the songs here are retreads, that it begs the question of whether Mike is suffering a writer's block, such as his cousin Brian has also professed in recent interviews. Of the new songs appearing, the lead-off track shows off Mike's lyrics to their worst effect (and does he have to make a play off his name on so many of his albums?) But that same affection shows up on "Love Foundation" which is saved by the blow-your-socks-off gospel choir that joins in, while "Daybreak" is again a stronger incarnation than what appeared on First Love - the song is blessed with sweet harmonies which lift it up. Mike closes the album with another spiritual incantation in "Only One World", which again puts Mike in the awkward position of calling for world unity, which, considering his litigious nature, isn't exactly a position he's suited for. But overall, this album sounds great, and stands tall as Mike's far-and-away best solo album.

Mike Love Unleash the Love
BMG Rights Management [CD/MP3];
Released November 17, 2017

Disc: 1
1. All The Love In Paris (feat. David Koz)
2. Getcha Back (feat. John Stamos)
3. Daybreak Over The Ocean
4. I Don't Want To Know
5. Too Cruel
6. Crescent Moon
7. Cool Head, Warm Heart
8. Pisces Brothers
9. Unleash The Love
10. Ram Raj
11. 10,000 Years Ago (feat. John Stamos)
12. Only One Earth
13. Make Love Not War

Disc: 2
1. California Girls
2. Do It Again (feat. Mark McGrath & John Stamos)
3. Help Me Rhonda
4. I Get Around
5. Warmth Of The Sun (feat. Ambha Love)
6. Brian's Back
7. Kiss Me Baby
8. Darlin'
9. Wild Honey (feat. John Cowsill)
10. Wouldn't It Be Nice
11. Good Vibrations
12. Fun Fun Fun

REVIEW: A slick, re-jiggered official release of the 2005 bootleg album (reviewed above), this marks only the second official Mike Love solo release ever - and, well, compared to Looking Back With Love, this is a million times better than that justly maligned album. Of course, a million times zero is still zero, but this album benefits from crisp, glassy production, but it's still hampered by Mike's innate inability to write songs that don't make me cringe on a deeply, almost sub-atomic level. In a way, I feel responsible for this album's existence, having blessed the bootleg version with an OK rating so many years ago - but hearing this double disc now, it just amplifies the pain. So, I'll admit it - I was wrong, OK? Everything by Mike Love should only be available on hard-to-find bootlegs, because then, it adds a sheen of "what-if" mysticism to his talents, but hearing it put out there in real life just confirms what I've felt from the start - that Mike Love owes everything about his career to Brian Wilson, and that, without his cousin's supernal talents, Mike would still be pumping gas somewhere. From the way he slathers his name gratuitously on both songs and albums; the way he name-checks Beach Boys songs in pandering lyrical asides; his gut-churning sexual innuendos which he still liberally sprinkles throughout, tied together with his smarmy televangelist mantras on saving the world and pseudo-Eastern mystical posturings which never for one second ring true, Unleash The Love is just... unlistenable. Adding insult to injury is the second disc, where he (Oh the HUMANITY - again!) puts out his versions of Beach Boys songs in versions that sound as if they were programmed on an old, dusty "just-the-hits-ma'am" discotheque. If there was ever an argument for more stringent leash-laws, this is it.

Mike Love Reason For The Season
BMG Rights Management [CD/MP3];
Released October 26, 2018

1. Celestial Celebration
2. Finally It's Christmas (feat. Hanson)
3. Little St. Nick
4. Must Be Christmas (with Ambha Love & Christian Love)
5. Jingle Bell Rock
6. Alone On Christmas Day
7. Reason For The Season
8. Do You Hear What I Hear (with All Love)
9. Away in a Manger (with All Love)
10. Bring a Torch (feat. Hayleigh Love & Brian Love
11. O Come All Ye Faithful (with All Love)
12. O Holy Night (with All Love)

