More studio news

[GhostyTMRS]

Mark Lindsay and Brian co-wrote a song for possible inclusion in TWGMTR. Could they be finishing up that track for MIC? For a new BB lp? Working on something new for a BW solo project?

WTF is going on?

Brian finishes leftover songs intended for TWGMTR and releases them as a solo album, prompting Mike to gripe to the press that his vocals were wiped from the tracks he worked on and those were meant to be Beach Boys songs and now he's suing! 

[coco1997]

I know it's probably too early for this, but I wish we had some timeframe for the release of Brian's new album.

[oldsurferdude]

Mark Lindsay and Brian co-wrote a song for possible inclusion in TWGMTR. Could they be finishing up that track for MIC? For a new BB lp? Working on something new for a BW solo project?

WTF is going on?

Brian finishes leftover songs intended for TWGMTR and releases them as a solo album, prompting Mike to gripe to the press that his vocals were wiped from the tracks he worked on and those were meant to be Beach Boys songs and now he's suing! 

Don't laugh, man. LuHv is a freakin' time bomb. He'll sue at the drop of his sweaty hat, or his turban, or his...

[Wirestone]

Just to refresh everyone on what we know officially.

The original post is here (thanks, Buddhahat!): http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,15536.msg371052.html#msg371052

----------

The latest issue of Mojo has a 3/4 page on the new Brian album focusing on the collaboration with Jeff Beck.
Some choice quotes:

Earlier this year Wilson and Beck spent a week in the studio. "They got along famously and came up with some new things" says Brian's collaborator Joe Thomas. The LP's one non original, he added, is a traditional song familiar to them both from their youths.: " It's actually the first song Brian ever learned to sing from his grandmother," says Thomas. "Jeff Beck blasted off this one version and it knocked Brian out of the ballpark and then Brian came up with an arrangement and within a few hours there was this magical version" The song, whose title they're keeping secret for now " will blow everyone's minds".

And ...

Thomas reminded him of their 80 hours of unreleased material from those (1998) sessions. He put them in digital files and Brian referred to some when writing songs for last year's TWGMTR. Others he wanted to save for a solo record. "He was very specific about which were which," says Thomas, " and in a lot of cases, the ones for his own album are a lot edgier." He also wanted to write new songs. "I've known him for 20 years and I've never seen him so prolific." So many, Brian says, he can't remember the titles. There's "no concept" this time, "just music. I love the music."

[Iron Horse-Apples]

So Joe Thomas is involved. 

[Wirestone]

He's very good at not being in the studio pictures nowadays.

[Iron Horse-Apples]

I'd hate to think he was hiding from us

[guitarfool2002]

Is it just me, or is there a contradiction in saying how prolific Brian has been writing new music, yet I get the feeling they may be more often revisiting and rehashing leftover material from those 1998 sessions?

Imagination is done, it is what it was...I'm not totally against dusting off some worthy old material but at the same time 1998 is light years away from 2013 in terms of what has happened since, I'd almost prefer to hear where Brian's muse is right now.

And if the new material has the same general production, vibe, or sound as Imagination when all is said and done...I guess I'm just skeptical based on Imagination's overall results.

[TimmyC]

What do you mean? Imagination is fantastic! At least by Beach Boys standards it's fantastic. In fact, it SHOULD have been a Beach Boys record. Truly a crime that it wasn't. GIOMH? not so much. BWPS? DEFINITELY NOT. But Imagination? Such a great album. I guess you could count me then as someone who doesn't mind Joe Thomas too much. And look at it this way, it's possible that without him there might not have been a reunion at all. I think the stars aligned perfectly to make that happen, and Joe Thomas was one of those stars.

[guitarfool2002]

What do you mean? Imagination is fantastic! At least by Beach Boys standards it's fantastic. In fact, it SHOULD have been a Beach Boys record. Truly a crime that it wasn't. GIOMH? not so much. BWPS? DEFINITELY NOT. But Imagination? Such a great album. I guess you could count me then as someone who doesn't mind Joe Thomas too much. And look at it this way, it's possible that without him there might not have been a reunion at all. I think the stars aligned perfectly to make that happen, and Joe Thomas was one of those stars.

