God Only Knows

Cover version of the month #102
Betty Everett covers The Beach Boys God Only Knows

It was The Avalanches that alerted me to this cover version of God Only Knows. A couple of years ago they posted a video of them playing this impeccable 7-inch single.

Many artists have covered this truly special song; Neil Diamond, Taylor Swift, David Bowie and Glen Campbell to name four. But I'm going to focus on this gem of a version by Everett.

Recorded and produced over March & April 1966, God Only Knows was a landmark recording for The Beach Boys. Brian Wilson wasn't just pushing boundaries, he was blasting them away, bringing in 20 session musicians to play clarinet, flutes, strings, French horns, upright bass, sleigh bells ... 

For reference, The Beach Boys previous album, Beach Boys Party released in November 1965, consisted mostly of cover versions. Wilson, only 23, decided to shoot for the stars and beyond with his next recordings.

The reason Wilson was determined to reach higher than ever before was because his mind had been blown by The Beatles Rubber Soul album. Copious amounts of marijuana helped as well! Nothing was off limits, including referencing God, not only in the song, but in the title. 

You can listen to a great deal of the God Only Knows (and Pet Sounds) recording sessions online. Wilson is in his element, conducting, cajoling, energising, encouraging ... there are hours and hours to dig into.

Brian Wilson - genius at work

Remarkably, God Only Knows was released just a month after completion, as part of the momentous Pet Sounds album. In a pre-internet age, this was an album spoken of in hushed and revered tones and it wasn't exactly easy to buy for a while. It's an incredible piece of work, the songwriting, singing, harmonies, production, musicianship, arrangements ... everything is just perfect. 

Carl Wilson takes on lead vocals, delivering an exceptional performance that plays on listeners heart strings in addition to the strings on the song. God Only Knows is only 2 verses, it's only 3-minutes long ... yet it says so much, it makes you feel so much, it's an outpouring of love in a way that love had never been portrayed before in popular music - lyrically and musically.

I may not always love you

But long as there are stars above you

You never need to doubt it

I'll make you so sure about it

God only knows what I'd be without you

If you should ever leave me

Well life would still go on believe me

The world could show nothing to me

So what good would living do me?

God only knows what I'd be without you

The verses are delivered in just over a minute. Brian Wilson then takes listeners on a magic carpet ride through the clouds, coming back to the second verse, then falling to almost nothing at 2-minutes before layering everything back up again.

Betty Everett's version was released in 1975 and you can immediately see why The Avalanches fell for it ... it is very Avalanche-y! The horns, the little twists and tweaks on the melody, the dreamy quality of the production, the heavenly backing vocals and the sublime arrangement. The vocals are simply stunning, the musicanship and production is absolutely first class. It's impeccable, gorgeous.

The instrumental from 2-minutes flows and floats, before Everett and her backing singers come back in to take the song to conclusion, driving things for a wonderful 48-second outro, their voices dovetailing over the top of each other.

God only knows, what I'd be with out you

God only knows, baby

(God only knows) God only knows, (what I'd be without you)

The Beach Boys masterpiece and the sublime Betty Everett cover version of God Only Knows are added to my Everything Flows Cool Cover Versions playlist on Spotify which also features all of the songs listed below. Search for the title or CLICK HERE

Previous covers of the month blogs

1. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' 

