"Let's Go To San Francisco" by The Flowerpot Men.
Sounds like a Beach Boys song, something that Brian could've written after a successful SMiLE completion.

The song is pretty good but I doubt the theme would fit with a group as quintessentially L.A as the Beach Boys. "Hey everyone. Let's ditch this dump and head north!" 

If anything, the Flowerpot Men track 'Am I Losing You' would be a much better fit in my opinion. It's a great song that wouldn't have been out of place on Pet Sounds. I think the boys could have handled it really well. Here's a sound sample of the original demo.

http://www.amazon.com/Am-I-Losing-You/dp/B002RBVTTG

The finished version is of course more polished and has backing harmonies...

I'd prefer a digital album.

Can't wait to hear the final results - have enjoyed all the covers so far!

You may want to check out He's A Rebel by Mark Ribowski then, kwan_dk. It was written in 1988 and because Spector wouldn't get in touch with Ribowski he did something even better: talked to people who worked with him or were his inner circle and so on.

Yeah, you're right, that's a good read. And up until Mick Brown's book I'd reckon it was the best of the bunch that's been issued on Spector. I still feel though that Mick Brown's book is the most worthwhile read - not only has he also talked to a lot of other sources, including a few who haven't been interviewed before, he also had an interview with Spector to draw from, in the process not taking Spector's claims at face value but rather giving fair interpretations of why he says what he says. You should definately give his book another chance - it really gains momentum after the first introductory chapters...

On another, and more gloomy note, what do people here think will happen with the band in the future? Say, ten years from now?.

I'm just thinking, this group has been together for so long now that it seems they could go on making great, original music in the Beach Boys / Brian Wilson mold should they so desire without Brian, either if he at some point (god forbid) quits recording / touring at his own will or because of health, illness etc. It's been quite some time since the Wondermints and Foskett issued anything new on their own and even though some of the other group members have had more recent projects maybe they would consider staying together in some loose group constellation that could consider recording & performing? In my opion that would be awesome and a great way of carrying on the torch, securing that this kind of music could live on many years from now. Whether or not it's realistic is of course an entirely different thing.

I think that comment should be taken with a grain of salt - it's probably mostly for show. He's got a habit of dissing everyone - Leiber / Stoller, George Martin, Bruce Springsteen, you name it - this time it just happened to be Brian he took a stab at. Actually, to be fair, I remember reading in one of the Spector biographies that Phil expressed quite a bit of support for Brian during the 60s, acknowledging the kind of pressure he was under as the sole creative force in the group (at least in terms of writing and producing) up until that point. I think I read it in Mick Brown's fantastic 'Tearing Down the Wall of Sound' which is THE book on Spector.

I wouldn't recommend the bio though. Spector is given too much spotlight to polish his ego - it would have been better with more comments from those who worked with him back in the day like they had in that British documentary from the 80s. It could be seen on Youtube split up in parts until recently....

[is]

I bought my copy from Borders about 3 years ago and it was a fairly recent reprint. In it Audree is made out to be an alcoholic who silently sits by while her husband tortures their sons, Mike a physically abusive nutcase and Carl is portrayed as a no talent leech who is insanely jealous of Brian. I doubt it is but if that is a re-edited version I wonder what the original text was like?

That's interesting. I bought my copy 6 or 7 years ago and have read it two times since then, but I can't remember anything about Audree being portrayed as an alcoholic. Or stabs at Carl for that matter. But it may be that I just don't recall those portions of the text - do we know for a fact that there aren't any revised editions textwise?

On an entirely different matter; a pretty telling reflection of the book and its content is the fact that my copy has a photo on the cover of the group without Brian. And with Carl highlighted as if he's Brian Wilson!  Gosh, what a glaring mistake.

It probably wasn't his favourite song but didn't Dennis love Dion's 'the Wanderer'?

The lyrics certainly seem tailermade for him: "Well I'm the kinda guy who'll never settle down. Where pretty girls are, well, you know that I'm around." 

I quite like it.

I definately understand where Luther is coming from regarding tribute lyrics but I think this is one of the better balanced efforts. And I like the fact that you guys haven't 'over-Beach-Boysified' it with a lot of falsettos, Mike Love bow-bow-bow bass lines or similar trademarks. That would probably have been too over-the-top considering how much the lyrics are steeped in BB-fandom. 

So my two cents: Congratulations with a very well executed and catchy song! And you can never go wrong with Kayla handling the vocals. She sings beautifully as always.

Martin / Surf School Dropouts

What about Rick Henn of the Sunrays? What instrument did he play? But I guess the boys would have rather died than including someone from Murrey's soundalike group to the ranks. :-)

Btw, and a bit off topic - I absolutely love 'Soulful Old Man Sunshine'. Does anyone know if Henn worked on anything else with Brian & the rest of the group?

Jimmy Griffin was one of the original 1960's contenders in the bands mind to replace Brian on the road, and I reckon he would've been amazing. He had such a fantastic vocal range and LOVED harmony ... 
For the unknowing out there - Jimmy eventually fame as a co-founder of the band BREAD alongside David Gates ...

Interesting. Didn't know this... Do we know who the other contenders were?

I guess that Terry Melcher could also have been just as obvious an inclusion as Bruce...

Ok, so indulge me in a bit of a 'what if' mind experiment, just for some geeky fun...  

Let's say that Bruce didn't end up filling in for Brian after he stepped down from touring i 1965. Who else from the LA music scene would you have liked to see join the group on stage and later in the studio in terms of what they could have contributed to Beach Boys history?

Obviously, I ask because I think it could be fun to learn which musicians people think could have brought something interesting to the group in terms of vocals, songwriting etc. This is of course not meant as a critique of Bruce at all -  I love his voice and later songs with the boys, but seeing how coincidental his involvement seems to have come about, a 'what if' scenario where someone else by some weird twist of fate joined might not, in theory at least, be so far fetched.

