Jeff Beck Calls His Tour with Brian Wilson ‘A Bit of a Nightmare’

[Ray Lawlor]

What if... what if Brian hasn't written a real song since the '80s? What if he's a front for other people that use the Brian Wilson name to sell records? They let the old dog have a few chords and harmonies here and there, but mostly he sits back and collects paychecks. Could it be? Andy Paley asserted as much, didn't he? Why did Brian have to work on all the That's Why God Made The Radio recordings when no Beach Boys were around? I could tell from interviews that the group thought Brian wrote more of the music then he really did. They credited stuff to Brian that Joe Thomas fussed up to doing in interviews.

Pure nonsense. In 2006/2007 , I spent a good portion of my time , and American Airlines points , commuting between JFK and LAX. Literally every morning, at 0800 EST, my phone would ring.  At the other end of the line, was Brian Wilson, already up , working on songs, asking for input ; what I thought.  The next question was invariably " when can you come out ? " It was the summer of the Scott Bennett sessions. I would fly out and immediately go to the house......every week. The ritual was simple: get to the house, Brian always waiting in the driveway, go up to the music room where he would play the new song on his synthesizer, never on the grand piano. Then , go to the deli and eat , then go to the park and walk.  Then drive to Scott's place early so we could listen to "Pet Sounds" ....then stop at the same 7-11 and get a 6 pack of Corona Light for the session. Brian would lay down several piano tracks , Scott would add bass, drums and guitar; Brian would then lay down the lead vocal. The songs were written , lyrics and music , by Brian. Later on they were shortened ( most were over four minutes long) and lyrics were rewritten by Scott , tailoring it for "That Lucky Old Sun". The songs were: "Walking Down the Path of Life" , about 4:30 long, "Morning Beat", "Angel's in Love", "Good Kind of Love", about a minute longer than the released version, "Live Let Live" ,  about 45 seconds longer than the released version, "Mexican Girl" , "oh , Mi Amour", "Message Man" , "Wonderin What You're Up to Now" , which ultimately became "California Role", "Oxygen to the Brain", "Going Home" , about 4:30 minutes long, 'Isn't That Just Like Me and You", "Night Came Gently ", "Isn't That Just Like Me and You", "Forever She'll be My Surfer Girl", "I Wanna Be With You", "Do You Have a Story to Tell"..."Midnight's Another Day " was co written with Scott; "What Love Can Do " was co-written with Burt Bacharach . I have every generation of each one of these songs on CD here at home ; from Brian's piano demo's, to the Scott Bennett engineered sessions, to what came out. Any theory that Brian does not write his own stuff anymore is just pure unadulterated nonsense.

This post brought a smile to my face. Thank you. I especially like that Brian still listens to Pet Sounds for inspiration. Just like many of us here I'd assume!

Wonder if the other titles unused you mention may get a re-working on some of Brian's upcoming project(s)?

And how cool is it that you have unreleased Brian demos and rough mixes at your convenience. Avoid the barrage of private messages!

I don't know; although Brian does recycle some of his stuff as everyone knows.  I forgot to mention another song he wrote during that time frame " Nobody Ever Got Me Like You Do" , written for Melinda.  It ultimately became "What I Really Want For Christmas"

[Ray Lawlor]

What if... what if Brian hasn't written a real song since the '80s? What if he's a front for other people that use the Brian Wilson name to sell records? They let the old dog have a few chords and harmonies here and there, but mostly he sits back and collects paychecks. Could it be? Andy Paley asserted as much, didn't he? Why did Brian have to work on all the That's Why God Made The Radio recordings when no Beach Boys were around? I could tell from interviews that the group thought Brian wrote more of the music then he really did. They credited stuff to Brian that Joe Thomas fussed up to doing in interviews.

