A sound of my childhood, remembered with gratitude. RIP, Brian Wilson.
What do I most remember about Beach Boys songs? The total incomprehension at where California was and what surfing might be, but the music was amazing.
Thanks for reading this post.
You can share this post on social media of your choice by clicking these icons:
There are links to this blog's glossary in the above post that explain technical terms used in it. Follow them for more explanations.
You can subscribe to this blog's daily email here.
And if you would like to support this blog you can, here:
Buy me a coffee!
Not many ‘popular’ musicians used a Theremin!
I recall in the glorious summer of 1979, when I drove with friends from New York to Los Angeles. As we arrived at Venice Beach having negotiated the LA freeway system, we turned up the eight track player to listen to the Beach Boys. Heaven
We did not have the Beatles in our house growing up, it was the Beach Boys.
It was pure melodicism and I could listen to that and though I went on to discover the more blues based Rolling Stones, the Who etc., and many others I never lost my love of their music ever. A sad loss but what art to leave behind you and be remembered by.
I was never a big fan of the Beatles…there, I’ve said it
Now I expect an explosion of reaction
Even then it was the Stones, Clapton and the likes
But I shared a bedroom with my twin, who was into MoTown, soul, and pop
So I heard that too, until I built my own radio from a kit plus extra bits to listen to Luxembourg (208, remember?)
Yes, I do…………warmly.
“a kit plus extra bits to listen to Luxembourg (208, remember?)”
Was that Radio Caroline????
Radio Caroline is often mentioned in many British TV shows and I have no idea what it is or was!
No, it was Radio Luxembourg.
Caroline was a pirate radio station broadcast from a ship inn the North Sea, bascially shut down in 1967. Radio 1 removed most of the demand for it, but did not broadcast in the evening as I recall, so we listened to Radio Luxembourg – in English, of course. It was a precursor to British independemnt radio that arrived in about 1974.
I’ve been enjoying this podcast about Top of the Pops across the ages:
https://chartmusiccouk.wordpress.com/
One random ep, some ex melody maker journalists and a whole lotta love and plenty of coat downs, depending on the artist!
it was radio Caroline for me – listening under the bedclothes with a ‘forbidden’ transistor radio on the Suffolk coast – but only when I was at school – as no signal from off the east coast to home – very happy memories and proper melodies – Tony Blackburn was a DJ on Radio Caroline – who was on Luxembourg? As for the Beatles, we were shut out of a building by the City Hall, and so we asked why, and were told ‘because of the Beatles, we all looked down at our feet for creepy crawlies – we had not heard of the human ones.
🙂
Re: Beatless, I’m with you mostly, but George Harrison? Ah, ‘Something’, ‘Here comes the sun’, ‘while my guitar gently weeps’ (with Clapton)?
Harrison would be my favourite, and I love the Travelling Wilbury’s
K-E-Y-N-S-H-A-M and that pools syndicate anyone?
(Now just down the road)
I had a tiny blue trannie with a little earpiece and a PP9 battery (trannie mostly meant something different in those days) made in Hong Kong and which I brought home from Aden 1963. Great for illicit listening to the top 20 programme in bed. In Aden, aged 10, I’d used it to listen either to British Forces Broadcasting Network (2 way forces family favourites?) or local Arabic and Indian stations. I developed an ear for Arabic music which has stayed with me.
The Beach Boys were definitely part of my adolescent soundtrack.
Did we all listen illicitly in bed?
Surf’s Up.
I cant put into words how sad I feel about this.
We have been blessed.
In the Sixties I was in my Twenties . It was a golden era of pop music. Good Vibrations was earth shattering. Something totally new. I regard that record as the best ever made. That didn’t prevent me from loving the Beatles and other British artists. Our country lead the world in pop music. I remember listening to Brian Wilson interviewed about his music. He admitted the Beatles were a catalyst in his thinking. They wrote about ordinary every day things and people. I have been fortunate to experience this countries greatest days. Had it not been for the post war settlement working class kids and their bands would never have been heard of. The 1945 government emancipated them. I thank my lucky stars I was born when I when I was. Maybe they will return?
