Brian Wilson
Band members Related acts
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- Brian Wilson -- vocals, keyboards, bass
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- The Beach Boys
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Genre: pop Rating: 2 stars ** Title: Adult Child Company: Brother Catalog: BW
1977 Country/State: California, US Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: 1 Catalog ID: 6341 Price: $95.00
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I like The Beach Boys. I like Brian Wilson. That said, I'm not a hardcore fan, nor am I a member of the cult that actively searches out every known scrap of music The Beach Boys have every recorded. Against that backdrop, here's what little I know about this obscurity.
The mid-1970s found Brian Wilson's family turning to therapist Eugene Landy for help. Wilson had spent the better part of the previous decade sitting around his California home, eating, sleeping, smoking, and abusing himself with a steady stream of illicit substances. Landy's treatment managed to reintegrate the fragile Wilson back into a semblance of normality, including a somewhat tentative reunion with The Beach Boys which led to a couple of new studio albums and occasional live performances, including a widely seen, if slightly shakey appearance on Saturday Night Live (here's a YouTube link to his performance of 'Love Is a Woman' - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIQx7SL03SI. Much of the so-called comeback was hype, but even within those confines, Wilson clearly made some progress compared to where he'd been, even agreeing to make a brief video with SNL's Dan Akyroyd and John Belushi - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RW8PFJTJJY. The video managed to be funny and heartbreaking at the same time; the latter underscored by his absence from The Beach Boys performance tacked on to the end of the video clip. By the way, what was with Mike Love's campy 'Surf's Up' performance ? Love looked as if he were trying to channel the late Freddie Mercury.
The majority of the seventeen tracks featured on "Adult Child" apparently stemmed from that mid-1970s 'comeback' period, with at least some of the material recorded for a planned follow-up to 1977's "The Beach Boys Love You" (which was in itself a challenging album). To be perfectly honest, tagging this as a Wilson solo set would seem to be a creative stretch, if only due to the fact most of the extended Beach Boys family was featured in one place or another. Perhaps it was just my ears playing tricks on me, but 'Hey Little Tomboy' sure sounded like Mike Love was sharing lead vocals, as did the strange 'H.E.L.P. Is On the Way'. Carl Wilson could be heard on the ballad 'It's Over Now' (along with a cameo from Brian's then-wife Marilyn). Brother Dennis also seems to have participated in the sessions - check out the baseball ode 'It's Trying To Say'. Not to be left out, Alan Jardine handled lead vocals on a cover of 'On Broadway'. Depending on what you read, or who you believe, Wilson supposedly recorded tracks like 'Life Is for the Living', 'It's Over Now' and 'Deep Purple' in the hope that Frank Sinatra might have an interest in covering them. The flaccid big band arrangements and MOR-ish feel of those tracks would seem to support that belief. No idea how to explain the bevy of hideous rock chestnut covers. About all I can say is song-for-song these were among the worst cover tunes I've ever heard (Brian's cover of 'You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin'') was almost painful. Clearly pulled together from an assortment of sources, the overall sound quality was also inconsistent. A couple of songs sounded like completed studio tracks ('Games Two Can Play' and 'Still I Dream Of It'), but other performances sounded like raw demos ('Lines'). Against that backdrop, was there anything worth hearing ? Of course. Ever seen a nasty traffic accident ? One where there's debris scattered all across the road ? There's something fascinating in the resulting carnage that makes it hard to take your eyes off of it ... This album was like that. Listening to Brian trying to cobble together an album without any sense of what people wanted to hear was simultaneously charming and horrifying. Wilson's songwriting and performance talents were still there (anyone doubting that statement only needed to listen to the ballad 'Still I Dream Of It'). Unfortunately, years of hard living left those skills severely dulled and the album missteps far outnumbered the successes You didn't have to have a marketing degree to understand why Warner Brothers/Reprise/Brother Records wanted absolutely nothing to do with the album. Yeah, it was nice to have Wilson back among the living, but this level of eclecticism certainly wasn't what record executives were looking for.
