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Post by Awesoman on May 11, 2022 7:28:39 GMT -5
This one's a pretty underwhelming effort from Carl. Most of the songs are bland and forgettable. Only "Heaven" and to a lesser extent "Hurry Love" hold up for me. As much as it pains me to suggest this but Carl really should have hooked up with David Foster during this time who was an up-and-coming hitmaker and producer. Carl's voice was perfectly suited for the kind of adult contemporary schlock Foster was putting out at the time. He could have had a successful solo career similar to his friend Peter Cetera and get some hits on the radio.
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Post by drbeachboy (Dirk) on May 11, 2022 8:54:17 GMT -5
This one's a pretty underwhelming effort from Carl. Most of the songs are bland and forgettable. Only "Heaven" and to a lesser extent "Hurry Love" hold up for me. As much as it pains me to suggest this but Carl really should have hooked up with David Foster during this time who was an up-and-coming hitmaker and producer. Carl's voice was perfectly suited for the kind of adult contemporary schlock Foster was putting out at the time. He could have had a successful solo career similar to his friend Peter Cetera and get some hits on the radio. You do have a way with words. Apparently now, most of the 80s music that I like was, well, schlock. 😉😄
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Post by lonelysummer on May 11, 2022 13:50:26 GMT -5
I'm thankful that Carl DIDN'T go down the road of Adult Contemporary schlock. I got so sick of hearing that Cetera/Foster stuff on the radio; Carl's solo debut is a very understated work. After all the years of big productions with the Beach Boys, Carl just wanted to do something simple, stripped down. From a commercial standpoint, it was probably the wrong direction to take. Everybody expected it to sound like a Beach Boys album. Live, the songs rocked pretty hard - probably a turn-off for fans expecting "God Only Knows" or "Caroline, No". I think me and Giggens are the only Beach Boys fans that like this album.
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Post by lonelysummer on May 11, 2022 13:55:09 GMT -5
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Post by lonelysummer on May 11, 2022 13:57:34 GMT -5
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Post by lonelysummer on May 11, 2022 13:59:54 GMT -5
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Post by drbeachboy (Dirk) on May 11, 2022 14:33:47 GMT -5
I'm thankful that Carl DIDN'T go down the road of Adult Contemporary schlock. I got so sick of hearing that Cetera/Foster stuff on the radio; Carl's solo debut is a very understated work. After all the years of big productions with the Beach Boys, Carl just wanted to do something simple, stripped down. From a commercial standpoint, it was probably the wrong direction to take. Everybody expected it to sound like a Beach Boys album. Live, the songs rocked pretty hard - probably a turn-off for fans expecting "God Only Knows" or "Caroline, No". I think me and Giggens are the only Beach Boys fans that like this album. For the last 40 years I really want to like "Carl Wilson" more. You are right though, live, a lot of these songs have teeth and really rock. In the studio, another story. Too clean, too precise, too tight, is how I hear this album. Some nice performances and all, but it just doesn't rock. It sounds constipated. It never gets going and never gets you to the intended destination, except for "Heaven". I think he came closer to the prize with Youngblood.
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Post by E on May 11, 2022 14:35:32 GMT -5
I quite like it too. Couple of duff tracks and nothing to write home about but it's not bad at all. Favourite track for me is Hurry Love.
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Post by Awesoman on May 11, 2022 15:00:00 GMT -5
This one's a pretty underwhelming effort from Carl. Most of the songs are bland and forgettable. Only "Heaven" and to a lesser extent "Hurry Love" hold up for me. As much as it pains me to suggest this but Carl really should have hooked up with David Foster during this time who was an up-and-coming hitmaker and producer. Carl's voice was perfectly suited for the kind of adult contemporary schlock Foster was putting out at the time. He could have had a successful solo career similar to his friend Peter Cetera and get some hits on the radio. You do have a way with words. Apparently now, most of the 80s music that I like was, well, schlock. 😉😄W Would "cheeseball" be a better term?
