The Sections

An unfortunate album, for a couple of reasons. First, it was a rushed excuse to buy Brian Wilson more time to polish the time-consuming effort of "Pet Sounds," and second, it was a huge success, proving that a majority of fans of the Beach Boys weren't necessarily interested in having the band advance artistically. (A paradox that has dogged them throughout their career). Having said that, it's easy to see why this album was a best-seller; it's a lot of fun. The Beach Boys are relaxed and having a good time belting out some of their favorite tunes, and even though it wasn't quite as off-the-cuff as it sounds, listeners can imagine that *they are there* at a shindig with their favorite band. The album sounds terribly dated now, even with "unplugged" acoustic albums being all the rage, and the song selection is the main reason. "Hully Gully," "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow," "Alley Oop," and yes, "Barbara Ann" were all anachronistic throwbacks by the exploding musical standards of the mid-sixties, and are more so now. The two Beatles covers, a raucous "Tell Me Why," and a heartfelt "You've Got To Hide You're Love Away" fare better, a credit to the excellence of Lennon/McCartney. Add to that the studio-sweetened "Devoted To You," and a properly 'wall-of-sound-ish' treatment of "There's No Other (Like My Baby)" and you have the only other high points. Ironically, just before they rip into their rendition of "Barbara Ann," the Beach Boys short-sightedly belt out Bob Dylan's "The Times, They are A-Changing"...