2. Going Back To My Roots

3. Nirvana play The Vaselines

4. Slip Inside This House

5. Top 10 covers by Teenage Fanclub

6. Only Love Can Break Your Heart

7. Time For Livin' 

8. Sound and Vision 

9. All Along The Watchtower

10. I Am The Walrus 

11. Guiding Star

12. You’ll Never Walk Alone

13. Hurt

14. This Guy's In Love With You

15. I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine

16. California Soul

18. Wonder wall 

19. Dancing In The Dark

20. Always On My Mind

21. Ceremony

22. Heroes

23. Different Drum

24. Wild Horses

25. Respect

26. Mr Tambourine Man

27. I Heard It Through The Grapevine

28. Superstar

29. Twist and Shout

30. Purple Rain

31. Baker Street

32. Not Fade Away

33. Stop Your Sobbing

34. I Don't Want To Grow Up

35. Serious Drugs

36. Dancing With Myself

37. How Does It Feel To Feel?

38. Love Buzz

39. ABBA-esque
40. Jumpin' Jack Flash

41. Discoland

42. Varshons 2 by The Lemonheads

43. The Langley Schools Music Project
44. Witchi Tai To
45. Our Lips Are Sealed
46. Sunshine Of Your Love
47. Here Comes The Sun
48. I Think We're Alone Now
49. Don't Let Me Down 
50. It's Oh So Quiet
51. Alcoholiday 
52. Summer Holiday
53. Who Do You Think You Are?
54. Head On
55. Nothing Compares 2 U

56. Hey Jude

57. Seven Days Too Long

58. L.O.V.E Love

59. Into Your Arms

60. Heart Of Glass

61. Take Me To The River

62. We Can Work It Out 

63. Talking In My Sleep

64. Lola

65. Lost In Music

66. My Little Red Book

67. Isn't It A Pity

68. Walk On By

69. Walk Away Renee

70. Tainted Love

71. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

72. Listen The Snow Is Falling

73. Mrs Robinson

74. He's Gonna Step On You Again

75. In My Life

76. Caravan Of Love

77. The Only Way Is Up

78. Dancin' Round & Round

79. With A Little Help From My Friends

80. Killing Me Softly

81. Ain't No Mountain High Enough

82. Drop

83. Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay

84. Sympathy For The Devil

85. I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor

86. Love Will Tear Us Apart

87. Indian Rope Man + bonus Strawberry Fields Forever + This Wheels On Fire

88. Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You

89. Love The One You're With

90. Cum On Feel The Noize

91. Addicted To Love

92. Valerie

93. Ride On Time

94. Let's Dance

95. It Must Be Love

96. I Fought The Law

97. For What It's Worth

98. Do Your Thing

99. I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself

100. Don't Leave Me This Way

101. Shout!

Album tours

I found a recent tweet by Alex Kapranos from Franz Ferdinand rather amusing. Given the timing, Kapranos might have been referring to Suede who have just announced a European and UK tour of their 1996 album Coming Up.

Personally I love when favourite bands of mine focus shows on landmark anniversaries of classic or fan fave albums. Some don't even wait for an important anniversary, they are just getting out there. Although I totally understand where Alex is coming from.

For me, everyone is a winner; the band get to revisit a much loved album, maybe even playing some songs live for the first time. It might generate media interest and sales of the album or merch. They may even get to play larger venues than 'normal' due to demand.

Fans, know what they are getting, are prepared to pay for tickets and merch and have a good night out, while promoters are probably more confident booking a band if they know exactly what the band is going to play.

Galleries curate exhibitions of artists at certain periods, people celebrate anniversaries all the time ... why can bands not celebrate their catalogue of creative work?

A number of my favourite bands have played classic albums. Teenage Fanclub needed 3-nights to play their Creation albums from the 1990's. Primal Scream revisited Screamadelica in 1991 and blew me away both times I saw them on that tour. The Charlatans have revisited their debut Some Friendly and Tellin' Stories, while The Lemonheads have performed It's A Shame About Ray. I caught The Jesus and Mary Chain play Psychocandy in Glasgow and I very much hope to find a friend with a spare ticket to see them perform Darklands at the Barrowland in March.

I have also been extremely fortunate to watch Arthur Lee and Love perform Forever Changes and Brian Wilson and his band perform Pet Sounds. Typing that sentence sent tingles down my spine.

That's five of my favourite bands playing records I cherish plus two absolute legends playing incredible albums from the 1960's that generations afterwards have fallen in love with .

Meanwhile bands from The Wonder Stuff to The Twang have played shows of 'classic' albums. They might not be 'classic' to me, but they are to some. And that is what counts.

Kapranos followed his initial tweet with the statement below.

He is very probably right regarding the idea. Although at the same time he mentions that touring is a way of performing a body of work - surely an album qualifies as that. And most bands also play other stuff either before or after the album concerned.

