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“California Callling” (The Beach Boys cover)

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By Jim Fusco:

Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of the Laptop Sessions with Jim Fusco!  Today I go back to my ol’ stomping grounds to give you another Beach Boys cover song.

“California Calling” is from their self-titled album from 1985.  It’s the only track on the whole album that features real drums…and as an added bonus, they’re played by Ringo Starr!  Of course, Dennis Wilson, the band’s drummer since they began, passed away in 1983.  I think Ringo is just about the only drummer fitting enough to be the first person to play drums on a Beach Boys song after Dennis’ passing.  And the drumming on “California Calling” is very similar to what Dennis would’ve played.  I like to think they did that as a tribute to Dennis.  Supposedly, the sequenced drum track on the hit “Getcha Back” was done in the style of Dennis Wilson as a tribute.  I hope that’s true because it would be a great tribute.

To be honest, this really wasn’t one of my favorite songs on the album for many years.  I think I was just irked by the fact that it’s another Love/Jardine “Don’t F with the formula” song that didn’t fit in with the rest of the album.  But I’ve changed my mind on that recently.  I mean, when you’re looking for a Beach Boys song, you’re looking for a song just like “California Calling”!  Plus, it’s a good tune and I’m a sucker for that classic Beach Boys sound.

Onto some personal business: “The Easy Ways”, my new album, is coming out very, very soon- on September 20th, in fact!  It’s an album full of 16 original songs that are assembled into a true “album” instead of just a collection of songs.  You’ll just have to check back soon and grab a copy of the album on CD or digitally to hear what I mean!  I’ve been practicing non-stop for my album release party, so I hope everyone in the Connecticut area will come check it out!  It’s at 5:30 on Saturday, September 20th at Silver City Restaurant in Meriden, CT.

I’ll be back next week with another original song in anticipation of my new album’s release.  I hope everyone enjoys tonight’s Laptop Sessions cover song music video of The Beach Boys’ “California Calling”!

The Beach Boys’ “The Beach Boys” (1985) – The Weekend Review

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By Chris Moore:

RATING:  4.5 / 5 stars

Never before has such an excellent album been so universally scorned.

From the reviewers on down to the liner notes of the CD itself, every writer who has taken pen to paper in the name of The Beach Boys — perhaps better known to fans as “1985” — has had much in the way of criticism and, at times, outright derision for what ended up being their last full-length studio album of predominantly original material.

Take it as another subtle disapproval when only one track from this year was included on the Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of the Beach Boys box set.

One track out of well over one hundred tracks.

The truth is that The Beach Boys sounds a bit dated, clearly a product of the eighties and the decade long flirtation with digital and synthesized sounds.  Andrew Doe, writer of both the liner notes for the album and Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys: The Complete Guide to their Music, claims that the decision to experiment with this technology “removed any sense of immediacy from the proceedings.”

He also has negative commentary to share for just about every track that I like.

As Doe is one of the few writers to take the time — or, certainly, to be paid — to review these tracks, it may be useful to revisit his sentiments.  In his mind, the Mike Love/Terry Melcher-penned “Getcha Back,” one of the true gems of this period, “has a curiously unfinished feel about it.”  Bruce Johnston’s heartfelt performance on “She Believes in Love Again” is “(unusually) less than silky smooth.”  Brian Wilson’s admittedly simple but — as the Laptop Sessions have proven — beautiful song “I’m So Lonely” is simply “in no way objectionable.” “Passing Friend,” the stronger of the two covers here, is described as “a second-string Culture Club discard [that] really isn’t appropriate, nor up to par.”  (Whereas the other cover, “I Do Love You,” is “good,” even if it’s “not the Beach Boys.”)

To be fair, “Where I Belong” gets the attention it deserves, although Doe overstates it a bit as “the undoubted album highlight.”  The other track that he endorses is “California Calling,” a perfectly enjoyable track that is nostalgic of classic early Beach Boys.  Predictably, Doe again overstates, writing “why this wasn’t a single is an eternal mystery.”

Herein lies the rub: that frustrating ever-present perception of the classic early Beach Boys sound.

