Review Summary: Maybe one of the best contractual obligation albums ever, but anyway a rag bag of everything.
The end of the 1960s wasn't too kind to Beach Boys. After "Smiley Smile" commercial failure, with "Wild Honey" and "Friends" they unsuccessfully tried to get back to the top. The best try was single "Do It Again" which made US TOP 20 in 1968, and ironically recalled their the best days of innocent fun the group tried so hard to avoid. Capitol, their company, insisted that The Beach Boys should fulfill their contract. And they did with this album and single "Breakaway".
I remind you that contractual obligation albums or singles are the most dangerous things that some musician can do. I remember Van Morrison recorded 30 songs with the almost same chords and melody and lyrics worth of Monty Python. The Rolling Stones recorded their last single for Decca, called "Cocksucker Blues" in 1970. The single couldn't be released due to content, but Jagger and company fulfilled their contract. The Mamas and The Papas recorded "People Like Us" in 1971 with very little enthusiasm. Album flopped, of course.
But "20/20" didn't. In fact it did better than "Friends", it peaked at Number 61, and the sales were better. And in UK it managed to crack at TOP 3, better than "Friends". I must say that "Friends" and "20/20" are very different records. "20/20" is mostly dark and fragmented, more rock oriented than pop, and excellent album to do a track by track review.
Some reports say that Brian Wilson didn't want to work with the band anymore. He wrote good single "Do It Again", reminding their glory days. Who knew in 1969 that The Beach Boys would later "do it again and again and again and again and again"? It is the snare drum that makes this song, as well as Mike Love's lead vocal. Carl Wilson beautifully produced and sang "I Can Hear The Music", The Ronnettes' cover, without any involvement of Brian. Watch out a capella break. Listen to "Bluebirds Over The Mountain", a tranquil folk song gently sung but spoilt by very good but too aggressive guitar solo. Dennis Wilson came with dark haunting ballad "Be With Me" and racous rocker "All I Want to Do" with the maddest Mike Love singing ever. Then comes "The Nearest Faraway Place", pleasant instrumental by Bruce Johnston. Al Jardine tackled "Cotton Fields" but bettered later and released as a successful international single but it bombed in USA. Then someone dug in the vaults and found two Brian Wilson outtakes "I Went To Sleep" and "Time To Get Alone", two great waltzes (in my opinion the highlights and forgotten treasure) that would be more appropriate on "Friends" because of its gentle mood, violins and excellent vocals, listen to "Deep And Wide" moment on "Time To Get Alone". Dennis Wilson allegedly collaborated with someone who looked likea charming and decent man, Charles Manson, later known as serial killer and brought a song "Never Learn Not To Love". Hazy, dissonant but nothing special.
Then Brian Wilson had two "Smile" outtakes, "Cabinessence" and "Our Prayer" to offer the band. And it is often said that those two songs stole the show, although they are clearly out of place.
I never listen to "20/20". It is just too much for me, in terms that almost every song comes from different genre. But I compiled "Smile" (that's where "Cabinessence" and "Our Prayer" belong), and the best of the rest I have on "Good Vibrations" box set ("Do It Again", "I Can Hear The Music", "I Went To Sleep", "Time To Get Alone" and single version of "Cottonfields"). CD version of "20/20" comes with album "Friends" so I suggest programming those 5 tracks + single "Breakaway" + "We're Together Again" + maybe "Be With Me" with "Friends" album (minus "Diamond Head" and "Transcedental Meditation") and you have about 40 minutes of terrific music from sadly forgotten phase of great band. Life is complicated, so is music.
