An American Band DVD

[ShenzhenLost]

hey there.
i recently purchased The Beach Boys An American Band on DVD.  i really enjoy all the archival footage of the group but one thing bothers me.  there is footage from the 'Lei'd In Hawaii' concert from 1967 but the audio track is clearly NOT from that concert.  it sounds to me like the recording made during their London Palladium concert a couple of years later.   is the audio from the Hawaii concert REALLY that bad or is Capitol records just making up stories about it?  i must say, i was pretty disappointed with that aspect of the DVD package. 

[Wrightfan]

Once you hear the Lei'd in Hawaii stuff, you'll realize why it's still in the can 

Not great concerts at all. The audio used is from a concert in London from 68 by the way.

[exposedbrain]

part of the charm of the American Band documentary for me is how screwy the editing and combination of footage and sound is at times.

[Jon Stebbins]

hey there.
i recently purchased The Beach Boys An American Band on DVD.  i really enjoy all the archival footage of the group but one thing bothers me.  there is footage from the 'Lei'd In Hawaii' concert from 1967 but the audio track is clearly NOT from that concert.  it sounds to me like the recording made during their London Palladium concert a couple of years later.   is the audio from the Hawaii concert REALLY that bad or is Capitol records just making up stories about it?  i must say, i was pretty disappointed with that aspect of the DVD package. 

If matching audio that is not orig. to the footage bugs you then the American Band DVD will drive you nuts...cause that happens all over the place in that documentary.

[MBE]

I like the Hawaii performance except Brian yells at some screaming girls to be quiet while Carl sings. They used the original audio on the EH doc.

[Ian]

American Band is full of such things- For example when Brian sings "In My Room" onstage-The producers suggest that it is 1976, but the footage is from Houston 1978 and the audio is from another show...Very odd, but the doc does have great footage

[HeyJude]

I've probably related this story several times in the past in old threads on this topic, but one interesting thing about "An American Band" is the alternate mixes of 60's Capitol studio tracks in the documentary. As I remember the story, they originally cut the film with the standard Capitol mixes/masters used for those tracks (and that version was the version seen/heard in apparently very limited theatrical screenings). But then they found they weren't allowed to use the actual final Capitol mixes/masters. They could still use the tracks, just not Capitol's mixes. So this is why all of the 60's Capitol tracks have such noticeably different mixes. It seems they specifically mixed the songs to sound noticeably different to display/prove that they weren't using the standard Capitol mixes. This is probably also why they subtituted a few live tracks in as well for early tracks like "409", where it sounds like they used some sort of early 80's live recording because they didn't have any multitrack to do a remix of the original studio version.

[MBE]

I understand there were a few different edits too. Wish it was going around.

[exposedbrain]

i've noticed people mention some things that are not on my copy of American Band (1980's vhs copy) like Brian performing In My Room on stage. any help with this?

[Wrightfan]

i've noticed people mention some things that are not on my copy of American Band (1980's vhs copy) like Brian performing In My Room on stage. any help with this?

I believe it was re-released on DVD not long ago, packaged with I Just Wasn't Made for These Times.

I think I've seen it at Costco.

[Amanda Hart]

I got mine at Barnes and Noble last summer

[exposedbrain]

i've noticed people mention some things that are not on my copy of American Band (1980's vhs copy) like Brian performing In My Room on stage. any help with this?

I believe it was re-released on DVD not long ago, packaged with I Just Wasn't Made for These Times.

I think I've seen it at Costco.

i guess what i meant was does anyone know if there is additional material on the dvd or some other video addition b/c my copy definitely does not have Brian performing In My Room in the 70's.

[Bicyclerider]

There is an "edited" version of American Band that is shorter than what is on the Wasn't Made for These Times/American Band DVD.  You must have that.  More coverage of the Smile era is on the longer version.

[MBE]

i've noticed people mention some things that are not on my copy of American Band (1980's vhs copy) like Brian performing In My Room on stage. any help with this?

You have the short version, the DVD and even another release of the VHS had the full movie.

[Jay]

I like the Hawaii performance except Brian yells at some screaming girls to be quiet while Carl sings. They used the original audio on the EH doc.

On what song do you hear Brian screaming?

[Jay]

With all the butchering they did with the AAB documentary, you'd think that the one thing they could, and SHOULD, have edited was Dennis singing You Are So Beautiful. I know they probably put that clip in to show how bad Dennis got, but that scene is hard to get through. They could have edited the audio in from Knebworth or something.

