going dutch

Well, there’s a load of old fuss about Brian Wilson’s ‘Smile’ album. Don’t get me wrong, it should plop onto my doormat today and I’m looking forward to hearing it. However, I’d like to take a minute to ramble on about Holland.

To my mind, it's the most cruelly over-looked of all Beach Boys albums. It’s of its time and yet somehow timeless. It has all of the recognisable BB traits but manages to invoked a sense of otherness. Everything from its cover to its eco/Western-theme and its concept album styling is as far away from Pet Sounds as it gets. Holland is never less than essential. It comes as part of a 'twofer' set fronted by the inferior 'So Tough... Carl and the Passions'. However, the Holland CD is replete with the quirky Mt. Vernon and Fairway tracks which came from a free accompanying ep and which demonstrate the drug-tinged fragility of Brian Wilson’s mind at the time in the midst of what was a schizophrenic episode for the whole band.

Little known fact: Ricky Fataar of The Rutles plays on this album.