REVIEW: I think I would rather have had all of my teeth pulled rather than have to listen to and review another Mike Love album, released less than a year than his last one. And, adding insult to injury, it's a Christmas album! Oh. The. Humanity. But, in the spirit of the season, and in respect to his age (Seventy-FREAKING-Seven!!!) I'm going to be kind. If you admire, respect, or like Mike Love, you'll like this album. He straddles a difficult line between trying to please the Beach-Heads who are content to listen to his endless "Car-Medleys" in concert, and in trying to sound contemporary, which is not an easy bridge to cross, but he manages respectably well. There's a LOT of synthesized stuff here, including his vocals, which, for the first time on record, show the weight of years - fairly widespread use of pro-tools tinniness is evident, but you can still hear how his voice has aged. His lyrical talents have remained mostly unchanged, with rhymes that are simple and obvious (he rhymes 'reason' with 'season' on two consecutive songs) and he pulls in three (count 'em!) of his kids (Ambha, Hayleigh and Brian) to add their thin vocals to a couple of songs. I have to give him serious props for teaming up with 90s popsters Hanson on "Finally It's Christmas" - and their sibling harmonies are the most legitimate-sounding Beach Boys moment on the entire album. But his inclusion of "Little St. Nick" is a pale imitation of the original. In fact, listening to the album, I was reminded strongly of The Beach Boys Keepin' The Summer Alive - it has the same studio slickness, the same soul-less roboticism that is the hallmark of that heavily-produced album. It won't replace any of my Christmas favorites, but you gotta give the man a standing O for still making music.

Mike Love 12 Sides Of Summer
BMG Rights Management [CD/MP3];
Released July 19, 2019

1. California Beach
2. It's OK (feat. Hanson)
3. Surfin'
4. California Sun
5. Surfin' Safari
6. On and On and On
7. Here Comes The Sun
8. Girl From Ipanema
9. Over and Over
10. Keepin' Summer Alive
11. Summertime Blues
12. Rockaway Beach

REVIEW: If someone had told me a couple of years ago that Mike Love would experience a late-in-life career resurgence in releasing commercially successful CDs, I probably would have ascribed it to a sign of the imminent apocalypse. But here we are - he's released three albums in the last three years! To be fair, 12 Sides Of Summer sounds a LOT like other Cali-sound has-been efforts, which has seen The Rip Chords release platters of generic, pleasant look back's as if time has simply stood still since 1963. On this one, Mike reaches back into The Beach Boys back catalog, taking some unusual chances ("It's OK" and "Keepin' The Summer Alive" - the former joined by 90s boy band survivors Hanson) and going back even earlier, giving new, robotic takes on "Surfin'" and "Surfin' Safari" as if the lessons from Summer In Paradise had never been learned. The rest of the platter is a by-the-numbers dip into California pop - including the ubiquitous "California Sun," "Summertime Blues," "and "Rockaway Beach" and also borrowing from The Beatles (a re-imagined "Here Comes The Sun") and even injecting a bit of bossa nova into the set (Antonio Carlos Jobim's "The Girl From Impanema") At times, Mike's voice has been digitally scrubbed to within an inch of its life, leaving little, if any sign of his 78 (!!!) years of age, while at other times, he sounds shaky and frail (the aforementioned "Here Comes The Sun") and the result is, well, odd, to say the least - the sheer repetition of material from earlier releases gives a strangely ironic meaning to the inclusion of "On and On and On" and "Over and Over," both of which seem to be winks at the listener, as to what they're been conned into listening to. Fans will find it heartening that their idols are still putting out new music, but casual listeners will be put off by the naked nostalgia on display.

Bruce Johnston
The Bruce Johnston Surfing Band: Surfers' Pajama Party
The Surf Stompers' ORIGINAL SURFER STOMP DEL-FI LP 1248 [LP] Released 1963; Del-Fi Records DFCD 71228 [CD]; Released April 25, 1995

1. Ramrod
2. Last Night
3. Surfer Stomp
4. What'd I Say?
5. What'd I Say?
6. Something On Your Mind
7. Pajama Party (Surfer's Delight)
8. Kansas City
9. Mashin' The Popeye
10. Gee But I'm Lonesome
11. Green Onions
12. Soupy Shuffle Stomp
13. Soupy Shuffle Stomp

REVIEW: Recorded live at a Sigma Pi fraternity beer bash at UCLA in 1963, this time capsule document is little more than a college-age surf band playing at a college function. Muddy sounding, (I've heard bootlegs with cleaner sound) consisting of several surf-instrumentals, and various songs with Johnston taking lead vocals, this CD isn't going to set anyone's discman on fire, but it has a throwback charm that is reminiscent of the Beach Boys' earliest work. My personal favorite is the sad, pretty "Gee, But I'm Lonesome" which reveals Johnston's penchant for sweet ballads already forming. After this recording, Bruce produced some artists at Del-Fi, before leaving to form The Rip Chords with Terry Melcher, and of course, link up with the Beach Boys in later years.

