MiC up for order on Amazon, August release

[Shady]

I really don't get the appeal of the radio spots.

[drbeachboy]

I really don't get the appeal of the radio spots.

They're corny and sometimes goofy, but it is neat hearing these tidbits.

[Sheriff John Stone]

I really don't get the appeal of the radio spots.

They're corny and sometimes goofy, but it is neat hearing these tidbits.

I like to USE them when I'm making a CD comp and I need to break up the flow a little bit, or would like a cool intro to a song.

[Jonathan Blum]

Either way…  as canonical statements, you could do a whole lot worse.

Cheers,
Jon Blum

Thank you, Jonathon, for taking the high road when sharing your views with us.  Through a series of thoughtful, considered posts, you've really delivered where others have faltered.  Frankly, I enjoyed reading your words much more than the exorbitantly long, overwrought and reactionary posts of others (posts which were guilty of trading opinion as fact and just plain, old fashioned, not knowing when to quit.  Yikes!).

Thanks -- that makes me feel a lot better, after my horrible epiphany last night, when I copied all the postings together (I'm hoping to assemble them as an essay for my blog) and realised "Hang on...  I've just written 4,000 ****ing words about the meaning of a box set THAT HASN'T BEEN RELEASED YET?!??"...  :-)

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[Letsgoawayforawhile]

Since this is actually happening, did Phil spontaneously combust?

[Mikie]

I really don't get the appeal of the radio spots.

They're corny and sometimes goofy, but it is neat hearing these tidbits.

I'm glad an old AM radio station from my neck of the woods will be represented in the MIC collection. KYA San Francisco dominated the Rock & Roll radio market here up until the mid-60's. Since the title of the radio spot is "Wonderful KYA", I think it will be a different spot than the KYA spot included on SOT Vol. 12, where Brian thanks DJ's Big Daddy Tom Donahue and Bob Mitchell for playing their latest single Dance, Dance, Dance.  

I wouldn't be surprised if Bay Area native Alan Boyd had a hand in that selection!

[Generation42]

Cigar, Booze, Pizza and the MIC box set. Sounds like the American dream.

I think you've left something out!

A good book? Yeah my bad

[Jay]

Never got a reply first time around, so I'll try again...

Are we going to get the full-length WIBNTLA? Now that we know that it's officially being released, presumably there's no harm in us being told whether we're getting the full-length version - complete with flutey noodling - or an edited version?

Personally I very much hope we get the full-length version, regardless of whether the flutes go on a bit at the end. I haven't waited four decades to hear the song only to have someone behind the scenes decide 'You know what, they don't need to hear all of this, man' - SNIP!

One. More. Time.

The 'edited' version is the 'correct' version. The so-called 'long' version is just the band jamming for another few minutes after the vocals finish. Frankly, it's boring and detracts for the actual song. Know who decided behind the scenes you didn't need to listen to all of it ? Dude called Wilson, back in 1971. But of course, you know better than him...  

Wilson who?

Pickett.

[♩♬🐸 Billy C ♯♫♩🐇]

The volleyball from  Cast Away.

[Jay]

Am I the only one here who thinks it would have been a great idea to have ended this box set with the final three songs from TWGMTR? I know that re-releasing them so soon wouldn't make a lot of sense but, and this is the important part, those three songs are arguably the best songs the group has done in thirty years. Ending the box with From There To Back Again, Pacific Coast Highway, and Summer's Gone might just make the average fan think to themselves "Hey, these guys are still making good music! I need to get all their albums to see what I've missed!".

[Jay]

The volleyball from  Cast Away.

[Alan Smith]

The volleyball from  Cast Away.

[Dave Modny]

Am I the only one here who thinks it would have been a great idea to have ended this box set with the final three songs from TWGMTR? I know that re-releasing them so soon wouldn't make a lot of sense but, and this is the important part, those three songs are arguably the best songs the group has done in thirty years. Ending the box with From There To Back Again, Pacific Coast Highway, and Summer's Gone might just make the average fan think to themselves "Hey, these guys are still making good music! I need to get all their albums to see what I've missed!".

It has been noted by a few folks in this monolith of a thread -- including yours truly. So, yes, I agree that it's a bit of a head-scratcher.

