we saw: Secret Beirut Concert

"Just Another Night"

Last night Greenpoint luminary Zach Condon treated the neighborhood to a free show from the latest incarnation of Beirut at Coco66 on Greenpoint ave. A sort of warm up/drunken rehearsal show, the bar filled to capacity with ravenous onlookers. Having never seen Beirut live before, nor being the worlds biggest Beirut fan, I thoroughly enjoyed the evening, which saw Zach and his stripped down band take on Flying Club Cup staples like "Nantes" and "Sunday Smile", as well as the always enjoyable Lon Gisland jam "Elephant Gun" and brand spanking new Dark Was the Night contribution "Mimizan."

Apparently, many in attendance thought the show was subpar, and, appropriately, are venting their frustrations in the comment section of Brooklyn Vegan (where else!). Truth be told, I had a great time and thought it was a phenomenal show. Hardly life changing but the vibe was jovial and the band treated the audience to a lengthy show, a lot longer than I expected it to be. Despite the angst expressed by many anonymous commenters, I'd like to thank Zach for treating the kind people of Greenpoint to a drunken night of musical revelry and reminding us that BV commenters are just a bunch of fucking wankers.

Oh, and anybody willing to sell their BAM tickets should get in touch with me. Thx.

Setlist
Nantes
Sunday Smile
The Shrew
Elephant Gun
The Concubine
La Javanaise (Serge Gainsbourg cover)
Postcard from Italy
Akara
Mimizan
After The Curtain
East Harlem
Cherbourg
Cocek

My Night With the Prostitute in Versailles
Wroclia

under rated: Holland

"Have You Ever Been Up Salinas Way?"

It's hard to deny that the Beach Boys hit their stride on masterful Pet Sounds, but I'd like to argue that that peak merely plateaued around Pet Sounds, breeding the lovely Sunflower & Surfs Up and the majestic Holland, which was recorded in Baambrugge, The Netherlands. In a classic case of the record industry making ludicrous financial decisions, Warner Brothers allowed the Beach Boys to build a new "Clover Systems custom quadrophonic console: 30 input channels, 1000 position patch bay, 20 Dolby noise reduction units," a wide variety of microphones, custom monitoring system and a boat load of custom JBL speakers. "All equipment was designed specifically for this project by Brother Records (The Beach Boys label) in Los Angeles, then flown to Holland for this recording." Must've been sweet to be a rockstar in the '70s, when rock stars still existed.

Technically, Holland is one and a half long playing records, as Brian Wilson's bewildered "Mount Vernon and Fairway: A Fairy Tale" is included as a 7" record separate from the 12" LP. Why? Probably because Warner Bros. was freaked out by Brian's monotone spoken word about a magical transistor radio that comes alive at night and awakens teenage rock fans. The 7" is weird, and I say this as someone who eats weird for breakfast, and comes with instructions: "Please listen in the dark." Needless to say, it's a stoner's delight and one of the most fascinating, albeit bizarre, Wilson compositions.

Holland kicks off with the funky, piano driven "Sail On Sailor", a Brian Wilson/Van Dyke Parks collaboration with lyrics by Jack Rieley and Ray Kennedy, a bit of a departure from the usual BB's penned tunes. (You may know the song from Martin Scorcese's "The Departed".) While "Sail On Sailor" is all harmonies and pop and everything you've come to love and respect about the Boys, the real highlight here is Mike Love's mini-opera "The California Saga" made up of "Big Sur", "The Beak of Eages" and "California." It's the type of mini-epic you can't really explain, so take a listen below and enjoy the wonder that is post-Pet Sounds Beach Boys.

The Beach Boys- Big Sur (Part 1 of The California Saga)
The Beach Boys- The Beak of Eagles (Part 2 of The California Saga)
The Beach Boys- California (Part 3 of The California Saga)