Surfin' 'Round The World
Columbia CS-8857, CL-2025 [LP]; 1963, Sundazed 6100 [CD]; 1997

1. Surfin' 'Round The World
2. Maksha At Midnight
3. Down Under
4. Capetown
5. Biarritz
6. Jersey Channel Islands - Part 7
7. The Hamptons
8. Virginia Beach
9. Surf-A-Nova
10. Hot Pastrami, Mashed Potatoes, Come On To Rincon - Yeah!!!
11. Malibu
12. Surfin's Here To Stay
13. Down Under (Unissued Instrumental)
14. The Hamptons (Unissued Instrumental)
15. Surfin' 'Round The World (Unissued Alternate Version)

REVIEW: Released two years before joining the Beach Boys, Surfin' 'Round the World finds Bruce Johnston in a generic "surf" mode, with loads of reverb-drenched instrumentals and some innocuous songs thrown in for good measure. You won't find much evidence of his trademark ultra-melodic style on this disc, which you may consider a plus, but while this may be a fun disc to throw on as background music for a beach party, the songs don't stand up to careful listening. The title track sounds like a poor man's "Surfin' U.S.A." redux, with catch-all lyrics like: "if you were near an ocean, you'd be surfin' too" and complete with hot-and-bothered female singers sweating in the background. The entire album has the same flavor; check out the titles: "Jersey Channel Islands-Part 7," "Surf-A-Nova," and my favorite: "Hot Pastrami, Mashed Potatoes, Come On To Rincon-Yeah!!!" Bruce Johnston also doesn't miss the chance to plug his prep-school roots in "The Hamptons." Sundazed has done a marvelous job of mastering; the sound is great, and three bonus tracks have been added to the original song lineup. The album is high-energy stuff, and this may appeal to surf-music collectors, but not, I suspect, to many Beach Boys fans.

The Best of Bruce & Terry
Sundazed SC 11052 [CD Only]; Released August, 1998

1. Hawaii (Previously Unissued)
2. Summer Means Fun
3. Come On, Let's Go (The Rogues)
4. Carmen
5. Don't Run Away
6. Custom Machine
7. I Love You Model 'T'
8. Raining In My Heart
9. Everyday (The Rogues)
10. Roger's Reef (The Rogues)
11. Yeah!
12. Thank You Baby
13. Girl, It's Alright Now
14. Roger's Reef, Part Two (The Rogues)
15. Halfway (Previously Unissued)
16. Come Love
17. Four Strong Winds
18. Help Me Rhonda (Previously Unissued)
19. Look Who's Laughing Now (Previously Unissued)
20. Here Comes Summer (Previously Unissued)

REVIEW: An excellent disc, covering material from 1963 - 1966, this compilation by Sundazed is chock-full of several very fine (if lightweight) 'forgotten' gems that cross the surfing and folk genres that were so popular in the early and mid-sixties. Occasionally sounding like Jan and Dean knockoffs, more surprising is the sometimes canny resemblance to the Everly Brothers or the Byrds when these two blend their voices in sympathetic harmonies. Of special interest to Beach Boys collectors is the inclusion of three covers of Brian Wilson compositions: "Hawaii," "Help Me Rhonda" (both previously unreleased), and "Custom Machine," heard in stripped-down productions that compare favorably with the Beach Boys versions. Also on my list of favorites: the hit single "Summer Means Fun," a super-charged "Come On, Let's Go," an early incarnation of "Everyday" (later remade by James Taylor), lush ballads like "Don't Run Away," "Raining In My Heart," and the lovely "Thank You Baby." There are many more tracks that I liked as well, including "Halfway," "Come Love," and "Four Strong Winds." Complimented by a thoughtful booklet which contains new interviews, several photos and informative "sides," this CD is a first-rate document of these two talented old friends.

