Brian songs from the Landy era

[Beach Head]

Here's some interesting information ...

From the Library of Congress copyright records ...

In March 1999, through six documents, Gene Landy and his girlfiend, Alexandra Morgan, assigned their share of the copyrights to 213 musicial compositions to Brian. All of these songs originally were credited to Brian and Landy, with Morgan also credited on 43 of them. A handful also carried credits for various third parties - Jardine, Usher, etc. (those credits remain intact, by the way).

This is the complete list.  How many have you heard?

Actors in plays
Ain't nothin' to hide (co-writer: Morgan)
All over me
Angel
Baby
Baby, come back to L.A.
Baby, let your hair grow long (co-writer: Morgan) 
Bad time soon forgotten
Be a brave guy
Being with the one you love (co-writer: Morgan)
Big man, little man
Bill sounds that way
Birds of love
Boogie's in town
Brian (co-writer: Morgan)
Bubble gum song
California
California calling (co-writer: Jardine)
Camp California (co-writer: Morgan)
Can I trust her?
Can you see it
Car song
Carl & Gina (co-writer: Morgan)
Carte blanche
Chestnut prison
Christine
Christmas time
Come back here
Concert tonight
Country feelin' (co-writer: Morgan)
Crack at your love (co-writer: Jardine)
Daddy's little girl (co-writer: Morgan)
Do you have any regrets? (co-writer: Morgan)
Doin' time on planet Earth
Don't be bad to me
Don't let her know she's an angel (co-writer: Morgan)
Don't you just hate it?
Don't you just love it? (co-writer: Morgan)
Dr. L
Dum-be-do
Erotic dreams
Everybody
Everytime
Exerciser, The
Fairy tale (co-writers: Foster & Morgan)
Fantasy girl
Feeling goin' round
Future
Games two can play
Gidget
Give me your love
Glory Hallelujah
Good guys
Good night Irene
Good sunshine
Hard for me
Have you ever been in love before?
Hawaii
He couldn't get his poor old body to move (co-writer: Buckingham)
Heavenly bodies
Heavenly love
Here we are (co-writers: Foster & Morgan)
Here where I live
Here with me
Hey, Mr. Athlete
Hey, Mr. Space Cadet
Hey yeah
Honey
Hot temper
Hotels of Honolulu
Hotter (co-writers: Paley & Morgan)
I feel this love (co-writer: Morgan)
I gotta get back to you
I love the girl so much
I love to roll
I May Mah
I need your sweet loving mind
I sleep alone (co-writer: Morgan)
I wanna stay
I wanted you to love me (co-writers: Foster & Morgan)
I'm broke
I'm getting tired
I'm going home
I'm so lonely
I'm so tired
I've been thinking
I've been through this before
In my car (co-writer: Morgan)
Is there a chance?
It burns
It happened to me
It was in your eyes
It'll just be like crazy
It's cool
It's fine
It's good
It's gotta go somewhere
It's just a matter of time
It's the ocean & me
Jane
Jesus was my Savior
John & Bianca (co-writer: Morgan)
Just say no (co-writer: Usher)
Let it shine
Let me show it to you
Let's do it again
Let's get it on
Let's go
Let's go to heaven in my car (co-writer: Usher)
Let's stick together (co-writer: Morgan)
Life
Life is still a thrill
Life's not a fantasy
Little children (co-writer: Morgan)
Living doll (co-writer: Morgan)
Looking for a place
Lost song
Love and mercy
Love is the music of life (co-writer: Morgan)
Love will have meaning again
Love ya (co-writers: Gold & Morgan)
Lover boy (co-writer: Morgan)
Magic
Magnetic attraction (co-writer: Usher)
Majors and minors
Make a wish (co-writer: Morgan)
Male ego
Malibu (everyone wears a smile in) (co-writer: Morgan)
Man under fire
Mary honey
Meet me in my dreams tonight
Melt away
Merry Christmas all over the world
Metal beach
Miller time
Missing sound
Move it all around
Movie show
Music in my head
My new girl
My solution
New direction
Night time (co-writers: Paley & Morgan)
No one ever says no
Not this again
Nothing to hide (co-writer: Morgan)
Off my chest
Oh, not this again
On the right track
One crazy summer
One for the boys
Our baby has grown up
Outta control
Passing friend
Pick yourself up & go
Please come back
Please stop
Pretty brown hair
Rainbow eyes (co-writer: Morgan)
Rings
Rio Grande
Robotech scheme
Rock and roll
Round and round
Sailing on the American dream
Saturday evening in the city
Saturday morning in the city
Save the day (co-writer: Foster & Morgan)
She sleeps alone (co-writer: Morgan)
She wants to be my girl
Sherrie
Shine on lucky star
Smart girls (co-writer: Morgan)
So glad
So long
Someone to love (co-writer: Morgan)
Spanish girl (co-writer: Schaeffer)
Spirit of rock & roll (co-writers: Usher & Kelly)
Song that wrote itself
Sorrow and stress
Still I dream of you
Still looking for the high (co-writer: Morgan)
Sunkist
Sunlight
Talkman, talkman
Terri, she need me
That magic night
There's so many (co-writer: Morgan)
This day was meant for you (co-writer: Morgan)
Tiger's gone, The
Time stood still (co-writers: Catona & Morgan)
Too much sugar, a.k.a. So much sugar (co-writer: Morgan)
Trust
Twenty-four hours a day
Wa-wa song
Walk with me
Walkin' the line (co-writers: Morgan & Clowes)
Walking on water
Wasted night
Water builds up (co-writer: Morgan)
We love you
We're not together
What went wrong? (co-writer: Morgan)
What's wrong? (co-writer: Morgan)
What's your dream? 
When I met you
Why not us
Wondering what you're up to
Working on a rock & roll song.
Wouldn't it be cool?
You
You and me
You're not the same

