Friends Album Analysis - In My Beach Boys Room Podcast - Episode 20 (S3)

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  • Опубліковано 30 лис 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 60

  • @sunshinecoolwater9528
    @sunshinecoolwater9528 2 місяці тому +9

    Friends is an underrated masterpiece of an album.

  • @LSUOdyssey
    @LSUOdyssey 2 місяці тому +4

    ON SATURDAY MORNING.....MY GUYS....LET'S GEAUX....WHAT'S NEXT??? Friends is so good. Saw Brian, Blondie and Al play a ton of songs from Friends in 2019, it was a brilliant set list, made up of Friends songs, stuff from Surf's Up (including Surf's Up, Long Promised Road, Feel Flows etc), just so good....

    • @beachboyshangout
      @beachboyshangout  2 місяці тому +1

      Thank you, bud!! Go Tigers and Broncos (Boise St :)) today!

  • @andybaker5624
    @andybaker5624 2 місяці тому +1

    Did I not read somewhere that it’s supposed to be Paul McCartney in the bottom left, looking like a broccoli? Which was the reason he suggested that the BBoys put more thought into their album covers. Every time I watch one of these, I just wish it was ME there nerding out with you. Anyway, Passing By is one of my fave underrateds. Killer vibe

    • @beachboyshangout
      @beachboyshangout  2 місяці тому

      You're the 2nd person that has brought up the McCartney sighting - I've never heard of it til recently - I know his quote about the covers, though - thank you :)

    • @ABCDEY12
      @ABCDEY12 Місяць тому

      @@beachboyshangout Macca on the left, Donovan on the right (the Rishikesh connexion!)

  • @marcbolan1818
    @marcbolan1818 2 місяці тому +1

    Pet Sounds and Smile are hard acts to follow but the Boys' post Pet Sounds albums through 1970 are all classics.

  • @billreid-s4u
    @billreid-s4u 2 місяці тому +2

    You mentioned that Friends came out when “acid” rock was the rage. I could not have been more uncool as a 14 year old aspiring guitar player who loved the BBs and the Friends, SS, WH albums. Recently, I met with two of these old Hendrix/Cream guitarists who said in retrospect I was the one with progressive taste. Go figure!

  • @paladin1726
    @paladin1726 2 місяці тому +1

    Your favorite Beach Boys Waltz? Friends? Be Here in the Morning? Time to Get Alone? Big Sur? I went to sleep?
    This is such a fascinating video. Thank you for creating it!

    • @beachboyshangout
      @beachboyshangout  2 місяці тому +1

      I think I'm going with "I Went To Sleep" :))) they are all so good, though!

  • @ShelleeGraham
    @ShelleeGraham 2 місяці тому +1

    I’m only half-way through and I am enjoying this episode immensely! Love your guitar 🎸 playing and explanatory music 🎶 notes. And I had so much fun singing along with you on “Wake the World.” Awesome👏 work gentlemen!

    • @beachboyshangout
      @beachboyshangout  2 місяці тому

      thank you, Shellee - now I can see you waltzing AND singing :)))

  • @kastastan
    @kastastan 2 місяці тому +1

    Wishing you a speedy recovery, Matthew! Love the pod. This album was a slow burn for me as well, at first it seemed slight and kind of too pleasant for its own good. But i grew to appreciate the jazzier vibe and dryer vocal sound. Its become a staple for a light short jog in the woods!

  • @FishyTheKid
    @FishyTheKid 2 місяці тому

    Been loving these videos! Also love the Friends album so much. Such an easy listen. My favourite track is 'Passing by' reminds me of nostalgia and fleeting images in my mind, really special.

    • @beachboyshangout
      @beachboyshangout  2 місяці тому

      thank you so much and thank you for commenting :) I love Passing By too

  • @billreid-s4u
    @billreid-s4u 2 місяці тому +1

    Saw the BBs with the Maharishi in 68 at Spectrum in Philadelphia. BBs played first, followed by an intermission and many flowers. The Maharishi came on, we departed 5 minutes later like most of the audience. I liked the white suits at the time.

    • @beachboyshangout
      @beachboyshangout  2 місяці тому

      So cool!!! So the flowers came out with the Maharishi?

    • @billreid-s4u
      @billreid-s4u 2 місяці тому

      @@beachboyshangout As I recall the stage flowers were positioned during the intermission. He walked up to the stage on a white runner with rose petals strewn about.

  • @Prycebrinkerhoff
    @Prycebrinkerhoff 2 місяці тому

    I have been so excited for this episode to come out!! Friends for the longest time was my favorite beach boys album (after Pet Sounds). I've heard several times that the section right before that almost twangy outro was a reinterpulation of Child is Father to the Man, to the degree that a version from 1966 was included on the Wake the World digital collection. That might be why it sounds a bit like SMiLE tunes. I've tried for years to figure out the more specific chords on songs Little Bird and Anna Lee the Healer. Such an awesome dive into Friends!! I can't wait for yalls video on 20/20.