Going Public
Columbia KC-34459 [LP]; Edsel Records EDCD 697 [CD] Released 1977

1. I Write the Songs
2. Deidre
3. Thank You Baby
4. Rendezvous
5. Won't Somebody Dance with Me
6. Disney Girls
7. Rock and Roll Survivor
8. Don't Be Scared
9. Pipeline

REVIEW: From my first listen, I'd have to say that this album is a hate it/love it kind of experience. Bruce proves to the world what Beach Boys fans have known from the get-go: namely, he hasn't a rock 'n' roll bone in his body. Filled with electric keyboards and string arrangements, Bruce's most obvious influences are Neil Sedaka, (especially on the catchy track "Rendezvous") and stylistically he's very similar to the Carpenters. Personally, I've always enjoyed his Beach Boys songs; from "Disney Girls" to "Deirdre" to "The Nearest Faraway Place," Bruce has managed to create lovely (some would say 'bland') melodies that were nice counterpoints to Dennis's rock stylings and Carl's R&B leanings. Also, Bruce has a fine tenor voice that's perfectly suited to his songs. This album makes some mis-steps, however; "Won't Somebody Dance With Me" is sheer torture in it's saccharine sweetness, and did we really need a slower, more introspective take on "Disney Girls?" (I'm still deciding how I feel about the disco-fied "Deirdre"). And you can't help thinking while listening to "Rock and Roll Survivor" that REAL rock groups used to beat up guys like Bruce in high school. All in all, this is a perfect Sunday afternoon album, just don't expect to be shaked, rattled, or rolled.

Gone Public: The Bruce Johnston Story
Landlocked Productions, [CD]; Released 2005

FEATURES:

Two-CD set covering Bruce Johnston's career - from "Bruce & Jerry" from 1959 to 1998
Numerous rarities, including outtakes, television performances, and more.
Includes outtakes from Bruce's work with various groups, including The Vettes, The Rip Chords, The Kustom Kings, The Catalinas, and many more!
For complete track listing, click here.

REVIEW: Of all of the Beach Boys, Bruce Johnston has perhaps been the most under-appreciated. He seemingly dumped his own career - that of a successful producer/songwriter in order to jump on the Beach Boys bandwagon, and for better or worse, he's been identified with them ever since. And it's been difficult to chart his progress as a songwriter as well, since his contributions to the Beach Boys has been sporadic, with only a couple of songs showing up every few years, and the songs that have appeared have discarded the surf/rock learnings that he was best known for in his pre-Beach Boys days. So its here, on this remarkable dual-CD that was passed around in circulating circles around 2004-05 that I'm finally able to get an idea of the musical journey that Bruce Johnston has been on, and the different hats he's worn over the course of his nearly 50-year-long career. The earliest tracks here, which date from 1959, are mostly novelty songs penned for the "Bruce & Jerry" duo - fairly innocuous stuff, with tracks appearing from Surfer's Pajama Party (including an odd take on George Gerswhin's Porgy & Bess song "Summertime" - the first hint that this was not your average public school lad. The Bruce Johnston that most Beach Boys fans will be familiar with shows up first on the cocktail-party clinker "Mazatlan" before really taking off with a very credible cover of "Surfin' Safari" by the anonymous group The Hot Doggers. You can almost hear the change which The Beach Boys music created in Johnston, as the music becomes more sophisticated, and more attuned to surf and drag music. This begins Johnston's golden age, when he began to sing and produce The Rip Chords, The Vettes, and begins his fruitful collaboration with Terry Melchner; an association he continued right up to his aligning himself with The Beach Boys in 1965-66. Disc two show just how much his sound changed after he joined the Beach Boys - it became more elegant, more ballad-oriented, and to some ears, less interesting - he dropped his rock stylings and turned into the second coming of Neil Sedaka. Why he made this change is somewhat baffling - it's a dramatic and seemingly sudden turn-about, but this CD (which Bruce himself reportedly owns a copy of) is invaluable in hearing the evolution of the sixth Beach Boy.

