Song 27: Slip on Through

Slip on Through - The Beach Boys

Well, truth be told, I'm a little sick of writing about the Beach Boys now, but I did say I'd do three, and furthermore I don't think the tale of the Beach Boys I wish to tell would be complete without this song. I will do my best to make this a very short and sweet entry.

Unfortunately, the only version I could find on youtube is an unbelievably ropey live version. If, like me, you happen to be in Fopp in late 2001, however, you'll be able to buy the 'Sunflower/Surf's Up' twofer for a wonderful £5. That's what I'd do if I were you.

'Slip on Through' is the opening song on 'Sunflower'. Like I said, I bought it as a twofer, so I always put the albums together, and I think it's a fair contention that if you took the best bits from both albums, you've got the best Beach Boys album of all. 'Sunflower' was a box-office disaster on its release, but its critical levels have grown over the years. It's the Beach Boys album of the connoisseur and the likes of Gruff Rhys of the Super Furry Animals. It's another world from the focused auteurism of 'Pet Sounds', it's every member of the band throwing their hat into the ring, and the most varied, high quality eclectic songwriting they ever came up with.

Brian Wilson's contributions are fewer, but they're wonderful, in particular 'This Whole World', which is two minutes of perfection, but it's Dennis Wilson, the wild, rock star, surfer Beach Boy who really comes to the fore on this album. His song 'Forever' is lauded to this day as one of the band's finest love songs, but it's the opener 'Slip on Through' that I particularly love.

It doesn't really sound like the Beach Boys, for starters. Dennis, as lead vocalist, is rougher, not the classic Carl/Brian sweetness at all, but he still has a great voice, but the song is funkier, looserm more adult, more libidinous, more in keeping with something like CSNY or late Tim Buckley. Nevertheless, there are still some typically lush backing vocal harmonies. It's just a compulsive gem of a rock song, it's a sign of all the talent within the band unleashed.

Some people say Dennis Wilson's solo album 'Pacific Ocean Blue' is a lost classic, but i was a little underwhelmed by it. I really like the first song 'River' and one or two others, but, honestly, I think his best work is on this album.

On 'Sunflower' there's also the fabulously twee 'Deirdre' by Bruce Johnstone, 'Our Sweet Love', 'All I Wanna Do', all really good songs. The Beach Boys' middle section as an underappreciated cult band should not be overlooked. Like I said, if you took the best from 'Sunflower/Surf's Up' you've got something utterly wonderful and eclectic.

Slip on Through
This Whole World
Add Some Music To Your Day
Forever
Deirdre
It's About Time
Our Sweet Love
Long Promised Road
Disney Girls
Feel Flows
Til I Die
Surf's Up

That's how it would go for me and that would be an unbelievable album. I'm a sucker for the cheese of Deirdre and Disney Girls. You could easily put a couple of much cooler, more experimental tracks on instead.

I'd really recommend the Beach Boys in the late 60s, early 70s, if all you know is their surf singles and Pet Sounds, there's a whole different world in there, a grown-up, dark, funky rock band with great voices and a large range of talents. It's not all about Brian Wilson at all. He may have been the great melodic and compositional genius of the band but he wasn't the best singer, the best lyricist or the best rocker.