Re: Poll: Beatles or Beach Boys?

On Apr 17, 2:04=EF=BF=BDpm, "RichL" <rpleav...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> JohnB <johnbo...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> > Yes, ok. =EF=BF=BDBut for me anyway, I love the Beach Boys for their
gre=
at
> > singles and their fun, but their albums, even Pet Sounds, don't really
> > get me in *here* <hand on heart>. =EF=BF=BDIt's clever but it doesn't
mo=
ve me
> > like Pepper.
>
> > But I've never been to California, never stood on a surfboard, never
> > likely to either; whereas I have lived in Liverpool. =EF=BF=BDThat's
bou=
nd to
> > make a difference.
>
> I grew up in the Northeastern US, and when I was a teenager in the early
> 60s I too had never stood on a surfboard, and I never had my own car
> until my third year in college; I couldn't afford it. =EF=BF=BDSo while
I =
loved
> the Beach Boys' music, their lyrics never spoke to me in their early
> years. =EF=BF=BDPersonally, I found the Beatles' music to be more
inspirin=
g (to
> the degree that they led me to get my own guitar by the time they
> appeared for the first time on the Sullivan show). =EF=BF=BDBut more to
th=
e
> point, I found their lyrics to be more universal and not attached to a
> particular lifestyle.
>
> Consequently, well before A Hard Day's Night, I was firmly ensconced in
> the Beatles' camp.

I grew up in New England at the tail of the baby boom, and discovered
the Beatles shortly after I moved out of the Alvin and the Chipmunks
and "I'm a Little Teapot" phase - after they had broken up. My older
cousins liked the Beatles; my father was a Sinatra man, and my
mother's taste ranged from Gerry Mulligan to Fats Domino to Buck
Owens.

The Beach Boys left me completely cold; Mike Love's nasal voice
irritated me, the lyrics of their hits sounded childish, and the
experimentation of Good Vibrations etc. struck me as somewhat
artificial, or cleverness for cleverness' sake.

When I formed a Sixties cover band in high school, we had to learn a
few Beach Boys songs, and I started to appreciate the vocal harmonies
and the complexities of some of the Brian Wilson writing. Today, I
think "God Only Knows" and "Don't Worry Baby" can compare with
anything of that era. God Only Knows is a little miracle of pop
composition. It took me a long time to figure out that chord
progression (it was a point of stubborn pride to learn stuff off the
record).

But the Beach Boys thing didn't hit me for a long time. Maybe
Liverpool is a lot closer in spirit to a New England mid-sized city
than Southern California is. And if you think about it, the Hitler
Jugend as Good Humor Man look, the Lettermen vocals and Chuck Berry
guitar riffs are an improbable mix.

The Arranger