(Given some of those titles, maybe a better question is: How many do you want to hear? )

[the captain]

"Erotic Dreams"?

*shudder*

What's up with the "Good Night Irene" credit? That doesn't make sense, unless it's the copyright to a recorded performance as opposed to a songwriting credit. Because obviously neither BW nor Landy wrote it. And "Games Two Can Play"? Landy certainly wasn't around circa '69/'70 when it was written and recorded. So did they re-record it?

[Beach Head]

What's up with the "Good Night Irene" credit? That doesn't make sense, unless it's the copyright to a recorded performance as opposed to a songwriting credit. Because obviously neither BW nor Landy wrote it.

I'm guessing it's like "Sloop John B" -- a "traditional" song in the public domain, for which Brian wrote a new arrangement.  That would allow him to copyright his version of the song.

As for "Games Two Can Play," I'd guess either Brian & Landy rewrote it or it's an entirely different song by the same name.  Who knows?

[tpesky]

Only 1 Beach Boy on those..Alan Jardine. Interesting that Al appeared to be the only Beach Boy writing with Brian by this point.

[punkinhead]

wa wa song? like the george harrison tune?

[Chris Brown]

One thing I'd like to know is why "My Solution" is on there...it was written in 1970, long before Landy came into the picture.  I know there was an attempt to re-cut it in the 80's, so maybe Landy helped come up with new lyrics?

Very interesting list though...I love some of the titles: "It's Cool", "It's Good", "It's Fine".  Classic.

[Wirestone]

Two words:

Robotech Scheme.

Bring it on, Mr. Wilson. Bring it on.

[matt-zeus]

I happen to like a lot of Brians Landy era stuff - not necessarily the words and production, but musically and melodically a lot of the stuff on BW88, Sweet Insanity and all the outtakes are among my favourites, i'd be intrigued to hear more (if indeed these were actually recorded), though a lot of the titles don't suggest a complete song, rather a one-line one!

[MBE]

I guess about half have beem either released or bootleged. BW88 aside this is Brian at his nadir. Vocallly, production etc.

[SloopJohnB]

...

"Dr. L"

...

 


...This is an impressive collection of songs... But there's no way to tell how many were actually recorded 

[Beach Head]

I May Mah

I just figured this out...

Isn't that Brian's TM mantra?!!

[Roger Ryan]

I'm confused why both "Baby, Let Your Hair Grow Long" and "Being With The One You Love" have Morgan listed as co-writer here when they were originally issued with just Brian's credit. Also, why wouldn't "Let It Shine" carry the Lynn co-write. And "Passing Friend"...wasn't that written by Boy George with no Wilson, Landy, Morgan involvement at all?

[Jay]

There are some very, um, "interesting" song titles in that list. I think somebody needs to raid Brian's archives, and issue a 30 disc box set of nothing but piano demos and song writing sessions. 

[MBE]

As someone who has heard what has been circulated a songwriting tape would be brutal.

[Bittersweet-Insanity]

i have an issue of Uncut magazine from june 1998 where Brian briefly discusses this topic: "i had about 80 songs i wrote that were stolen - the tapes and the lyrics - in 1992.  someone made off with those tapes, some idiot. 82 songs. i can't remember them. i don't remember my songs too well. the sweet insanity stuff? exactly. and other songs i worked on for 2 years. i can remember some of the titles. 'Actors and Players' was one." there is no sign of this song on any recent bootlegs. still, brian sings a verse: "'elton john and the moody blues/huey lewis and the news/you can find me out there yelling for more/rock n roll i just adore it/rock n roll i came here for it' but the rest of the song i can't remember because it was stolen."

[phirnis]

We need to hear "Erotic Dreams"! Please!

