Al Jardine on Touring with Brian Wilson: We're not done yet!

[drbeachboy]

So is Shut Down, Deuce Coupe, and 409 which are good classic car songs.

But if it's another Drivin' or PT Cruiser, I'll pass.

I'm sure it will be closer to the latter two. Brian's last car song, "Desert Drive," was a complete lyrical disaster.

deaaaad maaan's cuuurve

Yeah, that's another clunker - "Desert Drive".  And yes, you can expect another "car song" to be like that one.

Besides Soul Searchin' and City Blues, Desert Drive is only other song that I like on that album. I remember Darian loving the song, as well. He thought it was cool how Brian named Wayne Newton and Danke Schoen in the lyric.

[Wirestone]

Brian also kept writing car songs in the 80s .... "Let's Go to Heaven in My Car" as a solo artist and "In My Car" for the Beach Boys. So it's not like he's ever actually dropped the topic. I think he just really likes cars, as tacky as some of the tunes turn out to be.

I also think, BTW, that it's preposterous to say that this is all because Brian can't record or tour solo anymore. The Gershwin record was only three years ago, and he did just fine with singing and touring that on his own. I do think, though, that the C50 experience brought it home to BW that he wants to be in a band. It's more pleasant as a touring experience, and I'm sure it's more fun in the studio to have more people around who actually were with you in the glory days.

[Mikie]

Doc, I must say that I agree with you on that. Desert Drive isn't that bad and is one of the highlights of that record, thought that isn't saying much. When I listened to GIOMH for 2 weeks straight way back when, I always played that track as it did rock a little bit. The best car song since "Let's Go To Heaven In My Car" (with Gary Usher's son playing lead guitar on the latter track I might add).

[Micha]

It's nice that someone is doing this for "us", but beyond the fact that the title makes me smile, I can't say I'm too pleased that there's gonna be a car song on the new album.  

As long as it is better than Desert Drive or PT Cruiser then I'm ok with it.

Desert Drive was bad because they didn't use the Paley backing track and replaced it with a punchless one (that Lana intro on GIOMH makes me kind of angry!) and, to a much lesser extent, because Mike didn't sing it. (OK, nor will he sing the new one.)

Sure, but Spring Vacations and Beaches still exist, too, and it seems we want none of that!

I enjoy Spring Vacations a lot more than I'd expect from a song like that, and Beaches in Mind gets much better when you speed it up by one sixth. Also, Beaches would have needed a rock kind of arrangement.

Don't Worry Baby is not a car song in the same sense as Little Deuce Coupe et. al. If we have one of those, we're f***ed.

Oh, you're  f***ed because of there's a car song on the album? Poor you. I'm not.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Nice to hear Al is singing lead on the album.  Sounds like it might be a Brian Wilson album in name only, this is the next Beach Boys album.  Now, some might argue with that saying Mike needs to sing on it in order for it to be a Beach Boys album but my point is that while Mike and Bruce have drifted to tour on their own, it seems Brian, Al, and Dave have never ceased to be a band since the reunion ended.  It's not the reunion ended so Brian went back to his solo career, the reunion never ended, it's just that a couple of guys backed out of it.  This album is THE follow-up to That's Why God Made the Radio and I couldn't be more excited.

I would argue that without 4 of the most recognizable Beach Boys it ain't The Beach Boys.

What about Summer In Paradise? No Brian or Dennis. Their two most recognizable members.

Not a Beach Boys album to me.

How about you Nicko??

Um... asking Dennis to play on SIP was always going to be tricky. I can understand why they didn't.

[Rocky Raccoon]

But yeah, I wasn't necessarily saying that the new album SHOULD officially be a Beach Boys album which it most definitely will not be but I'm saying that it's certainly more than a Brian Wilson solo album, perhaps more accurately, it lies somewhere in the middle.  While Al and Dave might be billed as "special guests," I think it's safe to say that they are part of the band and that they are continuing as a band from what they started a year or two ago when the Beach Boys reunion began.  Whatever your opinion is on Mike and Bruce, there's no doubt that the reunion is over for them and they've moved on and have no intention of looking back.  So while Brian, Al, and David might not exactly be the Beach Boys, they certainly are the same band they were in 2012 just minus a few players (and plus Jeff Beck which more than makes up for the absence of Mike Love and Bruce Johnston).  From that standpoint, I don't see this as Brian Wilson's followup to his solo albums.  This is Brian Wilson with Al Jardine and David Marks following up on the hit album on which they were all prominently featured in 2012.  That was a Beach Boys album, this is not but I think it will certainly feel like one and it probably feels like one to the contributing parties as well.

[Jim V.]

Nice to hear Al is singing lead on the album.  Sounds like it might be a Brian Wilson album in name only, this is the next Beach Boys album.  Now, some might argue with that saying Mike needs to sing on it in order for it to be a Beach Boys album but my point is that while Mike and Bruce have drifted to tour on their own, it seems Brian, Al, and Dave have never ceased to be a band since the reunion ended.  It's not the reunion ended so Brian went back to his solo career, the reunion never ended, it's just that a couple of guys backed out of it.  This album is THE follow-up to That's Why God Made the Radio and I couldn't be more excited.

