Carl Wilson: CARL WILSON (1981)

Summary

Jokermen Podcast: Episode on Carl Wilson (1981) Release Date: July 7, 2025

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Introduction to Carl Wilson’s Solo Endeavor

In this episode, host Joel Kerman and co-host Evan delve into Carl Wilson’s self-titled solo album released in 1981. The discussion explores the context of Carl’s departure from The Beach Boys, the album’s production, its musical content, and its reception.

Album Cover and Carl’s Image

Joel begins by describing the physical appearance of the album, noting Carl’s stylish presentation:

"He looks like he could be in Fleetwood Mac. I mean, the whole thing has a kind of Fleetwood Mac flair." (07:35)

Evan adds to the visual assessment:

"He has a very collected attitude and demeanor." (10:13)

Carl Wilson’s Departure from The Beach Boys

The hosts provide background on the turbulent period within The Beach Boys leading up to Carl’s solo project:

"Dennis had returned. Remember, Dennis had been kicked out, but his brother Carl had decided to pursue a solo career..." (09:16)

They discuss the strain within the band and Carl’s conditions for rejoining:

"Carl was gone. Apparently, The Beach Boys live shows without Carl from this era are some of, like, the worst live music performances that you could ever imagine." (11:25)

Production and Creative Direction of the Album

Joel critiques the album’s production, suggesting Carl may have been detached from the creative process:

"You get the impression that it's Carl's kind of safe team of industry people... there's just really zero sense for who the guy is or what his interests are based on these songs." (29:05)

Evan reflects on the broader cultural influences affecting Carl’s creativity:

"Maybe it's a time of diminishing possibilities or potentials or a sense of encroaching cynicism." (17:08)

Musical Content and Song Analysis

The discussion transitions to a detailed analysis of the album's tracks. Joel describes the album as lacking personality and depth:

"It's like trying to bite a rubber ball. I just cannot get my teeth into it." (14:06)

Evan uses vivid metaphors to express his inability to engage with the music:

"It's like waking up from a dream thinking that you've just been eating food and then just realizing that you've just been chewing on your pillow." (14:13)

They highlight specific tracks, noting minimal standout moments:

"The right lane is reminding me of like, there's like a game my friend and I play where we try to come up with car names that are really underwhelming." (37:52)

Comparisons with Contemporary Artists and Solo Projects

Joel compares Carl’s work to that of his contemporaries, emphasizing the lack of innovation:

"This period in time ... is like such a low point for almost everyone else. But Van [Morrison] is out there reeling off songs..." (21:56)

They contrast Carl’s album with Van Morrison’s thriving career, underscoring Carl’s stagnation:

"Carl is a type of person who's more connected to a broader ide set of ideals... I don't know what Carl Wilson has..." (20:14)

Reception and Critical Assessment

The hosts unanimously rate the album poorly, reflecting their disappointment:

"I give it two stars. As well, for the same reasons." (06:02)

Joel elaborates on the futility of finding redeeming qualities:

"It's bad in a very different way than looking back. What love is. It's giving nothing, as they say." (49:56)

Evan concurs, emphasizing the album's lack of substance:

"I think we can't talk about it like this without giving it zero stars." (50:17)

Final Thoughts and Legacy

Despite their harsh critique, Joel and Evan express a sense of melancholy over Carl’s solo efforts, wishing Carl well:

"We love you. He's looking down at us from heaven." (51:16)

They conclude by reflecting on Carl’s sincere yet uninspired contribution to music:

"With his placid and forgiving and magnanimous stare. I think that he is. He understands. And I think he wishes us well even though we've done this." (51:28)

Notable Quotes

• "I need to play with the kinetic sand to get through this." – Evan (13:27)
• "What are you gonna do about me?" – Joel & Evan discussing the song (34:00)
• "Do not vibe. Do not listen." – Joel (27:09)

Conclusion

The episode presents a critical examination of Carl Wilson’s 1981 solo album, highlighting its shortcomings in creativity, production, and emotional depth. Joel and Evan express their disappointment while acknowledging Carl’s sincerity and the complexities of his solo venture away from The Beach Boys.

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Transcript

[Evan]

This could be considered a track. Not really, though.

[Joel]

We don't want to do that.

[Evan]

This is a little intro, you know.

[Joel]

All right, here we go.

[Evan]

Countdown time. One, two, three, go. Welcome back to Root Beer Report. I'm Evan.

[Joel]

I'm in. I know what I'm in for on this one.

[Evan]

You're hemming and hawing. I can hear you already sort of groaning because this is a root beer that is in the category of health beverages. In fact, it's made by Health Aid.

[Joel]

That's right. The don't they do. They do, like, kombucha type stuff, right?

[Evan]

That's right. They. They do. And that's why I'm a little bit more cautiously optimistic about this one than the other two health type ones we've. We've had, which are poopy and. And what's the other one?

[Joel]

Poopy.

[Evan]

There's some poppy. Yeah, there's some other one. Anyway, sun sip. Sun sip.

[Joel]

Root beer soda with benefits.

[Evan]

Root beer flavor.

[Joel]

Root beer flavor. That's right. It does say. I mean, I guess this might be a little bit better because it does say right on the can, no stevia. That's my hang up. And it also says 5 grams of sugar. So there is a little bit of sugar in here.

[Evan]

There's also 7% juice.

[Joel]

Yeah, I don't. What's. Okay, what do we got here?

[Evan]

Apple juice is like the second.

[Joel]

Second ingredient. All right. I don't know about that.

[Evan]

Agave. Monk fruit.

[Joel]

Monk fruit concentrate.

