Carl and the Passions – "So Tough"

Carl and the Passions – "So Tough" is the 18th studio album by American rock band the Beach Boys, released on May 15, 1972. The album is considered a transitional album for the band, with the addition of Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar on guitar and drums, respectively, and member Bruce Johnston departing during its initial sessions.

Carl and the Passions – "So Tough"
Studio album by
The Beach Boys
ReleasedMay 15, 1972
RecordedDecember 4, 1971 – April 13, 1972
StudioBeach Boys Studio, Los Angeles
GenreRock[1]
Length34:12
LabelBrother/Reprise
ProducerThe Beach Boys
The Beach Boys chronology
Surf's Up
(1971)		 Carl and the Passions – "So Tough"
(1972)		 Holland
(1973)
Singles from Carl and the Passions – "So Tough"
  1. "You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone"
    Released: May 15, 1972
  2. "Marcella"
    Released: June 26, 1972

Carl and the Passions was Brian Wilson and Mike Love's high school band. This was the first album released under a new deal with Warner Bros. that allowed the company to distribute all future Beach Boys product in foreign as well as domestic markets. The initial American pressings of the album included the band's 1966 studio album Pet Sounds as a bonus record.

Release and reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Blender[3]
Christgau's Record GuideC+[4]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[5]
MusicHound3/5[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]

Carl and the Passions – "So Tough" met with moderate commercial success upon release, reaching number 25 in the UK and number 50 in the US.

In his review for The San Diego Door, Cameron Crowe wrote: "So Tough finds some excellent music with no trace of anything left over from the Pet Sounds days. I coulda sworn 'Hold On Dear Brother' was the Band."[8] Less favorably, Robert Christgau of The Village Voice wrote that the album was "Fairly pleasant, but even the highlights aren't all that hot."[9] Rolling Stone's Stephen Davis felt that only four of the tracks were "acceptable", and that Brian Wilson's lack of genuine involvement hurt the album.[10] NME's Josh Ingham called it "probably the least successful of the Beach Boys' albums."[1]

Retrospectively, Elton John penned liner notes for the 2000 CD reissue, writing: 'This is an album which I have loved for a long time... Carl and the Passions: So Tough has moments of breathtaking genius and experimentation. When this record was released, I remember how different and fresh it sounded. It still does'.[11] English Britpop band Saint Etienne used the title So Tough for their 1993 album as an homage to the Beach Boys. Likewise, they also named their compilation of the same year, You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone, after the Beach Boys song.

Track listing
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone"Brian Wilson/Jack RieleyCarl Wilson3:27
2."Here She Comes"Ricky Fataar/Blondie ChaplinFataar/Chaplin5:10
3."He Come Down"Al Jardine/B. Wilson/Mike LoveLove/Chaplin/Jardine/C. Wilson4:40
4."Marcella"B. Wilson/Tandyn Almer/RieleyC. Wilson/Chaplin/Love3:54
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Hold On Dear Brother"Fataar/ChaplinChaplin4:43
2."Make It Good"Dennis Wilson/Daryl DragonD. Wilson2:36
3."All This Is That"Jardine/Carl Wilson/LoveC. Wilson/Jardine/Love4:00
4."Cuddle Up"D. Wilson/DragonD. Wilson5:30

Track notes per 2000 liner notes.[11]

Charts
The Beach Boys performing in 1972, with Elton John (far right, seated)
Albums
Year Chart Position
1972 UK Albums (OCC)[12] 25
1972 US Billboard 200 Albums Chart 50
US Singles
Year Single Chart Position
1972 "Marcella" US Billboard Singles Chart 110

References
  1. Ingham, Josh (March 31, 1973). "The Beach Boys #2: The Exiles Return". NME.
  2. Bush, John (1972-05-15). "Carl and the Passions - So Tough - The Beach Boys : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-06-11.
  3. Wolk, Douglas (October 2004). "The Beach Boys Carl and the Passions: So Tough/Holland". Blender. Archived from the original on June 30, 2006. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
  4. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: B". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  5. Larkin, Colin, ed. (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). London: Oxford University Press. p. 479. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4.
  6. Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel (eds) (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Visible Ink Press. p. 84. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  7. Brackett, Nathan; with Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York, NY: Fireside/Simon & Schuster. p. 46. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  8. Crowe, Cameron (1972-06-22). Review: The Beach Boys - Carl and the Passions-So Tough. The San Diego Door. Retrieved 2012-06-11.
  9. "CG: beach boys". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2012-06-11.
  10. Davis, Stephen (June 22, 1972). "The Beach Boys: Carl And The Passions: So Tough". rollingstone.com.
  11. McCaughey, Scott (2000). Carl and the Passions – "So Tough" / Holland (CD Liner). The Beach Boys. Capitol Records.
  12. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.

Further reading
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