I think big news is coming...

[Mr. Wilson]

Im thinking about the lyrics to COCONUT by Harry Nillson right now.

[Wirestone]

Wait until you're that age, then say that. I'm 54 and I can say that I still feel things like I did when I was a young man. I am not dead.

Appreciating different things at different times is not a sign of death, it's a sign of maturity and growth.

Rockandroll, I wish this was Facebook so I could "like" all of your posts here. Seriously. You have managed to pinpoint precisely what makes latter-day BB stuff kind of skeevy.

Interestingly enough, I think "Kokomo" worked because it was the rare fun and sun tune that worked from a _slightly_ more mature perspective. You could believe it being sung by guys in their 40s.

[SurfRiderHawaii]

I think a title like Indian Summer evokes an image of a beach just as the sun is beginning to set, a beach shack in the foreground with a faded Beach Boys poster on it - maybe of the '64 Live album image - and in the distance, two figures with their back to us, a man and a woman hand in hand , walking along the shoreline at low tide. It may sound cheesy how I've described it but in my head it makes a lovely image for an album cover.

Already been used by another great American harmony band - POCO

[drbeachboy]

You mean to tell me that a 55 year old man could not have a thing for a lead-footed 55 year old woman?

I think that falling in love with a 55 year old woman who steals her father's car and rides it to a hamburger shop is probably not a very common experience of the average 55 year old man. If that did happen, the 55 year old man would more than likely find the woman to be troubled psychologically.

What is it, now? First it's political correctness

It was never political correctness. That was just the term you evoked when your comment was taken for being absurd.

now it's age appropriateness? The whole point is not recreating Fun Fun Fun, but writing new music that captures the essence of fun, of falling in love, etc. We older people still enjoy that kind of stuff, you know. It's not just for young 21 year olds.

Right, but of course, I'm in my early 30s and my idea of fun is not what my idea of fun was when I was 21. My idea of fun now is hanging out with my 1 year old daughter, or going to a good movie, or hanging out casually with friends in a living room and playing music. Not much of that would have been entirely appealing to me when I was 21. And why is that? Because people actually change. Yes, they can ALWAYS have fun, but it shouldn't be all that surprising that many people's idea of fun changes over time. Yes, I might be interested in hearing what the current Beach Boys do for fun, or what their current musical take on "fun" is, but I am not interested in hearing them try to replicate what their idea of fun was 45 years ago because that's just  inauthentic bullsh*t. Also, do you actually believe 70 year olds are falling in love as often (and in the same way) as 21 year olds? That their lifetime of relationships and, dare I say it, sexual experience hasn't altered, in some small way, what the experience of falling in love might be like?

Tell Mike Love that. He's been married 5 times and at 70 still has a couple of fairly young kids. Remember the line in When I Grow Up; "Will I dig the same things in a woman that I dig in a girl". For me, it is yes, for the most part. My wife is still much as she was like when I met her. Her thinking has matured, but she is still in essence, very much the girl I married. I still like the same things in her now, that were a part of her then. You take things too literal. I never said an exact rewrite of FUN FUN FUN, I said essence. I want a similar quality, an updated, but similar idea for the lyric. Having fun and being in love has no age or gender gap. Outwardly, things change as we grow older, but the underlying roots of it all do not change. Man, talk about age discrimination. Just kidding...

[MyGlove]

I should have waited! I bought all their albums and now they're re-releasing them as a box set! PHRUCKEN AY!

[Wirestone]

I should have waited! I bought all their albums and now they're re-releasing them as a box set! PHRUCKEN AY!

Where are you seeing this?

[Chocolate Shake Man]

Tell Mike Love that. He's been married 5 times and at 70 still has a couple of fairly young kids.