[Wirestone]

EROTIC DREAMS
(W+M B. Wilson, 1986)

I keep dreamin'
Yeah and I keep schemin'
Tryin' to think of ways
Each and every day
To win your love

I keep thinkin'
All my time it's takin'
About reaching you girl
Yeah to take you around the world
So high above

In my erotic dreams
Oh they ain't what they seem
In my erotic dreams
Where we can fly

I need a nap now
I've run too many laps now
You're on my mind dear,
But I'm leaving you behind dear
'Cause this ain't love

I'm drinking a green smoothie
Wondering what's it to me
But my sweet fantasies
Are so much better than reality
'Cause I need a shove

In my erotic dreams
Oh they ain't what they seem
In my erotic dreams
Where I can fly

[CenturyDeprived]

i have an issue of Uncut magazine from june 1998 where Brian briefly discusses this topic: "i had about 80 songs i wrote that were stolen - the tapes and the lyrics - in 1992.  someone made off with those tapes, some idiot. 82 songs. i can't remember them. i don't remember my songs too well. the sweet insanity stuff? exactly. and other songs i worked on for 2 years. i can remember some of the titles. 'Actors and Players' was one." there is no sign of this song on any recent bootlegs. still, brian sings a verse: "'elton john and the moody blues/huey lewis and the news/you can find me out there yelling for more/rock n roll i just adore it/rock n roll i came here for it' but the rest of the song i can't remember because it was stolen."

Incredible to think about how this is yet another example of how Brian has been taken advantage of by others over the years.

When Brian says "some idiot", I wonder if he had any remote idea who it could have been. Like maybe a Surf Nazi goon of Landy's, or perhaps a friend/associate of them? This was certainly a very vulnerable time period for Brian, and it seems that someone took full advantage. Just gross.

I do wonder if maybe those tapes will resurface sometime, if only due to some knucklehead trying to sell them and make a buck. One would *think* that the motivation somebody would have from stealing tapes from Brian Wilson would be to monetize the contents. That would have been easier to do back in the early 1990s by selling to some bootleg CD manufacturer, but nowadays I'm not sure how the thief would even go about it, if the tapes even still exist.

[Wirestone]

Pretty sure if those rights were signed over in 1999, the tapes that were "stolen" in 1992 would have been found. Or at least copies secured. Why would BriMel have bothered getting Landy to sign over rights to songs they had no record of?

[CenturyDeprived]

Pretty sure if those rights were signed over in 1999, the tapes that were "stolen" in 1992 would have been found. Or at least copies secured. Why would BriMel have bothered getting Landy to sign over rights to songs they had no record of?

Good point. This only furthers my guess that it was an inside job, most probably by some Landy goon. Just so gross.

I sure hope Brian got his tapes back. The amount of material, both audio and video, that exists from this troubling era must be astounding. I can only imagine that due to a great many factors, we may never see/hear a great deal of it. Hopefully I'm wrong.

[Wirestone]

Also worth noting that on his 2000 Roxy album, BW introduces “The First Time” — a Landy-era tune — by saying he found it in a briefcase. Part of me wonders if he just has piles of cassettes packed away in the basement.

[Matt H]

Only 1 Beach Boy on those..Alan Jardine. Interesting that Al appeared to be the only Beach Boy writing with Brian by this point.

Mike Love also co-wrote Male Ego, that should be on there.

[juggler]

Has anyone here ever heard "Carl & Gina"?  IIRC, the song was performed by Brian at C & G's 1987 wedding. 

[Matt H]

Has anyone here ever heard "Carl & Gina"?  IIRC, the song was performed by Brian at C & G's 1987 wedding. 

I think I remember hearing the same thing.  It may be in the WIBN book.

[Join The Human Race]

If Brian played at their wedding, I would imagine someone in the family has film of that, but that's obviously in their own private collections.

That's a lot of songs and no guarantee that any of thing are anything complete or good. I do agree that Brian was still writing some great songs during this time; especially on BW88 and Sweet Insanity.

During Landy's first involvement, Brian was forced to write songs as part of his therapy. I believe it was in Carlin's book that Brian went and knocked out Solar System after seeing an image of the planets (maybe on a stain glass window?) He went to the piano and just wrote a song about the planets. I believe Johnny Carson was another song he wrote on the spot. Those songs obviously got completed, but there are other songs from Landy's 1st time that most likely vanished into the ether. Some of those titles include "Bring Your Own Comb" and "Quit Using My Toothpaste", both mentioned in 1969-1982 songwriter documentary. Another one from this time, that I think is only ever referenced in the fake autobio was something like: "Quit Carnie From Eating Peanut Butter Sandwiches Around Me." The song titles here are definitely interesting, but who knows how many were simply beyond a rough demo of Brian on a piano.