Mike Love - Unleash the Love - Due November 17 - w/ 2nd Disc of BB Remakes

[HeyJude]

If Mike was doing dozen of technically "solo" gigs per year with the same band, wearing "Beach Boys" baseball caps and showing pics of the BBs on the video screen and prominently using the BB name in ads, then maybe BRI would take issue. Maybe.

I doubt it.  At BW shows, Al Jardine is regularly introduced as "original Beach Boy."  Brian's tours the last few years has used the iconic Pet Sounds font for merch, programs, and the BB name is used in some advertising.  

Plus, I'd think if Mike did a solo tour, it would likely be in intimate venues that wouldn't accommodate his video screen.  

Brian Wilson isn't licensing the Beach Boys name to tour. That's the big difference. It always is *every time* someone tries to compare what Brian does to what Mike does. They aren't in the same boat contractually/legally.

In the hypothetical scenario I described, BRI would only consider taking action because their *exclusive* licensee would be attempting to circumvent the license by doing everything but putting the "Beach Boys" name on the marquee and ticket. It would be essentially a case of BRI saying "If you want the license, then you have to at least generate revenue for us; so if you start using extensive elements of the trademark without paying us, then we're losing out on the only thing we get out of issuing you the exclusive license."

Also, Al Jardine has said in interviews that his *current* tour with Brian Wilson has received friendly "reminders" about how they bill themselves as "original Beach Boys." It has also been said that is not only the licensor (BRI), but also the *licensee* that is involved in taking action, or issuing "friendly reminders" via attorneys regarding use of the name. So the other shareholders might be a *bit* more likely to finally take action, or at least issue some "friendly reminders" of their own, if Mike (the *exclusive* licensee of the BB trademark) did the same thing Brian and Al have been warned off doing.

[KDS]

If Mike was doing dozen of technically "solo" gigs per year with the same band, wearing "Beach Boys" baseball caps and showing pics of the BBs on the video screen and prominently using the BB name in ads, then maybe BRI would take issue. Maybe.

I doubt it.  At BW shows, Al Jardine is regularly introduced as "original Beach Boy."  Brian's tours the last few years has used the iconic Pet Sounds font for merch, programs, and the BB name is used in some advertising.  

Plus, I'd think if Mike did a solo tour, it would likely be in intimate venues that wouldn't accommodate his video screen.  

Brian Wilson isn't licensing the Beach Boys name to tour. That's the big difference. It always is *every time* someone tries to compare what Brian does to what Mike does. They aren't in the same boat contractually/legally.

In the hypothetical scenario I described, BRI would only consider taking action because their *exclusive* licensee would be attempting to circumvent the license by doing everything but putting the "Beach Boys" name on the marquee and ticket. It would be essentially a case of BRI saying "If you want the license, then you have to at least generate revenue for us; so if you start using extensive elements of the trademark without paying us, then we're losing out on the only thing we get out of issuing you the exclusive license."

Also, Al Jardine has said in interviews that his *current* tour with Brian Wilson has received friendly "reminders" about how they bill themselves as "original Beach Boys." It has also been said that is not only the licensor (BRI), but also the *licensee* that is involved in taking action, or issuing "friendly reminders" via attorneys regarding use of the name. So the other shareholders might be a *bit* more likely to finally take action, or at least issue some "friendly reminders" of their own, if Mike (the *exclusive* licensee of the BB trademark) did the same thing Brian and Al have been warned off doing.

That's fine.  But, I'm just failing to see why BRI would take issue if Mike did a solo tour (which we all know won't happen anyway) with images of The Beach Boys behind him while wearing a Beach Boys cap.

As long as the ticket doesn't say "The Beach Boys" or the show is preceded with "Ladies and Gentlemen.....THE BEACH BOYS," I fail to see why BRI would have an issue. 

[HeyJude]

Sorry, but this is very hard to believe. What isn't so hard to believe is that BRI simply allows it to happen - not that they don't have any recourse under the licensing agreement. BRI owns the trademark. They have a say in how it is used. Where do you think this complaint came from?

Yes, of course it's all down to what action BRI chooses to take. But I also don't believe the license specifically lays out specific songs that are to be played or not to be played. If there is some generic proviso in the license that states the "type" of songs that are to be performed, I don't think anybody would ever win a judgment if Mike does a half dozen obscure songs. There would be a ton of precedent going back 50 years, with and without Mike and the other BBs in the band, of not abiding by nor enforcing any setlist rules.

So yes, BRI allows it to happen. But they don't fail to take action necessarily solely because they don't care. They may well also choose not to take action because they wouldn't win.

