15 Big Ones/Love You [Original recording remastered]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Touted by a highly suspicious media blitz ("Brian is Back!"), 1976's 15 Big Ones caught the nostalgic wave generated by the surprise success of Endless Summer and Spirit of America, the double-album compilations of the Beach Boys' mid-'60s, summer-music prime, and rode it close to the crest of the charts. One doesn't have to get much further than the tepid (albeit top 10) cover of Chuck Berry's's "Rock and Roll Music" to realize that band founder/original creative spark Brian Wilson may indeed have been back, but sounded like he was working under duress--if he was working at all. With a covers-heavy tack best described as a parody of the band's original trademark sound, wed to some of the mid-'70s worst production trends, it's an album that shows just how much the public still yearned for the band's classic sound, even if their faith ended up being "rewarded" by the likes of Mike Love's embarrassing "Everyone's in Love with You" and "T.M. Song." Conversely, Brian was definitely back for '77s Love You, an album that's become something of a critic's darling, if only because it hews so bravely to the strange musical vision that seeped from Wilson's then-troubled mind. Brian's synth-heavy production managed to be at once dense and minimalist, while the songs remain some of the most consistently loopy concoctions the band ever recorded. While his vulnerable romanticism is also on display, it's Wilson's playful sense of humor that dominates, from strange odes to "Johnny Carson" and the "Solar System" to innocent romps like "Ding Dang" and "Mona." A quarter-century later, it's an album that can still both surprise and delight. Both albums are digitally remastered on a single disc. --Jerry McCulley

15 Big Ones/Love You, Music, The Beach Boys, Pop, Pop/Rock, Popular Music, Rock, Rock/Pop

Average customer rating:

Brian is back with 14 songs and a raspy voice

brian is back!

Brian is back!

superb reissue of two albums that really go well together

Near rock bottom...and a big comeback

15 Big Ones/Love You
The Beach Boys
Manufacturer: Capitol
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Pop | Styles | Music
Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
General | Rock | Styles | Music
General | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Carl & The Passions - So Tough / Holland

M.I.U. Album/L.A. (Light Album)

Friends/20/20

Keepin' The Summer Alive / The Beach Boys

Sunflower/Surf's Up

ASIN: B00004W55M
Release Date: 2000-08-15

Tracks:

15 Big Ones: Rock And Roll Music
15 Big Ones: It's OK
15 Big Ones: Had To Phone Ya
15 Big Ones: Chapel Of Love
15 Big Ones: Everyone's In Love With You
15 Big Ones: Talk To Me
15 Big Ones: That Same Song
15 Big Ones: TM Song
15 Big Ones: Palisades Park
15 Big Ones: Susie Cincinnati
15 Big Ones: A Casual Look
15 Big Ones: Blueberry Hill
15 Big Ones: Back Home
15 Big Ones: In The Still Of The Night
15 Big Ones: Just Once In My Life
Love You: Let Us Go On This Way
Love You: Roller Skating Child
Love You: Mona
Love You: Johnny Carson
Love You: Good Time
Love You: Honkin' Down The Highway
Love You: Ding Dang
Love You: Solar System
Love You: The Night Was So Young
Love You: I'll Bet He's Nice
Love You: Let's Put Our Hearts Together
Love You: I Wanna Pick You Up
Love You: Airplane
Love You: Love Is A Woman

