Shawn
Dude/Dudette
Posts: 61
Likes: 58
Favorite Album: Friends
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Post by Shawn on Aug 1, 2021 18:27:28 GMT -5
Outside of the lyrically disturbing Hey Little Tomboy and Mike’s attempt at French in Belles of Paris I’ve come around to enjoying this album a lot more than I have in the past. I’d be at a 7.5 so I’ll go 7 for now.
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Post by Awesoman on Jun 20, 2022 12:37:20 GMT -5
One sentence review:
𝘔𝘐𝘜 𝘈𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮 should have been called 𝘔𝘌𝘏 𝘈𝘭𝘣𝘶𝘮.
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Post by E on Jun 20, 2022 12:55:45 GMT -5
I enjoy it more than I should, but only just...
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Post by Awesoman on Jun 21, 2022 7:26:41 GMT -5
I enjoy it more than I should, but only just... Yeah I suppose I could go deeper. This one's just bland to me. For all the flack KTSA receives I think that album is at least slightly better than this one...although that's not really saying much. Among the songs I don't mind on here: "She's Got Rhythm" - honestly if it were better recorded and performed it could have been a charming little opener. It was nice to hear Brian's falsetto make an appearance even if it was pretty wonky. "Come Go With Me" - featuring Al and the Al's. Seriously did anyone else in the band participate on this one? I never minded this cover even if it isn't particularly remarkable. "Sweet Sunday" - nice to hear a Carl vocal on a pleasant but uninspired song. "My Diane" - easily the best song on here. Would have probably fit better on the 𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑌𝑜𝑢 album though. Overall this one just doesn't do anything for me. Dry, lifeless production on weak material. Possibly the band's worst album with all original members involved.
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Post by lonelysummer on Jul 13, 2022 20:38:53 GMT -5
Brian sounds better here than on the previous two albums, but it's mostly an un-inspired collection. I'm being generous when I rate it a 4.
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Post by E on Jul 14, 2022 5:02:24 GMT -5
3.
Though not their worst, I think it's really weak except for a couple of very good songs: Pitter Patter and My Diane. The attempt to capture that 1964 feel with Tomboy and Kona Coast is embarrassing. Sweet Sunday is not only awful but Carl sounds dreadful. Possibly his worst vocals - and while that's not saying a lot, they are really bad. I've come to kind of like Wontcha and have always had a perverse soft spot for She's Got Rhythm, possibly because I first head it surrounded by much better songs on Ten Years of Harmony, though I don't really rate it. I don't think Winds is anywhere near as bad as people think (though I wish the alternate version, which I prefer, had more harmony singing at the start) and I've warmed to Match Point, but its light disco beat would've been better on LA. The covers should have been on 15 BO (which should have been all covers). Belles is wretched, but marginally better as a Christmas number.
I know Jardine was behind the production here and I know the tale of how it was led by Love and Jardine, but Kona Coast aside, the name that crops up the most in the writing credits is Brian's.
Drop Sweet Sunday, Tomboy, Belles, Kona Coast, the two covers and replace with...? A Dennis outtake lying around? The first version of Lady Lynda which was recorded in time? Lines? Winter Symphony? Still I Dream of It? Go and Get That Girl (with its infinitely better Carl vocal)? It would have been equally all over the place, but much better.
1) She's Got Rhythm 1/5 2) Come Go With Me 2/5 3) Hey Little Tomboy 0/5 4) Kona Coast 0/5 5) Peggy Sue 2/5 6) Wontcha Come Out Tonight 2/5 7) Sweet Sunday Kind of Love 0/5 8) Belles of Paris 0/5 9) Pitter Patter 4/5 10) My Diane 4/5 11) Match Point of Our Love 2/5 12) Winds of Change 2/5
FWIW: Winter Symphony 4/5 Still I Dream of It 4/5 Go and Get That Girl 3/5 Lines 3/5 Lady Lynda (first version) 3/5 How's About a Little Bit of Your Sweet Lovin 0/5
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Post by tomtomplayboy on Jul 14, 2022 7:34:25 GMT -5
I'll give it a 5/10, which translates as 2/5 overall.