They might…
But will meolody like that?
And most modern artists don’t seem to know about anything but 4/4, or key changes or minor keys.
First groups I saw were the Animals and The Moody Blues, although I did see the Beatles live. Couldn’t hear them!
Anyway, today’s good news. Sting is claiming that governments have wilfully neglected the north east for decades, so he is going to make a generous donation to The Baltic in Gateshead. The centre plans to raise a £10 million endowment fund to keep entry free, and to support the community programmes there.
I love it when my son and granddaughter start playing Police, The Who and The Kinks on guitar and piano.
Giving something back….
Radio Caroline is still going on Internet, DAB in certain areas and onmedium wave in South UK.
I did nit know that…
Having grown up in Devon I was (and still occasionally am) a surfer and we listened to all the surfing music on Radio Caroline South on 199m. The transistor radio had to be close to the sea to get the signal from Frinton on Sea. Apart from the Beach Boys there were surfing songs by Jan & Dean and Roy Orbison. As others have mentioned, Radio Caroline is still online. Happy memories!
I was more of a fan of Carl Wilson. I think this song of his probably captures our days of innocence
https://youtu.be/o_Bvig1JE1k?si=uz5NbJMDCNd-wtbt
I remember going to see The Rolling Stones in Liverpool, when they were supported by The Yardbirds!
1966 UK Tour: Ike & Tina Turner, The Yardbirds (incl. Jimmy Page & Jeff Beck), Peter Jay & the New Jay Walkers, The Kings of Rhythm Orchestra, The Ike-Ettes, Jimmy Thomas, Bobby John.
If you fancy a bit of a laugh this YouTube commentary about that tour is worth watching!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9eS7CyQnGc
Was in the fan club of TRS at the time, and I wrote to Brian Jones about it… I got a letter back, purportedly from Brian. He commented on the Ike-Ettes, will have to see if I can find it again!
Oh Radio Caroline, how I loved listening to that on my tranny radio under my bedclothes so parents didn’t hear! They really changed pop music, brought so many UK bands to the attention of the parts of UK that could hear, and then the world got interested too. We had a Caroline near Liverpool as well as the southern one. Broken hearted when they got closed down. I remember Radio Luxembourg too, but it had a tendency to fade out which was frustrating.
Never saw The Beach Boys, but was lucky to see quite a few bands that I still remember with fondness – The Kinks anyone?
I woke up yesterday morning (Wednesday, 11 June) with The LIttle Old Lady From Pasadena stuck in my head. WHERE that came from, I have no idea.
Growing up in northern Michigan, as I did, California was quite an alien concept to me, back in the 60s when I was a teenager, and I wasn’t a Beach Boy fan. But suddenly, yesterday, I had all the words to that earworm. About drag racing on Colorado Boulevard. In California. Bizarre. Then I heard about Brian Wilson….
Some songs can only belong to Brian Wilson, in whose time I have been lucky enough to live. The studio mastery, the use of eclectic instruments to bring colour and emotions to Phil Spector’s black and white wall of sound (Pet Sounds) .
Who else would write ‘Our prayer’ (plainsong?) and the other a capella’s, ‘Cabin Essence’, ‘Surfs Up’, ‘Live Let Live’, ‘Til I die’, ‘There and Back’ , then there is the pocket symphonies: Heroes & Villains, Good Vibrations, Rio Grande, and then the waltz’s songs in a time of no waltz’s. The longing and bitter sweet, of his songs show an emotional and melodic harmony that are very human. Hits too are often avante garde arrangements!
Thanks for mentioning Brian Wilson on your blog. A Human being who despite his dysfunctional and abusive upbringing, brought joy to the world through music.
Like your work It brings hope.
Regards
Agreed
Thanks
Short comment evidence guccifer 2.0 the DNC implicated USA intelligence services please try sue the USA intelligence services:
https://mrkeconomicsmmtgeorgism.blogspot.com/2023/08/evidence-russian-interference-based-on.html?m=1