I know a few people have speculated this ("speculated" being the key word), but perhaps the whole melancholy "finality theme" was considered too much, "too final" or inappropriate by some  -- with the implication of a post mortem? Pity, because if one is trying to plead the artistic/musical case for the band with a comprehensive release like this -- particularly in the last 35 years -- these 3 tracks would seem like a shoe-in. On the other hand, however slim those chances may be, perhaps it bodes well for a potential future...of any sort...for this band?

So, it's more of a surprise to me than an outright disappointment (as we obviously just got these gems last year).

[Jonathan Blum]

I know a few people have speculated this ("speculated" being the key word), but perhaps the whole melancholy "finality theme" was considered too much, "too final" or inappropriate by some  -- with the implication of a post mortem? Pity, because if one is trying to plead the artistic/musical case for the band with a comprehensive release like this -- particularly in the last 35 years -- these 3 tracks would seem like a shoe-in. On the other hand, however slim those chances may be, perhaps it bodes well for a potential future...of any sort...for this band?

So, it's more of a surprise to me than an outright disappointment (as we obviously just got these gems last year).

Remember how long the songs are -- put the whole suite on there, along with the two singles, and you'd have way more music from "Radio" than from "Sunflower" or "Pet Sounds"!

"Summer's Gone" on its own, maybe, but not the whole suite...

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[sockittome]

The volleyball from  Cast Away.

The neighbor from the tv show Home Improvement!

[Disney Boy (1985)]

I really don't get the appeal of the radio spots.

Well I don't get the appeal of It's Over Now, but at least your bugbear's are over in a few seconds...

[Disney Boy (1985)]

Am I the only one here who thinks it would have been a great idea to have ended this box set with the final three songs from TWGMTR? I know that re-releasing them so soon wouldn't make a lot of sense but, and this is the important part, those three songs are arguably the best songs the group has done in thirty years. Ending the box with From There To Back Again, Pacific Coast Highway, and Summer's Gone might just make the average fan think to themselves "Hey, these guys are still making good music! I need to get all their albums to see what I've missed!".

I think a good way to have done it would have been to ditch the awful single-version of Isn't It Time and then have Summer's Gone (live) appear at the end of the live songs selection, thus effectively ending the entire set with their swan song (to me, disc 6 acts more as bonus disc than a continuation of their story). I think that would've worked really well.

[AndrewHickey]

I think a good way to have done it would have been to ditch the awful single-version of Isn't It Time and then have Summer's Gone (live) appear at the end of the live songs selection, thus effectively ending the entire set with their swan song (to me, disc 6 acts more as bonus disc than a continuation of their story). I think that would've worked really well.

The live versions of Summer's Gone both have problems with Brian's vocals (different problems -- you could put together a more-or-less usable comp from the best of both). And given that there may well have been some contractual Joe Thomas involvement with any live recordings from that tour, I'd hate to have that spoiling the box.

Also, from AGD's comment about possibly having known what rarities were on the box as of last summer, it's possible that the tracklisting was finalised a lot further back than we might think, possibly even before Summer's Gone was ever performed live.

That said, I'm in a minority in that I don't think much of Summer's Gone at all. I think nearly all of its power comes from context and its placement at the end of what will almost certainly be the band's last album. As a song, it's frankly mediocre.

[Dave Modny]

I know a few people have speculated this ("speculated" being the key word), but perhaps the whole melancholy "finality theme" was considered too much, "too final" or inappropriate by some  -- with the implication of a post mortem? Pity, because if one is trying to plead the artistic/musical case for the band with a comprehensive release like this -- particularly in the last 35 years -- these 3 tracks would seem like a shoe-in. On the other hand, however slim those chances may be, perhaps it bodes well for a potential future...of any sort...for this band?

So, it's more of a surprise to me than an outright disappointment (as we obviously just got these gems last year).

Remember how long the songs are -- put the whole suite on there, along with the two singles, and you'd have way more music from "Radio" than from "Sunflower" or "Pet Sounds"!

"Summer's Gone" on its own, maybe, but not the whole suite...

Cheers,
Jon Blum

Hi Jon,

I have to respectfully disagree.

