The Girl From New York City (Brian Wilson/Mike Love)
Not many songs lead off a Beach Boys album and then totally fade into obscurity like this one. It's an exciting production with great energy and an incredibly catchy chorus: "The California guys all got their eyes on that girl from New York City / The L.A. boys all heard the noise about the girl from New York City." Mike's bass notes, Brian's soaring harmonies, the piano, saxophone, and twangy lead guitar all surround a very strong vocal performance. A deep-cut album opener that does the job in less than two minutes.
Amusement Parks U.S.A. (Brian Wilson/Mike Love)
Lyrically, this song is similar to something like "County Fair" back on their debut album. The music is also very carnivallike to match. It could be a little embarrassing to the uninitiated you are trying to convince of the Beach Boys' coolness. However, there are two things I love about this song. First is the sound of Brian's vocals the three times he comes in at the end of the verses. Second is the line, "watching girls in the air can really get you bad." I don't know who wrote this line, but it's so Brian. I can totally understand it and it saves the song for me.
Then I Kissed Her (Phil Spector/Ellie Greenwich/Jeff Barry)
Brian gives the Beach Boys' treatment to "Then He Kissed Me," originally produced by Phil Spector for the Crystals. He retains the castanets, but this production has a more acoustic, less aggressive sound compared to the original. Al gets his first of two lead vocals on the album and does a great job on it.
This song used to fly past me as a simple throwback, but then I heard the session highlights on the 2001 Hawthorne, CA compilation and I realized what a creative track this is. That saxophone is back, some lively piano, great drumming by Hal Blaine, and those flawless harmonies at the end. Like "Amusement Parks U.S.A.," we have Mike and Brian sharing the lead vocal.
This song has often been compared to "Ticket To Ride" due to the guitar breaks and Carl's phrasing, particularly on the words "you'll write" in the chorus. It is also unique in that the Beach Boys are playing their own instruments, there are no backing vocals, and it's one of Carl's first leads. He was only 18 years old, but this was the 9th Beach Boys album. It's amazing to think it took Brian so long to use him in this capacity. This song is a highlight of the album for me and it really got my attention when I was first discovering the catalog.
Help Me, Rhonda (Brian Wilson/Mike Love)
Al's second lead vocal and the second time this song was released. It first showed up on Beach Boys Today! under the spelling "Help Me, Ronda," but Brian gave it another look and turned it into a #1 single. Carol Kaye's bass and Hal Blaine's drums sound incredible. Mike's bass notes are another highlight on a track full of highlights. This catchy sing-along would be a concert staple for many decades.
California Girls (Brian Wilson/Mike Love)
Speaking of concert staples, here's another monster song. The aforementioned Carol Kaye is owning that bass line again and the gorgeous intro is out of this world. In a previous post, I linked to a recording of the track that only featured the vocals. The arrangement Brian came up with for those backing vocals is one of my favorite things ever. This and "Rhonda" are songs I used to think were cheesy when I was younger, but once I became a Beach Boys fan and gave them proper listens, I learned how magnificent they are and that they deserve all the love they get.
Ahh you're killing me, Brian. This is so good! We're this far into the album and we finally get Brian's first unshared lead vocal. What a great arrangement! Listen to the backing track on 1968's Stack-o-Tracks. These are some of Brian's best lyrics. I feel I'm being redundant by pointing out the great harmonies throughout this album, but I can't ignore what the backing vocals do for this record. Gotta love that vibraphone. Frank Capp RIP.
Another infectious track. I used to think Al sang this one. There are times Al and Brian can sound identical. I also thought it was Al because Brian comes in so strong, and with a different style, on the "and I love it" part. It is Brian, however, and this is another song with the guys playing their own instruments. That lead guitar riff throughout the verses is an earworm and those "la-la-la-la" backing vocals are the icing on the cake.
This instrumental has never done much for me. I could listen to the Pet Sounds instrumentals every day, but this one seems a bit dated. I think it's the lead guitar that make it sound like it belongs in the back of some beach scene in a 1950's teen movie. The strings really help it and you can hear the experimentation that would lead to Pet Sounds.
I'm Bugged At My Ol' Man (Brian Wilson)
This song gets mixed reactions. It's a tossed-off tune that doesn't fit the production quality of the rest of the album. We essentially have a humorous (to us) window into the relationship the Wilson brothers had with their overbearing father. The lyrics are pretty weak. The backing vocals are intentionally flat. The bridge is the best part, where Brian sings "they gave me some breadcrumbs and a little glass of water / and they're out there eating steak."
And Your Dream Comes True (Brian Wilson/Mike Love)
This 63-second a cappella song is easily a better way to end the album than "Bull Session with the 'Big Daddy'." There's not a lot to say about this one other than it's a pretty little lullaby that shows the listeners what the guys can do, especially after "I'm Bugged."
The next time we would get a track like this would be "Mama Says" on the Wild Honey album.
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