A "Thank-You Card" from Queens

Blogger's Note:
It's no mystery that I have been a devoted Beach Boy fan for most of my life, a tale that one day will find its way here under my "I've Always Considered Myself Clueless Musically," series.*
* (Search back further in the archives to find other music obsessions including the Electric Light Orchestra and the Partridge Family.)
Recently, I had the incredible good fortune to sit down with Grammy Award winner and Beach Boys founding member Al Jardine. He is the second Beach Boy I have had the chance to interview and I can say with confidence that this one went far smoother. In November of 1981, I orchestrated (quite unprofessionally, yet successfully) a chance to talk with lead singer Mike Love shortly following the release of his solo effort, "Looking Back With Love." I was a college freshman at the time who thought I knew everything.
I was starstruck.
I was clueless.
'Nuf said.
Exhibiting a bit more professionalism, confidence and research, this second chance at seeing a dream realized has resulted in what follows. Undeniably, there were a few missteps along the way in finding time to actually sit down and talk. After all, I was the small man on the totem pole compared to iconic brands like Rolling Stone; WCBS-FM, WPLJ-FM, Scott Shannon, and a host of Sirius satellite channels. In the end however, Mr. Jardine proved as patient as he was professional. Following an all too short twenty minutes, we parted with a new found respect for one another. He has recently released his first solo effort, "A Postcard From California." Admittedly, it's difficult being objective having been a fan for so many years, but this disc will forever remain my soundtrack for the Summer of 2010. It is simply a beautiful piece of work that makes me proud to be a Beach Boys fan. The interview will appear in an upcoming edition of Forest Hills / Astoria Celebrity & Entertainment.
- Morty


Now you know that I’m goin’out west,
I think that it’s for the best,
Hopes and dreams are what this nation’s built on
- A Postcard from California
Al Jardine

The lure of California remains as much a viable entity today as it has for centuries. Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath” paints one of the earliest pictures of the California dream as seen through the eyes of the dust bowl era sharecroppers forced to journey west in search of a better life, a second chance.
Paradise.
Al Jardine’s westward odyssey began nearly a hundred years later with the very same thought in mind, albeit less a few of the hardships.

“It was a long flight. It would have been a longer drive. When you heard the word California mentioned around the house, it was like whoa, the Land of Oz.”

It’s a tale he reiterates on his recently released solo effort, “A Postcard from California.”

“The title track takes us from upstate New York where I grew up as a child, on an epic journey across the Untied States to San Francisco. This song reflects that migration during post-war America, from our colloquial setting by Lake Ontario to the vast Pacific.”

It’s a far different vision than the more revered notion of surf, sand and sun that he helped to create as a founding member of the legendary Beach Boys. The fantasy inspired by their music remains intact every time the stylus makes contact with vinyl, or the laser with plastic.
I have yet to comprehend how the sound is delivered to my beloved iPod.

“We always sang about our environment, which at the time was surfing and hot rods Now I’m more mature. I’m in a different environment.”

...and just off the rocks floatin’ out in the bay,
sea otters play in the cool ocean spray.
The California gray whales playin’ there
haven’t got a care.
- Looking Down the Coast

“Originally, it was intended to be more of a green album. I’ve always had an infatuation with coastal California and an interest in ecology and the environment.”

“Don’t Fight the Sea” is one of the true high points on the album. The ethereal falsetto on the refrain alone sends a powerful message, but it’s the vocal arrangement and flawless harmonies that make this tune so majestic. Through the wonder of technology, Jardine has managed to pull off what so many others could not; bringing every one of the original Beach Boys back together in song.

“It’s actually a thirty-two year old endeavor that was supposed to be part of a Mike Love, Al Jardine project. Unfortunately, there really wasn’t much time to do a solo record, so the song just languished and sat there.”

Originally written and recorded by Terry Jacks of “Seasons in the Sun” fame, Jardine felt it would make a fine complement to the Beach Boys repertoire.

“It’s just great writing, but I felt it was too Canadian and I told Terry, we have to Americanize these lyrics a little bit, so instead of ‘I was mucking about when the tide went out,’ I wrote; ‘I was messing around when the tide went down.’ He practically let me rewrite the whole damn thing. I kept his first verse intact and went with my original lead vocal from 1978. I tried redoing it, but couldn’t seem to recreate that same energy and passion. Somewhere around that time Carl (Wilson) and Bruce (Johnston) added background vocals. In 1988, I got Carl to sing this really haunting solo about a mariner in the doldrums, which is the second verse.

I’m caught in the wind, the tide’s coming in,
The fog’s closing in over me
My blood’s running cold, ‘cos my life is on hold
For years I’ve been adrift on the sea
- Don’t Fight the Sea

Brian (Wilson) added his trademark falsetto at that time and it was only recently that I got Mike (Love) on there.”

