Holland (album)

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Holland
HollandCover.jpg
Studio album by
the Beach Boys
ReleasedJanuary 8, 1973 (1973-01-08)
RecordedJune 3–October 9, 1972
Studio
GenreSoft rock[1]
Length36:19
LabelBrother/Reprise
ProducerThe Beach Boys
The Beach Boys chronology
Carl and the Passions – "So Tough"
(1972) 		Holland
(1973) 		The Beach Boys in Concert
(1973)
Singles from Holland
  1. "Sail On, Sailor" / "Only with You"
    Released: February 5, 1973
  2. "California Saga: California" / "Funky Pretty"
    Released: April 16, 1973

Holland is the 19th studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released on January 8, 1973. It is the follow-up to Carl and the Passions – "So Tough" (1972) and was partly recorded at its namesake, Holland. The album peaked at number 36 in the US and number 20 in the UK.

The album is the second of two studio recordings to feature Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar, who joined the band in early 1972. It is also the third and final studio album created under the management of Jack Rieley. The LP was originally packaged with a bonus EP, Mount Vernon and Fairway, which consisted of a 12-minute fairy tale written and produced by Brian and Carl Wilson.

Recording[]

Former Beach Boy Bruce Johnston suggested that the group record their new album in France, "but somehow it ended up being recorded in Holland. I had to secretly come down and do vocals. ... even though I was out of the band, I still sang on albums."[2] To record the album, the band members and their families moved to Baambrugge, in the Netherlands, Vocalist and guitarist Al Jardine later commented: "It was rough being in Holland. We were working 24/7 in a small homemade rebuilt piecemeal little studio in a garage next to a cow pasture. Yeah, it was rough. We didn’t even have the correct electricity [...] so that kind of affected the sound of our equipment. It was a mixed blessing."[3]

The cover of the album depicts (upside down) a tugboat in the Kromme Waal, a canal in central Amsterdam.[4]

Reception[]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic2.5/5 stars[5]
Blender2/5 stars[6]
Christgau's Record GuideC[7]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music4/5 stars[8]
MusicHound3/5[9]

Rolling Stone critic Jim Miller called Holland a "special album", stating, "Like the finest Beach Boys' work, Holland makes me consistently smile, as much at its occasionally unnerving simplicity of viewpoint as at its frequently ornate perfection. Although the Beach Boys may be an acquired taste, once the listener has granted them their stylistic predilections, their best records become irresistible."[10] Critic Robert Christgau praised the sound quality of Holland, but believed that the album had strayed too far from what the Beach Boys did best, stating, "I suppose that in time their tongue-tied travelogue of Big Sur may seem no more escapist than 'Fun Fun Fun', but who'll ever believe it's equally simple, direct, or innocent?"[7]

Retrospectively, Mojo's Danny Ecleston referred to Holland as his favorite Beach Boys album, as well as their "least-heard (and certainly last) great record."[11] Less favorably, AllMusic reviewer John Bush wrote that Holland was a "surprisingly weak" effort.[5] Douglas Wolk of Blender felt that the band "got way self-indulgent, recording poetry, flutes and Moog solos."[6]

Holland has been included in some opinion polls and rankings.

  • In 1999, it was ranked number 21 in The Guardian's list of the "Top 100 Albums That Don't Appear in All the Other Top 100 Albums of All Time".[12]
  • In 2000, it was voted number 648 in the third edition of Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[13]
  • In 2007, it was ranked number 100 in OOR Magazine's list of the "100 Best Albums of All Time".[14]

Elvis Costello ranked the album as one of his favorite records of all time.[15] Camper Van Beethoven have said that when recording their album La Costa Perdida, Holland was an enormous inspiration to them.[16] Tom Petty penned liner notes for the 2000 CD reissue, in which he described the album as "beautiful" and singled out "The Trader" as the album's "centerpiece".[17]

Among the band members, Brian said of Holland: "There are some great songs on that record. 'Steamboat' kicks ass. I really like 'Only with You' and 'Funky Pretty', too. It's a damned good album no matter where or how we made it."[18]