Amazon.com

Touted by a highly suspicious media blitz ("Brian is Back!"), 1976's 15 Big Ones caught the nostalgic wave generated by the surprise success of Endless Summer and Spirit of America, the double-album compilations of the Beach Boys' mid-'60s, summer-music prime, and rode it close to the crest of the charts. One doesn't have to get much further than the tepid (albeit top 10) cover of Chuck Berry's's "Rock and Roll Music" to realize that band founder/original creative spark Brian Wilson may indeed have been back, but sounded like he was working under duress--if he was working at all. With a covers-heavy tack best described as a parody of the band's original trademark sound, wed to some of the mid-'70s worst production trends, it's an album that shows just how much the public still yearned for the band's classic sound, even if their faith ended up being "rewarded" by the likes of Mike Love's embarrassing "Everyone's in Love with You" and "T.M. Song." Conversely, Brian was definitely back for '77s Love You, an album that's become something of a critic's darling, if only because it hews so bravely to the strange musical vision that seeped from Wilson's then-troubled mind. Brian's synth-heavy production managed to be at once dense and minimalist, while the songs remain some of the most consistently loopy concoctions the band ever recorded. While his vulnerable romanticism is also on display, it's Wilson's playful sense of humor that dominates, from strange odes to "Johnny Carson" and the "Solar System" to innocent romps like "Ding Dang" and "Mona." A quarter-century later, it's an album that can still both surprise and delight. Both albums are digitally remastered on a single disc. --Jerry McCulley

Amazon.com

Beach Boys Photos

More from The Beach Boys

Sounds of Summer
Pet Sounds
20 Good Vibrations, The Greatest Hits

Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of The Beach Boys
Endless Harmony
Endless Harmony DVD

Customer Reviews:

Brian is back with 14 songs and a raspy voice.......2007-01-30

On Love You - Brians voice takes some getting used to here. He went from a sweet falsetto to a raspy croak after 3 years of heavy drug use. However he is back in action with loads of new songs and a mediocre Brian is better than no Brian.

brian is back!.......2005-10-02

15 big ones was the return of brian wilson to the producers chair & major involvment in the studio,some fun in the sun songs are on the album with 1/2 oldies,1/2 originals,just sit back and lie in the sun!"love you"is brian back in full form bb fans have come to love this album.From "roller skating child" to "solar system" the album reflects brian's genius and sense of humor.

Brian is back!.......2005-07-28

Triumphantly,Brian Wilson is back with his Beach Boys bandmates! It is 1976,and the Beach Boys are now 30ish,bearded and "Beach Men". The girls will never forget how handsome they all were a decade earlier. One of the 15 BIG ONES is a cover of Chuck Berry's ROCK AND ROLL MUSIC,earlier covered by The Beatles. THE BEACH BOYS LOVE YOU was released in 1977,a year after 15 BIG ONES. I vaguely remember,as a child in the 70's,seeing the Beach Boys on American Bandstand performing RARM. These are the group's fifth and sixth non-compilation albums,respectively,on the Brother label,a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Fans were very happy when Brian rejoined his bandmates. For several years,beginning in the mid-60's,he was battling depression and drug addiction. So he put on a few pounds,big deal! He's back!

superb reissue of two albums that really go well together.......2005-05-02

Now here's a damn great reissue--take these two quirky albums that make an ideal pairing and put them together on a single disc; remaster them exquisitely; and add solid, informative liner notes. Not counting the "Endless Summer" & "Spirit Of America" compilations, the Beach Boys hadn't put an album out in well over 2 years when "15 Big Ones" appeared in July of 1976. With those two aforementioned compilations having been surprisingly huge commercial successes, it seems that Mike Love felt it was high time to try and capitalize on that success, so he cooked up the "Brian Is Back!" campaign, and "15 Big Ones" was released, its title referring both to the 15 songs on the album as well as the 15th anniversary of the Beach Boys. Consisting largely of `oldies' covers, "15 Big Ones" has been badly over-criticized over the years--it's actually a heck of a lot of fun. Also, it really does point the way to the cult classic "The Beach Boys Love You"--the Moog bass that`s so prominent on "Love You" crops up on the cover of "Chapel Of Love", and the loony, off-kilter, gospel-flavored "That Same Song" is a definite sign of things to come on the later album; in other words, the presence of Brian Wilson, who receives the production credit for the album, is strongly felt. However, despite the fact that Brian was going through a notoriously bizarre/ troubled period, "15 Big Ones" is a feel-good album all the way--the somewhat disco-fied version of "Rock And Roll Music"; the harmony-rich surf-rock throwback "It's OK"; the plodding, synth-string laden "Chapel Of Love" with great lead vocals from Brian; the energetic version of "Palisades Park" with spirited lead vocals from Carl; Al Jardine's's lively riff-rocker "Susie Cincinnati" (left over from the early `70s); and the aforementioned "That Same Song" are all a lot of fun. Even Mike's religion-themed "Everyone's In Love With You" is still respectably tuneful and by all means listenable, despite the corny lyrics, and the brief "TM Song" is highly amusing with it's mock-argument intro leading into the main song portion. "Had To Phone Ya", was previously done by Brian's then-wife Marilyn and her sister Diane (aka Spring) in the early '70s--the version here is elaborately-arranged and engagingly tuneful, with Mike, Carl, Al, Dennis, & Brian all sharing the lead vocals, although Carl sounds painfully bored. Like I said, I don't think this album deserves such a bad rap--if you're in the mood for giddy fun, you'll find lots of it on "15 Big Ones".