Today got 6 songs. SDSN got 5. Pet Sounds got 5. 20/20 got 5. Sunflower got 5. Surf's Up got 5. Not to mention the non-album singles and generous heaping of bonus cuts that surround those albums from the respective eras, which only pads them, and those eras out even more. Furthermore, many of those albums were represented on the '93 box with either different tracks or more tracks. So, I don't think 5 songs by themselves from "Radio" to represent the album is out of the question. Particularly when it's the band's most recent effort (which usually allows for an extra "plug"), the 3 songs in question are arguably the best thing they've done in 35 years, and they also chose to pretty much skimp on the 80s and beyond. That is, it creates a sense of artistic relevance over the last 30+ years in the absence of lesser, later material.

Or, if we're talking minutes and seconds, about 17 minutes for those 5 "Radio" tracks, which roughly compares to the 15 minutes and 18 minutes for the album-proper, Sunflower and SU albums respectively (and yes, 60s albums are obviously going to be shorter, time-wise, as a whole). Again, not even counting those singles and bonus tracks from each era. That doesn't seem unreasonable to me. Even less so in light of the sheer quality of those 3 songs.


Or...if numerical quantity is the main beef, simply get rid of Isn't It Time. In that regard, the band didn't seem to mind looping off earlier (flop) singles...lol. 

[AndrewHickey]

So, I don't think 5 songs by themselves from "Radio" to represent the album is out of the question. Particularly when it's the band's most recent effort (which usually allows for an extra "plug"), the 3 songs in question are arguably the best thing they've done in 35 years, and they also chose to pretty much skimp on the 80s and beyond.

I think it being the newest thing they've done may actually count against including more from it. Partly because it's hard to get the album into perspective, but also because they won't want to put people off from buying the new one -- if you put half the album on there, buyers might well think "Oh, I've got all the good tracks on it anyway".

[Dave Modny]

So, I don't think 5 songs by themselves from "Radio" to represent the album is out of the question. Particularly when it's the band's most recent effort (which usually allows for an extra "plug"), the 3 songs in question are arguably the best thing they've done in 35 years, and they also chose to pretty much skimp on the 80s and beyond.

I think it being the newest thing they've done may actually count against including more from it. Partly because it's hard to get the album into perspective, but also because they won't want to put people off from buying the new one -- if you put half the album on there, buyers might well think "Oh, I've got all the good tracks on it anyway".

Frankly, I think Radio's sold about as much as it's going to in terms of the big rush, so I don't feel that putting 5 songs on the box from it will sway anyone from buying it any more than putting the 5 best songs on from SU  will sway someone from buying that one.

And, again, if numerical quantity is the issue, lop off IIT. It really wasn't a success, and I personally feel the 3-song suite makes a better case for their best work.

[Rocky Raccoon]

The volleyball from  Cast Away.

The neighbor from the tv show Home Improvement!

Who is of course Brian and Mike's cousin.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5LeSyCIxfk

[Disney Boy (1985)]

I know a few people have speculated this ("speculated" being the key word), but perhaps the whole melancholy "finality theme" was considered too much, "too final" or inappropriate by some  -- with the implication of a post mortem? Pity, because if one is trying to plead the artistic/musical case for the band with a comprehensive release like this -- particularly in the last 35 years -- these 3 tracks would seem like a shoe-in. On the other hand, however slim those chances may be, perhaps it bodes well for a potential future...of any sort...for this band?

So, it's more of a surprise to me than an outright disappointment (as we obviously just got these gems last year).

Remember how long the songs are -- put the whole suite on there, along with the two singles, and you'd have way more music from "Radio" than from "Sunflower" or "Pet Sounds"!

"Summer's Gone" on its own, maybe, but not the whole suite...

Cheers,
Jon Blum

Hi Jon,

I have to respectfully disagree.

Today got 6 songs. SDSN got 5. Pet Sounds got 5. 20/20 got 5. Sunflower got 5. Surf's Up got 5. Not to mention the non-album singles and generous heaping of bonus cuts that surround those albums from the respective eras, which only pads them, and those eras out even more. Furthermore, many of those albums were represented on the '93 box with either different tracks or more tracks. So, I don't think 5 songs by themselves from "Radio" to represent the album is out of the question. Particularly when it's the band's most recent effort (which usually allows for an extra "plug"), the 3 songs in question are arguably the best thing they've done in 35 years, and they also chose to pretty much skimp on the 80s and beyond. That is, it creates a sense of artistic relevance over the last 30+ years in the absence of lesser, later material.