Track listing[]

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocal(s)Length
1."Sail On, Sailor"
Blondie Chaplin3:22
2."Steamboat"
  • Dennis Wilson
  • Rieley
Carl Wilson and Dennis Wilson4:33
3."California Saga: Big Sur"Mike LoveMike Love2:56
4."California Saga: The Beaks of Eagles"
Love (first and third spoken word verses) and Al Jardine (second spoken word verse, choruses)3:49
5."California Saga: California"A. JardineLove (intro: Brian Wilson)3:21
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocal(s)Length
1."The Trader"
  • C. Wilson
  • Rieley
C. Wilson5:04
2."Leaving This Town"
Chaplin with Ricky Fataar5:49
3."Only with You"
  • D. Wilson
  • Love
C. Wilson2:59
4."Funky Pretty"
  • B. Wilson
  • Love
  • Rieley
C. Wilson, Jardine, Chaplin, Fataar, and Love4:09
Total length:36:19
CD and digital bonus tracks (Mount Vernon and Fairway)
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocal(s)Length
10."Mt. Vernon and Fairway – Theme"B. Wilson 1:34
11."I'm the Pied Piper – Instrumental"
  • B. Wilson
  • C. Wilson
 2:20
12."Better Get Back in Bed"B. WilsonC. Wilson1:39
13."Magic Transistor Radio"B. WilsonB. Wilson1:43
14."I'm the Pied Piper"
  • B. Wilson
  • C. Wilson
Love and Chaplin2:09
15."Radio King Dom"
  • B. Wilson
  • Rieley
 2:38
2015 Remastered iTunes bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocal(s)Length
16."We Got Love"
  • Fataar
  • Chaplin
  • Love
Fataar with Chaplin5:56

Charts[]

Chart (1973) Peak
position
Canadian Album Chart[19] 12
Dutch Album Chart[20] 9
UK Top 40 Album Chart[citation needed] 20
US Billboard 200 Albums Chart[21] 36

References[]

  1. ^ Partridge, Kenneth (June 5, 2015). "Why a Comprehensive Beach Boys Biopic Would Likely Fail". Consequence of Sound.
  2. ^ Sharp, Ken (September 4, 2013). "Bruce Johnston On the Beach Boys' Enduring Legacy (Interview)". Rock Cellar Magazine. Archived from the original on September 19, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  3. ^ "Brian Wilson, Al Jardine, Mike Love Interview Part 3". Rock Cellar. Archived from the original on 22 October 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  4. ^ "The Beach Boys: The River's A Dream In A Waltz Time". Aquarium drunkard. March 14, 2017. Retrieved 2019-07-22.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Bush, John. "Holland - The Beach Boys : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-06-11.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b 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.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: B". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  8. ^ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). London: Oxford University Press. p. 479. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Miller, Jim (March 1, 1973). "Holland | Album Reviews | Rolling Stone". Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  11. ^ Eccleston, Danny (2008-08-28). "The Beach Boys - Disc of the day - Mojo". Mojo4music.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2013. Retrieved 2/11/2012. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  12. ^ [Top 100 Albums That Don't Appear in All the Other Top 100 Albums of All Time, The Guardian, January 29, 1999]
  13. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (2006). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 212. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
  14. ^ "100 Best Albums of All Time". Muziekkrant OOR. 17 July 2007.
  15. ^ Costello, Elvis (November 2000). "500 Albums You Need". Vanity Fair, issue no. 483.
  16. ^ "Camper Van Beethoven, 'Northern California Girls': Exclusive Song Premiere". billboard.com. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  17. ^ McCaughey, Scott (2000). Carl and the Passions – "So Tough" / Holland (CD Liner). The Beach Boys. Capitol Records.
  18. ^ Wilson & Greenman 2016, p. [page needed].
  19. ^ http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.4828&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=fcs5b5kmf511c6ombo6ki2alv3
  20. ^ Dutch Charts - THE BEACH BOYS - HOLLAND
  21. ^ Billboard, March 24, 1973, page 67

External links[]

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