Review Summary: Time waits for no one
Things weren't going good for the Beach Boys in the mid 80s. Dennis Wilson died on December 28 1983 and at the same time, Brian's therapy program with Dr Landy had taken a nosedive into controlling and abusive on the doctor's part. Those two things, along with the rapidly changing music scene meant the Boys were in danger of becoming irrelevant once again. Heading back to the studio, The group decided to undergo a musical change. Fitting with the massive popularity of new wave, the band chose to experiment with (then) modern synthesisers, drum machines and keyboards. The result is certainly an album of an era. The Beach Boys (or TBB as I'll be calling it) is certainly a product of the 80s. The cliches are all there. Dated, cheesy keys, loud as hell drums. It's got everything you'd expect from an 80s record. Sadly, many decry the album because of this. If an album is dated, is it bad? No of course not, and I feel TBB is unfairly cried upon. Let's take a look anyway and see what the album offers.
The first track and lead single 'Getcha Back' is a very lovely throwback to their earlier work. It's a song of longing for a past love and features some lovely harmonies and backing vocals from Brian. Notably, this track is one of the first written by Mike Love and friend Terry Meltcher, son of Doris Day and longtime friend of the band. This songwriting duo would later go on to pen the true height of the Beach Boys genius, Summer In Paradise. Just kidding that album sucks. Anyway, the other tracks contain some of the band's signature harmonies and sound, even if they're paired with an unfamiliar sound. The Carl led 'It's Gettin' Late', a gorgeous track with a lovely hook and lead vocal is another stand out along with the hard rocking 'Maybe I Don't Know!' Which features a blazing guitar solo and virtually shouted chorus and Brian's heartbreaking 'I'm So Lonely', which shows even under the authoritarian control, he could still produce a truly honest record, even behind the fake smiles. There's the oddly funky 'Passing Friend' which has some surprisingly dark lyrics and the goofy 'Male Ego', a song which screams Brian's influence. Bruce Johnston's contribution is the passionate 'She Believes In Love Again' where Bruce gives the vocal his all and the result is genuinely chilling. The centrepiece of the album in my opinion is Carl's 'Where I Belong', a subtle gentle track which doesn't rely on cheesy drums and guitars but is instead a gentle synth piece with some trademark Beach Boys harmonies.
Are there faults? Yeah naturally. As previously mentioned, the instrumentation on the album is hopeless dated by today's standards and it certainly feels as if it were a product of the past. While this is excusable given the era of recording, it's still jarring to hear and this production style would only continue and get more dated, unfortunately affect later releases by the boys. To be honest, The Beach Boys is a criminally underrated record, the only track I have gripes with being the horrifically cheesy 'California Calling', which (ironically features actual instruments in place of keys and drum machines) features Ringo Starr and is a pretty lacklustre attempt at recapturing the fun in the sun vibe from their early releases. But if you're willing to look past the dated production, you're likely to find a fine set of tunes with soaring harmonies and passionate performances.
Standout tracks:
Getcha Back
It's Gettin' Late
Maybe I Don't Know
She Believes In Love Again
Passing Friend
I'm So Lonely
Where I Belong
Standout lyrics:
'I've spent my whole life drifting
Towards an elusive sun
I would have wandered forever
If your breeze hadn't come' - Where I Belong
'I need your guarantee so I can be assured. Do you ever think you could? No more depriving' - Maybe I Don't Know
'Well there's nothing worse than a passing friend who will die on you till the bitter end' - Passing Friend