[Evan]

That's the sweetener.

[Joel]

Apple cider vinegar.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Joel]

And a bunch of, you know.

[Evan]

Oh, man.

[Joel]

Cancer causing chemicals.

[Evan]

Well, cancer preventing chemicals.

[Joel]

Yeah. We'll see about this one. I am hopeful that it's good. They've got a little bit of copy on here. Flavor fizz and function. Fun Kshon.

[Evan]

Fun fun. We put the fun in function.

[Joel]

That's right. Get the good gut vibes. Okay, I'm already out.

[Evan]

Flowing vibes.

[Joel]

Get your gut flowing with sun sip from Health Aid. All the flavor you crave with added benefits for summer. In your step. All year long, you know. All summer long.

[Evan]

All summer long. Keeping the summer alive.

[Joel]

That's right.

[Evan]

All right, without any further ado, let's.

[Joel]

Say smells like root beer.

[Evan]

It smells like, you know, vanilla.

[Joel]

The other ones, remember, the other ones really smelled awful. I forget what we said they smelled like, but it was like formaldehyde or something like that. So this is maybe a little bit more promising.

[Evan]

It smells like. It does smell like apple juice a little bit. If you know that that's what it Is. And it looks. The color is kind of like. It's almost pink.

[Joel]

Yeah. Huh.

[Evan]

It's pinkish.

[Joel]

All right.

[Evan]

All right.

[Joel]

Chugalug.

[Evan]

Honestly, you know, there's definitely that monk fruit sweetener effect where it's like kind of like a tongue coating. It feels like, you know, you're. It's almost like a. You're being tricked.

[Joel]

Yeah.

[Evan]

It's got thinking.

[Joel]

It's got that cough syrupy thing to it a little bit, but it also.

[Evan]

Like, there's a little bitter.

[Joel]

There is bitter. And like, not in a good way, but I think understanding that we're kind of working with a, you know, one of these good gut vibe type benefits root beer beverage. This tastes much more like a root beer than the previous ones.

[Evan]

I think it's refreshing.

[Joel]

Hmm. I don't know if I would go that far.

[Evan]

I'm really thirsty, though. So.

[Joel]

Is it hot down there?

[Evan]

No, I just was saving up being thirsty. Okay.

[Joel]

Yeah, this is. This could be worse is what I would say. It definitely doesn't taste exactly like a plain root beer, but it is closer to that than. Yeah. Any of the alternative root beer beverages that we've had thus far almost kind of just tastes like a root beer that, like you had in a cup with ice and the ice, like, melted, and now you're just drinking like half root beer, half melted ice liquid type of thing.

[Evan]

You know, I'll probably have a real root beer later because I'm going to the. The cinema tonight.

[Joel]

No. What are you gonna say?

[Evan]

27 or 20. 28 years.

[Joel]

20 addresses years later.

[Evan]

Yeah, 27 hours.

[Joel]

Heard there's a penis in that one.

[Evan]

I heard it's actually a prosthetic because of child labor laws.

[Joel]

Oh, it's a child's penis.

[Evan]

No, no, no, It's a human man. It's a man's. Well, it's actually a zombies penis. But there's children who are acting in the film, and there are laws against having an actual penis around a child.

[Joel]

I see. I say, well, you know, cheers to that. Hope that goes well.

[Evan]

Cheers to those child labor laws protecting child actors.

[Joel]

I will be generous and give this two stars. I don't really think that it's two stars. I think if I were just grading it based on the flavor of the beverage, I would. I would award it one star. But I think knowing that it is one of these gross, gross type beverages, they do a pretty good job, all things considered. So it gets an extra bonus star for being able to come this close.

[Evan]

Yeah. Yeah. I give it two. As well, for the same reasons.

[Joel]

Yeah. And you get a little bit of fiber in here, 7% of your daily value. Fiber, really?

[Evan]

Fiber in the, from the apple, I guess.

[Joel]

I don't really know what I almost thought fiber was like beans and like oats.

[Evan]

They do make that, that Coca Cola in that Japanese Coke with fiber.

[Joel]

They have. Fiber Coke.

[Evan]

Yeah. You can get it in like Little Tokyo. It's in a white bottle and it for some reason when you. I've mentioned this before, but like when you open it, Coca Cola Fiber Pot. It's got like a really intense pop. When you open it pops like a, it's like a loud pop.

[Joel]

Oh.

[Evan]

But it's a, it's good.

[Joel]

Looks like it's a diet okay.

[Evan]

It's healthy for you.

[Joel]

Yeah, yeah. It's from Taiwan. All right. Well, one day.

[Evan]

This is the closest thing we have, I guess.

[Joel]

I guess probably, you know, for the best. This has been Root Beer Flavor Report.

[Evan]

Everybody chug a mug. And now on to the Music Flavor album that we have to talk about today. That we have to talk about today.

[Joel]

That's right.

[Evan]

Or that we have to talk about today.

[Joel]

Carl Wilson. Carl Wilson, 1981, self titled debut. I actually have this record, do you know 499amoeba music.

[Evan]

Wow.

[Joel]

I've had this for years. For some. It's funny actually. You can see it's got two, it's got two amoeba stickers on it. It's got one that says 799 and then sort of like pasted over it kind of on the corner there's a second one that says 499.

[Evan]

So clearly they knocked it off a dollars.

[Joel]

And you know what? It worked because I bought it at 4.99. Yeah.

[Evan]

So you went and saw it at 7.99, didn't buy it.