"Adult
Child" track listing: 1.) Life Is for the Living (Brian Wilson) - 1:51 rating; ** stars 'Life Is for the Living' served as a perfect example of the album's charms and problems. Musically the track was a total waste with one of those anonymous melodies that could have been written for an insurance commercial. Blanketing it in a big band arrangement only served to underscore the song's clumsy structure. Similarly Wilson's lyrics reflected all the depth and inspiration of a 16 year olds' term paper. Even worse, Wilson's voice was a wreck. Imagine the worst crooner you've ever encountered and then imagine an even worse singer ... This was still recognizable as a Brian Wilson vocal, but he years of hard living had clearly taken a toll on his voice. 2.) Hey Little Tomboy (Brian Wilson) - 2:22 rating: *** stars Yeah, the lyrics were a bit on the strange side (if you were the parent of a young girl, hearing something along the lines of "Now lets put a dress on and wear a little make up ... Okay now shave your legs now for the first time ...." cause you some nightmares), but 'Hey Little Tomboy' at least had the benefit of sounding like a mid-1960s Beach Boys track. To my ears this one actually sounded like Brian and Mike Love on lead vocals. Regardless. that was great if you loved that patented Beach Boys sound, otherwise, this song was liable to irritate the crap out of you ... A different version of the song appeared on The Beach Boys' "M.I.U" album. 3.) Deep Purple (Parrish - Rose)- 2:29 rating; * star 'Deep Purple' was simply bad. The cumulative damage associated with years of heavy smoking and drinking were apparent given Wilson was hard pressed to stay in tune, let alone hit anything even remotely close to a high note. Imagine Roseanne Barr singing the National Anthem and you' d know what to expect here. The fact this was over-orchestrated pap didn't exactly help the situation. Dreadful !!!! 4.) H.E.L.P. Is On the Way (Brian Wilson - Mike Love) - 2:21 rating: *** stars Apparently inspired by Wilson's favorite local health food store (looking at the back sleeve picture its hard to imagine he even knew what a health food store was), 'H.E.L.P. Is On the Way' most certainly wasn't a Wilson solo effort. The lead vocals sounded like Mike Love while the song's general vibe and goofy pro-vegetarian lyrics sounded like an early-1970s Beach Boys track and I've seen a couple of references that say the song was planned for a shelved 1971 Beach Boys album entitled "Landlocked". Hum, why am I suddenly craving a Big Mac ... 5.) It's Over Now (Brian Wilson) - 2:44 rating; ** stars Complete with a reference to Old Blue Eyes, 'It's Over Now' was another big band ballad. Though it again sounded like brother Carl, the vocal on this one was actually halfway decent, but the song itself was forgettable. 6.) Everybody Wants To Live (Brian Wilson) - 3:09 rating; ** stars With Carl handling lead vocals, 'Everybody Wants To Live' had an engaging melody and some cheesy synthesizers, but Brian's lyrics were simply a mess. 7.) Mony Mony (Tommy James - Ritchie Cordell - Bloom - Gentry) - 2:52 rating; ** stars 'Mony Mony' deserved notice for being the lamest cover of this rock chestnut I've ever heard. Hard to imagine anyone being able to squeeze the life out of such a good song, but Wilson managed to turn it into something that resembled a funeral march. 8.) Ruby Baby (Leiber - Stoller) - 2:23 rating; * star With '50s styled horns and harmonica, 'Ruby Baby' was simply plodding and dull. Not sure why anyone would want to hear this cover when The Drifters' original was so much better. 9.) Be My Baby (Phil Spector - Ellie Greenwich - Berry) - 2:58 rating; * star Another throwaway cover, Mike Love's performance on 'Be My Baby' had all the energy of a soap commercial. Not that I really cared, but what was with the abrupt ending ?
(side
2) Wonder how the Everly Brothers felt about Wilson's cover of 'You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin'' ... Well, even though the vocal started out sounding like Kermit the Frog choking on an ice cube, at least Wilson stayed true to the original melody. 2.) Shortenin' Bread (public domain - arranged by Brian Wilson) - 2:51 rating: *** stars Maybe due to the fact it was just so goofy, I have to admit to enjoying 'Shortenin' Bread'. Maybe due to the song's food orientation, Wilson at least sounded like he was having fun with the tune. 3.) Lines (Brian Wilson) - 1:48 rating; ** stars One of those songs that sounded like an unfinished demo, 'Lines' actually appeared to be a pair of songs that had been haphazardly stitched together. 4.) On Broadway (Barry Mann - Cynthia Weil - Lieber - Stoller) - 3:12 rating: *** stars Alan Jardine turned in one of the album's better vocals on the morbid cover of 'On Broadway', but it wasn't enough to save the song. 5.) Games Two Can Play (Brian Wilson) - 2:03 rating; ** stars Name checking Joe South's 'Games People Play' was kind of cool, but unfortunately you couldn't say the same thing about the rest of the insufferable 'Games Two Can Play'. 6.) It's Trying To Say (Brian Wilson) - 2:10 rating: *** stars Featuring Dennis on lead vocals, 'It's Trying To Say' wasn't exactly 'Centerfield' but compared to some of Brian's other tunes, came off as being pretty good. Shame the song faded out just as they were beginning to figure the melody out. 7.) Still I Dream Of It (Brian Wilson) - 3:30 rating: **** stars Perhaps the album's most personal song, 'Still I Dream Of It' seemed to indicate Wilson at least understood the scope of his personal demons and held out some hope of recovery. Yeah, the song was plodding and dull. Wilson's vocals were flat and pained, but that sense of hope made for one of the album's best performances. 8.) Calendar Girl (Neil Sedaka - Howard Greenfield) - 3:38 rating; ** stars Giving 'Calendar Girl' the full Beach Boys treatment may have seemed like a good idea, but to my ears the end result sounded like a track destined for an oldies album. What was with the bizarre fartng synthesizers ?
