Not very well known compared to their other albums, and as a result severely underrated. (Sunflower - Beach Boys)

Member Name: SteadyHandshake

Product:	Sunflower - Beach Boys
Date:	20/06/08 (87 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Some incredibly good songs, perhaps the last truly great Beach Boys album/s.

Disadvantages: Although the other members perform excellently, Brian's lack of lead vocal input is missed at times,

Because the current layout of this album incorporates two records sandwiched together ('Sunflower' and 'Surf's up'), I will review both, but separately, as they show different musical representations and periods in time.

Sunflower:

My interest in the music of The Beach Boys, like many others, began with Pet Sounds. After allowing the genius and magnitude of that 1966 recording to sink in, I grew curious about their other albums, and so took in the rest of their late 60's and early 70's output. Whilst the steady run of albums post Pet Sounds are still high on my overall list of favourites, at first listen Sunflower seemed to have the greatest affect on me, and still does today. This reaction is not only because of the songs themselves, but also due to the state of the group at the time.

Since the abandonment of the Smile album, Brian Wilson's apparent decline in mental health and musical interest and output had resulted in a series of well made, but ever so slightly disjointed records. Having retreated gradually from the writing and recording process, Brian's lack of input had forced the other members of the group to force the way ahead with their own contributions. Although the albums following Pet Sounds feature moments of brilliance both from Brian, and the other members, they are accompanied by other moments that simply do not fit in with their surroundings, or are not good enough, and so slightly disrupt the sound. In my opinion, Sunflower sees the group effectively 'come of age', and record an album that does not suffer greatly due to increased member input (Dennis Wilson in particular), and lack of writing, singing, and production from Brian. This increase in collective song writing quality is reflected in the music itself, which gives off an air of happiness, pride, and contentment. The photo on the cover of the album reflects this attitude, with the image of the group and various family members appearing to state, "Here we are, and here is our music". Sadly, many people agree that Sunflower was the last consistently great Beach Boys record, and the subsequent releases, (possibly excluding sections of Surf's Up, and Holland) never managed to maintain that same level of quality again.

'Slip on through' kicks off the album with Dennis Wilson on accomplished lead vocal, and is a thoroughly groovy affair, with the rest of the group harmonizing on the chorus section.

'This whole world' is a Brian Wilson composition, and features both he and Carl on lead vocals. The general feel to the track is happy, thanks to the uplifting backing vocals, and subtle touches such as the xylophone/glockenspiel present in the backing track.
'Add some music to your day' really grew on me. At first, I thought it was far too cliché and frankly rather dull, but after a while I gradually began to appreciate the contrast between the restrained lead vocals (shared through all the members of the group), and the soaring backing vocals, and it eventually became one of my favourites from the album.

'Got to know the woman' is a jaunty and slightly raunchy rock n' roll number from Dennis, which manages to surprise the listener with the ascending pitch in the chorus. Dennis's cheeky lead vocal shows his ability to diversify both lyrically, and musically from his other more 'sensitive' contributions such as 'Forever', and the driving rhythm of this song foreshadows some later efforts to appear on his solo album 'Pacific Ocean Blue'.

'Deirdre' is the first of two songs on the album penned by late addition to the group (1966/67) Bruce Johnson, albeit with help from Brian, and displays his considerable talent for melody and the creation of a rich, full sound. This song is clever, because it clearly shows influence from Brian's work, but at the same time remains a recognisably 'Bruce Johnson' composition.

'It's about time' is very much a song from Carl, Dennis, and Al, as it is fairly different in style from most of Brian's work. Carl sings a strong lead vocal, and there is a rare guitar solo in a song that is fairly powerful, and would have undoubtedly been good to play and hear live.

'Tears in the morning' is the other Bruce Wilson effort, this time credited solely to him. Once again his fantastic song writing ability is shown, and although his voice appears fairly weak in comparison to the likes of Carl, it seems to suit the song, and the message he is trying to put across.

'All I wanna do' is a fairly rare collaboration from this time between Brian Wilson and Mike Love, who were very different types of musicians. Any differences are thrown aside here however, with a truly peaceful and well-meaning song being the result. Considering some of Mike's later efforts on lead vocal, this piece shows how good he really could be when he had the creative help and guidance of his cousin Brian. Mike Love at his best.

