Customer Reviews

A Brian Wilson Tribute

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Can I add another star??? I have always found it interesting that Brian Wilson's music is most appreciated by other musicians, and the higher calibre the musician, the more likely they are to really 'get' what Brian is all about.

Well, Cameron Parkes is certainly one who 'gets it'. This is a wonderful CD. A real gem of a find.... melodic, impeccably recorded and produced, and Brian Wilson's music is expressed here with an obvious deep respect and love. I found it deeply touching.

I really enjoyed the set list here of 'lesser known' pieces. We all know and love the popular 'hits' but I have to admit there's a few on here that I had not heard before and they are wonderful songs. Listening to this album is like discovering gold! The singing, musicianship is top shelf. Indeed, Cameron's voice is of such calibre that he would have fit right in with the Beach Boys as an easy replacement. He displays incredible versatility vocally and also shows great taste in the arrangements which are beautifully balanced and layered. Presenting the music of one of pop music's greatest talents in a fresh way could not have been an easy task, but Mr. Parkes does so with capability, sensitivity and creativity.

The opening 'Prayer', Cameron's own composition, simply blows me away. The vocal layering is amazing, and hauntingly beautiful and moving to my spirit. It's pure brian-influenced, and like most every song on here, you would swear those were the vocals of the Beach Boys you were listening to. It is a great opener for setting the unique 'vibe' of this set. 'Gonna Hustle You' is a great nostalgic rock n' roll piece that grows on me every time I listen to it. It really gets under your skin, and just has wonderful sound. Same with 'I Do', just a very infectious piece that carries that sunny, innocent, happy 'purity' that was so present in Brian's best work. The 'Smile' set, 'Wonderful', 'Wind Chimes', 'Vegetables', and 'I Went to Sleep' are all wonderful, and although I hate to say it, I actually prefer these to the Beach Boys versions. These are 'fleshed out' and beautifully arranged and recorded. Gorgeous singing, Cameron! God, I got chills listening to 'Wonderful'.

'Little Children' is a song I had a hard time warming up to off of Brian's first solo album, but here, it comes to life. 'I'll Bet He's Nice' is maybe my favorite track on here. Such a great song and carries with it some pretty complex emotion. This version is very true to the original, only 'cleaner' and just sounds better. Great arrangement, and layered vocals. GREAT! 'Solar System' is a song I never heard before, and its remarkable. Just beautiful and full of the unexpected musically, which of course is what Brian is all about. This song has complex and interwoven changes. Wonderful, 'ascending' vocals...... I change my mind, this is my favorite track! 'I Wanna Pick you Up' is another gem, and another song I had not heard before (and I"m a 'serious' Brian Wilson fan!) God, I love this stuff. Youthful innocence defined. I'm going on 50 years old, but I am a child again when I hear this music. The album ends with an excellent choice. 'Everything I Need' gives me goosebumps. Here, one of Brian's strongest melodies is presented with simplicity and beauty.

You may suspect I'm going overboard here with my accolades, but the truth is, it's THAT good. This entire album is so well done and expressed in a 'vibe' that is so true to the original artist that it is nothing less than inspirational. Cameron Parkes has obviously carefully absorbed Brian Wilson's subtleties and most importantly, his spirit. For it is THAT SPIRIT that comes across when I hear this beautiful music.

Brian shared with the world a priceless gift of sunny innocence, joy and childlike hopefullness and happiness. For me, Brian Wilson's music is Love defined. Well done, Cameron Parkes, for soaking it in and presenting it again through your own immense talent in a fresh and engaging way. This world badly needs more of this stuff..... I look forward to volume 2!

Go buy this album. The vocal treatments of old favorites and rarities are stunning. This is an incredible paean to the musical genius that is Brian Wilson. Truly this was a labor of love. If you are a hardcore Beach Boys fan you will want this CD. If you only know the standard collection of "greatest hits," this CD is an excellent way to begin to love the remainder of the Brian Wilson catalogue.

I ordered this Brian Wilson Tribute album at the same time that I ordered Brian's newest work. Had I know how wonderful (no pun intended) this tribute was, I would have ordered it all by itself so that I could have begun enjoying it even earlier than I did. Since the day that the Tribute album arrived, it had been in the number one position in my car's CD player. It is played (and sung along with) each and every day.

Michael obviously cares a great deal about Brian and his terrific music since he treats each one of them in a very special manner. It is amazing that Michael has been able to put a fresh spin on some of Brian's older material.

Kudos to all who have been involved in this great production.

Michael Patterson

I grew up on the Beach Boys. As a matter of fact, I LIVED and breathed the Beach Boys and their trademark harmonies. I originally purchased this CD as a Beach Boys/Brian Wilson completest, expecting no more than just another sloppy remake of Brian's songs. However, as I started listening, I found this TRIBUTE to be more of an HONORARIUM. Cameron Michael Parkes of Box o'Clox gives a sense of loving artistic restoration to Brian's original sonic masterpieces. Cameron even weaves some legendary tunes together to create some surprising musical tapestries. 'Vegetables' has never sounded any better than this. If you're not a dyed in the wool Beach Boys fan, this one just might catch your ear. If you ARE a diehard fan, then you owe it to yourself to get this one... It will stay on the top of your CD stack for a long time.

I purchased it as a Collector, but I praise it as a fan! Many thanks to Cameron Michael Parkes and Box O'Clox, and here's to hoping for Volume 2.

If you are a fan of the composing talents of Brian Wilson or simply a Beach Boys' fan, then this disc is "meant for you". Cameron Michael Parkes has put together a career-spanning collection of some of Brian's lesser known compositions and has put his own very special stamp on them. Obscure singles like Number One, She Rides With Me, Gonna Hustle You, are given a fresh treatment which propells them into the new millenium. Mid-60's gems like Vegetables, Wonderful and especially Wind Chimes (my Favorite!) have at last become the "pocket symphonies" they were intended to be. Wilson's "Love You" period is represented by outstanding versions of I'll Bet He's Nice, Solar System, I Wanna Pick You Up and Almost Summer. I Went To Sleep is delivered with the same casual feeling of the original but has been embellished with Cameron's unique vocal arranging. Wilson's "odd ball" song A Day In The Life Of A Tree has finally been covered by someone who can sing!!! Little Children has been given a California Girls-like treatment which only adds to this joyous ode to youth. Although it has been recorded before, the Brian Wilson/Tony Asher penned Everything I Need has been done with an answering vocal tag on the fade that leaves the others green with envy. Added to the mix is Cameron's own Intro(My Prayer) a wordless a'capella piece that even Brian would be proud to have inspired! All these songs coupled with a singularly cohesive production style makes Box O' Clox - A Brian Wilson Tribute the "tribute" disc that should be in every Beach Boys' fan's collection!! You can't miss!!!

Thank you, Cameron Michael Parkes, for lavishing love and attention on several of Brian Wilson's most deserving songs.

I speak of "Wonderful," "Wind Chimes," "Vegetables," "I Went To Sleep," "I'll Bet He's Nice," and "Solar System." In each instance, Mr. Parkes has taken the raw material--from the aborted "Smile" album, "20-20," and the overlooked, roughhewn "Beach Boys Love You"--and, in essence, given the songs the kind of treatment that Brian would have at the height of his creativity (c. 1966).

The fully developed arrangement of "Wonderful" is especially delightful, luscious yet translucent.

With Brian's own, re-recorded version of "Smile" now available to the public, it's quite interesting to compare his newly minted versions of "Wonderful," etc., with Mr. Parkes'. I'll leave it to you, the listener, to decide whose version makes the greater impact.