I don't think BRI would take any action against Mike and his license unless something *extreme* happened. If he started performing zero Beach Boys songs and went on stage and did a two hour Maharishi routine, and ticket sales plummeted, then BRI would probably take action. But apart from that, barring some extreme like Mike being accused of and/or convicted of a serious crime or something like that, there's no benefit to BRI shareholders to harangue Mike.

What makes less sense is that Brian and Al don't tell Mike to f**k off when they're issued "friendly reminders" about calling themselves "original Beach Boys" in promotional materials. But I dunno, an e-mail saying "f**k off" isn't public record, so maybe they have figuratively or literally done that.

Maybe because they do apply to him? BRI just lets him off the hook.

It's difficult to assume too much about the BRI license. Even looking at the action taken against Al in 1999 isn't necessarily greatly instructive, because there were other mitigating circumstances, first and foremost the assertion that Al had *no* license. BRI was essentially, in part trying to argue that Al had no valid license, and then *also* kind of say "but if he did have a license, here's how he's flouting the terms of the license."

I have no reason to doubt the strong likelihood that there are various terms of the BB license that BRI doesn't strongly enforce. It's surely in part a case of not wanting to bother wasting time and money to pursue any legal matters regarding the license. But I also think it's a case where BRI would have trouble winning a case where the terms of the license are open to some degree of interpretation.

Remember this as well: It is often said that if the other three BRI board members voted to take Mike's license away, then it would be done. Nope. I would be willing to wager strongly that even if all three of the others agreed to revoke Mike's license (which is unlikely to happen anyway), Mike would tie it up in litigation for the rest of their lives. As someone once pointed out, the estates/heirs would inherit that lawsuit.

[RubberSoul13]

So with my day off, I've taken a little time to listen to this thing on YouTube...needless to say, I won't be spending money on it.

Since there is so much bad to be said, I'll focus on the good...

Getcha Back actually sounds pretty great. I've liked what they do with this live and that's pretty much what this is. The new lyrics are nice and honestly a little more interesting than the original.

Too Cruel isn't a bad tune. This would go over well in the live show.

Cool Head, Warm Heart is a highlight...since nothing has changed to it.

If Mike's name weren't Mike Love, Unleash The Love wouldn't be so bad.

As for the remakes....Warmth of the Sun with Aambha is nice (she did a great job on it with the NSO live). And WILD HONEY! I'd actually like to own this track. I may just download this track beacuse John Cowsill, that's why.

[HeyJude]

If Mike was doing dozen of technically "solo" gigs per year with the same band, wearing "Beach Boys" baseball caps and showing pics of the BBs on the video screen and prominently using the BB name in ads, then maybe BRI would take issue. Maybe.

I doubt it.  At BW shows, Al Jardine is regularly introduced as "original Beach Boy."  Brian's tours the last few years has used the iconic Pet Sounds font for merch, programs, and the BB name is used in some advertising.  

Plus, I'd think if Mike did a solo tour, it would likely be in intimate venues that wouldn't accommodate his video screen.  

Brian Wilson isn't licensing the Beach Boys name to tour. That's the big difference. It always is *every time* someone tries to compare what Brian does to what Mike does. They aren't in the same boat contractually/legally.

In the hypothetical scenario I described, BRI would only consider taking action because their *exclusive* licensee would be attempting to circumvent the license by doing everything but putting the "Beach Boys" name on the marquee and ticket. It would be essentially a case of BRI saying "If you want the license, then you have to at least generate revenue for us; so if you start using extensive elements of the trademark without paying us, then we're losing out on the only thing we get out of issuing you the exclusive license."

Also, Al Jardine has said in interviews that his *current* tour with Brian Wilson has received friendly "reminders" about how they bill themselves as "original Beach Boys." It has also been said that is not only the licensor (BRI), but also the *licensee* that is involved in taking action, or issuing "friendly reminders" via attorneys regarding use of the name. So the other shareholders might be a *bit* more likely to finally take action, or at least issue some "friendly reminders" of their own, if Mike (the *exclusive* licensee of the BB trademark) did the same thing Brian and Al have been warned off doing.

That's fine.  But, I'm just failing to see why BRI would take issue if Mike did a solo tour (which we all know won't happen anyway) with images of The Beach Boys behind him while wearing a Beach Boys cap.

As long as the ticket doesn't say "The Beach Boys" or the show is preceded with "Ladies and Gentlemen.....THE BEACH BOYS," I fail to see why BRI would have an issue. 

Because BRI wouldn't be getting their cut as they would be for Mike's BB tours. Simple.

