Sail On Sailor

Sail On Sailor
The Beach Boys
Released in 1973 on the album "Holland"
Single Reached #79 on the Charts





My first single review is of "Sail On Sailor" from the album "Holland".
This track makes owning Holland worth it, as it is one of the best post-Pet Sounds tracks.
The song has incredible backing vocals, which really show off the band's talent.
The lead vocals are clean and audible, and overall, it's very well mixed.
I would talk about the music, but it's a Brian Wilson track, so expect some
great chord patterns and bass harmonica.
Overall, give it a listen on iTunes, you might like it!

*** and a half out of 5

Rubber Soul

Rubber Soul
The Beatles
Released in 1966




      First off, let me tell you, I'm going to be very critical in all my Beatles reviews because, besides "Yellow Submarine" I'd give all of them 5 stars. Therefore, I'm going to rate them on the "Beatle-Scale".
Ok, now that that's through... I love Rubber Soul. I'm a musician, and I normally make AOR albums.
AOR stands for Album Oriented Rock, which means it's written to be part of an album, and not a single.
Now, RS is not an AOR album, but it started a phase where albums were seen to be more important than the singles released from it (Something the Beatles never did anyway.) Rubber Soul, as said by Mr. Brian Wilson, is the first rock album with NO FILLER. All the tracks are great, and were important to the writers.

   The album begins with 2 of my favorite Beatle songs, Drive My Car, and Norwegian Wood (a close number 1 behind "A Day in the Life" and "Strawberry Fields Forever".) and continues with hits like "Nowhere Man" and "Girl" from John and "Michelle" from Paul. The music is complex and reminds me alot of "Revolver"
The Fab's next album. George once said "Rubber Soul and Revolver were like Part 1 and 2" and I agree. That's a good thing. Revolver is one of my favorite albums, and that right there says good things about Rubber Soul.

   The only "bad" thing I can find on the album is the last song "Run for Your Life" which, while catchy and fun, is a bad way to end, "In My Life" would have fit much better. But, hey that's only my opinion.
Overall.... what's that? You're already leaving to buy it? Good! GO BUY IT NOW!

Recommended Listens:

• In My Life
• Michelle
• Girl
• Norwegian Wood
• Nowhere Man

***** out of 5! (5 in Beatle-Score as Well!)

Quadraphenia

Quadraphenia
The Who
Released in 1971






    What can be said about the Who? That they are the greatest live act of all time? That they have the best live album of all time (Live at Leeds)? That they produced 2 incredible rock operas? (And almost a third, Lifehouse!) All this can be said, and while I was pulled in by "Tommy", Quadraphenia kept me here to stay!

    Why is this album so great? It features a storyline that is very engaging! (enough so that a feature-film was actually produced after the album!). The story revolves around Jimmy, a teenager cought up in the war between Mods, and Rockers. What? You have no idea what I'm talking about? Well, that is one of 2 major problems that hinder (just barely) an otherwise perfect album. The storyline is VERY British, and the Who knew it, they had to explain most of the songs during the US tour for the album. The second problem is a small one. THE LENGTH. How could this be a problem? Well, the album is more than an hour long! This is both good and bad, but if you are like me (running around all day) you might need to plan time to listen to the whole thing.

   Now the good (summarized since I could go on forever!)
THE SONGS are incredible, featuring one of the greatest songs of the 70's "Love Reign O'er Me" and two of my personal favorites "The Real Me" and "Quadraphenia". The songs are also "Fuller" than Tommy's and really feel much more... Powerful or "Live-Oriented". But honestly, I could go on forever about the songs.
The story is very engaging and really gives an incentive to listen all the way through (an almost impossible feat at once, clocking in at over an hour!). Overall, give this album a listen!

Recommended Listens!

• Love Reign O'er Me
• The Real Me
• Quadraphenia
• The Punk and the Godfather
• Cut My Hair

**** and a half out of 5 stars!

Pet Sounds

Pet Sounds
The Beach Boys
Released in 1966




     There comes a time in every musician's life when you find an album you'll say influenced you more than anything before. For Brian Wilson, it was the Four Freshman, For everyone else, it's Brian Wilson, or more specifically, Pet Sounds. Don't believe me? Paul McCartney and John Lennon would! They have both publicly stated that Pet Sounds was a major influence on them on records like Revolver, and Sgt. Pepper.(both of which sit high on my top 10 list along with Pet Sounds!)
 
     Now, everyone I've said this to time and time again says, "Why? It's just a bunch of slow boring junk!"
Now, while it is true that Pet Sounds is a major contrast to Brian and the boy's older "Surf Rock" music.
Pet Sounds is FAR from boring! Let me explain... In 1966, 8 Track was barely invented, so keep in mind that only 4 tracks could be overdubbed on this record (minus "Bouncing"). Listen to the music knowing that only 4 tracks were used to create this sound! Technical stuff aside, the music is very complex in itself. I highly recommend looking on Youtube for a user named "Behind The Sounds", his videos show the creative process behind the album and it will surely amaze you!

    Tracks to listen to: (the whole album!)

• Wouldn't it be Nice?
• You Still Believe in Me
• That's Not Me
• God Only Knows
• Caroline, No
• Let's Go Away For A While

Pet Sounds is a remarkable album, Tony Asher's lyrics and Brian Wilson's music go together like cheese and crackers.

***** out of 5