That's one of the reasons why Mike Love is a buffoon. Do you think your average 21 year old would look at Mike Love and say: "Yyyyyyessss! He's just like us!" If you stand by your point that "Having fun and b eing in love has no age or gender gap" then of course you'd have to answer yes. But Mike Love today (or maybe, let's say Mike Love in the 90s) is an excellent case. He's a man who tried to exude "eternal youth". The problem is that he didn't take account of one thing: Mike Love didn't know a thing about what it actually meant to be young and he could never actually pull of being young because he wasn't young. And just because he was young at one point didn't give him the kind of power to erase the kind of work that decades had done to him. Consequently, his general character was just sad.

Remember the line in When I Grow Up; "Will I dig the same things in a woman that I dig in a girl". For me, it is yes, for the most part. My wife is still much as she was like when I met her. Her thinking has matured, but she is still in essence, very much the girl I married. I still like the same things in her now, that were a part of her then.

I don't propose to tell you what you love or don't love in your wife but all I can say is that I would never enter into a long term relationship with someone if I didn't think that there wasn't going to be new things to appreciate or love about them.

You take things too literal. I never said an exact rewrite of FUN FUN FUN, I said essence. I want a similar quality, an updated, but similar idea for the lyric.

But the song is about being young and in love. If you update it, it's no longer anything like Fun Fun Fun. So if you update the themes and still aim for Fun Fun Fun, then you're just going to get a very very poor facsimile which sounds desperate and sad. Like Wirestone has suggested, that's precisely a central reason why some of the later Beach Boys albums don't work as well. They are entirely inauthentic because they try to replicate something that they have no direct experience of anymore.

Having fun and being in love has no age or gender gap.

Of course it does, and that's a good thing. I can't imagine why any 50+ (in fact, any 25+er for that matter) would want to get wasted, get into a cab, head to a club, take some E, have anonymous sex with a stranger and spend the next day hung over.

[rab2591]

I should have waited! I bought all their albums and now they're re-releasing them as a box set! PHRUCKEN AY!

Yeah, I'm in the same boat; have spent hundreds upon hundreds on BB albums these last two years....and NOW they re-release. This is testing how far my fanaticism goes!

[SMiLE Brian]

I should have waited! I bought all their albums and now they're re-releasing them as a box set! PHRUCKEN AY!

Yeah, I'm in the same boat; have spent hundreds upon hundreds on BB albums these last two years....and NOW they re-release. This is testing how far my fanaticism goes!

I did the same, but if they improve the quality or have mono mixes, its worth it in my opinion.

[SMiLE Brian]

A modern rewrite of Fun, Fun Fun would not work out well.

[rab2591]

I should have waited! I bought all their albums and now they're re-releasing them as a box set! PHRUCKEN AY!

Yeah, I'm in the same boat; have spent hundreds upon hundreds on BB albums these last two years....and NOW they re-release. This is testing how far my fanaticism goes!

I did the same, but if they improve the quality or have mono mixes, its worth it in my opinion.

Yeah that's true. Still, makes me cringe thinking of all that money!

Granted, cleaned up versions of Friends and Today would make me buy it in a heartbeat.

[drbeachboy]

Tell Mike Love that. He's been married 5 times and at 70 still has a couple of fairly young kids.

That's one of the reasons why Mike Love is a buffoon. Do you think your average 21 year old would look at Mike Love and say: "Yyyyyyessss! He's just like us!" If you stand by your point that "Having fun and b eing in love has no age or gender gap" then of course you'd have to answer yes. But Mike Love today (or maybe, let's say Mike Love in the 90s) is an excellent case. He's a man who tried to exude "eternal youth". The problem is that he didn't take account of one thing: Mike Love didn't know a thing about what it actually meant to be young and he could never actually pull of being young because he wasn't young. And just because he was young at one point didn't give him the kind of power to erase the kind of work that decades had done to him. Consequently, his general character was just sad.

Remember the line in When I Grow Up; "Will I dig the same things in a woman that I dig in a girl". For me, it is yes, for the most part. My wife is still much as she was like when I met her. Her thinking has matured, but she is still in essence, very much the girl I married. I still like the same things in her now, that were a part of her then.

