“Good To My Baby” taken from the LP ‘Today!’ | (Capitol Records T 2269) March 1965
The Beach Boys | Good To My Baby | (Capitol) 1965 | About a year ago I bought three Beach Boys albums dating from 1965 but it’s only now that I’ve taken them off the shelves for a spin. They’re all in great shape, they’re all my preferred mono recordings and better still I bought all three for about £10. Win!, win!, win!!!
The material recorded for ’Today!’ was put to tape during October and December 1964. Some songs were recorded in January 1965. There’s not a hint of any British Invasion sound, The Beach Boys stuck to their own pop style with layered harmonies.
The Beach Boys | Good To My Baby | (Capitol) 1965
Most of side one showcases their more up-tempo tunes, especially the catchy ’Do You Wanna Dance?’ while on ’Help Me Ronda’ the complex wall of sound production is quite evident. The latter was re-recorded as ’Help Me Rhonda’ and reached #1 in May 1965.
Side two is ballads and love songs with the filler ’Bull Session With The Big Daddy’ which is a snippet of an interview.
“Good to My Baby” is about a man responding to criticisms regarding the way he treats his girlfriend. Interrante opined that while it is not “musically exciting or complex”, the defensive and anxious tone “running throughout the song adds a dark quality that’s not immediately on the surface, and ultimately makes ‘Good to My Baby’ all the more interesting.”
O’Regan highlights the use of a major supertonic function (II) with giving “the [chord] progression a surprising lift under the positivity of the lyrics – it reaffirms the confidence the singer feels about his relationship, despite what others may think.” (Wikipedia)
a message from Dick Clark:
When fame came to The Beach Boys, it came in a big way and almost overnight. They began with talent, a lot of it, and some avid interests that they turned into hit songs. And soon their first recordings were helping to shape the big trend in surfing music.
A little later they did the same thing again with their big hot rod hits. And now they are themselves a trend – important leaders in today’s music industry. Their records and personal appearances have been consistent triumphs, and many of Brian Wilson’s compositions have become teen ”classics.”
Today they still care about the same things their audiences care about. Fame is important to them, but not as important as their music and their teen fans, toward whom they feel a true allegiance.
It is a pleasure for me to have this opportunity to pay tribute to these great young guys, for we in the entertainment industry are proud of their success . . . proud because they and their music deserve it.
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