An Album/Song A Week: "Good Timin'" - Beach Boys

When one thinks of Summer music the first name that comes to mind is usually the Beach Boys.  And why not?  Someone once wrote that the genius of Brian Wilson was he made cars, girls, Summer and the beach seem like the most important things in the world.  And to some, they were.  

By 1979, the Beach Boys were past their hit-making years.  In 1976 they had a nostalgia filled Top Ten album with 15 Big Ones.  That was an album full of mostly remakes of classic songs.  They even had a #5 hit with Chuck Berry's "Rock and Roll Music".  1977's very odd Beach Boys Love You, was basically a Brian Wilson solo album.  It's become something of a cult classic among Beach Boys die-hards.  If you are curious as to Brian's state of mind in 1977, then give it a listen.

So, 1979's L.A. (Light Album) was billed as a back to Beach Boys style album.  But it felt more like a collection of solo songs.  The first single was something else indeed.  A nearly 11 minute disco song called "Here Comes The Night".  It failed to go Top 40 and most critics hated it.  But I didn't and still defend it today.  It's a remake of the same song from their 1967 album Wild Honey.  Once that song bombed, "Good Timin'" was released.  It sounded more like a Beach Boys single than almost anything they released in the 70's.  It was first recorded in 1974, but unreleased, and vocally overdubbed in 1978 for their next album.

It didn't make much of a dent on the charts either.  Peaking at #40.  But I've always been fascinated by it.  It's a gorgeous 2 minutes of everything that make the Beach Boys great.  Whenever I see article of the most underrated Beach Boys singles I look to see if it's listed.  Usually it's not.  But it's worth 2 minutes of your life.  And it sounds like Summer.  The single was released in April '79, and was gone from the charts by July.  But it reminds me of the Summer of '79.  And that's the magic of a great Beach Boys summer song.