Customer Reviews

Caroline Now: Tribute to the Beach Boys

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have to admit - I was skeptical. I didn't really think the world needed another tribute album.

Perhaps if all tribute albums approached the genius of "Caroline Now" - I'd change my mind.

It's worth the price for the booklet alone: unpublished photos, extensive and informed liner notes, just really really cool.

Musically it's surprise after surprise - Alex Chilton sounds better than he has since 1974, Eric Matthews is stellar, High Llamas, Eugene Kelly, Pearlfishers, Stevie J. from Belle and Sebastian - straight class.

Artists from different eras sit side by side, united by the music.

For some, it may be the first exposure to forgotten work from The Beach Boys lesser known catalogue - obviously this compilation is the work of true fans.

Highly recommended. This really essential comp does Brian's (and the others') legacy proud.

Thank You Marina.

Exquisite! For long-time Brian Wilson/Beach Boys fans, there's more to the artists' work than just "Good Vibrations." This loving tribute focuses on little-known Beach Boys tunes written mostly by Brian Wilson (there are also a few by his brother Dennis and other Beach Boys alum). The real treat is hearing a different side to Brian Wilson than most fans may know, where Wilson wrote about melancholy, simple pleasures like "Wind Chimes" and holding his baby daughter in his arms. The mostly UK twee-pop bands do a fine job covering the tunes, with mostly low-key arrangments. If you're a casual Wilson listener, skip this. If you have explored Pet Sounds and anything past 1967, then this is a treat.

This superb tribute to the music of the Beach Boys, by an eclectic range of musicians, is a must-have for dedicated Beach Boys fans who enjoy the band's rare and lesser-known songs. Tribute albums are often redundant exercises, and have a bad reputation, but this one actually reworks the material in interesting new ways and exposes the listener to lesser-known parts of the Beach Boys back catalogue.

Brian Wilson has become perceived as something of a musical god in recent years, and while it's great to see him getting the recognition he deserves and touring with his excellent new band, it's often forgotten that other members of the Beach Boys wrote great music too. The selection of songs on this tribute album redresses the balance, representing both Brian's best songs and those of the rest of the band.

A variety of approaches are taken to the music. Songs that originally seemed slight or underdeveloped when recorded by the Beach Boys are fleshed out, for example `Wind Chimes' from `Smiley Smile', sung beautifully here by Katrina Mitchell. A threesome of tracks from `Love You' - `I Wanna Pick You Up', `Honkin' Down the Highway' and `Let's Put Our Hearts Together' - are freed from that album's chunky, synth-oriented production, and take on a life of their own.

Sometimes, it's just a matter of boiling a song down to its original essence - for example, Malcom Ross' reworking of `Heroes and Villains' from `Smiley Smile' simply teases out that song's breezy Hawaiian flavour. Other reworkings are more extreme - Camping turn `Busy Doin' Nothing' from `Friends' into a patois/dub piece (which won't be to everyone's taste), and the Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra mutate the title track from `Pet Sounds' almost beyond recognition, into a hilarious sci-fi concoction.

The selection of artists represented on the album is impressive. Alex Chilton of the Box Tops (who used to support the Beach Boys on tour) sings a wonderful version of `I Wanna Pick You Up'. Chart toppers Saint Etienne deliver an ingenious combination of the rare Brian Wilson song `Stevie', and `My Diane' from `MIU Album'. 60s vocal group the Free Design reformed especially to record a gorgeous version of `Endless Harmony' from `Keepin' the Summer Alive'. Critically acclaimed singer Eric Matthews does a lovely job of `The Lonely Sea' from `Surfin' USA'. And the High Llamas, best known as obsessive fans of/successors to the Beach Boys, attempt a bubblegum electronica take on `Anna Lee, the Healer' from `Friends' - which doesn't quite come off, but is interesting.

There's also an opportunity to hear great versions of lost songs, that are otherwise only available on bootlegs - most notably the joyous `Rainbow Eyes', performed by Kle, which was originally meant to appear on Brian Wilson's unreleased second solo album `Sweet Insanity'.

Finally, the packaging of this album deserves praise. A new interview with Brian Wilson is included in the CD booklet, which is nice, but basically consists of: `Brian, how do you feel about the fact that all these famous people really love your songs?' `Well, gee, golly, it's just great, it fills me with spiritual love!' And you have to laugh when you read the pun on the back of the CD booklet: `Mike Love not war'.