I think, apart from Carl's estate, the other two board members probably wouldn't cite Mike having the license as their favorite thing in the world. But it brings in revenue. For all the devaluing of the trademark and brand that Mike has done, for all the BS and lawsuits (both pertaining to touring and other issues), for all the cases of being fired/ditched, etc., the ONE thing that Brian and Al get out of Mike having the license is their cut of the licensing fee.

If Mike decided to do substantial amounts of solo shows, BRI would have a much stronger motivation to enforce elements of the license (or revisit the terms of the license) that they've previously let slide. Essentially, it would be a case of "Dude, if you're not bringing in as much revenue, then there's no reason to let you keep using the name."

For all we know, there *are* provisions in the license limiting the amount of non-Beach Boys shows Mike can do. Mike has said (although lamely mainly to defend continuing to book BB shows for after the C50 tour) there is some sort of specified fiduciary duty to BRI for him to book Beach Boys shows. So there may be a minimum number of shows he has to book, or a minimum amount of revenue he has to bring in, etc.

This is all largely moot of course, because I see no reason why Mike would book any substantial amount of non-private/corporate shows under any name other than the BBs. The "Beach Boys" tour is his personal bailiwick. I'd wager that even if by some fluke he all of a sudden built a huge following under his own name, he's *still* lay claim to the Beach Boys name.

[HeyJude]

So with my day off, I've taken a little time to listen to this thing on YouTube...needless to say, I won't be spending money on it.

Since there is so much bad to be said, I'll focus on the good...

Getcha Back actually sounds pretty great. I've liked what they do with this live and that's pretty much what this is. The new lyrics are nice and honestly a little more interesting than the original.

Too Cruel isn't a bad tune. This would go over well in the live show.

Cool Head, Warm Heart is a highlight...since nothing has changed to it.

If Mike's name weren't Mike Love, Unleash The Love wouldn't be so bad.

As for the remakes....Warmth of the Sun with Aambha is nice (she did a great job on it with the NSO live). And WILD HONEY! I'd actually like to own this track. I may just download this track beacuse John Cowsill, that's why.

I always thought a better pick for Mike to fly into the TWGMTR album than "Daybreak" would have been "Too Cruel" (the 2004 version in a different key) with Al singing the lead.

"Cool Head..." and "Too Cruel" from the 2004 unreleased compilation are two of the best pieces. As I've already said, I'm kind of neutral about Christian Love's voice, but I much prefer his 2004 take on "Too Cruel" to the 2017 Mike version. But that goes for pretty much everything on the 2004 collection.

[rab2591]

So with my day off, I've taken a little time to listen to this thing on YouTube...needless to say, I won't be spending money on it.

Since there is so much bad to be said, I'll focus on the good...

Getcha Back actually sounds pretty great. I've liked what they do with this live and that's pretty much what this is. The new lyrics are nice and honestly a little more interesting than the original.

Too Cruel isn't a bad tune. This would go over well in the live show.

Cool Head, Warm Heart is a highlight...since nothing has changed to it.

If Mike's name weren't Mike Love, Unleash The Love wouldn't be so bad.

As for the remakes....Warmth of the Sun with Aambha is nice (she did a great job on it with the NSO live). And WILD HONEY! I'd actually like to own this track. I may just download this track beacuse John Cowsill, that's why.

To piggyback this, I like the new lyrics to Getcha Back, but the whole track is so different from what I’m used to on the ‘85 album. But I guess if you’re used to their live version then this wouldn’t be such a problem.

Agreed about Too Cruel. I can really see this on a modern Beach Boys album. It kinda reminds me of ‘Isnt It Time’ from the 2012 album. What kills it for me is the autotune.

Warmth of the Sun and Wild Honey are my favorites from this set.

[SMiLE Brian]

I am about to go on winter break and need something to do.

Could somebody kickstarter OSD and I to protest these shows with "#notthebeachboys" signs?

[SMiLE Brian]

Or a righteous bald dude review?

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Or a righteous bald dude review?

There's one coming, actually!

[rab2591]

Or a righteous bald dude review?

There's one coming, actually!

Eagerly awaiting this.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

Yeah, going to do a track by track review sometime over the next few days, most likely this weekend

[CenturyDeprived]

Mike’s team is doing sponsored Instagram posts. Somehow according to Love math, two remakes of previously released BBs songs (Getcha Back and Daybreak) count as “all new original” songs.

[SMiLE Brian]

Glad to see OSD and I can rest on our laurels tonight....

[NateRuvin]

After living with this album for a while, I really can't stand the BBs re-recordings with the exception of Wild Honey (maybe WIBN if I'm feeling generous). The first CD has grown on me, despite the autotune. I still wish it wasn't there. I really like Ram Raj though. i think it's a quite ambitious song for Mike to tackle. It might be my all-time favorite Mike solo song, and my second favorite just Mike composition behind Big Sur.