I don't propose to tell you what you love or don't love in your wife but all I can say is that I would never enter into a long term relationship with someone if I didn't think that there wasn't going to be new things to appreciate or love about them.

You take things too literal. I never said an exact rewrite of FUN FUN FUN, I said essence. I want a similar quality, an updated, but similar idea for the lyric.

But the song is about being young and in love. If you update it, it's no longer anything like Fun Fun Fun. So if you update the themes and still aim for Fun Fun Fun, then you're just going to get a very very poor facsimile which sounds desperate and sad. Like Wirestone has suggested, that's precisely a central reason why some of the later Beach Boys albums don't work as well. They are entirely inauthentic because they try to replicate something that they have no direct experience of anymore.

Having fun and being in love has no age or gender gap.

Of course it does, and that's a good thing. I can't imagine why any 50+ (in fact, any 25+er for that matter) would want to get wasted, get into a cab, head to a club, take some E, have anonymous sex with a stranger and spend the next day hung over.

Not even close to my idea of fun. Fun is universal my friend, but certain types of fun or what one considers to be fun can be personal and age and gender appropriate. As with everything that you and I ever try to discuss here, it never ends up well. Why the two of us do this dance, I will never understand. Usually, I avoid your posts so this doesn't happen. Sorry, I'll try not to let it happen again. Enjoy the new album when it's released and enjoy the show(s).

[drbeachboy]

A modern rewrite of Fun, Fun Fun would not work out well.

Indeed, it would not, but a song of the same quality as it would be rather welcome.

[Wirestone]

I should have waited! I bought all their albums and now they're re-releasing them as a box set! PHRUCKEN AY!

Yeah, I'm in the same boat; have spent hundreds upon hundreds on BB albums these last two years....and NOW they re-release. This is testing how far my fanaticism goes!

I did the same, but if they improve the quality or have mono mixes, its worth it in my opinion.

Where are you guys getting this from? References, please.

[Austin]

From the main BB website (past the tour splash page):

"The Beach Boys and Capitol/EMI have also teamed up for a 50th Anniversary campaign spotlighting the band’s entire catalog, with several new commemorative releases planned for 2012, including a new hits collection and a career-spanning box set."

[Chocolate Shake Man]

Not even close to my idea of fun. Fun is universal my friend, but certain types of fun or what one considers to be fun can be personal and age and gender appropriate.

Exactly what I've been saying all along. Both the lyrics and music of Fun, Fun, Fun reflect a particular conception of "fun" that is specific to a particular time and place that, for better or worse, no longer exists.

I guess my main point here is this. Let's pretend for a second that the new album will be called Indian Summer (for no reason other than I just need a title for this example, not because I think that will be the title). Instead of aiming for a Today/Summer Days sound or a Pet Sounds sound or a Smile sound or a Sunflower sound or a Love You sound, wouldn't it be best if the aimed for something that years from now people could actually call their Indian Summer sound?

As with everything that you and I ever try to discuss here, it never ends up well. Why the two of us do this dance, I will never understand. Usually, I avoid your posts so this doesn't happen. Sorry, I'll try not to let it happen again. Enjoy the new album when it's released and enjoy the show(s).

Meh, it seems unavoidable. I respect anyone who is willing to enter into a conversation of sorts so I don't come away feeling hurt nor having a negative opinion of you.

[The Shift]

From the main BB website (past the tour splash page):

"The Beach Boys and Capitol/EMI have also teamed up for a 50th Anniversary campaign spotlighting the band’s entire catalog, with several new commemorative releases planned for 2012, including a new hits collection and a career-spanning box set."

A "Career spanning box set" could mean one track from every album, or less. :Let's wait and see before we send our collections to Oxfam!

[drbeachboy]

From the main BB website (past the tour splash page):

"The Beach Boys and Capitol/EMI have also teamed up for a 50th Anniversary campaign spotlighting the band’s entire catalog, with several new commemorative releases planned for 2012, including a new hits collection and a career-spanning box set."