[Joel]

And then later I came back, I was, I, I held out and my, my, my, my hard driving bargain was rewarded. Yeah, we're in the solo period of Beach Boys goods. This is, you know, part of the reason that we're, we're thrilling everyone out there with Joel Kerman, because obviously we did our Mike episode recently. Now, same year, same idea, just another Beach Boys solo record from a Beach Boy that you don't necessarily want a solo record from Carl Wilson. Although, you know, that's, that's being a little uncharitable. We love Carl. Cool Carl. He looks cool on the COVID of this record. I mean, I love the look. Yeah, at this point, he looks good. It's got a double, double breasted Blazer, like all black. It's got a nice kempt beard, a little bit of hair on the head.

[Evan]

Looks like he could be in Fleetwood Mac. Yeah, I mean, the whole thing has a kind of Fleetwood Mac flair.

[Joel]

Yeah, I mean, it looks. And I like the word mark up there, you know, kind of that elaborate cursive. Carl Wilson there. It's like this stark black and white photo.

[Evan]

It's kind of beige and. Yeah, it's like a dark. It's like a sepia. Black and white.

[Joel]

Yeah, I guess a little bit maybe. I mean, it's got a strong vibe to it, I think the same way that the Pacific Ocean Blue had, you know, a deeply musky Dennis scent wafting off of it. I think this has got the same thing from Carl.

[Evan]

More of like a mall perfume.

[Joel]

Yeah, exactly. The question is, of course, will the. Will the music be as satisfying as. As satisfied as Dinosaur? Yeah, well, so, you know, as there was with the mic record, not a whole lot of history on this one that I've been able to dig up. How about you? Were you able to find some deep biographical lore on this record for us?

[Evan]

Not really. I watched some TV appearances from around the time which, you know, where he's playing the songs and doing some interviews with kind of like forgotten second tier, second or third tier tv late night.

[Joel]

Host, late night type people before, like.

[Evan]

Letterman once, I don't recognize. Yeah, great. And he seems very calm and quiet and lucid and very sincere and it's, you know, that. That's what I expect from him. He has a very collected attitude and demeanor.

[Joel]

Yeah, we know. Karl is the man to, you know, kind of keep it together. He had. So this had. I mean, the little bit of information that we get about this in the David Leaf book is basically just focused on Carl's absence from the Beach Boys. You know, we spoke obviously about keeping the summer alive recently. Not necessarily their strongest effort there in 1980. David Leaf says 1981 would be the absolute nadir in the band's history. Dennis had returned. Remember, Dennis had been kicked out, but his brother Carl had decided to pursue a solo career, stating he did not, quote, plan on touring with the Beach Boys until they decided that 1981 means as much to them as 1961, which, frankly, Jokerman mindset from Carl right there. Carl said he would return to the band if the group promised to make a record of new songs, to properly rehearse before every tour, and to agree to no more extended dates in gambling resorts like Lake Tahoe Bleak. Yeah. And so you know, the band was not agreeing to those terms at the moment, and so Carl was gone. Apparently the Beach Boys live shows without Carl from this era are some of, like, the worst live music performances that you could ever imagine. I intend to look up some video on YouTube at some point, but Shambolic, I think, is, is a kind description of it.

[Evan]

Yeah, shambling.

[Joel]

Barely shambling. Zombie. Zombie. Like, with their, their prosthetic penis waggling.

[Evan]

In the air, crying for, for Carl to come back. I think there was an anecdote of Bruce at one point, like, half jokingly calling for Carl to come on stage even though he was gone, like, just because it was going so bad. Isn't that Dark Jesus?

[Joel]

Yeah. I mean, Brian was in the band at that time. Beginning to spiral.

[Evan]

I would be beginning to spiral if I was in that band. I mean, I don't know who couldn't in that environment. It just sounds so sad.

[Joel]

I think we'll have our third. This is, this is sort of the second in a trilogy of deep dark depths of Beach Boys solo material from 1981. Obviously, we had the mic episode, now this one. I think we're gonna close this out with our Cocain sessions episode. Checking in on Dear Brian and Dennis after this.

[Evan]

Well, there's some actual music in there.

[Joel]

There is some beautiful music. There is some beautiful music. There's also, you know, some of the, the most fucked vibes that you've ever heard committed to tape. But we'll, we'll let that sit for the time being. Yeah. You know, I don't know Carl Wilson. I love Carl. I don't know that I love this record.

[Evan]

I, I, I know that I don't love this record. I can't even get through. Like, I've listened to it and I just, I feel like I have to be doing something else while I'm listening to it. Like, like, like listening to something else. Like, watching something else. Like, I need to, like, watch an episode of Family Guy to get through this.

[Joel]

Yeah, you're playing Subway. You're watching one of those Subway surfers, Family Guy videos on T with this record playing behind it.

[Evan]

I need to play with the kinetic sand to get through this.

[Joel]

It's. Yeah. Do you think this record is worse than the mic record?

[Evan]

Yeah, I do.

[Joel]

Oh, man.

[Evan]

The mic record is. It's, like, more entertaining somehow.

[Joel]

Yeah. No, I can't say this is worse than the mic record, but I do enjoy a building. I enjoy listening to the mic record more, I think, because there's something sort of declassee and indecent about that record. But that's something I can at least grab onto. And there are even a couple catchy songs there. And this one I just for the life of me. It's like trying to bite a rubber ball. I just cannot get my teeth into it.

[Evan]

It's like a picture of a sandwich that I am given instead of a sandwich. It's like waking up from a dream thinking that you've just been eating food and then just realizing that you've just been chewing on your pillow and. And that is like every song is just like you fall asleep again and then you just wake up instantly and it's just a pillow. You don't got a sandwich.