Or, if we're talking minutes and seconds, about 17 minutes for those 5 "Radio" tracks, which roughly compares to the 15 minutes and 18 minutes for the album-proper, Sunflower and SU albums respectively (and yes, 60s albums are obviously going to be shorter, time-wise, as a whole). Again, not even counting those singles and bonus tracks from each era. That doesn't seem unreasonable to me. Even less so in light of the sheer quality of those 3 songs.


Or...if numerical quantity is the main beef, simply get rid of Isn't It Time. In that regard, the band didn't seem to mind looping off earlier (flop) singles...lol. 

I was under the impression he meant length as opposed to quantity. The life suite in its entirety is long. Personally I think TWGMTR is an ok album, but certainly not a great one, and I wouldn't have been overly concerned if they hadn't bothered including anything from it at all... But each to their own.

[Dave Modny]

I know a few people have speculated this ("speculated" being the key word), but perhaps the whole melancholy "finality theme" was considered too much, "too final" or inappropriate by some  -- with the implication of a post mortem? Pity, because if one is trying to plead the artistic/musical case for the band with a comprehensive release like this -- particularly in the last 35 years -- these 3 tracks would seem like a shoe-in. On the other hand, however slim those chances may be, perhaps it bodes well for a potential future...of any sort...for this band?

So, it's more of a surprise to me than an outright disappointment (as we obviously just got these gems last year).

Remember how long the songs are -- put the whole suite on there, along with the two singles, and you'd have way more music from "Radio" than from "Sunflower" or "Pet Sounds"!

"Summer's Gone" on its own, maybe, but not the whole suite...

Cheers,
Jon Blum

Hi Jon,

I have to respectfully disagree.

Today got 6 songs. SDSN got 5. Pet Sounds got 5. 20/20 got 5. Sunflower got 5. Surf's Up got 5. Not to mention the non-album singles and generous heaping of bonus cuts that surround those albums from the respective eras, which only pads them, and those eras out even more. Furthermore, many of those albums were represented on the '93 box with either different tracks or more tracks. So, I don't think 5 songs by themselves from "Radio" to represent the album is out of the question. Particularly when it's the band's most recent effort (which usually allows for an extra "plug"), the 3 songs in question are arguably the best thing they've done in 35 years, and they also chose to pretty much skimp on the 80s and beyond. That is, it creates a sense of artistic relevance over the last 30+ years in the absence of lesser, later material.

Or, if we're talking minutes and seconds, about 17 minutes for those 5 "Radio" tracks, which roughly compares to the 15 minutes and 18 minutes for the album-proper, Sunflower and SU albums respectively (and yes, 60s albums are obviously going to be shorter, time-wise, as a whole). Again, not even counting those singles and bonus tracks from each era. That doesn't seem unreasonable to me. Even less so in light of the sheer quality of those 3 songs.


Or...if numerical quantity is the main beef, simply get rid of Isn't It Time. In that regard, the band didn't seem to mind looping off earlier (flop) singles...lol. 

I was under the impression he meant length as opposed to quantity. The life suite in its entirety is long. Personally I think TWGMTR is an ok album, but certainly not a great one, and I wouldn't have been overly concerned if they hadn't bothered including anything from it at all... But each to their own.

Those 3 songs that make up a portion of the "life suite" are just that -- 3 separate songs. And their respective times are 3:23, 1:47 and 4:41. There's nothing out-of-the-ordinary about that at all in relation to the majority of songs on the set, post-1970.


And you're right...to each their own.

[Disney Boy (1985)]

I think they've gone slightly overboard with the Smile material though. There sure is a lot. I wonder if Boyd and co were just so happy with the job they did with the Smile Sessions that they went a bit OTT, maybe there was an element of wanting to show off their work. I mean, yes I know Smile was a seminal part of the bands career, but so equally was Pet Sounds, and yet there's close to twice the number of Smile tracks than there is PS tracks. Personally I could've done without the Smile Sessions version of Vegetables because quite frankly I don't think they did that much of a good job of it, it's a mess with some seriously sloppy editing. And the SS version of Cabin Essence isn't as good as the 20/20 version either. A few unreleased odds and ends would've been preferable.

But hey, don't wanna bitch too much coz I think the box line-up is mostly superb.