[The LEGENDARY OSD]

I am about to go on winter break and need something to do.

Could somebody kickstarter OSD and I to protest these shows with "#notthebeachboys" signs?

    Count me in!!

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

After living with this album for a while, I really can't stand the BBs re-recordings with the exception of Wild Honey (maybe WIBN if I'm feeling generous). The first CD has grown on me, despite the autotune. I still wish it wasn't there. I really like Ram Raj though. i think it's a quite ambitious song for Mike to tackle. It might be my all-time favorite Mike solo song, and my second favorite just Mike composition behind Big Sur.

You know what? I agree with you. I was surprised when I heard it, and wasn't expecting it to be as good as it was.  Can't believe it's on the same album as the horrible K-Tel cover version-sounding re-recording of Getcha Back. Actually I can't believe it's on the same album as the rest of the songs. It's actually good, the melody is nice, the vocals sound cool, and best of all, it doesn't sound like a cheap recording. It sounds...gasp...professional.  What happened on this one? Did someone drop a molly in his Heineken or something?

And the horrible auto-tuned version of Help Me Rhonda may just be the worst thing ever recorded..oh wait, I just heard the opening part of Make Love, not War.

[CenturyDeprived]

After living with this album for a while, I really can't stand the BBs re-recordings with the exception of Wild Honey (maybe WIBN if I'm feeling generous). The first CD has grown on me, despite the autotune. I still wish it wasn't there. I really like Ram Raj though. i think it's a quite ambitious song for Mike to tackle. It might be my all-time favorite Mike solo song, and my second favorite just Mike composition behind Big Sur.

I agree that some of the originals have grown on me a little. Mostly the better ones are just bland and inoffensive. Some are baddd. The remakes are mostly so, so, so off-the-charts bad, it soils the whole damn thing, especially after his previous Autotune comments. Some interviewer has to ask him about that, right? Or is Autotune hypocrisy on the list of un-askable questions?

Why did Mike not put Big Sur on here? Baffling.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

After living with this album for a while, I really can't stand the BBs re-recordings with the exception of Wild Honey (maybe WIBN if I'm feeling generous). The first CD has grown on me, despite the autotune. I still wish it wasn't there. I really like Ram Raj though. i think it's a quite ambitious song for Mike to tackle. It might be my all-time favorite Mike solo song, and my second favorite just Mike composition behind Big Sur.

I agree that some of the originals have grown on me a little. Mostly the better ones are just bland and inoffensive. Some are baddd. The remakes are mostly so, so, so off-the-charts bad, it soils the whole damn thing, especially after his previous Autotune comments. Some interviewer has to ask him about that, right? Or is Autotune hypocrisy on the list of un-askable questions?

Why did Mike not put Big Sur on here? Baffling.

The big problem with disc one is that, Ram Raj aside (seriously, why is that track so so much better), the production sounds HORRIBLE and makes the album sound cheap. I made a K-Tel reference earlier, and it was not meant as a joke. It really does sound like something somebody recorded in a karaoke studio at a mall and then dubbed it 3 generations.

If not for Ram Raj, and Ambha Love's vocals (seriously, she impressed me big time), this would be in my bottom 3 of worst albums I have ever heard. Not just by professional artists. I mean by *anybody*, and this is coming from someone who has been producing for about 20 years. I've heard some pure sh*t, I mean REAL bad. This ranks down there.

And the freaking NERVE of putting Daybreak over the Ocean on disc one and billing it as an ALL NEW ORIGINAL, when not only it was originally written in the 70s, it was RELEASED AS A BB TRACK FIVE YEARS AGO.

[NateRuvin]

Does anyone remember the BBs re-recordings from Mike's book trailer? I would have been thrilled if those were the covers released, because those actually sounded really good. Not as good as the original recordings obviously, but better than the Adrian Baker stuff imo.

These recordings---- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OutWymKjErk

[NateRuvin]

If the production was decent, I would have LOVED this album. I mean, there's a lot of really great songs! But the shitty production just sucked the life out of the music.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

If the production was decent, I would have LOVED this album. I mean, there's a lot of really great songs! But the shitty production just sucked the life out of the music.

Agreed.  The production, and the cheap ass sound that sounds like it was the microphones had soft pillows placed in front of them during the recording process.

[SMiLE Brian]

And Billy taking a nap....

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

I wish! I have bad insomnia any way...with most of this, I might end up with night terrors!

[SMiLE Brian]

  listen to some classic BW....