Mike Love is a lot of things--a charter member of The Beach Boys who owns the band name and continues to tour with it alongside longtime touring member Bruce Johnston (currently in support of Wild Honey and 1967 - Sunshine Tomorrow), a devoted meditator, perhaps the most memorable speaker at a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction--but right now, he's a guy with a solo double album coming out.
Unleash The Love, due out November 17 on BMG, features 13 new tracks produced by Michael Lloyd and featuring guest appearances by saxophonist Dave Koz and actor, drummer and Beach Boys devotee John Stamos. The title track was made available to hear yesterday, but some of the songs have had a lengthy history: "Pisces Brothers," a song about Love's fateful visit to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and adoption of Transcendental Meditation alongside George Harrison, was first heard in 2014. "Daybreak Over the Ocean" was, of course, also present on That's Why God Made The Radio, the 2012 Beach Boys album reuniting Love with his former bandmates Brian Wilson, Al Jardine and David Marks.
"As a writer, I kept gravitating to this idea of love, in all forms," Love said of the new album in a statement. "Romantic love, unrequited love, lasting love, spiritual love, love for the planet, and what the absence of love can do to us as a people. This album is my way of communicating what the world needs now is love sweet love. And the hope is if we all can unleash whatever love inside of us, we can collectively make this world better."
But there's more Love to go around: the album includes a bonus disc of new recordings of a dozen Beach Boys songs, from the iconic ("Wouldn't It Be Nice," "Good Vibrations," "I Get Around," "Help Me Rhonda") to the more obscure ("The Warmth of the Sun," "Brian's Back"). Stamos and Sugar Ray frontman Mark McGrath appear on a re-do of "Do It Again" released this past summer.
Unleash The Love will be available on CD or LP and can be pre-ordered below.
Unleash The Love (The End/BMG, 2017)
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. (TBD) / Amazon Canada (TBD)
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. (TBD) / Amazon Canada (TBD)
Disc 1
- All the Love in Paris (feat. Dave Koz)
- Getcha Back (feat. John Stamos)
- Daybreak Over the Ocean
- I Don't Wanna Know
- Too Cruel
- Crescent Moon
- Cool Head, Warm Heart
- Pisces Brothers
- Unleash The Love
- Ram Raj
- 10,000 Years Ago (feat. John Stamos)
- Only One Earth
- Make Love Not War
DIsc 2
- California Girls
- Do It Again (feat. Mark McGrath and John Stamos)
- Help Me Rhonda
- I Get Around
- Warmth of the Sun (feat. Ambha Love)
- Brian's Back
- Kiss Me Baby
- Darlin' (feat. AJR)
- Wild Honey (feat. John Cowsill)
- Wouldn't It Be Nice
- Good Vibrations
- Fun, Fun, Fun
Richard Allen says
Stick with the formula Mike
Steamer says
Mike sings a new "Brian's Back"! Really?!
Fletch says
This is bad. To be honest I don't think he can even sing in tune now. If you listen to the new track you can hear it has been auto-tuned.
Manifan says
You're crazy. He sounds terrific on this, and the song is great. They played it at the Beach Boys concert tonight. Best tune I've heard in a long time. The man knows what he's doing.
Ron says
I am actually excited about this release. Mike Love is a character for sure, but he did help craft some of the most successful pop songs ever, and for all these many years, he has made a heck of a lot of people happy as he has performed with The Beach Boys. Like him or not, he does deserve to have an album release, and while odds are pretty slim that he will have an actual solo hit, I wish him the very best. I have a boot copy of an earlier version of the "Unleash The Love" album, and it is really, really, really good. I hope this one is as good, though I wish he had foregone the re-recordings of BB songs... They just seem totally unnecessary, plus he has already recorded some of these songs several times. I eagerly look forward to this album.
Amanda Johnston says
Mike Greatest Job Working On New Different Songs I Want I Like Thank You So Much ❤ I Love To Hear Bruce Sing ( Amanda ) Only One Earth Is My Favorite Beach Boys Songs 🎅Hoo& Hoo Merry Christmas December 25th I Want Beach Boys Christmas
I Want For 😗
God Bless
Amanda Johnston