Bruce Johnston - The Re-evaluation and Appreciation Discussion

[CenturyDeprived]

Great question! With practically every other band, one's contributions as a mere musician or singer have garnered folks high praise and respect, but when it comes to The Beach Boys, it's small potatoes to have sung and played on some of the most earth shatteringly successful music to ever rock the world. Too many fans have reduced it all to "who wrote what" and credit credit credit, credit!!

It's just frustrating, because we as fans have seen/heard Bruce's potential for great work (and he has done great work), but the quantity level has been unusually and frustratingly small, almost as it was with Carl. With Carl, it seemed he had a lot more on his plate in terms of family stuff which probably played a role in keeping him from writing more. With Bruce, it seemingly remains a mystery... and thus, we uber fans grumble about missed opportunities (despite still being lucky as hell for as much music as we have from Bruce and the Boys).

It may be as simple as him not feeling the need to "prove" himself musically anymore or something like that. I dunno. It is a bummer though, because I really like his material, including his contributions to BB85 + SIP. Seriously.

I know it was Bruce (along with Terry + Mike) aping Brian's sound, but damn if it isn't frustrating that the guy who wrote "Don't Run Away" didn't write more songs like that for the band.

Well put!

Or maybe Bruce just ended up taking his utility guy role seriously and realized it was more his thing.... I dunno

This is all part of why I'm curious as to Bruce's beginnings (pre adoption) and childhood, stuff that apparently has been kept private all these years (and that's of course entirely Bruce's right)... because I feel we'd all have a better understanding of the guy's actions, perhaps.

Kinda like Mike Love and the Wilsons, where lots of puzzling decisions they've made over the years can at least partially be understood by what they went through in their formative years.

Bruce remains very mysterious (maybe moreso than anyone else in the band), and maybe that's how he wants it.  But as a fan, I'd sure like to know more about why he does what he does.

[bringahorseinhere?]

great thread by the way!

who knows, Bruce may have a pile of original songs sitting somewhere, I mean, who knows what the guy has been doing creatively
over the last 20-30 years.......... if he does have things there, it could be possible he may think 'they are not good enough' as in maybe
comparing his work to Brian-Dennis Wilson/Mike Love......

and maybe they aren't BB classic material, but doesn't mean those possible songs are not great on their own merit....

I personally love the Doris Day 'My Heart' album.........if that's where Bruce (and Terry) 'was at' with his music, I'd love lots more....

obviously the Bruce and Terry partnership continued on over the years, so I wonder what else they had worked on that we have not heard...

talking about Bruce being the mysterious one....... it's also interesting to me, in some ways, Bruce is the grounded one of the group...

who else in a successful band like The BB's, would travel to the following shows by train or bus?.....

he could obviously afford his own cheauffer or bus/plane, but apparently he still likes uses public transport........travel and see the world so to speak...


an interesting man....... I wish he wrote a book of his life experiences...........who he worked with etc etc

would probably be a wonderful insight to the unknown side of Bruce Johnston...

RickB

[joe_blow]

Maybe it's like Bruce described in Endless Harmony and now he has songs that went #1 in his living room and disappeared.

[Dancing Bear]

"I have nothing in the 'can' from long ago except "If There Were Time"....However, I have all kinds of instrumentals here in my home studio 'can'.....They are kind of interesting".

Bruce Johnston, 2007

[JK]

Something tells me Bruce and Mike's ideas of smooth are still quite different.....

Hence, Bruce's trailer isn't quite as frequently occupied......

Omigod, that is hilarious!

[Andrew G. Doe]

"I have nothing in the 'can' from long ago except "If There Were Time"....However, I have all kinds of instrumentals here in my home studio 'can'.....They are kind of interesting".

Bruce Johnston, 2007

Hm. He seems to have forgotten about "Let's Visit Heaven Tonite", also from 1978.

[Lowbacca]

"I have nothing in the 'can' from long ago except "If There Were Time"....However, I have all kinds of instrumentals here in my home studio 'can'.....They are kind of interesting".

Bruce Johnston, 2007

Hm. He seems to have forgotten about "Let's Visit Heaven Tonite", also from 1978.

Holy crap, that's a cheesy title.

[Andrew G. Doe]

It's pleasant enough in an innocuous way.

[Lowbacca]

It's pleasant enough in an innocuous way.

That pretty much goes for all his BBs contributions, I guess. Next to the great melodies and production values it's also the 'cheese factor' I like in "Disney Girls (1957)", "Tears In The Morning" and "Deirdre".. and, well, "Deirdre" just rocks.

[donald]

I don' t see anyone discussing SBILA from 85.  a fine Bruce tune IMO.  A single in it's day, and I hear it was bought out again around the time of the c50 sessions but reshelved.