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Sail on, Sailor

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   Looking for some inspiration in 1972 the Beach Boys packed their bags and their recording studio and settled down in the Netherlands to record their album "Holland". They hoped that the change of scenery would snap their band leader Brian Wilson out of his depression. Although they did end up getting Brian to come along, 3 attempts, he did not contribute much to the album. (except it seems his very creepy EP Mt.Vernon and Fairway{ A fairytale})

     Sailing and port towns are the themes of the CD which is applicable whether you are off the California coast or in the canals of Amsterdam. The single from the album "Sail on Sailor" sounds much like Stevie Wonder, who was a major player in the music scene around that time. "Holland" was famously expensive to record, which makes sense since they needed to send all of their gear to Holland; and it was recorded in the tiny town of Baambrugge which is in the interior of the Netherlands.

      It got good reviews from the Rolling Stone, and was by them labeled as one of the best albums of 1973. For me it is not the Beach Boys sound that I was expecting. The songs still follow a simple style with lots of vocal harmony that I associate with them, but the CD seems to be much more melancholy and introspective than their older music.

  The album cover is a upside down shot of the Kromme Waal, a canal that runs through Amsterdam.
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