The album also features second generation Beach Boys, Al’s sons, Matt and Adam, original member David Marks, more commonly referred to as “The Lost Beach Boy” and the most unlikely Beach Boy of all, country legend Glen Campbell.

“We’ve had a relationship with Glen going as far back as ’65, when he filled in for Brian who had suffered a nervous breakdown. His voice today is really incredible. He nailed this vocal on the second verse of “Postcard” that just amazed me.”

Through a combination of persistence and some old fashioned beating on doors, Al has managed to amass an impressive array of guest artists including Neil Young, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell (America), Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Steve Miller, who provides lead and backing vocals on an updated blues rendition of The Beach Boys 1965 Number one record, “Help Me, Rhonda.”

…And with the free wind blowin’ when the girls come ‘round
We’ll make a little magic when the sun goes down.
- Drivin’

Departing from the green portion of the album, “Drivin',” a brand new composition and “Honkin’ Down the Highway,” a Brian Wilson penned tune from the 1977 Beach Boys Love You LP provide a return to that true and carefree summer form. Al trades lead vocals with Brian on Drivin', a comical tale of a road trip gone awry, while America’s Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell provide backing vocals and a brief nod to their own number one hit, “A Horse With No Name.”
It is Jardine’s vivid imagery of the other California however, that makes this musical journey so worth the ride.

I was walking down the beach in San Onofre.
It was such a beautiful day.
The wind was blowin’ through my hair,
The waves they chased my cares away
And the sun danced in the morning sky.
- California Feelin’

Long a staple on the Beach Boys bootleg circuit, this Brian Wilson composition dates back to the mid 1970’s. With his two sons contributing backing vocals and lush harmonies, Jardine and his band to some degree have re-imagined the classic Beach Boys sound.

“I’ve taken just the basic elements of the track and added this big burst of harmony that really sets it off nicely, and then ‘Looking Down the Coast’ is an epic piece in itself because it really goes into detail about the flora and the fauna of Big Sur.”

La Cuesta Encantada; the Enchanted Hill is a place almost as magical as the music that draws us there.

“San Simeon is beautiful. I started with this line, ‘and then we kissed underneath the stars, under the spell of Venus and Mars,’ and my producer, Scott Slaughter, embellished the song around that to incorporate the whole landscape including the elephant seals that live around the beaches there. My son Adam came up with this beautiful poignant melody at the end. I get chills just thinking about it.”

Poet Stephen Kalinich, who has written several songs for the Beach Boys, composed “Tide Pool Interlude,” an emotional tribute to the awe-inspiring magnificence of the Golden State. Delivered eloquently in spoken word form by actor Alec Baldwin, this short poem simply sums up Jardine’s undeniable love for California. In 1972, while recording in Holland on a Beach Boys album of the same name, he wrote “California Saga.” A fan favorite from its inception, Al harbored the underlying notion that there was room for improvement. Enlisting Neil Young, David Crosby and Stephen Stills, this new recording, complete with banjo and an intro titled Campfire Scene personifies a more authentic northern California feel.

“In looking back, we gave our all
and there are things
I don’t care to recall”
- And I Always Will

Next year, the Beach Boys will celebrate their 50th anniversary. Undoubtedly, it has been a rocky road on the way to that half-century mile marker, the proof lying in the fact that there are currently three touring factions of the band on the road. There has been no mention of an upcoming reunion to commemorate this milestone, although the opportunity to hear all of the members, both living and deceased, in perfect harmony on this release is encouraging. The disc takes an unexpected turn, closing with an emotional ballad that seems almost out of place, as one would not equate a member of the Beach Boys with this particular style.

“I don’t know how I came up with that. The music in it is beyond my reach. The subtle changes I think I intuited from Frédéric Chopin. We added these beautiful strings and I thought ooh, this is getting better. Somewhere in my mind, I kept imagining this faint horn, almost like an oboe. One of the musicians mentioned an English Horn, and I said sure. It’s my favorite song on the album.”

The array of musical styles on Postcard is almost as impressive as the collection of guest artists that turned out in support of this project. “And I Always Will,” highlights a heartfelt vocal and adds yet another dimension to the music of Al Jardine, proving that this is indeed a true solo effort, an extension of the artist as an independent entity, separate and apart from the group for which he is best known. Provided with a subtle, yet tasteful environmental message, a virtual travelogue of a land unknown to many, and a fun, fresh look at the California dream, Al Jardine has given everyone a reason for celebration.
And for that, I say thank-you.




* "A Postcard from California" is currently available on iTunes and at Amazon.com