The Beach Boys' "The Beach Boys" (1985)

The Beach Boys' "The Beach Boys" (1985)

For nearly two decades by this point, the Beach Boys had been suffering from commercial and critical expectations.  Anyone could understand why Smiley Smile fell disappointingly flat, but strong later releases — like the placid but endearing Friends and the masterpiece Sunflower — stalled in the triple digits on the charts.

Is it a coincidence that an album on which the Beach Boys experiment with new technology and stretch out beyond some of their more typical arrangements is so widely disdained?

I think not.

Consider for even a moment the runaway success of their subsequent album (more like an EP) Still Cruisin’ based on the merits of the crowd-pleasing “Kokomo” and in spite of the downright embarrassing “Wipe Out.”

When this band sings within the ranges of their image (i.e. anything related to summer, the beach, waves, sun, etc.), they are met with far more success than when they stretch out beyond the expected.

As for me, I can see beyond the eighties textures.  I don’t feel the compulsive need to value this music primarily in comparison to the other albums in the Beach Boys catalog; even if I did, it would hold up as one of the pillars, particularly post-Holland.  And I applaud the Beach Boys for rebounding from a tumultuous series of years that saw Carl temporarily quitting the band, Brian falling under the influence of Dr. Landy, and Dennis passing away, due to drowning.

Despite all the tension and tragedy, The Beach Boys is the combined effort of five adults still able to perform with positive energy, adding the element of uplift to nearly every track.  This album is host to what have become lost Beach Boys tracks, including excellent little numbers like “It’s Gettin’ Late,” the catchy “Crack at Your Love,” and the electric, rockin’ “Maybe I Don’t Know.”  And, as much as I like Keepin’ the Summer Alive (1980) for a spin or maybe two, this is the album I put on repeat for days at a time to kick off or to recharge my summer spirit each year.

Few may agree with me, but that’s okay.  The Beach Boys truly is the under-appreciated pinnacle of the Beach Boys final full decade as a band.  Not since Holland had they produced such a strong album, and they would sadly never match it again.

At this point, I’ve written all that can be communicated, and I’ll have to agree to disagree with the masses, tolerating “Kokomo” and loving The Beach Boys (1985).

The Weekend Review: June 2012 Report

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By Chris Moore:

That’s Why God Made the Radio  (The Beach Boys)

Producer: Brian Wilson

Released: June 5, 2012

Rating:  5 / 5 stars

Top Two Tracks: “Spring Vacation” & “From There to Back Again”

For anyone who has ears to listen, That’s Why God Made the Radio is deserving of a place among the all-time classic masterpieces in the Beach Boys’ catalog of albums and songs.  For the moment, it has served nicely as the masthead for the Beach Boys’ 50th anniversary reunion, but it should be recognized as more than that.  That’s Why God Made the Radio is a reminder: that truly great bands can continue to be great, releasing new music fifty years after first forming.  It is also interesting to juxtapose this album with other recent releases, and there’s clearly still something for other bands to learn, most notably – as it’s always been – from the vocal arrangements the Beach Boys continue to be capable of pulling off.  There’s a warmth and an energy here that is somewhat shocking considering that their previous two releases – both from the early nineties – lacked the consistency, overall quality, and (frankly) the drive of this most recent album.  Consider also what three of the five original Beach Boys have been up to for decades: Mike Love and Bruce Johnston have been in full “greatest hits” touring mode and have shown no previous interest in revisiting the recording studio, while David Marks has been absent from the popular music scene save for guest appearances and low-scale projects.  When you add in the fact that the paperwork from the lawsuits traded between Beach Boys could fill a medium-sized library, it is incredible that this album was attempted at all.  To truly contextualize it, the listening becomes all the more unbelievable: there is a warmth in the harmonies that defies belief.  “Daybreak Over the Ocean,” in particular, could have been a hit when the Beach Boys were in their prime, showcasing as it does the best of what they are capable vocally.  (Of course, they’re aided in no small part by Mike Love’s family, particularly his son whose range and tone is the closest to Carl I’ve heard since Carl passed.)  For those who have followed Brian Wilson and, most recently, Al Jardine, it perhaps comes as less of a surprise that this album should be possible.  After all, Wilson has been consistently productive since 2004’s Getting’ in Over My Head and SMiLE releases, going on to release a masterful solo release in That Lucky Old Sun (2008) as well as numerous other projects of interest.  Then, Al Jardine released his first solo album in 2010, signaling that Wilson was not the only surviving Beach Boy to show interest in making new music and putting it down on record.  Still, for Mike Love and Brian Wilson to team up again and still be able to contribute to such high-quality, single-worthy tracks as the upbeat, rocking “Spring Vacation,” the catchy, gorgeous “Isn’t It Time” (which has already inspired a radio version remix), and the title track nearly defies belief.  Critics will write this effort off as yet another surf-inspired album of formulaic tunes, but this could not be further from the truth.  That this record begins with the a cappella “Think About the Days” is practically a mission statement from the start: clearly, That’s Why God Made the Radio is not a greatest-hits extension of predictable tracks; rather, it is another artistic and visionary installment in the Beach Boys catalog.  Certainly, there are lyrical echoes of what the Beach Boys have been known for since their first work in the early 1960s, but who would expect or even want a complete break from the images, metaphors, and motifs that have enabled them to carve a signature place in popular American music since their star?  And, if there are still any detractors after the powerhouse represented by tracks two through four, then they should be directed to the lush vocals and sharply poignant tone of the final trio of songs: “From There to Back Again,” “Pacific Coast Highway,” and “Summer’s Gone.”  If the first trio are the songs you’ll want to hear again and again while driving, windows down, then this second trio are the heart and soul, the foundation even, for That’s Why God Made the Radio: these final tracks present the thesis, the reason for recording a new album, and perhaps an explanation of why and how the Beach Boys continue to have emotional pull all these years later.

