SPECTRUM 1980 :: A new study-video

[Cam Mott]

Hickey is back, baby!

[mikeddonn]

I think a lot of that had to do with the advent of the internet and heavier discussions on lesser-known tunes. Also the original Brian tours shook things up a lot as well.

Good point.  I also remember the guys who ran Stomp Magazine trying to organise a dream concert featuring things like Feel Flows and Surf's Up etc with the idea of pitching it to the guys to play a private concert. 

Andrew do you have any info on how far this went?

The idea was pitched to BRI. Never heard a word back.

Thanks Andrew.  Shame they never got back to Stomp as the setlist would have been a hardcore fans dream at that time.  I suppose the best it got after that with Carl still around was the Good Vibrations boxset tour.  If it was nowadays there would be footage all over youtube of those shows.  Certainly the audio I've heard, especially the rehearsals, are a fantastic listen and should be released.

[DonnyL]

I think the setlist philosophies changing over the years is just demand. The group's late '60s-'70s work started becoming more respected after the 2000 reissue twofers. I remember seeing a mainstream article about the reissues in Maxim or something at the time. Most of the '70s material was out of print throughout the '80s (?), and the 1990/'91 reissues quickly disappeared. Doubt it had anything to do with Carl as much as just the changing times. The unplugged set in 1993 shows Carl was open to the idea, and the box set release opened those doors. It would have been great to see Carl and Dennis enjoy the current appreciation for their 1970s work.

[Sheriff John Stone]

It WAS different from the 1976 - mid-1990's time period. You could actually feel it at the concert. When Mike would announce that the band was going to perform a couple of songs from their new album, you could almost sense the people counting. And, with the exception of M.I.U. (and they did perform "Peggy Sue"), The Beach Boys gave their new albums a pretty good shot live. And, they always had a rarity to work in such as "Almost Summer", "Country Pie", "Runaway", and "Buzz Buzz Buzz", or the odd single like "Rock And Roll To The Rescue" and "California Dreamin'"

But the difference in those days was obvious. At the outset of the show, the audience was primed and ready to go. Then when the new/rare songs came up in the set, there was like a collective sitting down, only to have the audience brought back to their feet by a classic oldie. That had to play head games with the band. I don't know how Bob Dylan does it!

[AndrewHickey]

It WAS different from the 1976 - mid-1990's time period. You could actually feel it at the concert. When Mike would announce that the band was going to perform a couple of songs from their new album, you could almost sense the people counting. And, with the exception of M.I.U. (and they did perform "Peggy Sue"), The Beach Boys gave their new albums a pretty good shot live. And, they always had a rarity to work in such as "Almost Summer", "Country Pie", "Runaway", and "Buzz Buzz Buzz", or the odd single like "Rock And Roll To The Rescue" and "California Dreamin'"

But the difference in those days was obvious. At the outset of the show, the audience was primed and ready to go. Then when the new/rare songs came up in the set, there was like a collective sitting down, only to have the audience brought back to their feet by a classic oldie. That had to play head games with the band. I don't know how Bob Dylan does it!

I've heard this, and I do wonder what the change was. I've only seen shows from 2001 onwards (I became a fan in 95, and there were no proper shows in Britain in the late 90s), but while the crowds might not have been *as* enthusiastic for, say, Sail On Sailor, or Til I Die, or Summer In Paradise, or Goin' To The Beach, or whatever, they've always seemed to be *comparatively* enthusiastic. Certainly more so than, say, Paul McCartney audiences are when he does stuff off his new albums.
And I don't think the audiences have been especially more knowledgeable about that material, either. Pisces Brothers got a frankly disproportionately big response on the UK tour this year, despite not being a particularly good song, and I can't imagine that more than half a dozen or so people in the Manchester audience knew the song.
It's different for Brian's audience, of course, where one expects them to at least have a few albums, but Mike's audiences seem to me still largely to be people with a greatest hits CD and maybe a copy of Pet Sounds. I wonder what's caused the change in audience attitudes...

[c-man]

Pisces Brothers got a frankly disproportionately big response on the UK tour this year, despite not being a particularly good song, and I can't imagine that more than half a dozen or so people in the Manchester audience knew the song.

I'm gonna guess it has to do with it being a George Harrison tribute. That seemed to help it go over very well when I saw it performed live.
And, I agree with the Sheriff that the respect level, street cred, or whatever you wanna call it, for the late '60s/early '70s stuff going up significantly since about 2000 or so has had a lot to do with it. With the praise quotient from Mojo, Uncut, even Rolling Stone, fueling the "hip factor" among a lot of folks, including youngsters - I tend to see a few hipster types at most of the BBs and BW shows I attend these days.

[Please delete my account]

I don't go to many big heritage act shows, but from online setlists I get the impression that the "longer shows with deep cuts" phenomenon goes beyond the Beach Boys world and is a more general trend, along with the fashion for playing complete albums. I guess it's  to do with concerts becoming a more important source of money with the decline in record sales, so more care is taken with them, and bands/management keep a keen eye on what the competition are doing.
 
I heard a James Taylor interview recently where the interviewer asked a question implying that the audience really wants to hear "Fire and Rain". he said yeah, they like to hear that but they like to hear the deep cuts too, and that setlists are a balancing act of trying to please everyone.

[Stephen W. Desper]

COMMENT: In case you missed it. . .

If you like to hear The Beach Boys in a concert setting, here’s almost two hours of a special show.

The Philly Spectrum broadcast concert of 1980 before 20,000 fans, captured direct on four reels of 15ips tape, is not a bad show. There are some stellar moments making it well worth a listen to the end. This is the Beach Boy show band I knew and loved.

My recommendation is to listen over headphones for the most detail, best representation and a great overall listen. Speakers are also good, but personally I prefer this one over a pair of good headphones.

Check it out under PERSONAL ARCHIVES   [ SPECTRUM 1980 Concert ]   at http://swdstudyvideos.com

Good Listening,  ~Stephen W. Desper