Yesterday I heard Sail On Sailor on the radio. Great tune. I never new who sang the lead vocals. I found out is Blondie Chaplin. Great great vocals! I also heard that Phil Collins comped the rhythm for Misunderstanding.

"Holland" is a great Beach Boys album featuring Blondie Chaplin, well worth seeking out!!!

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vudicus
"Holland" is a great Beach Boys album featuring Blondie Chaplin, well worth seeking out!!!

I might have to pick it up.

Did Blondie contribute to the classic BB's songs such as God only knows, or did he come later?

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crumbling_mice
Did Blondie contribute to the classic BB's songs such as God only knows, or did he come later?

Later. He was with them from 1972-73.

Carl Wilson sings lead on 'God Only Knows', which is on 'Pet Sounds' (1966)

Cheers Gazza

I think he and Ricky Fataar were made official members around the Holland period. The BB's needed to beef up their touring group.

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mckalk
I think he and Ricky Fataar were made official members around the Holland period. The BB's needed to beef up their touring group.

Blondie and Ricky were BB starting with the previous album, Carl and the Passions--"So Tough" (which was sold as a two-fer with Pet Sounds when originally released. Imagine Bridges To Babylon being packaged with Exile... ) in '72, then Holland, and their last album was The Beach Boys In Concert two disc set.

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loog droog

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mckalk
I think he and Ricky Fataar were made official members around the Holland period. The BB's needed to beef up their touring group.

Blondie and Ricky were BB starting with the previous album, Carl and the Passions--"So Tough" (which was sold as a two-fer with Pet Sounds when originally released. Imagine Bridges To Babylon being packaged with Exile... ) in '72, then Holland, and their last album was The Beach Boys In Concert two disc set.

Man, the BB were the two-fer kings..though I doubt they had any control over it!

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More Hot Rocks

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vudicus
"Holland" is a great Beach Boys album featuring Blondie Chaplin, well worth seeking out!!!

I might have to pick it up.

Me too.

I first learned about Blondie through B.B.'s "Holland" and "Carl and the Passions" albums.
Always liked him for those.

But - didn't we have this all before . . ?!

So he was with the Beach Boys during an embarrassingly bad period (at least he was gone before they added John Stamos)...and then he joined the Stones for another semi-embarrassing period.

OK, the Stones are only occasionally embarrassingly bad in concert, and Blondie's guitar and vocals are supposedly helping or Keith would not have him around....

If they want more guitar live, to fill in for Keith and Ronnie's weaknesses, I'd rather they get a real guitarist. Lots of bands have a regular touring guitarist...and not just because the lead guitarist is drunk and the rhythm guitarist is arthritic. REM has long used Scott McCaughy as a touring guitarist to round out the sound. The Goo Goo Dolls use a touring guitarist. The Who often uses Simon Townsend these days. All sound great live. I'd rather the Stones add people who can really help their live sound than have them sound as bad as they often do the past few tours. Not a Blondie hater here...but if they are going to add someone on guitar, add someone who pushes the quality of the live performance.

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buffalo7478
So he was with the Beach Boys during an embarrassingly bad period (at least he was gone before they added John Stamos)...and then he joined the Stones for another semi-embarrassing period.

OK, the Stones are only occasionally embarrassingly bad in concert, and Blondie's guitar and vocals are supposedly helping or Keith would not have him around....

If they want more guitar live, to fill in for Keith and Ronnie's weaknesses, I'd rather they get a real guitarist. Lots of bands have a regular touring guitarist...and not just because the lead guitarist is drunk and the rhythm guitarist is arthritic. REM has long used Scott McCaughy as a touring guitarist to round out the sound. The Goo Goo Dolls use a touring guitarist. The Who often uses Simon Townsend these days. All sound great live. I'd rather the Stones add people who can really help their live sound than have them sound as bad as they often do the past few tours. Not a Blondie hater here...but if they are going to add someone on guitar, add someone who pushes the quality of the live performance.

While I agree with you here, can you even imagine having 2 guitarists, a 'background' guitarist, and then adding a 'touring guitarist' to round out the sound? Any more guitarists and you could call them 'the Eagles'.