I would argue that without 4 of the most recognizable Beach Boys it ain't The Beach Boys.

What about Summer In Paradise? No Brian or Dennis. Their two most recognizable members.

Not a Beach Boys album to me.

How about you Nicko??

Um... asking Dennis to play on SIP was always going to be tricky. I can understand why they didn't.

Um... note that I was referring to how Nicko argued that without 4 of the most recognizable member's of the group, Brian's current project couldn't be The Beach Boys. Which is obvious. The current's a Brian Wilson solo album with Al Jardine, David Marks, and Blondie Chaplin pitching in amongst others.

But by using Nicko's rationale about the most recognizable members not being there, I asked if he thought should count as a Beach Boys album even though it's two most recognizable members (Brian and Dennis, regardless of the circumstances for why they weren't there).

Whatever though, it's understandable that you wouldn't get it.

[Jim V.]

Also Nicko, since the current group touring as "The Beach Boys" has only one original member and is missing four other most recognizable  and important members, I guess that means by your standards that this group that is touring with the name is surely not The Beach Boys despite what they promote themselves as.

[Nicko1234]

Also Nicko, since the current group touring as "The Beach Boys" has only one original member and is missing four other most recognizable  and important members, I guess that means by your standards that this group that is touring with the name is surely not The Beach Boys despite what they promote themselves as.

Yep, I did say exactly that earlier in this thread. Obviously they are not really The Beach Boys.

[juggler]

Fun interview.  How great would it be if they do 'Honkin Down the Highway' and some other 'Love You' tunes on the tour?

[RubberSoul13]

Nice to hear Al is singing lead on the album.  Sounds like it might be a Brian Wilson album in name only, this is the next Beach Boys album.  Now, some might argue with that saying Mike needs to sing on it in order for it to be a Beach Boys album but my point is that while Mike and Bruce have drifted to tour on their own, it seems Brian, Al, and Dave have never ceased to be a band since the reunion ended.  It's not the reunion ended so Brian went back to his solo career, the reunion never ended, it's just that a couple of guys backed out of it.  This album is THE follow-up to That's Why God Made the Radio and I couldn't be more excited.

I would argue that without 4 of the most recognizable Beach Boys it ain't The Beach Boys.

What about Summer In Paradise? No Brian or Dennis. Their two most recognizable members.

Not a Beach Boys album to me.

How about you Nicko??

Um... asking Dennis to play on SIP was always going to be tricky. I can understand why they didn't.

Um... note that I was referring to how Nicko argued that without 4 of the most recognizable member's of the group, Brian's current project couldn't be The Beach Boys. Which is obvious. The current's a Brian Wilson solo album with Al Jardine, David Marks, and Blondie Chaplin pitching in amongst others.

But by using Nicko's rationale about the most recognizable members not being there, I asked if he thought should count as a Beach Boys album even though it's two most recognizable members (Brian and Dennis, regardless of the circumstances for why they weren't there).

Whatever though, it's understandable that you wouldn't get it.

Didn't Al Jardine's solo album feature contributions from Mike, Brian, Bruce, and old CARL stuff....? Should we start calling THAT a beach boys album 

[Dancing Bear]

Didn't Al Jardine's solo album feature contributions from Mike, Brian, Bruce, and old CARL stuff....? Should we start calling THAT a beach boys album 

Well, we could call "Don't Fight the Sea" a Beach Boys' track, for certain.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Nice to hear Al is singing lead on the album.  Sounds like it might be a Brian Wilson album in name only, this is the next Beach Boys album.  Now, some might argue with that saying Mike needs to sing on it in order for it to be a Beach Boys album but my point is that while Mike and Bruce have drifted to tour on their own, it seems Brian, Al, and Dave have never ceased to be a band since the reunion ended.  It's not the reunion ended so Brian went back to his solo career, the reunion never ended, it's just that a couple of guys backed out of it.  This album is THE follow-up to That's Why God Made the Radio and I couldn't be more excited.

I would argue that without 4 of the most recognizable Beach Boys it ain't The Beach Boys.

What about Summer In Paradise? No Brian or Dennis. Their two most recognizable members.

Not a Beach Boys album to me.

How about you Nicko??

Um... asking Dennis to play on SIP was always going to be tricky. I can understand why they didn't.

Um... note that I was referring to how Nicko argued that without 4 of the most recognizable member's of the group, Brian's current project couldn't be The Beach Boys. Which is obvious. The current's a Brian Wilson solo album with Al Jardine, David Marks, and Blondie Chaplin pitching in amongst others.

But by using Nicko's rationale about the most recognizable members not being there, I asked if he thought should count as a Beach Boys album even though it's two most recognizable members (Brian and Dennis, regardless of the circumstances for why they weren't there).

Whatever though, it's understandable that you wouldn't get it.

