Holland

Bruce Beatlefan (January 21, 2009)

Holland, the Beach Boys' 1973 album, has much in common with two other classic albums issued in 1973: Wings' Band on the Run and the Moody Blues' Seventh Sojourn. Like Paul McCartney and Wings, the Beach Boys went halfway around the world in hopes of obtaining a fresh approach to their music. The privations and unique logistical problems experienced in both projects seemed to inject the music with an immediacy and energy that made both albums creative successes. And as in the Moody Blues' classic album, the lesser songwriting presences of the group step forward dramatically with exceptional work, giving the albums a unified group sound and strength.

Holland ends the cycle of 'democratic' Beach Boys albums; their next project was to be the ill-fated Fifteen Big Ones in which the songwriting and production onus was placed squarely on Brian Wilson's shoulders, with disappointing results. It may be their overall strongest effort from this era, considering the consistent quality of the songs and the strong lyrical message in each of the songs (Sunflower, a truly beautiful album from this era, bears the burden of weak, often childlike lyrics).

There is not a weak track on Holland. The only disappointment is Brian Wilson's non-response to the new surroundings. While he was continuing to sink into his depression, two already-existing songs bearing his byline were able to be appended to the album, one of which becoming a classic Beach Boys track, "Sail on Sailor". Sung by newcomer Blondie Chaplin, this song is by far the best-known from the album. "Funky Pretty" closes out the album in a mildly pleasing manner. Brian's only new creation during these sessions is the charming but bizarre spoken-word fairy tale "Mount Vernon and Fairway".

The other members more than compensate for Brian's absence, however. Mike Love and Alan Jardine combine their nascent songwriting skills to assemble the ambitious three-song "California Saga", which provides for the album's high point, indeed, one of the greatest musical passages in the entire Beach Boys' library. Love impresses with his first completely self-written song, the mellow "Big Sur", and Alan Jardine follows this up with the spoken-word poetry of "The Beaks of Eagles" and perhaps the strongest individual song of his writing career, the rich and rollicking "California".

Brian's brothers, Carl and Dennis, also contribute with superb songs "Steamboat", "The Trader", and "Only With You", and the team of Ricky Fataar and Blondie Chaplin continue their expressive songwriting first seen in Carl and the Passions -- So Tough with the song "Leaving This Town", integrating the other members to a greater extent, and including a long musical interlude which is reminiscent of Traffic's music, certainly not characteristic of previous Beach Boys work.

Holland achieved a much greater level of success, both with the fans and with the reviewers, than the other recent Beach Boys albums, and although all of the albums are worthy creations, Holland genuinely stands above these albums as one of the crown jewels of their long and distinguished career.