I think Mick would replace Ron before it got to that stage...the examples you use, REM/the Who only have one guitarist, so you might be able to make an argument for needing to round out the sound.

As far as the Stones go, Ron just needs to be sober, and Blondie should be able to cover for Keith.

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buffalo7478
So he was with the Beach Boys during an embarrassingly bad period

So I take it you've never heard Holland.


If that was "an embarrassingly bad period" then what would you call the last 30 years?




Carl's song, "Trader" from Holland:





also from Holland:






A Carl and The Passions--So Tough track:







Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2010-06-21 17:40 by loog droog.

Holland is way up there with my favorite beach boys albums.
Apart from that god awful narration style vocal on one of the California Saga sections, it is a very consistent album with some outstanding tunes.

You may want to avoid the "Mount Vernon and Freeway" EP that came with it though.

Interesting note: Early German pressings of the album have a different tracklisting with a Blondie song "We Got Love" that was pulled from the album at the last minute and replaced with the potential hit (that flopped), "Sail On Sailor". The masters had already been shipped to germany and a few got presses with the original tracklisting!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-06-21 17:41 by vudicus.

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vudicus
Holland is way up there with my favorite beach boys albums.
Apart from that god awful narration style vocal on one of the California Saga sections, it is a very consistent album with some outstanding tunes.

Agreed.

Although once you hit 6:46 for the 3rd part of California Saga, the music is pure Beach Boys nirvana (small "n" ). Beautiful stuff.






This was a great line-up during the time Brian checked out and Carl took the helm.

The only really good album after this was when Brian came back and they did Beach Boys Love You.

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buffalo7478
So he was with the Beach Boys during an embarrassingly bad period (at least he was gone before they added John Stamos)...and then he joined the Stones for another semi-embarrassing period.

On the contrary. Holland got good reviews and the live version of the band with Ricky Fataar and Blondie was great! Check out the live album from 1973.

Brian had little involvement with the band at that time, but he and Van Dyke Parks did co-write "Sail On Sailor", which eventually was a minor hit on FM radio. Brian's "Fairy Tale", which was included as a bonus 7" with the album, had some pretty weird dialog, but the music was exceptional,very "Brian-esque".

Ross

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loog droog

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vudicus
Holland is way up there with my favorite beach boys albums.
Apart from that god awful narration style vocal on one of the California Saga sections, it is a very consistent album with some outstanding tunes.

Agreed.

Although once you hit 6:46 for the 3rd part of California Saga, the music is pure Beach Boys nirvana (small "n" ). Beautiful stuff.






This was a great line-up during the time Brian checked out and Carl took the helm.

The only really good album after this was when Brian came back and they did Beach Boys Love You.

Glad to see someone else thinks so highly of that song. "California Saga : California" is certainly in my top 3 or 4 Beach Boys songs ever. An absolute snorter of a tune, and the harmonies really are 'nirvana' as you so eloquently describe it.

Should be one of their best known songs. They never got close to 'Holland' again as a band, although personally I'd take Brian's self titled debut solo album and the unreleased follow up "Sweet Insanity" over any Beach Boys album of the last 40 years.

I never understood why there are 2 completely different versions of California Saga.

Does anybody know?

Here's the version I know and love . . .






Ok, I see now. The segment I know is the 3rd part of the version on Holland.
I have a Beach Boys bootleg titled "Unreleased 1969 album and more" or something like that. California Saga is on it, but doesn't have the "water, clear water" part.

I saw Brian perform Pet Sounds in Oakland (2006 ?), and Al Jardine came out to sing California Saga during the opening "hits" portion of the concert. It was stunning.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2010-06-21 20:35 by fuman.

One mix was used as a single (its on the 'Greatest Hits Vol 3 - 1970-86 : The Brother Years' CD) and the other featured on 'Holland'.

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Gazza
One mix was used as a single (its on the 'Greatest Hits Vol 3 - 1970-86 : The Brother Years' CD) and the other featured on 'Holland'.

Thanks Gazza. I never listened to them post Brian, but there are some great songs during that time.