New acquisition: Beach Boys new vinyl

Howdy all.

It's been more than a month since my last post. Sorry about that. Between work, a week of vacation and a general malaise, I haven't been too inspired to hop on and blog about music. Hope everyone can understand that, as I'm sure we've all been there.

On Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving in the United States, when shopping becomes insane and people camp out in front of stores to take advantage of sales in preparation for Christmas), there was a Record Store Day event. I didn't go to this event, as I was visiting family at the time.

When I got back into town on Monday night, I stopped by the local indie music store to see if any goodies were left. As luck would have it, there were two great pieces still waiting to be picked up. One was a "Hallelujah" 45, with the A-Side as the original Leonard Cohen recording and the B-Side featuring Jeff Buckley's cover. Both versions are amazing, and having it as a new 45 RPM record is pretty groovy.

The other piece I picked up was actually the one I was most interested in (Rolling Stones, White Stripes, Bob Dylan and many others were very enticing ... but they'd already sold out). I was able to buy a copy of The Beach Boys' vinyl release of "Surfin' Safari" / "409" / "Isn't It Time" (the single version, not the album version) / "From There to Back Again."

It's pretty awesome! I thought I'd share my good fortune with you folks, as those of you who'd find this blog entry can appreciate my pleasure at snagging this item (and the "Hallelujah" piece, too).

OK, that's all I have for now. Hope to be back in the blogging swing, soon. I hope everyone out there is doing OK, and that your lives / health / jobs are all going well.

Album review: Giving Bob Dylan's "Tempest" a spin

Some artists seem forever chained to their pasts, no matter their efforts. Sure, there are revivals. There are periods of renaissance. There are reinventions. But all of those phases seem to go back to an original idea of what an artist is, or represents.

Bob Dylan is one such artist. His name is forever tied to folk and the folk tradition, roots music, the songs of the past. And with a new album out, called "Tempest," much of his history is being discussed by rock critics and fans ... and non-fans, too. And some of that history is seemingly embraced, as Bob performs material that evokes "old-time" music from long-gone eras when wax and radio were magic and spiritual and life-affirming and scary ... Music wasn't just streamed, picked and chosen, praised for hooks or breasts or being bizarre.

Dylan "Tempest" post is coming

Hi all,

I've got almost half of a blog entry finished on Bob Dylan's new "Tempest" album.

I've got my preamble written. All that's left is giving the album a listen and giving my thoughts in the comments area, as I've done with my past "live blogging" entries.

It's my hope to get that done tonight!

I'm definitely looking forward to giving the album a listen in its entirety. Should be very cool!

See you then.

Unwell, unproductive

Greetings, all you fantastic blog readers and friends o' mine.

For the life of me, I just haven't been able to get back into a regular groove here. I'm sure you all can understand how it is, though ... I'm sure doctors don't want to be diagnosing patients on days off. Police don't want to handle disturbances on their days off. And me? Well, my job keeps me in front of computers for 10-12 hour bursts each day, so it is sometimes just difficult to get the energy to sit down during my free time to write.

But I love writing. And I love writing about music. And I appreciate each and every read and comment that my stuff gets. I don't take that lightly. Thanks to all of you who stop in, and those of you who share thoughts are doubly appreciated.

Let's see, let's take a moment to do an update here.

Beach Boys at No. 23 on Billboard

"That's Why God Made the Radio" continues to do well! Three weeks in, and it is selling enough to still be in the Top 30! In this modern age, when many artists (not just classic ones) slide right off the Top 200 after a week or two, the No. 23 placing is pretty fantastic! (Want proof that they're at No. 23? You can see it HERE [Click Words].)

The album debuted and peaked at No. 3, then went to No. 14, then No. 23. A fantastic showing for a fantastic album by a fantastic group. It's pretty fantastic, in case you couldn't tell.

Congrats Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks!

Proof: Beach Boys No. 3 on Billboard 200

Here it is!

Congratulations, Beach Boys!

Summer far from gone: Beach Boys hit No. 3 on Billboard

The new Beach Boys album "That's Why God Made the Radio" has debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart!

How huge is this? It's HUGE.

From Billboard's article (which you can read HERE):


At No. 3, the Beach Boys notch its highest charting album since 1974 as "That's Why God Made the Radio" debuts with 61,000. It's the group's highest-debut ever, and best rank since 1974's "Endless Summer" greatest hits set hit No. 1. In terms of studio albums, "That's Why God Made the Radio" is its highest-ranked since 1965's "Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)" reached No. 2. "That's Why God Made the Radio" is the group's 14th top 10 album overall, and first since 1976's "Big Ones" (No. 8).

"That's Why God Made the Radio" is the band's 29th studio album and was released as part of the group's 50th anniversary celebration. Its 61,000 sales start also includes nearly 20,000 copies that were pre-ordered during the band's concert appearance on the QVC shopping network on May 16.


