Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Bruce Johnston's Pet Project

Symphonic Sounds — Music Of The Beach Boys
By David M. Beard

In 1998 Bruce went into the Abbey Road studios and produced "Symphonic Sounds: Music of the Beach Boys," creating a vastly overlooked collection. Mike Love is joined by Terry Melcher on "Kokomo," and Johnston succinctly recreates all the dynamic and subtle nuances of his 1971 classic, "Disney Girls." This collection also includes the debut of Matt Jardine on "Darlin'," and Adrian Baker's performance on "Warmth of the Sun."

The album's most endearing and enduring moments are the opening four-minute overture and the beautiful "The Water Planet Suite"; consisting of "Heroes And Villains," "Help Me Rhonda," "Wouldn't It Be Nice," "God Only Knows," "Surfer Girl," "In My Room," "The Warmth Of The Sun," "All Summer Long," "You Still Believe In Me," "Caroline, No" and "Good Vibrations." Both pieces speak directly to Johnston's love of Classical music. If you don't own this, buy it. If you own it, get it back out and revisit it today!

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