for those who never gave up their turntables
WHAT IS THE BEACH BOYS’ BEST ALBUM? For most people, that’s an easy answer: Pet Sounds. But for aficionados of the group, it’s a tricky question that requires clarification. Fans would want to know does the question refer to the best album attributed to the Beach Boys or to the best album actually created by the Beach Boys as a group. [Continue reading]
THIS ARTICLE ADDRESSES BRIAN WILSON and the inspiration for his legendary SMiLE album. It bears the unwieldy title of “On Brian Wilson And SMiLE (A Convoluted Conversation Part 2),” because it is the second of a three-part article. Please find Part 1, which is an introduction to Arthur Koestler, and read it before continuing with this article. [Continue reading]
JUST AS LOVE AND SEX are not synonymous, neither is a great song synonymous with a great record. Hell’s Belles, in such genres as rock & roll and rhythm & blues and even country & western, a great song may actually impede the making of a great record! This is especially so if the artist and the producer focus too much on a pretty melody or a clever lyric and not on the actual making of the record. [Continue reading]
MIKE LOVE OF THE BEACH BOYS has a reputation that has dogged him around for almost fifty—and it’s generally as one of the most unpleasant people in the world of rock & roll music. Because of this, he has been unfairly castigated for his role in the Beach Boys. [Continue reading]