Pray For Surf's Phil Miglioratti Interviewed RIck Swan
Author of "The Beach Boys: All The Songs"
PHIL - Rick, tell us how you discovered the Beach Boys.
RICK - Hiland Potato Chips was a major operation in the Midwest of the US where I grew up. They were big on promotions, like billboards, comic books, a giant plaster cow [don't ask]. When I was a kid, my mom brought home the latest Hiland extravaganza: a double bag of chips packaged with a 45 record.
The record was a cartoon picture sleeve of the Beach Boys, the disc was "Heroes and Villains" backed with "You're Welcome." I knew nothing about the Beach Boys at the time. They were merely radio fodder, easy to hum along with while waiting for the newest Beatles record, and easy to forget.
Anyway, I gave it a spin - and my brain was promptly fried. I'd never heard anything so weird, so off the wall, with so much going on - this was the Beach Boys? This was about as far from surfin' and hot rods as you could get.
Awhile later, Newsweek wrote a glowing review of SURF'S UP. They mentioned Brian Wilson, Carl, and a bunch of other guys I never heard of, had no interest in, but it didn't matter. Newsweek made if sound terrific. I was broke, as always, but I HAD TO HAVE THIS ALBUM. After a round or two of begging and pleading, my folks shut me up by forking over the cash. I bought it, and my mind blown again. I especially liked "Til I Die," "Feel Flows," and "Surf's Up," which struck me as transcendental,
magnificently complex, and gorgeous in a way that beauty had never been presented before. It was like being ushered into another, better world. I still didn't know who Brian Wilson was.
PHIL - As a fan, how did you consume their catalog? Where did you start? How did you compile your
collection?
RICK - It wasn't easy. Beach Boys albums were scarce. They couldn't be harder to find if they'd been
outlawed. I scoured every department store, grocery store - grocery stores sold albums in the old days -furniture stores, book stores, nothing. I finally spotted some - WILD HONEY, FRIENDS, 20/20, all original Capitol pressings - in the bargain bin in a crummy little record shop next to a pizza joint in downtown Des Moines. Fifty cents each. I bought WILD HONEY. I wanted them all, but fifty cents was outrageous. Yes, I was incredibly stupid.
PHIL - What transported you from enjoying their music as a fan to composing a guide to "all material
released by the major labels?"
RICK - I hold grudges. In this case, it was a grudge against third rate journalists pontificating about
something they know nothing about. I got sick of interns telling me how cute "No Go Showboat" was
and how SMILE was the pathetic product of a pill-popping hippie. These comments, by the way, were from a newspaper guy who also reviewed restaurants.
PHIL - Describe the process you followed, the challenges you faced, to comment on every song on every album - over 900 tracks?
RICK - I listened to every single one of them, three times in a row. When I finished with a song, I jotted down my reaction, which was edited and re-thought two days later. Repeat, endlessly. Also, I had to own all of these - and some of them still were hard to nail down, like, say, the studio "We Got Love;" which is relatively easy to find now, but wasn't at the time. But it was fun. Immersion in the Beach Boys, and hearing how they developed, hit the top, and de-evolved is a great way to spend your time.
PHIL - Your style mixes the roles of music critic, fan, and sometimes comedic commentator. How did they influence your comments and grading system?
RICK - The letter grades were inspired by Robert Christgau's Consumer Guide, which I used to read
religiously in Creem Magazine, which I also loved. My background : I was head of the microscopic
record label Angry Young Records and have produced my own flop records. Also, I made a living as a
freelance writer, reviewing and writing about everything under the sun. Also, I am the screenwriter of the drive-in masterpiece THE FLESH TWISTERS. As for the comedic stuff, that's my charming personality in action.
PHIL - "If you are a music fanatic and you don't adore the Beach Boys, the you my friend are flat out nuts." Why is this the very first line in the book?
RICK - The key word is "fanatic." By that, I mean those of us who consume music as something other
than wallpaper, those of us whose love of music is akin to a religion. It's mind-boggling to me that a radio listener could hear "Good Vibrations"; and not acknowledge there's something extraordinary going on. I mean, somebody who thinks "Shut Down" is peachy keen and "Cabin Essence" is just a bunch of noise - well, to put it nicely, I fear there may be a short circuit in your critical facilities.
I'm talking to you, Mr Restaurant Critic.
PHIL - In your "Ten Best Tracks" which song will a significant number of fans want to delete from your list and which ones will they decry as erroneously overlooked?
Rick:
Want to Delete: [1] "Heroes and Villains," since on SMILE SESSIONS, it isn't really finished. That's true, but even in its fractured state, it's impressive. And there are so many pieces - a whole CD's worth - there';s plenty of material to sort through and appreciate. That said, deleting it is a valid observation. [2] Ditto for "Wonderful." But the take on 30 YEARS OF THE BEACH BOYS sounds awfully complete to me, with Brian';s lead vocal exquisitely intact, the backgrounds in place, and the instrumental elements warm and incredible. [3] "This Whole Word" has lyrics that, it can be credibly argued, are trite. But the melody is stunning - this sucker changes keys constantly and effortlessly every couple of measure. And Carl's vocal is out of this world, right behind "God Only Knows."