And in terms of an album being a slice of creativity frozen in time....

I find that a very odd comment. Art, good art, is timeless. Hell, in the case of Screamadelica mentioned above, the album still sounds futuristic.

Kapranos has a point, but perhaps he has missed one as well. Classic art does capture a moment in time, whether that is a painting, a photograph or music. The birth of rock n roll, Elvis on TV, The Beatles on Ed Sullivan, the summer of love, Bowie on Top of the Pops, The Pistols, the rave scene, Britpop ... they are moments in time that mattered to people, moments in time that people will revisit via YouTube, old photos, albums, singles and by chatting to friends, or making new friends online as a result of these memories. Are they frozen? Or do they continue to inspire?

Think of albums; Sgt Peppers, Pet Sounds, Never Mind The Bollocks, Stone Roses, Nevermind ... they capture a spirit and a moment in time for many. Other bands might not have created albums quite so culturally significant, but they still meant something to someone out there - enough to go on tour.

If playing an album show  gets a band back together and out touring or playing a few dates and giving people a night out, making them happy .... good for them.

And what will happen if a promoter offer Franz Ferdinand good money to tour their classic eponymous debut album? The 15th anniversary is coming up! ;-)

Brian Wilson at Kelvingrove Bandstand, August 2017

Never Ending Mixtape Part 36

Pop genius Brian Wilson

And so my Never Ending Mixtape passes the 1,000 song mark. And, even if I do say so myself, it does so in style with some stupendous tunes.

There are tunes to dance to, get lost in, swoon and melt over, sing to, play air guitar to and fall in love with. Some of these tunes have lived with me for years or decades, others are tunes I have just discovered.

The Nearest Faraway Place is an instrumental by The Beach Boys that will let you drift off into a daydream, Another Boy Like Mine (demo) will hit you hard and you'll fall, Iko Iko is like a playground song full of simplistic joy and Tommy and the Shondells are my new favourite 60's band with Crimson and Clover shooting high into my favourite songs ever list. I must write that down sometime!

Elsewhere we have the Velvets, Glasgow's Sonny Marvello, Love, incredible songwriting and performance by Shuggie Otis, the sensational David Axelrod, a pysh garage gem by Os Mutantes, the sensational First Cut Is The Deepest by PP Arnold and much, much, much more.

Search for Everything Flows Never Ending Mixtape on Spotify or click below. You'll need to scroll right down to get to the latest additions.

NEW TIP - if you go to filter at the top and type in Out on the Floor and click play, it should play the songs in the order below.

Read on for the full list of 30-songs that have been added.

Out on the Floor - Dobie Gray
Sidewinder - Teenage Fanclub
Alone Again Or - Love
Who Loves The Sun? - The Velvet Underground
Outdoor Miner - Wire
Fire Went Out - Sonny Marvello
My Little Red Book - Love

Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys
God Only Knows - The Beach Boys
The Nearest Faraway Place - The Beach Boys
Love and Mercy - Brian Wilson
All I Wanna Do - The Beach Boys
Another Boy Like Mine (demo) - Ellie Greenwich
Strawberry Letter 23 - Shuggie Otis
Holy Thursday - David Axelrod
A Minha Menina - Os Mutantes
The First Cut Is The Deepest - PP Arnold
Tighten Up Pt 1 - Archie Bell and the Drells
Sinnerman - Nina Simone

Iko Iko - The Dixie Cups
Friday On My Mind - The Easybeats
I Was Made To Love Her - Stevie Wonder
Runaway - Del Shannon
Crimson and Clover - Tommy James and the Shondells
This Will Be Our Year - The Zombies
You're Gonna Miss Me - The 13th Floor Elevators
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly - Ennio Morricone
The Ecstasy Of Gold - Ennio Morriconne
Out In The Streets - The Shangri-Las
Draggin' The Line - Tommy James and the Shondells

Brian Wilson at Kelvingrove Bandstand

Hearing a 70+ year old Brian Wilson sing and deliver songs he wrote and dreamt of in his early 20's brought a magical and mystical air to Kelvingrove Bandstand last night.

