"All Summer Long" by The Beach Boys (July, 1964)

Brad's Take:


For those who don't know, my dad is arguably one of the biggest Beach Boys/Brian Wilson fans ever so this band of fine young gents are no strangers to me. This is an album that contains a lot of songs that I grew up hearing a lot, especially "I Get Around."

You can tell that the boys were growing up with this release. There were still some songs that sounded like good old fashioned Beach Boys, like "I Get Around" and "Little Honda", but there were also a few glimpses into the sound that they'd eventually find with Pet Sounds just a couple years later. Song like "Wendy", "We'll Run Away", and "Don't Back Down" still have young Brian Wilson lyrics, but you can tell that his production skills and melody/harmony ideas were starting to really take shape here. I read that Brian even had studio musicians come in and record demos of the whole album, under his direction, and then he had the actual Beach Boys come in and overdub their parts. Whether or not that is true, my dad will let us know.

"Wendy" and "Don't Back Down" are both songs that I remember listening to in the past, but I didn't realize how much I really like them until I listened to this in my car when preparing to write this review. Both of those songs are really great, and are definitely highlights on this album for me.

This album does have its flaws though. "Drive-In" was pretty bad, let's be honest....

If you say you watch the movie you're a couple o' liars
And "Remember only you can prevent forest fires"

Ouch.

Overall though, this album had its ups and downs, but it's a perfect transitional album of classic Beach Boys to influential Beach Boys.

Dad's Take:

Of all the summery sounds in the Beach Boys canon, this could easily be argued to be their classic summer album. This is when the Beach Boys still sounded like they were having fun, Brian Wilson was still touring with the group, and they were putting out at least three records a year, produced, arranged, and mostly written by Brian. As the boy said, the music was starting to get more complex, but it still had that classic Beach Boys sound.

Few albums have started with the one-two punch this one had. The brilliant and surprisingly complex "I Get Around" with its deep organ notes followed by "All Summer Long" with its chimes provide all the signal you'll need that this is an extraordinary record. How they never released "All Summer Long" as a single has always amazed me.

This may well be the feel-good record of all time.

The Beach Boys reputation has been diminished somewhat by soft drink commercials and endless jukebox tours, but listen to this album and you'll understand why they are the classic American band. Complex arrangements, perfect harmonies, fun themes, and successful mythologizing of the American teenaged lifestyle create a sound that has often been copied but never matched. Even filler like their cover of the doo-wop classic "Hushabye" show that these young men were up to something. We'd soon see what that was. "We'll Run Away" would have been a perfect fit on side two of the even better "Beach Boys Today!" album a year later. (How did THAT gem not make our lists? Flat-out amazing record.)

As for "Drive-In," Bradley Boy, it's a funny song with an unusual arrangement. Like much of their filler of the time it was a chance to experiment a bit. And that "Only you can prevent forest fires" rings a bell with those of us who grew up at the drive-in. It's a reference to the classic "Smokey the Bear" PSA that played for years at the drive-in, mixed with a bit of innuendo.

That the British authors of our list would choose this album is no surprise. "I Get Around" was a monster British hit, the first major success by the Beach Boys in Britain, the beginning of a relationship with a country that treated the band with more respect than their own country did.

This was one of my first three Beach Boys albums (along with "Today!" and "Surfer Girl"), purchased for nearly nothing at a flea market by my parents and given me on my 12th birthday. This record played a key role in beginning decades of fanaticism, and remains a favorite. I've told people that if they want to get just one Beach Boys album and want that classic sound, then get this one. Not every second is brilliant, but close. Even the gimicky bit of humorous filler goofiness called "Our Favorite Recording Sessions" is fun.

In retrospect, closing the album with their last surfing song, "Don't Back Down" was a stroke of genius. They used their original sound as a challenge for what was to come. Like the Beatles, they were growing musically at an astounding pace, and only two years later would create what many consider the finest rock and roll album ever, "Pet Sounds."