I won't debate personal taste or opinion, whatever someone likes or dislikes is their business. I do think the conscious effort by Joe Thomas to put the AC (adult contemporary) sheen on the music in order to lean the music toward acceptance in that specific market created a dated album and whitewashed the unique musical quirkiness of one of the most unique arrangers in pop music in order to fit in. There are just those like me I suppose who think part of Brian's mastery as a producer was how his best work going back to the early 60's was how he carved out a niche rather than trying to fit into an existing one, and his productions came out sounding uniquely like Brian.

I'm talking production here, to clarify, as those songwriting quirks were and will always be there in a Brian Wilson tune.

One thing that confirmed some of these thoughts of mine about Joe Thomas and Imagination in general was reading how Joe in an early band rehearsal before Brian went on that first tour post-Imagination was when he told the band to play "Caroline, No" so it sounded more like a Sade tune. And at that point, for some fans like me, thankfully so, Darian balked and nearly walked away from the tour in protest. I think it was that one point in time that may have led to everything we got to see happen live on stage from that point on, that made an incredible impact on thousands of us who were lucky enough to see it: A tight and talented backing band playing songs like "Caroline, No" respectfully and masterfully night after night on stage rather than trying to reshape Brian into a smooth jazz or A.C. artist by adding a Sade vibe to something from Pet Sounds.

Similar accounts found some of Brian's arrangement and orchestration ideas for Imagination being vetoed by Joe and instead replaced by layers of keyboards and various AC-friendly "smooth" instruments in order to appeal to that market.

If Brian heard a bass trombone and harmonica on one of his songs, that's what I'd want to hear...no matter how quirky or odd a choice it may seem. That's Brian's muse, that's who he is and what he hears as a producer. I just didn't get the decisions to veto that kind of quirkiness in favor of what a niche market would suggest as a more radio-friendly choice.

That first tour was a catharsis, I was fortunate enough to see one of the shows. In hindsight, had Darian not balked at the attempts to change those brilliant original arrangements into something more slick and contemporary for that tour, it may have been much less than what it actually was.

Would we have wanted that, a live show where Caroline No sounded like Sade and instead of "The Little Girl I Once Knew" and "Let's Go Away For Awhile" we'd have seen the full Imagination album played each night?

[TimmyC]

I hear you, but as far as the AC sound of Imagination goes - is it really that different from Brian Wilson '88?

[Wirestone]

What about the TWGMTR album?

Surely that's a more productive basis for comparison than something 15 years old.

[Iron Horse-Apples]

I think his original point was, a lot of Brian's new music seems to date back to those sessions.

[guitarfool2002]

What about the TWGMTR album?

Surely that's a more productive basis for comparison than something 15 years old.

Not when Joe specifically mentions 80 hours of digital files left over from Imagination; yes, some of those ideas showed up in 2012 on the BB's album but still...if Brian is in one of his prolific songwriting phases this year, I'd want to hear that over whatever digital files Joe has that are being auditioned from 1998. And remember too that Imagination didn't perform very well on the charts, singles or albums, and soon disappeared from even the AC charts that Joe specifically tried to bend and shape the arrangements and productions to fit. It's not like there is a track record of success from Imagination, apart from a few tunes it's not all that well-remembered by fans or even requested at shows, and Brian doesn't have the Beach Boys reunion aura with this solo album.

TWGMTR has already been released, Imagination is 15 years old and sounds like it, let's hear what Brian has coming from of his songwriting muse now!  

[guitarfool2002]

I hear you, but as far as the AC sound of Imagination goes - is it really that different from Brian Wilson '88?

Whatever BW '88 sounded like has little to do with the kind of mindset which would lead to telling Brian's band to play Caroline No more like a Sade record than the original arrangement. And that was the kind of mindset which went into making Imagination what it sounded like, apparently against some of Brian's own ideas for the production. I'm just skeptical about putting the same variables in place in 2013 especially if they're working on the same music from 1998 that led to all of that in the first place.

