The Beach Boys
Carl and the Passions: "So Tough"

THE REVIEW

You can end the day like this, waiting for the needle to reach the last groove of an almost forgotten record from 1972 to get emotional and moved.

Dennis Wilson's anguished singing fills the room with poignant melancholy, a fragile melody that finishes wrapped in a shyly romantic orchestral texture. "Cuddle Up" is a simply magnificent song unjustly forgotten in the disorganized discography of a group, the Beach Boys, who in the early '70s produced beautiful records destined to disappear in the charts worldwide, submerged by other more fashionable sounds. What a shame because until "Holland" released in 1973, the Californian band, which now had Brian Wilson as a ghostwriter closed off to fight his demons, showed a pleasant and interesting last flurry. This is the case of "Carl and the Passion-So Tough" from 1972, overshadowed by the much better-known "Surf's Up" and "Holland", which sees the addition of Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar on drums replacing an injured Dennis Wilson unable to perform.

The sounds shift towards slow West Coast ballads, "Hold On Dear Brother", and more soul-like in the beautiful "Here She Comes" both composed by Chaplin. "Make It Good" is the first track penned by Dennis Wilson, a melancholic sound blend that cradles his typically rough vocals in a small preview of the closure that will come with "Cuddle Up". "Marcella" is a negligible hit co-written by Brian Wilson, while Carl with Al Jardine and Love sing the more classic Beach Boys style ballad "All This Is That", meticulously crafted vocal harmonies over a melody on electric piano. The finale is all Dennis Wilson, distant piano notes introduce a song that's almost a lulling lullaby, followed by the poignant opening with the line "your love is so warm and good to me", a sincere declaration introducing one of the most moving passages for choir and orchestra to appear on a rock music record.