'Forever' is perhaps Dennis Wilson's main song, the one that everybody knows him for, and defines him by. Written by Dennis and one of his close friends, it shows his understanding of expression of emotion through music, and the manner in which he sings (particularly the last verse) gives the impression that he is really putting his heart into the song.

'Our sweet love' is a piece written by Brian, Carl, and Al, and undoubtedly displays heavy influence from Brian in its structure and content. Carl's lead vocal is reminiscent of many of Brian's Pet Sounds songs, and drifts and weaves seamlessly with the flowing backing track.

'At my window' is a very interesting song, as it was written by Al Jardine with help from Brian, but sung by Bruce. Many find that Bruce's voice doesn't suit this song, but much like 'Add some music...' the song is a real grower. Bruce's gentle and simple singing puts across the innocent observational nature of the lyrics, and there is a definite 'Brian Wilson' touch to the song, with the spoken French words, and the explosive harmony preceding and following the final verse.

'Cool, cool water' is an effort originally intended for inclusion on the aborted 'Smile' album from 1967. Although written by Wilson and Love, it is a predominantly Brian song, as it features many traits typical of his Smile pieces, such as gentle relaxing sections arranged with more experimental interludes. In this case, the main body of the song appears to be a harmonious description of the various benefits of cool, cool water, with the vocal input perfectly restrained and in tune from all members. Halfway through the song the melody drifts out to be replaced by a period of swirling, windy noise, before re-entering into the main format again. Even though it was three years old at the time of inclusion (a long time in the 60's), it still sounds very much like it is the right piece to include on the album, and is yet another great composition from the creatively talented Brian.

Overall, Sunflower is often overlooked by general music fans and critics alike as an album from a period of declining output from the Beach Boys. However, I believe it to be a fine effort, and personally rate it second only to Pet Sounds in my list of their favourite albums (although Wild Honey and Friends are also very good). The cohesion and harmony of this album represent the last time that The Beach Boys were all walking down the same path to create an album as a more collective effort, as the next release 'Surf's up', although still a good collection, was not quite as together as a record. This makes 'Sunflower' for me a final true representation of just how good they really could be as a group of musicians producing high quality songs, and I rate as being an incredibly good album.

Surf's Up:

Surf's up is an album that contains a real mixture of songs. Whilst the other members do contribute significantly, it is a shame to see no original compositions or vocals from Dennis for whatever reason, as he obviously had a serious talent for writing and singing. There are some great songs on the record, such as 'Til I die', and 'Surf's up' which can be considered classic Beach Boys material, but there are also songs which pull the band in a newer and distinctly more socially aware direction, such as 'Don't go near the water' and 'Student demonstration time'. Along with this, there is input from Carl, with the inclusion of the essentially solo piece 'Feel Flows', and an enduring piece from Bruce, 'Disney Girls (1957)'. Although it is a good album, in comparison to Sunflower and other preceding albums, it seems a little disjointed, which may reflect a less harmonious group at the time of recording.

After the release of Sunflower in 1970, the Beach Boys were forced to re-think their approach due to a lack of sales and heavy criticism for being 'out of touch'. One of the decisions made with the management, and within the group itself, was to write songs that allowed the listener to relate to the band better, through references to current public affairs, attitudes and values. Some members of the band, Love and Jardine in particular took it upon themselves to fulfil this role, and attempted to create songs in this vein. Meanwhile, the other members continued to produce songs as they had done for the last album, which had more abstract meanings and song structures. Perhaps the most interesting section of the album is the sequence of three songs at the end, as they are the only pieces creatively written and arranged by Brian, and feature the most heartfelt and personal lyrics on the album, along with a fantastic completed inclusion from the aborted 'Smile' record 'Surf's Up'.

'Don't go near the water' is a composition by Mike Love and Al Jardine, which deals with issues of water pollution, and was obviously written as a piece for audiences to relate to as a statement. Love's vocals are restrained whilst Jardine's sound more passionate, providing good contrast, and the instrumental backing and harmonies are very performed, but this new territory doesn't really suit The Beach Boys as a group. Also, the ironic title reflects how more happy subject matter has become far more serious, rather like the fun of working together in a group was probably waning at that time.

'Long promised road' is a Carl Wilson contribution, and is fairly upbeat; with typically good lead vocals, and a loud/quiet format. This shows Carl's growing talent for song writing, and studio production.

