05-06-2012, 12:15
online listen
after the beautiful harmonies on the title, not much there
at least they didn't throw in a rap or a featured artist
I'd rather just pull out my best ofs with In My Room and Surfer Girl
bio is too long so I'll skip it
1.4 from me and a converted 2.2 from the pros at allmusic
from the album - That's Why God Made The Radio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGke6pnT1d0&ob=av2e
released June 5th, 2012
![[Image: 220px-The_Beach_Boys_-_That%27s_Why_God_..._Cover.jpg]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d5/The_Beach_Boys_-_That%27s_Why_God_Made_the_Radio_Album_Cover.jpg/220px-The_Beach_Boys_-_That%27s_Why_God_Made_the_Radio_Album_Cover.jpg)
Album Review - from allmusic
Plans for the Beach Boys' 50th anniversary tour came together surprisingly quickly, but nothing prepared fans for a
full studio album just six months after their official reunion. Further surprises included apparently cordial
relations between all surviving members, Brian Wilson in the producer's booth, the presence of 12 original songs on
the album, and the complete absence of any attempt to cash in on fond memories of "Kokomo" or Endless Summer or "Do
It Again" or "Help Me, Rhonda" -- depending on which generation the band might want to court. That's Why God Made
the Radio is as good as it gets for those who love their Beach Boys. It includes frequently gorgeous charts from
Wilson and just a little sweetening to the songs (musically with help from Wilson's regular band and arranger Paul
Mertens, lyrically with help from Joe Thomas and Jim Peterik). The album is a record of two halves -- or sides, in
case the band was thinking back to famous side-by-side classics like 1965's Today! The first half is mostly upbeat,
with highlights "Isn't It Time" and the title track evoking pleasant curios from late-'60s LPs like Wild Honey or
Friends. The second half is largely reflective, with songs that reveal the band's feelings about time passing and
life ending (much more than any other material in their entire careers). Granted, no latter-day Beach Boys record
comes without missteps, but fortunately there are only two. "Spring Vacation" is embarrassingly chummy, with the
lines "As for the past, it's all behind us/Happier now, look where life finds us/Singing our songs is enough
reason/Harmony boys is what we believe in/Some said it wouldn't last/All we can say is we're still having a blast."
Meanwhile, the downright odd "Private Life of Bill and Sue" takes a fictional couple into the reality-show realm for
a misguided cultural critique. For those worried about either Love or Wilson dominating the proceedings, it's clear
to see that not only Wilson gets his moment in the sun. For Mike Love, it's "Daybreak Over the Ocean," which could
have come off as an update of "Kokomo"'s tropical motif (with Mike crooning a little too closer to your ear), but is
thankfully treated very lightly. For Al Jardine, it's "From There to Back Again," easily the most beautiful song on
the album, a Side 2 ballad epic that Wilson frames impeccably around Jardine's voice, aging but still sweet. (It
ranks as one of their best ballads since the '60s.) These may not be the songs that will ever light up their live
sets, but together they form what is easily the best Beach Boys record in 35 years -- and a surprisingly cohesive,
reflective, listenable one at that.
Track Listing
1. Think About the Days
2. That's Why God Made the Radio
3. Isn't It Time
4. Spring Vacation
5. The Private Life of Bill and Sue
6. Shelter
7. Daybreak Over the Ocean
8. Beaches in Mind
9. Strange World
10. From There to Back Again
11. Pacific Coast Highway
12. Summer's Gone
after the beautiful harmonies on the title, not much there
at least they didn't throw in a rap or a featured artist
I'd rather just pull out my best ofs with In My Room and Surfer Girl
bio is too long so I'll skip it
1.4 from me and a converted 2.2 from the pros at allmusic
from the album - That's Why God Made The Radio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGke6pnT1d0&ob=av2e
released June 5th, 2012
Album Review - from allmusic
Plans for the Beach Boys' 50th anniversary tour came together surprisingly quickly, but nothing prepared fans for a
full studio album just six months after their official reunion. Further surprises included apparently cordial
relations between all surviving members, Brian Wilson in the producer's booth, the presence of 12 original songs on
the album, and the complete absence of any attempt to cash in on fond memories of "Kokomo" or Endless Summer or "Do
It Again" or "Help Me, Rhonda" -- depending on which generation the band might want to court. That's Why God Made
the Radio is as good as it gets for those who love their Beach Boys. It includes frequently gorgeous charts from
Wilson and just a little sweetening to the songs (musically with help from Wilson's regular band and arranger Paul
Mertens, lyrically with help from Joe Thomas and Jim Peterik). The album is a record of two halves -- or sides, in
case the band was thinking back to famous side-by-side classics like 1965's Today! The first half is mostly upbeat,
with highlights "Isn't It Time" and the title track evoking pleasant curios from late-'60s LPs like Wild Honey or
Friends. The second half is largely reflective, with songs that reveal the band's feelings about time passing and
life ending (much more than any other material in their entire careers). Granted, no latter-day Beach Boys record
comes without missteps, but fortunately there are only two. "Spring Vacation" is embarrassingly chummy, with the
lines "As for the past, it's all behind us/Happier now, look where life finds us/Singing our songs is enough
reason/Harmony boys is what we believe in/Some said it wouldn't last/All we can say is we're still having a blast."
Meanwhile, the downright odd "Private Life of Bill and Sue" takes a fictional couple into the reality-show realm for
a misguided cultural critique. For those worried about either Love or Wilson dominating the proceedings, it's clear
to see that not only Wilson gets his moment in the sun. For Mike Love, it's "Daybreak Over the Ocean," which could
have come off as an update of "Kokomo"'s tropical motif (with Mike crooning a little too closer to your ear), but is
thankfully treated very lightly. For Al Jardine, it's "From There to Back Again," easily the most beautiful song on
the album, a Side 2 ballad epic that Wilson frames impeccably around Jardine's voice, aging but still sweet. (It
ranks as one of their best ballads since the '60s.) These may not be the songs that will ever light up their live
sets, but together they form what is easily the best Beach Boys record in 35 years -- and a surprisingly cohesive,
reflective, listenable one at that.
Track Listing
1. Think About the Days
2. That's Why God Made the Radio
3. Isn't It Time
4. Spring Vacation
5. The Private Life of Bill and Sue
6. Shelter
7. Daybreak Over the Ocean
8. Beaches in Mind
9. Strange World
10. From There to Back Again
11. Pacific Coast Highway
12. Summer's Gone
