Dennis Wilson as an artist in the 1970's

[Jay]

Jon, your above post kind of leads me to a question that I have always wondered about. You mentioned that POB had a lot of promotion. Did Dennis himself actually promote it? I mean, Rolling Stone reviewed it, but did Dennis actually get behind the promotion? Did he ever appear on tv shows to promote it? Did he give interviews about it? Were there any tv commercials promoting it?

[TdHabib]

Most said what he was doing was way better than what the BB's were doing. So, mainstream, definitely not as far as content, but it was at least as mainstream in profile as anything by the BB's during that period.

Did they refer to "Love You", the live shows or "15 Big Ones" as what the BB were doing?

[Dove Nested Towers]

It's probably been thoroughly covered in your book and others, Jon, but it's been a while and my copy is currently inaccessible. Dennis was going to do a small solo tour
to perform the album, which would of course have served a promotional function also.

Someone posted recently about Mike and/or other band members threatening some kind of retribution if he proceeded with these plans, and it being sadly aborted at least
partially because of that. Any details you or anyone (Ed?) can provide if it's not too
sensitive (and won't compromise any future book contents)?

[Jon Stebbins]

Jon, your above post kind of leads me to a question that I have always wondered about. You mentioned that POB had a lot of promotion. Did Dennis himself actually promote it? I mean, Rolling Stone reviewed it, but did Dennis actually get behind the promotion? Did he ever appear on tv shows to promote it? Did he give interviews about it? Were there any tv commercials promoting it?

Yes he promoted it himself, mostly in the months right before it came out. There were quite a few print interviews(many major Rock mags, even a cover story or two) and many radio interviews in mid to late 77, some of these are well archived and well circulated. No TV that I know of. Lots of print ads in the rock press. TV commercials for any rock product was rare in 77, for a debut that would have been even rarer. So no, no TV commercials. A promotional film for River Song was made by Ed Roach which was seen in part in American Band. It was promoted pretty well out of the box considering it was his debut. But Dennis was on to the next thing (Bambu) even before POB hit the stores.

[Ed Roach]

Were there any tv commercials promoting it?

TV commercials for any rock product was rare in 77, for a debut that would have been even rarer. So no, no TV commercials. A promotional film for River Song was made by Ed Roach which was seen in part in American Band. It was promoted pretty well out of the box considering it was his debut. But Dennis was on to the next thing (Bambu) even before POB hit the stores.

Jon, just to correct you slightly, the first TV commercials that I created for The Boys, (and a lot of that footage is used in the title sequence for "Endless Harmony"), were for "The Beach Boys In Concert", and that was several years before P.O.B.  And those commercials were totally Dennis' doing; the album was slipping off the charts when he went to Mo Ostin with the idea.  "Ya' sell cars, & cigarettes on TV, kid!  Unless you're selling K-Tel or something!  Nope, we're not paying for that!" 
So, Dennis got the company to foot the bill for the first one, we bought local time on rock shows, and the album took off in that market!  Suddenly, Warner's was totally behind the idea. 
I had told you that "The River Song" was intended as the basis for the first commercial, and he would have pulled that one off, too, had he not moved on, and decided to let P.O.B. live or die on it's own...

[Jay]

I wonder if a commercial for In Concert circulates at all? Do the films even still exist?

[Jon Stebbins]

I wonder if a commercial for In Concert circulates at all? Do the films even still exist?

I remember seeing them in '73...blew my mind! Luckily i got to see them again in '99 thanks to Ed's generosity...you see little bits of the related footage in Endless Harmony.

[Alf64]

Did they refer to "Love You", the live shows or "15 Big Ones" as what the BB were doing?

The Beach Boys "Love You" was the BBs current offerring in 1977. I got mine for $1.99 in the bargain LP bin at a record store in the early 80's. I stand VERY corrected Mr. Stebbins. I am using this board as a learning tool  for me. So I post things that I have always been unsure about over the years.

[Ed Roach]

I wonder if a commercial for In Concert circulates at all? Do the films even still exist?

Apparently, you don't know my history: I save everything!

I remember seeing them in '73...blew my mind!
...you see little bits of the related footage in Endless Harmony.

(Thanks, Jon; they were good, weren't they?)  It was a pretty incredible situation back in '73, one we wouldn't be able to recreate today.  There were so many music oriented shows on TV; "In Concert", "Midnight Special", Dick Clark, "Don Kirshner's Rock Concert", Casey Kasem, plus other local ones, and we bought time locally on all of them!
Also, you see a lot of the footage in the titles to E.H., as I had said.  I know Dennis, Carl & Al all featured my footage from the commercials in their intro to the film.