[Joel]

No, you certainly don't. Which is, I mean, surprising to me a little bit frankly, because I think we've. We've spoken, you know, very, very warmly about a lot of choral compositions so far. It does make me think back a little bit. Like Long Promise Road Feel flows well, we talked about those and Jack Riley has a co write on those songs. And I think I at least was thinking like, eh, this is Carl. Jack Riley probably just threw his name on here. But when you listen to a record like this, which admittedly Carl has gone through his own trials and tribulations at this point, so he's not operating in peak condition on his own. But I mean, I don't get. There's no jeweled scepter on this record. There's a complete dearth of jeweled scepters all across this album. And I mean it does make me wonder a little bit more not about Carl's ability as like a band leader and performer and vocalist, guitarist. Those are all beyond question. But as an actual sort of creative director, was there maybe not quite as much there as I. As I initially believed there to be?

[Evan]

I mean, it makes you wonder about the times, like if the times and the atmosphere has an effect. And I think it does. How much of an effect can that have? And how much of an effect can it have when the times and the atmosphere are in a bigger sense, in a broader sense, kind of bereft of feeling and heading toward a kind of cultural bankruptcy? Like I feel like in the 70s, as bad as things could be and were about much of the 1970s culturally, it was a very fruitful and fertile time of experimentation. And I think that there's so much to work out and through with everything from the 60s kind of being left to just continue. It still exists and still being adapted and worked on and worked with all these Ideas of, like, drugs and spirituality and politics and a new way forward with health, food or ecology. All that stuff is, like, in the cultural zeitgeist. And I think that it brings out in Carl. It makes me think that, okay, a lot of that was bringing out in Carl a certain interesting mode of creative thought. And those songs, I think, are a testament to that. But it makes me think about the early 1980s. You know, forget just the culture within the Beach Boys, but at large, like, maybe it's a time of diminishing possibilities or potentials or a sense of encroaching cynicism. And maybe a kind of taking oneself seriously that doesn't lead to a more colorful and reflective type of songwriting.

[Joel]

I mean, it is worth noting that Carl is far from the only one of our type of area of focus who's having some tough times around this point in rock music. Bob, obviously, 81 is shot of Love, which we agree is a fantastic record at this point, but was not very warmly received at the time. Lou had just put out Growing up in Public, maybe his worst record. Basically, Lou Reed's Carl Wilson, you know, just kind of like. I guess that record's not boring, but it is just ugly and annoying. Randy was in between Born Again, which had been sort of a failure for him. And then not yet to Trouble in Paradise, Steely Dan was dissolved. I guess Donald Fagan got the Night Fly out this year.

[Evan]

And then, of course, Donald Fagan's version of this is, like, very good. But, yeah, everybody's trying to do, like, their Soul Mining solo album that really, like, lays it all out simply and clearly about, like, what. What's their real essence? And not everybody has the.

[Joel]

Not everybody even has an essence.

[Evan]

Well, yeah, when I talk about all that stuff earlier with, like, the culture that sort of inspired maybe, Carl, I think of maybe it being because perhaps Carl is more the type of person who is more influenced by circumstance than one who influences circumstances.

[Joel]

Sure, yeah, he can ride the wave, but he's not necessarily going to, like, create the wave.

[Evan]

But he might, by riding the wave, kind of, like elucidate things about what. What's ambiently in the air that like. And translate them and execute them in a way that is actually a really great expression of something kind of ephemeral or interesting about what. What the times are.

[Joel]

Mm. I mean, we've come back, We've talked about this many times before. And honestly, this, I think, throws Billy Joel, you know, to widen the parameters out to the greater Jokerman universe at this point, puts something Like Glass Houses or Nylon Curtain into even brighter light than it already was for me. Nylon Curtain especially. You know, those are the records he's able to make around this point in time. Really though. I mean, of all of our dudes, at least the ones we've covered so far. I mean, Van clearly, I think, is at the peak. Like, Van is miles ahead of basically everyone else at this moment in time. Which is not to say that, you know, these records from the early 80s are necessarily Van Morrison's greatest records, although they might be. But just the way that he was able to kind of take steps forward into this new decade and unlock this whole new dimension of himself and have it be as rewarding and artistically fulfilling, I think, immediately as it was. I don't know, I just. It's an interesting counterpoint because this period in time, this 2, 3, 4 year span is like such a low point for almost everyone else. Yeah, but Van is out there reeling off common one and inarticulate speech and beautiful vision. It's just like year after year, he's just like, you know, he's. He's rocking.

[Evan]

I think that Van is a. A type of person who's more connected to a. A broader ide set of ideals. Like those kind of guide him. Like, whether it's just his. His spiritual devotion to American music to like the rhythm and blues is tied up with his spiritual ideals about literal matters of the soul. And his emerging sense of curiosity about the. The arcane and then like the mystic tradition and poetry and great writers and William Blake and the visionary ideas of all of that. And so he's, I think, very much guided by something that is kind of inexhaustible and then very committed to a style that is the ground that he, like, when he. When in doubt, he just can do like a great blues or soul performance. And when he is thinking about these more out there matters or more personal visionary matters, he's able to combine those things. I just don't know what Carl Wilson has and what most people have. Like, most people don't have that, like this kind of set of things, of interests that they have a way of combining and synthesizing very easily. Naturally, the Beach Boys started as a group that decided to write a novelty song basically because of a fad. And that was their approach. They would. They would glom onto something and write it out and see how long they could do it. Of course, that was just the beginning. But when you start over from a group, you know, separate yourself from. From a group, you have to kind of start from the beginning again. And I just don't know what thought Carl had put into where he would start from. Like, what exactly. His point of view is beyond making a record that was competent and proving to himself that he could do it. Do a record.