I don't mind admitting that there was a tear in my eye during God Only Knows and hearing lyrics like I know perfectly well you've been patient with me became all the more apt when confronted by a clearly frail and fragile author. Of course we were patient, it is not often that you are in the presence of a genuine genius.

Last night at the Kelvingrove Bandstand was magical....biblical....a religious experience.

I had the pleasure of witnessing Brian and his band perform twice before. The first was on his comeback tour in 2002/3 when he played Edinburgh Playhouse. Grown men watched in tears and disbelief as their hero seemingly stepped from his sandpit onto the stage to play songs they had only dreamt of previously experiencing live - certainly from their author. The shiver that ran up my spine during Good Vibrations that night will always live with me.

The second time I caught Brian and his band was at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow, sitting 3 throws from the front in a central position meant that my wife and I could witness his strengths and weaknesses all to close. Brian could still sing beautifully but he also zoned out at times in mid verse and needed back up to make the songs work.

Last night was magical. The stunning setting of Kelvingrove Park and a passionate Glaswegian crowd helped - of course it did. But hearing Brian sing the majority of Pet Sounds as a 70+ year old brought a whole new meaning to the songs. And his 11 (sometimes 12) piece band were exceptional creating wonderful 9 part harmonies at times. Watching and listening to the layers of the songs being created live was very special in such a setting.

I know so many people who think they can do it alone

They isolate their heads and stay in their saftey zone

The first half of the show was a mixture of Beach Boys hits, rarities and favourites, commencing with California Girls and taking in classics like Dance, Dance, Dance alongside the likes of I Get Around ensured the crowd were on his side from the off.

Throw in gems like Let The Wind Blow, Feel Flows, Darlin' and Wild Honey then there was plenty of time for the band and audience to warm up. Personal fave Aren't You Glad also got an airing.

Beach Boys founder Al Jardine looked a million times better than Brian, lean, trim and full of beans in comparison to Brian who looked exceptionally overweight and almost incapable of walking on or off stage. His son Matt joined him on stage to sing all the high parts in the setlist and both were exceptional. But I'm not going to go into whether or not Brian should be touring in his state, I am just going to appreciate that he was.

It is worth remembering that Brian didn't take the lead on Beach Boys material in the 60's, leaving that to Carl, Dennis and other members of the band. The trouble is that in 2017 he is front and centre stage and at times this was quite heartbreaking as Brian displayed no emotion sitting behind a keyboard that I doubt was plugged in. There were some songs where he sat motionless as his exceptional band played his timeless songs.

But hey, it was a brilliant show. Brian's 11/12 piece band were exceptional, Al and Matt Jardine were faultless on vocals and Blondie Chaplin won the crowd over with his vocals, guitar and tamourine playing and the fact that he looked like a cross between Keith Richards and Yoda!

It was in the second half of the show that things really took off. The band and Brian were suitably warmed up and darkness was falling as they begun Pet Sounds. It really was a delight, they played and sung beautifully.

As mentioned, Brian sang most of the songs and it just brought a whole new meaning to them. They are soulful, timeless and life affirming. The reaction to Sloop John B and God Only Knows was incredible. Brian's voice was stronger on songs like Darlin', God Only Knows and through the encore.

The additional encore was one of the best moments in my gig going history as the Bandstand rose to acclaim a genius and to dance and sing to Good Vibrations, Help Me Rhonda, Barbara Anne, Fun Fun Fun, Surfin' USA before Wilson ended with a beautiful and poignant Love and Mercy.

Was this his last show in Scotland/Glasgow? Many believed that it was. Well it was beautiful, soulful and life affirming, just as Pet Sounds was in 1966, just as it is in 2017.

Thank you Brian, thank you for the music.

May 2016 podcast

Everything Flows Podcast #8 - May 2016

I don’t tend to put a great deal of thought into what I am going to play on my monthly podcast. I tend to have one song in mind and take it from there. I do try and stick in a couple of Scottish artists.

