Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again

[mikeyj]

Is there anywhere that you can hear the Dennis Wilson song "Wouldn't It Be Nice to Live Again"? Like is it circulating out there? Thanks

[Andrew G. Doe]

The only place you'll hear the song (as opposed to the original recording) is on Adam Marsland's Chaos Band's excellent live CD featuring the songs of Carl & Dennis Wilson. The actual BB recording hasn't been booted.

[mikeyj]

Thanks Andrew , I think I will have to buy that album down the track (when i have time and money). That means that Adam Marsland etc. must have heard it.. i wonder what the original song is like, I cant believe some of the stuff that hasnt been released hasnt been released, if that makes sense.

[Roger Ryan]

Well, Alan Boyd definitely heard it (and has performed it solo before at one Beach Boys convention). I suspect he played the original tape for Adam when they were mulling over songs to perform on the "The Songs Of Carl & Dennis Wilson" tour.

And, once again, the original track was going to be issued as a bonus track on the proposed DVD-A release of the "Surf's Up" album before that project was dropped.

[Jonas]

proposed DVD-A release of the "Surf's Up" album before that project was dropped.

 

[melissalynn]

That's sad...I think I'd give up half of all my cds and records just to hear that one song. Oh, the humanity. All the wonderful songs still sitting away in the vaults, collecting dust.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Thanks Andrew , I think I will have to buy that album down the track (when i have time and money). That means that Adam Marsland etc. must have heard it.. i wonder what the original song is like, I cant believe some of the stuff that hasnt been released hasnt been released, if that makes sense.

The original BB version of "Live Again" is easily one of the best three unreleased BB tracks I've ever heard - it is just staggeringly magnificent. You wouldn't believe Dennis could sing so sweetly, and the bvs... awesome. Not having this on Surf's Up was a major, major loss.

[Daniel S.]

The original BB version of "Live Again" is easily one of the best three unreleased BB tracks I've ever heard

What are the other two?

[matt-zeus]

I think Andre means 'Can't stop talking about American girls' and 'At the hop'

[the captain]

The original BB version of "Live Again" is easily one of the best three unreleased BB tracks I've ever heard - it is just staggeringly magnificent.

Best three yet-unreleased, or unreleased throughout what most people would consider the life of the band? For example, would the Smile versions of Wonderful, et al, count--things that came out on compilations after the fact?

[phirnis]

Judging from the Alan Boyd live version, it sure is a totally gorgeous song and might be just as good as Forever. Why the Beach Boys didn't consider releasing some record with more than just eight or ten songs on it in the early seventies is completely beyond me, as there used to be quality material all over the place. Yet to the public, it must have seemed like they were suffering from a creative dry spell, which they ultimately did a few years later of course...

[Andrew G. Doe]

Judging from the Alan Boyd live version, it sure is a totally gorgeous song and might be just as good as Forever.

Better.

[Sheriff John Stone]

Is it possible that Dennis was saving it for a solo album?

[Dancing Bear]

Is it possible that Dennis was saving it for a solo album?

Sure, when he had this row with Carl about Surf's Up line-up, he certainly had a solo album as a backup plan for his tracks. A 1971/72 solo album which never materialized... Maybe the question is, why did he offer 'Make It Good' and not WIBNTLA for C&tP?

But then we'd be talking about this gem of a track still sitting in the vaults, known as 'Make It Good'. 

[adamghost]

When we did it, Alan let us hear a recording of it but we did not make dubs, for obvious reasons.

Our version on the album is faithful to the original with three exceptions:  we took out a long repetitive guitar solo section; we modulated the key for Evie's voice; and I added a "who ever said" response in the third verse, which came to me out of nowhere, in Dennis' 1971 voice no less, onstage in Chicago.  It was spooky, and I'm not prone to these kinds of superstitions, so we kept it in.  Otherwise, we were aware that it was the first chance BBs fans were going to get to hear it so we wanted to make it as true to the recording as possible.  The background vocal arrangement is almost identical...

[Roger Ryan]

Adam - Thanks for the info; I was wondering how close to the original your performance was. I love the coda especially - I imagine that fades out on the original, right?

[adamghost]

My recollection -- and I don't have a copy of it myself to check -- was that it faded out.  The call and response parts are not exactly the same on ours (because we were all playing at the same time and got distracted), but it's close.  IIRC, Evie is singing Mike Love's part (the repeating bass line), and the high "yeahs" were Carl and Brian.

[smile-holland]

My recollection -- and I don't have a copy of it myself to check -- was that it faded out.  The call and response parts are not exactly the same on ours (because we were all playing at the same time and got distracted), but it's close.  IIRC, Evie is singing Mike Love's part (the repeating bass line), and the high "yeahs" were Carl and Brian.

great info, thanks for sharing that with us.

[adamghost]

Actually, now that I think of it, I don't know that there was a finished mater made that would have incorporated a fade out.  The implication was that it would have faded out, but what I heard probably just went on until everything fell apart.  I don't remember.  I do remember hearing two different mixes of the song.

[Alan Boyd]

The original track lasts for about 7 minutes, with most of the the band winding down and Charles Lloyd continuing jamming on his flute (s) til he just....kinda..... eventually.... stops.

Sounded like a fun session.

[Jonas]

when will we get to hear the dennis version, alan?

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

...Charles Lloyd continuing jamming on his flute...

As he is wont to do...

[the captain]

As he is wont to do...

I hereby award you points for using one of my favorite words! Extra credit. A+!

[Joshilyn Hoisington]

Sometimes I just want to use wont.

[the captain]

I won't stop you.