Some of the positive attributes of the original remain - the structure and chord changes. It doesn't seem as bad as Happy Endings and doesn't have the incest rape connotations of "Japan," so I had to elevate above those.
The Thread to Ruminate About Mike Love's Rape Van
Re: The Thread to Ruminate About Mike Love's Rape Van
Look, you have to establish context for these things. And I maintain that unless you appreciate the Fall of Constantinople, the Great Fire of London, and Mickey Mantle's fatalist alcoholism, live Freddy makes no sense. If you want to half-ass it, fine, go call Simon Schama to do the appendix.
Re: The Thread to Ruminate About Mike Love's Rape Van
Oh I forgot Japan had all the offensive "oriental" components too. "Forever" isn't as explicitly racist.
Look, you have to establish context for these things. And I maintain that unless you appreciate the Fall of Constantinople, the Great Fire of London, and Mickey Mantle's fatalist alcoholism, live Freddy makes no sense. If you want to half-ass it, fine, go call Simon Schama to do the appendix.
- Dr. Medulla
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Re: The Thread to Ruminate About Mike Love's Rape Van
Hoy's sacrifice in reviewing these records—I fear he may discover unexpected health consequences in the coming years—are not a celebration of anything by anyone.
"I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back in Whittier, they're not much bigger than two meters.'" - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft
Re: The Thread to Ruminate About Mike Love's Rape Van
Yeah there's not enough penicillin in the world to clear that KISSYPHILIS infection he got a few years back. Thankfully it isn't contagious.Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑04 Nov 2022, 5:38pmHoy's sacrifice in reviewing these records—I fear he may discover unexpected health consequences in the coming years—are not a celebration of anything by anyone.
- Dr. Medulla
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Re: The Thread to Ruminate About Mike Love's Rape Van
I'll spearhead the crowd funding when he's institutionalized due to his work here.revbob wrote: ↑04 Nov 2022, 5:50pmYeah there's not enough penicillin in the world to clear that KISSYPHILIS infection he got a few years back. Thankfully it isn't contagious.Dr. Medulla wrote: ↑04 Nov 2022, 5:38pmHoy's sacrifice in reviewing these records—I fear he may discover unexpected health consequences in the coming years—are not a celebration of anything by anyone.
"I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back in Whittier, they're not much bigger than two meters.'" - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft
Re: The Thread to Ruminate About Mike Love's Rape Van
Ha, fair point.
Look, you have to establish context for these things. And I maintain that unless you appreciate the Fall of Constantinople, the Great Fire of London, and Mickey Mantle's fatalist alcoholism, live Freddy makes no sense. If you want to half-ass it, fine, go call Simon Schama to do the appendix.
-
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Re: The Thread to Ruminate About Mike Love's Rape Van
Those lyrics never really get good til they get weird after the hippie era. Even Pet Sounds, which can, musically, sound like the way a loving God's hug, swimming amongst the galactic spheres would feel, uses those melodies as vehicles about how your ex might date someone else. Imagine if the Metatron melted your ears saying CUTTING YOUR HAIR MAKES ME SAD BECAUSE YOU DONT LOOK AS PRETTY TO ME.msza2 wrote: ↑04 Nov 2022, 9:13amI did a deep dive into the Beach Boy's early catalogue...and lived to tell about it.
Those albums are notoriously uneven. The hits, generally, are the bright spots. There is that proto-puno garage-punk thing going on, but the best examples of that are on hits like Surfin' Safari and Surfin' USA. You can definitely hear seeds for the Ramones, Descendents, and perhaps the Misfits in those tracks.
You're not going to find any early BB lyrics that don't sound like they were written by a 12 year old who has suffered through an aneurysm.
The instrumentals are pretty weak. Carl (the lead guitar player) was like 15 at the time. Miserlou is probably the best of them, though the Dick Dale version puts it to shame.
A few of the better deep cuts from the first few albums:
Don't Back Down
Hawaii
Farmer's Daughter
Lana
The Lonely Sea
The key change in the chorus of Don't Back Down sounds very proto-Misfits to me.
Re: The Thread to Ruminate About Mike Love's Rape Van
Agreed. For me, though, as much as I've tried I don't really enjoy much of their material after Wild Honey outside of the occasion song or two. As much as a I shitted on their early era in my previous comment, I do enjoy it. Those pre-Pet Sounds singles are largely responsible for one of the modern US's most enduring myths -- beach culture as utopia. It's a problematic myth (aren't they all), but powerful and interesting nonetheless.Silent Majority wrote: ↑06 Nov 2022, 9:42amThose lyrics never really get good til they get weird after the hippie era. Even Pet Sounds, which can, musically, sound like the way a loving God's hug, swimming amongst the galactic spheres would feel, uses those melodies as vehicles about how your ex might date someone else. Imagine if the Metatron melted your ears saying CUTTING YOUR HAIR MAKES ME SAD BECAUSE YOU DONT LOOK AS PRETTY TO ME.msza2 wrote: ↑04 Nov 2022, 9:13amI did a deep dive into the Beach Boy's early catalogue...and lived to tell about it.
