Bull Session with the "Big Daddy"
"Bull Session with the 'Big Daddy'" is the last track on the 1965 album The Beach Boys Today! by American rock band The Beach Boys. The track is one of the few spoken word tracks released on the band's studio albums, the others being "'Cassius' Love vs. 'Sonny' Wilson" from Shut Down Volume 2 and "Our Favorite Recording Sessions" from All Summer Long.
| "Bull Session with the 'Big Daddy'" | |
|---|---|
| Song by The Beach Boys | |
| from the album The Beach Boys Today! | |
| Released | March 8, 1965 |
| Genre | Spoken word |
| Length | 2:10 (album version) 22:12 (full version) |
| Label | Capitol |
| Producer(s) | Brian Wilson |
Background
The track is a recording of an informal interview of the Beach Boys by Earl Leaf. Al Jardine is not present during the interview, although the other four members are; also present is Brian Wilson's wife, Marilyn. Its runtime, which is 2 minutes and 10 seconds long, is only an excerpt from the interview which lasts 20 minutes and 12 seconds.[1] It is unreleased but has been made available through bootlegs.
Reception
Despite the glowing reception for the rest of The Beach Boys Today!, "Bull Session with the 'Big Daddy'" is largely regarded as filler. Scott Interrante of PopMatters described it as a "filler chatter track" and said that "over the two minutes, very little of substance is said, and one seriously questions why it was included at all," concluding that "I think we can all agree that the album would be better off without it."[2] Author Andrew Hickey described the track as "the most pointless thing in the band's discography."[3] Writer Keith Badman called the track "bizarre."[1]
Personnel
The Beach Boys
- Mike Love – spoken word
- Brian Wilson – spoken word
- Carl Wilson – spoken word
- Dennis Wilson – spoken word
Additional personnel
- Earl Leaf – spoken word
- Marilyn Wilson – spoken word
References
- Badman, Keith (2004). The Beach Boys: The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band, on Stage and in the Studio. Hal Leonard Corporation.
- Interrante, Scott (June 16, 2014). "In the Back of My Mind". popmatters.com.
- Hickey, Andrew. The Beach Boys On CD vol 1: The 1960s.