That said, "The Beach Boys Love You", released in April of 1977, is even MORE of a blast. Brian's pretty much in total control here (or totally out of his mind, depending on how you look at it). In addition to producing again (with Carl credited as the `mixdown producer`), Brian receives sole writing credit on 11 of the 14 tracks (although it's long been rumored that Brian's notorious shrink/ guru Eugene Landy helped with a lot of the lyrics), & Brian also played the lion's share of the instruments, including the technically rudimentary drumming. Indeed, the album was thought to be released as a Brian Wilson solo album entitled "Brian Loves You". Also, it's almost beyond all belief how much Brian's voice had changed over the course of the decade--as if you needed a reminder, the album contains the Al Jardine-Brian Wilson composition "Good Time" with a lead vocal from Brian recorded in the early `70s which explains why it lacks the hoarse, lower-register tone of his vocals on the rest of the album (goes to show what drugs can do). The resulting album is, on one hand, extremely primitive, but at the same time, Brian's incredible songwriting ability and his ear for harmony remain on full display. On `Side 1' of the album, Brian is basically living in a fantasy world, offering up rousing, irresistibly fun songs like the stomping album-opener "Let Us Go On This Way" (written by Brian & Mike); the lustful "Roller Skating Child"; the 4-chord, Phil Spector-style "Mona"; a tribute to "Johnny Carson"; the ultra-catchy, highly amusing "Honkin' Down The Highway" (the version here restores the drum intro that was missing on the old Caribou CD release of "Love You"); and the brief "Ding Dang" (written by Brian & Roger McGuinn) with its delirious party atmosphere. `Side 2' then, in somewhat similar fashion to 1965's "The Beach Boys Today!", is the `ballad side', offering up such gems as the waltzing, wondrous, & gloriously silly "Solar System"; the tender "Let's Put Our Hearts Together" (with lead vocals from Brian & Marilyn); the brilliantly tuneful ode to babies "I Wanna Pick You Up" (with lead vocals from Dennis & Brian); and the casually anxious "Airplane" which ends with an "I-can't-take-it-anymore" boogie-woogie coda. "I'll Bet He's Nice" is a strong piece of material, although I prefer the demo version that appears on the "Brian Loves You" bootleg opposed to the overproduced version here. The album closer "Love Is A Woman" is kind of half-baked, but it does have a vibe startingly similar to Leonard Cohen's "Death of a Ladies' Man" album, which, tellingly, was produced by Phil Spector and came out the same year.

Overall, there's an absolute wealth of unique and terrific music to be found on this two-fer. No, this isn't "Pet Sounds", but if you're truly interested in the eclectic genius of Brian Wilson, i.e., a serious music listener, this disc ranks at must-have status.