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Genre: pop Rating: 2 stars ** Title: Adult Child Company: Making Waves Catalog: -- Country/State: California, US Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: 1 Catalog ID: 3149 Price: $80.00
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Hum, a bootleg or a bootleg, but this
abbreviates the original release. Instead of 17 tracks, this time
around you get twelve (and inferior packaging).
"Adult
Child" track listing: 1.) Life Is for the Living (Brian Wilson) - 1:51 rating; ** stars 'Life Is for the Living' served as a perfect example of the album's charms and problems. Musically the track was a total waste with one of those anonymous melodies that could have been written for an insurance commercial. Blanketing it in a big band arrangement only served to underscore the song's clumsy structure. Similarly Wilson's lyrics reflected all the depth and inspiration of a 16 year olds' term paper. Even worse, Wilson's voice was a wreck. Imagine the worst crooner you've ever encountered and then imagine an even worse singer ... This was still recognizable as a Brian Wilson vocal, but he years of hard living had clearly taken a toll on his voice. 2.) Hey Little Tomboy (Brian Wilson) - 2:22 rating: *** stars Yeah, the lyrics were a bit on the strange side (if you were the parent of a young girl, hearing something along the lines of "Now lets put a dress on and wear a little make up ... Okay now shave your legs now for the first time ...." cause you some nightmares), but 'Hey Little Tomboy' at least had the benefit of sounding like a mid-1960s Beach Boys track. To my ears this one actually sounded like Brian and Mike Love on lead vocals. Regardless. that was great if you loved that patented Beach Boys sound, otherwise, this song was liable to irritate the crap out of you ... A different version of the song appeared on The Beach Boys' "M.I.U" album. 3.) Deep Purple (Parrish - Rose)- 2:29 rating; * star 'Deep Purple' was simply bad. The cumulative damage associated with years of heavy smoking and drinking were apparent given Wilson was hard pressed to stay in tune, let alone hit anything even remotely close to a high note. Imagine Roseanne Barr singing the National Anthem and you' d know what to expect here. The fact this was over-orchestrated pap didn't exactly help the situation. Dreadful !!!! 4.) H.E.L.P. Is On the Way (Brian Wilson - Mike Love) - 2:21 rating: *** stars Apparently inspired by Wilson's favorite local health food store (looking at the back sleeve picture its hard to imagine he even knew what a health food store was), 'H.E.L.P. Is On the Way' most certainly wasn't a Wilson solo effort. The lead vocals sounded like Mike Love while the song's general vibe and goofy pro-vegetarian lyrics sounded like an early-1970s Beach Boys track and I've seen a couple of references that say the song was planned for a shelved 1971 Beach Boys album entitled "Landlocked". Hum, why am I suddenly craving a Big Mac ... 5.) It's Over Now (Brian Wilson) - 2:44 rating; ** stars Complete with a reference to Old Blue Eyes, 'It's Over Now' was another big band ballad. Though it again sounded like brother Carl, the vocal on this one was actually halfway decent, but the song itself was forgettable. 6.) Everybody Wants To Live (Brian Wilson) - 3:09 rating; ** stars With Carl handling lead vocals, 'Everybody Wants To Live' had an engaging melody and some cheesy synthesizers, but Brian's lyrics were simply a mess.
(side
2) Maybe due to the fact it was just so goofy, I have to admit to enjoying 'Shortenin' Bread'. Maybe due to the song's food orientation, Wilson at least sounded like he was having fun with the tune. 2.) Lines (Brian Wilson) - 1:48 rating; ** stars One of those songs that sounded like an unfinished demo, 'Lines' actually appeared to be a pair of songs that had been haphazardly stitched together. 3.) On Broadway (Barry Mann - Cynthia Weil - Lieber - Stoller) - 3:12 rating: *** stars Alan Jardine turned in one of the album's better vocals on the morbid cover of 'On Broadway', but it wasn't enough to save the song. 4.) Games Two Can Play (Brian Wilson) - 2:03 rating; ** stars Name checking Joe South's 'Games People Play' was kind of cool, but unfortunately you couldn't say the same thing about the rest of the insufferable 'Games Two Can Play'. 5.) It's Trying To Say (Brian Wilson) - 2:10 rating: *** stars Featuring Dennis on lead vocals, 'It's Trying To Say' wasn't exactly 'Centerfield' but compared to some of Brian's other tunes, came off as being pretty good. Shame the song faded out just as they were beginning to figure the melody out. 6.) Still I Dream Of It (Brian Wilson) - 3:30 rating: **** stars Perhaps the album's most personal song, 'Still I Dream Of It' seemed to indicate Wilson at least understood the scope of his personal demons and held out some hope of recovery. Yeah, the song was plodding and dull. Wilson's vocals were flat and pained, but that sense of hope made for one of the album's best performances.
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