    • @Prycebrinkerhoff
      @Prycebrinkerhoff 2 місяці тому

      I've also heard that Marilyn doubles Brian over the second bridge. I hardly notice it but it's very interesting and sweet sounding

    • @beachboyshangout
      @beachboyshangout  2 місяці тому

      Thank you so much! and did not know about Marilyn on 2nd bridge - thank you!

    • @beachboyshangout
      @beachboyshangout  2 місяці тому

      Wow!

  • @denniswood1437
    @denniswood1437 2 місяці тому +1

    The whole of the Friends album has some pretty advanced time changes and of course, the vocals are breathtaking. It has jazzy horns and strings that are balanced with acoustic instrumentation. Brian's "Busy Doing Nothing" has a humorous, upbeat, easy jazz feel that sadly he would never really revisit again. Certainly, in the Beach Boys top five albums and an underrated gem.

    • @beachboyshangout
      @beachboyshangout  2 місяці тому +1

      Well said! :)))

    • @denniswood1437
      @denniswood1437 2 місяці тому +1

      @@beachboyshangout Also, just wanted to say your instrumental breakdown of the songs chords & structure is really illuminating as I am a frustrated guitar player and always want to know "how the heck did the Beach Boys do that"! I can't wait till next show!

    • @beachboyshangout
      @beachboyshangout  2 місяці тому +1

      @@denniswood1437 thank you, Dennis - that means a lot :)))

  • @stumbledcandy2663
    @stumbledcandy2663 2 місяці тому +1

    Fun Fact: The Lyrics for the song Passing By were actually written i think in the early 70s and that demos vocals included on the Wake the World set are from that same time.

    • @beachboyshangout
      @beachboyshangout  2 місяці тому

      now that you remind me, I think I was aware of that - thank you!

  • @ShelleeGraham
    @ShelleeGraham 2 місяці тому +3

    One my favorite albums “FRIENDS” -YAY! It makes me want to waltz 💃 1-2-3, 1-2-3 . . .

    • @beachboyshangout
      @beachboyshangout  2 місяці тому +1

      I can see you waltzing in that Round Barn on Route 66!

  • @Blend42
    @Blend42 2 місяці тому +2

    Friends is not a lo-fi record ito me (apart from single tracked vocals), big parts of it were done in professional studios too ,It's the best of the post Smile Capitol album. Last Brian Wilson record till 15 Big Ones.

    • @beachboyshangout
      @beachboyshangout  2 місяці тому

      I love the pictures from the Friends sessions with Brian in the flowered, long-sleeve shirt. Do you know which studio that is?

    • @gerrydooley951
      @gerrydooley951 2 місяці тому

      @@beachboyshangout Wally Heider I believe

  • @lamontsouth5301
    @lamontsouth5301 2 місяці тому

    Matthew and Adam. Really Great podcast!. I was 15 when Friends came out. I remember hearing the single Friends for the first time. I was driving and had to pulled off the road to better listen to it. I loved it immediately! When the album came out I loved it as well. Thanks for your chord breakdown. I've never done or seen these these songs broken down before. I loved hearing and seeing all the complicated chord progressions that are on this album. Most of the music is quite complicated....but Brian always ends up somewhere......every chord progression had a purpose and a destination that is really cool with each song. Pet Sounds is the best album of all time....but....It's a sad album. I always feel a little down when I finish the album. The sound of the train and barking dogs is kind of a downer. But Friends (with the exception of the last track) is really an upbeat album. It just relaxes me to hear it. About the last track. I have always wondered if Brian was still in his Smile comedy mood.... writing such a harsh song about meditation with all that chord dissonance. Or maybe...the song was representing the chaos and discontent in the world(then and now) with the music, but having the lyrics about something very peaceful. Just a thought. Also... Adam mentioned he thought that Smile and Friends had the same kind of vibe....way different that of Wild Honey. Do you remember when Warner/Reprise released two double albums in the 70's? They both had album covers that were beige with a bikini clad girl on them? One pairing had Smiley Smile with Friends. The other had Wild Honey with 20/20. I thought that was strange at the time, being out of order. But I can see now that these pairing make a lot of sense. Thanks again for a great program! Lamont

    • @beachboyshangout
      @beachboyshangout  2 місяці тому

      this is some great insight, Lamont, that I really agree with :))) thank you for your kind words and participation - I really resonate with the words about the pairings on the "bikini" reissues of the 4 post Pet Sounds albums, too

    • @lamontsouth5301
      @lamontsouth5301 2 місяці тому

      Adam said he thought Wake The World sounded like a Beatles tune. He might be thinking of For No One on Revolver. Paul uses a fugle horn that reminded me of the horn in Wake the World. Just a thought....Lamont

  • @billreid-s4u
    @billreid-s4u 2 місяці тому

    😊Never noticed the the Dsus4 in Be here in the morning never resolves until you played it on guitar. An appropriate fiddle tune!