Pure nonsense. In 2006/2007 , I spent a good portion of my time , and American Airlines points , commuting between JFK and LAX. Literally every morning, at 0800 EST, my phone would ring.  At the other end of the line, was Brian Wilson, already up , working on songs, asking for input ; what I thought.  The next question was invariably " when can you come out ? " It was the summer of the Scott Bennett sessions. I would fly out and immediately go to the house......every week. The ritual was simple: get to the house, Brian always waiting in the driveway, go up to the music room where he would play the new song on his synthesizer, never on the grand piano. Then , go to the deli and eat , then go to the park and walk.  Then drive to Scott's place early so we could listen to "Pet Sounds" ....then stop at the same 7-11 and get a 6 pack of Corona Light for the session. Brian would lay down several piano tracks , Scott would add bass, drums and guitar; Brian would then lay down the lead vocal. The songs were written , lyrics and music , by Brian. Later on they were shortened ( most were over four minutes long) and lyrics were rewritten by Scott , tailoring it for "That Lucky Old Sun". The songs were: "Walking Down the Path of Life" , about 4:30 long, "Morning Beat", "Angel's in Love", "Good Kind of Love", about a minute longer than the released version, "Live Let Live" ,  about 45 seconds longer than the released version, "Mexican Girl" , "oh , Mi Amour", "Message Man" , "Wonderin What You're Up to Now" , which ultimately became "California Role", "Oxygen to the Brain", "Going Home" , about 4:30 minutes long, 'Isn't That Just Like Me and You", "Night Came Gently ", "Isn't That Just Like Me and You", "Forever She'll be My Surfer Girl", "I Wanna Be With You", "Do You Have a Story to Tell"..."Midnight's Another Day " was co written with Scott; "What Love Can Do " was co-written with Burt Bacharach . I have every generation of each one of these songs on CD here at home ; from Brian's piano demo's, to the Scott Bennett engineered sessions, to what came out. Any theory that Brian does not write his own stuff anymore is just pure unadulterated nonsense.

This post brought a smile to my face. Thank you. I especially like that Brian still listens to Pet Sounds for inspiration. Just like many of us here I'd assume!

Wonder if the other titles unused you mention may get a re-working on some of Brian's upcoming project(s)?

And how cool is it that you have unreleased Brian demos and rough mixes at your convenience. Avoid the barrage of private messages!

Listening to Pet Sounds while driving around LA with Brian Wilson singing along is a surreal experience. He really was focused on "Don't Talk",  "Caroline , No" and  "I Guess I Just Wasn't Made For These Times".....said it was like Valium !

[joshferrell]

What if... what if Brian hasn't written a real song since the '80s? What if he's a front for other people that use the Brian Wilson name to sell records? They let the old dog have a few chords and harmonies here and there, but mostly he sits back and collects paychecks. Could it be? Andy Paley asserted as much, didn't he? Why did Brian have to work on all the That's Why God Made The Radio recordings when no Beach Boys were around? I could tell from interviews that the group thought Brian wrote more of the music then he really did. They credited stuff to Brian that Joe Thomas fussed up to doing in interviews.

Pure nonsense. In 2006/2007 , I spent a good portion of my time , and American Airlines points , commuting between JFK and LAX. Literally every morning, at 0800 EST, my phone would ring.  At the other end of the line, was Brian Wilson, already up , working on songs, asking for input ; what I thought.  The next question was invariably " when can you come out ? " It was the summer of the Scott Bennett sessions. I would fly out and immediately go to the house......every week. The ritual was simple: get to the house, Brian always waiting in the driveway, go up to the music room where he would play the new song on his synthesizer, never on the grand piano. Then , go to the deli and eat , then go to the park and walk.  Then drive to Scott's place early so we could listen to "Pet Sounds" ....then stop at the same 7-11 and get a 6 pack of Corona Light for the session. Brian would lay down several piano tracks , Scott would add bass, drums and guitar; Brian would then lay down the lead vocal. The songs were written , lyrics and music , by Brian. Later on they were shortened ( most were over four minutes long) and lyrics were rewritten by Scott , tailoring it for "That Lucky Old Sun". The songs were: "Walking Down the Path of Life" , about 4:30 long, "Morning Beat", "Angel's in Love", "Good Kind of Love", about a minute longer than the released version, "Live Let Live" ,  about 45 seconds longer than the released version, "Mexican Girl" , "oh , Mi Amour", "Message Man" , "Wonderin What You're Up to Now" , which ultimately became "California Role", "Oxygen to the Brain", "Going Home" , about 4:30 minutes long, 'Isn't That Just Like Me and You", "Night Came Gently ", "Isn't That Just Like Me and You", "Forever She'll be My Surfer Girl", "I Wanna Be With You", "Do You Have a Story to Tell"..."Midnight's Another Day " was co written with Scott; "What Love Can Do " was co-written with Burt Bacharach . I have every generation of each one of these songs on CD here at home ; from Brian's piano demo's, to the Scott Bennett engineered sessions, to what came out. Any theory that Brian does not write his own stuff anymore is just pure unadulterated nonsense.