[TimmyC]

Fair enough. But to my ears, Brian's production ideas aren't always the best! The biggest offender is the spirit of rock n roll remake for the Hallmark collection. It was stripped down and cleansed of the 80s productions values, but it was for the way worse. I assume that was Brian's decision (which effectively ruined the song, at least for me).

By the way the Sade story is hilarious, and pretty ridiculous if true. Ah well....

[SurfRiderHawaii]

Mark Lindsay and Brian co-wrote a song for possible inclusion in TWGMTR. Could they be finishing up that track for MIC? For a new BB lp? Working on something new for a BW solo project?

WTF is going on?

Another news story from Howie?

http://www.wmmr.com/music/news/story.aspx?ID=1976494

All is adding up to a new Brian solo album with Mike doing overdubs for MIC.

[jeremylr]

Coincidentally, I got to interview Mark Lindsay earlier today. I had no idea that he had composed a song with Brian until about a hour before the interview, so thank God for Smiley Smile. I got a few teeny, tiny details...

Lindsay said he was in California last week on business and dropped into Ocean Way for less than 10 minutes to visit & listen to what Brian was doing, who was recording. Foskett took the photo of them together.  I asked if it would be a Beach Boys or Brian recording...Lindsay said solo Brian. He said he wasn't sure if the song would appear on Brian's upcoming album...perhaps the next album.

I tried to get Lindsay to tell me the title, but he laughed and said he couldn't. He thinks it's part of another, larger song, so there may be a couple of additional writers on it. I pressed him a bit regarding what the song was about. In his words, "If I tell you the lyrics, I'll let the cat out of the bag. But it's a love song about a boy and a girl or about two lovers of any sex for that matter." At this point Lindsay hasn't recorded any vocals, but he left the possibility open.

He mentioned that his friendship with Brian only blossomed in the last couple of years. He used to hang out with Carl, Dennis, and Bruce, but he was always intimidated by Brian.

My favorite Lindsay quote: "The man is a genius, there's no question about it. He may not sing like he did in the '60s, but he still thinks like he did back in the '60s. He still has it...all those harmonies in his head just like he did. There's only one Brian."

Currently performing on the Happy Together '60s package tour (how I got the interview in the first place), Lindsay told me that he will be in New Jersey when Brian plays there on July 20 and plans on attending the show.

Believe it or not, last year when I saw the Beach Boys in St. Augustine, Florida, I was heading into the amphitheatre when guess who I see walking in front of me with a baseball cap...Mark Lindsay and his wife, Deb. Nobody else seemed to recognize him. After they were seated, I simply walked up, said that was I a fan, sat down and chatted for a few minutes, and got his autograph. I should have got a picture, I know. Guess I was nervous about making a scene. Apparently the former Raider saw The Beach Boys a number of times last year when they were in Florida. Definitely a nice, approachable guy.

[SurfRiderHawaii]

Coincidentally, I got to interview Mark Lindsay earlier today. I had no idea that he had composed a song with Brian until about a hour before the interview, so thank God for Smiley Smile. I got a few teeny, tiny details...

Lindsay said he was in California last week on business and dropped into Ocean Way for less than 10 minutes to visit & listen to what Brian was doing, who was recording. Foskett took the photo of them together.  I asked if it would be a Beach Boys or Brian recording...Lindsay said solo Brian. He said he wasn't sure if the song would appear on Brian's upcoming album...perhaps the next album.

I tried to get Lindsay to tell me the title, but he laughed and said he couldn't. He thinks it's part of another, larger song, so there may be a couple of additional writers on it. I pressed him a bit regarding what the song was about. In his words, "If I tell you the lyrics, I'll let the cat out of the bag. But it's a love song about a boy and a girl or about two lovers of any sex for that matter." At this point Lindsay hasn't recorded any vocals, but he left the possibility open.

He mentioned that his friendship with Brian only blossomed in the last couple of years. He used to hang out with Carl, Dennis, and Bruce, but he was always intimidated by Brian.

