Today, we conclude our look at summer '64 Beach Boys releases with side two of "All Summer Long" and both sides of the "When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)" single!
Great episode as always Steve, unfortunately we never had Drive-in's in the uk but it does appear to be a fun night out. The "All summer long" album remained my favourite BBs album for 5/6 years it would be on the turntable more than any other BBs album until "Sunflower" in 1970, and l still give it a spin now and then. It captivates everything we imagined it to be in sunny California. All we wanted to do was hang out on the beach with some girls listening to BBs music, and we frequently did just that every summer, great times wonderful memories. Thanks for another fine episode Steve.
Great to hear from you, John! Your comments, along with some other feedback I've received, have given me a real appreciation that the "All Summer Long" album encapsulates the "California experience" or the "California dream," probably, better than any of their other albums. It's an important point that I hadn't really considered (though I know I sure had the same feeling, as a teenager in the cornfields of Michigan, when I heard it.) Thanks for the comments, John! Always great stuff! (Sorry drive-ins never "happened" in the UK. They were fun...but you guys got The Beatles, so I'd say it worked out okay!)
That intro to Wendy blew me away back in ’64. And while it does seem unrelated to the rest of the song, it is related in that the chords are the same as those in the “I never thought a guy could cry…” part of the song.
Thanks for pointing that out, Terry! It's certainly a very cool intro and one in a long line of great, and unique, Brian Wilson song intros. Thanks again for passing that along, Terry!
Funny enough these guys Mike & Bruce are in their 80’s and are still singing “When I grow up” still one of my favorites a highlight of the 50th tour! Great stuff Steve!
Great stuff again Steve! The only cat dressed in white I ever saw at the drive-in was an actual cat. We have a drive-in about 15 minutes away, so we usually go at least once a year. As you probably can tell by my comments, I will still joke around and after 30 years of marriage, looks like I'll also love my wife for the rest of my life. On a different note, I always loved the sound of the harpsichord. I also always wondered why they left the cough in Wendy. I always liked the mix of music and comedy with the Jan And Dean Meet Batman album. I can't wait till the 1957 deep dive. I always liked the look of the 1957 Chevy. I loved the deep dive you did with 1933. Anyway, Great as usual Steve!
Glad to know you still joke around (and I KNOW you still dig those sounds!) My wife and I are coming up on 25 years of marriage and it's looking good for it to be "the rest of my life" for me too! Thanks for mentioning "Jan and Dean Meet Batman!" I haven't pulled that one out in a long time and it's due for a "spin." Thanks, too, for the feedback on doing "1957." I've been researching it and I think it's going to be really fun. (Amazing stuff going on in that year!) Also glad to know you enjoyed "1933." Thanks for the comments, as always, Michael, and, when we get there, I'll definitely be looking for your feedback on "1957!"
Great episode yet again, Steve!! My dad said that the first Beach Boys album he bought for himself was All Summer Long and I’ve always thought that was a good start. Also: ‘She Knows Me Too Well’ is one of my favorite Beach Boys songs ever, probably tied with ‘Til I Die’ and ‘Surf’s Up’. I’m not sure if you’re aware, but apparently there was an anecdote relayed by Andy Paley that during the filming of the I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times documentary Don Was attempted to get Brian to talk about the Smile sessions by asking him what he felt his heaviest work was which prompted Brian to enthusiastically discuss the sessions for ‘Drive-In’ which probably disappointed Was and he obviously didn’t use it in the film.
I remember one morning, getting ready to go to school. It was pouring rain; we had the radio on in the kitchen… She Knows Me Too Well came on, and it blew me away… Had that song in my mind all day. Being a BB fan that song was so melancholy and a departure from their surfing songs. My wife and I like to really crank it up with songs, Don’t Back Down and Dance Dance Dance.
Your dad definitely picked a great album to start his Beach Boys collection! Nice! "She Knows Me Too Well" is one of my all-time favorites too. Like most fans, I originally knew it from the great second side of "Beach Boys Today!" I remember finding it hard to believe it had started out as a b-side. (Of course, unlike a lot of artists, the Beach Boys' b-sides were usually pretty great!) Thanks for sharing that anecdote about Don Was and "Drive In"! Hilarious and, it seems, a "very Brian" story! Great to hear from you, as always, Mike!
@@thebeachboysbasementwithst6444 Brian could usually be counted on to say the unexpected during an interview! You never knew if he was serious in THAT moment, or putting everyone on, to possibly provoke a reaction.
In his 2017 book “The Words and Music of Brian Wilson,” author Christian Matijas-Mecca writes about the alternate version of “Little Saint Nick” set to the backing track of “Drive-In.” He states in quite a complex explanation: “In the author’s interview with Brad Elliott, it was explained that on the same day Brian cut ‘Little Saint Nick’ (October 18), he cut two additional tracks, without titles, which he identified as ‘Track No. 1’ and ‘Track No. 2.’ Later, the first track was given the title of ‘My Bobby Left Me’ and the second was titled ‘Drive-In.’ It is likely that Brian intended these for either Sharon Marie or the Honeys, but they were never executed with those artists. When the band returned on October 20 to record the vocals for ‘Little Saint Nick,’ he also had them put a vocal over what was ‘Track No. 2’ with the lyrics from ‘Little St. Nick.’ In spring of 1964, Brian came back to ‘Track No. 2’ with the lyrics for ‘Drive-In’ and completed the track with The Beach Boys.” Not sure I understand all that, but since Elliott wrote the liner notes for 1998’s “Ultimate Christmas,” this may be the best explanation we will ever get.
Thanks for passing that along, Bill! All of that makes sense with the other stuff I came across (most of what I came across anyway. I also came across some stuff I was pretty sure was in error.) It completely makes sense that "Track No. 1" and "Track No. 2" were conceived as a single for Sharon Marie (or the Honeys.) I'm just thinking this through now, but, unless Brian had changed his mind about doing a Sharon Marie (or Honeys) single between the 18th and the 20th, they probably would have been putting the "Little Saint Nick" vocals on what became "Little Honda" as, many have speculated "a lark," since Brian, seemingly had other plans for the track at the time. (Of course, I'm sure that's not any kind of "air tight" solution!) Thanks again for the very interesting info, Bill! Always great to hear from you!
Another supurb episode Steve and the info you give here has taught me a lot about American Culture in 1964 which differed widely from UK and i am particularly impressed with" "Drive Ins " as we dont have them here but they sound like great fun . Over here in UK as a kid in 1964 , a lot of us would attend our local cinema on a saturday for " Saturday Morning Pictures " which was so exciting and was in my case, my first sense of freedom as it involved a short Train Journey to Godalming Odeon on my own or with a friend without any adults to keep us in order and for a shilling we were treated to cartoons, Laurel and Hardy, a Serial which always ended with a cliff hanger to ensure you returned next week , then maybe a short documentary and after an interval, it would be the big feature and i remember seeing " A Hard Days Night " and " Help " for the very first time as i attended every saturday from mid 60s to early 70s and even when Godalming Odeon closed, i would then travel to Guildford to their much bigger Odeon. Considering the pace that the BBs were now enduring, it amazes me how they managed to put out such good quality music as it seems to me that Capitol were pushing them really hard and over here it was the same for our Beatles and something had to give and in the case of the Beatles, it was Johns misquoted Jesus remark that ended Beatlemania and with the case of the Beach Boys we know the effect it had on Brians health and the fact that both groups weathered the storm and continued to make amazing music is astiounding. I would say to anybody who had never heard of the Beach Boys that maybe the " All Summer Long " album would be ideal as an introduction to the groups music as it has everything you need and will leave you hungry for more . Just a little footnote, back in the late 80s my late wife found that EP you show here in an antique shop when she was on a trip with her mother and she bought it for me , it was £2 but its very worn and sounds like eggs and bacon in a frying pan, but it was worth every penny for the picture sleeve and all the info and back in the day, someone had obviously enjoyed it as it had obviously been well played.
Thanks for sharing those great memories, Chris! "Saturday Morning Pictures" sounds like a complete blast for a kid! With the pace both the Beatles and the Beach Boys were enduring in 1964, it really makes me think labels felt sure "pop groups with teen appeal" were all "flash-in-the-pan" and they had not compunction about pressing them until they dropped, rather than any interest in preserving and developing them. The attitude seems to have completely been " Time is short. Let's grab all the money while we can." BTW, I love your insight on "ASL" being a great introduction with "everything you need and will leave you hungry for more." Well said! So cool that your wife found a copy of the EP, even if it was "well used." Those are pretty hard to come by. It seems like EPs were more prevalent in the UK and Europe. There were a few here, but, somehow, they never really seemed to fit well with the American market. (I've noticed recently that EP were on the American album charts in the late 50s and moved over to the singles chart by the early 60s. EPs seem to have been "square pegs" where the US record industry was concerned.) Thanks, as always, for the great feedback, Chris!
Great comments, especially as you say "without any adults to keep us in order." Precisely how it was here, in regards to our one "drive-in" experience as I detailed above !
@@burlingtonbill1 Yes, it was a great feeling Bill to walk to my local train station and buy my own ticket and remember to get off at the next station and walk the short distance to the cinema aged 8 and pay the cashier my shilling entrance fee on my own without mum checking if my shirt was tucked in and that i used a handkerchief instead of my sleeve.....Ah Heaven .
Steve, I just had a couple of strange experiences tonight. I was talking to my wife about the recent death of Eric Carmen and played her a video of him with The Raspberries playing “Go All the Way” and told her I had gotten that album for my 16th birthday. A few minutes later I received an email from a high school friend who attended my 16th birthday party. He was describing a great score he had achieved playing against poker bots and he ended his email with the expression “Go All the Way.” I thought it an amazing coincidence but then a few minutes later I got into bed and turned on your video about side two of All Summer Long. Being a completist, I have recently been buying all of Elton John’s albums on CD. He certainly had some stinkers over the years but in order to complete my collection I needed to purchase his Victim of Love album on CD, an album so bad that I will probably never play it. It arrived yesterday and tonight I had placed it onto my CD shelf in the place where it belongs chronologically. Soon after experiencing the Eric Carmen coincidence a few minutes ago, I almost had a heart attack when I began watching your video and saw that you had Elton John’s Victim of Love album, which had no connection at all with the All Summer Long album, on display in one of your shadow boxes. I called out to my wife to tell her about this second coincidental event. She told me to go to just go to sleep.
