I just traded emails with Peter Reum regarding his very nice review of THE BIG BEAT 1963. I was out of town when David Beard needed to have the issue proofed, otherwise I would have provided the following corrections:
1) Vickie Kocher's last name doesn't have an "r" in the middle. Capitol's online credits were incorrect. Victoria Hale (as she's known now) has been trying to get that corrected for months. I had it right in my article on "The Summer Moon" a few issues back in ESQ, and Brad Elliott had it right in SURF'S UP -- THE BEACH BOYS ON RECORD.
2) Vickie isn't the "Sheri" of Bob & Sheri. That's Cheryl Pomeroy. Both were acquaintances of Bob Norberg's, but they were different girls.
3) "Make the Night Just a Little Longer" was produced by Nik Venet in 1963 -- not Murry in 1966. It was part of the same sessions that produced "You Brought It All On" and "In the Still of the Night." Peter may have been thinking of a 1968 Honeys session for "I Know You're Gonna Be Alright" and "Holidays" that was produced by Murry. From SURF'S UP -- THE BEACH BOYS ON RECORD:
Late 1963 - Honeys LP
A Honeys album was in the works at one time, but was eventually nixed by Capitol, according to Nik Venet. The album would have been co-produced by him and Brian, Venet said. In addition to the three early Honeys singles on Capitol, the album probably would have included three songs recorded in late 1963 and never released -- "You Brought It All On," a Brian Wilson composition copyrighted January 13, 1964; and "In the Still of the Night" and "Make the Night (Just a Little Longer)." Group member Ginger Blake said "You Brought It All On" was a Brian production and the other two were Venet productions.
4) I didn't provide the Honeys demos at the end of the disc -- but my friend Daniel Rutherford did.
5) The late great Rev. Bob Hanes told me that the vocalist on "If It Can't Be You" was purported to be Ron Wilson of the Surfaris -- not Gary Usher. It doesn't sound like Gary Usher's voice to me.
Peter is going to post the corrections on his online blog "REUMINATIONS."
Lee
Lee is being far too gracious here.
As most of you know (and for those who don't), ESQ is mostly a *two man operation, and Lee's full time job keeps him extremely busy. I had reached out to Lee in December — on the heels of the release of "The Big Beat 1963" — and implored him to write the review. He passed on the opportunity. That is unfortunate for all of us, because Lee is so knowledgable (and has so many invaluable reference tools at his disposal…like acetates, etc.)
Peter Reum graciously stepped up to the plate, and did his due diligence in providing me with a wonderful breakdown of the tracks.
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one thing that I ALWAYS enjoyed about ESQ (before 1993 when I got involved) was Lee's "Chuck's Rolling" articles. There is no where else on earth that we — as fans — can get that insight. Case in point, the review of "The Big Beat 1963." I'm sure that Lee wasn't the only one to catch the mistakes, but his direct involvement would have prevented this from happening. I should have caught the misspelling of Vicki Kocher's last name…that's totally on me.
I am responsible for not providing Lee with a proof of the latest ESQ. I cannot speak to where he was, or how busy he was at the time the proof was ready, but I can say that he is — because of my experience over the last 20 years — (more often times than not) too busy to proof the magazine and return it the timeframe that I need it (one week). That is by no means any fault of his. It is just a reality of the demands of Lee's profession.
I have, many times, tried to get Lee to proof an issue… In fact, I believe he had a look at the Winter 2013 edition, but he does not prioritize ESQ over his full time job. This resulted in me getting corrections from him in the 11th hour (as I was in the process of turning ESQ in to the printer).
Lee does keep the database up to date and processes checks for subscriptions to ensure that all subscribers receive ESQ in due process.
I welcome the opportunity of handling the database, etc., if it would mean bringing Lee's historic analysis and proofing back into the pages of ESQ.
No one…no historian…no music journalist…brings the invaluable insight (from a collector's perspective) like Lee Dempsey.
In December I told Lee as much…yet, it wasn't enough to get him to write about "The Big Beat 1963."
Going forward, I will offer Lee a proof of each edition of ESQ, and hope he finds the inspiration again that used to inspire him to write.
Now, maybe if Lee wins the lottery he can go back to being a full time Beach Boys fan and collector.
If that happens, we would all prosper, because ESQ is desperately missing his insight.
As it is, putting together a 48-page publication is no easy task, but I love it! The Beach Boys' music has changed my life…for that I will always be grateful.
*ESQ also needs to recognize the editorial staff: Keith Devoe, Ron Kohl and Ginni Rutherford.
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