Posted on 04/24/2023 5:32:50 AM PDT by Twotone
I thought of writing an essay last month in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Beach Boys first big hit, "Surfin' USA". As it happened, I got distracted and wound up calling on God to blow up evildoers. (Priorities).
But the release a couple of weeks back of "A Grammy Salute to the Beach Boys" got me excited about the idea again, although in a different way.
You see, in a world increasingly full of disappointments, the Grammy tribute was a slam dunk. That surprised me. It's been years—decades—since anything about the Grammys resonated with me, or anyone else I know. And the show rekindled all the admiration I've always felt for the band from Hawthorne, California.
No, the Grammys aren't paying me to promote their show here (although they should). I'm just impressed they did something I liked after all these years.
Norah Jones does a really nice rendition of "The Warmth of the Sun". Brandi Carlile pulls off "In My Room". "Do It Again", "Good Vibrations", "Sail On Sailor"—all the biggest and best songs are there. And everyone's good.
But for my money (and my dad's), the showstopping highlight of the show is Leann Rimes' version of "Caroline No". It's a 450 foot Shohei Ohtani home run, way out of the park. Her vocal performance is incredible. The extended song structure is better than the original. The musical accompaniment is flawless, and even incorporates the unusual original Carol Kaye bass parts. My dad and I have watched it probably half a dozen times now—yes, with "spectrum"-like focus—absorbing every note of every instrument, every pause, every everything.
It was only after the show finished that we discovered that my friend, Rick Krim, who originally plucked me from obscurity...
(Excerpt) Read more at steynonline.com ...
Then came Jimi Hendrix and "you'll never hear surf music again" and my tastes changed, because that was the trend.
Then I became an adult and became a fan of the Beach Boys all over again. Their music was actually quite exceptional all along. Melody. Harmony. Classic.
Tal Bachman: Sixty Years of the Beach Boys
I can’t remember if Tal was their drummer or guitarist. He was better in BTO anyway.
Listen to Surfs Up from Smile.
That was his father, Randy Bachman. Excellent guitarist and songwriter with The Guess Who and later BTO.
They were fans of Aleister Crowley
Brian Wilson also wrote "Surf City" which was a number one hit for Jan & Dean. The rest of the band were not too happy about Brian pretty much giving away what would have been a blockbuster hit for them.
Back when America was great and the envy of the world in every aspect of existence.
I saw the original BBs in 1976 and again in 2013 minus the Wilsons & only Love, Johnson and Marks.
There was a time when no one would admit to being a fan but now I miss ‘em more every day.
“Be True To You’re School” 😊
‘76 is about when I saw them too, at the Hollywood Sportatorium, a hot metal box next to the Everglades, awful seats too, at the top in the back under the roof, lol.
Still a great show though, beach balls and Frisbees flying all over, they played their hearts out, multiple encores too.
I remember them mid-’60s on the am radio, sitting in the back seat of the parents’ Mustang going to the lake.
The ‘60s and ‘70s werea great time to grow up!
Cow Palace. Not a natural venue for the Beach Boys but Brian was back touring and the crowd of 15k loved it.
Set lists for those shows are still available if you Google em.
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