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Post by drbeachboy (Dirk) on May 11, 2022 15:04:58 GMT -5
You do have a way with words. Apparently now, most of the 80s music that I like was, well, schlock. 😉😄W Would "cheeseball" be a better term? No, "Schlock" sounds more Jan & Dean-ish.
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Post by DaveKFloyd on May 12, 2022 3:43:11 GMT -5
I'm thankful that Carl DIDN'T go down the road of Adult Contemporary schlock. I got so sick of hearing that Cetera/Foster stuff on the radio; Carl's solo debut is a very understated work. After all the years of big productions with the Beach Boys, Carl just wanted to do something simple, stripped down. From a commercial standpoint, it was probably the wrong direction to take. Everybody expected it to sound like a Beach Boys album. Live, the songs rocked pretty hard - probably a turn-off for fans expecting "God Only Knows" or "Caroline, No". I think me and Giggens are the only Beach Boys fans that like this album. Well, lonelysummer, You can add me to that fan list. I really love Carl's solo work and have just recently been listening to this first album on an almost daily basis.
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Post by Rick Bartlett on May 12, 2022 4:14:11 GMT -5
I like it enough, and it probably gets a spin every two or three years, but then after that, I've had my 'fix'. 8 songs though, pretty short on material, but the album clocks in around 35 minutes which was 'normal'. A couple more songs may have helped, but it may have also dragged it down too much as well. The material is 'Okay' for the most part, but most of the tracks aren't much to highlight. I'm glad it's out there, and it's good to hear a bit of solo Carl, even if it's off the mark.
In a way it's a pity for a guy that had so much talent as a singer, songwriter, and a guitar player, he never got to make a crown achieving album unlike his two brothers. I'm sure if he were still with us, he may have made something similar to Al's 'Postcard' album and it probably would have been great.
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Post by E on May 12, 2022 4:49:22 GMT -5
However, really don't like the second one. Generic AOR
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Post by boogieboarder on May 12, 2022 9:01:21 GMT -5
Carl had a voice that could sustain an entire career, but not much songwriting ability, except for a few nice songs you could count on the fingers of one hand. That’s OK, so did an entire generation of singers. Frank Sinatra didn't write his own songs, or Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, etc. Ironically, it was Brian Wilson, followed by Lennon and McCartney, that ushered in the era of artists having to write their own material, and not use professional songwriters like Cole Porter, Gershwin, or Brill Building writers like Goffin and King.
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Post by filledeplage on May 12, 2022 9:14:40 GMT -5
Carl had a voice that could sustain an entire career, but not much songwriting ability, except for a few nice songs you could count on the fingers of one hand. That’s OK, so did an entire generation of singers. Frank Sinatra didn't write his own songs, or Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, etc. Ironically, it was Brian Wilson, followed by Lennon and McCartney, that ushered in the era of artists having to write their own material, and not use professional songwriters like Cole Porter, Gershwin, or Brill Building writers like Goffin and King. It is hard to be “all things to all people.” Everyone wants to do his/her own thing. And yes, you are correct about this need or ambition to write one’s own work, which bloomed with this whole genre (not just BBs, Stones and Beatles) but that whole pride in performing your own work or written with another band member. Carl had that voice which I think he got from his mother. I don’t think he needed anything else. Hearing him live set the gold standard.
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Post by Rick Bartlett on May 12, 2022 9:22:48 GMT -5
It's difficult to say how Carl's songwriting may have gone. It's also 'ironic' that his first couple of compositions are down right masterpieces. 'Long Promised Road' and 'Feel Flows'. Who knows what else he may have had up his sleeve that we may never hear, if he had anything at all.
Did he ever record home 'demos' and have a stack of things he worked on over the years? This is something we never really discuss. It's hard to imagine a musician of his caliber, not having things he 'tinkled' with outside of the band. There's the 'Elvis' song, which is pretty forgettable if that's anything to go on....