 

 

 

Safe Travels  (Jukebox the Ghost)

Producer: Dan Romer

Released: June 12, 2012

Rating:  4 / 5 stars

Top Two Tracks: “Oh, Emily” & “Ghosts in Empty Houses”

For their third album, Jukebox the Ghost returns with all the same energy that has propelled their first two releases – the dynamic Let Live and Let Ghosts (2008) and the more artful Everything Under the Sun – yet a unique feel, largely achieved through their attention to the traditional rock music ingredients as well as more orchestral elements.  Some tracks, the almost Beatles-esque acoustic “Man on the Moon” for instance, sound unlike anything they’ve produced previously.  The songs suffer at times from a repetition that goes for too long, but Safe Travels is otherwise a pristine record marked by energetic instrumental force and passionately driven vocals, as well as touches of innovation that remind listeners that Jukebox the Ghost is a band interested in growing, progressing, not content to occupy their niche.   With any luck, the world at large will take note, though it seems that more often the one-hit wonders are enabled.

 

 

 

The Idler Wheel is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do  (Fiona Apple)

Producer: Fiona Apple & Charley Drayton

Released: June 19, 2012

Rating:  5 / 5 stars

Top Two Tracks: “Left Alone” & “Daredevil”

True to form, Fiona Apple continues to defy expectations and ignore conventions, starting with the unwieldy title of her latest album: The Idler Wheel is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do.  Furthermore, her first single, the album-opener “Every Single Night,” is hardly going to make it onto the popular music charts any time soon.  However, though quirky and slow-paced upon an initial listen, one would be unwise to write The Idler Wheel off so easily when, lurking just beneath the surface, there is a current of emotion and the power of poetry in each and every track on Apple’s new album.  Lyrically alone, The Idler Wheel is an achievement, and the lyric booklet – packaged as a composition notebook with lyrics and drawings – could stand alone.  Apple’s vocal delivery is compelling, as her voice alternately drips with desperate passion and shakes and scrapes with raw emotion (see: “Regret”).  Instrumentally, it is as though the piano is engaged in a duet the various layers of percussion at work.  Never before have I heard percussion used in quite this manner, practically as an instrument in the foreground rather than a foundation or support for other instruments.  Even Apple’s distinctive piano, integral as ever, is not the most interesting instrumental element for perhaps the first time in her catalog; her playing borders on riff-driven, holding the songs together as the vocals and percussion shake and stretch the parameters of each track.  Overall, though 2005’s Extraordinary Machine is more to my liking for speed and style, The Idler Wheel is an indisputable masterpiece.

“Everyone’s In Love With You” (Beach Boys Cover)

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By Jim Fusco:

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!