[Joel]

Yeah, yeah. And I think, like, if there is a, you know, guiding ideal behind this record, like, competence, is it basically because it is, you know, sounds good. It's professionally recorded. There's a couple decent songs, you know, one couple songs towards the end that I like more than maybe the other ones, but, like, it really. And that, you know, kind of compares it, or to compare it to the mic thing again. Like, there's. There's. There's so little else going on here, you know, that it almost like. I mean, it's closer to the Bruce record, I think, than the Dennis or the mic records at this point, because it's just. And even the Bruce record has got some of that cloying Bruce sentimentality. You know, the Dog Song. The Dog Song and the weird Disco Deirdre.

[Evan]

The Disco Deirdre and the Pipeline. This record has no sense of humor at all.

[Joel]

It doesn't, but it's even less than lacking a sense of humor. It's just lacking a sense of. A sense of humanity, sense of self. These songs almost strike me as the type of music that a chatbot would create today because they're just so. Placeholder. Yeah. Play exact. Just Wonder Bread, man.

[Evan]

It's not even salted. You get a bunch of fries and they're not even salted.

[Joel]

It's what my dog has been. My dog's been having some digestive issues recently. And so when dogs have digestive issues, not to gross anyone out, but, you know, you get them back on track by giving them boiled, unsalted, no salt, nothing. Chicken breast and white rice. And I think that's basically the equivalent of this record.

[Evan]

Some things are kind of thrilling when they're served simply like, you know, you can serve raw fish. This is not that. This is. There's. There's not even like a bracing directness. It's like. It's like a saucelessness that borders on. And I would say. Yeah, even goes into, like, a desiccant quality. Like, it actually sucks moisture away.

[Joel]

Like, this is like one of those little. The packets of. Yeah. Like, do not eat silica gel that come in your Amazon packages.

[Evan]

Yeah. Do not Vibe.

[Joel]

Do not. Listen.

[Evan]

I don't know that I can even. I don't really want to go through.

[Joel]

We're going To. We gotta do it.

[Evan]

We gotta go through every song.

[Joel]

We gotta go through every song. We gotta at least, you know, do them the honor of doing it.

[Evan]

Okay.

[Joel]

Hold me.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Joel]

How about this one?

[Evan]

You know, it's okay. It's okay. There's nothing really wrong with it. Except for that. There's just nothing.

[Joel]

There's nothing right with it either.

[Evan]

When you go into an apartment and when you're. Look, touring an apartment before you decide to sign the lease, and you're just like. Yeah. You know, testing the sink and the. The shower, the water pressure. Pretty good. And. Yeah. There's no, like, visible cracks or big holes in the wall. And it's reasonably clean. You can put the bed over here. You know, you put. There's endless potential.

[Joel]

That's right. There's endless potential listening to this song. That's what you're saying.

[Evan]

The feeling of listening to this song is like you're still in the. The mixing booth waiting for them to finish it.

[Joel]

Yeah. Yeah. Worth noting, I suppose, because we gotta. We gotta. We gotta fill up another half hour somehow that this. This right.

[Evan]

All the songs on this have every episode be, well, an hour long. This is already longer than the album itself. Our conversation about it.

[Joel]

The record's 30, 34 minutes.

[Evan]

We only have to cover four more minutes.

[Joel]

I think it doesn't need to be Okay.

[Evan]

I think that's fair. As long for. As long as the album itself. We've granted some of that was about.

[Joel]

Root beer. Root beer. I think most of it was about root beer. All the songs on this record. Co writes between Carl and Myrna Smith, wife of Jerry Schilling, Carl's manager at this time. There's even a little Jerry Schilling management like, logo on the back of this record, which is.

[Evan]

This is on Caribou, too.

[Joel]

This is on Caribou. Yeah. Jimmy Gircio. So, you know, Carl's working with his people and, you know, I guess maybe that explains a little bit about why this record might have come out the way that it did. I mean, if you remember, like in the Dennis conversations, not to, you know, relitigate how much we do or don't like that record, but, you know, Dennis put his whole pussy into that, you know, regardless of the ultimate quality of the music or what we think about the ultimate quality of the music. Like, he was in the studio every day. He was playing all the instruments. He was, you know, trying to make everything happen. And really, it was kind of an overwhelming solo effort literally, to get the record put together and finally across the finish line. And in this case, you get more the impression that it's Carl's kind of safe team of industry people. Jimmy Garcia producing the manager, and these kind of faceless session people behind him. And they're all just kind of like, meh, here's what we got. Just go, you know, go ahead and sing these songs now, Carl. And there isn't. You know, there isn't really. I almost feel like Carl himself was kind of detached from the production here because you just get really zero sense for who the guy is or what his interests are based on these songs. Hold me, you know, hold me just a little tighter because when you hold me I don't have to fight it, you know, not really a whole lot to dig into there. I was hoping when I first, you know, came across this record a couple months ago, because I had not listened to this before we started this series hoping that this would be a Fleetwood Mac, you know, Hold Me cover. Although, now that I think about it, the Fleetwood Mac song didn't come out until Mirage on 1982. So that was the year after this. Anyways, this isn't nearly as good as the Fleetwood Mac masterpiece, Hold Me. Bright Lights. Like, you get. You listen to the first song, and it's, like, pretty boring. And you're like, all right, you know, it's first song, whatever. I'm not gonna judge the whole record based on this. And then you get to the second song, and it's, like, even more boring.

[Evan]

I even have my own place. The part where he says, I really got it made, it made me think of Kyle M album.

