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Post by mfp on Jul 8, 2020 21:55:42 GMT -5
SGR, a great boppin' start to the world of beige.
8
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Post by Al S on Jul 8, 2020 22:23:51 GMT -5
For those interested, here's a visual of the Iowa and Wally Heider sessions that led to M.I.U. Album. The info is a 100% lift from AGD's amazing Bellagio 10452, any mistakes are mine.
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Post by Al S on Jul 8, 2020 23:14:48 GMT -5
SGR - 8. This deceptively upbeat start to M.I.U. finds the ole Brian and Mike lead team in energetic form, despite some shakiness on the part of both, and an equally exuberant sax propels things along nicely during the vocally layered chorus of this rock/roll song.
Brian takes the upbeat and optimistic lyrics while Mike's slightly sleazy tale ("I offered to take her home" - wow, thanks, Mike) of one who escaped his clutches after a promising start is a more grounded affair.
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Post by Will/P.P. on Jul 8, 2020 23:29:49 GMT -5
That's a great description, Alan. I'm an 8/10, too. I haven't heard it in a while, better go listen...
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Post by E on Jul 9, 2020 3:04:04 GMT -5
This benefits from me first hearing it on Ten Years of Harmony, surrounded by better songs. Like a wild Love You outtake. Not one of the best songs on here but still one of the better. 5
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Post by jk on Jul 9, 2020 3:41:37 GMT -5
Did you catch all of the New England references in the NEW blurb? What? You've lost me there... Anyway, here's "She's Got Rhythm" in all its rhythmic splendour: I'm sure my aversion to this album (due to hearsay) will dissipate over the days to come. This is certainly a corker of an opener. I'll award it nine.
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Post by Fall Breaks on Jul 9, 2020 4:45:36 GMT -5
6. You would think that a song that kicks off with Brian Wilson belting out a D5 like a mad elf for an entire bar would leave a greater impression, but this soon turns bland.
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Post by John Manning on Jul 9, 2020 4:50:12 GMT -5
Aye, cracking way to start an album! Does this count as disco?
Real exhuberant arrangement though take away the voices and that backing track doesn't really sound like the BBs… Still, geat to hear BW sounding so excited about something, and some of the backing vocals are great fun. 8/10.
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Post by Autotune on Jul 9, 2020 6:20:34 GMT -5
Iowa’s country air cleaned up ol’ Brian’s throat and did away with its gruff. He sounds nice throughout the album, but seems like a different person from the BW of 1964... or of 1976. He probably was a different person by then anyway.
Was it a studio owned by the tiny MIU? Or did they bring their own gear?
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Post by kds on Jul 9, 2020 7:09:11 GMT -5
6. You would think that a song that kicks off with Brian Wilson belting out a D5 like a mad elf for an entire bar would leave a greater impression, but this soon turns bland. Pretty much my thoughts exactly, although I'm rounding down to five.
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Post by Al S on Jul 9, 2020 7:59:16 GMT -5
Iowa’s country air cleaned up ol’ Brian’s throat and did away with its gruff. He sounds nice throughout the album, but seems like a different person from the BW of 1964... or of 1976. He probably was a different person by then anyway. Was it a studio owned by the tiny MIU? Or did they bring their own gear? I believe they bought along their own pricey gear.
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Post by jk on Jul 9, 2020 8:07:26 GMT -5
Iowa’s country air cleaned up ol’ Brian’s throat and did away with its gruff. He sounds nice throughout the album, but seems like a different person from the BW of 1964... or of 1976. He probably was a different person by then anyway. Was it a studio owned by the tiny MIU? Or did they bring their own gear? I believe they bought along their own pricey gear. Half a million dollars' worth, according to AGD's Complete Guide.
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Post by dant on Jul 9, 2020 8:33:52 GMT -5
I’ll give this an 8, it is quite a good way to start an album and Brian sounds quite clear and like his old self here.
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Post by Will/P.P. on Jul 9, 2020 12:16:46 GMT -5
Update. Now that I have given this a few more spins, going to lower my grade to a soft 7/10.
Brian's vocal can't save a so-so song. The sax/saxes are irritating.
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Post by Mikie on Jul 9, 2020 20:50:10 GMT -5
K, lookit. Whenever I pull MIU out, which is every ten or five years or so, this song is the first one I play. I really liked it when I bought the album in '78, still do, except for two things:
1. Brian's forced falsetto. Who knows how many takes of this were done to just get it on key and on the notes. I suspect many. It obviously isn't the same falsetto from five years previous. Actually, the high part sounds like Mrs. Doubtfire singing. Not good. Can you imagine Brian singing it in his 1970 voice? Ohhhhh, man. It seemed to me in 1978 that Brian was starting to get his falsetto back and I was excited. For awhile.
