Thursday, July 3, 2025

"Riot in Cell Block No. 9"

I listened to The Very Best of the Coasters yester-day, specifically to hear "Riot in Cell Block #9" because 2 July is the date mentioned in it.  I noticed some small significance in the structure of the song that also appears in one of the versions that the Beach Boys did during the sessions for Beach Boys' Party! (listed as "Riot in Cell Block No. 9" #2 on Beach Boys' Party! Uncovered and Unplugged).

The fourth verse is shorter than the others (it's only two lines instead of four), and to some degree, this demonstrates the constraint of being "back in our cells."

When I referenced the CD, it also occurred to me that the difference between Beach Boys' Party! and Beach Boys' Party! Uncovered and Unplugged is comparable to that between the Beatles' Let It Be and Let It Be... Naked.  The revisited version of each album has roughly the same visual design as the original but with different pictures that are in black and white instead of color, and the music of each has had a layer of overdubs stripped away.