It's quite a time for Beach Boys fans. From "The SMiLE Sessions" to the reunion, from the concert tour to the late-night television appearances, from the new album and the great songs ... It's been a long time coming, and fans worldwide have every reason to celebrate. "From There to Back Again" indeed!

Billboard: Beach Boys album and the charts

Kind of interesting:

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.

You can view the rest of the article HERE (click words).

Another Beach Boys post: Buying the new album

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!)

"Summer's Gone" by The Beach Boys

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).

Album review: Beach Boys, "That's Why God Made the Radio"

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)?

It's been a long time.

Streaming: 5 new Beach Boys tracks

The Guardian (a UK newspaper / website) is streaming 5 NEW Beach Boys songs IN THEIR ENTIRETY!

You get access to the full tunes of "Isn't It Time," "Spring Vacation," "The Private Life of Bill and Sue," "Shelter" and "From There to Back Again."

Great stuff! I really love "Isn't It Time," "Spring Vacation" and "From There to Back Again." I enjoy "The Private Life of Bill and Sue" and "Shelter," as well.

The link: GUARDIAN STREAM (click the words).

Check it out!

The album comes out Tuesday! It's almost here!

Beach Boys, vinyl packages and shelling out

So, as you are all undoubtedly aware after several posts about it, The Beach Boys have a new album coming out in June.

This new album is getting released to vinyl (though that release has been delayed at least twice ... my order on Amazon got pushed back to July, and then to August), which is pretty cool in and of itself.

What I wasn't aware of, however, is that the first single from the album ("That's Why God Made the Radio") has ALSO been pressed to 7" vinyl!

The downside? You have to buy the package.

Beach Boys: New album song samples

Yes, yes, I know ... you're probably getting tired of all the posts about The Beach Boys and their new album.

Sorry! Up through June, I'm sure there'll be a majority of my posts that are devoted to the group and their new album. I promise, there'll be more variety worked in as well.

But for now ...

Visit Amazon for short samples of the new songs on the upcoming Beach Boys album!

You can hear them HERE (click these words).

You can also preorder the album on iTunes for $9.99. For those of us who have to have the album ASAP, that's a great option. Helps save on the storage space, too, though I love having physical copies (CD and vinyl are already ordered on my end). If you check out iTunes, they have longer samples of the songs, too.

Some of this new stuff is sounding pretty darn good to my ears! Your thoughts? Please share!

Credits for the new Beach Boys songs

A writer friend doing a feature on the 50th anniversary of The Beach Boys, including their upcoming new album, has provided songwriting credits for the songs on the new album!

There are some surprises, but it definitely illustrates how involved Brian Wilson has been with the project. Want to know more? Let's take a look!

Beach Boys ZinePak

As The Beach Boys' 50th Anniversary juggernaut marches on, some cool stuff is already coming out.

A few months back, a video was leaked of the group in the studio together and tackling their 1968 hit "Do It Again." A remake? Well, there was definitely mixed feelings about it ... but my overall impression was: "ANYTHING THAT GETS THESE GUYS BACK TOGETHER IN THE STUDIO IS AWESOME."

Yeah. I really mean it. ;)

Then the first single for the new album had its video released (and the track itself is now available for download on iTunes). "That's Why God Made the Radio" is a good track, I enjoy it a lot. I can't wait for the June release of their new album!

Then, this last week, the group released a ZinePak through Walmart.

George Harrison flick, CD delivers

This last week, I saw the George Harrison biopic "Living in the Material World" for the first time.

I was impressed, to say the least. Just the way it starts, with the flowers ... and George's face as he ducks behind them ... Damn. Seriously, from the beginning, the movie forces you to pay attention.

Track list for new Beach Boys album

Amazon has the tracklisting provided for the new Beach Boys album, "That's Why God Made the Radio." It's a summer album, and The Beach Boys are already touring to celebrate their 50th anniversary. What a year for Beach Boys fans (and last year was quite a good 'un too, with "The SMiLE Sessions").

The songs for the new album, per Amazon:

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 

Pre-order the new Beach Boys album

That's Why God Made the Radio 
The Beach Boys | Format: Audio CD 
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Price: $17.78 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. 
Details 
Deal Price: 
Special Offers Available 
Pre-order Price Guarantee. 
This title will be released on June 5, 2012.
Pre-order now!

Clink the link below:

Amazon Preorder

Added to the collection: Jack White's "Blunderbuss"

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I just bought (literally just bought ... about 30 minutes ago) the new Jack White solo album, "Blunderbuss."

I'm a big fan of Jack White. The White Stripes and The Dead Weather are among the discs I spin the most often when I'm wearing headphones at work (I don't listen to The Raconteurs as much ... I like them fine, but I don't love them). What will I think of Jack's solo work? Hmm.