This months podcast all stemmed from Indiepop Ain’t Noise Pollution by The Pooh Sticks (great song title, as is I’m In Love With A Girl Who Doesn’t Know I Exist) that popped up on my iPod when I stuck it on shuffle. The song appears on a brilliant boxset I bought and blogged about back in January 2014 - Scared To Get Happy - a story of indie pop.

That led on to a couple of other songs from the boxset and some classic indie pop by The Pastels, Sebadoh and The Vaselines, along with a classic by The Beach Boys from their Pet Sounds album that celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Enjoy, LISTEN HERE

Indiepop Ain’t Noise Pollution - The Pooh Sticks
This Brilliant Evening - In Embrace
I’m In Love With A Girl Who Doesn’t Know I Exist - Another Sunny Day
Thank You For Being You - The Pastels
Dusseldorf - Teleman
Hang On To Your Ego - The Beach Boys
Different Drum - Stone Poneys
Soul and Fire - Sebadoh
The Day I Was A Horse - The Vaselines
Inky Spies - The Vaselines

Previous Everything Flows Podcasts

Podcast #1 featuring Teenage Fanclub, David Bowie, Dr Cosmos Tape Lab, Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, JR Green, The Undertones

Podcast #2 featuring The Troggs, Happy Meals, Rose McDowall, The Frank Popp Ensemble, Fun Boy Three, Jo Mango and The Pictish Trail, Miaoux Miaoux, Yo La Tengo

Podcast #3 featuring Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine, Sonic Youth, Marlena Shaw, Natalie Prass, November Lights, Molly Nilsson

Podcast #4 featuring The Chemical Brothers with Beck, The Charlatans (Brian Jonestown Massacre mix), BMX Bandits, Edwyn Collins, The Parliaments, K-Klass, White

Podcast #5 -Tim Peaks Electric Fields line-up featuring The Charlatans, Yucatan, Blueprint Blue, Documents, TeenCanteen, Horsebeach, Hot Vestry, Riding the Low, Tim Burgess

Podcast #6 featuring JR Green, Hinds, The Groove, Doug Tuttle, Second Hand Marching Band, Emma Pollok, David Bowie, Lesley Gore

Podcast #7 featuring Catholic Action, Primal Scream, Super Furry Animals, The Supremes, George Carrow, Prophets, LCD Soundsystem

Everything Flows Podcast January 2016

Everything Flows Podcast #1

January 2016

This is the very first Everything Flows podcast; a little bit of chat, some memories and great music from my record collection.

New and rising Scottish artists Dr Cosmos Tape Lab and JR Green feature alongside legends and faves. Click HERE to listen. 

Everything Flows - Teenage Fanclub
Sound and Vision - David Bowie
The Mirrors Reflection - Dr Cosmos Tape Lab
Love and Mercy (live at the Roxy) - Brian Wilson
The River Song - Dennis Wilson
Nigerian Princess - JR Green
Teenage Kicks - The Undertones

Dreamers

I have enjoyed and admired the creative talent of Duglas T Stewart for over 20-years. Duglas has a new project that he is working on called Dreamers - a departure from his work with BMX Bandits - or maybe the next step.

The Bandits last 3 albums (My Chain, Bee Stings and BMX Bandits In Space), have delivered career highlights, with Duglas reaching new heights with his songwriting and delivery. His ever willing band of collaborators extended to help him produce results that he probably dreams of - akin to his great hero Brian Wilson and also Daniel Johnston.

Duglas with the great Brian Wilson, Brian with the great Duglas T Stewart

Check out the likes of So Many Colours, The Sailor's Song and the exceptional The Unforgiven for starters. A far cry from the C86 days yet retaining the warmth, melodies and love that Stewart has a natural knack for.