'Take a load off your feet' is a song originally written and recorded in 1969 for the Sunflower album by Al Jardine with help from Brian. It is a fairly relaxed, fun piece with lead vocals from both Brian and Al. Because it was recorded earlier, Brian's vocal parts sound very clear, and Al also sings in a very accomplished manner, making it an enjoyable song to listen to.

'Disney girls (1957)' is the only Bruce Johnson composition included on the album. Much like his Sunflower offerings, this song shows Bruce's great talent for melodic, and effective song construction, as well as the ability to adapt his fairly weak voice (in comparison with the other members) to suit the gentle flow of the music. The backing vocals also compliment the song perfectly.

'Student demonstration time' is very, very different from everything else on the album, as it is an attempted heavy, and slightly scathing rock n roll number. Once again the subject matter is more socially aware, with Love clearly mentioning events from that period of time in the United States. Due to the form of the song, it really doesn't sound like a Beach Boys piece, and so sticks out like a sore thumb on the record. Whilst something like this is probably fun live, it really isn't very appropriate for album material, and for this reason is for me, the weakest track in the collection.

'Feel flows' is another Carl Wilson piece, and is probably his highlight on the album. The melody and construction of the song is very professionally well done, and the surreal-like quality to the lyrics fit in perfectly with the driving rhythmic and varied instrumental backing. The lead vocals are enveloped in a reverse echo effect which compliment the sound of the rest of the song, and show Carl to be a fantastically creative and aware musician, who was developing his talents greatly at this time in his career with The Beach Boys.

'Lookin' at tomorrow (a welfare song)' is a song written and sung by Al Jardine, and sounds a little bit like a Beatles piece to me, with an eerie lead vocal accompanies by fairly menacing acoustic guitar. Whilst it works as a song, it doesn't sound like a Beach Boys recording.

'A day in the life of a tree' kicks off the final three consecutive Brian Wilson songs at the end of the album, and is immediately recognisable as being one of his compositions. With the backing track written and performed by Brian on an atmospheric organ, and effective lyrics describing the thoughts and feelings of a tree, sung by guest writers Jack Rieley and Van Dyke Parks, this track is incredibly haunting and sad.

'Til I die' is very much a Brian Wilson song, and he has often described it as his most personal composition. The lyrics deal with themes of insignificance and death, subjects far darker than the rest of the album. The fantastically engineered harmonies and flowing music hark back to his earlier compositions from the time of Pet Sounds and Smile, and the lead vocals by Brian, Carl, and Mike are wonderfully well-sung, and fit in perfectly with the sombre mood of the song.

'Surf's up' is a song by Brian and Van Dyke Parks that had been floating around since the Smile sessions in 1966/67, and was finally finished in the studio by Carl, with help from Brian. Originally intended to be one of the main parts of the Smile album, the song features three sections (or movements, whatever ;) with fantastic musical and lyrical content. Brian and Carl's vocals are both stunning, but I cannot help but think how the original piece would have sounded had Smile been completed in 1967, when Brian's voice really was untouchable. Having said that, the decision to include this on the album was still a great one, as it is a true masterpiece of a song, and along with 'Til I die', the best track on the album, and a brilliant way to end the record.

'Surf's up' is an album that gives me very mixed feelings. Brian's contributions are absolutely brilliant, and show once more how good he was as a composer of honest, colourful music. Also, it is good to see other members exploring their own talents further and crafting good songs on their own, particularly Carl. However, this album is not quite consistent enough for me to rate it among my very favourites, as some of the songs do not fit in well enough with their surrounding numbers. Whilst many may see this as a positive display of diversity and expansion of individual talent and subject matter, I am much more in favour of consistent group efforts to be made into one harmonious album. This may seem like an overly high expectation, but after hearing such wonderful records as 'Pet Sounds' and 'Sunflower', it is slightly disappointing to see a change to the formula, even though it was probably enforced by their place in music culture at the time, and probably therefore inevitable.

When the two albums are bought together, I would advise that they are listened to separately, so that they can be understood and appreciated as two different works, or at least with the difference in mind. This will allow better understanding of the music and lyrics, and the way in which the albums form representations of where the group was at the time.

Summary: Two very good albums featuring fantastically well written and well performed pieces of music.