Thanks for sharing the amazing coincidences, Michael! Of course, I was sorry to hear the news about Eric Carmen. I first heard it on one of the TV news channels, where they just called him "'Hungry Eyes' singer, Eric Carmen." At first, I thought, "Well, a news channel probably doesn't have time to give him a proper career bio." A few seconds later, I realized that, with the endless hours new channels fill by speculating about stuff, they could have done a little bit better by Eric Carmen. Certainly a sad loss! Cool that you spotted "Victim of Love" in the background. Last week's theme was "Bernie Taupin (mostly without Elton John.)" This week was "Elton John without Bernie Taupin." (I think the overall quality of stuff from both weeks shows they were much better together than apart!) Back in October, ’79, I bought “Victim of Love” on the day of release, which I always did with Elton John albums in those days. I took it home, gave it a listen and was stunned by the abysmal quality of it. In a coincidence of my own, I happened to be going to my first Elton John concert that very night. At the concert, he appeared solo for the first half and with Ray Cooper for the second half. He played hits and deep cuts for three and a half hours. It was one of the finest concerts I ever saw. He never played anything from, or even mentioned, his just-released album, “Victim of Love.” Not to drive you crazy with more coincidences, Michael, but I have a “Elton John completist” friend who recently finished his collection of all the Elton John albums on vinyl. (I can’t remember if it was “The Big Picture” or “The One” that he finally found on vinyl to complete the collection.) Always great to hear from you, Michael, and thanks for sharing those stories!
well being a completist, I already have most of his albums on vinyl and am only now trying to complete them on CD. Thank goodness I never got into cassettes, LOL.@@thebeachboysbasementwithst6444
Great video as always! I forget if you'd mentioned this in your videos about The Honeys, but the alternate version of "Don't Back Down" shares the same melody as the Honeys' "Hide Go Seek" which I thought was really neat! I recently picked up the "Pet Projects" CD, and I've been enjoying hearing some early Brian Wilson productions, but when Hide Go Seek came, on I knew I recognized that melody somewhere!
I had totally forgotten about that! Thanks for the reminder, Dennis! I've made a note to mention it in a future episode (with "props" to you, of course, for pointing it out.) Much appreciated!
Hi Steve/ For us old time Beach Boys fans, this time in their career was starting to take off with some great songs. Brian had so many songs boiling in the pot that many album cuts could have been a hit themselves. Luckily, I have the 1st pressing (Don't break down), thanks for another enjoyable episode.
Good point, Don! So many tracks on "All Summer Long" (and the albums that followed) could have been (maybe should have been) single a-sides. I've seen a few of the "Don't Break Down" covers on display at record stores with high price tags. VERY cool that you've got one! Thanks for the comments, Don! Always a pleasure!
"Do You Remember?"--Once again, another illustration of how quickly things changed in the 1960s, that people in 1964 were already starting to get nostalgic for music that was made not even a decade earlier! Compare that to how trends have slowed in our modern times, no one ever gets nostalgic for music that was produced in the 00's or the teens, or even the 90s really. Because the last 30 years of pop culture haven't changed as much as they did in just 10 years of the 60s. Think about the fact that Sha Na Na was at Woodstock in 1969, and no one would have thought that hippies would have been ready to be nostalgic for greasers! "Drive In"--I've always loved this song, because it was great comedy relief in the album. Good for a laugh--"Don't stick your buddies in the trunk, 'cos they might get caught, down at the drive in. And they look kinda silly getting chased through the lot--down at the drive in". Somehow, I picture a scene from Happy Days, Grease, American Graffiti or even Porky's where this would happen! "The Girls on the Beach"---people think that movie was in 1965, but it was obvious that it was filmed in 1964, about the time this album was recorded, because of the Boys' haircuts, etc. By the time that movie was finally released, the Beach Boys had already advanced from what they were doing in 1964, leaning toward more mature, sophisticated music, with Pet Sounds and Smile just around the bend for the following year, so the film seemed already dated by then---again, reflecting how quickly popular culture was changing in the 60s. "Don't Back Down"---what a great swan song to surfing to end the album. It just fades out like they were closing a chapter on their career. Ready to move on to the next one, Giggens, whose channel I also follow regularly, has said that he feels "All Summer Long" is the best album for any beginning listener to the Beach Boys music. And I agree with him, because of the comprehensive nature of the music. It shows all sides that make the music of the Beach Boys great. The fun side, and the sophisticated side/
Thanks for the great feedback, ES! Excellent point about how rapidly music was changing during those years. By 1964, I'm sure 1957 didn't just feel like a "different era." It would have already felt like "several eras ago." (And it is bizarre how slowly music has changed over the last few decades.) Thanks, too, for highlighting the comic aspects of "Drive-In," which is definitely a great part of the song's charm. The very different paces of the music industry and the film industry are really highlighted by how much the group changed between recording their appearances in "Girls On The Beach" and the film hitting theaters. It makes me wonder if that's part of the reason the Beach Boys did so few film appearances; they may have discovered film production moved so slowly it was pointless in trying to promote a record. (It also makes me appreciate that "The TAMI Show" really depended on "Electronovision" to get it from stage to screen quickly.) I agree you with (and Giggens) that "ASL" is a great introduction to the Beach Boys. I know several of the commenters here had that experience and it seems to have been a great place for them to start. Thanks, as always, for the great insights and feedback, ES! Much appreciated!
@@thebeachboysbasementwithst6444 My mom knew Brian, they're the same age, but they weren't close friends or anything. However, after they had a couple hits but still living at home, my mom took my dad's younger brother & sister (my aunt & uncle) over to the Wilson house to meet them - that was huge in their eyes, they still sometimes tell that story.
I am an avid fan of your informed splendidly delivered podcast. I share your view about the poignancy and sense of regret in the brilliant “I Get Around, “”All summer Long,”” and “When I Grow Up to be a Man.” Your podcasts brim with judiciousness, mastery of the material, appreciation, and affection. Much obliged.
Thanks SO much for the very kind words! I know there are a lot of very knowledgeable viewers here. I benefit from their knowledge through the comments. (I will say I'm getting sharper on the Beach Boys thanks to the great feedback.) I also know I have to try pretty hard to make the episodes worthy of this audience. Your comments are truly mean a lot to me and are greatly appreciated! Thanks again, Robert!
When first hearing 'When I Grow Up', I was blown away by the vocal harmony sung under those words. I still am! What a super follow up to the "All Summer Long" LP. And 'Girls on the Beach' is 'Surfer Girl' on steroids!
Hi Steve; I enjoyed this episode as I have all of your other ones. I did experience "The Cat In White" during my dating days going to the local drive-in. This was the early 70's, and although he was not dressed in white, he was a drive-in employee who did walk around periodically looking for fogged up windows. He would knock on the roof or tap on the front driver's side window (because we were usually in the back seat) and say something like "Come Up For Air" or "Take A Break". The way to "Foil" him was to always have a towel handy to keep the windows somewhat clear. However, the BEST defense was to be a regular at that drive-in so he would get to know You and your car. It also did not hurt to talk to him when you went for snacks at the snack bar and maybe buy him a snack if he was hanging around there. This way he would cut you some slack on his later rounds. Oh, the good old days!!!!!
What a fantastic story, William! Thanks SO much for sharing that! I especially love the detail about how to work around him or even "buy him off" with snacks. You were obviously a clever (or should I say devious?) kid! I've made a note of your story and hope to point it out to "the group" in a future episode for anyone who missed it here in the comments section. Great stuff and thanks again, so much, for sharing, William!
"Fogged up windows" !! R O F L !!! I never had a chance to do any "fogging" but I DO rememver several of the drive-ins advertising "in-car heaters" ! If I'd ever cuddled up with a girl in the back seat, I'd imagine we'd have made our own heat!
@@burlingtonbill1 Thanks for mentioning "in car heaters," Bill! Now that you've brought it up, I remember seeing ads for that too. Being in Michigan, drive-ins, here, were a very seasonal business and I know the heaters were an effort to extend the season a little bit. I never saw one. I wonder what they were like and how effective (and how dangerous) those heaters were! I'll probably never know!
When I Grow Up (To Be A Man) is my favorite Beach Boys song. I can't believe they only played it live once in the 60s on Ready Steady Go in the UK. It's a great version so they obviously could handle it.
Good point! It seems like they were moving so fast in those days that some great songs got "short shrift" in their public presentations. The "Ready Steady Go" appearance can be found on youtube and, I agree, it's a great version. Thanks for the comments and for reminding me of it, Murray!
@@thebeachboysbasementwithst6444I think the only reason it got played live once was because it came out in late 64 and heavily relied on Brian Wilson's falsetto, and after Brian had his nervous breakdown and quit touring to devote more time to writing composing arranging and producing, the band had no choice but to drop it from their set list. Thank God the BBC didn't erase their performance of the song on ready steady go, which could've very easily happened, that's why you can't find any Stones footage from 1963 and not much 63 from the Beatles either....
@@DoctorInsomnia-qw7us Just a little correction Ready Steady Go was ITV not BBC and in all fairness ITV tended to be more respectful of their shows and didnt record over them.Dave Clark of DC5 now owns the rights and i believe the original shows were filmed by REDIFUSION. Good comment though with good info
@@chrisrainbow2393 it's always difficult to tell these UK networks apart, especially if I'm watching the Clip as a separate entity. Doesn't matter that it's ITV instead of BBC, the point is the video survives and we all get to enjoy it. But thanks for the clarification, being corrected every now and then is the only way to build your knowledge. Let's enjoy the music while we can... won't last forever....
@@DoctorInsomnia-qw7us Excellent point about Brian coming off the road at the end of '64 resulting in "When I Grow Up" being dropped from the set list, Doc! Totally makes sense. Now that you mention it, it is remarkable that the Ready Steady Go footage survived the BBC "erase and reuse" policy! Thanks, Doc!
When you mentioned the misprint of Don't Back Down as "Don't Break Down" on the cover of All Summer Long, I immediately decided to check out my copy, to see if I had the valuable first edition copy. Unfortunately mine is a second pressing with the mistake corrected 😢 but it is a genuine high fidelity mono version 😂 and that's why I never heard the coughing on Wendy....
I'm not sure how many of those "Don't Break Down" covers are out there. I've seen a few on display in record stores with high price tags. It's a small enough detail that it seems like it could easily be missed, so I always try to remember to check for it when I run across copies of "ASL" in used bins. (No luck so far...but I've only been looking for 43 years...) Thanks, Doc!
The reason , “Don’t Back Down “ is at the end of side two is relatively simple . “ Our favorite recording sessions “ , ends with one of the boys , ( Brian , I believe) , saying he forgot his note . He then goes to the piano and strikes the proper key …. then sings the note aloud . After telling people in the booth , “ Let’s make one “ , “Don’t Back Down” begins on that forgotten note and key . It’s all phony , of course, but the listener is meant to believe that there is a seamless transition from the ,”session “ to the final track .