Duglas recently wrote this on the BMX Bandits website. (click the link for the full post)

"2014 was a difficult year for me. I know there are people out there who have it much worse than me but that doesn’t help, actually it just makes you feel worse and guilty that you’re not feeling good. On the last night of the year I recorded a song.  I thought I was going to be celebrating the arrival of the new year and new hope for the future in Hamburg but I was home alone in Bellshill. I was in a mess. I recorded a version of Somewhere from West Side Story. I found an orchestral backing track, added some of my own stuff to it and put it through some echo and sang one take straight into the computer mic. At least that’s what I think I did. I couldn’t actually remember doing it until I found the file on my desktop. It sort of made slightly harrowing listening for me but I think I captured something that has something, a rare authenticity. It’s certainly for real. I sent it to the mighty Bill Wells for his opinion. He said he thought it was “very special” and I trust his taste."

I was extremely moved by this recording. It is the sound of a broken heart, still clinging to hope, love and dreams. It is the sound of an artist looking for solace in song. It is beautifully and heartbreakingly fragile, my heart strings are pulled with every listen.

Duglas has released a further Dreamers song entitled Rust, another raw beauty.

The BMX Bandits will always have a place in my heart, but I am looking forward to hearing Duglas complete his Dreamers project with some more 'very special' music.

The Son(s) - Leviathan EP

To keep your identity hidden in the current age is pretty impressive and I personally find it quite refreshing. That is exactly what The Son(s) have done following the release of their self-titled debut album last year and Leviathan, the excellent 6-track follow up EP. The album is available to buy NOW and the EP is released on 7th May. Both are released via Olive Grove Records, the DIY label that may well make the jump to a respected indie within the next 2 or 3 years if it continues its current approach.

I was going to write this review on first listen, a write-while-I-listen approach, that can either work well or hopelessly mis-fire as songs grow on me.


That approach went out the window very quickly and I am now on my fourth listen of the opening track 'Roaring Around The Houses'. There are some beautiful harmonies, gentle acoustic strums, a stunning melody played on an instrument I don't know, (maybe a flute sampler or something?). The vocals are exquisite, as is the recording and production. I would highly recommend listening to this on headphones.


Only two-and-a-half minutes long, be warned, you may be like me and go back and listen to this again and again.


'If I Hear You Talk Apostrophes Again' takes me by surprise as it comes in on a Bowie type riff, there is another nice melody plonked out from a piano, the vocals are completely different - hushed yet with a menace about them, the harmonies are close and brilliant again but in a different way. As it is The Son(s) I have no idea if it is a different singer or the same person who sang the opener. I did read somewhere it was one person, if it is then the guy is incredibly talented.

'When I'm King you're first against the wall'

'Cocksure Boys' slows things down again. I don't know if The Son(s) listen to The Beach Boys or not, but I am kind of guessing they do. The intricate melodies and variety of instruments are so special that you could play this to a stranger and pass it off as a long lost gem from the 'Smile' sessions or something. Seriously, this is special music. The production is sublime again as it is throughout this gem of an EP.

'You, you're just the kind of fellow, who likes taking things apart, 

but can't put 'em back together'

Again, I had to go back and listen to this a few times. It truly is a gem.


The quality and variety of music on this EP is truly remarkable. One of those few occasions where the music hits you instantly yet you know it also has so much depth that you will keep going back to it. 


I do hope The Son(s) eventually play live. I do also like and appreciate the fact they remain a mystery. Apparently promoters and festivals wanted them to play last year...they turned them down. 


'Half Lived' changes pace again. It has a dream like feeling to it and has the hook that turns into a mantra;

'Please cover the kids in kisses from me'

'Shot Out A Cannon' has an Elbow like feel and quality to it. The lovely instrumental to close the song ends too soon, you could get hypnotised by it. 


'There Is No-one To Thank' is just over 2-minutes long, yet that is more than enough time for The Son(s) to work their magic. The guitar playing is exceptional and the melody picked out on a xylophone is just beautiful.

'There is no-one to thank. There is no-one to turn and say thank you too

You don't know where they've gone, and it's no consequence of where you come from'

This is the best thing I have heard in ages. I don't really know what else to say, hopefully the references to The Beach Boys, Elbow, melodies, hypnotic instrumentals, hooks, etc etc will lead you to check it out.


For now, you can stream the EP from the Olive Grove Records Soundcloud page....but you will want this on your ipod. Or you can buy a cassette!