That says nothing regarding their studio albums. For all we know career-spanning box set could be a re-do of the Good Vibrations Box Set. I'll get more excited about this a little further down the road as more info is released.

[Wirestone]

From the main BB website (past the tour splash page):

"The Beach Boys and Capitol/EMI have also teamed up for a 50th Anniversary campaign spotlighting the band’s entire catalog, with several new commemorative releases planned for 2012, including a new hits collection and a career-spanning box set."

A "Career spanning box set" could mean one track from every album, or less. :Let's wait and see before we send our collections to Oxfam!

This has been public knowledge for several months now. There has been no suggestion that it includes re-releases of the entire back catalog. Given the likely poor sales of such a thing (honestly, who would buy the deluxe M.I.U. besides people here?), I think we'll get what the press release says. Some compilations and a new box set. Not a catalog revamp.

[anazgnos]

"Career-spanning box set" doesn't mean "career-encompassing box set".  It certainly doesn't mean a box set that must include every Beach Boys album in its entirety.  I don't think we've seen anything indicating that the albums will be reissued yet.  My feeling is that the box set will basically be a new version of Thirty Years of Good Vibrations - an intermixing of hits, album cuts and rarities.

[hypehat]

Austin & Littlebird, we've all assumed that would be something along the lines of the Good Vibrations boxset - namely, a compilation. The band have over 30 albums, and with the fetishism of such boxes you'd have to assume each would be stuck in it's own case and thus not twofer-ed, and thus, impossible.

[Austin]

I agree that it doesn't mean anything as far as studio albums go. I just figured that was where everyone was pulling their info.

Anyway, continue speculation.

[SMiLE Brian]

I should have waited! I bought all their albums and now they're re-releasing them as a box set! PHRUCKEN AY!

Yeah, I'm in the same boat; have spent hundreds upon hundreds on BB albums these last two years....and NOW they re-release. This is testing how far my fanaticism goes!

I did the same, but if they improve the quality or have mono mixes, its worth it in my opinion.

Where are you guys getting this from? References, please.

Hopes and Dreams....

[SMiLE Brian]

A modern rewrite of Fun, Fun Fun would not work out well.

Indeed, it would not, but a song of the same quality as it would be rather welcome.

Totally agree, just something tasteful yet catchy and not referencing fun fun fun in the lyrics.

[drbeachboy]

Not even close to my idea of fun. Fun is universal my friend, but certain types of fun or what one considers to be fun can be personal and age and gender appropriate.

Exactly what I've been saying all along. Both the lyrics and music of Fun, Fun, Fun reflect a particular conception of "fun" that is specific to a particular time and place that, for better or worse, no longer exists.

I guess my main point here is this. Let's pretend for a second that the new album will be called Indian Summer (for no reason other than I just need a title for this example, not because I think that will be the title). Instead of aiming for a Today/Summer Days sound or a Pet Sounds sound or a Smile sound or a Sunflower sound or a Love You sound, wouldn't it be best if the aimed for something that years from now people could actually call their Indian Summer sound?

As with everything that you and I ever try to discuss here, it never ends up well. Why the two of us do this dance, I will never understand. Usually, I avoid your posts so this doesn't happen. Sorry, I'll try not to let it happen again. Enjoy the new album when it's released and enjoy the show(s).

Meh, it seems unavoidable. I respect anyone who is willing to enter into a conversation of sorts so I don't come away feeling hurt nor having a negative opinion of you.

My whole point at the beginning was to hope for a quality of music on par with Fun Fun Fun and the Today album, not a 2012 redo of them both. I was strictly talking quality of song, quality of musical performance and quality of vocal performance. While Do It Again did not sound too bad, I do not want, nor did I ever want a rehash of old hits. We'll have that this Spring & Summer in concert. I just wish for the new album to have a sound and a feel and a quality that we haven't seen in a Beach Boys' album since Holland. For me, some of Brian's best writing and production was from 1964 through 1966, hence my use of references to Fun Fun Fun and the Today album. I Hope I'm being more clear here.