My favorite Lindsay quote: "The man is a genius, there's no question about it. He may not sing like he did in the '60s, but he still thinks like he did back in the '60s. He still has it...all those harmonies in his head just like he did. There's only one Brian."

Currently performing on the Happy Together '60s package tour (how I got the interview in the first place), Lindsay told me that he will be in New Jersey when Brian plays there on July 20 and plans on attending the show.

Believe it or not, last year when I saw the Beach Boys in St. Augustine, Florida, I was heading into the amphitheatre when guess who I see walking in front of me with a baseball cap...Mark Lindsay and his wife, Deb. Nobody else seemed to recognize him. After they were seated, I simply walked up, said that was I a fan, sat down and chatted for a few minutes, and got his autograph. I should have got a picture, I know. Guess I was nervous about making a scene. Apparently the former Raider saw The Beach Boys a number of times last year when they were in Florida. Definitely a nice, approachable guy.

Great job!

[Micha]

If Brian heard a bass trombone and harmonica on one of his songs, that's what I'd want to hear...

Depends if I like the result or not. For instance, unlike most here, I strongly dislike the sound of Love You, and would rather have them play those songs in "Wall Of Sound" arrangements. Yeah, put bass trombones and harmonicas on them!

[jeremylr]

I really appreciate your kind remarks, OregonRiverRider. Thanks.

[Ziggy Stardust]

Coincidentally, I got to interview Mark Lindsay earlier today. I had no idea that he had composed a song with Brian until about a hour before the interview, so thank God for Smiley Smile. I got a few teeny, tiny details...

Lindsay said he was in California last week on business and dropped into Ocean Way for less than 10 minutes to visit & listen to what Brian was doing, who was recording. Foskett took the photo of them together.  I asked if it would be a Beach Boys or Brian recording...Lindsay said solo Brian. He said he wasn't sure if the song would appear on Brian's upcoming album...perhaps the next album.

I tried to get Lindsay to tell me the title, but he laughed and said he couldn't. He thinks it's part of another, larger song, so there may be a couple of additional writers on it. I pressed him a bit regarding what the song was about. In his words, "If I tell you the lyrics, I'll let the cat out of the bag. But it's a love song about a boy and a girl or about two lovers of any sex for that matter." At this point Lindsay hasn't recorded any vocals, but he left the possibility open.

He mentioned that his friendship with Brian only blossomed in the last couple of years. He used to hang out with Carl, Dennis, and Bruce, but he was always intimidated by Brian.

My favorite Lindsay quote: "The man is a genius, there's no question about it. He may not sing like he did in the '60s, but he still thinks like he did back in the '60s. He still has it...all those harmonies in his head just like he did. There's only one Brian."

Currently performing on the Happy Together '60s package tour (how I got the interview in the first place), Lindsay told me that he will be in New Jersey when Brian plays there on July 20 and plans on attending the show.

Believe it or not, last year when I saw the Beach Boys in St. Augustine, Florida, I was heading into the amphitheatre when guess who I see walking in front of me with a baseball cap...Mark Lindsay and his wife, Deb. Nobody else seemed to recognize him. After they were seated, I simply walked up, said that was I a fan, sat down and chatted for a few minutes, and got his autograph. I should have got a picture, I know. Guess I was nervous about making a scene. Apparently the former Raider saw The Beach Boys a number of times last year when they were in Florida. Definitely a nice, approachable guy.

Finally some fresh and interesting news! now we're talking good work man, thanks for sharing.

[The Shift]

I asked if it would be a Beach Boys or Brian recording...Lindsay said solo Brian. He said he wasn't sure if the song would appear on Brian's upcoming album...perhaps the next album.

Many thanks for sharing this - news is always welcome!

This I find intriguing. Is the implication that Brian's working on two albums simultaneously? Or am I misreading?

[SurfRiderHawaii]

I really appreciate your kind remarks, OregonRiverRider. Thanks.

Really appreciate you going out of your way to interview Mark and sharing it with us!

[runnersdialzero]

SEEMS LIKE WE COULD
GO ON FOREVER
AS LONG AS WE CAN
ALL STAY TOGETHER




























HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA JUST KIDDING ASSHOLES.