[Joel]

Oh, sure. Yes.

[Evan]

In that song, this kind of is.

[Joel]

Carl Wilson's the Real Me, the one about Summer. Oh, his Beach Boys song.

[Evan]

Yeah. I think he says, I really got it made. And that's, like, such a. A thing that you would hear on a song like this. And it is a thing you hear on a song like this because he. He fully is just saying that. He's saying, I really got it made.

[Joel]

Yes, yes. Yeah. Dark and stormy but make it all rum Best friend who's the son of a gun and California. California's great Sex on the beach and it's so fun I really got it.

[Evan]

Made.

[Joel]

Those long nights those bright lights those carefree days those long nights those bright lights I tell you, I got.

[Evan]

I really got it.

[Joel]

What is he. Okay. I'm trying to think. Like, I listen to these songs, and I don't even really pay attention to the words that he's saying. I'm trying to Fit. Like, what is he even saying in this song? My nights were getting better without a lover the feeling of peace I had all by myself Free to fill my space with things I really wanted Giving no excuses I even had my own place. Had my own place. Okay, so he's just like, alone and.

[Evan]

Then he finds a sweet.

[Joel]

Maybe.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Joel]

But he, like, kind of liked being alone.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Joel]

Yeah. All right. All right, Carl. Musically, at least, the mic thing is like. There's like a weirdness to some of the mic songs. You know, like the ABBA cover or the Calendar Girl cover or like that awful Be My Baby cover. I guess.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Joel]

I mean, maybe the lesson of this record is Mike Love vindicated, because we were talking about that one. Like, why did he make this record if all the songs are just covers? I guess here's the answer. Because if you write new songs, they might be this bad.

[Evan]

Sorry, I'm listening to what are you gonna do about me? What you gonna do about me?

[Joel]

What you gonna do about me?

[Evan]

What you gonna do about me?

[Joel]

What are you gonna do about me?

[Evan]

What are you gonna do about it?

[Joel]

What you gonna do about me? What you gonna do about me?

[Evan]

The one who really loves you what are you gonna do? You give me a hug.

[Joel]

No one has ever heard these song, like 12,000 plays on Spotify.

[Evan]

You gonna get. What are you gonna do? You gonna give me a smooch?

[Joel]

I'm the one you keep on running to after they've walked all over you I'm the one who dries your lonely tears so what you gonna do about me? Hmm. Yeah, Good question, Carl. You get a charge. You get a charge. Getting your selfish heart broken Seeking out that same kind of charm when you're going to realize you're only a token don't want to cause no serious alarm.

[Evan]

I don't think that's a risk that we're running here, causing any sort of serious alarm. I don't think anybody's getting alarmed. Then there's a song called the Right Lane, which I didn't even. I didn't know. I mean, I didn't. I didn't know. There's a song called the right Lane.

[Joel]

This right Lane. Okay, so it's an eight song record. Four and four. This, I think is the best song on the first side. Yeah. Yeah. It's got a little bit of, like, kind of guitar. Yeah. There's a little bit of attitude, a little bit of tude on this one.

[Evan]

Yeah, I guess I like that.

[Joel]

You know, it's like kind of like diet Dire Straits. A little bit like Mark Knopfleur.

[Evan]

Diet Straits.

[Joel]

Diet Straits, exactly. Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo. It's like, you know, I can see something happening there.

[Evan]

There's just no atmosphere to it. Like, it really does sound like you're listening to it in the studio. Like before they added in like all the stuff that is gonna sort of fill in this record. Like he. He talks up in one of those interviews on TV about how like he just wanted to make a really simple record and that the producer was like, that's really hard to do actually to do it right as just like a. Basically like a three, four piece and make it really sound right. But he's like, but we, we did it and I think it really turned out good. And it's like. Well, yeah, like the parts that are recorded.

[Joel]

Citation Needed.

[Evan]

They're not recorded poorly. But I just don't. It's not like Marquee Moon over here where it's like, benefits greatly from a very restrained and clear approach to the production. This isn't like. I mean, you know, Steve Albini would. Would probably approve of the methods here, I suppose, but I don't think even.

[Joel]

How about the result?

[Evan]

I don't know about the result, but you know that. That's the thing is like, when you've got a band that has a lot of personality and then you just record them in a clear and in a good. A good way that showcases their. Their energy and their. Their sound without foisting your own ideas upon them, then magical things can happen in the art of the recorded record, in the long playing album. But if you, if you just point the mic at somebody who's doing this, that's all you get. Yeah, the right lane. It reminds me of like, there's like a game my friend and I play where we try to come up with car names that are really underwhelming. Like, like the, like, like the Honda mileage or like the. The Nissan Commute, Toyota Transit. The right lane is reminding me of that. It's. It's not like life in the fast lane. Like, you know.

[Joel]

Well, that's literally the point of the song. I've been living in the right lane Sometimes arrive a little late I've been trying to do the best thing People tell me I shouldn't wait I've been living in the right lane Seeing others cruise on by I've been trying to do the best thing Think I'll give the passing lane a try he's literally just talking about how he's been driving.

[Evan]

Slowly I think I'll try to merge.

[Joel]

And then, I mean, the last three, not three minutes, but like two minutes of this song, which is a five, almost a five and a half minute song, are basically just that same, you know, guitar riff repeated, just looped ad nauseam with 25 different incantations of. I've been living in the right lane. I remember I was walking. I was walking the dog listening to this record the other day and like, I had this just playing in my AirPods and I was like, I feel like I've been listening to this song for a long time. It's been going on for a while and I just looked down and it was like barely half O. And it just went on for like. It felt like 10 minutes. It's. It's sort of a punishing listen and yet still, I think the best song on the first side.

