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The song sounded enough like a fun-in-the-sun pop song to fit in with stuff like "Fun, Fun, Fun" and "Surfin' USA," but Brian knew it was so much more. "The Warmth of the Sun" may have hinted at the balladry of Pet Sounds, but the first time we hear Brian attempting the multi-layered complex pop is "I Get Around." It was All Summer Long's lead single, opening track, and The Beach Boys' first U.S. It may have been unable to compete with The Dark Side of the Moon or Quadrophenia or Houses of the Holy when it came out, but today it sounds like a gem of that era. There are no throwaways or silly covers or needless instrumentals, and no throwbacks to their early days or misguided hard rock songs. There isn't much contribution from Brian on this one, but all the members are on their A game and it's really a progressive record. Some of the Wilson/Parks song cycles also must have rubbed off on Mike Love and Al Jardine, who offer the three-part "California Saga," one of Love's finest moments in the band. It's the album's best song, and remains their most memorable '70s single. Blondie takes lead vocals on opener "Sail On, Sailor," a song Brian had written with Smile collaborator Van Dyke Parks that was given to the other band members (and a few co-writers) to finish. And they're less necessary in this context now that The Smile Sessions exist, but the album closes with two of the very best songs from the then-abandoned Smile, "Our Prayer" and "Cabinessence."Īfter Blondie Chaplin struggled to fit in with the band's sound on Carl and the Passions - "So Tough," he ends up being the strongest part of Holland. (They were also both reportedly written before the 20/20 sessions, which is not surprising.) Then comes Dennis' masterful "Never Learn Not to Love," which was based on a song given to him by his then-friend Charles Manson (despite Manson being a truly horrific person, it is difficult to deny his musical talent). The psychedelic waltz "I Went to Sleep" is up there with Brian's best work and "Time to Get Alone" isn't far behind. Side B begins with a cover of blues legend Lead Belly, and only gets better from there. Side A also has the hard rocking "All I Want to Do," a sound that's never suited them well, and Bruce Johnston's pretty but mostly-unnecessary instrumental "The Nearest Faraway Place." At least those are balanced out by Dennis' quality ballad "Be with Me" and a fine Carl-sung version of The Ronettes' "I Can Hear Music" (honoring the band's Phil Spector influence once again). Brian co-wrote it with Mike Love, and it's always seemed like the moment Brian finally gave in to Mike's three-year-long pleas to return to this sound. Side A kicks off with "Do It Again," an obvious throwback to their early days in sound and song title, which felt like a major regression coming right after the band's most creative period.
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This one has an uneven and often disappointing side A, but side B is almost flawless. Nevertheless, Surfin' Safari had them coming out of the gate strong. (The Who's version is probably the best, but this one has its merits too.) There are some major throwaways, like there's no real reason to revisit their take on the nursery rhyme "Ten Little Indians." Also Brian hadn't developed his falsetto yet and Mike Love sings lead on most of the songs, two things that would have to change for the band to reach their greatest potential. They also do Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues" six years before Blue Cheer did and eight years before The Who did. Just like sometimes you'd rather hear "I Saw Her Standing There" than "Strawberry Fields Forever," sometimes you're just in the mood for "Surfin' Safari," "409" or "Surfin'," all of which appear here. The simpler songs are fun and enjoyable in their own right. And also like The Beatles, these early albums aren't just curios for superfans. The verses in the opening title track may be standard rock 'n' roll, but the intro/chorus already shows Brian's ability to craft atypical melodies and complex harmonies. This is clear from the first two seconds you throw on this record. Like with The Beatles, once you've explored their more adventurous material, you start to realize they were showing hints of brilliance from the beginning.