I Love You

Unique Double Album.

THIS is so rich -i had those records when they came out but now i can really appreciate the richness of the music . There are some silly or boring bits like blueberry hill ,love is a woman and susie cincinnati and bright spots like rollerskating child and let us go on this way .

There are some great reviews already on here, but I must add my 2 cents on this rather unique time in Beach Boys history: The "Brian is Back" campaign and rationale behind the making of 15 Big Ones has been well-documented, so there is no need to get into the history of a time that saw the Beach Boys en vogue with a wave of nostalgic yearning. 15 Big Ones gets panned for its heavy reliance on half-baked covers, subpar Beach Boys originals, hammy production, and hoarse vocals from Brian and Dennis, but it still has its own charms. Granted, some of the covers are largely forgettable (A Casual Look, Blueberry Hill), others make for good listens, such as Carl's soulful lead in "Talk to Me", Dennis' now gruff voice adding some manly sentimentality with "In Still of the Night", and the killer "Just Once in My Life." Even the much-maligned "Rock & Roll Music" is a fun listen with some terrific bass work and Brian backing falsetto. Some of the originals are also of *best-to-forget* variety (Mike's "Everyone's in Love with You" quickly wears out its sugary welcome), but "It's Ok" has a catchy melody and swirling production that makes it even better than its title would indicate, "Had to Phone Ya" has the Boys taking turns with the lead vocals set amidst that unique waltz arrangement that only Brian could work into rock music. "Susie Cincinnati" is a rollicking throwback to the days when Beach Boys lyrics were almost solely dedicated to girls and cars with classic Brian falsetto again. Overall, 15 Big Ones is one of the weaker BB albums, but at least everybody still sounded motivated and like they were having fun, not the *going through the motions* feel of later albums. Then we come to "Love You", an album that almost defies description. It's fair to say such an album would never be made today and it's surprising it was allowed to be done so even in 1977. An album sounding like rough demos recorded in Brian's basement in a few days with farting Moog snyths, rudimentary drums, some piano flourishes, with lyrics ranging from odd (men in their mid-30s singing about being in school), bizarre (lyrics about a TV host and the planets) or plain creepy (a song about a roller skating child and an actual line of "pat her on the butt") sung from the shot voices of Brian and Dennis, sounds like it should be a disaster. And many people feel that way; "Love You" is probably one of the most polarizing albums in music history. Either you adore it to pieces(I do) or you think it's rock bottom for a man who clearly was having serious mental issues at the time. When given a chance after the initial shock of the production and quirkiness of it all, "Love You" never fails to put a smile on your face or delight you with its infectious harmonies. This album really feels like the *anti-Pet Sounds*, music stripped to its core with the most simplistic instrumentation possible. Yet, despite the simplicity and ruggedness of it all, it shows how powerful and enjoyable music can be minus extravagent production values, lyrics written by wordsmiths, and elaborate harmonizing recorded over the span of months. In that way, it's highly reminiscent of "Smiley Smile", but whereas that album was self-conscious in making a *statement*, "Love You" exists as completely honest, unpretentious expression. There's a rawness to this album, not only in its music, but emotional openness that either unsettles you or draws you in and makes you want to revisit this album over and over just for the jolt of good vibes you get. "Love You" is perhaps more of a statement to the true genius of Brian Wilson than his more heralded work; that doesn't make it better than "Pet Sounds", "Today", or what "Smile" was, but it showed one more time that Brian was not afraid to take accepted ways of doing things and turning them upside down while wrapping you up in a warm glow despite what was bound to be widespread criticism and questioning of his sanity.

This is an absolutely must for Beach Boys fans. Not only do you have the brilliant song writing of Brian, and Mike, and the rest of the boys. Then there is the haunting "In the still of the night" by the late Dennis Wilson, Dennis Wilson was my favorite Beach Boy, he had a great voice from the early years, but then he got hooked up on pills, and booze and it was clear when he made music. Along with the brilliance of all, you also have Daryl Dragon and Toni Tennille of the Captain and Tennille duet. The harmonies with those two along with the harmonies of the boys make this album one for the ages.

