Oatrick's Vinyl-a-Day

If you couldn't tell by my last post, I've been on a Beach Boys kick recently. It's been a bit warmer this week, so I guess that's put me in the mood. Today's album, L.A., is one I actually haven't heard before today. I found it last month with Beach Boys '85, Love You, and The Beach Boys In Concert (the 70s one, not to be confused with the steaming piece of shit that is 1964's 'Beach Boys Concert.') Even though I hadn't listened to it before buying it, I picked it up for completionist's sake. It was only 5 bucks anyway. Though I'd argue that The Beach Boys didn't really get 'bad' until 1992's Summer In Paradise, L.A. I think represents the beginning of the end for the band. They're fully in their nostalgia yacht rock phase at this point, and side one is concrete proof of this. There's nothing bad about it, but there's nothing really of substance here. It's inoffensive as all get out and frankly kind of...

 I don't think there's any surprise that I am a big Beach Boys fan. I've been since I was little - the 2003 compilation Sounds of Summer was loaded on my childhood MP3 player & I fell in love with Pet Sounds in middle school. Nowadays, though, I'm more into Carl Wilson's Beach Boys and the 'Brian's Back' records - and today I wanted to highlight one of the first records from that era, 'Wild Honey.' I got my copy back in September at Wayne NJ's very own Second Saturday Record Show, and it appears to be an original stereo pressing from 1967. These songs were mostly written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, and it was produced by The Beach Boys in the same style as it's predecessor, Smiley Smile. Wild Honey is a collection of bite-size lo-fi tunes that incorporate elements of  rock, soul, and R&B. It utilizes a lot of (what sounds like) detuned piano, acoustic guitar, and electric organ (especially on the title track.) Production-wise t...