Beach Boys songs & covers: Acoustic cover songs – music videos by the songwriters of the Laptop Sessions video blog. Daily music blog with new indie rock acoustic songs.
This year, I didn’t listen to all that many remasters or reissues. Pink Floyd re-released all their albums in one intimidating batch. Had it been one at a time, I might have tried one. Nearly every week, there have been remasters or reissues on the new release rack at Newbury Comics. And yet, at year’s end, I am left with only one in mind that carries any weight with me: The Beach Boys’ SMiLE Sessions box set.
This is – finally, officially – the closest we’ll ever come to hearing what SMiLE would have sounded like, had it been released in context over four decades ago. Brian Wilson’s 2004 take on SMiLE turns out to be, as expected, a close approximation and, in some ways, a more complete version. That is the most heartbreaking aspect of this box set: there are parts missing, instrumentation with unfinished vocals, and a general sense of genius abandoned. This being said, The SMiLE Sessions present a gorgeous, expansive vision that may well have been yet another game changer in a series of re-visionings then taking place, led largely by the Beatles.
We’ll never know how much of an impact this album would have had, or how great a success it would (or wouldn’t) have been. What we can do is marvel at the beauty of Brian Wilson’s vision and the Beach Boys’ remarkable vocal soundscapes. (The deluxe box set may only be for the diehard fan, but believe me, it’s well worth it if you consider yourself to be anything approaching diehard!)
What better way to kick off a Monday at the Laptop Sessions acoustic cover song music video blog than to unveil the Weekend Review’s picks for the top ten cover songs of 2011. After all, this is kind of our thing. And this has been a busy year for covers. Not only were there two – not one, but two! – collections of Buddy Holly covers released as tribute to the legendary singer/songwriter in 2011, but there were also two covers EPs put out by Relient K. This is not to mention Brian Wilson digging back to his childhood (farther back than the Gershwin brothers this time) for the inspiration to In the Key of Disney.
A regular amount of covers wasn’t enough for 2011. No, no: 2011 needed more covers! Now, as you’ll recall from our mission statement, it has always been the goal of this blog to put an end to the proliferation of bad covers on YouTube. In keeping with that tradition, we will now take the time to recognize these non-YouTube covers that have demonstrated excellence this year, standing out from the pack of mediocre (or worse) ones:
1) “(You’re So Square) Baby, I Don’t Care” – Cee Lo Green (Cover of Buddy Holly)
2) “Caroline No” – America (Cover of the Beach Boys)
3) “Here Comes My Girl” – Relient K (Cover of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers)
4) “Colors of the Wind” – Brian Wilson (Cover of the Disney song)
5) “Baby” – Relient K (Cover of Justin Bieber)
6) “Not Fade Away” – Florence and the Machine (Cover of Buddy Holly)
7) “Interstate Love Song” – Relient K (Cover of Stone Temple Pilots)
8) “It’s So Easy” – Paul McCartney (Cover of Buddy Holly)
9) “Listen to Me” – Brian Wilson (Cover of Buddy Holly)
10) “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” – Brian Wilson (Cover of the Disney song)
Producer: Brian Wilson, Mark Linett, Alan Boyd, and Dennis Wolfe
Released: November 1, 2011
Rating: 5 / 5 stars
Top Two Tracks: “Surf’s Up” & “Our Prayer ‘Dialog’”
I’ll keep this one brief, as there’s already been so, so, so much written about SMiLE, that infamous, legendary album that almost was, then wasn’t, then in 2004 pretty much was, and finally in 2011 finally is. Well, it “is” in the best, closest manner it could ever have been, as The SMiLE Sessions are compiled from what Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys managed to finish before it all fell apart, nothing new added. So, the Sessions lack the polish and finality of 2004’s Brian Wilson Presents… SMiLE!, afforded it by modern recording equipment and, no less significantly, Wilson’s healthier state of mind. Inversely, the 2004 version lacked the spark, the elusive x factor presented by the Beach Boys’ voices. When blended, there simply has never been another group quite like Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, and Bruce Johnston. Accordingly, I would first recommend you hear Pet Sounds (1966). If you’ve already heard that, you might be ready for SMiLE. If you are, judge the version of the Sessions you’ll buy relative to how hardcore a fan you are (I had to go for the full 5-disc boxset, but you might not). If you’re not, try out Sunflower (1970) or The Beach Boys Today! (1965) first. But don’t forget to make it back to the greatest album that never was. And also don’t forget to check back for more Beach Boys cover songs here on the music blog!