I'll start off with my two favourites for replacing Brian in a parralel dimension.   None of them would probably have been realistic options at all or interested in joining because of their track record by then. But then again, Bruce had had quite a bit of succes before joining so you never know...

1) John 'Bucky' Wilkin, the guy behind Ronny & the Daytonas.

Ok, so he was based in Nashville, but he was discovered by Nick Venet of all people and frequently made trips to LA. According to an interview Stephen McParland did with Venet, he even brought him along to a couple of Beach Boys sessions so the guys must have known him. Here's a guy who could sing great, sometimes even sounding uncannily like Brian; who was an expert guitar player and someone who, at least to me ears, could rival some of Brian's best work in 1965. I'm of course referring to the fantastic 'Sandy' album that Ronny & the Daytonas put out in 1965. It featured incredibly lush and romantic ballads which would not have been out-of-place on Today. He also made some great one-off singles afterwards before going in a more singer-songwriter direction and eventually stepping out of the spotlight. My mind boggles at what he could have done as a member of the Beach Boys, at least in terms of supplying quality material.

2) Phil Sloan
This would be my second choice. As much as I love Phil's 60s solo work as PF Sloan I've often wondered what could have been had he expanded on the Beach Boys soundalikes he did with Steve Barri on the Fantastic Baggys longplayer the year before Brian quit touring. Again; a great musician who I believe could play various instruments, sing falsetto with the best of them and write incredibly catchy stuff. He ghosted on a lot of Jan & Dean recordings and of course worked as a songwriter/producer/session musician for Lou Adler & Dunhill. So he came in the same circles as Brian and the boys and had already proven himself more than capable by 1965. I reckon it would never have worked though as he'd probably have been much to strongwilled to function within the group.

So basically just a bit of fun to pass the time with before my copy of the Gershwin album arrives from the US. (I'm one of those who purposefully have refrained from listening before I hold a copy in hand.)

Who'd be your favourite to join instead of Bruce and why? And please let's keep it at a level that's at least just a tiny bit realistic,.... so no Paul McCartney stepping in for Brian. Ok?  

Interesting piece of music. I like the sound of the production, especially some of the bass parts which are very Pet Sounds-like...

Hey Dylan

I've also had time to listen to your album now - thanks for sharing it with us man. 

Naturally, with 40(!) tracks some stand out more than others, but generally I like what I hear. Great vocals and I find it both admirable and impressive that you've tried your hand at so many styles, even rap/hip-hop and reggae!  I'm obviously not as broadminded as you since the songs that immidately caught my ears were the most BB-sounding; 'Every Night I Know is Such a Lie', 'She's the One', 'Nightsong', 'Items' etc. Good stuff indeed.

Oh, and I think your vocals are really awesome!

Keep up the good work.

Martin
/ Surf School Dropouts

For me, it would be Friends-era Beach Boys covering the Lovin' Spoonful's 'Didn't Want to Have to Do It'. With Carl on lead and the guys adding subtle harmonies it could have been killer!

How about Bacharach's "Alfie", sung by Brian in "Still I Dream of It" style.

John Bucky Wilkin, the guy who more or less WAS Ronny & the Daytonas, issued a great version on RCA in 67 or 68. If I'm not mistaken it was issued as one of the last Daytonas singles before he wrapped up the group. It's a great version that to my ears sound like what a 'Today'-era Brian might have gotten out of this great song.

Sit your friend down and watch Endless Harmony with him. That's what got me into the group and their music. Seriously, it worked for me!

I used to really hate the Beach Boys and their sound. I constantly teased my friend for listening to such sappy, shrill music. (What can I say - I was ignorant). But seeing that documentary and having him explain some of the bits a bit more in detail while watching really changed all that up to the point where I've become a full-blown BB-fanatic.

It's fun to look back on now; since then my friend and I have seen both Mike & Bruce and Brian in concert together (including the legendary Smile premiere at Royal Festival Hall) and we're currently singing in a BB-inspired group. Had someone told me that would happen ten years ago I wouldn't have believed them. 

Kwan_dk
http://www.myspace.com/surfschooldropouts

Wow! This is great! I really, really like it. And what a great sounding, dense production!  Thanks for sharing this with us.

Martin

http://www.myspace.com/surfschooldropouts

Congratulations on your album - sounds very nice. It's cool to see someone doing songs less than two minutes long for a change instead of the usual overindulging into the 4 minute mark or more. 

Martin, Surf School Dropouts
http://www.myspace.com/surfschooldropouts

Very nice songs Adam!

I prefer 'There Goes this Summer' but both are really spot-on summery Beach Boys homages. 

Martin, Surf School Dropouts
http://www.myspace.com/surfschooldropouts

Thank you for your kind remarks. Much appreciated...  

Martin / Surf School Dropouts

Dan; just wanted to chime in with praise. Your stuff is fantastic!

Martin

http://www.myspace.com/surfschooldropouts

We've just completed our fourth song. It's about longing for summer during winter and called 'Summer is a State of Mind'.

Have a listen at:

http://www.myspace.com/surfschooldropouts

We'd love to hear your thoughts... 

Surf's up!

/ Surf School Dropouts
 

 

This is a great idea for a compilation! 

Has there been set a deadline for when people have to have their covers ready?

Surf School Dropouts

http://www.myspace.com/surfschooldropouts

If you'd like to hear some Beach Boys-inspired music from Denmark, check this out:

http://www.myspace.com/surfschooldropouts

We're four guys who originally got together to harmonize on some Brian Wilson classics and we've just recently begun making our own stuff for fun. New tracks will be added as we get them done. 

Surf's up...