Thanks to the surprising success of the compilation
Endless Summer,
the Beach Boys entered the studio in 1975 for the first time in almost three years. The album that followed, 15 Big Ones, balanced covers of rock and doo wop standards with seven new
Beach Boys songs (including five
Brian Wilson compositions). Most of the covers are mistakes, part of a misguided attempt by the aging
Beach Boys to recapture the energy of their youth. The "contemporary" production techniques and overly polished sound do nothing for these oldies, and effectively sap them of any energy they might once have had. And the choices -- including
Chuck Berry's "Rock and Roll Music,"
the Dixie Cups' "Chapel of Love,"
Fats Domino's "Blueberry Hill,"
Freddy Cannon's "Palisades Park" -- are simply too well known to be reworked effectively, by anyone. The only one that succeeds is the closer, the lesser-known
Righteous Brothers hit "Just Once in My Life," given an emotional reading by
Carl and
Brian. Of the band originals, the good-time standard "It's OK" and the quirky, endearing "Had to Phone Ya" are excellent, reminiscent of
Brian's odd pop songs on late-'60s albums like
Friends and
20/20. Most of the other originals are quite inferior though, including the silly history-of-music salute "That Same Song,"
Al Jardine's "Susie Cincinnati," and the meditation primer "T M Song." [In 2000, 15 Big Ones was made available on the two-fer compilation 15 Big Ones/Love You.] ~ John Bush