>>>Note the following is an unpublished precursor to an article that appeared in Endless Summer Quarterly - Click headline to check out ESQ
Thirty Reasons to Celebrate "Love You"'s Thirtieth Anniversary
#1 -I celebrate Love You ... because every Beach Boys album is a gift every true fan ought to cherish. Each song, each sound, evoke hopes and dreams that transcend even the most simplistic lyrics or simplest of songs. Love You is a gift, even if it is your least favorite album.
#2 -I celebrate Love You ... as Wild Honey a decade later. Just as Wild Honey was intended to be therapeutic for Brian after the shelving or SMiLE, Love You was meant to be an opportunity for Brian to resume creative control over the group. He was given production credit, though it was clear that Carl had a "mix-down" hand in the final cuts, but he participated fully or collaboratively on each of the songs.
#3 -I celebrate Love You ... for Mona, I’ll Bet He’s Nice, and I Wanna Pick You Up the last time we’d hear that many lead vocals on one album from Dennis Wilson. They remind me of the important role he played in the early 60's surge that propelled the Beach Boys toward stardom. His unmistakable voice turned any song brother Brian handed him into a rock and roll tune to bring down the house. About the same time as Love You was released, and with too little fanfare, his first solo effort Pacific Ocean Blue gave us strong hints as to what could, but never would, come later.
#4 - I celebrate Love You ... every time I look at (and touch!) the creative album artwork of Dean Torrence. It reminds me of the parallel music journey of the Beach Boys and Jean and Dean in the sixties and their many hit singles that still bring joy to my soul every time I hear them on the radio.
#5 - I celebrate Love You ... as thirty years later I am still enjoying it and, for better and for worse, Brian and the Beach Boys are still making music.
#6 through #19 - I celebrate Love You ... as a reminder of the simple pleasures of life:
- Trying to impress girls at the roller rink
- Watching late night TV
- Pouring a glass of milk
- Driving too fast to pick up a date
- Practicing what to say to my girlfriend
- Taking her to the movies
- Sitting in class with my soul on fire
- Falling in love Breaking up
- Singing a silly ditty (when you hope no one is home listening)
- Looking at the lights of a city out the window of an airplane
- Searching the sky for stars and planets
- Picking up my baby girls
- Buckle? their shoes . . . (I am a father of two girls, each one with a daughter of their own; never saw a shoe buckle)
#21 - I celebrate Love You ... making it as far as #53 on the charts. Once again, a Beach Boys release was under promoted by a record company (Warner Brothers) they were leaving to sign with a new company (CBS). Of course, this resulted in a very uninformed public.
#22 - I celebrate Love You ... as another Beach Boys product that has the ability to make everyone's Top 5 list. For some, top 5 favorites; for others, top 5 flops! How do they do that?!
#23 - I celebrate Love You ... for the way it evokes such a diverse response from Beach Boy fans: "Just brilliant," "Makes me wanna hug everybody!!!!," "Certainly a strange one," "Oddball," "An album worth experiencing," "Hmmmm..."
#24 - I celebrate Love You ... even though I know the happy photo on the back cover was NOT reflective of their lives nor their relationships at the time. Their smiles belie the pain of soon impending divorces, alcohol and drug abuse, corporate battles between founding members, body guards at concerts to protect one BB from another ...
#25 - I celebrate Love You ... when I see the inner sleeve photos (sorry for those who do not have the vinyl). They remind me of the Beach Boys' mid-seventies concert resurgence. The band had matured from a live version of a garage band into a symphonic sound that replicated their studio harmonies and instrumentals.
#26 - I celebrate Love You ... when I notice in fine print on the inner sleeve "Photos courtesy of Pet Sounds magazine," David Leaf's earliest attempts to chronicle the life of the Beach Boys (I have each issue safely filed in my collection). At that point, these newspaper-like issues were about the only resource true Beach Boys fans had to follow the band. While any book that appeared was handled carnivorously, most of those already published were glossy and commercial. The emergence of Pet Sounds Magazine was the beginning of a now thirty-year-long season of new items from books and bootlegs.
#27 - I celebrate Love You ... when I read "To Brian whom we love with all our hearts. Carl, Dennis, Michael, Alan." on the inner sleeve. In spite of all the acrimony, some of which continues to this day, I believe each signed this statement with complete authentically. They truly loved Brian and wanted the best for him. As in many families, that sincere intention often became lost in self-serving choices; motivations are usually mixed. The story of the Beach Boys is, for many fans, a saga not unlike their own life and family. The circumstances surrounding Love You: a feuding family, faltering marriages and relationships, financial issues with their record companies - understandable and even identifiable by the typical fan who has grown up with the Boys. Love You is, not musically but emotionally, about just that; trying to say "I love you." Let's stop fighting. Stop the madness. Get some help (Dr. Landy, anyone?). Get me some help; I am out of control! Fans of the men in the band, not merely their music, recognize Love You as a plea. And a hope, that all they'd need is love.
#28 - I celebrate Love You ... as an attempt at recovery, even redemption for Brian. The title. At a surface level, it is a statement to their fans. At a deeper, personal level, it is a message to Brian, "Brian, the Beach Boys love you" in hopes the writing-producing-recording process would bring healing. Sad to say, for some of the band, their hopes of Brian's recovery may have been motivated more by potential profit than by Brian's recovery. The tunes. Each song has a Brian Wilson credit. Only three songs have any co-writer credit. The entire second side of the album (this is a THIRTY year anniversary!) is from top to bottom Brian-Wilson-only songs. Their previous album, 15 Big Ones, was a commercial success (a top 10 album with a top 5 single - they have not seen this kind of album/single success since) but it was dismissed by critics. Love You was Brian's opportunity to recreate a full album of new songs (Good Time was the exception) and demonstrate his creative abilities were intact and that the voices of his messengers, as Dennis might say, we capable of delivering a knock-out punch.
#29 - I celebrate Love You ... for a photo of Billy Hinsche on the inner sleeve. He was on stage with the band at their "Sweet 16" New Year's Even Concert and Party. His tenure with the band spanned at least four decades and, in my opinion, set a high standard of what it meant to become a regular member of the beach Boys touring band. As of late, with both Brian and Al on their own and Mike and Bruce touring as The Beach Boys, many of us have concerns about the protecting the authenticity of the name and the music ... but, Billy, maybe not the first to tour regularly, but certainly one of the earliest and the best. When he was onstage, he too was playing with Love You in his heart and voice.
#30 - I celebrate Love You ... for having, as slight as it is, a spiritual undertone. "Let Us Go On This Way" at first, seems to be a plea to the girl of his dreams, the one who sets his soul on fire while sitting in class. But then, the ode to a girlfriend, becomes a prayer, of sorts. “God, please let us go on this way.” Then, in the midst of a conversation on an airplane, a thought directed heavenward; “I need God as my guide.” For most of us, each of those circumstances are normal, everyday occurrences. Brian reminds us that including God in our everyday thoughts and situations should be standard procedure. Similar to the Christian scripture's idea of Immanuel; God-with-us in every moment and meeting. For Brian, however, we know that these everyday situations were far more than "every day" - they could be paralyzing. All the more reason to seek the guidance of the Lord. Another reason I'm learning to love Love You more than ever...
Phil Miglioratti PrayForSurf.net
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