Good point. Turning the end of "Our Favorite" into an introduction to "Don't Back Down" is clever and, you're right, certainly plays into it's placement at the end of the album. Thanks for pointing that out, Beanie!
Three points of interest. 1. The cough on Wendy is on the stereo mix, not the mono. 2. I love Drive-In. When Mike sings about the possibility of being chased through the drive-in, it makes me crack up with laughter. 3. I only went to a drive-in once, with my brother, his friend and the friend's parents. I was probably 11 at the time. And what did we see? A double feature! The Great Gatsby and The Conversation. Both really appropriate for our age group! I couldn't concentrate at all on The Great Gatsby, because there were almost continual hijinks going on and we couldn't exactly relate to the movie. On the other hand, The Conversation did grab my attention, especially the scene when Gene Hackman is tearing his place apart looking for, IIRC, a hidden bug.
Steve, thank you as always for the interesting and informative video, I really enjoy them. Joel, the Conversation is a classic. I always enjoy watching TV shows or movies, especially from the 1960s or 70s, filmed in my hometown of San Francisco, to see places I remember from growing up. I work in a building that is 2 blocks from the building where Cindy Williams and Harrison Ford’s offices were located. My office building hadn’t been built yet when the movie was made.
It makes total sense that the Wendy coughing sound is on the stereo mix and not the mono. After all, the producer, Brian Wilson was deaf in one ear, and wouldn't have heard it while mixing the mono version....
Thanks for pointing out the cough being on the stereo mix only. That might also explain why I never heard it for so long. I think the first copies I heard were mono. (Thanks too, to daNerd and Doctor Insomnia for the additional comments on this one!) Your memory of the "Great Gatsby/The Conversation" drive-in double feature is hilarious! I almost can't imagine a less likely pair of movies for kids to want to watch at a drive-in! (Glad you found something to grab your attention in "The Conversation," which, as Tiny Dancer points out in other comments, is an excellent movie, of course, but not one I'd have wanted to watch in a drive-in as a kid.) I remember my parents taking us to a James Bond double feature at the drive-in when we were too young to enjoy it, but they tried to compensate by bringing home-popped popcorn for us and putting sleeping bags in the back of the station wagon so we could go to sleep. A few years later, my mom made it up to me by taking me to a drive-in Japanese monster movie triple feature of "Monster Zero," "War of The Gargantuas" and "King Kong Escapes" which ran until 1:30am. She sat patiently and let me watch the whole thing because I was enjoying it so much. (She certainly went "above and beyond" as a mom that night!) Thanks, as always, for the great info and for sharing the memories, Joel! (And to daNerd, Tiny Dancer and Doctor Insomnia for the additional!)
Yee-ouch! You are absolutely right, of course! The "Surfin' USA" album went to #2. I hate it when something like that gets by me! Thanks for catching it and for letting me know, Robert! Much appreciated!
Always like the tidbits about each song you're talking about, Steve. As with Side 1, like all the songs on Side 2. Several years ago, read a story by some Music writer, who didn't like the Beach Boys. He thought it was very odd/sick for Brian to write "A love song" about one of his daughters/"Wendy". The guy obviously had his chronology messed up, because Wendy Wilson was born about five years after the song "Wendy" was written and recorded by the group. Find it odd (Given that Rock music as a music style was only about ten years old at this point) that the BBs would do a tribute song to some of the artists/songs of less than ten years before. Both "Drive-In" and "Don't Back Down" are throwbacks to 1963 BBs. Could see "Drive-In" on the Little Deuce Coupe album and "Don't Back Down" on the Surfer Girl album. Only went to a Drive-In once, as a college kid, with some friends, to see what it would be like. The one we went to was on its last legs,closing not too long after we went. In the late 1990s/early 2000s, AMC used to run a series called Lost Drive-In Theater, hosted by Bruce Dern. He played a caretaker of an abandoned Drive-In Theater, who would introduce each weeks movies, with tidbits about the people who starred in the movies. I enjoyed watching those movies, and enjoyed Dern's character. Check out what I replied back to you about Side 1 (What I said about Brian and Fred Vail, and the Cows In The Pasture album CD to be released).
Wow! That's some poorly-researched review for that writer to not figure out that "Wendy," the song, came long before "Wendy," the daughter, especially if it's going to be criticized on those grounds. (Once in a while, in my research for the channel, I come across some astounding stuff...but that's right up there with the worst of it!) BTW, I recently read, somewhere, that naming her "Wendy" was Marilyn's call. Brian wanted something else. I've forgotten what it was. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't as good as "Wendy." Glad Marilyn won that discussion! It sounds like Wendy Wilson is too! I agree that both "Drive-In" and "Don't Back Down" sound like they're from a slightly earlier period. (I guess, for "Drive-In," it makes sense because the backing track is from '63.) Cool that you got to experience a Drive-In. There are a couple within an hour drive from us (at least, there were ten years ago.) We always meant to take my son, when he was young, so he could see what they were like, but, in Michigan, it doesn't get dark during the summer until nearly 10PM. It was too late for him when he was little and, by the time we could have worked it out, going to a drive-in with his parents didn't sound all that cool to him. I can't believe I never saw that "Lost Drive-In" series on AMC. It sounds like something I'd have loved! Sorry I seem to have missed your follow-up from last week. Thanks for mentioning it and I'll take a look! Thanks, as always, for the great feedback, Robert!
@@thebeachboysbasementwithst6444Think that movie theaters , in general, have been taking a hit for several years. My opinion on why is largely due to movies, television shows, news programs first being released on videotape/allowing people to buy their own copies, and be able to watch them in their own homes anytime. Now, videotapes have been replaced by DVDs and blue-rays, with picture /sound quality improving. Part of the "Lost Drive-In" Theater segments would be that they would show old promo films that movie theaters would show, promoting their concession stands/snack bars. Many of these were animated. I bet you can find many of these now posted on TH-cam, along with some Bruce Dern/"Lost Drive-In" intros. You've probably seen this, but the Oklahoma Historical Society posted a number of years ago some B & W film footage that a lady by the name of Ida Blackburn (Think that's her name) interviewing the Beach Boys in September, 1964, just before they did an Oklahoma concert. She talks to each Beach Boy individually. They all come across pretty well. Dennis, ever the lady's man, compliments her on the dress she's wearing LOL! It's interesting seeing Brian only a few months before his breakdown. Were you able to find my reply to you from Side 1? Think it starts off with me saying "I googled Brian for the latest information about him . . ."
Another correction, Steve: Pulled some "Lost Drive-In" segments on TH-cam. Thought they were a weekly/Saturday night feature that AMC put together during the late 1990s/early 2000s. Was wrong about that. They were put together by the Speed channel, then known as Speedvision. One segment on TH-cam has Bruce Dern introducing the movie Two Lane Blacktop (!). Hope you're able to watch some of these. If you do, just remember "The Speaker. . . LIVES". You'll have to watch one of these, to catch what I just said!
@@robertzastrow4648 I just watched the Lost Drive-In "Two Lane Blacktop" intro. What a great concept and Bruce Dern was a perfect choice as host!"The speaker...lives" indeed! Thanks for the recommendation, Robert!
Enjoyed this episode Steve. My theory regarding the little Saint Nick / drive-in recording: the original Little Saint Nick was released in 1963 a year before The Beach Boys Christmas album. While recording for the 1964 Christmas album, my guess is they thought about recording an updated version for ‘64, similar to what the Ventures did with Walk Don’t Run. The original hit was released in 1960 and then they did an updated version for 1964 called Walk Don’t Run ’64 which was also a hit. Just guessing….
Myself being a BB freak I would listen to all their albums with headphones…Pet Sounds had some chatter also. I remember first time hearing’Wendy’ and the cough; couldn’t believe I heard that. Still though….these guys were always my favorite. I grew up in the “sticks” and it was Brian and his songs that painted a picture that there was “something” out there in the world, and I wanted to be part of it. No other music or group ever did that.
That's a good question, Jamie! From the other comments here, I understand it isn't present on all versions. My only guess would be that it went unnoticed at the time. Thanks for reminding us about "Auld Lang Syne" too!
@@franciscrisp6245 Francis, your experience growing up "in the sticks" and getting a view of the wider world through records sounds very similar to mine in rural Michigan. I wouldn't say that Beach Boys' records were entirely responsible for me moving to L.A. in 1985 (and living there until 2001), but the picture those records painted certainly played a part! Thanks for the comments, Francis!
Oh hey Steve. I just saw a video for Don't Back Down by a group called The Queers. It sounds like they're a punk rock band. I didn't know if you ever heard it or of them. Apparently they also did Little Honda, Be True To Your School, Dead Man's Curve and Gas Money. Anyway, you might already know all this, I just thought they didn't sound too bad.
I had heard of them (the name is certainly attention-grabbing) but hadn't given them a listen and didn't know they'd covered those songs. I just listened to a few of their tracks. Great stuff! In college, my friends and I kept wishing there'd be a band that would combine the Beach Boys and Ramones. The Queers seem to have just about done it! Thanks for letting me know about them, Michael!
In the UK, Wendy was released as the B-side to Good Vibrations, I always found that to be a weird choice but when you mentioned that Wendy has some proto-psychedelic elements it made alot more sense to me. I think Do You Remember? would work well as a concert or compilation intro track. The linear notes for the 1990s release Lost & Found state that without the early 1961 demo tracks, "there wouldn't be a Good Vibrations or an Our Favorite Recording Sessions." Seems like that spoken word track has become the butt of the joke for many. I don't mind it though; at least they picked something that felt relevant to the rest of the album. I'm always surprised She Knows Me Too Well never became a hit. Maybe it's the relationship implications in some of the lyrics. I would love to do a crossover/collab episode- just let me know what you are thinking!
"Wendy" definitely seems like an odd choice of B-side, especially so long after it's initial release. I could only guess that, maybe, they were hedging their bets in case "Good Vibrations" proved "too weird." (Hard to imagine, but, maybe that was it.) I agree that "Our Favorite Recording Sessions" at least has the advantage of being relevant to the rest of the album (and, it occurred to me later, might have been more appealing at a time when "studio chatter" was something much more rare to hear. Good point about "She Knows Me Too Well" not becoming a hit, especially at a time when Beach Boys b-sides often charted on their own. As far as a crossover, I was thinking it might be fun to kick around some Beach Boys topic on a Zoom call. If you'd like, you can get me by email at "SteveCLewisA2" at gmail and we can kick some ideas around. Seems like it would be fun! Thanks for the great follow-up, BB!
