941 The Beach Boys - Carl and the Passions So Tough (1972)

 941 The Beach Boys - Carl and the Passions So Tough (1972)

Studio Album - Pop





About the Act:

So, I was really tempted to pull out some cliche about living under a rock if you hadn't heard of the Beach Boys, you probably have, but given that I have just done a quick research on them and found out lots of stuff I didn't know, I'll attempt to give you a really potted overview.

They were formed in California in 1961, by brothers Carl, Brian and Dennis Wilson, cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine. They pioneered, and are most famous for their surf sound in the early 60s, happy, shiny songs about surfing with complex vocal harmonies, in a style related to doo-wop.

Then The Beatles happened, and the so-called British Invasion. At this point the popularity of surf music waned, and although it's simplistic, the Beach Boys attempted to keep pace with the increasing complexity and maturity of pop that was emerging. Out of all of the American bands, they probably did the best job of this.

There has been a lot of too-ing and fro-ing, arguments between members, changing levels of involvement, a few member changes, and some notable things, like a friendship that went sour with Charles Manson, involvement with the same Indian Guru as the Beatles, and of course, Pet Sounds, one of the most celebrated albums of all time, and certainly one of the most innovative for the time.

They kind of survived, sometimes more off than on, since 1961, and have produced 29 studio albums, just over half of which were released in the 60s.


About the Album:

This is the 18th studio album from the Beach Boys, which is quite impressive given that their first was only 11 years earlier.  This came a few albums after Pet Sounds, and was created while Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar were in the band, who got involved in some of the song writing.  


My History with this Album:

None. I think it's a strange name for an album.


Review:

This is not a surfing album. This is a varied and versatile pop album, which reminds me of British bands of the time - The Moody Blues, Procol Harum, Lindesfarne, The Strawbs, and, I guess, The Beatles. Yes, there are times when the complex and idiomatic vocal harmonies of The Beach Boys come into play, but there are many other textures and feels, from the Gospel of "He Came Down", to the mellow strings and stripped back broken vocals of "Make It Good" and "Cuddle Up". Each track in turn is interesting in its own right, with lyrics often worth listening to, diverse musical textures and feels, great production. It sounds to me more like an Elton John album really, and goes a long way to prove that "Pop" doesn't have to mean "disposable" or "facile".

I loved it, it's a great album.


8/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/632t0m8ejm3Geu5rW1CELD

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMxkpnetcodNEQGoU1-kwD8H8_etFJsdc

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_and_the_Passions_%E2%80%93_%22So_Tough%22


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