This post brought a smile to my face. Thank you. I especially like that Brian still listens to Pet Sounds for inspiration. Just like many of us here I'd assume!

Wonder if the other titles unused you mention may get a re-working on some of Brian's upcoming project(s)?

And how cool is it that you have unreleased Brian demos and rough mixes at your convenience. Avoid the barrage of private messages!

I don't know; although Brian does recycle some of his stuff as everyone knows.  I forgot to mention another song he wrote during that time frame " Nobody Ever Got Me Like You Do" , written for Melinda.  It ultimately became "What I Really Want For Christmas"

does this mean that Melinda is all he really wanted for Christmas??

[Ray Lawlor]

Jeff Beck and Brian Wilson‘s musical partnership seems to have been much more exciting in theory than it was in reality — at least according to Beck, anyway.

The duo’s highly anticipated 2013 tour went hand-in-hand with some studio sessions for a new Wilson album (or albums), but it sounds like all that musical activity failed to generate much in the way of a personal connection. According to Beck, he “had fallen in love with the idea of playing with Brian Wilson,” to the point that he even kept going after undergoing an endoscopy during the tour’s stop in Chicago. Unfortunately, he says he ultimately found himself unable to establish a friendship with his tourmate. Describing the experience as “a bit of a nightmare,” Beck continued, “He doesn’t speak. He’s clearly in need of attention. But that’s just my opinion.”

The writing was on the wall as early as the sessions that preceded the tour, Beck told Classic Rock Magazine. “For four days I sat there and didn’t even know Brian was in the room. He was so quiet, he never uttered a syllable. And yet they gave me these parts that allegedly he’d written. Then we were offered some shows together: ‘Jeff, this is gonna be the tour of the year!’ They should’ve got the bloody record done first, but they got excited and we ended up doing the Jeff Beck-Brian Wilson tour prematurely.”

Presumably, Beck will have a better time during his upcoming run of dates with ZZ Top — and then there’s always his new album to look forward to, which he described by saying, “It’s almost like if you went to Turkey and came across a rabid bar band, but it’s more sophisticated.”


Read More: Jeff Beck Calls His Tour with Brian Wilson 'A Bit of a Nightmare' | http://ultimateclassicrock.com/jeff-beck-brian-wilson-tour-nightmare/?trackback=tsmclip

Here's what Brian had said about the tour on his website earlier on:

“I’d like to thank everyone on our tour and especially my band, Al, Dave, and the great Jeff Beck and his band for making this tour so much fun. And most of all, I’d like to thank all my fans who came out to see us. We’re working on some cool new music now and I think you’re really gonna dig it! ”

— Brian

I would like to put my two cents in on this as well.  I was at several of the Beck/Wilson shows and can pass on my observations of the view from the cheap seats.  As anyone who has followed the career of Brian and the Beach Boys knows , Brian is notoriously shy and can be very withdrawn...I don't think this is news for anyone who frequents this or any other board. Jeff Beck , from my observation , is your classic Rock and Roll guy ( and the greatest guitarist); gig is over and he is hanging out at the bar with Scott and Jenny , Lizzie Ball and various other members of the respective bands. Brian , on the other hand, goes back and hangs out in his hotel room or on the tour bus, so you could not have two more disparate personalities. I did not see much interplay between the two of them , other than when Brian took both bands to Del Frisco's in New York for dinner. JB sat next to Brian and they seemed to get along ok. It takes a while for Brian to warm up to someone he barely knows; I am sure that threw JB off.  On the other hand , other than sound checks , I don't know when there would be much time for socializing for either of them.

I was not in the studio for the sessions with JB and Brian , so I can only speak to sessions I have been in (SMiLE, Scott , TLOS, Gershwin, Getting in Over My Head, Everything I Need, What Love Can Do).  I have sat next to him at the board when he hasn't said a word or done anything for an hour , finally asking him ;" Brian , what the hell are you doing "  Answer : " I am working"...he was working out arrangements in his head; then went out and taught them to the guys. I have also had him tell me to give directions to the guys as well , which I had the good sense not to do ; so I get that somebody in the booth could have been dictating to Jeff what to play......probably Jeff Foskett, maybe Joe Thomas; I don't know, but I can take an educated guess; I have experienced a very quiet BW in the booth.