Those albums are notoriously uneven. The hits, generally, are the bright spots. There is that proto-puno garage-punk thing going on, but the best examples of that are on hits like Surfin' Safari and Surfin' USA. You can definitely hear seeds for the Ramones, Descendents, and perhaps the Misfits in those tracks.
You're not going to find any early BB lyrics that don't sound like they were written by a 12 year old who has suffered through an aneurysm.
The instrumentals are pretty weak. Carl (the lead guitar player) was like 15 at the time. Miserlou is probably the best of them, though the Dick Dale version puts it to shame.
A few of the better deep cuts from the first few albums:
Don't Back Down
Hawaii
Farmer's Daughter
Lana
The Lonely Sea
The key change in the chorus of Don't Back Down sounds very proto-Misfits to me.
Re: The Thread to Ruminate About Mike Love's Rape Van
Are the Pet Sounds/Smile lyrics actually good though?Silent Majority wrote: ↑06 Nov 2022, 9:42amThose lyrics never really get good til they get weird after the hippie era. Even Pet Sounds, which can, musically, sound like the way a loving God's hug, swimming amongst the galactic spheres would feel, uses those melodies as vehicles about how your ex might date someone else. Imagine if the Metatron melted your ears saying CUTTING YOUR HAIR MAKES ME SAD BECAUSE YOU DONT LOOK AS PRETTY TO ME.msza2 wrote: ↑04 Nov 2022, 9:13amI did a deep dive into the Beach Boy's early catalogue...and lived to tell about it.
Those albums are notoriously uneven. The hits, generally, are the bright spots. There is that proto-puno garage-punk thing going on, but the best examples of that are on hits like Surfin' Safari and Surfin' USA. You can definitely hear seeds for the Ramones, Descendents, and perhaps the Misfits in those tracks.
You're not going to find any early BB lyrics that don't sound like they were written by a 12 year old who has suffered through an aneurysm.
The instrumentals are pretty weak. Carl (the lead guitar player) was like 15 at the time. Miserlou is probably the best of them, though the Dick Dale version puts it to shame.
A few of the better deep cuts from the first few albums:
Don't Back Down
Hawaii
Farmer's Daughter
Lana
The Lonely Sea
The key change in the chorus of Don't Back Down sounds very proto-Misfits to me.
A blind class aristocracy
Back through the opera glass you see
The pit and the pendulum drawn
(Bygone, bygone)
Look, you have to establish context for these things. And I maintain that unless you appreciate the Fall of Constantinople, the Great Fire of London, and Mickey Mantle's fatalist alcoholism, live Freddy makes no sense. If you want to half-ass it, fine, go call Simon Schama to do the appendix.
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Re: The Thread to Ruminate About Mike Love's Rape Van
I think this is way too harsh on pet sounds (and smile) lyrics for reasons that I will not likely ever have time to argue about. But nonetheless.
The early years lyrics are basically agree with although I think if you listen to it like the beach boys were building a Mythic California Extended Universe it all works pretty well.
The early years lyrics are basically agree with although I think if you listen to it like the beach boys were building a Mythic California Extended Universe it all works pretty well.
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a bowl of soup
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a rolling hoop
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a ton of lead
Wiggle - you can raise the dead
Pex Lives!
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a rolling hoop
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a ton of lead
Wiggle - you can raise the dead
Pex Lives!
- Flex
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Re: The Thread to Ruminate About Mike Love's Rape Van
Okay, briefly on pet sounds, it's a tragic album. Like blood on the tracks, which is fresh on my mind, it's an album that charts the course of the dissolution of a once happy relationship. But unlike BOTT which ends in catharsis and growth, Pet Sounds offers nothing of the kind. At times our narrator seems to understand his emotional immaturity and seems on the verge of breakthrough, but by Caroline No we see the reality: our narrator is in pain and anguish, but lacks the ability to understand why his own lack of growth or understanding of his partner dooms him to heartbreak and isolation. No catharsis is granted, no growth or self realization. It's one of the saddest, darkest pop albums I think I've ever heard. That it's punctuated with truly beautiful moments just makes the futility starker.
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a bowl of soup
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a rolling hoop
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a ton of lead
Wiggle - you can raise the dead
Pex Lives!
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a rolling hoop
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle like a ton of lead
Wiggle - you can raise the dead
Pex Lives!
- Dr. Medulla
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Re: The Thread to Ruminate About Mike Love's Rape Van
Early BB songs are as vital to the California myth as Hollywood or Disneyland. California isn’t about Okies struggling to survive or smog or sprawl, it’s about freedom (to surf) and romance and perpetually sunny skies. Whenever people talk about the “real” California, they’re necessarily arguing against the fantasy that the BBs promoted.
"I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back in Whittier, they're not much bigger than two meters.'" - Richard Nixon, Checkers Speech, abandoned early draft
Re: The Thread to Ruminate About Mike Love's Rape Van
Well put and in a way I think the dashed-off mediocrity of so many of the album tracks actually assists the world building in a way. Who has time for band practice when there are waves to catch? These are boys of action!
As a side note, I'd argue the whole "beach boys" concept with the extreme narrowness of the lyrics also paved the way for concept bands like the Misfits.