I've always thought "Don't Back Down" was a great track, but just too short. Brian's creative "well" was just gushing forth SO many good tunes during this period that, by comparison, it seems to have gotten short shrift. Maybe he was tired of all the surf tunes he'd worked on, this was the last one, thrown in at the end, just to be DONE with it? I wish it had a middle section that extended its short 1:43, or that the beautiful refrain, with its priceless BW falsetto, would've been repeated once or twice more, with a longer fadeout. It ALWAYS leaves me wanting MORE ! I liked your comparison with "Don't Worry Baby" as another song with a superficial topic disguising an underlying theme! Brilliant. Until you mentioned it, I'd never noticed the error in the title at the album cover's top edge! I also had to go and try to experience the "Wendy" cough. Although I listened to 3 different released versions, I never heard it until this version, at the 3:31 mark, when the music tracks were way lower: th-cam.com/video/g_qNjlmgKT0/w-d-xo.html I think one of the best things you've ever spoken in all of these episodes, and which truly illustrates the superiority of the BBs is this: "After the massive success of IGA, a lesser group would've tried to replicate that success with a similar-sounding record. The very fact that the BBs did nothing of the kind set them apart." Again, brilliant ! I was never much of a "drive-in guy," either. My one memory of going with some guys, ostensibly to meet some girls (which never happened) was driving off purposely with the door speaker still attached, which ripped the speaker's cord off at the speaker post! When we got home we hooked it up to a stereo, but it had relatively poor quality. (I wonder how many other speakers went missing on an average weekend!) Nice list of harpsichord songs! I didn't realize how many there were during the 3 years you looked at. Overall, a great show ! Thanks for your perceptiveness and dedication.
Thanks for the great feedback, Bill! I absolutely agree that "Don't Back Down" is too short and really could have benefited from a middle section (or at least, another verse or chorus or two!) I think I saw in one of your responses to another comment that you saw that the cough isn't audible in all versions of "Wendy." (I haven't gotten to it yet, but I thought I caught a glimpse of it just now.) I hadn't realized the cough wasn't in all versions, or I'd have mentioned it in the episode. It, undoubtedly, also accounts for me having never been able to hear it for so long. The version I happened to put on to review of this episode had it. Some of the other copies I've had, I realize now, don't. Your comments about driving off with the drive-in speaker reminded me that I was with a guy who did that once as well. (I don't know if he had any particular use in mind for it. He was just prone to swiping anything he could get away with. That guy was trouble!) I've got to imagine speaker theft and abuse was a constant headache and expense for drive-in operators. Always great to hear from you, Bill! Thanks, as always, for the excellent thoughts and feedback!
Ignoring the one obligatory pre-Pet Sounds filler song, All Summer Long is a big step in quality compared to Shut Down vol 2, really showed were they would go next Also another great 60s songs featuring a harpsichord are Two Sisters and Village Green by the Kinks, played by Nicky Hopkins Another great video Steve, i wonder if you will ever revisit old albums reviews like Today, Love You and 20/20 as those reviews were made when your videos didnt have the level of quality they have now
Thanks for the feedback, Lucas! I agree that "All Summer Long" represented a huge step forward for the band. Thanks for mentioning the use of harpsichord by the Kinks. (I wish I'd thought of it when I was putting the episode together!) I will definitely be revisiting those albums in much more detail. I'm planning to do a "deep dive" into 1969 and "20/20" this summer and "Today!," along with the first half of 1965, (hopefully) in the fall. Always great to hear from you, Lucas! Thanks again!
Seems like the harpsichord was a secret weapon in 60's music! I'm not old enough to of enjoyed a Drive-in but envy all of you that did! Another great video!
I agree! I loved the harpsichord then and I do now. As for drive-ins, there are a couple "old fashioned drive-ins" that still operate here in the summer within about an hour's drive. When he was young, we always meant to take my son to one so he could see what they were like. Unfortunately, in Michigan, the sun doesn't set in summer until around 10:00pm, well past his bedtime when he was little, so we never quite worked it out. Great to hear from you, Usualmike!
Wendy--So...who coughed? I really like this song, but damn if those recorders(?) on the instrumental break don't threaten to turn into dog whistles...on some mixes, anyway. Makes me wanna wince.. Do You Remember--Have always thought the production on this was kinda skimpy, esp compared to the Big Beat version...and btw I'd say you could draw a line from The Big Beat to Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire--the lyrics of both are long lists of pop culture references, no? (I just gave Big Beat a listen. Forgot about the refs to Aunt Jemima and Uncle Remus--more wincing.) The Girls on the Beach--Yes, Surfer Girl 2.0 obv... Drive-In--Went to a drive-in exactly once, to see that Richard Dreyfuss-Emilio Estevez comedy Stakeout in '87. Remember that one? It's pretty much faded from memory... Don't Back Down--A great one, I think, and I like the alt version, too. I'll never find it, but I know I read a straight-faced critic argue that Don't Back Down is a more interesting piece of music than Surf's Up...yes, seriously. Something about it being written in a mixolydian scale etc etc... When I Grow Up--I kinda wish this wasn't so up-tempo. It's wound up as tight as, say, I Get Around or Little Honda. Maybe if it was a little slower, that quality of sad wistfulness would be a little stronger. Also, since BW and McCartney are the exact same age, doesn't it make more sense for BW to be looking forward on When I Grow Up, as opposed to McCartney already looking back on In My Life (just a year later, at age 23)? You follow me there...? Prob just me being anti-Macca... She Knows Me Too Well--Another great one...and I don't need to be one more admirer heaping praise on it... I had a copy of the Don't Break Down version of the LP. Have I told you before how all of my 40-odd BBs LPs were ruined one winter when a pipe burst in the basement? I believe I have. That was one of the losses... Great vid as always...!
From what I was able to find, nobody is sure who the cough is. You'll find stuff on line saying it's Dennis, but the seemingly more reliable sources say nobody knows. My assumption is that it's only there because nobody noticed it when the mix was being put together. If nobody realized it was there, it would make sense that nobody knows who did it. Excellent points on the production of "Do You Remember." That one does give the impression it was put together quickly. I wouldn't go so far as to call it "filler," but I don't think anybody thought it was a centerpiece of the album either, so I wouldn't be surprised if the recording was rushed compared to the "big" songs. Great comparison between "The Big Beat" and "We Didn't Start The Fire." You started me thinking about other pop/rock songs with a "history lesson." Off hand, I thought of "Life Is A Rock (But The Radio Rolled Me)" by Reunion and "Boys' Talk" by Dave Edmunds (a cool, obscure b-side that lists women's names from rock era song title.) Neither of those have chronological lyrics though. It's a little more esoteric, but "American Pie" would probably be another. (Anyway...I digress!) Really great point about "When I Grow Up" being so uptempo too! Now that you've mentioned it, I'm really surprised nobody (to my knowledge) has done a moody "slow" version. It seems like that could be really interesting. Interesting point about Lennon/McCartney "looking back" with tracks like "In My Life." Of course, you could say that "When I'm Sixty-Four," a year and a half later, is looking WAY forward. In a way, I guess "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane" both also look back. (There's another possible list; bands/artists singing songs about their childhoods!) I found "She Knows Me Too Well" kind of a hard one to talk about for the same reason you mentioned: It's difficult to come up with anything that isn't just heaping more praise on it. I got a chill being reminded of your burst basement pipe…It’s the kind of thing I have nightmares about! Sorry for the long-winded response! (You seem to always post comments that get me thinking…even if it’s off in some weird direction!) Always great to hear from you, rangergrrrl!
@@thebeachboysbasementwithst6444 1. I feel like I failed to make my point about WIGU vs In My Life...but I think you get my drift. In My Life is obv a slam dunk Beatles classic, but McCartney "looking back" at the tender age of 23 seems like a clever conceit somehow, a little bit of a pose. I'm sure no one would agree with me on this. Should probably file that one under "Never mind"... 2. Ever heard Bruce Springsteen's live cover of WIGU from the 80s? It's on YT. It's apparently the only time he ever played that song in concert... 3. re Don't Back Down...so it's always bugged me: the boys know the surf "like the palm of their hand"? Does anyone say this? Why not "the back of their hand"...? Never apologize (to me, of all commenters!) for being long-winded. You're a sweetheart to write such thoughtful replies...
@@rangergrrrl I think I get your point on "In My Life" being a bit of a pose coming from someone so young. (I'm pretty sure Lennon was the primary writer on that one, having written the lyrics himself with some collaboration with McCartney on the melody.) In any case, the point is well-taken! Thanks for mentioning the Springsteen live version of "When I Grow Up." I just gave it a listen. Very cool! Good point about "palm" versus "back of their hand." You're right...I don't think anybody says "palm." Maybe somebody thought "back of their hand" in a song called "Don't Back Down" was one "back" too many? Very strange, in any case! Thanks for the great follow-up and for the excellent info and insights, rangergrrrl!
@@thebeachboysbasementwithst6444 Why did I think McCartney wrote In My Life? Lennon is obv singing lead, and isn't that the rule of thumb for which Beatle was the primary writer? I know In My Life is one of the few(?) disputed who-wrote-what Beatles tunes. Anyway, enough about that. Have a groovy weekend...
I always enjoyed the Our favorite recording session.Made me realize that the music didn't just happen. I love to hear the Boys fooling around and having Fun.
Good point, Steve. I can definitely understand that. Your comments also make me realize that this kind of studio chatter was much, much more rare to hear in 1964 and would, I'm sure, have been more of a treat for listeners. Thanks for the perspective, Steve!
Great episode as always Steve, unfortunately we never had Drive-in's in the uk but it does appear to be a fun night out. The "All summer long" album remained my favourite BBs album for 5/6 years it would be on the turntable more than any other BBs album until "Sunflower" in 1970, and l still give it a spin now and then. It captivates everything we imagined it to be in sunny California. All we wanted to do was hang out on the beach with some girls listening to BBs music, and we frequently did just that every summer, great times wonderful memories. Thanks for another fine episode Steve.
Great to hear from you, John! Your comments, along with some other feedback I've received, have given me a real appreciation that the "All Summer Long" album encapsulates the "California experience" or the "California dream," probably, better than any of their other albums. It's an important point that I hadn't really considered (though I know I sure had the same feeling, as a teenager in the cornfields of Michigan, when I heard it.) Thanks for the comments, John! Always great stuff! (Sorry drive-ins never "happened" in the UK. They were fun...but you guys got The Beatles, so I'd say it worked out okay!)
That intro to Wendy blew me away back in ’64. And while it does seem unrelated to the rest of the song, it is related in that the chords are the same as those in the “I never thought a guy could cry…” part of the song.