But I also could see that JB can be a very obstinate guy ;I did see a few things at The Beacon in NY that I can't talk about in a public forum that would back that up, and I know this is not the first time he has had issues with one of his peers; I think it's an occupational hazard.

And for the record I thought the tour was great, especially BAD.

[bossaroo]

thanks for the posts Ray Lawlor... very heartening.

I'd love to know more about Brian's collaboration with Burt Bacharach on "What Love Can Do"
who wrote what? did they write it together in the same room? how long did it take to write from start to finish?

it's a great tune.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

That is awesome! Having heard Scott Bennett's stuff, none of it has the magic of That Lucky Old Sun! The fact that Brian is still coming up with arrangements in his head for things as brilliant as That Lucky Old Sun is heart warming to know that Brian still has IT.

[Ray Lawlor]

thanks for the posts Ray Lawlor... very heartening.

I'd love to know more about Brian's collaboration with Burt Bacharach on "What Love Can Do"
who wrote what? did they write it together in the same room? how long did it take to write from start to finish?

it's a great tune.

I agree ; great song, great vocal and great arrangement; I would love to see him do it live. Bacharach wrote the "you and I have given up on love but people change " part.
Brian took it over to Burt's house where Burt wrote the chorus. When they went into the studio to record it Burt was mind blown at Brian arranging the harmonies.  He had never seen Brian in his element before and he couldn't get over it

[Ray Lawlor]

thanks for the posts Ray Lawlor... very heartening.

I'd love to know more about Brian's collaboration with Burt Bacharach on "What Love Can Do"
who wrote what? did they write it together in the same room? how long did it take to write from start to finish?

it's a great tune.

I agree ; great song, great vocal and great arrangement; I would love to see him do it live. Bacharach wrote the "you and I have given up on love but people change " part.
Brian took it over to Burt's house where Burt wrote the chorus. When they went into the studio to record it Burt was mind blown at Brian arranging the harmonies.  He had never seen Brian in his element before and he couldn't get over it

Actually Brian wrote the verses in one day ; I think there were two or three sessions at Burt's house in Pacific Palisades for Burt to finish

[bossaroo]

amazing info! thank you

[Ray Lawlor]

amazing info! thank you

You're Welcome

[Quzi]

Yeah this is really fascinating stuff Ray, thanks for sharing it

[Ray Lawlor]

Yeah this is really fascinating stuff Ray, thanks for sharing it

You're welcome , any time !

[rab2591]

Ray, your posts today have been incredibly enlightening! Have to share in the thanks to your contributions. Hope to see you around here more often!

[Ray Lawlor]

Ray, your posts today have been incredibly enlightening! Have to share in the thanks to your contributions. Hope to see you around here more often!

You're welcome. I read a few things that were really wrong so it was a good time to respond with some observations about the tour , and facts about the writing and recording process that I have experienced first hand and that I can talk to.

[Ray Lawlor]

That is awesome! Having heard Scott Bennett's stuff, none of it has the magic of That Lucky Old Sun! The fact that Brian is still coming up with arrangements in his head for things as brilliant as That Lucky Old Sun is heart warming to know that Brian still has IT.

Scott does good work with Brian ; he works really fast , like Brian likes, and Brian loves his lyrics

[alf wiedersehen]

Oh, good for Brian. They should work together more often, Brian and Scott.
If it makes Brian happy, I'm all for it, and I imagine it would reflect in his work, like it seems to on TLOS.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Gotta keep in mind Brian wrote lyrics on several songs on TWGMTR too

[Don Malcolm]

Dear Ray... Thanks so much for stopping by and giving us some useful inside insight...thanks to the search engine on the board I went back and read all of your earlier posts (and the folks who note that you're not here often enough are absolutely right!)...they were extremely informative and filled with exactly the type of positivity that Mike Love would dearly like to have all of the time!

I think most people who've listened to Brian's music enough over the years don't have to be convinced that he's still the centerpiece in the creative process, but it's extremely nice to have your testimony on this!

But the burning question for me is: what the heck does Brian do when the Yankees and the Red Sox are playing each other, particularly in the post-season?? Does he handle what happens as "hey, one of my two teams won"? Or does he have a "favorite favorite"?? 

[Ray Lawlor]

Dear Ray... Thanks so much for stopping by and giving us some useful inside insight...thanks to the search engine on the board I went back and read all of your earlier posts (and the folks who note that you're not here often enough are absolutely right!)...they were extremely informative and filled with exactly the type of positivity that Mike Love would dearly like to have all of the time!

