That’s Why God Made The Radio – Track by track sample impressions

They’re playing to raving crowds all over America at this moment and I’m really really looking forward to when I get to see them in Berlin.

Only just over two months before that day rolls around and just over two weeks before the hotly anticipated Beach Boys 50th anniversary reunion album, That’s Why God Made the Radio, gets released to the general UK public on 4 June 2012.

Count our blessings

We shouldn’t be so blessed. Brian Wilson has been through so much in his career and battled against schizophrenia, obesity, and drugs, and yet today, he’s enjoying a new lease of life. He’s reconciled with his daughters Carnie and Wendy (of Wilson Phillips fame) and he has four children from his marriage to Melinda Wilson.

In 2000, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and in 2005, he (finally) won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow

The reunion

In 2011, some rumours started circulating that the Beach Boys were going to get back together again. After being disappointed  over the years about the prospect of a Beach Boys reunion, I daren’t believe it was true until it was 100% confirmed. After all, they were hinting at a reunion after the travesty that was Summer in Paradise and again after the (even worse) Stars and Stripes album.

I was so stoked when this reunion turned out to be true. And even better, that they were going on a worldwide tour and the album was going to be released in June! Unfortunately, their world tour doesn’t look like it’ll pass through the UK – but at least they’re playing in Europe. I’ve entered into a prize draw done by Amazon UK to win tickets for the Beach Boys concert in Rome and it will be truly wonderful if I win that. If I don’t though, life will still go on and I’ve been sufficiently blessed over the years already.

Now, on to my impressions of the (sample) tracks on the new album, That’s Why God Made The Radio

No, I did not get blessed with an early advance copy. What I’m doing is giving my impressions of the album, based solely on the 30 second (or less) snippets that Amazon UK allows me to hear when I preview the album. First, the track listing according to Amazon.

1. Think About The Days
2. That’s Why God Made The Radio
3. Isn’t It Time
4. Spring Vacation
5. The Private Life of Bill and Sue
6. Shelter
7. Daybreak Over The Ocean
8. Beaches In Mind
9. Strange World
10. From There And Back Again
11. Pacific Coast Highway
12. Summer’s Gone

That’s Why God Made The Radio is the first single off the new album and while it hasn’t cracked the Top 100 Mp3 songs list yet, at time of writing it’s #7 in MP3 Downloads > MP3 Songs > Rock.