Excellent observation.
Thanks for pointing that out, Terry! It's certainly a very cool intro and one in a long line of great, and unique, Brian Wilson song intros. Thanks again for passing that along, Terry!
Funny enough these guys Mike & Bruce are in their 80’s and are still
singing “When I grow up” still one of my favorites a highlight of the 50th tour! Great stuff Steve!
Good point, Mike! Sure glad nobody ever saw fit to "retire" it. It's a song I love and always a highlight. Thanks, Mike!
Thank you Steve...
Glad to know it was enjoyed, Chad!
Great stuff again Steve! The only cat dressed in white I ever saw at the drive-in was an actual cat. We have a drive-in about 15 minutes away, so we usually go at least once a year. As you probably can tell by my comments, I will still joke around and after 30 years of marriage, looks like I'll also love my wife for the rest of my life. On a different note, I always loved the sound of the harpsichord. I also always wondered why they left the cough in Wendy. I always liked the mix of music and comedy with the Jan And Dean Meet Batman album. I can't wait till the 1957 deep dive. I always liked the look of the 1957 Chevy. I loved the deep dive you did with 1933. Anyway, Great as usual Steve!
Glad to know you still joke around (and I KNOW you still dig those sounds!) My wife and I are coming up on 25 years of marriage and it's looking good for it to be "the rest of my life" for me too! Thanks for mentioning "Jan and Dean Meet Batman!" I haven't pulled that one out in a long time and it's due for a "spin." Thanks, too, for the feedback on doing "1957." I've been researching it and I think it's going to be really fun. (Amazing stuff going on in that year!) Also glad to know you enjoyed "1933." Thanks for the comments, as always, Michael, and, when we get there, I'll definitely be looking for your feedback on "1957!"
Great episode yet again, Steve!! My dad said that the first Beach Boys album he bought for himself was All Summer Long and I’ve always thought that was a good start. Also: ‘She Knows Me Too Well’ is one of my favorite Beach Boys songs ever, probably tied with ‘Til I Die’ and ‘Surf’s Up’.
I’m not sure if you’re aware, but apparently there was an anecdote relayed by Andy Paley that during the filming of the I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times documentary Don Was attempted to get Brian to talk about the Smile sessions by asking him what he felt his heaviest work was which prompted Brian to enthusiastically discuss the sessions for ‘Drive-In’ which probably disappointed Was and he obviously didn’t use it in the film.
I remember one morning, getting ready to go to school. It was pouring rain; we had the radio on in the kitchen… She Knows Me Too Well came on, and it blew me away… Had that song in my mind all day. Being a BB fan that song was so melancholy and a departure from their surfing songs. My wife and I like to really crank it up with songs, Don’t Back Down and Dance Dance Dance.
Your dad definitely picked a great album to start his Beach Boys collection! Nice! "She Knows Me Too Well" is one of my all-time favorites too. Like most fans, I originally knew it from the great second side of "Beach Boys Today!" I remember finding it hard to believe it had started out as a b-side. (Of course, unlike a lot of artists, the Beach Boys' b-sides were usually pretty great!)
Thanks for sharing that anecdote about Don Was and "Drive In"! Hilarious and, it seems, a "very Brian" story! Great to hear from you, as always, Mike!
@@thebeachboysbasementwithst6444 Brian could usually be counted on to say the unexpected during an interview! You never knew if he was serious in THAT moment, or putting everyone on, to possibly provoke a reaction.
In his 2017 book “The Words and Music of Brian Wilson,” author Christian Matijas-Mecca writes about the alternate version of “Little Saint Nick” set to the backing track of “Drive-In.” He states in quite a complex explanation: “In the author’s interview with Brad Elliott, it was explained that on the same day Brian cut ‘Little Saint Nick’ (October 18), he cut two additional tracks, without titles, which he identified as ‘Track No. 1’ and ‘Track No. 2.’ Later, the first track was given the title of ‘My Bobby Left Me’ and the second was titled ‘Drive-In.’ It is likely that Brian intended these for either Sharon Marie or the Honeys, but they were never executed with those artists. When the band returned on October 20 to record the vocals for ‘Little Saint Nick,’ he also had them put a vocal over what was ‘Track No. 2’ with the lyrics from ‘Little St. Nick.’ In spring of 1964, Brian came back to ‘Track No. 2’ with the lyrics for ‘Drive-In’ and completed the track with The Beach Boys.” Not sure I understand all that, but since Elliott wrote the liner notes for 1998’s “Ultimate Christmas,” this may be the best explanation we will ever get.
Thanks for passing that along, Bill! All of that makes sense with the other stuff I came across (most of what I came across anyway. I also came across some stuff I was pretty sure was in error.)
It completely makes sense that "Track No. 1" and "Track No. 2" were conceived as a single for Sharon Marie (or the Honeys.) I'm just thinking this through now, but, unless Brian had changed his mind about doing a Sharon Marie (or Honeys) single between the 18th and the 20th, they probably would have been putting the "Little Saint Nick" vocals on what became "Little Honda" as, many have speculated "a lark," since Brian, seemingly had other plans for the track at the time. (Of course, I'm sure that's not any kind of "air tight" solution!) Thanks again for the very interesting info, Bill! Always great to hear from you!
Another supurb episode Steve and the info you give here has taught me a lot about American Culture in 1964 which differed widely from UK and i am particularly impressed with" "Drive Ins " as we dont have them here but they sound like great fun .
Over here in UK as a kid in 1964 , a lot of us would attend our local cinema on a saturday for " Saturday Morning Pictures " which was so exciting and was in my case, my first sense of freedom as it involved a short Train Journey to Godalming Odeon on my own or with a friend without any adults to keep us in order and for a shilling we were treated to cartoons, Laurel and Hardy, a Serial which always ended with a cliff hanger to ensure you returned next week , then maybe a short documentary and after an interval, it would be the big feature and i remember seeing " A Hard Days Night " and " Help " for the very first time as i attended every saturday from mid 60s to early 70s and even when Godalming Odeon closed, i would then travel to Guildford to their much bigger Odeon.
Considering the pace that the BBs were now enduring, it amazes me how they managed to put out such good quality music as it seems to me that Capitol were pushing them really hard and over here it was the same for our Beatles and something had to give and in the case of the Beatles, it was Johns misquoted Jesus remark that ended Beatlemania and with the case of the Beach Boys we know the effect it had on Brians health and the fact that both groups weathered the storm and continued to make amazing music is astiounding.
I would say to anybody who had never heard of the Beach Boys that maybe the " All Summer Long " album would be ideal as an introduction to the groups music as it has everything you need and will leave you hungry for more .
Just a little footnote, back in the late 80s my late wife found that EP you show here in an antique shop when she was on a trip with her mother and she bought it for me , it was £2 but its very worn and sounds like eggs and bacon in a frying pan, but it was worth every penny for the picture sleeve and all the info and back in the day, someone had obviously enjoyed it as it had obviously been well played.
Thanks for sharing those great memories, Chris! "Saturday Morning Pictures" sounds like a complete blast for a kid!
With the pace both the Beatles and the Beach Boys were enduring in 1964, it really makes me think labels felt sure "pop groups with teen appeal" were all "flash-in-the-pan" and they had not compunction about pressing them until they dropped, rather than any interest in preserving and developing them. The attitude seems to have completely been " Time is short. Let's grab all the money while we can."
BTW, I love your insight on "ASL" being a great introduction with "everything you need and will leave you hungry for more." Well said!
So cool that your wife found a copy of the EP, even if it was "well used." Those are pretty hard to come by. It seems like EPs were more prevalent in the UK and Europe. There were a few here, but, somehow, they never really seemed to fit well with the American market. (I've noticed recently that EP were on the American album charts in the late 50s and moved over to the singles chart by the early 60s. EPs seem to have been "square pegs" where the US record industry was concerned.)
Thanks, as always, for the great feedback, Chris!
Great comments, especially as you say "without any adults to keep us in order." Precisely how it was here, in regards to our one "drive-in" experience as I detailed above !
@@burlingtonbill1 Yes, it was a great feeling Bill to walk to my local train station and buy my own ticket and remember to get off at the next station and walk the short distance to the cinema aged 8 and pay the cashier my shilling entrance fee on my own without mum checking if my shirt was tucked in and that i used a handkerchief instead of my sleeve.....Ah Heaven .
Steve, I just had a couple of strange experiences tonight. I was talking to my wife about the recent death of Eric Carmen and played her a video of him with The Raspberries playing “Go All the Way” and told her I had gotten that album for my 16th birthday. A few minutes later I received an email from a high school friend who attended my 16th birthday party. He was describing a great score he had achieved playing against poker bots and he ended his email with the expression “Go All the Way.” I thought it an amazing coincidence but then a few minutes later I got into bed and turned on your video about side two of All Summer Long.
Being a completist, I have recently been buying all of Elton John’s albums on CD. He certainly had some stinkers over the years but in order to complete my collection I needed to purchase his Victim of Love album on CD, an album so bad that I will probably never play it. It arrived yesterday and tonight I had placed it onto my CD shelf in the place where it belongs chronologically. Soon after experiencing the Eric Carmen coincidence a few minutes ago, I almost had a heart attack when I began watching your video and saw that you had Elton John’s Victim of Love album, which had no connection at all with the All Summer Long album, on display in one of your shadow boxes. I called out to my wife to tell her about this second coincidental event. She told me to go to just go to sleep.
Thanks for sharing this. Amazing coincidences!
Thanks for sharing the amazing coincidences, Michael! Of course, I was sorry to hear the news about Eric Carmen. I first heard it on one of the TV news channels, where they just called him "'Hungry Eyes' singer, Eric Carmen." At first, I thought, "Well, a news channel probably doesn't have time to give him a proper career bio." A few seconds later, I realized that, with the endless hours new channels fill by speculating about stuff, they could have done a little bit better by Eric Carmen. Certainly a sad loss!
Cool that you spotted "Victim of Love" in the background. Last week's theme was "Bernie Taupin (mostly without Elton John.)" This week was "Elton John without Bernie Taupin." (I think the overall quality of stuff from both weeks shows they were much better together than apart!)
Back in October, ’79, I bought “Victim of Love” on the day of release, which I always did with Elton John albums in those days. I took it home, gave it a listen and was stunned by the abysmal quality of it. In a coincidence of my own, I happened to be going to my first Elton John concert that very night. At the concert, he appeared solo for the first half and with Ray Cooper for the second half. He played hits and deep cuts for three and a half hours. It was one of the finest concerts I ever saw. He never played anything from, or even mentioned, his just-released album, “Victim of Love.”
