Holland (album)
|
|
Holland was released in 1973 and was packaged with a bonus EP Mount Vernon and Fairway (A Fairy Tale), a suite of six songs telling the story of a prince who discovers a magic radio and represented Brian Wilson's main contribution to the album. CD versions combine both the original album and the Mount Vernon EP onto a single disc.
The album was recorded in the Netherlands itself, under fraught circumstances. Unable to find a recording studio there that they liked, the Beach Boys decided to build a new one for themselves. This foolishness cost them an enormous amount of money and left the band with a "studio" that didn't even work properly when it was finished. Problems were exacerbated by Brian's continuing mental deterioration, as well as the other band members' inablity to pick up the songwriting slack from him. After this album, Brian did not work again for three years.
When the band submitted the album to their record label, Warners, the latter rejected it. Listening to the album now, one can hear why. "California", the third section of Mike Love and Al Jardine's pretentious "California Saga" was the only track where the Beach Boys sounded anything like their old selves. Warners were, in fact, ready to drop the Beach Boys from the label entirely. They were dissuaded from doing so only by the intervention of Brian Wilson's old writing partner, Van Dyke Parks. Parks played Warners a tape of a song that he and Brian had recently written together, "Sail On Sailor". Warners liked the new song and finally agreed to release the album, complete with a Beach Boys (re)recording of the song.
"Sail On Sailor" became one of the band's rare Seventies hit singles, actually charting twice: once in 1973, and then again upon re-release in 1975.
Track Listing
Holland
- Sail On, Sailor (Brian Wilson/Tandyn Almer/Ray Kennedy/Jack Rieley/Van Dyke Parks)
- Steamboat (Dennis Wilson/Jack Rieley)
- California Saga:Big Sur (Mike Love)
- California Saga:The Beaks Of Eagles (Robinson Jeffers/Alan Jardine/Lynda Jardine)
- California Saga:California (Alan Jardine)
- The Trader (Carl Wilson/Jack Rieley)
- Leaving This Town (Ricky Fataar/Blondie Chaplin/Carl Wilson/Mike Love)
- Only With You (Dennis Wilson/Mike Love)
- Funky Pretty (Brian Wilson/Mike Love/Jack Rieley)
Mount Vernon and Fairway (A Fairy Tale)
- Mount Vernon And Fairway (Theme) (Brian Wilson)
- I'm The Pied Piper (Instrumental) (Brian Wilson/Carl Wilson)
- Better Get Back In Bed (Brian Wilson)
- Magic Transistor Radio (Brian Wilson)
- I'm The Pied Piper (Brian Wilson/Carl Wilson)
- Radio King Dom (Brian Wilson/Jack Rieley)