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June 3rd with 882 notes | reblog
June 3rd with 1 note | reblog
June 2nd with 2 notes | reblogReview: Beach Boys reunite in Berkeley
By Jim Harrington
Oakland TribunePosted: 06/02/2012 04:50:25 AM PDT
Updated: 06/02/2012 06:04:31 AM PDT
Talk about your “Good Vibrations.”
Some 8,500 joyous fans, flashing just as many toothy smiles, turned out on a gorgeous Friday night to see the Beach Boys’ 50th anniversary tour. The capacity crowd came to the lovely open-air Greek Theatre in Berkeley to celebrate one of the most impressive careers — and, simply put, one of the best bands — in rock ‘n’ roll history.
The biggest selling point, of course, was the chance to see Brian Wilson back in action with the other surviving members of the Beach Boys.
To say that local fans had been waiting a long time for this opportunity is a dramatic understatement. Wilson, the visionary songwriter who crafted many of the band’s essential tunes, hadn’t embarked on a full tour with the Beach Boys since 1965. And it had been nearly two decades since he last shared a stage with his former band mates. For years, any type of reunion seemed, at best, improbable.
And that only makes the current turn of events all that more delicious for fans.
Not only were Wilson and the other Boys — Mike Love, Bruce Johnston, David Marks and Al Jardine — able to reconcile their differences and mount a 50th anniversary tour, marking a half-century since the release of the 1962 debut “Surfin’ Safari,” but they also ventured into the studio to record a new album.
Who thought we’d be talking about a new Beach Boys disc, featuring Brian Wilson, in 2012? Yet, “That’s Why God Made the Radio” — the group’s 29th studio effort — hits stores Tuesday.
The band — which, with backing musicians, numbered 14 onstage — even performed a few new songs in Berkeley, including “Isn’t It Time” and the album’s title track, and they were all worth hearing.
Yet, this night wasn’t about the new material. It was about reliving the golden oldies, which are so easy to sing along to, whether you are hearing them for the first or 400th time.
And it was clearly the latter for most of these fans, many of whom grew up listening to these Beach Boys classics.
The Beach Boys opened the show in appropriate fashion, with “Do It Again,” the popular 1968 single that was eventually released on 1969’s “20/20” (the band’s 20th album). From there, the group would perform another 40-plus tunes during a nearly three-hour show that was broken up into two sets.
Mike Love, as expected, did most of the talking. The 71-year-old singer was a flamboyant and funny frontman, providing a spark of personality that is sorely missing in Wilson’s own solo shows (which mostly focus on Beach Boys material). Love is the clown prince to Wilson’s troubled genius — and that dynamic, although a likely factor behind the original split, is certainly one of the things that makes the duo so interesting onstage.
Wilson seemed comfortable in this setting, especially with members of his solo band joining the original Beach Boys onstage, and was “on the mark” with his vocals throughout the night. Unlike in his solo show, he didn’t have to handle songs that are ill-suited for his voice. He simply played his part, as well as some piano, while Love, Jardine and others carried equally suitable loads.
The harmonies were rough in a few spots, but usually quite glorious, sweeping fans back to a golden age of rock ‘n’ roll. A song like “Sloop John B.” might not sound quite as mesmerizing in concert as it does on the original record, but it’s close.
At times, the band was a regular hit factory, reminding fans (who really didn’t need reminding) of how many great songs the Beach Boys pumped out in the ’60s. Highlights included “Wouldn’t It Be,” “I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times” and “God Only Knows” (all from 1966’s immortal “Pet Sounds”) as well as “Please Let Me Wonder,” “Do You Wanna Dance?” and “Help Me, Rhonda” (all from 1965’s “Today!”).
The Beach Boys peaked toward the end of the concert with “Good Vibrations,” the landmark 1966 single that still sounds unbelievably cutting edge in 2012. As amazing a song as it is, however, “Good Vibrations” is just one of dozens of reasons why the Beach Boys are one of the greatest rock bands of all time.
And that’s been true for 50 years — and counting.
Beach Boys concert was sooo much fun! They sounded amazing. Brian Wilson sounded a bit off for “I Wasn’t Made For These Times” but it’s live and who cares haha. During the second half, they played a video of Dennis Wilson singing “Forever” and backed him, then they played a video of Carl Wilson…
I’m so lucky to have been a part of this event. Never in my life will I ever forget!
June 2nd with 7 notes | reblog
All I Wanna Do by The Beach Boys
June 2nd with 5 notes | reblog | 38 playsThe Beach Boys - All I wanna Do
Inb4 MGMT - Flash Delirium
Also, best track since the invention of the pythagorean music scale
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June 2nd with 21,768 notes | reblog