My Diane is absolutely fantastic, a latter-day Brian Wilson masterpiece, with a hugely affecting lead vocal from Dennis. I will never forget how much it stunned me on my first listen. A song that has led to a tear or two on more than one occasion.
The problem is that My Diane demonstrates how damn good the Beach Boys could and should be, and the same level of songwriting quality isn't found anywhere else on the album.
I do think Come Go With Me is a nice cover, undemanding but fun, and Pitter Patter is a decent pop tune. I also have a bit of a soft spot for Match Point of Our Love, but only a bit and it's not that soft.
But otherwise it's all pretty weak, being either average or awful. Brian sounds like someone is crushing his genitals in a vice on She's Got Rhythm, which is the worst album opener on any Beach Boys album prior to the 1990s. Wontcha Come Out Tonight wouldn't be so bad if the opening and closing vocal sections didn't sound quite so ghastly. Sweet Sunday Kind of Love is so nothingy that Carl sounds as if he is bored just singing it. Winds of Change is staggeringly horrendous.
It's easily their weakest album of the 1970s.
1) She's Got Rhythm 2/5 2) Come Go With Me 3/5 3) Hey Little Tomboy 1/5 4) Kona Coast 2/5 5) Peggy Sue 2/5 6) Wontcha Come Out Tonight 2/5 7) Sweet Sunday Kind of Love 2/5 8) Belles of Paris 2/5 9) Pitter Patter 3/5 10) My Diane 5/5 11) Match Point of Our Love 3/5 12) Winds of Change 1/5
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Post by drbeachboy (Dirk) on Jul 14, 2022 8:27:26 GMT -5
MIU is my least favorite album in the canon. I was very disappointed when this one was released. A big step backup being sandwiched between Love You and the L.A. (Light Album). I like 4 of 6 on side one, but side 2 is gawd-awful. Pitter Patter is the only decent song on it.
Best Songs: Peggy Sue, Pitter Patter Worst Songs: Hey Little Tomboy, My Diane
1) She's Got Rhythm 1/5 2) Come Go With Me 3/5 3) Hey Little Tomboy 1/5 4) Kona Coast 3/5 5) Peggy Sue 4/5 6) Wontcha Come Out Tonight 3/5 7) Sweet Sunday Kind of Love 1/5 8) Belles of Paris 1/5 9) Pitter Patter 4/5 10) My Diane 1/5 11) Match Point of Our Love 1/5 12) Winds of Change 1/5
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dayravies
Grommet
Posts: 22
Likes: 12
Favorite Album: Wild Honey
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Post by dayravies on Jul 14, 2022 13:34:03 GMT -5
1) She's Got Rhythm 3/5
2) Come Go With Me 3/5
3) Hey Little Tomboy 1/5
4) Kona Coast 1/5
5) Peggy Sue 2/5
6) Wontcha Come Out Tonight 3/5
7) Sweet Sunday Kind of Love 3/5
8) Belles of Paris 1/5
9) Pitter Patter 4/5
10) My Diane 4/5
11) Match Point of Our Love 3/5
12) Winds of Change 3/5
Overall: 2.6/5
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Post by tomtomplayboy on Jul 15, 2022 4:32:28 GMT -5
MIU is my least favorite album in the canon. I was very disappointed when this one was released. A big step backup being sandwiched between Love You and the L.A. (Light Album). I like 4 of 6 on side one, but side 2 is gawd-awful. Pitter Patter is the only decent song on it. Best Songs: Peggy Sue, Pitter Patter Worst Songs: Hey Little Tomboy, My Diane 1) She's Got Rhythm 1/5 2) Come Go With Me 3/5 3) Hey Little Tomboy 1/5 4) Kona Coast 3/5 5) Peggy Sue 4/5 6) Wontcha Come Out Tonight 3/5 7) Sweet Sunday Kind of Love 1/5 8) Belles of Paris 1/5 9) Pitter Patter 4/5 10) My Diane 1/5 11) Match Point of Our Love 1/5 12) Winds of Change 1/5 Worst song - My Diane? Really?? It's all personal taste, of course, but to me it's several thousand lights years ahead of everything else on the album. I really like Andrew Hickey's review of the song - and the album - here ('The song is powerful enough out of context, but when it blindsides you in the middle of the pabulum that surrounds it, it’s almost too much to bear'): andrewhickey.info/2013/05/28/the-beach-boys-on-cd-miu-album/
