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The Beach Boys' new "That's Why God Made the Radio" will perhaps give the legendary act its highest debut ever and first top 10 album since 1976. The album is on course for a start in the range of 60,000 to 65,000 and should easily become the group's first top 10 since 1976's "15 Big Ones" hit No. 8.
Saw this come across a news feed, and it's some sad news.
I am not what you'd call a big fan of Fleetwood Mac (I like plenty of their songs, but I only own a couple of the big albums and a greatest hits ... that's all I've ever needed). I don't know really any of their stuff from before Buckingham and Nicks joined the group (I know some Peter Green stuff, but not a lot of it).
I know Fleetwood Mac was a good blues group before they became the big group of the Seventies. And I knew they had a lot of great guitarists throughout the years. But that was about the extent of my knowledge on their lineup.
I'd come across Bob Welch vinyl in the past, but I didn't recognize the name and never gave the stuff a chance. I'm sure it was good content, it just wasn't anything I'd had brought to my attention by family or friends or peers. I mean this man no disrespect, and I'm certain his artistry and skill were impressive ... And I hope his passing has brought him peace.
The circumstances of his death are unfortunate, and his family and friends have my genuine sympathies.
I've bought a handful of copies of the new album at Target. Today, they were $7.99 each. Pretty great! I'll be sharing them with friends and family and hoping they enjoy the music as much as I do.
I looked at other retailers to see if there were competitive sales. Walmart and Best Buy also had the album on sale ($9.99 each). So, for big box stores, Target won.
Add in my other orders (vinyl, etc.) and the digital downloads, and I think I've been doing my part to promote and support the group and "That's Why God Made the Radio."
Want to listen to the album before you buy it? AOL is streaming the entire album. You can listen to that stream HERE (click these words).
I really hope The Beach Boys enjoy some commercial and critical success with this new album. It deserves it, and so do they. They manage to sound classic and fresh at the same time, and that isn't easy to do.
Have you folks bought the album yet? Downloaded it from Amazon or iTunes? What are your thoughts?
(I'll be trying to get some reviews on material that IS NOT Beach Boys soon. Sorry, but you'll have to bear with me. I loves me some Beach Boys, and a new studio album is a big deal to me!)
YouTube has seen a lot of entries in the last several days as the new Beach Boys album "That's Why God Made the Radio" has started to make its way to fans (either through legitimate orders and early deliveries, or through leaks).
A lot of these have been taken down fairly quickly, and I'm sure this one will too ... Since this post is strictly about the YouTube video, I'll remove this post if I see the video was taken down.
So enjoy it while you can: The final song from the new album, "Summer's Gone."
That's some good music (that whole suite that caps the album, those final three songs ... whew).
In 1985, The Beach Boys released a self-titled album. It was the first new record the group released since the drowning death of drummer and founding member Dennis Wilson.
It also was the last group album of new studio material to feature Brian Wilson in any sort of dominant fashion.
There came an album of odds and ends, called "Still Cruisin'." Then there was the studio disc (sans Brian) called "Summer in Paradise." Following that was the lamentable "Stars and Stripes Vol. 1" album that featured country stars singing the lead vocals, with backing vocals from The Beach Boys.
There were compilation albums, a live disc and an album of live and solo tracks released through Hallmark stores. Then came the wonderful "The SMiLE Sessions" materials.
But modern work, with all the surviving members, contributing actively (whether in songwriting or singing or playing)?