Dry English humor not your strong suit, I see. 

[Micha]

Nice to hear Al is singing lead on the album.  Sounds like it might be a Brian Wilson album in name only, this is the next Beach Boys album.  Now, some might argue with that saying Mike needs to sing on it in order for it to be a Beach Boys album but my point is that while Mike and Bruce have drifted to tour on their own, it seems Brian, Al, and Dave have never ceased to be a band since the reunion ended.  It's not the reunion ended so Brian went back to his solo career, the reunion never ended, it's just that a couple of guys backed out of it.  This album is THE follow-up to That's Why God Made the Radio and I couldn't be more excited.

I would argue that without 4 of the most recognizable Beach Boys it ain't The Beach Boys.

What about Summer In Paradise? No Brian or Dennis. Their two most recognizable members.

Not a Beach Boys album to me.

How about you Nicko??

Um... asking Dennis to play on SIP was always going to be tricky. I can understand why they didn't.

How do you know they didn't?

[Ted]

Nice to hear Al is singing lead on the album.  Sounds like it might be a Brian Wilson album in name only, this is the next Beach Boys album.  Now, some might argue with that saying Mike needs to sing on it in order for it to be a Beach Boys album but my point is that while Mike and Bruce have drifted to tour on their own, it seems Brian, Al, and Dave have never ceased to be a band since the reunion ended.  It's not the reunion ended so Brian went back to his solo career, the reunion never ended, it's just that a couple of guys backed out of it.  This album is THE follow-up to That's Why God Made the Radio and I couldn't be more excited.

I would argue that without 4 of the most recognizable Beach Boys it ain't The Beach Boys.

What about Summer In Paradise? No Brian or Dennis. Their two most recognizable members.

Not a Beach Boys album to me.

How about you Nicko??

Um... asking Dennis to play on SIP was always going to be tricky. I can understand why they didn't.

Um... note that I was referring to how Nicko argued that without 4 of the most recognizable member's of the group, Brian's current project couldn't be The Beach Boys. Which is obvious. The current's a Brian Wilson solo album with Al Jardine, David Marks, and Blondie Chaplin pitching in amongst others.

But by using Nicko's rationale about the most recognizable members not being there, I asked if he thought should count as a Beach Boys album even though it's two most recognizable members (Brian and Dennis, regardless of the circumstances for why they weren't there).

Whatever though, it's understandable that you wouldn't get it.

Dry English humor not your strong suit, I see. 

Nor yours, it would appear.

[Gabo]

Desert Drive was bad because they didn't use the Paley backing track and replaced it with a punchless one (that Lana intro on GIOMH makes me kind of angry!) and, to a much lesser extent, because Mike didn't sing it. (OK, nor will he sing the new one.)

No, Desert Drive is a bad song because of its completely unimaginative lyrics and melody.

[drbeachboy]

Desert Drive was bad because they didn't use the Paley backing track and replaced it with a punchless one (that Lana intro on GIOMH makes me kind of angry!) and, to a much lesser extent, because Mike didn't sing it. (OK, nor will he sing the new one.)

No, Desert Drive is a bad song because of its completely unimaginative lyrics and melody.

Disagee, but each their own.

[Shady]

Fun interview.  How great would it be if they do 'Honkin Down the Highway' and some other 'Love You' tunes on the tour?

Al wants to do it, I doubt Brian would have a problem..

That leaves....




The "Love You" hater himself, Foskett

[rab2591]

Giving a song like 'I Bet He's Nice' a modern/revamped flavor would probably be a huge hit among fans methinks.

[Phoenix]

Fun interview.  How great would it be if they do 'Honkin Down the Highway' and some other 'Love You' tunes on the tour?

Al wants to do it, I doubt Brian would have a problem..

That leaves....

The "Love You" hater himself, Foskett

ANOTHER reason I love Jeff so much.      

[Jonathan Blum]

...The bit that most jumps out at me is about Al saying that they'll probably pull out "Run James Run" in the spring/summer period.

Which means that this touring arrangement looks like it's gonna be going on for a while...!  Meaning a better chance of getting down to see them!

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[Micha]

Desert Drive was bad because they didn't use the Paley backing track and replaced it with a punchless one (that Lana intro on GIOMH makes me kind of angry!) and, to a much lesser extent, because Mike didn't sing it. (OK, nor will he sing the new one.)

No, Desert Drive is a bad song because of its completely unimaginative lyrics and melody.

Disagee, but each their own.

I agree. (with drbeachboy)

[Gabo]

lolz

[Alex]

So is Shut Down, Deuce Coupe, and 409 which are good classic car songs.

But if it's another Drivin' or PT Cruiser, I'll pass.

I'm sure it will be closer to the latter two. Brian's last car song, "Desert Drive," was a complete lyrical disaster.

deaaaad maaan's cuuurve

The instrumental track from the Paley Session was pretty kick ass, though.

[Micha]

The instrumental track from the Paley Session was pretty kick ass, though.

Still is! GIOMH track - not.

lolz

LÖL!