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Post by drbeachboy (Dirk) on Jul 15, 2022 7:28:38 GMT -5
MIU is my least favorite album in the canon. I was very disappointed when this one was released. A big step backup being sandwiched between Love You and the L.A. (Light Album). I like 4 of 6 on side one, but side 2 is gawd-awful. Pitter Patter is the only decent song on it. Best Songs: Peggy Sue, Pitter Patter Worst Songs: Hey Little Tomboy, My Diane 1) She's Got Rhythm 1/5 2) Come Go With Me 3/5 3) Hey Little Tomboy 1/5 4) Kona Coast 3/5 5) Peggy Sue 4/5 6) Wontcha Come Out Tonight 3/5 7) Sweet Sunday Kind of Love 1/5 8) Belles of Paris 1/5 9) Pitter Patter 4/5 10) My Diane 1/5 11) Match Point of Our Love 1/5 12) Winds of Change 1/5 Worst song - My Diane? Really?? It's all personal taste, of course, but to me it's several thousand lights years ahead of everything else on the album. I really like Andrew Hickey's review of the song - and the album - here ('The song is powerful enough out of context, but when it blindsides you in the middle of the pabulum that surrounds it, it’s almost too much to bear'): andrewhickey.info/2013/05/28/the-beach-boys-on-cd-miu-album/My Diane sounds like some kind of ominous dirge. Dennis sounds like crap. And knowing Brian’s history, it’s kind of creepy singing about your sister-in-law like she is your lover, especially while still married. It’s the adult version of Hey, Little Tomboy.😉
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Post by tomtomplayboy on Jul 15, 2022 8:05:24 GMT -5
Worst song - My Diane? Really?? It's all personal taste, of course, but to me it's several thousand lights years ahead of everything else on the album. I really like Andrew Hickey's review of the song - and the album - here ('The song is powerful enough out of context, but when it blindsides you in the middle of the pabulum that surrounds it, it’s almost too much to bear'): andrewhickey.info/2013/05/28/the-beach-boys-on-cd-miu-album/My Diane sounds like some kind of ominous dirge. Dennis sounds like crap. And knowing Brian’s history, it’s kind of creepy singing about your sister-in-law like she is your lover, especially while still married. It’s the adult version of Hey, Little Tomboy.😉 Hahaha Personally, I absolutely love Dennis's vocal on My Diane. He sounds genuinely heartbroken. It's such an emotional performance. To me, he really sells it.
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Post by drbeachboy (Dirk) on Jul 15, 2022 8:14:47 GMT -5
My Diane sounds like some kind of ominous dirge. Dennis sounds like crap. And knowing Brian’s history, it’s kind of creepy singing about your sister-in-law like she is your lover, especially while still married. It’s the adult version of Hey, Little Tomboy.😉 Hahaha Personally, I absolutely love Dennis's vocal on My Diane. He sounds genuinely heartbroken. It's such an emotional performance. To me, he really sells it. For my money, Dennis sells it better on Angel Come Home.
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Post by gigantiskpyjamas on Jul 15, 2022 8:27:44 GMT -5
Worst song - My Diane? Really?? It's all personal taste, of course, but to me it's several thousand lights years ahead of everything else on the album. I really like Andrew Hickey's review of the song - and the album - here ('The song is powerful enough out of context, but when it blindsides you in the middle of the pabulum that surrounds it, it’s almost too much to bear'): andrewhickey.info/2013/05/28/the-beach-boys-on-cd-miu-album/My Diane sounds like some kind of ominous dirge. Dennis sounds like crap. And knowing Brian’s history, it’s kind of creepy singing about your sister-in-law like she is your lover, especially while still married. It’s the adult version of Hey, Little Tomboy.😉 Please hand in your Beach Boys Fan Boi membership card, badge and firefighter’s helmet immediately. My Diane is fantastic. And the music of Hey Little Tomboy is right up there with Surf’s Up and Wonderful.