Camp (Childish Gambino)
Producer: Donald Glover & Ludwig Goransson
Released: November 15, 2011
Rating: 3 / 5 stars
Top Two Tracks: “Fire Fly” & “Hold You Down”
Camp is an imperfect album, with flares of talent and inspiration tempered with stretches of less notable work. Being that this is Childish Gambino’s first studio album proper, this is all to be expected, particularly of an up and coming talent, and there is much evidence here to suggest that he is. His attitude toward achieving success, especially in light of past experiences being ignored by girls and others, is explored across multiple tracks, the best of which is “Fire Fly,” truly the standout track for its incisive catchiness. Childish Gambino has all the necessary bravado, as well as a unique personality and willingness to let his guard down; although I’ve heard it argued that his beats are derivative (I’m far from an authority on this front), his lyrics have an interesting blend between those typical of contemporary rap and those drastically different from the normal.
Welcome to another edition of the Laptop Sessions with Jim Fusco! A quick update: the recording for my new album has been a fun process and every day I’m more and more excited to hear the finished results. If you haven’t been following my progress, either go to my website at http://jimfusco.com or directly to my music Twitter feed @jimfuscomusic.
Tonight’s video is one from The Beach Boys- my favorite band of all time. This song is from one of their most liked albums among fans. Unfortunately, I don’t fall into that category. “15 Big Ones” is an interesting album. Sure, it’s the album where the other members finally got Brian Wilson back into the studio, but to me, it spelled the end of a once-great band. You see, in the years leading up to “15 Big Ones”, the Beach Boys (the members other than Brian) were writing and producing some amazing music. IN fact, “Sunflower” may be my favorite album from them. But, as the nostalgia of the Beach Boys’ #1 greatest hits album, “Endless Summer”, grew in popularity, the band decided to get Brian back to the forefront. Of course, Brian wasn’t really ready. He’d been locked away in his room, listening to old music he loved from Fats Domino, Freddy Cannon, etc. These were songs he loved as a kid and were what got him into rock’n’roll.
So, Brian wasn’t that interested in writing new songs- he ended up going into the studio and having the Boys record many of his old favorites, such as “Rock’n’Roll Music” and “Blueberry Hill”. Those are the good ones on the album- I’m pretty sure they could’ve left off “A Casual Look” and made it “14 Big Ones” instead.
But, the pun in the title was because the Beach Boys had been a band for 15 years. And, if I’m not mistaken, this was considered their 15th album.
It’s not a bad album, but it’s definitely dated now. The synthesizer, brought to even more prominence on “Love You” from the next year, is hard to play for someone right now. Playing “Palisades Park” for someone and saying, ‘This is from an album considered one of their best” doesn’t really make much of a case for potential fans.
Anyway, there are some great tracks on “15 Big Ones” though, including “It’s OK”. Actually, I’ve already covered “Blueberry Hill”, “Just Once In My Life”, “Palisades Park” – I must like this album after all! But, “Everyone’s In Love With You” is my favorite. It’s definitely Mike Love at his best. His vocals are sweet and it’s got a great melody. Songs like this make me wish he had written more (that is, as long as they aren’t “Summer Of Love” from 1992).
I’ve always wondered if “Everyone’s In Love With You” had a bit of a racy meaning to it. I mean, if you just literally listen to the words, you’ll see what I mean. But, Mike has said the song is about transcendental meditation, which he was really into at the time. It’s more of a feeling that everyone shares “love” with each other and individuality takes a back seat to a collective well-being. At least, that’s what I’ve gained from the whole thing over the years…
I hope you enjoy this song- maybe it’ll prompt you to give “15 Big Ones” a shot someday. It’s definitely worth a listen, I’ll say that. I’m pretty busy for the next couple of weeks, but I won’t forget about the music blog. I’ll be back with another great video soon, so stay-tuned!
Beach Boys & Brian Wilson Acoustic Rock Cover Songs and Free mp3 Downloads
The Beach Boys have often been referred to as America’s band, and the title is well-earned. After all, these “cousins, friends, and brothers” (to quote “Endless Harmony”) skyrocketed to early success in the 1960s and have released a variety of tracks, both those written by the songwriters in the band as well as cover songs such as the 1950s classic “Barbara Ann.” Those who consider their catalog to just surfer music have missed the majority of the excellent new music this band has released. Music reviews unanimously praised both 1966’s Pet Sounds, considered Brian Wilson’s masterpiece at the time, as well as Brian Wilson’s 2004 release of Smile, a failed Beach Boys record slated for release in 1967 and recently hailed as some of his best music ever. Brian Wilson continues to tour, and his band is multi-talented – even unplugged, they are as amazing as any band trying to fill the shoes of Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine could be. Meanwhile, Mike Love and Bruce Johnston continue to tour, although they tend to play less new music and more hits and cover songs. Without question, the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson are two of the most often covered artists/bands that the Laptop Sessions has to offer!