Overlooked: [1] "Warmth of the Sun."; I went back and forth between this one and "This Whole World," as this has a gorgeous melody with clever twists, decent lyrics, genuine emotion. But to be picky, the chorus kinda sits there and the whole thing drift perilously close to middle of the road, so I went with "This Whole World." But this is, no doubt about it, a terrific track. [2] "California Girls" has a beautiful arrangement, vocals from another planet, and an innovative chorus. But those lyrics - for me, they go over the line from dumb to borderline offensive, even though it was another time and many other rock group were feeling essentially the same. Still, the females in "California Gils" could be robots without changing a line. [3]"All I Wanna Do." Before I listened again to SUNFLOWER, I thought this was a sure-fire Top Ten. But despite that powerful ambiance with that big enveloping echo, the melody is barely there - listen to the nursery-rhyming first verse. Aside from the echo, there's not that much going on in the arrangement. Having said that, the final verse is admittedly a killer.
PHIL - What do you anticipate will be the reader's biggest surprise?
RICK - [1] The steady and brutal decline of quality from roughly SUNFLOWER/SURF'S UP - or HOLLAND, if you're feeling generous - though eternity. [2] My labored jokes.
PHIL - Rick, some readers will be more than surprised at the number of songs you rated D and F thinking how can any true Beach Boys fan give them any less than a C. Your analysis puts into words what I have thought since I first heard it on the radio in 1968.
RICK - It's hard to wrap your mind around the fact that "Good Vibrations" and "Ten Little Indians" came from the same bunch of guys. So when you compare the two, it's hard to see where "Ten Little Indians" rates any higher than the lowest possible grade you can give it. Same goes for the disco version of "Here Comes the Night."
Also, imagine that you're in a rock group being led by the Best Musician on the Planet, a guy with godlike skills as a writer and producer. Your job, basically your only job, is to be one of the group's Excellent Singers, just like, for instance, Hal Blaine's job is to be the Excellent Drummer. [I know Blaine had other responsibilities, but bear with me.] Suddenly, the Best Musician on the Planet can no longer, for whatever reasons, function with the group. Your writer and producer are effectively gone.
Meanwhile, the record company is breathing down your neck for more records. The public demands more. Your creditors demand more. But how can you expect the Excellent Singers - with no demonstrable experience writing and producing records - basically to do this all by themselves? Isn' that like expecting the Excellent Drummer to write and produce fantastic records, to magically conjure up writing and producing skills comparable to the BMOTPlanet? How could the Excellent Singers do much beyond than the crappy "Bluebirds Over the Mountains" if they don't have the requisite skills? Yes, an outsider could be recruited, but choosing a good one is also a skill, one that few of us have - and where are you gonna get this outsider, anyway, one who can successfully replace BMOTH? By the way, be it circumstance or stubbornness, the withdrawal of Brian and decades-long effort to replace him - or revive him - is the fundamental story of the Beach Boys in a nutshell.
PHIL - What is your big picture, overall, analysis of all the songs of The Beach Boys?
RICK - Brian Wilson is a mutant, born with supernatural talents as a musician. By some random twist of fate, he wandered into a rock band, but he just as easily might have wandered on to the stage of an orchestra where he could learn and develop his trade. The result: music unlike any heard before in this world. The other members of his group should be their knees in gratitude for having the blessing of experiencing it and realizing it, all first hand. I saw Brian and his band perform a thrilling version of SMILE a while back, and it occurred to me that, in an alternate dimension, the Beach Boys - say, beginning around TODAY - could have functioned just fine without Carl, Dennis, Al, or Mike. The group could have consisted of anyone who qualified as an Excellent Singer. Maybe someone who didn't fight as much.
PHIL - Anything else you'd like to share with Pray For Surf readers?
RICK - Brian invented a musical language of his own, executed brilliantly. His peers aren't just fellow hit paraders from AM radio. His peers are giants like Mozart and Igor Stravinsky. SMILE and PET SOUNDS should be - deserve to be - mentioned in the same breath as THE MAGIC FLUTE and THE RITE OF SPRING. But as long as "Surfin' Safari"; and "409'; are to be Brian's legacy, the legacy everybody knows, while SMILE slowly fades away, this will never happen. The Restaurant Critics win.
• Rare Beach Boys videos @ YouTube.com/BB45s
• Our Prayers for The Beach Boys @ Facebook.com/groups/BeachBoysOurPrayer/
• Surf's Up: A Beach Boys Podcast Safari Facebook.com/PodcastSafari
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