I think most people who've listened to Brian's music enough over the years don't have to be convinced that he's still the centerpiece in the creative process, but it's extremely nice to have your testimony on this!

But the burning question for me is: what the heck does Brian do when the Yankees and the Red Sox are playing each other, particularly in the post-season?? Does he handle what happens as "hey, one of my two teams won"? Or does he have a "favorite favorite"?? 

Don;  I think he is more of a generic baseball fan these days but if the Yankees and Red Sox met in the playoffs I suspect he would be happy whichever team won.  I wouldn't !  They watch a lot of sports ; Melinda is a huge sports fan , very knowledgeable on football, baseball and basketball. They used to have Lakers season tickets, great seats . Brian likes the Dodgers as well.

[?]

The ritual was simple: get to the house, Brian always waiting in the driveway

So much great stuff Ray, but this is my favorite part.  I love the image of Brian waiting in the driveway because he can't wait to play his new songs for someone.  So great.

[Ray Lawlor]

The ritual was simple: get to the house, Brian always waiting in the driveway

So much great stuff Ray, but this is my favorite part.  I love the image of Brian waiting in the driveway because he can't wait to play his new songs for someone.  So great.

That's his M.O. When he is working; if you are picking him up  he is in the driveway waiting; i think Darian mentions this in the Beautiful Dreamer documentary.  The particular timeframe that culminated in the release of TLOS ; he was up every day at 0500 ready to get on with it. For me ; best summer ever !

[Niko]

Just curious, did Brian want to listen to any other Beach Boys stuff aside from Pet Sounds? It'd be cool to hear he listens to Today or Summer Days here and there 

Thanks for all the information you've put out here, it's very comforting to hear that Brian is in control from someone who's worked with him!

[Ray Lawlor]

Just curious, did Brian want to listen to any other Beach Boys stuff aside from Pet Sounds? It'd be cool to hear he listens to Today or Summer Days here and there 

Thanks for all the information you've put out here, it's very comforting to hear that Brian is in control from someone who's worked with him!

No, I don't work with him ; just friends. Off the top of my head it was Pet Sounds mostly; My Obsession by the Rolling Stones, Carole King Living Room tour, on the way to Scott's; just completed sessions on the way back

[guitarfool2002]

I agree ; great song, great vocal and great arrangement; I would love to see him do it live. Bacharach wrote the "you and I have given up on love but people change " part.
Brian took it over to Burt's house where Burt wrote the chorus. When they went into the studio to record it Burt was mind blown at Brian arranging the harmonies.  He had never seen Brian in his element before and he couldn't get over it

Ray: Thank you for shedding the light of truth on this whole thread's scenario before assumptions and innuendo started replacing what actually happened. For everyone: We as fans only see a tiny, usually inconsequential microcosm of these people's lives as reported in public, and how is that any more of a basis to make an assumption or judgement than even basing what someone's life is all about by reading posts on a message board? It's not, but again that's the pitfall of being famous, of being in the public eye. Your own definition is replaced by how your fans wish to define you, on the basis of a few snapshots in time.

***Now to my real point  :
Ray, what you describe from Bacharach is pretty close to the same reaction and response I've read and heard from other prominent artists and others who have worked with Brian Wilson creating or recording music. The man has a truly unique and special *gift*, and talent, which is literally something beautiful to witness as it's happening...at least for other musicians who do the same things musically.

His mind can conceive and process these arrangements, these terrific arrangements, in such a way that he's almost lost in his own musical world for a bit of time - yet can proceed to spill out part after part on a harmony stack in a way other musicians would struggle over or overthink.

It's a natural process that to musicians would be akin to watching Einstein process and solve the most complex equations like he was reading the newspaper, or going fictional here those great scenes in Good Will Hunting where this uneducated kid comes into academia and solves the most complex equations like they're nothing in front of men who devoted their lives to studying such theory and couldn't solve it as easily as a kid who was just wired differently.

The Bacharach interaction reminded me of that notion, as Bacharach himself is a classically trained and very advanced composer and musician who was in awe of how Brian's musical mind worked.

Beautiful stuff you've added, Ray, very inspiring and affirming to this musician and fan.

Cheers! 

[donald]

 I too would like to express appreciation for this interesting perspective.