The Beach Boys - Holland (1973)
Produced by: The Beach Boys
Side 1:
1. Sail On, Sailor (B. Wilson/Rieley/Parks/Almer/Kennedy)
2. Out In The Country (B. Wilson/Goldberg)
3. California Saga
a. Big Sur (Love)
b. The Beaks Of Eagles (Jardine/Jeffers)
c. California (Jardine)
Side 2:
1. The Trader (C. Wilson/Rieley)
2. Steamboat (D. Wilson/Rieley)
3. Hard Time (Chaplin/Fataar)
4. Carry Me Home (D. Wilson)
Side 3:
1. Leaving This Town (Fataar/Chaplin/C. Wilson/Love)
2. Only With You (D. Wilson /Love)
3. Funky Pretty (B. Wilson/Love/Rieley)
4. We Got Love (Fataar/Chaplin/Love)
Side 4:
1. Mount Vernon And Fairway (A Fairy Tale)
a. Mt. Vernon And Fairway - Theme (B. Wilson)
b. A Casual Look (Wells)
c. I'm The Pied Piper - Instrumental (B. Wilson/C. Wilson)
d. Better Get Back In Bed (B. Wilson)
e. Magic Transistor Radio (B. Wilson)
f. I'm The Pied Piper (B. Wilson/C. Wilson)
g. Radio King Dom (B. Wilson/Rieley)
Singles:
Sail On, Sailor b/w
Only With You
(#3 US / #2 UK)
California Saga: California b/w
Funky Pretty
(#17 US / #23 UK)
We Got Love b/w
Carry Me Home
(#21 US / #20 UK)
"The newest Beach Boys album is possibly their best yet, things are looking up for the California rock band.
Holland is a hell of an effort, with each member pulling their weight. The band has seemed to find what truly works for them. The work on this album rivals the other big artists of this year and last. Holland delivers a rock/folk/country mixture that is still drenched in the signature Beach Boys style. Or, well, this version of The Beach Boys style. We can't deny that this album sounds nothing like the band that put out songs like
Surfin Safari or
Surfer Girl, but the remnants are still there. The Beach Boys are adapting while still keeping their core intact, and it's working for them. As we write this review, lead single
Sail On, Sailor is rocketing up the charts. Highlights include; lead-single
Sail On, Sailor, the entire
California Saga, Carl's epic
The Trader, Dennis's heartfelt but bitter
Carry Me Home, the Fataar/Chaplin/Love collab
We Got Love, and the catchy and fun
Funky Pretty. Also included on this double LP is Brian's fairy tale, Mt. Vernon And Fairway. A strange inclusion for sure but we can not deny that the music is good, it has Brian Wilson at its core and that shows. Altogether, this is our favorite Beach Boys album in a few years, the band really has it together with this one.
Holland is
THE album to start your year with."
- Rolling Stone Magazine (1973)
"Our manager, Jack Rieley, had the idea to go outside the states for our next album. He was hoping to inspire us a bit and really get us working, and I would say it worked. It was certainly an adjustment at first, but once we got into the groove we really jelled and started cranking stuff out. After we wrapped up work we decided to name the album after the place that helped inspire us. Felt like a good way to pay homage."
- Carl Wilson (1973)
"This was really a breath of fresh air for us, we needed to fully prove we were with the times but also still The Beach Boys, I think
Holland accomplished that for us. I'm very proud of the work we all did here, and it sure is paying off. Sail On, Sailor is our biggest hit in a while, and you better your ass we're proud of that."
- Al Jardine (1973)
"This one doesn't really need an introduction but I'll do it anyway. We recorded this one in a faraway land......Europe. More specifically Holland. After some hard work, it turned into a smash hit, thanks to all of you. Here's Blondie with Sail On, Sailor!"
- Mike Love (1974)
"
Holland was a lot of hard work, so we took a small break after that and started focusing on performing. We put out the live LP last year and that sold well. We definitely will have something this year though. It'll be tough to follow up on
Holland but we have some tracks that we're really diggin' at the moment. So keep an eye out for something soon."
- Dennis Wilson (1975)
"We all moved to Holland but Brian wasn't really interested. Me, Carnie, Wendy, and everyone else was already over there by the time Brian decided to come. It took a lot of coaxing but when he finally came over I could tell he was happy he did. He enjoyed working with the guys in a new environment, even though the conditions were rough at times. When he wasn't working on music he was riding his bike or shopping in town. He seemed to enjoy the simplicity of it all. I guess you could ask him though."
- Marilyn Wilson (1976)
"I like that album a lot, yeah. It was the result of a lot of good work. The fairy tale grew out of my influences at the time. I was listening to
Sail Away by Randy Newman and that album really pushed me to do something unique. I like how it turned out, I think Jack did a pretty good job on the narration. And of course, we had Sail On, Sailor which was a good hit. Made me happy to see that one go big."
- Brian Wilson (2006)