That's Why God Made the Radio
| That's Why God Made the Radio | ||||
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| Studio album by The Beach Boys | ||||
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Publication |
2012 |
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| Label (s) | Capitol Records (EMI) | |||
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Format (s) |
CD, LP |
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Title (number) |
12 |
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running time |
38 min 48 s |
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Brian Wilson and Paul Fauerso on Daybreak Over the Ocean |
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That's Why God Made the Radio is the Beach Boys ' 29th album and the first since 1996. It was released on June 1st, 2012 on the occasion of the Beach Boys' 50th anniversary.
Emergence
At the end of 2011 there were rumors that the Beach Boys would get together again with the old line-up and do a tour and an album. In early 2012, a new recording of Do It Again was released , featuring all of the still living Beach Boys, and the release of a new album was announced for June 1, 2012. At the same time, a new world tour was announced that includes 50 concerts and started on April 26, 2012.
The genesis of the album That's Why God Made the Radio began in the late 1990s. Brian Wilson was working with Joe Thomas on some songs for his album Imagination at the time . During this collaboration, among other things, two to three songs were created that Brian Wilson did not want to publish on his solo album. One of those songs was That's Why God Made the Radio . Wilson wanted to hold these songs back for a possible new Beach Boys album. To kick off the production of a new Beach Boys album, Brian Wilson sent his brother Carl Wilson a demo recording of Lay Down, Burden , which was then called Lay Down Your Burden . Carl Wilson's cancer prevented a collaboration. Brian Wilson and Joe Thomas rearranged the song after Carl Wilson's death into the ballad Lay Down, Burden and released it on Brian Wilson's fifth solo album. After Carl Wilson's death, work on a new Beach Boys album was discontinued.
Years later, Brian Wilson contacted Thomas and reported that he was working on a new album and would like to use old demo recordings from their previous collaboration. Wilson, Thomas and Jeffrey Foskett arranged some songs from the available sound material, recorded demos and presented them to Capitol Records . Wilson presented a total of four pieces to the record company, such as the song That's Why God Made Radio . The label was interested in a collaboration, accepted the idea of releasing a new Beach Boys album and negotiated a contract for the album.
A short time later, Wilson and Thomas met Mike Love in a steak house and asked him if he was interested in working as a lyricist and singer on the album. This immediately agreed.
The album was originally supposed to be called Summer's Gone . But since Mike Love was able to prevail against Brian Wilson, it was named after the song That's Why God Made the Radio . According to another source, however, it was Brian Wilson himself who changed the album name because he supposedly enjoyed the new work with the other Beach Boys and therefore no longer wanted such a sad title for the album.
On May 16, 2012, the Beach Boys performed on the teleshopping broadcaster QVC to present the album That's Why God Made the Radio . During the broadcast, viewers had the opportunity to purchase the album. QVC took nearly 20,000 orders. According to estimates by the music industry, the album sold 60,000 to 65,000 copies by June 10, 2012.
The album reached number three on the US Billboard charts on June 18, 2012. By then That's Why God Made the Radio , the first album of Beach Boys for 15 big ones in 1976, which makes it the US Billboard charts reached the top-10th With the album, the Beach Boys managed to break the record for the longest period of time between two placements in the top 10 of a band. Until then, the record holders were the Beatles . In the German album charts, the album reached number 36 and left after a week.
Track list
- Think About the Days (Brian Wilson, Joe Thomas)
- That's Why God Made the Radio (B. Wilson, J. Thomas, Larry Millas, Jim Peterik)
- Isn't It Time (B. Wilson, Mike Love, J. Thomas, L. Millas, J. Peterik)
- Spring Vacation (B. Wilson, M. Love, J. Thomas)
- The Private Life of Bill and Sue (B. Wilson, J. Thomas)
- Shelter (B. Wilson, J. Thomas)
- Daybreak Over the Ocean (M. Love)
- Beaches in Mind (B. Wilson, M. Love, J. Thomas)
- Strange World (B. Wilson, J. Thomas)
- From There to Back Again (B. Wilson, J. Thomas)
- Pacific Coast Highway (B. Wilson, J. Thomas)
- Summer's Gone (B. Wilson, Jon Bon Jovi , J. Thomas)
Information about the songs
- The origin of the song That's Why God Made the Radio is based on demos Brian Wilson and Joe Thomas worked on in the 1990s. They were at this time neighbors in St. Charles ( Illinois ). According to Thomas, Wilson did not want to release the song as a soloist, but rather held it back for a future Beach Boys album. The name That's Why God Made the Radio came to Brian after a Chicago White Sox baseball game in the late 1990s that he attended with Joe Thomas.
- Shelter is an extension of the song In My Room , according to Joe Thomas .
- Isn't It Time shouldn't be released on the album at first. Two months before the release, those responsible decided at short notice to take it with them on the album.
- Beaches in Mind is one of the first songs on That's Why God Made the Radio, on which Mike Love collaborated.
- Jon Bon Jovi took part in the song Summer's Gone . He contributed a few verses and changed the melody in various places. While working on the piece, Bon Jovi also called the song Brian Wilson's My Way .
- Wilson and Thomas developed the song Spring Vacation from the same demo recording from which the song Lay Down, Burden resulted. It took Mike Love just five minutes in the studio to write the lyrics for Spring Vacation .
- The song Daybreak over the Ocean was written by Mike Love in 1978 for one of his unreleased solo albums. In addition to Love, his children Hayleigh, Christian and the former tour musician Adrian Baker can be heard on the recording. Wilson, Jardine, Johnston and Foskett later sang other vocal tracks for the song.
Individual evidence
- ^ Announcement in Rolling Stone .
- ↑ Wyckoff, Mark: The Beach Boys are making 'Radio' waves . www.vcstar.com (May 24, 2012).
- ^ The Joe Thomas Interview . andrewromano.tumblr.com (May 30, 2012).
- ↑ Dallach, Christoph: Beach Boys Comeback - The last wave ride . spiegel.de (June 29, 2012).
- ^ The Joe Thomas Interview . andrewromano.tumblr.com (May 30, 2012).
- ↑ Pannacione, Maggie: The Beach Boys to Appear on QVC on May 16 artistdirect.com (9 May 2012).
- ^ Caulfield, Keith: The Beach Boys Set For Highest Charting Album in 37 Years. billboard.com (June 8, 2012).
- ^ Trust, Garry: Beach Boys Beat the Beatles for Billboard 200 Record. billboard.com (June 14, 2012).
- ↑ media control: German album charts. Charts.de (August 5, 2012).
- ↑ Wyckoff, Mark: The Beach Boys are making 'Radio' waves . www.vcstar.com (May 24, 2012).
- ↑ Album review: Beach Boys, "That's Why God Made the Radio". regularrecord.blogspot.de (June 2, 2012).
- ↑ Expanded and Remastered Music News Catch A Wave! Special Review: The Beach Boys' “That's Why God Made The Radio” . http://theseconddisc.com (January 6, 2013).
Web links
- That's Why God Made the Radio on Allmusic (English)