[Mr. Wilson]

The version that was used in movie theatres was about 10-15 minutes longer...it had more about BB in 80"s..the nite i saw it Dianne + marlyin were there in back row with some kids...also there was a 60 minute version of America band released on VHS....Also when that video came out it cost over 65.00 NEW to buy back then..!!...The long version..

[MBE]

I like the Hawaii performance except Brian yells at some screaming girls to be quiet while Carl sings. They used the original audio on the EH doc.

On what song do you hear Brian screaming?

God Only Knows he yells "Shut Up".

[MBE]

The version that was used in movie theatres was about 10-15 minutes longer...it had more about BB in 80"s..the nite i saw it Dianne + marlyin were there in back row with some kids...also there was a 60 minute version of America band released on VHS....Also when that video came out it cost over 65.00 NEW to buy back then..!!...The long version..

Do you remember what they showed?

[donald]

I bought the original release..actually copied it from the video store copy using my giant RCA video camera hooked to my cumbersome old VHS player.  Around that time the video store gave me the promo poster which I still have.  Quite large.  And I had it with me at a concert sometime in the 80's and managed to bump into Jeff F. and Bruce before a show and they signed it.  I should have persisted in taking it to subsequent shows where I could have had the others sign it but alas I didn't.

Later bought the movie. Then later bought the "extended" version.  I don't recall the differences.   there weren't THAT many that I recall. 

A year or two ago I found the IJWMFTT/AAB twofer.  Iwas delighted to get these on DVD.

I wish there were more of this sort of footage...same as I wish there were more of the Hawthorne type material.

I would love to see that entire home movie of Brians birthday with Paul and Linda, Carl, Annie, Audree, Dennis and all of the others.  Feels like family when I watch.  Wish there were more.

"Mom?  Whats the name of that famous disease?"     

   "Lackanookie!"

[Ian]

On the release on video in the 80s- Carl is discussing their 70s resurgence and says "For the Beach Boys there was one thing missing- Brian Wilson" and cut to Brian onstage singing In My Room with them.  Based on the way the film is edited-you assume this is 1976, but I later learned that the footage was shot at a show at The Summit in April 78 in Houston.  The audio, however, is apparently from another show....Odd

[southbay]

Another piece missing from thedited version is a short clip of Brian from an interview that appears to be from 84-85 wherein he states something to the effect of "I've been up, I've been down but I'm still here.  I'm still Rockin'."  Then it goes to a clip of him performing "It's Just a Matter of Time" in concert.  After the song, he states"here's my brother Dennis!"  which leads into "You Are So Beautiful".  The edited version skips all of that and jumps right into "you Are So Beautiful"   

[Mr. Wilson]

Hey South Bay.. that Bw footage you mentioned is from 83 costa mesa ca.. I was there = we talked about that concert on another thread at shut down board i believe..As far as the longer theatre version.. It had more concert snippets.. Press conf..More footage of  84 wash dc..And some landy stuff also..In cluding the footage south Bay was talkin about....landy = Brian.. I paid to see that movie 3 times in about a month..then it  dissapered..and came out on VHS..I noticed the shorter version right away..When you paid to see it ..It was pretty close to 2HRS....the vaults must be FULL of concert videos.. The 89 tv show BB summer specials.. Was FULL concert with Chicago..89 Costa mesa..Should release the whole thing of that show..Including Chicago...BW did 3 solo songs with BB backup band...Long Version of..Love + Mercy...In my Car...Country Feeling...

[southbay]

Yeah, Pacific Amphitheater in Costa Mesa.  I saw the Boys there many times (incl. the 89 show with Chicago which was taped for the "Endless Summer" t.v. show.  That was on Memorial Day weekend 1989.  The second concert of that tour--they played the Oakland Coliseum the day before and Hollywood Bowl the day after.) I remember the LA TImes ran a huge full page article on the Beach Boys the day of that Costa Mesa show, touting their "comeback" album being recorded on Capitol (Still Cruisin')  and Brian's appearance with the group and on the album.  The one thing I remember from that article was Jardine's quote that Capitol and the band "expect three hit singles" from the album.  I just rememeber it was a very good (but brief) time to be a fan.  The expectaions were high...and then album came out, and Brian disappeared again.