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Post by drbeachboy (Dirk) on Jul 15, 2022 8:40:10 GMT -5
My Diane sounds like some kind of ominous dirge. Dennis sounds like crap. And knowing Brian’s history, it’s kind of creepy singing about your sister-in-law like she is your lover, especially while still married. It’s the adult version of Hey, Little Tomboy.😉 Please hand in your Beach Boys Fan Boi membership card, badge and firefighter’s helmet immediately. My Diane is fantastic. And the music of Hey Little Tomboy is right up there with Surf’s Up and Wonderful. Funny, there are not many songs by the band that I don’t like, but I find My Diane very similar to another song that I’m not too fond of, and that’s When Girls Get Together.
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Post by gigantiskpyjamas on Jul 15, 2022 9:30:40 GMT -5
Please hand in your Beach Boys Fan Boi membership card, badge and firefighter’s helmet immediately. My Diane is fantastic. And the music of Hey Little Tomboy is right up there with Surf’s Up and Wonderful. Funny, there are not many songs by the band that I don’t like, but I find My Diane very similar to another song that I’m not too fond of, and that’s When Girls Get Together. Agreed. When Girls Get Together is one of the worst, if not THE worst, song in their catalogue. I’d rather listen to nothing but Denny’s Drums for the rest of my life than hear that repetitive POS. But I do like My Diane very much, despite Dennis sounding like a drunken hobo. I think that’s what gives it gravitas and emotional weight. 🤓
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Post by drbeachboy (Dirk) on Jul 15, 2022 9:37:13 GMT -5
Funny, there are not many songs by the band that I don’t like, but I find My Diane very similar to another song that I’m not too fond of, and that’s When Girls Get Together. Agreed. When Girls Get Together is one of the worst, if not THE worst, song in their catalogue. I’d rather listen to nothing but Denny’s Drums for the rest of my life than hear that repetitive POS. But I do like My Diane very much, despite Dennis sounding like a drunken hobo. I think that’s what gives it gravitas and emotional weight. 🤓 “…like a drunken hobo.” ha ha ha! That is exactly what he sounds like. 😂
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Post by tomtomplayboy on Jul 15, 2022 14:13:34 GMT -5
Hahaha Personally, I absolutely love Dennis's vocal on My Diane. He sounds genuinely heartbroken. It's such an emotional performance. To me, he really sells it. For my money, Dennis sells it better on Angel Come Home. Well, I love that song as well. Another late-70s classic.
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Post by tomtomplayboy on Jul 15, 2022 14:16:06 GMT -5
Please hand in your Beach Boys Fan Boi membership card, badge and firefighter’s helmet immediately. My Diane is fantastic. And the music of Hey Little Tomboy is right up there with Surf’s Up and Wonderful. Funny, there are not many songs by the band that I don’t like, but I find My Diane very similar to another song that I’m not too fond of, and that’s When Girls Get Together. When Girls Get Together does indeed royally suck, agreed. Having said that, the instrumental backing track on the Feel Flows box-set was both short (unlike the song itself) and really quite lovely. It has a nice Italian vibe almost. Perhaps it should have been an instrumental all along.
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Post by drbeachboy (Dirk) on Jul 15, 2022 15:46:54 GMT -5
Funny, there are not many songs by the band that I don’t like, but I find My Diane very similar to another song that I’m not too fond of, and that’s When Girls Get Together. When Girls Get Together does indeed royally suck, agreed. Having said that, the instrumental backing track on the Feel Flows box-set was both short (unlike the song itself) and really quite lovely. It has a nice Italian vibe almost. Perhaps it should have been an instrumental all along. Agreed, it works much better as an instrumental. I use that Feel Flows version on my "Reverberation" album playlist.
