Not that anyone cared, but the Beach Boys were already up to their twentieth album—including three Best Of collections issued against their will and the notorious Stack-o-Tracks album, which was only about thirty years ahead of the karaoke craze. (Really, if you’re into the non-vocal portions of Beach Boys albums, it’s a terrific set.)For 20/20, the Boys tried to present something for everyone. “Do It Again” is an excellent retro single, with the upside-down drums leading into a “classic” chorale. (On the album, in a touch of foreshadowing, they added “workshop” sounds from Smile over the fade.) “I Can Hear Music” is also a wonderful track, but it’s a cover of a Phil Spector composition with a nod to his production. Then there’s “Bluebirds Over The Mountain”, which tries to marry a calypso song to something more contemporary, as demonstrated in the closing nightmare strings and occasional guitar screams. It’s an approach better suited to “Be With Me”, another line drive from Dennis Wilson. His newly found magic touch doesn’t quite carry to “All I Want To Do”, screamed by Mike Love, and possibly the first recording by a mainstream band to include a field recording of coitus, simulated or not. “The Nearest Faraway Place” is a lush Brian Wilson instrumental—except that it’s contributed by Bruce Johnston, his onstage replacement.
Perhaps in the spirit of “Sloop John B”, they go all out for “Cotton Fields”, a Leadbelly song that wasn’t any better when Creedence did it a year later. (Personally, we like the rendition John Lennon did on the radio a year before, when he sang of how his mama used to “smash [him] in the cradle”.) “I Went To Sleep” is another list describing Brian Wilson’s day in the style of “Busy Doin’ Nothin’”; it’s mostly a setup for “Time To Get Alone”, which Carl gets to sing and give a little boost. The jaw-dropper on the album is “Never Learn Not To Love”, which the liner notes neglect to mention began as a song by Dennis houseguest Charles Manson. (For what it’s worth, Axl picked a better song for “The Spaghetti Incident?”) As elaborate as that is, the big finish is given over to a couple of Smile refugees. First, there’s “Our Prayer”, a gorgeous Gregorian-style fugue for voice. That is given as a lead-in to “Cabinessence”, possibly the prettiest song from the ill-fated project, leaving another teaser for what could have been.
So there’s a strong start and a strong finish, but everything else in the middle of 20/20—as well as the individual production credits for each song—only reveals just how unfocused the band was. (Pun unintended, but it’s telling that Brian isn’t on the front or back covers, but only in the gatefold, where he’s partially obscured by an eye chart.) Undeterred, they carried on, but not with any less struggle. Proof comes in the bonus tracks to the original, then deleted, then restored two-fer disc of the album (which also included Friends; as with that album, in 2018 I Can Hear Music: The 20/20 Sessions provided a digital-only deep dive with 40 tracks’ worth of alternates and outtakes, including several increasingly shaky Dennis demos, and even a cameo from the Wilsons’ mother). “Break Away” was another flop single that might have done better at another time than the summer of ’69. One clue could be that it was written by their dad. (The 4 Seasons would have nailed this in ’64.) Dennis got the B-side, the intricate if stumbly “Celebrate The News”. “We’re Together Again” has potential, but the brief stab at “Walk On By” and “Ol’ Man River” prefaced by “Swanee River” and will have you wondering where their inspiration went. They hoped to begin the ‘70s with a fresh start. They hoped to begin the ‘70s with a fresh start.
The Beach Boys Stack-o-Tracks (1968)—3
1990 CD reissue: same as 1968, plus Beach Boys’ Party! album and 3 extra tracks
The Beach Boys 20/20 (1969)—2½
1990 CD reissue: same as 1969, plus Friends album and 5 extra tracks
Detractors will say that this is half of a new album padded out with a single side and outtakes from much earlier sessions. They aren’t necessarily wrong. However, this ended up a very good album.
ReplyDeleteSome of it is a tour through the styles that they had done since “Summer Days”. But they also try other things, too – a pseudo-classical piece, a bit of muzak, an attempt at country rock, dark obsession, and even a stab at cock rock! It’s all held together by engineer Stephen Desper’s mix. So, instead of a mess, it comes across almost as the band’s “Revolver” - - although the band’s unity is somewhat an illusion.
There are 3 weak spots. If you listen to the original “Bluebirds..” by Ersel Hickey, you’ll hear a gentle, sweet rockabilly ballad. During the “Wild Honey” sessions, Bruce recorded a rock rhythm section. Rather than keeping it at “WH” levels, he and Carl added a bunch of awkward overdubs. Excluding “Gettin’ Hungry”, it was their biggest bomb single yet. After the 1968 tour, the song disappeared from setlists forever. The only time it appeared on a compilation was when the botched Dutch single mix appeared on the “Rarities” album. It took Robert Plant and Chrissie Hynde to make the song truly psychedelic.Bruce’s track could have a few “oohs” and “ahhs” to liven it up. As it is, it’s elevator music. This, amazingly, made it to the live show.Brian was still very much in “Friends” mode when he did “I Went to Sleep”. Again, the singsong melody and the lyrics make the song rather cloying. It was a brilliant bit of sequencing to put “Time to Get Alone” next. It’s another song in waltz time, but a far more advanced production. I love that shimmering “deep and wide”. I always wondered if that string part that comes right after that was a backwards tape. Evidently, Brian told the players to play the part exactly as it sounds! Sort of a miniature “A Day in the Life” moment.I think “Cotton Fields” is a classic folk song. Al had a good idea, but Brian pushed it in too soft a direction. It’s irritating that the liner notes mention Al’ s subsequent single remake when it isn’t on the disc. It should have been a bonus track. While Carl wasn’t ready for prime time as a songwriter, he was as a producer, as “I Can Hear Music” proved. The original is bland and boring. Once again, the Beach Boys beat out Spector and company. All those counterpoint vocals in the bridge when the track drops out are amazing. Unfortunately, an unhip band covering a song by an even more unhip band was not going to result in a huge hit. Dennis was in the mood to continue to experiment. “Be With Me” was the start of his orchestral ambitions. As for “All I Want to Do”, earlier takes with him on the lead vocal are better than the final, but I’m guessing they felt that Mike didn’t have enough to do. By the way, nothing is “simulated” . According to Desper, Dennis hired a hooker for the “session”. They did two “takes”, as it were, which were then mixed together for the final track. Got to know the woman, indeed. The Beach Boys were so far under the radar that no one noticed. Imagine if the Stones or Beatles had tried this! McCartney talked about doing it in the road, but no one overheard. John didn’t even dare doing this on his “Two Virgins” album.The infamous “Never Learn Not to Love” is the scariest track they had done since “Wind Chimes”. While the latter made it seem like Brian was going insane because of the chimes, this is different. A disturbing undercurrent of possessive sexuality, not the lust of Dennis’ other song. When the group chants “I’m your kind, I’m your kind”, it can't help but bring up the grip Manson had on his followers. I think it’s another great song, but it’s one the band would rather forget.
I always thought that the weird sound on “Do It Again” was some sort of synthesizer. It’s really a drum delay effect, which makes the song something more than something recorded in 1965. Of course, the mind-boggling “Smile” tracks (completed by Carl over Brian’s objections) left whoever heard them wanting more.