Saturday, May 01, 2010

1105 - Mojo 125. The Beach Boys - Friends (1968)





















Track Listing

1. Meant For You
2. Friends
3. Wake The World
4. Be Here In The Mornin'
5. When A Man Needs A Woman
6. Passing By
7. Anna Lee, The Healer
8. Little Bird
9. Be Still
10. Busy Doin' Nothin'
11. Diamond Head
12. Transcendental Meditation

Review

Although a great album, it is The Beach Boys after all, this comes as something of a disappointment. I was hoping it would be a discovery on the scale of a Surf's Up, but it really isn't. It's just very good.

It is a notch below the truly great Beach Boys album's we've had on this blog and even Smile. But even the worse of the Beach Boys is great (at least in this phase, the less said about Kokomo the better).

The overall feel of the album is one of happiness and slightly childish enjoyment, there is very little edge or real emotion to it, it is eminently pop, which isn't necessarily a bad thing but keeps it from being mind-blowing.

Track Highlights

1. Passing By
2. Friends
3. Transcendental Meditation
4. When a Man Needs a Woman

Final Grade

8/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

As work on the album began in February 1968, Mike Love, a recent convert to transcendental meditation (TM), departed on a two week trip to India (alongside The Beatles and Donovan) to study TM further with his new master, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. In his absence, the remaining Beach Boys, Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Carl Wilson, Al Jardine and, now an official member, Bruce Johnston recorded the bulk of Friends along with selected members of The Wrecking Crew.

Passing By:

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