The Beach Boys Live: The 50th Anniversary Tour (2013)

As everyone knows by now The Beach Boys staged a triumphant 50th anniversary tour in 2012. Fans and critics alike raved about their live show and the boys' new album, That's Why God Made the Radio.

I made a decision not to throw down my hard earned cash to see the ancient oldies revival act when it landed in my town because it had been over twenty-five years since the famous surf-rockers had been a viable franchise in the studio and, after the passing of Carl Wilson, their concerts deteriorated to the point where Mike Love continually embarrassed himself on stage. However, I downloaded the new album anyway and was very pleasantly surprised with the results. Brian Wilson showed the world that, when inspired, he still has the goods.

Now, as an epilogue to last summer's tour, the band has released a new, forty-one song, double CD package, The Beach Boys Live: The 50th Anniversary Tour. It's a good souvenir for those who saw them on stage together for what is probably the last time.

I was still quite skeptical about how the quintet of Wilson, Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, and David Marks would fare in a live setting because a singer's shortcomings are far more obvious on stage than they are in the studio, especially because today's technology allows a good producer to digitally sweeten all of the vocals to perfection. It is obvious that Wilson's voice is shot and that Love's age is starting to take its toll on his vocal chords too. That is probably why every member of their nine piece supporting band also doubled as a vocalist. The bottom line is the results were better than any of us had a right to expect even if the formerly great harmonizers needed help to recreate their glory days. In the end the ticket buying public didn't care if the aging Californians needed assistance or not. They went home happy.

Wilson and and his mates cranked out most of their big hits (noticeably missing were three of my favs: "Don't Worry Baby," Darlin," and "I Can Hear Music") but for me the highlights were the seldom heard deep tracks they sandwiched in between their classics. "Add Some Music to Your Day" and Dennis Wilson's "Forever," both from the magnificent Sunflower album, were taken out of mothballs. "Marcella" and "All This is That" saw the light of day after being lifted from the obscure Carl and The Passions, So Tough. We don't hear the 1965 single "The Little Girl I Once Knew" very often either but Wilson resurrected it for this tour. Johnston sang "Disney Girls" from Surf's Up and part three of Jardine's "California Saga" suite from Holland was a highlight. Jardine also took the lead vocal on "And Then I Kissed Her" from 1965's Summer Days and Summer Nights. He turned it into a male version of the earlier Ronettes' hit, "And Then He Kissed Me."

The liner notes are a bit skimpy. Nowhere do they inform us if these songs are from one complete concert or if they are from different venues on different nights. Neither are we told what each Beach Boy contributed to the final product.

The Beach Boys best live album remains the 1973 double LP, single CD, Live In Concert but 50th Anniversary Tour is still a pleasant experience. Give it three and a half stars out of five.

Comments

Post a Comment

WHAT'S HOT TODAY!

Slower Than Slow: 16 RPM Records

Image
Have you ever heard of a long forgotten vinyl format, the 16 2/3 RPM record? They were half the speed of the 33 1/3 RPM albums that were the traditional standard for recorded music. Most record players in the 1950s and 1960s came with a speed setting to play these long forgotten discs that were considered novelties even during the years they were available. Because most, but not all, 16s had big holes and were 7" in diameter many of them were mistaken for 45 RPMs and at that size the speed allowed for up to 20 minutes of playing time per side. However, there was no true standard size and they were also manufactured to be 9, 10, or 12 inches in diameter, and these larger records played even longer. Just like the other speeds and formats 16s could be played one record at a time or stacked on a changer for continuous play. Radio stations often used the discs for pre-recorded radio shows containing interviews, dramas, and documentaries. More frequen...
Read more

The Band - Christmas Must Be Tonight (1977)

Image
In 2006 Hall and Oates released Home For Christmas , their one and only holiday album, an extremely good set of music that immediately became one of my favorite seasonal listens. I wrote then that I was stunned at how many overtly religious songs the famous duo put on the the disc considering the very politically correct climate of the new millennium. One of them was a cover version of a song that alluded me for almost thirty years, "Christmas Must Be Tonight." I liked the new, upbeat track sung by Daryl Hall and it made me go out and search for Robbie Robertson's never-to-be classic. Sung by Rick Danko, it appears on the great American band's last album, Islands (1977). It's a surprise that a group whose members were not known to have any specific or powerfully strong religious beliefs would release a song that tackled the subject of Jesus's birth as blatantly as our most loved Christmas carols. It's not about a reckless reinde...
Read more

The Chieftains With Jackson Browne - The Rebel Jesus (1991)

Image
"The Rebel Jesus" is a Christmas song composed by Jackson Browne and performed with The Chieftains, the eclectic, veteran Irish folk band on  The Bells of Dublin,  their 1991 holiday album. Browne wrote the song specifically for his guest appearance on this record. The singer-songwriter, who is deservedly in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, can be a bit preachy when he wants to be, and he is again here, but no one can dispute what the man is saying.  The last two verses are the key to the song. Browne points out that people often feel more generous at Christmas so they'll give to those who were less fortunate than themselves during the holidays. But, if anyone tries to dig deeper and root out the poverty that envelops the downtrodden they are often scorned like Jesus was. This message is coming from a man who is admittedly a "heathen and a pagan," but on this occasion he is "on the side of the rebel Jesus." At the same time Browne doesn't want to sp...
Read more

The Beatles - Christmas Messages (1963 - 1969)

Image
For seven straight years beginning in 1963 - even before they were famous in America - The Beatles recorded annual Christmas messages exclusively for their fan club members as a holiday thank you. They were issued on seven-inch, vinyl records that were very thin, very bendable, and easily damaged. These flexi-discs, as they were called, could not be stacked on record changers. Over the years the tracks have been bootlegged in countless ways, and until a few years ago the only legal release was sent to fan club members in 1970 on 33 RPM vinyl records after the boys from Liverpool went their separate ways. The LP cover shown here is from that album. Finally, in 2017, a limited edition box set  on colored vinyl was released and is now an expensive collector's item. Many Beatles fans managed to hear these records over the years, and with the Internet being what it is, there are several websites where anyone can easily listen to all of them.  Archive.org ...
Read more

Chicago: An Album By Album Analysis Of The Terry Kath Era (1969 - 1977)

Image
The original lineup of Chicago has always been one of my all time favorite bands. My affection for this great horn band is such that I want to discuss all of the albums they recorded before Terry Kath's unfortunate and accidental passing. Their debut album is now forty years old, and it's followup is not far behind, yet their music endures to this day. * * * * * Everyone Must Own * * * * Excellent * * * Good * * Fair * Poor * * * * * Chicago Transit Authority (1969) - Whether they were playing screaming psychedelic hard rock, jazz, blues, or love songs, everyone in the band proved they were worthy of the huge mass success that followed CTA 's release. The band's ability to play anything and play it well is the hallmark of their debut album. The stars are Robert Lamm, Terry Kath, and the horns, and even Peter Cetera demonstrates he can be a rock and roll animal when he wants to be. The standout tracks are Lamm's "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It...
Read more