Considering the Beach Boys' status as America's foremost 'vocal' group of the 1960s, the release of this all instrumental LP in 1968 is among the most bizarre of all time. Then again, with the band's sales numbers in an all-out free fall since Pet Sounds, Capitol's desperate attempt to sell anything Beach Boys-related is pretty apparent here. That said, Stack-O-Tracks is an incredibly intriguing listen no matter what the circumstances were that brought it to the marketplace. Originally packaged with a pull-out booklet containing chord diagrams, complete lyrics and vocal charts (sadly missing from all reissued versions), Stack-O-Tracks collected the backing tracks to 15 of the band's biggest hits and brought Brian Wilson's brilliantly orchestrated production out from behind the wall of voices. This vocal-free treatment of tracks spanning a four-year period form a remarkably cohesive package, with unconventional instrumentation popping up surprisingly early in their career and the band's debt to the technique of Phil Spector laid out well before the recording of Pet Sounds began. One of the few Beach Boys LPs that failed to make the charts, Stack-O-Tracks remains a rare treat for those who've bothered to seek it out. The version here contains 3 bonus instrumentals and a short hidden track tucked into the end. Enjoy.
Showing posts with label Bizarre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bizarre. Show all posts
Tuesday
Beach Boys
Stack-O-Tracks - 1968
Considering the Beach Boys' status as America's foremost 'vocal' group of the 1960s, the release of this all instrumental LP in 1968 is among the most bizarre of all time. Then again, with the band's sales numbers in an all-out free fall since Pet Sounds, Capitol's desperate attempt to sell anything Beach Boys-related is pretty apparent here. That said, Stack-O-Tracks is an incredibly intriguing listen no matter what the circumstances were that brought it to the marketplace. Originally packaged with a pull-out booklet containing chord diagrams, complete lyrics and vocal charts (sadly missing from all reissued versions), Stack-O-Tracks collected the backing tracks to 15 of the band's biggest hits and brought Brian Wilson's brilliantly orchestrated production out from behind the wall of voices. This vocal-free treatment of tracks spanning a four-year period form a remarkably cohesive package, with unconventional instrumentation popping up surprisingly early in their career and the band's debt to the technique of Phil Spector laid out well before the recording of Pet Sounds began. One of the few Beach Boys LPs that failed to make the charts, Stack-O-Tracks remains a rare treat for those who've bothered to seek it out. The version here contains 3 bonus instrumentals and a short hidden track tucked into the end. Enjoy.
Considering the Beach Boys' status as America's foremost 'vocal' group of the 1960s, the release of this all instrumental LP in 1968 is among the most bizarre of all time. Then again, with the band's sales numbers in an all-out free fall since Pet Sounds, Capitol's desperate attempt to sell anything Beach Boys-related is pretty apparent here. That said, Stack-O-Tracks is an incredibly intriguing listen no matter what the circumstances were that brought it to the marketplace. Originally packaged with a pull-out booklet containing chord diagrams, complete lyrics and vocal charts (sadly missing from all reissued versions), Stack-O-Tracks collected the backing tracks to 15 of the band's biggest hits and brought Brian Wilson's brilliantly orchestrated production out from behind the wall of voices. This vocal-free treatment of tracks spanning a four-year period form a remarkably cohesive package, with unconventional instrumentation popping up surprisingly early in their career and the band's debt to the technique of Phil Spector laid out well before the recording of Pet Sounds began. One of the few Beach Boys LPs that failed to make the charts, Stack-O-Tracks remains a rare treat for those who've bothered to seek it out. The version here contains 3 bonus instrumentals and a short hidden track tucked into the end. Enjoy.
Friday
Bob Dylan
Self Portrait - 1970
Writing about something as common as a Dylan album here at the Heat Warps goes somewhat against the grain. Fortunately, all bets are off when it comes to Self Portrait. Widely accepted as the most bizarre entry in his catalog since its release, the album is a mish-mash collection intended to either throw followers off his scent, one-up the bootleggers or gather up the various facets of his personality into a double album package. Whatever its intention, Self Portrait sold well upon its initial release but was ceremoniously torn apart by its critics. To their credit, there was an awful lot to wrap your head around here: multiple versions of the same song, brass-led instrumentals, choral numbers, weird cover versions, Dylan duetting with himself and a few ramshackle live cuts from the Isle of Wight thrown in for good measure. To quote Greil Marcus' opening line of his Rolling Stone review "What is this shit?" 36 years on it's still hard to answer that question, though one thing's for sure; whatever this shit is, it's pretty damn fascinating. An album of tremendous depth and ambition, Self Portrait is unfairly burdened by the formula Dylan laid out in the years preceding it. If this one isn't already in your collection, set aside some quality time to reap the rewards of a proper listen. My introduction to it was on a 16 hour road trip, nearly every mile of which was reserved for this album. My favorites have always been "Days of '49", "Living the Blues," "Wigwam" and the live version of "Quinn the Eskimo", notably for the squall of feedback that chases Robbie Robertson's guitar solo around like a pair of squirrels on a tree. More than any other Dylan record, listening to Self Portrait is an experience unique to every listener. Enjoy yours. Happy Thanksgiving.
Writing about something as common as a Dylan album here at the Heat Warps goes somewhat against the grain. Fortunately, all bets are off when it comes to Self Portrait. Widely accepted as the most bizarre entry in his catalog since its release, the album is a mish-mash collection intended to either throw followers off his scent, one-up the bootleggers or gather up the various facets of his personality into a double album package. Whatever its intention, Self Portrait sold well upon its initial release but was ceremoniously torn apart by its critics. To their credit, there was an awful lot to wrap your head around here: multiple versions of the same song, brass-led instrumentals, choral numbers, weird cover versions, Dylan duetting with himself and a few ramshackle live cuts from the Isle of Wight thrown in for good measure. To quote Greil Marcus' opening line of his Rolling Stone review "What is this shit?" 36 years on it's still hard to answer that question, though one thing's for sure; whatever this shit is, it's pretty damn fascinating. An album of tremendous depth and ambition, Self Portrait is unfairly burdened by the formula Dylan laid out in the years preceding it. If this one isn't already in your collection, set aside some quality time to reap the rewards of a proper listen. My introduction to it was on a 16 hour road trip, nearly every mile of which was reserved for this album. My favorites have always been "Days of '49", "Living the Blues," "Wigwam" and the live version of "Quinn the Eskimo", notably for the squall of feedback that chases Robbie Robertson's guitar solo around like a pair of squirrels on a tree. More than any other Dylan record, listening to Self Portrait is an experience unique to every listener. Enjoy yours. Happy Thanksgiving.
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