There's also a serious point to this pun - namely, that the Beach Boys should be celebrated for all the great music they've made over the years, and not dwelled morbidly upon for their personal problems and petty squabbles.

I have bought several tributes to several great artists including Neil Young, Velvet Underground and Tom Waits and always ended up very disappointed BUT here is one that exceeded all my expectations and some. A wide variety of singers, many with the same backbone of great musicians behind them, perform modern but respectful versions of Brian Wilson and Beach Boys tracks. Some are even superior to the originals- Kle singing Rainbow Eyes, The Free Design's reinvention of Endless Harmony, The Pearlfishers on Go Away Boy and Norman Blake from Teenage Fanclub unbelievably betters Dennis Wilson on Only With You.Many of the others equal the originals but offer very different takes such as Katrina Mitchell and Bill Wells' stripped down hauntingly gorgeous version of Wind Chimes.
The beautiful booklet, with exclusive Brian interview, great lost photos of The Beach Boys and extensive notes make this a must have for die hard Beach Boys fans or those wanting to learn more in a up to date context. A true labour of love that sends out Good Vibrations.

"Lonely Sea" alone is worth ten times the asking price. Truly a must-have for all Beach Boys fans, all music fans, and all those with ears to hear.

Normally I would avoid tribute albums like the plague but this is a must buy for either Beach Boys fans or those looking for a road into the wonderful world of Wilson. This is a great collection of lovingly recorded and often inventive reworkings of songs by Brian Wilson and other Beach Boys. Among the many highlights are Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub)giving a close to career best vocal on Dennis Wilson and Mike Love's beautiful love ballad Only With You; The High Llamas giving Anna Lee the Healer a futuristic twist; The Pearl Fishers heartbreakingly beautiful take on the Honeys Go Away Boy; ex-Big Star and Box Top Alex Chilton's I Wanna Pick You Up (possibly his best performance in over 2 decades); Jad Fair's fun filled punky take on Do Ya? and the virtually unknown Kle doing a poptastic version of Brian's previously unreleased gem Rainbow Eyes.
There are perhaps 3 or 4 tracks that don't work so much for me but just programme the minority out and you'll have a pretty perfect listening expeirence. The packaging is also beautiful with unseen photos of Brian and co., informative sleeve notes and an exclusive interview with Big Brian.
This is one of my most played albums ever.

I'm not the biggest fan of tribute albums, but the sheer amount of talent behind this one made me feel justified in my purchase, and the artists delivered.

What strikes me most about this album is that the artists really didn't experiment *too* much, and remained faithful to the original "vibe" Wilson was going for, most noticably (sp?) "Anna Lee, the Healer" and "Lonely Sea."

This is an ecletic mix of artists, and all deliver in a wonderful way that truly honors Wilson instead of being self-involved and coming off half-baked.

More often than not tribute albums leave me cold. Either the artists render slaveish imitations of the material sounding flat and uninspired or they stray so far as to leave the song almost unrecognizable. Notable exceptions are the recent Johnny Cash tribute "Kindred Spirits" and the soundtrack recording of "I Am Sam" featuring the great songs of Lennon & McCartney and George Harrison.

With "Caroline Now" we get more than twenty Beach Boy/Brian Wilson compostions performed by a wide range of artists, all embracing the material and giving heartfelt and deeply individual interpetations. The material digs deep into the Beach Boy catalog and comes up with little known gems. Who else but Brian Wilson would write a song called "Lines" about queing up to see a movie, or "I Wanna Pick You Up" about the joys of bathing a newborn baby. There's also a lovely French version of "Girl Don't Tell Me" ("Ne Dis Pas") by the group Souviner. And I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE "All I Wanna Do" sung beautifully by June and The Exit Wounds, (catchy name isn't it?). This cut alone is worth the price of the entire album.

A note of caution....If you do enjoy this disc and care to explore the other Beach Boy tribute albums "Pet Projects" and "Making God Smile", my advise is, Don't waste your time and money! Both are major disappontments.

I think 'wonderful' has been used in almost every review of this album. Let me repeat it again.

The album is truly that - and crafted with such obvious love and affection for Brian Wilson. I don't think there's a clinker on here - and most are truly sublime.

I agree with the reviewer who said that "The Lonely Sea" was worth 10x the price by itself. Make that 20x.

A wonderful tribute to the great song writing skill of Brian Wilson, as well as several lesser known contributions from other band members, but I'm still waiting for the ultimate Brian Wilson tribute album, that would be "Paul McCartney Sings The Songs Of Brian Wilson". How 'bout it Sir Paul?