But for now it was all about Brian's studio creations of the California myth, played (yes) mostly by the finest studio musicians in LA, the same ones used by Phil Spector, and sung impeccably by this brilliant harmony group.

"A Christmas Gift For You" from Phil Spector (November, 1963)

Brad's Take:


It's only a few days into the new year, but I guess it's a good time to listen to a Christmas album again, right?

Basically, Phil Spector's own record label, Philles Records, released this compilation of Christmas songs performed by groups on the label at the time: The Crystals, The Ronettes, Darlene Love, and Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans.

This is an album that I am pretty familiar with. It's been playing around Christmas time in the Rhoades household for many years. Phil Spector was a great producer when it came to doo-wop styled pop acts. I've always had a sweet spot for these types of groups.

Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys has said that this is his favorite album of all time. I think I would like this album a lot more if it didn't have so many mega cheesy songs on it, such as "Frosty the Snowman", "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." However, I love The Crystals' version of the latter. It totally sounds like what Christmas should sound like. I wish it had songs like "The First Noel" and "Baby It's Cold Outside." I think those songs would have been great additions to this release.

Aside from a few ill song choices, I love this album. It's one that I try to listen to at least once every Christmas season. It's really fun, classy, and upbeat. You can't help but smile when listening to this. Unless you're the Grinch.

Dad's Take:

It's easy to argue that this is the finest rock and roll Christmas album ever. The Phil Spector approach, with his sleigh bells and castanets and other wall of sound elements lends itself perfectly to a Christmas album. Best of all, maybe, is that the Christmas album isn't much of a departure from the usual Spector sound, so this thing sounds good all year round.

If anything hurts this record, it's how loved it is. As a result, it's overplayed. It's hard to find a Christmas movie that doesn't include at least one song from this record. That tends to make a classic record sound a little more cheesy.

But the happy fact is, song after song benefits from a full production and some brilliant vocal work. There are a few Christmas albums that got more play in my house, car, and office this past season, but that doesn't mean I like this one any less. This is as good as rock and roll Christmas music gets. I'm sure ol' Saint Nick blasts this one on his sleigh stereo system as he speeds through the skies. It's upbeat and is perfect for setting the pace he has to work at.

"Exotica Volume 1," by Martin Denny (April, 1959)

Dad's Take:

This is a slightly more jazzy entry into the exotica genre we first saw with Les Baxter's Tamboo. Loaded with sound effects like screeching monkeys and with exotic instruments from around the world, Martin Denny transports the listener to a mysterious tropical island, or the jungle, or China. Or at least a Hollywood lounge version of those places.

This album got rave reviews that mentioned "the most exciting musicians" and claimed that it was the perfect record to push rock and roll stars out of kid's minds. I don't know about that last claim, but it's an enjoyable enough record, for what it is.

Next time you have a tropical-themed party (and who doesn't have those all the time?), put this record on and enjoy the monkeys and frogs and birds and the jazzy percussion-oriented music. Before you know it, you'll be dancing like the cartoon version of Barbara Eden during the opening credits of "I Dream Of Jeanie."

One little side note. This album was actually recorded twice, once in mono in 1956, and then again a couple years later in stereo. The stereo version features Julius Wechter on vibes (the mono version had Arthur Lyman). People who, like me, know more than is healthy about the Beach Boys, will recognize Wechter's name as part of Brian Wilson's stable of studio musicians. He also worked with Phil Spector and others.

Brad's Take:


This album is all over the place. There's songs that remind you of China, South American jungles, and so on. I enjoyed the jazzy piano bits of the songs, but everything else was just a little too weird for my taste. Some of the experimentation is interesting on the album, but a lot of it (mostly the crazy human-made animal sounds) was just laughable. I couldn't take it seriously.

The experimental sounds and instruments used on this album remind me a lot of the Pet Sounds and SMiLE era Beach Boys recordings, but it's of course missing the poppy vocals and melodies that I like most about those albums.

For what it is (a super weird experimental jazz record) I guess it's as good as you can get. I can't say I'm much of a fan of the exotica genre, but it's not that much of a struggle to get through.