Excellent disc. Fast shipping. A+++

This is a decent Beach Boys offering. "15 Big Ones" gives the band playing old classics from the 50's and putting their own spin on it. The 2nd part of the Cd includes "The Beach Boys Loves You" which is weird and I'm still trying to absorb, but it's growing on me.

Again finding an album I wanted and getting a second album of their music too. I have seen them in concert and they put on a heck of a show, go get this collection.

The Beach Boys have fun and love the music

Les Beach Boys pas au mieux de leur forme mais ces 2 albums contiennent de très bonnes chansons. Je recommande à ceux qui veulent écouter les compositions du génie qu'est Brian Wilson.

Buen precio para un Álbum impresionante.

"Love You" ist für mich ein Meisterwerk auf einer Stufe mit Pet Sounds und Smile (Sessions). Dazu kann man wenig sagen, die Magie des Albums lässt sich kaum in Worte fassen. Einfach 2-3 Mal hören und hoffentlich macht es klick. Naja und "15 Big Ones" kann man in diesem Fall als 15 nette Bonus Tracks zu diesem herausragenden Album betrachten, die auf der CD als warm-up zu Anfang gestellt wurden.

This is a 'two-fer' double CD set, featuring the 70's Beach Boys albums: '15 Big Ones' and 'The Beach Boys Love You'; and I purchased it mainly for the latter L.P. '15 Big Ones' features around 50% each of new songs and cover versions of oldies; and, while it has some decent tracks - 'Rock n Roll Music', 'Talk To Me', 'That Same Song', 'Had To Phone Ya' and 'A Casual Look', overall it doesn't have much of a lasting impact. As for the 'Love You' set, well it's rather a controversial album in the Beach Boys world, splitting their fans into those who 'love' it and those who remain unconvinced. 'Pet Sounds' is supposed to be the group's finest achievement, but, for me, 'Love You' ranks alongside it. That statement will seem like a joke to those coming to the latter album for the first time; because, as the excellent sleeve-notes by Peter Buck point out, it sounds like nothing more than a 'spirited demo-session for a Brian Wilson solo record'; and therefore lacking the full-blown production of 'Pet Sounds'. However, with all the tracks on 'Love You' being either written or co-written by Brian, it does have that personal Wilson touch found on 'Pet Sounds'. But where the latter L.P. was decidedly introspective, 'Love You' has a very positive, up-beat feel running right the way through it. What you'll also hear is the mid-seventies Wilson voice, which is far rougher and nicotine-tinged than the sensitive vocals heard on 'Pet Sounds'. Also, the songs on 'Love You' are much more light-hearted, even bizarre at times; a far-cry from the soul-searching tracks on 'Pet Sounds'. But remember, this is Brian Wilson a decade later, and this is where his head was at, at that time; and, if you give it time, I guarantee this album will grow on you. Because however frazzled Brian may sound at times, the child-man you heard on the early Beach Boys tracks is still very much present on these self-penned 'Love You' songs; and all the better for it. In other words, however under-developed, these numbers still contain the very essence of who Brian Wilson is, and what makes him unique as a writer/performer; so that, saying you dig Brian but don't like this album is very much a contradiction in terms. It also doesn't hurt to know that not only does Peter Buck cite 'Love You' as his favourite Beach Boys album, but so too does Brian Wilson himself. So, yes, a decade earlier the tracks on this L.P. would have been given the full Wilson treatment and some of them turned into classics, but, the diversity and melodic content of the 'Love You' songs are still there nonetheless. I won't single out any particular tracks because they kind of hang together after repeated listening's, and give the whole album a warm glow. The bottom-line with the 'Love You' set is, if you relax with a glass or two of the right stuff and give it a chance, the chances are it will seep into your soul and repay you many times over. So, don't try and analyze it, just enjoy Brian being Brian...

Love the 70s music