Carl and the Passions – "So Tough"

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Carl and the Passions – "So Tough"
CarlPassionsSoToughCover.jpg
Studio album by
the Beach Boys
ReleasedMay 15, 1972
RecordedDecember 4, 1971 – April 13, 1972
StudioBeach Boys Studio, Los Angeles
GenreRock[1]
Length34:12
LabelBrother/Reprise
ProducerThe Beach Boys
The Beach Boys chronology
Surf's Up
(1971) 		Carl and the Passions – "So Tough"
(1972) 		Holland
(1973)
Singles from Carl and the Passions – "So Tough"
  1. "You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone"
    Released: May 15, 1972
  2. "Marcella"
    Released: June 26, 1972

Carl and the Passions – "So Tough" is the 18th studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released May 15, 1972 on Brother/Reprise. The album is the first to feature the Flame's Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar as additions to the Beach Boys' official line-up. Initial American pressings of the album included the band's 1966 studio album Pet Sounds as a bonus record.

Background[]

Some reports, including from the Wilsons' mother, state that "Carl and the Passions" had been a high school band formed by Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Carl Wilson, and another friend. Carl himself denied that such a group ever existed.[2] Brian said that he had named the early band "Carl and the Passions" to entice his unwilling brother into the group.[3]

Recording[]

Sessions for the album lasted from December 4, 1971 to April 13, 1972 at the band's private studio.[4] Most of the basic tracks were recorded in December 1971, with the remainder of the album finished during the following April.[5] Dennis Wilson and Daryl Dragon's contributions "Make it Good" and "Cuddle Up" were originally intended for a cancelled Dennis Wilson solo album.[6]

During this time, Brian Wilson, who had reduced his contributions to the group, had been more involved with producing the album Spring (1972).[7] In an interview held shortly after the release of Carl and the Passions, Bruce Johnston said: "I spoke to Brian a couple of weeks ago and he told me that he really didn't have too much to do with this album. ... I don't hear his voice very much on this album."[8]

Still-unreleased material that was recorded during the album's sessions include cover versions of Stephen Stills' "Change Partners" and Steve Winwood's "Gimme Some Lovin'", as well as the original songs "Spark in the Dark", "Body Talk", "Out in the Country", and "Rooftop Harry".[9]

Release and reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic3.5/5 stars[10]
Blender2/5 stars[11]
Christgau's Record GuideC+[12]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music3/5 stars[13]
MusicHound3/5[14]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide2/5 stars[15]

Released on May 15, 1972, Carl and the Passions – "So Tough" reached number 50 in the US, where it was issued as a two-disc set, paired with Pet Sounds. According to music historian Keith Badman, the move provoked "an unfavourable comparison with the landmark 1966 LP and contribute[d] to the album stalling ... in the US charts."[8] The release was accompanied by the lead single "You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone", which failed to chart.[8] A follow-up single, "Marcella", released on June 26, peaked at No. 110 in the US on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.[16] In the UK, where Carl and the Passions was issued as a standalone disc, the album reached number 25.[8]

In his review for The San Diego Door, Cameron Crowe wrote: "So Tough finds some excellent music with no trace of anything left over from the Pet Sounds days. I coulda sworn 'Hold On Dear Brother' was the Band."[17] Less favorably, Robert Christgau of The Village Voice wrote that the album was "Fairly pleasant, but even the highlights aren't all that hot."[18] The review by Rolling Stone's Stephen Davis discussed Pet Sounds more than the new record.[19] He felt that only four of the tracks were "acceptable", and that Brian Wilson's lack of genuine involvement hurt the album.[20] NME's Josh Ingham called it "probably the least successful of the Beach Boys' albums."[1]

Retrospectively, biographer John Tobler decreed that So Tough was "generally accepted as being the lamest Beach Boy album since the fragmented 20/20 ... it bears the mark of a project with too little thought behind it."[19] More favorably, Elton John penned liner notes for the 2000 CD reissue, writing: 'This is an album which I have loved for a long time... Carl and the Passions: So Tough has moments of breathtaking genius and experimentation. When this record was released, I remember how different and fresh it sounded. It still does'.[21]

The band Saint Etienne used the title So Tough for their 1993 album as an homage to the Beach Boys. Likewise, they also named their compilation of the same year, You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone, after the Beach Boys song.

Track listing[]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone"Brian Wilson, Jack RieleyBrian Wilson, Carl Wilson3:27
2."Here She Comes"Ricky Fataar, Blondie ChaplinRicky Fataar5:10
3."He Come Down"Al Jardine, B. Wilson, Mike LoveAl Jardine, C. Wilson4:40
4."Marcella"B. Wilson, Tandyn Almer, RieleyC. Wilson3:54
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Hold On Dear Brother"Fataar, ChaplinFataar4:43
2."Make It Good"Dennis Wilson, Daryl DragonDennis Wilson2:36
3."All This Is That"Jardine, Carl Wilson, LoveJardine, C. Wilson4:00
4."Cuddle Up"D. Wilson, DragonD. Wilson5:30
Total length:34:12

Track notes per 2000 liner notes.[21]

Charts[]

Chart (1972) Position
UK Albums (OCC)[22] 25
US Billboard 200[8] 50

References[]

Citations

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Ingham, Josh (March 31, 1973). "The Beach Boys #2: The Exiles Return". NME.
  2. ^ Leaf 1978, p. 18.
  3. ^ Hodgkinson, Will (July 11, 2009). "Soundtrack of my life: Brian Wilson". The Guardian.
  4. ^ Badman 2004, pp. 301, 307.
  5. ^ Badman 2004, p. 307.
  6. ^ Badman 2004, p. 283.
  7. ^ Badman 2004, p. 321.
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Badman 2004, p. 311.
  9. ^ Doe, Andrew G. "From The Vaults..." Endless Summer Quarterly. Bellagio 10452. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  10. ^ Bush, John. "Carl and the Passions - So Tough - The Beach Boys : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-06-11.
  11. ^ Wolk, Douglas (October 2004). "The Beach Boys Carl and the Passions: So Tough/Holland". Blender. Archived from the original on June 30, 2006. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  12. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: B". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  13. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). London: Oxford University Press. p. 479. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4.
  14. ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds) (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 84. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  15. ^ Brackett, Nathan; with Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York, NY: Fireside/Simon & Schuster. p. 46. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  16. ^ Badman 2004, p. 320.
  17. ^ Crowe, Cameron (1972-06-22). Review: The Beach Boys - Carl and the Passions-So Tough. The San Diego Door. Retrieved 2012-06-11.
  18. ^ "CG: beach boys". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2012-06-11.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b Tobler, John (1978). The Beach Boys. Chartwell Books. p. 65. ISBN 0890091749.
  20. ^ Davis, Stephen (June 22, 1972). "The Beach Boys: Carl And The Passions: So Tough". rollingstone.com.
  21. ^ Jump up to: a b McCaughey, Scott (2000). Carl and the Passions – "So Tough" / Holland (CD Liner). The Beach Boys. Capitol Records.
  22. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.

Bibliography

Further reading[]

External links[]

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