In the good old days (around 1965) people had a very
short memory span. For that reason the pop groups had to release new
singles constantly and at least two albums a year. If they didn’t, they
were forgotten. In the 70’s or in the old days as we say, people had
developed a better memory, so the pop groups could relax a bit and be
content with an album a year.
Nowadays people have such a trained memory that they
don’t need to be reminded all the time, the pop stars may easily
restrict themselves to an album every three or four years with no risks
involved at all. That is impressive when you consider that those
records, even if there are years between them, sound quite similar. Or
perhaps people simply need the break to recover and re-build some sort
of anticipation for the next one, forcing themselves to believe that
“next time they will definitely surprise me, I am sure they will, I
think… maybe.”
Enough of that. Back in the old days (the 70s,
remember), The Beach Boys had taken a long break from the recording
studios. Three years had passed since they were in Holland and made a
pretty satisfying album, named, yes, you guessed it, “Holland”. A
strange bonus EP was included; it contained a cry for help from the
band’s former leader Brian Wilson who heard strange noises inside his
head – as proven by the EP.
While Brian was taken care of by some very nice guys
who knew exactly the right treatments needed if paid an ever so slight
fee, The Beach Boys had to go on tour playing all their old hits to
remind both themselves and the public that they still existed.
Eventually Brian Wilson finally felt much better, at
least that’s what his kind therapists were telling him. He heard almost
no weird noises in his head, he was up and ready for something totally
unexpected: Producing a complete Beach Boys-LP on his own - for the
first time since 1966. It would be their first studio album in three
years. And believe me, in 1976 1973 was very long ago, so long that a
new album automatically would be considered a full come-back. The title
of the album was a clever double-pun: 15 years had passed since they
started as a band, and the album contained 15 tracks. Brilliant.
However the path to the finished product was not as
carefully planned and smooth as the title suggests. True, Brian didn’t
hear any noises in his head anymore, at least not that many, but he
didn’t hear any new sounds in there either. In short: He wanted The
Beach Boys to record an album of cover songs, a bunch of old rock’n’roll
and pop-classics.
Now that did not go down well with his younger
brothers. They argued that if this was going to be the big Beach
Boys/Brian Wilson-come back it would be totally pointless to deliver a
pile of cover-songs. That would not be what ageing fans and eager rock
writers were expecting. The younger brothers Wilson wanted a proper
Beach Boys-album, just like in the good old days (around 1965), all
brand new songs preferably composed by the master himself.
It was not easy to persuade Brian who had more doubts
about himself and his own abilities than anyone could have envisaged,
even in their darkest nightmares. For a while there was talk of a double
album, one album with cover versions and one with new originals. Not
very realistic. In the end they went for a painful compromise.
As it turned out “15 Big Ones” was not quite the
trump card that the record company, the band, and the fans had hoped
for. There was nothing wrong with the sales figures though, thanks to a
massive launch and plenty of TV time. It hit no. 8 on the Billboard
charts. But the disappointed buyers let the brilliant successor suffer,
“The Beach Boys Love You” only got to no. 53.
The single, released as a teaser for the album, Chuck
Berry’s “Rock And Roll Music”, is a strange ditty – its stop-and-start
arrangement in fascinating conflict with the song’s idea. I mean, it
doesn’t rock nor roll – but The Beach Boys’ brave treatment grows on
you, and when you get used to it you appreciate that they chose this
original solution. It’s not a classic, but it’s different. The remaining
cover songs are not given the same bold treatments. They never get past
the recurring question: What’s the point?
The Brian Wilson originals, which must have been
squeezed out of him under threats of no more pancakes, have a completely
different effect on the listener. The whimsical, unambitious and
unpolished little vignettes remind me of the “Wild Honey”-album. And
that’s not a bad thing. “It’s OK”, “Had To Phone Ya” and “That Same
Song” are both simplistic and strange in that unique Brian Wilson-way
and they breathe like living creatures. Al Jardine’s “Susie Cincinnati”
isn’t bad either, even if it keeps its teeth in a glass of water at
night.
Overall “15 Big Ones” suffers hard if scrutinized
track by track, but it is better than the sum of its parts as it
strangely enough plays pretty good if one lowers one’s expectations and
just lets it be what it is, a soft summer’s breeze through an open
window.
The following year The Beach Boys released the album
that “15 Big Ones” failed to be (but actually pointed towards): “The
Beach Boys Love You”, a bona fide classic. I guess they had to struggle
their way through the “15 Big Ones”-sessions to get rid of the rust. The
therapists stayed, of course, they don’t disappear easily once they get
their hooks in you and your money.
Produced by: Brian Wilson
Released: July 5, 1976)
Side One
1. “Rock and Roll Music” (Berry) 2:29
2. “It’s O.K.” (Wilson/Love) 2:12
3. “Had to Phone Ya” (Wilson/Love) 1:43
4. “Chapel of Love” (Barry/Greenwich/Spector) 2:34
5. “Everyone’s in Love with You” (Love) 2:42
6. “Talk to Me” (On the back sleeve titled “Talk to
Me (Medley)”, referring to the interpolation of the 1959 Freddy Cannon
song “Tallahassee Lassie”) (Seneca) 2:14
7. “That Same Song” (Wilson/Love) 2:16
8. “T M Song” (Wilson) 1:34
Side Two
1. “Palisades Park” (Barris) 2:27
2. “Susie Cincinnati” (Jardine) 2:57
3. “A Casual Look” (Wells) 2:45
4. “Blueberry Hill” (Lewis/Stock/Rose) 3:01
5. “Back Home” (Wilson/Norberg) 2:49
6. “In the Still of the Night” (Parris) 3:03
7. “Just Once in My Life” (Goffin/King/ Spector) 3:47
The Beach Boys:
Al Jardine - vocals, guitar (on “Susie Cincinnati”)
Mike Love - vocals
Brian Wilson - vocals, organ, piano, Moog bass,
arpeggiator, string ensemble, bass guitar, harmonica, chimes, bells
Carl Wilson - vocals, guitar, bass, synthesiser,
harp, percussion
Dennis Wilson - vocals, drums, percussion, vibraphone