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Post by filledeplage on Jul 15, 2022 16:13:07 GMT -5
Funny, there are not many songs by the band that I don’t like, but I find My Diane very similar to another song that I’m not too fond of, and that’s When Girls Get Together. When Girls Get Together does indeed royally suck, agreed. Having said that, the instrumental backing track on the Feel Flows box-set was both short (unlike the song itself) and really quite lovely. It has a nice Italian vibe almost. Perhaps it should have been an instrumental all along. Probably unpopular opinion, but thinking of it as a cultural study, I think it has value as that kind of lens. It reminds me of The Godfather with Michael Corleone, walking his young fiance, with chaperones walking behind. It isn’t a rock song and pretty hard to define. But a great cultural dynamic topic for a term paper.
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Post by jk on Oct 20, 2022 4:34:53 GMT -5
Well, after years of holding back, I finally gave M.I.U. a listen and was pleasantly surprised. It's a mellow album, clearly by a band long past its peak but still holding its own musically. I winced briefly at the "Hawaii"s and "won’t last forever"s in "Kona Coast" and "Winds Of Change" respectively but that's all. I know I already prefer it to 15BO! With thanks to LL for the unintentional prompt.
The stand-out track? Probably the gorgeous "My Diane":
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Post by lonelysummer on Oct 20, 2022 21:22:36 GMT -5
Well, after years of holding back, I finally gave M.I.U. a listen and was pleasantly surprised. It's a mellow album, clearly by a band long past its peak but still holding its own musically. I winced briefly at the "Hawaii"s and "won’t last forever"s in "Kona Coast" and "Winds Of Change" respectively but that's all. I know I already prefer it to 15BO! With thanks to LL for the unintentional prompt. The stand-out track? Probably the gorgeous "My Diane": Of course it's the best, Dennis sings it! Dennis can do no wrong! Seriously, I don't hear what others hear in this song. Whatever.
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Post by Maci Eascra on Nov 11, 2022 16:35:56 GMT -5
A band divided, a band not sure of what they're trying to do, it''s in the midst of the airport tarmac "break up," the Wilsons are losing control of the band's direction, and it really begs the question of why. The outlandish and even inaccessible creativity of Love You is gone, Mike is exerting control and it really closed an already closing casket on a creative period of the band. A downward spiral starting after Endless Summer. As for the album, She's Got Rhythm isn't a bad song, if just a bit out of touch even when released in 1978. Still, Brian's voice sounds much better as he had been losing a sense of tone. The albums doesn't get better after the opening track. Hey Little Tomboy is when somebody needed to step in and hit the stop button. My Diane...isn't someone there to question Brian on what he's try to say here. Kona Coast, Peggy Sue, Belles of Paris....why?! They had to know these songs were irrelevant even while recording them as the project just feels uninspired. Oddly, I actually enjoy Match Point of Our Love, as there really aren't solid 70's light rock songs with tennis as a central theme. That's a compliment as it least tries to do something.
M.I.U is not offense to the ear and isn't as divisive as Love You. But it's inconsequential, irrelevant and it's a tipping point into the Beach Boys becoming a Beach Boys cover band as they had nothing new to say. The band becomes a business at this point, new work is just trying to find a way into a contemporary relevance or just trying to capture a breakthrough sense of nostalgia (Getcha Back, Kokomo). In the arc of the band's career, M.I.U. is a sad point and a bland album. It's worse than not good. It's pointless. 2/10
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Post by jk on May 19, 2023 4:33:11 GMT -5
Well, after years of holding back, I finally gave M.I.U. a listen and was pleasantly surprised. It's a mellow album, clearly by a band long past its peak but still holding its own musically. I winced briefly at the "Hawaii"s and "won’t last forever"s in "Kona Coast" and "Winds Of Change" respectively but that's all. I know I already prefer it to 15BO! With thanks to LL for the unintentional prompt. Prompted by Matt and Greg's latest show, I listened to M.I.U. twice this week while on holiday. I'd like to revise my reservations about the quotes from previous BB songs. As I see it now, the album is one slab of nostalgia, where every song (and every quote) makes sense on a musical level. It's not Pet Sounds, as Matt points out, but I find it a very satisfying if undemanding listen.
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