Hall of Fame: The Beach Boys - Holland

 

** Hall of Fame is where I discuss my favorite albums of all time, they may not always be the most critically acclaimed, but they hold a special place in my heart**

Everyone loves a good comeback, and for The Beach Boys the late 60s and early 70s were a very rough time. Their leader, Brian Wilson had suffered a mental collapse and were constantly living in the shadow of other successful bands like The Beatles. For their nineteenth album the band decided to ditch America and record in The Netherlands. After several attempts the band even got Brian Wilson to get on the plane. Carl Wilson had the duty of steering Holland  into the direction that the band wanted it to go in. 

I have this theory about The Beach Boys, when people are younger they tend to focus solely on their early work like "Barbra Ann" or "Help Me Rhonda." They're great songs don't get me wrong, they are absolute staples in American Rock & Roll, however they're very straightforward. Yet, as one gets older they begin to discover The Beach Boys' later work that includes records like Holland and Surfs Up. My theory has to be true! These are Beach Boys songs that never see radio-play, why would an oldies station play "Sail On Sailor" when they just as easily could play a mega hit like "Surfin' USA"?

However, where albums like Holland lack in commercial appeal, they make up for it in content. This is a beautiful fully-realized album with depth, risk and landscape. Holland received much critical acclaim as it should have, and for a brief moment The Beach Boys were back in the limelight before they faded away again. Holland is one of those records that I firmly believe will stand the test of time and will be eventually considered by critics and fans alike as their best album.

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Funky Pretty

The Beach Boys - Landlocked

As famous as The Beach Boys are they really are an underrated group. In the 1970's The Beach Boys had a renaissance, releasing albums that expanded and experimented their sound, showcasing highly intricate and beautiful arrangements of music. Brian Wilson really was the Mozart of rock. The swirling harmonies with the layered instrumentation of Pet Sounds is what made that album one of the greatest albums of all time, and in my book rivals Sgt. Pepper. However, while these later Beach Boys albums such as Holland and Surf's Up broadened The Beach Boy's abilities, they were not as commercially accessible. Maybe it's their name that gets this band's music associated with 5 and Diners and all things sunny. Whatever it is I wish people would push past the Greatest Hits and start to delve deeper into this bands discography. They really produced some intriguing music in the '70s. Landlocked were bootleg sessions that the band recorded when the band was between labels. Their new label didn't want to release the songs and Capital wouldn't put it out either. While most of these tracks made in on to later Beach Boys albums, some really ingenious and creative tracks were lost in the ether. "H.E.L.P. Is On The Way" for instance is practically a PSA about eating organic healthy food. Strange? Yes, but brilliant at the same time. Luckily Landlocked has remained alive thanks to the Internet.    

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H.E.L.P. Is On The Way

Loop De Loop (Flip Flop Flyin' In An Aeroplane)

I Just Got My Pay