2. The song rocks along at a good speed until it suddenly shifts into neutral and Mike interjects his line. The same thing was done on Roller Skatin' Child, Let Us Go On This Way, and others where Mike comes in on the interlude/middle part and breaks up the flow of the song. It kills it. That backing track sounds pretty good though.
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Post by Al S on Jul 9, 2020 21:15:20 GMT -5
I believe they bought along their own pricey gear. Half a million dollars' worth, according to AGD's Complete Guide. ...and that was just for Mike's Gold Lame meditation mat!
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Post by Al S on Jul 9, 2020 21:23:19 GMT -5
She's Got Rhythm clocks in an appreciation rating of 73% across our 18 voters - not a bad way to start the album, lets see if they can keep up the good work throughout. Bulk of the votes were bang in the middle banding of 5/6/7 and for the first time in memory, no 10's - Mikie must be feeling ill, can someone pls check his temperature (it should be an easy task, he doesn't wear pants).
The specific rankings were: 3- 1 vote 5 - 4 votes
6 - 2 votes 7 - 5 votes
8 - 5 votes 9 - 1 vote
Some great insights and stories shared there - I can definitely related to Ed's Ten Years of Harmony recollections. For me this was also the first time I was able to access M.I.U. tracks!
Thanks all and get ready to Come Go With Me to discuss the next track, whatever that is!
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Post by Al S on Jul 9, 2020 23:10:37 GMT -5
Come Go With Me - 8 - another great energetic song to keep the energy levels in the red, we have the Al led cover of The Del-Vikings do-wop hit that reached number 4 on the Billboard chart way back in 1957.
Al had previously cut a version pretty much on his own around the 15 BOs era which snuck out on the original Caribou CD edition, and was sadly corrected for the twofer release (sad in that it didn't get included as a bonus track on the later edition, or the 15BOs set) - meaning you now have to shell mucho coin for what is a average CD version of a pretty low rent album.
Anyway, spirited stuff and Wiki tells me the track was staffed by the classic band line-up of the period post Dave's discharge and pre-Bruce's hitch, although Brian is listed as horn arranger, so extra points for a core group effort.
Interesting that it didn't get the single honours first time around but made it to the Top 20 four years later when deployed to promote the Ten Years of Harmony comp.
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Post by John Manning on Jul 10, 2020 2:06:10 GMT -5
Loved this when I first heard it – I’d heard the Del Vikings’ version a few years earlier and loved that, so I was thrilled when I found that my fave band had covered it, and also later had the joy of experiencing that moment only obsessives can appreciate when I realised some time later that I was listening to a different version that had accidentally slipped on to the market.
In my mind I instinctively lump this (and Peggy Sue, and School Days, but not Shortenin’ Bread) together with the rock and roll era covers recorded for 15BOs but I guess as it’s Al-led, and not Brian, I shouldn’t really. But it might have been a neat rock n roll/doo wop era concept album if 15Biggies had all been such tunes.
Ah, the different path they chose after Holland… what a fuckin’ waste.
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Post by E on Jul 10, 2020 2:50:39 GMT -5
Shoulda been on 15 Big Oldie Ones. Here, it smacks of desperation, as much as I like it .5.
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Post by jk on Jul 10, 2020 4:38:17 GMT -5
The Del-Vikings did it best but the Boys, and Al in particular, make a good job of it.
Eight feels just a little too low and as we're not dealing in halves I'll be generous and give it nine.
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Post by dant on Jul 10, 2020 4:55:11 GMT -5
I’ll give this a 10, it is one of the best songs on the album and I think Al sounds good here.
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Post by Autotune on Jul 10, 2020 5:59:36 GMT -5
it smacks of desperation. Wait til we get to Peggy Sue... Seriously, though, I think this is a nicely done cover version, with fresh guitars and a great lead from Al. They did well at changing the key of the original and getting rid in some degree of its bouncy character. Wall-of-Als has never sounded better (nor it will, as shown by the nextt track). An 8 BTW, I’ve been always amazed at the fact that Al, as prone as he is to second thoughts and slow-pacing revisions of his own work, managed to get production done on this album. It must have been excruciating for him!
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Post by filledeplage on Jul 10, 2020 6:29:30 GMT -5
Nice doo-woppy groove!
C50
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Post by kds on Jul 10, 2020 7:11:09 GMT -5
While it's better than most of the covers that appeared on 15 Big Ones, it still pales in comparison to the covers the Boys did in the 60s.
Great vocal though. Seven
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