[Evan]

We'Ve got a softer side of it all coming up with the next two tracks.

[Joel]

Like, it's somehow like each time you get to the next song, it's like, surely the next song, surely the one after this has got to be a little bit more. There's got to be something going on here. And it just. Can. It just. There's no bottom. It just gets more and more boring.

[Evan]

Yeah, I. I have watched a, like a review of this record by, you know, a, like a big beach boys fan on YouTube who. Who's reviewed, like everything. And a lot of his reviews that I've seen are like, you know, giving versions of takes that are similar to versions of takes we've had on certain records, generally more forgiving and, you know, really praising the things though, that we love. But like, I gotta say, like, anybody who's just like. He was just like.

[Joel]

Was he a fan of this record?

[Evan]

Yeah, he likes it. And I think he. It's like, you just like Carl. You just like Carl and that's fine. And it's okay to. To like and to. To love. He loves Carl. If you love Carl, it's like you have to. But some people have like a parasocial type of love with Carl. And I think that if you have that, then it's like Carl can do no wrong. You're like a completionist, a Carl Stan. I mean, you're just coping. You're coping. If you say that this is like a good, like a fun listen.

[Joel]

I mean, it's perfectly fine to like, put on. Put on. I guess it's sort of a.

[Evan]

Put it on record for your cat when you leave the house.

[Joel]

It's like. It's tj. Max. Max. You know music. There's a nice, like, little bit of slide guitar here on Hurry. Love a little vibey. It's a little cute, but like, it's just like the. The pace of this record just it interminable. It's the longest 34 minutes you are ever going to.

[Evan]

To listen to or podcasts about.

[Joel]

I've been having a good time.

[Evan]

Heaven. Heaven. It's heaven.

[Joel]

Oh, I thought you said Evan.

[Evan]

No, I said it's heaven.

[Joel]

Evan.

[Evan]

Heaven to me.

[Joel]

Heaven to me.

[Evan]

Heavenly.

[Joel]

It's like I'm sailing on the ocean Every time I see your eyes. You could be the wind that keeps me floating. I could be in heaven for all I know. Heaven's the place for me to go.

[Evan]

It's just amazing how like, they keep doing this, the Beach Boys. Like, I've never experienced this before where, like, the deeper you go, the better. Everything behind you seems to look like. The more. The more colorful, the more exciting. I put on 2020 the other night and I was just like, oh, hell yeah.

[Joel]

That must have sounded like, you know, just like an all time fucking. That must sound like Pet Sounds.

[Evan]

My mind blown.

[Joel]

What I wouldn't give for a Bluebirds over the Mountain at this point.

[Evan]

God. I mean, yes. Yeah, I would like that.

[Joel]

Or that stupid. What's that stupid? BRUCE INSTRUMENTAL Nearest faraway place.

[Evan]

Yeah, that would sound like the Spheres. The music of the spheres.

[Joel]

Choir of angels. Apparently Heaven. Carl would start to play. I think Carl played this song with the Beach Boys live after he came back to the fold and would dedicate it to Dennis, which is, you know, nice. I don't think it was initially written about Dennis, but it was something that took on a little bit of life of its own after the fact. I think this was also a single and, you know, charted towards the bottom of the top 200 or something. I don't know. I can't imagine releasing this as a single.

[Evan]

People who like this record, they say this is like a really great song.

[Joel]

Yeah, I mean, it's fine. I just. It's man in context. Doesn't this make it like the Billy Joel stuff? Like, just seems like a miraculous work of art compared to, like, I mean.

[Evan]

The Dennis Wilson stuff is way more interesting than this.

[Joel]

Well, certainly there's no question about that. But because Dennis is like a real person and there's a lot of like, you know, life and motion.

[Evan]

Carl's not a real person. If this was your introduction to him, it would be like, is Carl a Real person.

[Joel]

That's what I'm saying. Yeah. And especially, you know, as kind of tight and swagged as he looks on the COVID It's like, what happened to that guy? Where's that guy?

[Evan]

But I mean, look at him too. Like his face in those interviews, he's just very like. He has no affect, really. And I think that that is, you know, to his credit, illustrative of his sincerity and his clear eyed way of dealing with the world. It's like the one thing he's not clear eyed about is like, maybe I don't need to do this. Maybe I don't have to. Maybe I'm not like the one who has to be like the entertainer.

[Joel]

This one is definitely being put in the back of the discount rack, I'll tell you that.

[Evan]

Like another can of beans.

[Joel]

Exactly.

[Evan]

This is the. But the next song, back to my words, because the next song is his version of the entertainer.

[Joel]

This is the best song on the record. I put this on like one of our early Beach Boys playlists, you know, when we announced the series last year.

[Evan]

The Grammy.

[Joel]

The Grammy, yeah. Which is like the one song with any hint of life to it the entire time. It's got like a.

[Evan]

It's a little playful, it's funny.

[Joel]

There's a slight beat to it. It's something you, you know, it doesn't just immediately put you to sleep. And it is funny because it is just him bitching about the Grammys and not getting a Grammy until apparently, you know, around this point in time. Do you know what Beach Boys stuff won the Grammys? Mmm, no Beach Boys Grammys. Let's see. They don't even have any Grammys. All right, what is this song even about, Carl? Did Carl win a Grammy?

[Evan]

Did they go to Grammys and you just didn't like it maybe?

[Joel]

No, because it says, let's see, they.

[Evan]

How did the Beach Boys not have any Grammys? That's.

