To my taste the band's last great studio LP was the 1973 "Holland". After releasing no less than three compilations and one live on home turf this became their first original follow-up to that almost three years later. And to some extent it's a continuation, since a cover album of fifties songs was planned already in connection with the "Holland" recordings, but was scrapped and then ended up as the bonus EP "Mount Vernon And Fairway". And this is at least partly a cover album with eight of the tracks being versions of older songs, the remaining seven written by band members. Brian Wilson was back as producer and though the end result was disliked by other band members it sold well, managing #8 at Billboard, with a spawned 45 - "Rock'n'Roll Music" - reaching #5. Without going deeper it sounds just fine, but after a while I hear something constructed to be true Beach Boys rather than coming out natural with a true Beach Boys feeling. Very well made, but hard to connect 100%. I like the self-penned cuts best. "Had To Phone Ya", "That Same Song" and "Back Home" all have some of that quirkiness combined with melody I learned to love with the band's late sixties LP:s and those are enough to make it good. Originally released all over the world on vinyl, also cassette and 8-track. First UK on Reprise (K 54079). Japan 2008 limited edition CD in paper sleeve on Capitol (TOCP 70550). Premiere US had label as shown here and glossy fold/out cover. (BÅB*) (YZÄ*)
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