Not to drive you crazy with more coincidences, Michael, but I have a “Elton John completist” friend who recently finished his collection of all the Elton John albums on vinyl. (I can’t remember if it was “The Big Picture” or “The One” that he finally found on vinyl to complete the collection.)
Always great to hear from you, Michael, and thanks for sharing those stories!
well being a completist, I already have most of his albums on vinyl and am only now trying to complete them on CD. Thank goodness I never got into cassettes, LOL.@@thebeachboysbasementwithst6444
My favorite EC track: th-cam.com/video/dR_qmrv7iE0/w-d-xo.html
Great video as always! I forget if you'd mentioned this in your videos about The Honeys, but the alternate version of "Don't Back Down" shares the same melody as the Honeys' "Hide Go Seek" which I thought was really neat! I recently picked up the "Pet Projects" CD, and I've been enjoying hearing some early Brian Wilson productions, but when Hide Go Seek came, on I knew I recognized that melody somewhere!
I had totally forgotten about that! Thanks for the reminder, Dennis! I've made a note to mention it in a future episode (with "props" to you, of course, for pointing it out.) Much appreciated!
I love all of the songs you mentioned with the harpsichord.
Me too! Surprising, too, how different most of those songs are. Thanks for the comments, TD!
First here!Great job as usual Steve!
All right, Moon! Thanks for the comment and thanks for kicking things off this week!
Hi Steve/ For us old time Beach Boys fans, this time in their career was starting to take off with some great songs. Brian had so many songs boiling in the pot that many album cuts could have been a hit themselves. Luckily, I have the 1st pressing (Don't break down), thanks for another enjoyable episode.
Good point, Don! So many tracks on "All Summer Long" (and the albums that followed) could have been (maybe should have been) single a-sides. I've seen a few of the "Don't Break Down" covers on display at record stores with high price tags. VERY cool that you've got one! Thanks for the comments, Don! Always a pleasure!
"Do You Remember?"--Once again, another illustration of how quickly things changed in the 1960s, that people in 1964 were already starting to get nostalgic for music that was made not even a decade earlier! Compare that to how trends have slowed in our modern times, no one ever gets nostalgic for music that was produced in the 00's or the teens, or even the 90s really. Because the last 30 years of pop culture haven't changed as much as they did in just 10 years of the 60s. Think about the fact that Sha Na Na was at Woodstock in 1969, and no one would have thought that hippies would have been ready to be nostalgic for greasers!
"Drive In"--I've always loved this song, because it was great comedy relief in the album. Good for a laugh--"Don't stick your buddies in the trunk, 'cos they might get caught, down at the drive in. And they look kinda silly getting chased through the lot--down at the drive in". Somehow, I picture a scene from Happy Days, Grease, American Graffiti or even Porky's where this would happen!
"The Girls on the Beach"---people think that movie was in 1965, but it was obvious that it was filmed in 1964, about the time this album was recorded, because of the Boys' haircuts, etc. By the time that movie was finally released, the Beach Boys had already advanced from what they were doing in 1964, leaning toward more mature, sophisticated music, with Pet Sounds and Smile just around the bend for the following year, so the film seemed already dated by then---again, reflecting how quickly popular culture was changing in the 60s.
"Don't Back Down"---what a great swan song to surfing to end the album. It just fades out like they were closing a chapter on their career. Ready to move on to the next one,
Giggens, whose channel I also follow regularly, has said that he feels "All Summer Long" is the best album for any beginning listener to the Beach Boys music. And I agree with him, because of the comprehensive nature of the music. It shows all sides that make the music of the Beach Boys great. The fun side, and the sophisticated side/
Thanks for the great feedback, ES! Excellent point about how rapidly music was changing during those years. By 1964, I'm sure 1957 didn't just feel like a "different era." It would have already felt like "several eras ago." (And it is bizarre how slowly music has changed over the last few decades.)
Thanks, too, for highlighting the comic aspects of "Drive-In," which is definitely a great part of the song's charm.
The very different paces of the music industry and the film industry are really highlighted by how much the group changed between recording their appearances in "Girls On The Beach" and the film hitting theaters. It makes me wonder if that's part of the reason the Beach Boys did so few film appearances; they may have discovered film production moved so slowly it was pointless in trying to promote a record. (It also makes me appreciate that "The TAMI Show" really depended on "Electronovision" to get it from stage to screen quickly.)
I agree you with (and Giggens) that "ASL" is a great introduction to the Beach Boys. I know several of the commenters here had that experience and it seems to have been a great place for them to start. Thanks, as always, for the great insights and feedback, ES! Much appreciated!
1957 my parents were teens growing up in.... Hawthorne, Ca.
VERY cool! Did they know the Wilson or the Marks family by any chance?
@@thebeachboysbasementwithst6444 My mom knew Brian, they're the same age, but they weren't close friends or anything. However, after they had a couple hits but still living at home, my mom took my dad's younger brother & sister (my aunt & uncle) over to the Wilson house to meet them - that was huge in their eyes, they still sometimes tell that story.
I am an avid fan of your informed splendidly delivered podcast. I share your view about the poignancy and sense of regret in the brilliant “I Get Around, “”All summer Long,”” and “When I Grow Up to be a Man.” Your podcasts brim with judiciousness, mastery of the material, appreciation, and affection. Much obliged.
Thanks SO much for the very kind words! I know there are a lot of very knowledgeable viewers here. I benefit from their knowledge through the comments. (I will say I'm getting sharper on the Beach Boys thanks to the great feedback.) I also know I have to try pretty hard to make the episodes worthy of this audience. Your comments are truly mean a lot to me and are greatly appreciated! Thanks again, Robert!
When first hearing 'When I Grow Up', I was blown away by the vocal harmony sung under those words. I still am! What a super follow up to the "All Summer Long" LP. And 'Girls on the Beach' is 'Surfer Girl' on steroids!
Yes! Those vocals are great! Great description of "Girls On The Beach" too! Thanks for the comments and feedback, Val!
Hi Steve; I enjoyed this episode as I have all of your other ones. I did experience "The Cat In White" during my dating days going to the local drive-in. This was the early 70's, and although he was not dressed in white, he was a drive-in employee who did walk around periodically looking for fogged up windows. He would knock on the roof or tap on the front driver's side window (because we were usually in the back seat) and say something like "Come Up For Air" or "Take A Break". The way to "Foil" him was to always have a towel handy to keep the windows somewhat clear. However, the BEST defense was to be a regular at that drive-in so he would get to know You and your car. It also did not hurt to talk to him when you went for snacks at the snack bar and maybe buy him a snack if he was hanging around there. This way he would cut you some slack on his later rounds. Oh, the good old days!!!!!
What a fantastic story, William! Thanks SO much for sharing that! I especially love the detail about how to work around him or even "buy him off" with snacks. You were obviously a clever (or should I say devious?) kid! I've made a note of your story and hope to point it out to "the group" in a future episode for anyone who missed it here in the comments section. Great stuff and thanks again, so much, for sharing, William!
"Fogged up windows" !! R O F L !!! I never had a chance to do any "fogging" but I DO rememver several of the drive-ins advertising "in-car heaters" ! If I'd ever cuddled up with a girl in the back seat, I'd imagine we'd have made our own heat!
@@burlingtonbill1 Thanks for mentioning "in car heaters," Bill! Now that you've brought it up, I remember seeing ads for that too. Being in Michigan, drive-ins, here, were a very seasonal business and I know the heaters were an effort to extend the season a little bit. I never saw one. I wonder what they were like and how effective (and how dangerous) those heaters were! I'll probably never know!
Absolutely
When I Grow Up (To Be A Man) is my favorite Beach Boys song. I can't believe they only played it live once in the 60s on Ready Steady Go in the UK. It's a great version so they obviously could handle it.
Good point! It seems like they were moving so fast in those days that some great songs got "short shrift" in their public presentations. The "Ready Steady Go" appearance can be found on youtube and, I agree, it's a great version. Thanks for the comments and for reminding me of it, Murray!
@@thebeachboysbasementwithst6444I think the only reason it got played live once was because it came out in late 64 and heavily relied on Brian Wilson's falsetto, and after Brian had his nervous breakdown and quit touring to devote more time to writing composing arranging and producing, the band had no choice but to drop it from their set list. Thank God the BBC didn't erase their performance of the song on ready steady go, which could've very easily happened, that's why you can't find any Stones footage from 1963 and not much 63 from the Beatles either....
@@DoctorInsomnia-qw7us Just a little correction Ready Steady Go was ITV not BBC and in all fairness ITV tended to be more respectful of their shows and didnt record over them.Dave Clark of DC5 now owns the rights and i believe the original shows were filmed by REDIFUSION. Good comment though with good info
@@chrisrainbow2393 it's always difficult to tell these UK networks apart, especially if I'm watching the Clip as a separate entity. Doesn't matter that it's ITV instead of BBC, the point is the video survives and we all get to enjoy it. But thanks for the clarification, being corrected every now and then is the only way to build your knowledge. Let's enjoy the music while we can... won't last forever....
@@DoctorInsomnia-qw7us Excellent point about Brian coming off the road at the end of '64 resulting in "When I Grow Up" being dropped from the set list, Doc! Totally makes sense. Now that you mention it, it is remarkable that the Ready Steady Go footage survived the BBC "erase and reuse" policy! Thanks, Doc!
When you mentioned the misprint of Don't Back Down as "Don't Break Down" on the cover of All Summer Long, I immediately decided to check out my copy, to see if I had the valuable first edition copy. Unfortunately mine is a second pressing with the mistake corrected 😢 but it is a genuine high fidelity mono version 😂 and that's why I never heard the coughing on Wendy....
I'm not sure how many of those "Don't Break Down" covers are out there. I've seen a few on display in record stores with high price tags. It's a small enough detail that it seems like it could easily be missed, so I always try to remember to check for it when I run across copies of "ASL" in used bins. (No luck so far...but I've only been looking for 43 years...) Thanks, Doc!
@@thebeachboysbasementwithst6444 Dummy me - never realized there were TWO versions. Will have to dig my copy out!
The reason , “Don’t Back Down “ is at the end of side two is relatively simple . “ Our favorite recording sessions “ , ends with one of the boys , ( Brian , I believe) , saying he forgot his note . He then goes to the piano and strikes the proper key …. then sings the note aloud . After telling people in the booth , “ Let’s make one “ , “Don’t Back Down” begins on that forgotten note and key .
It’s all phony , of course, but the listener is meant to believe that there is a seamless transition from the ,”session “ to the final track .
Good point. Turning the end of "Our Favorite" into an introduction to "Don't Back Down" is clever and, you're right, certainly plays into it's placement at the end of the album. Thanks for pointing that out, Beanie!