Al Jardine
Al Jardine Family & Friends Live In Las Vegas
Al Jardine Family & Friends HV100 [CD Only]; Released October 2001

1. Dance, Dance, Dance
2. Do You Wanna Dance
3. Catch a Wave
4. Hawaii
5. Do It Again
6. Darlin'
7. Wild Honey
8. Come Go With Me
9. Surfer Girl
10. Don't Worry, Baby
11. Shut Down
12. Little Deuce Coupe
13. I Get Around
14. In My Room
15. Girl, Don't Tell Me
16. Break Away
17. Sail on Sailor
18. God Only Knows
19. Sloop John B.
20. Wouldn't It Be Nice?
21. Good Vibrations
22. Heroes and Villains
23. Rhonda
24. Surfin' USA
25. Barbara Ann
26. Fun, Fun, Fun
27. California Energy Blues [*]
[*] bonus track

REVIEW: For anyone who's been living in a cave, you should know that Al Jardine is no longer a touring member of "The Beach Boys." Kicked out during a power struggle following the death of Carl Wilson, and stripped of the right to use the Beach Boys name, he formed a touring band consisting of his two sons Matt and Adam, and Brian Wilson's first two daughters, Wendy and Carnie. Together they toured as "Al Jardine Family & Friends," and judging by this 75+ minute disc, they put together a credible act, easily as powerful and polished as any other permutation of the now-splintered Beach Boys out there. Full of energy, craftsmanship and their own sense of style, the group tears out faithful renditions of classic songs, with a few surprises, including "Do It Again," "Darlin," "Wild Honey," and "Sail On Sailor." While there's not the sense of revelation that comes with hearing Brian perform live, Al Jardine as a solo act is no slouch. Looser than Brian's "Live at the Roxy," and with all involved sounding invigorated, this is a celebratory concert. The harmonies are gorgeous, with some acapella breaks showing off their vocal chops (including a new tag at the end of "Surfer Girl" which is stunning), and overall bursting with a sustained sense of fun. The disc closes with a new studio song by Al Jardine called "California Energy Blues" which is a novelty number dealing with the current energy crises in the Golden State and rates about the same as any of Jardine's earlier compositions. With two of the three touring Beach Boys groups now documented, I would hope that Mike Love and Bruce Johnston soon follow suit.

A Postcard From California
Jardine Tours [CD/MP3];
Released June 29, 2010

1. A Postcard From California     4:59
2. California Feelin'     2:03
3. Looking Down The Coast     3:46
4. Don't Fight The Sea     3:23
5. Tide Pool Interlude     1:38
6. Campfire Scene     0:44
7. A California Saga     2:52
8. Help Me Rhonda     3:47
9. San Simeon     2:48
10. Drivin'     3:12
11. Honkin' Down The Highway     2:34
12. And I Always Will     4:19

REVIEW: It's hard to know how to judge an Al Jardine album, since he, as an artist, has been so invisible for most of his life. His unassuming demeanor made him the least 'notorious' of The Beach Boys; and since his very public split with, and acrimonious lawsuit with Mike Love over control of The Beach Boys name, Al has seemed content to let his music career putter along, doing the odd concert here and there, and working with glacial speed on this, his first ever studio solo album. Despite his subdued nature, his gentle spirit has apparently made him lots of friends, and appearances from a multitude of these kindred spirits show up here. You'll hear glimpses of David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Gerry Buckley, Mike Love, Bruce Johnston, David Marks Glen Campbell, ...and even Carl Wilson's sweet voice is heard in ghostly harmonies. Brian Wilson makes extended solo appearances on two of the albums finest tracks: "Don't Fight The Sea" and "Drivin'" - the former a slinky 80s-style pop song, and the latter a twelve-bar blues churner, both of which show Al's compositional skills at their very best. Which is unfortunately not to say that those numbers are typical; Al has never been a prolific or inspired composer, and it's a little discouraging to note that four of the twelve tracks here are re-recordings of old Beach Boys songs, which all bear some small stylistic changes, but hew pretty closely to their original arrangements (and it doesn't help that two of the songs are the pretentious "A California Saga" and the clunky "Lookin' Down The Coast"). The title track is a lyrically clumsy ode to his home state, name-dropping various locals and tied to a bland melody, and I found the pale "San Simeon" and "California Feelin'" both forgettable. There's also an awkward spoken poem in "Tide Pool Interlude" which is married to a pleasant piano backdrop. Al's voice hasn't aged well either, and the closely mic'ed, dry vocals occasionally reveal just how much elasticity Al's voice has lost. The prettiest song on the album, the closing "And I Always Will" is a lovely paean to his wife, and it achingly looks backwards with some regrets, but is a fitting, elegiac benediction. This isn't an album that's going to win Al any new fans, but those who've enjoyed his intermittent contributions over the years will enjoy this as well.