Author: Jernej Vene
Artist: Beach Boys, The
Label: Capitol Records
Release: year_month
Length: 38:53
Rating: 3/5
California isn’t just the promised land for the many who want to make it in all kinds of fields – its climate has also shaped the music that comes out of there in plenty of ways. In the mid-sixties, the three Wilson brothers, along with their cousin Mike Love and some friends, formed The Beach Boys in Hawthorne and served up a laid-back, polished pop that was a dependable escape from everyday worries. With no big ambitions for money or fame, they soon shook up first their home coast and then the rest of the world. Today they’re synonymous with gorgeous multi-part harmonies and flawless instrumental playing. This year they’re celebrating half a century in business with the album That’s Why God Made The Radio. After a sixteen-year break, it’s their twenty-ninth studio album. If everything were as easy as the Beach Boys make it sound in their songs about the sea, sunsets and summer romances, you’d sometimes think writing their new music took a minute or two. That’s not true at all, though – they put a lot of time into making new music. A case in point is the title track That’s Why God Made The Radio, which is basically a waltz, its easygoing vibe blurred by an interesting middle section, modulations and more demanding vocal arrangements. If the American dream is supposed to be within anyone’s reach, what’s surprising is how it doesn’t work out for so many who are successful in music and fascinate with ideas, technique or simplicity of expression. Here another American saying fits: what matters is being in the right place at the right time. Sometimes even that isn’t enough, but The Beach Boys got really lucky at the start of their career. To date they’ve sold close to 70 million records worldwide, which is no small feat.
It’s exactly this mix of pleasant melodies, a blend of different styles, the occasional lean on soft rhythms and carefree lyrics that helps everyone escape who never reached their dream. Surely not everyone can be rich and influential, but nobody can take away the wish for it. The Beach Boys, of course, lend a generous hand. If it doesn’t work out for real, it works out with music and lyrics. The album That’s Why God Made The Radio is actually just the way they’d have made it in their best years – it’s full of sounds that caress your ears, carry daydreaminess into the grind of everyday life, and encourage kindness and unbridled joy. Clearly they’ve found a devoted circle of listeners who want all of the above. The Beach Boys’ recording comeback had in fact been carefully planned for a few years. The songs were written together with some outside writers, the best known being Jon Bon Jovi and Jim Peterik of Survivor. Some of the songs were written by Brian Wilson fourteen years ago, when his mother and brother Carl died. Their last studio album featured covers of old hits alongside some hits by country songwriters and performers. The current album That’s Why God Made The Radio brings new original material after twenty years, when the album Surfin’ Safari came out.
Why a new album and a tour this year of all years? A bit for nostalgia and the good old days, a bit for the money and some for the love of music… Three reasons that artists making a big-time return to the stage often use. Nobody has told the whole truth yet, though, because they clearly don’t have to. Credit to The Beach Boys for making a new studio album that doesn’t bring anything new to the table but is interesting enough for the most devoted fans to embrace. Critics and other casual listeners see it as a solid addition to their catalog. Despite their venerable age, they’ve shown that they value their audience and don’t just feed it old hits but new music too. The Beach Boys are without a doubt giants of American and world pop music. It’s precisely the easygoing, dreamy feel that wins you over on the new album That’s Why God Made The Radio too. These mature gentlemen still have plenty of youthful mischief in them, and some of the lyrics might make listeners roll their eyes a little, since they might suit younger singers better, but the old cats won’t quit. Apparently they think that’s just right. If you want to hear the best they ever did, check out the albums Pet Sounds and the lost, only last-year-released Smile.
Lineup
Al Jardine – vocals
Bruce Johnston – vocals
Mike Love – vocals
David Marks – guitars
Brian Wilson – vocals
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Jeff Baxter – electric guitar
Cliff Hugo – bass guitar
Jim Peterik – ukulele
Curt Bisquera, Chad Cromwell – drums
Paul Fauerso – keyboards
Production
Brian Wilson, Paul Fauerso
Track list
1 Think About The Days
2 That’s Why God Made The Radio
3 Isn’t It Time
4 Spring Vacation
5 Beaches In Mind
6 Daybreak Over The Ocean
7 Shelter
8 The Private Life Of Bill And Sue
9 Strange World
10 From There To Back Again
11 Pacific Coast Highway
12 Summer’s Gone