Three points of interest. 1. The cough on Wendy is on the stereo mix, not the mono. 2. I love Drive-In. When Mike sings about the possibility of being chased through the drive-in, it makes me crack up with laughter. 3. I only went to a drive-in once, with my brother, his friend and the friend's parents. I was probably 11 at the time. And what did we see? A double feature! The Great Gatsby and The Conversation. Both really appropriate for our age group! I couldn't concentrate at all on The Great Gatsby, because there were almost continual hijinks going on and we couldn't exactly relate to the movie. On the other hand, The Conversation did grab my attention, especially the scene when Gene Hackman is tearing his place apart looking for, IIRC, a hidden bug.
Yeah the 3-Track Stereos were done by Chuck Britz and the Monos are Brian.
Steve, thank you as always for the interesting and informative video, I really enjoy them.
Joel, the Conversation is a classic. I always enjoy watching TV shows or movies, especially from the 1960s or 70s, filmed in my hometown of San Francisco, to see places I remember from growing up. I work in a building that is 2 blocks from the building where Cindy Williams and Harrison Ford’s offices were located. My office building hadn’t been built yet when the movie was made.
It makes total sense that the Wendy coughing sound is on the stereo mix and not the mono. After all, the producer, Brian Wilson was deaf in one ear, and wouldn't have heard it while mixing the mono version....
Thanks for pointing out the cough being on the stereo mix only. That might also explain why I never heard it for so long. I think the first copies I heard were mono. (Thanks too, to daNerd and Doctor Insomnia for the additional comments on this one!)
Your memory of the "Great Gatsby/The Conversation" drive-in double feature is hilarious! I almost can't imagine a less likely pair of movies for kids to want to watch at a drive-in! (Glad you found something to grab your attention in "The Conversation," which, as Tiny Dancer points out in other comments, is an excellent movie, of course, but not one I'd have wanted to watch in a drive-in as a kid.)
I remember my parents taking us to a James Bond double feature at the drive-in when we were too young to enjoy it, but they tried to compensate by bringing home-popped popcorn for us and putting sleeping bags in the back of the station wagon so we could go to sleep. A few years later, my mom made it up to me by taking me to a drive-in Japanese monster movie triple feature of "Monster Zero," "War of The Gargantuas" and "King Kong Escapes" which ran until 1:30am. She sat patiently and let me watch the whole thing because I was enjoying it so much. (She certainly went "above and beyond" as a mom that night!)
Thanks, as always, for the great info and for sharing the memories, Joel! (And to daNerd, Tiny Dancer and Doctor Insomnia for the additional!)
No WONDER that I couldn't hear the cough after so many listening attempts. Thanks!
The into is really the chords used on the bridge. Great Job.
Good call! Thanks for passing that along, Lamont, and thanks for the feedback!
Outstanding commentary as usual. Minor correction: The Surfin USA Album peaked at number 2.
Yee-ouch! You are absolutely right, of course! The "Surfin' USA" album went to #2. I hate it when something like that gets by me! Thanks for catching it and for letting me know, Robert! Much appreciated!
Always like the tidbits about each song you're talking about, Steve. As with Side 1, like all the songs on Side 2. Several years ago, read a story by some Music writer, who didn't like the Beach Boys. He thought it was very odd/sick for Brian to write "A love song" about one of his daughters/"Wendy". The guy obviously had his chronology messed up, because Wendy Wilson was born about five years after the song "Wendy" was written and recorded by the group. Find it odd (Given that Rock music as a music style was only about ten years old at this point) that the BBs would do a tribute song to some of the artists/songs of less than ten years before. Both "Drive-In" and "Don't Back Down" are throwbacks to 1963 BBs. Could see "Drive-In" on the Little Deuce Coupe album and "Don't Back Down" on the Surfer Girl album. Only went to a Drive-In once, as a college kid, with some friends, to see what it would be like. The one we went to was on its last legs,closing not too long after we went. In the late 1990s/early 2000s, AMC used to run a series called Lost Drive-In Theater, hosted by Bruce Dern. He played a caretaker of an abandoned Drive-In Theater, who would introduce each weeks movies, with tidbits about the people who starred in the movies. I enjoyed watching those movies, and enjoyed Dern's character. Check out what I replied back to you about Side 1 (What I said about Brian and Fred Vail, and the Cows In The Pasture album CD to be released).
Wow! That's some poorly-researched review for that writer to not figure out that "Wendy," the song, came long before "Wendy," the daughter, especially if it's going to be criticized on those grounds. (Once in a while, in my research for the channel, I come across some astounding stuff...but that's right up there with the worst of it!) BTW, I recently read, somewhere, that naming her "Wendy" was Marilyn's call. Brian wanted something else. I've forgotten what it was. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't as good as "Wendy." Glad Marilyn won that discussion! It sounds like Wendy Wilson is too!
I agree that both "Drive-In" and "Don't Back Down" sound like they're from a slightly earlier period. (I guess, for "Drive-In," it makes sense because the backing track is from '63.)
Cool that you got to experience a Drive-In. There are a couple within an hour drive from us (at least, there were ten years ago.) We always meant to take my son, when he was young, so he could see what they were like, but, in Michigan, it doesn't get dark during the summer until nearly 10PM. It was too late for him when he was little and, by the time we could have worked it out, going to a drive-in with his parents didn't sound all that cool to him.
I can't believe I never saw that "Lost Drive-In" series on AMC. It sounds like something I'd have loved!
Sorry I seem to have missed your follow-up from last week. Thanks for mentioning it and I'll take a look! Thanks, as always, for the great feedback, Robert!
@@thebeachboysbasementwithst6444Think that movie theaters , in general, have been taking a hit for several years. My opinion on why is largely due to movies, television shows, news programs first being released on videotape/allowing people to buy their own copies, and be able to watch them in their own homes anytime. Now, videotapes have been replaced by DVDs and blue-rays, with picture /sound quality improving. Part of the "Lost Drive-In" Theater segments would be that they would show old promo films that movie theaters would show, promoting their concession stands/snack bars. Many of these were animated. I bet you can find many of these now posted on TH-cam, along with some Bruce Dern/"Lost Drive-In" intros. You've probably seen this, but the Oklahoma Historical Society posted a number of years ago some B & W film footage that a lady by the name of Ida Blackburn (Think that's her name) interviewing the Beach Boys in September, 1964, just before they did an Oklahoma concert. She talks to each Beach Boy individually. They all come across pretty well. Dennis, ever the lady's man, compliments her on the dress she's wearing LOL! It's interesting seeing Brian only a few months before his breakdown. Were you able to find my reply to you from Side 1? Think it starts off with me saying "I googled Brian for the latest information about him . . ."
Another correction, Steve: Pulled some "Lost Drive-In" segments on TH-cam. Thought they were a weekly/Saturday night feature that AMC put together during the late 1990s/early 2000s. Was wrong about that. They were put together by the Speed channel, then known as Speedvision. One segment on TH-cam has Bruce Dern introducing the movie Two Lane Blacktop (!). Hope you're able to watch some of these. If you do, just remember "The Speaker. . . LIVES". You'll have to watch one of these, to catch what I just said!
@@robertzastrow4648 I just watched the Lost Drive-In "Two Lane Blacktop" intro. What a great concept and Bruce Dern was a perfect choice as host!"The speaker...lives" indeed! Thanks for the recommendation, Robert!
Enjoyed this episode Steve. My theory regarding the little Saint Nick / drive-in recording: the original Little Saint Nick was released in 1963 a year before The Beach Boys Christmas album. While recording for the 1964 Christmas album, my guess is they thought about recording an updated version for ‘64, similar to what the Ventures did with Walk Don’t Run. The original hit was released in 1960 and then they did an updated version for 1964 called Walk Don’t Run ’64 which was also a hit. Just guessing….
Interesting theory, Go! Could be. It would make more sense as some kind of "follow up" or "part 2." Thanks for the feedback!
I had the same thought about Drive in version of Little Saint Nick. Believe it or not my local oldies station played played it last Christmas!
VERY familiar with both "Walk" versions. I prefer "64."
Great Steve! I’ve always wondered why the cough wasn’t edited out for the master of Wendy? Bit like Dennis’s stumble on Auld Lang Syne.
Myself being a BB freak I would listen to all their albums with headphones…Pet Sounds had some chatter also. I remember first time hearing’Wendy’ and the cough; couldn’t believe I heard that. Still though….these guys were always my favorite. I grew up in the “sticks” and it was Brian and his songs that painted a picture that there was “something” out there in the world, and I wanted to be part of it. No other music or group ever did that.
That's a good question, Jamie! From the other comments here, I understand it isn't present on all versions. My only guess would be that it went unnoticed at the time. Thanks for reminding us about "Auld Lang Syne" too!
@@franciscrisp6245 Francis, your experience growing up "in the sticks" and getting a view of the wider world through records sounds very similar to mine in rural Michigan. I wouldn't say that Beach Boys' records were entirely responsible for me moving to L.A. in 1985 (and living there until 2001), but the picture those records painted certainly played a part! Thanks for the comments, Francis!
Oh hey Steve. I just saw a video for Don't Back Down by a group called The Queers. It sounds like they're a punk rock band. I didn't know if you ever heard it or of them. Apparently they also did Little Honda, Be True To Your School, Dead Man's Curve and Gas Money. Anyway, you might already know all this, I just thought they didn't sound too bad.
I had heard of them (the name is certainly attention-grabbing) but hadn't given them a listen and didn't know they'd covered those songs. I just listened to a few of their tracks. Great stuff! In college, my friends and I kept wishing there'd be a band that would combine the Beach Boys and Ramones. The Queers seem to have just about done it! Thanks for letting me know about them, Michael!
In the UK, Wendy was released as the B-side to Good Vibrations, I always found that to be a weird choice but when you mentioned that Wendy has some proto-psychedelic elements it made alot more sense to me. I think Do You Remember? would work well as a concert or compilation intro track. The linear notes for the 1990s release Lost & Found state that without the early 1961 demo tracks, "there wouldn't be a Good Vibrations or an Our Favorite Recording Sessions." Seems like that spoken word track has become the butt of the joke for many. I don't mind it though; at least they picked something that felt relevant to the rest of the album. I'm always surprised She Knows Me Too Well never became a hit. Maybe it's the relationship implications in some of the lyrics. I would love to do a crossover/collab episode- just let me know what you are thinking!
"Wendy" definitely seems like an odd choice of B-side, especially so long after it's initial release. I could only guess that, maybe, they were hedging their bets in case "Good Vibrations" proved "too weird." (Hard to imagine, but, maybe that was it.)