  • @gerrydooley951
    @gerrydooley951 2 місяці тому

    My theory has been that after the demise of Smile Brian no longer wanted to put his heart and soul into his music. He no longer wanted the pressure of coming up with the next-big-thing. No more of the genius talk , he wanted to fly under the radar that's why SS,WH, and Friends are so under produced. If they got a hit, great, but no more of the soul searching of Pet Sounds or the experimentation of Smile. In terms of a career move I thought that Smiley Smile was self- sabatoge. There was no way that a record like that was going to compete in the 1967 marketplace.

    • @beachboyshangout
      @beachboyshangout  2 місяці тому

      Agreed for sure - the pressure of the "next big thing" had to be HUGE

  • @shadowplayish
    @shadowplayish Місяць тому

    Hi from Australia guys. Digging the content immensely. I got an Australian re release of friends pretty rare ans sounds awesome but it omitted Diamond Head fpr Good Vibrations which I knew when buying it. I love Diamond Head and found an original pressing here in AU for $50 mint condition. and a Mono original 67 of Wild Honey for $30

    • @beachboyshangout
      @beachboyshangout  Місяць тому

      Thank you! and cool insight on the Australian release but glad you finally found "Diamond Head" - thanks for being with us here!

    • @shadowplayish
      @shadowplayish Місяць тому

      @beachboyshangout no problem mate. Keep up the good work. It's appreciated. Your knowledge is unsurpassed.

    • @shadowplayish
      @shadowplayish Місяць тому

      @beachboyshangout the intro on Diamond Head truly comes to life on vinyl on a decent set up.

  • @DoctorInsomnia-qw7us
    @DoctorInsomnia-qw7us 2 місяці тому

    Finally got advance notice, and it's Saturday morning, no work, so I'll be there ...

    • @beachboyshangout
      @beachboyshangout  2 місяці тому

      we'll be there too :)))

    • @DoctorInsomnia-qw7us
      @DoctorInsomnia-qw7us 2 місяці тому +1

      @@beachboyshangout Don't know if you've finished your research, but you might find it interesting. In the September 1968 issue of EYE magazine, with John Lennon on the cover, there's a positive glowing review of the new Beach Boys album, Friends. Don't remember who wrote it, but they praised how focused and uncluttered it was, compared to the excessive showoff virtuosity of their psychedelic contemporaries, like Cream. They pointed out how the Beach Boys were in the vanguard of a back to basics return to your musical roots movement, and lumped them in with the Band & Dylan. I lost my copy of that magazine (which my older cousins gave me) years ago, so I'm just quoting from memory, not verbatim. Perhaps you can find the review online, you might have better luck than me. Let me know if you find it....

    • @beachboyshangout
      @beachboyshangout  2 місяці тому

      @@DoctorInsomnia-qw7us I'm unaware of that review for sure - thank you for pointing us to it :))) the episode is already recorded so we can't include that information but that is an interesting fact - I knew Paul Williams and David Anderle had a discussion in an article about the post Smile albums that basically said the same things and I think that came out in 1968 but I thought it was in Crawdaddy - maybe it was for EYE? Hate to guess too much :) We will be there with you guys in the chat tomorrow morning and thank you for this!

    • @DoctorInsomnia-qw7us
      @DoctorInsomnia-qw7us 2 місяці тому

      ​@@beachboyshangoutif for some reason I luck out & find that friends review on eye, I'll get back to you, it's my weekend, so I'm not too busy...

  • @ShelleeGraham
    @ShelleeGraham 2 місяці тому

    Adam. Is this the term you are thinking of?
    Word-painting (or 'prosody') is when the lyrics of the song are illustrated by the music.

    • @beachboyshangout
      @beachboyshangout  2 місяці тому

      Wow - I'll have to ask Adam but this is my first "go" for that word! Pronunciation?

  • @billreid-s4u
    @billreid-s4u 2 місяці тому

    Although I would also say Dennis Wilson’s first composition is Little Bird. Technically, his first is Denny’s Drums…which it truly forgettable.

    • @beachboyshangout
      @beachboyshangout  2 місяці тому

      yeah - not much of a composition - chord changes are great, though ;)))

  • @bobsbigboy_
    @bobsbigboy_ 2 місяці тому

    an even better album than Pet Sounds. Rivaled only by Smile

  • @ClintThomsen
    @ClintThomsen 2 місяці тому

    My least favorite Brian songs are the ‘slice of life’ tracks. Those seem so lazy to me. And completely uninspired.