Near rock bottom...and a big comeback.......2005-03-23

The Beach Boys last two albums before "15 Big Ones" had been huge selling collections of their 60s oldies so the band took it as their cue to record a collection of halfbaked oldies cover tunes while trying to boost the touring by telling the world excitedly "Brian's Back!". (Brian's body may have been, but his melodic mind was elsewhere.)

The 2nd album on this twofer disc is the far more satisfying, though quirky, "The Beach Boys Love You". A look at the crazed expression in Brian's eyes in the insert photo (with his wife Marilyn in the tiara) reveal the mad genius at work here.The songs run to "out there" subject matter like late night talk host Johnny Carson and celestial bodies ("Solar System").

HIGHLIGHTS:
Let's make it "3 Big Ones": Though short, the 'missing you on the road' tune "Had to Phone Ya" has a gently swinging melody (the clarinet is key) that charms. I'll risk the wrath of the "Mike Love is Satan" club by pointing out that "Everyone's in Love with You" is a very good ode to Transcendental Meditation, combining a decent melody, an OK if not great lyric, and probably the best group vocals on the disc. "That Same Song" sounds like a lost showtune from a musical about the evolution of song. It's no classic, but it's hummable and worth a hear.

If you can get over some of the odd subject matter, "Love You" has some winsome ditties here buried in deceptively simple arrangements. "Let us Go on this Way" finds Brian flashing back to high school days and signaling that he cares about his music again. (The emphatic "Yeah!" says volumes) "Johnny Carson"'s 'Who's the man that we admire?' coda will run through your brain for awhile after hearing it. "The Night was So Young" has sparks of vintage Brian (listen to "Is somebody gonna tell me..why she has to hi-i-i-ide??"). "I'll Bet He's Nice" is another one that sticks with you, with a nice handclap fade. "I Wanna Pick You Up" is Brian's tender ode to his daughters. (The "little baby go to sleep" harmony at the end is spine-tingling)

VALLEYS:
"Big Ones" is the worst BB album to feature Brian Wilson: Mike Love cancels out his meditation highlight with the completely wretched "TM Song". It's plagued by a ridiculous "mock fight" intro (followed by the spoken "It's time to meditate..."), an asinine lyric, and awkward tempo changes. It's abysmal in every way. "Palisades Park" is rendered here in a slowed-down midtempo with country-tinged guitar and completely minus the drum wallop of the Freddy Cannon original. "Susie Cincinnati" is a lame attempt at an updated "409" with a protagonist who's homely but good with a gearshift. "Blueberry Hill" starts great, with an understated Mike vocal and a bongo lope reminiscent of Elvis Presley's version of "Blue Moon" but completely falls apart once the whole group comes in. The singing on "Chapel of Love" is ragged, as is the harmonizing on "Just Once in my Life" (Brian's fault..Carl sounds OK), desecrating two Phil Spector classics. Dennis sounds raw on "In the Still of the Nite".

There are only a few egregious moments on "Love You" thankfully:
"Ding Dang" is really just a fragment, not a song...maybe it would have worked better with a tiny musical link to make it an intro to "Roller Skating Child"? "Let's Put Our Hearts Together" is a passable lyric, but Brian's wife is no singer and Brian himself sounds a little weak here. "Love is a Woman" 'tell her she smells good tonight' is part of the lyric. 'Nuff said.

BOTTOM LINE:
"Love You" is one you should have if you appreciate their 70s output so buy this and program out most of the "Big Ones" tracks. If you only really like the "sun and fun" stuff, you probably won't care for this one...you'd be better off skipping this and getting the "Keepin' the Summer Alive/The Beach Boys" twofer which has some of their last chart hits and probably the most 'classic' sounding latter day Beach Boys tune "Getcha Back".

Music Review:

Music Review

Music Review

Sounds of Summer	Pet Sounds	20 Good Vibrations, The Greatest Hits
Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of The Beach Boys	Endless Harmony	Endless Harmony DVD