I agree that "Our Favorite Recording Sessions" at least has the advantage of being relevant to the rest of the album (and, it occurred to me later, might have been more appealing at a time when "studio chatter" was something much more rare to hear.
Good point about "She Knows Me Too Well" not becoming a hit, especially at a time when Beach Boys b-sides often charted on their own.
As far as a crossover, I was thinking it might be fun to kick around some Beach Boys topic on a Zoom call. If you'd like, you can get me by email at "SteveCLewisA2" at gmail and we can kick some ideas around. Seems like it would be fun!
Thanks for the great follow-up, BB!
Terrific work. Weirdly, Wendy turned up in the UK as the b-side to Good Vibrations. Can't explain that
Wow. That is a strange one! I'd love to know what the thinking was on that! Great to hear from you, Martin, and thanks for the feedback!
I've always thought "Don't Back Down" was a great track, but just too short. Brian's creative "well" was just gushing forth SO many good tunes during this period that, by comparison, it seems to have gotten short shrift. Maybe he was tired of all the surf tunes he'd worked on, this was the last one, thrown in at the end, just to be DONE with it? I wish it had a middle section that extended its short 1:43, or that the beautiful refrain, with its priceless BW falsetto, would've been repeated once or twice more, with a longer fadeout. It ALWAYS leaves me wanting MORE !
I liked your comparison with "Don't Worry Baby" as another song with a superficial topic disguising an underlying theme! Brilliant. Until you mentioned it, I'd never noticed the error in the title at the album cover's top edge! I also had to go and try to experience the "Wendy" cough. Although I listened to 3 different released versions, I never heard it until this version, at the 3:31 mark, when the music tracks were way lower: th-cam.com/video/g_qNjlmgKT0/w-d-xo.html
I think one of the best things you've ever spoken in all of these episodes, and which truly illustrates the superiority of the BBs is this: "After the massive success of IGA, a lesser group would've tried to replicate that success with a similar-sounding record. The very fact that the BBs did nothing of the kind set them apart." Again, brilliant !
I was never much of a "drive-in guy," either. My one memory of going with some guys, ostensibly to meet some girls (which never happened) was driving off purposely with the door speaker still attached, which ripped the speaker's cord off at the speaker post! When we got home we hooked it up to a stereo, but it had relatively poor quality. (I wonder how many other speakers went missing on an average weekend!) Nice list of harpsichord songs! I didn't realize how many there were during the 3 years you looked at. Overall, a great show ! Thanks for your perceptiveness and dedication.
Thanks for the great feedback, Bill! I absolutely agree that "Don't Back Down" is too short and really could have benefited from a middle section (or at least, another verse or chorus or two!)
I think I saw in one of your responses to another comment that you saw that the cough isn't audible in all versions of "Wendy." (I haven't gotten to it yet, but I thought I caught a glimpse of it just now.) I hadn't realized the cough wasn't in all versions, or I'd have mentioned it in the episode. It, undoubtedly, also accounts for me having never been able to hear it for so long. The version I happened to put on to review of this episode had it. Some of the other copies I've had, I realize now, don't.
Your comments about driving off with the drive-in speaker reminded me that I was with a guy who did that once as well. (I don't know if he had any particular use in mind for it. He was just prone to swiping anything he could get away with. That guy was trouble!) I've got to imagine speaker theft and abuse was a constant headache and expense for drive-in operators.
Always great to hear from you, Bill! Thanks, as always, for the excellent thoughts and feedback!
Ignoring the one obligatory pre-Pet Sounds filler song, All Summer Long is a big step in quality compared to Shut Down vol 2, really showed were they would go next
Also another great 60s songs featuring a harpsichord are Two Sisters and Village Green by the Kinks, played by Nicky Hopkins
Another great video Steve, i wonder if you will ever revisit old albums reviews like Today, Love You and 20/20 as those reviews were made when your videos didnt have the level of quality they have now
Thanks for the feedback, Lucas! I agree that "All Summer Long" represented a huge step forward for the band. Thanks for mentioning the use of harpsichord by the Kinks. (I wish I'd thought of it when I was putting the episode together!)
I will definitely be revisiting those albums in much more detail. I'm planning to do a "deep dive" into 1969 and "20/20" this summer and "Today!," along with the first half of 1965, (hopefully) in the fall. Always great to hear from you, Lucas! Thanks again!
Seems like the harpsichord was a secret weapon in 60's music! I'm not old enough to of enjoyed a Drive-in but envy all of you that did! Another great video!
I agree! I loved the harpsichord then and I do now. As for drive-ins, there are a couple "old fashioned drive-ins" that still operate here in the summer within about an hour's drive. When he was young, we always meant to take my son to one so he could see what they were like. Unfortunately, in Michigan, the sun doesn't set in summer until around 10:00pm, well past his bedtime when he was little, so we never quite worked it out. Great to hear from you, Usualmike!
Wendy--So...who coughed? I really like this song, but damn if those recorders(?) on the instrumental break don't threaten to turn into dog whistles...on some mixes, anyway. Makes me wanna wince..
Do You Remember--Have always thought the production on this was kinda skimpy, esp compared to the Big Beat version...and btw I'd say you could draw a line from The Big Beat to Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire--the lyrics of both are long lists of pop culture references, no? (I just gave Big Beat a listen. Forgot about the refs to Aunt Jemima and Uncle Remus--more wincing.)
The Girls on the Beach--Yes, Surfer Girl 2.0 obv...
Drive-In--Went to a drive-in exactly once, to see that Richard Dreyfuss-Emilio Estevez comedy Stakeout in '87. Remember that one? It's pretty much faded from memory...
Don't Back Down--A great one, I think, and I like the alt version, too. I'll never find it, but I know I read a straight-faced critic argue that Don't Back Down is a more interesting piece of music than Surf's Up...yes, seriously. Something about it being written in a mixolydian scale etc etc...
When I Grow Up--I kinda wish this wasn't so up-tempo. It's wound up as tight as, say, I Get Around or Little Honda. Maybe if it was a little slower, that quality of sad wistfulness would be a little stronger. Also, since BW and McCartney are the exact same age, doesn't it make more sense for BW to be looking forward on When I Grow Up, as opposed to McCartney already looking back on In My Life (just a year later, at age 23)? You follow me there...? Prob just me being anti-Macca...
She Knows Me Too Well--Another great one...and I don't need to be one more admirer heaping praise on it...
I had a copy of the Don't Break Down version of the LP. Have I told you before how all of my 40-odd BBs LPs were ruined one winter when a pipe burst in the basement? I believe I have. That was one of the losses... Great vid as always...!
From what I was able to find, nobody is sure who the cough is. You'll find stuff on line saying it's Dennis, but the seemingly more reliable sources say nobody knows. My assumption is that it's only there because nobody noticed it when the mix was being put together. If nobody realized it was there, it would make sense that nobody knows who did it.
Excellent points on the production of "Do You Remember." That one does give the impression it was put together quickly. I wouldn't go so far as to call it "filler," but I don't think anybody thought it was a centerpiece of the album either, so I wouldn't be surprised if the recording was rushed compared to the "big" songs.
Great comparison between "The Big Beat" and "We Didn't Start The Fire." You started me thinking about other pop/rock songs with a "history lesson." Off hand, I thought of "Life Is A Rock (But The Radio Rolled Me)" by Reunion and "Boys' Talk" by Dave Edmunds (a cool, obscure b-side that lists women's names from rock era song title.) Neither of those have chronological lyrics though. It's a little more esoteric, but "American Pie" would probably be another. (Anyway...I digress!)
Really great point about "When I Grow Up" being so uptempo too! Now that you've mentioned it, I'm really surprised nobody (to my knowledge) has done a moody "slow" version. It seems like that could be really interesting.
Interesting point about Lennon/McCartney "looking back" with tracks like "In My Life." Of course, you could say that "When I'm Sixty-Four," a year and a half later, is looking WAY forward. In a way, I guess "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane" both also look back. (There's another possible list; bands/artists singing songs about their childhoods!)
I found "She Knows Me Too Well" kind of a hard one to talk about for the same reason you mentioned: It's difficult to come up with anything that isn't just heaping more praise on it.
I got a chill being reminded of your burst basement pipe…It’s the kind of thing I have nightmares about!
Sorry for the long-winded response! (You seem to always post comments that get me thinking…even if it’s off in some weird direction!) Always great to hear from you, rangergrrrl!
@@thebeachboysbasementwithst6444 1. I feel like I failed to make my point about WIGU vs In My Life...but I think you get my drift. In My Life is obv a slam dunk Beatles classic, but McCartney "looking back" at the tender age of 23 seems like a clever conceit somehow, a little bit of a pose. I'm sure no one would agree with me on this. Should probably file that one under "Never mind"...
2. Ever heard Bruce Springsteen's live cover of WIGU from the 80s? It's on YT. It's apparently the only time he ever played that song in concert...
3. re Don't Back Down...so it's always bugged me: the boys know the surf "like the palm of their hand"? Does anyone say this? Why not "the back of their hand"...?
Never apologize (to me, of all commenters!) for being long-winded. You're a sweetheart to write such thoughtful replies...
@@rangergrrrl I think I get your point on "In My Life" being a bit of a pose coming from someone so young. (I'm pretty sure Lennon was the primary writer on that one, having written the lyrics himself with some collaboration with McCartney on the melody.) In any case, the point is well-taken!
Thanks for mentioning the Springsteen live version of "When I Grow Up." I just gave it a listen. Very cool!
Good point about "palm" versus "back of their hand." You're right...I don't think anybody says "palm." Maybe somebody thought "back of their hand" in a song called "Don't Back Down" was one "back" too many? Very strange, in any case!
Thanks for the great follow-up and for the excellent info and insights, rangergrrrl!
@@thebeachboysbasementwithst6444 Why did I think McCartney wrote In My Life? Lennon is obv singing lead, and isn't that the rule of thumb for which Beatle was the primary writer? I know In My Life is one of the few(?) disputed who-wrote-what Beatles tunes. Anyway, enough about that. Have a groovy weekend...
@@rangergrrrl Hope you have a great weekend too!
I always enjoyed the Our favorite recording session.Made me realize that the music didn't just happen. I love to hear the Boys fooling around and having Fun.
Good point, Steve. I can definitely understand that. Your comments also make me realize that this kind of studio chatter was much, much more rare to hear in 1964 and would, I'm sure, have been more of a treat for listeners. Thanks for the perspective, Steve!
The cough got scrubbed on the remastered issue.
I think I need to go through the various copies I have to see which have the cough and which don't. Thanks for letting us know about that, Larry!