The Beach Boys – Holland (1973/2015) [HDTracks FLAC 24bit/192kHz]

Holland is the 19th studio album by the American rock group The Beach Boys, released in January 1973. It peaked at number 36 in the US and number 20 in the UK. At the end of the 1973, Rolling Stone named Holland as one of their picks for “album of the year”. In 2000, Elvis Costello ranked the album as one of his favorite records of all time. Holland included a bonus EP, Mount Vernon and Fairway (A Fairy Tale), a musical fairy tale written by Brian Wilson about a magical transistor radio who appears to a young prince.

The surprisingly weak result of a concerted effort by both band and label to push the Beach Boys back into the Top 40 (they succeeded, barely), Holland continued the muddy sound of Carl and the Passions – So Tough. The highlights here – Carl’s “The Trader,” Brian’s “Sail on, Sailor” and “Funky Pretty” – are marginally better than their immediate predecessors, though “Leavin’ This Town” (from recent addition Blondie Chaplin) is rather tiresome. Also, Al Jardine and Mike Love’s three-part “California Saga” shows the effects of their environmentalist spirituality left to bake in the sun a few minutes too long (though the conclusion, “California,” is a solid return to the harmony-laden sun-and-surf ’60s). “Only with You” is yet another tender ballad given an excellent reading by Carl.

Tracklist:
01 – Sail On, Sailor
02 – Steamboat
03 – California Saga: Big Sur
04 – California Saga: The Beaks Of Eagles
05 – California Saga: California
06 – The Trader
07 – Leaving This Town
08 – Only With You
09 – Funky Pretty
10 – Mt. Vernon And Fairway (Theme)
11 – I’m The Pied Piper (Instrumental)
12 – Better Get Back In Bed
13 – Magic Transistor Radio
14 – I’m The Pied Piper
15 – Radio King Dom
16 – We Got Love