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Post by lonelysummer on May 12, 2022 13:12:57 GMT -5
I'm thankful that Carl DIDN'T go down the road of Adult Contemporary schlock. I got so sick of hearing that Cetera/Foster stuff on the radio; Carl's solo debut is a very understated work. After all the years of big productions with the Beach Boys, Carl just wanted to do something simple, stripped down. From a commercial standpoint, it was probably the wrong direction to take. Everybody expected it to sound like a Beach Boys album. Live, the songs rocked pretty hard - probably a turn-off for fans expecting "God Only Knows" or "Caroline, No". I think me and Giggens are the only Beach Boys fans that like this album. Well, lonelysummer, You can add me to that fan list. I really love Carl's solo work and have just recently been listening to this first album on an almost daily basis. It's nice to know I'm not alone. I guess it shouldn't surprise me, though, that most BB fans didn't warm up to the albums. Most guys when they go solo end up doing something just like what they did with their band. Brian's albums are pretty close to the BB sound - just missing their voices. Put on a John Fogerty album, and you could believe it's CCR.
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Post by boogieboarder on May 12, 2022 16:26:54 GMT -5
Well, lonelysummer, You can add me to that fan list. I really love Carl's solo work and have just recently been listening to this first album on an almost daily basis. It's nice to know I'm not alone. I guess it shouldn't surprise me, though, that most BB fans didn't warm up to the albums. Most guys when they go solo end up doing something just like what they did with their band. Brian's albums are pretty close to the BB sound - just missing their voices. Put on a John Fogerty album, and you could believe it's CCR. Yes. It’s when the main songwriter of a band goes solo, the solo albums tend to sound like the band albums. Paul Simon LPs sound like Simon and Garfunkel, but not Art Garfunkel LPs, because Simon wrote their songs. Fogerty wrote the Creedence songs, mostly. Pete Townsend wrote most of The Who songs. So it’s likely that Brian Wilson’s albums would sound more like The Beach Boys than Carl Wilson’s or Dennis Wilson’s did.
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Post by Rick Bartlett on Jul 18, 2022 8:59:59 GMT -5
Out of interest sake, both 'Carl Wilson' and his follow up album 'Youngblood' are now 'out of print' on CD once again. I hope y'all got yours when you could, it may be a long time seeing these on CD ever again.
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Post by lonelysummer on Jul 18, 2022 15:22:50 GMT -5
Out of interest sake, both 'Carl Wilson' and his follow up album 'Youngblood' are now 'out of print' on CD once again. I hope y'all got yours when you could, it may be a long time seeing these on CD ever again.
I'm sure they'll remain on streaming platforms which is where most people go now. I've got both albums, the cd's, and the 'grey market' live cd's from the solo tours.
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Post by boogieboarder on Jul 18, 2022 15:23:14 GMT -5
Out of interest sake, both 'Carl Wilson' and his follow up album 'Youngblood' are now 'out of print' on CD once again. I hope y'all got yours when you could, it may be a long time seeing these on CD ever again.
Both albums are available for streaming on Apple Music, though.
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Post by Rick Bartlett on Jul 18, 2022 22:34:32 GMT -5
I doubt they probably sold many CD's in the first place, but for us 'hard copy' folks, they are nice to have.
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Post by boogieboarder on Jul 19, 2022 9:51:51 GMT -5
I doubt they probably sold many CD's in the first place, but for us 'hard copy' folks, they are nice to have. Yes, I even have a bootleg CD of both LPs before Youngblood finally came out officially, and I got that too. You have to grab these things fast.
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Post by Awesoman on Jul 20, 2022 7:24:25 GMT -5
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Post by carllove on Jul 20, 2022 8:06:27 GMT -5
Even though I love Carl, I voted "What the hell was he thinking". I have tried so hard to like this album. It literally puts me to sleep. It's not even great background music for work. I'd rather listen to Nickelback . To me - the only saving grace is "Heaven", which is a beautiful song. I have seen and heard clips of him performing some of the songs live, and they do sound better without all of that awful slick 80's production. I have never purchased the LP or the CD - but have access to it on Apple Music. At least I didn't waste my money.
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