[Joel]

I mean, the Grammys are, you know, all award shows are fake, but the Grammys are the fakest of all of them.

[Evan]

It's just they're like such a big name. I thought that's like, at least like the Beach Boys get that kind of whatever, I guess.

[Joel]

Not Carl. Yeah. No, no, no Grammys. There's the Kokomo. Got a. Got a nomination. Performance by a Vocal group in 1967, it looks like. And then they were nominated for like a Movie Grammy in 2001. Who knows? I hate the fucking Grammys. Anyways, this is a funny song because he's I guess I assumed this was biographical like the Beach Boys or Carl got a Grammy. And then, you know, finally he's being recognized for his achievements. Too late, but apparently it's not even that. It's just. Don't think I won't be bothered at all. Maybe I'll just give them a call.

[Evan]

I wouldn't want one, just so you know. Yeah, I would refuse. It's having a dream where you're like, no, no, no, I don't want your fucking award.

[Joel]

I don't want your fucking Grammy. You won a Grammy. You won a Grammy. That's fun. I like that. And honestly. Good point.

[Evan]

I like that. The song is called the Grammy.

[Joel]

The Grammy. It is a very funny title. Who's the judge of this anyway? My music said what I had to say. Who decides if it's wrong or right? The authority with such insight. Amen. Amen. Carl.

[Evan]

You are breaking the law. Carl, by saying so much on your album.

[Joel]

He's speaking truth to power here.

[Evan]

You can't say what you say said on Hold Me Bright lights. What you going to do about me and the right lane, the right lane.

[Joel]

Hurry love, hurry love the title of these songs. I hope someone writes a song like this about us someday.

[Evan]

What?

[Joel]

The podcast, like, you know, getting mad that we didn't give them three stars for. For something, you know.

[Evan]

Well, if. If anybody's writing that right now, there, that's. That's a record that probably even fewer people are going to listen to than this.

[Joel]

Well, yeah. Which is a difficult task to accomplish. This song has 13,558 plays on Spotify as of today.

[Evan]

Somehow they're going. The numbers are going down.

[Joel]

Seems so long ago.

[Evan]

What? That we started talking about this album.

[Joel]

It does.

[Evan]

Finally. It's like we're coming down to a sort of a cool off from all this excitement. We're able to sort of like take a breath, you know?

[Joel]

Yeah. You're red faced, sweaty, eyes bulging on the treadmill.

[Evan]

You take it down from four miles an hour down to two.

[Joel]

This is nice. I guess again, it sort of defies any sort of close reading. I want to say that it might have some sort of connection to, you know, his actual youth. I can see mom and dad and the house we had, the trees in the yard and how dad worked so hard. The good times we shared and how much they cared. Mom's great smile, how she would cry.

[Evan]

Like, yeah, those are all things that could have happened.

[Joel]

But they could happen to anyone. And we know anyone listening. And you and I in Particular know that's. That is not the youth that Carl Wilson grew up with. Murray. Murray was fucking, like, throwing baseballs at Dennis's head.

[Evan]

How he works so hard.

[Joel]

So, like, even if it is supposed to be this sort of, you know, rose eye glasses, reflection on childhood or whatever, it's completely false for this particular individual. Which I guess maybe sort of speaks to everything that's going on here is like, you know, this music is either completely impersonal or completely false, if not both. And that's why it's, as. I don't even want to call it bad. It's just like. Nah, it's bad.

[Evan]

It's bad.

[Joel]

Yeah. But it's bad in, like, a different way than a lot of other records are bad. You know, it's like. It's bad in a very different way than looking back. What love is.

[Evan]

It's giving nothing, as they say.

[Joel]

And isn't giving giveless. You know what? Zero stars. Carl Wilson.

[Evan]

I think we can't talk about it like this without giving it zero stars.

[Joel]

I'm honestly. You know, it breaks my heart a little bit to do that, but I cannot even find anything.

[Evan]

I don't think there is to award.

[Joel]

A single star here.

[Evan]

If giving it zero stars means that some people are gonna check it out because they're like, is that so? Then I think we actually have done a service.

[Joel]

0 stars is. There are very. There's very few.

[Evan]

What albums have we ever given Dylan?

[Joel]

73 was awarded zero stars.

[Evan]

That's like, on a technicality.

[Joel]

Technicality. And I would honestly give it one Stop.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Joel]

Two stars at this point.

[Evan]

Yeah.

[Joel]

I don't know. I can't Recall any other 0 stars off top of my head.

[Evan]

There's gotta be.

[Joel]

I'm sure there were, but, like. Yeah, we haven't done any zero stars for the Beach Boys. I know that.

[Evan]

Well, there's always a first.

[Joel]

Yeah. Yeah. Here we are, boy.

[Evan]

Sorry, Carl.

[Joel]

We love you.

[Evan]

He's not around to. No, he's.

[Joel]

He's looking down at us from heaven.

[Evan]

I like to think he's looking down at us from heaven, where he is in heaven.

[Joel]

The song heaven.

[Evan]

And with. With his placid and forgiving and magnanimous stare. I think that he is. He understands. And I think he wishes us well. Even though we've done this.

[Joel]

I'll take your word for it.

[Evan]

I like to think, well, we did it. What else is there to say?

[Joel]

I was just gonna say we'll throw a couple music clips in here and get over the hour mark, but then. Honestly, they probably. I don't think anyone's checking the copyright on this.

[Evan]

It would be. It would be. It would be. Yeah.

[Joel]

Okay. Well, we're thoroughly demoralized and demotivated over here, and I hope everyone listening is too. We will see you next time on Jokerman. Never, ever realized.

[Evan]

That I was lonely.