Bruce Johnsone & Blondie Chaplin getting fired

[Magic Transistor Radio]

Which brings another interesting question. What did Carl and Al think of Bruce when he returned? Obviously, he was voted back in right? Was it unanimous?

Initially he was brought in to help with the singing, then production, and almost immediately the road.  When the "Light Album" was released, Carl said in an interview (Time Barrier Express), "Alan and I had been talking with each other and we both said how great it would be for Bruce to come back in, and be involved with us.  Dennis had also expressed that on his own, and Brian totally independently...had called Bruce and said 'Come on down to Miami".   Notice how Mike wasn't mentioned!  It was supposed to be a temporary return, but the rest is history!

My feeling is that Brian's call to Bruce to come down to Florida coming straight after Yetnikoff making his famous statement about being royally rogered is somewhat less than a coincidence.

Consider - Brian can't (or won't) do it... Carl's still cleaning his act up... Dennis - yeah, OK... Alan tried with MIU... and Mike doesn't do production. What was the alternative ?

Didn't Jimmy Guercio produce POB? Was there any thought of bringing him on? Anyone consider Phil Spector? Although he was a nut case even at around that time according to the Ramones. Having said all that, I think the LALA was very well produced. Not so much for KTSA.

[Jon Stebbins]

Didn't Jimmy Guercio produce POB?

No. Dennis Wilson and Gregg Jakobson produced POB, Guercio took a decidedly hands off approach to that record considering his production experience. He wanted it to be Dennis' sound 100%, that was his goal, he wrote the checks and stayed out of the way.

[TdHabib]

Which brings another interesting question. What did Carl and Al think of Bruce when he returned? Obviously, he was voted back in right? Was it unanimous?

Initially he was brought in to help with the singing, then production, and almost immediately the road.  When the "Light Album" was released, Carl said in an interview (Time Barrier Express), "Alan and I had been talking with each other and we both said how great it would be for Bruce to come back in, and be involved with us.  Dennis had also expressed that on his own, and Brian totally independently...had called Bruce and said 'Come on down to Miami".   Notice how Mike wasn't mentioned!  It was supposed to be a temporary return, but the rest is history!

My feeling is that Brian's call to Bruce to come down to Florida coming straight after Yetnikoff making his famous statement about being royally rogered is somewhat less than a coincidence.

Consider - Brian can't (or won't) do it... Carl's still cleaning his act up... Dennis - yeah, OK... Alan tried with MIU... and Mike doesn't do production. What was the alternative ?

The saddest part of the whole thing is that Brian, after being hospitalized and apparantley making progress what taken out and swiftly flown to Florida to work on the album. Always seemed like a bad decision in hindsight.

[Mr. Cohen]

The saddest part of the whole thing is that Brian, after being hospitalized and apparantley making progress what taken out and swiftly flown to Florida to work on the album. Always seemed like a bad decision in hindsight.

Ah, those sessions. I've had some questions surrounding that. There seems to be conflicting stories about them. One story, by someone who was present at the sessions when Brian was producing by himself (the rest of the group was on the road or something for a week or two), claims that Brian was recording this genius experimental music. He was usually all of these specially tuned organs, guitars, and synthesizers, and supposedly it sounded almost like Pet Sounds (my guess would be that it sounded more like "Just Once In My Life", although that would've been great, too). There were going to be spoken word segments and all kinds of weird things worked on.

Now, here's where the story gets complicated:
Brian has a breakdown, supposedly, a few days into the recording sessions after receiving a phone call. Some say it was Marilyn that called him  while others say that it was the record company. I've heard some claim that the "gentlemen, we've had (the actually word he used wasn't had, but a certain expletive that starts with an F)" comment that a record exec made was a result of him hearing the recordings Brian had worked on. Personally, I've heard an early mix of "Calendar Girl" (a cover song Brian was working on during the sessions) that seems to have some of the elements that the dude at the sessions claims Brian was incorporating (such as weird organ sound that resembles a calliope organ), and it doesn't sound that good. It could be, though, that the version of "Calendar Girl" I heard is nothing like what Brian did.

Then, it goes, that the band came to Miami about a week later and listened to what Brian had been doing. They thought that it sounded crazy and began erasing a lot of what Brian had done. The dude who had been at the Brian sessions was outraged but there was nothing he could do.

Is that what really happened? To me, it sounds like the session dude was a little too awe-struck by Brian's presence that he over-exaggerated the quality of the tracks.

What's the truth?

Oh, and those pictures on beachboyscentral.com are terrible. Bruce looks like a gremlin!

[adamghost]

Which brings another interesting question. What did Carl and Al think of Bruce when he returned? Obviously, he was voted back in right? Was it unanimous?

Ooh...good question!

[slothrop]

Oh, and those pictures on beachboyscentral.com are terrible. Bruce looks like a gremlin!

Al looks out of it, to say the least...what the heck was he smoking? And Dennis looks pretty skinny.

[Magic Transistor Radio]

Didn't Jimmy Guercio produce POB?

No. Dennis Wilson and Gregg Jakobson produced POB, Guercio took a decidedly hands off approach to that record considering his production experience. He wanted it to be Dennis' sound 100%, that was his goal, he wrote the checks and stayed out of the way.

Ok, then how about Gregg Jakobson?

[c-man]

Which brings another interesting question. What did Carl and Al think of Bruce when he returned? Obviously, he was voted back in right? Was it unanimous?

Initially he was brought in to help with the singing, then production, and almost immediately the road.  When the "Light Album" was released, Carl said in an interview (Time Barrier Express), "Alan and I had been talking with each other and we both said how great it would be for Bruce to come back in, and be involved with us.  Dennis had also expressed that on his own, and Brian totally independently...had called Bruce and said 'Come on down to Miami".   Notice how Mike wasn't mentioned!  It was supposed to be a temporary return, but the rest is history!

My feeling is that Brian's call to Bruce to come down to Florida coming straight after Yetnikoff making his famous statement about being royally rogered is somewhat less than a coincidence.

Consider - Brian can't (or won't) do it... Carl's still cleaning his act up... Dennis - yeah, OK... Alan tried with MIU... and Mike doesn't do production. What was the alternative ?

Didn't Jimmy Guercio produce POB? Was there any thought of bringing him on? Anyone consider Phil Spector? Although he was a nut case even at around that time according to the Ramones. Having said all that, I think the LALA was very well produced. Not so much for KTSA.

Well...they DID bring Jimmy G. on (have you never seen the production credits for "L.A. Light"?).

[Dancing Bear]

Is that what really happened? To me, it sounds like the session dude was a little too awe-struck by Brian's presence that he over-exaggerated the quality of the tracks.

The description is definetly exciting, but Brian recorded nothing like that between 75 and forever, and the sessions that might have that kind of music... are lost. I'm not buying it too.

[Exapno Mapcase]

Who said this?  Carli?

[Magic Transistor Radio]

Which brings another interesting question. What did Carl and Al think of Bruce when he returned? Obviously, he was voted back in right? Was it unanimous?

Initially he was brought in to help with the singing, then production, and almost immediately the road.  When the "Light Album" was released, Carl said in an interview (Time Barrier Express), "Alan and I had been talking with each other and we both said how great it would be for Bruce to come back in, and be involved with us.  Dennis had also expressed that on his own, and Brian totally independently...had called Bruce and said 'Come on down to Miami".   Notice how Mike wasn't mentioned!  It was supposed to be a temporary return, but the rest is history!

My feeling is that Brian's call to Bruce to come down to Florida coming straight after Yetnikoff making his famous statement about being royally rogered is somewhat less than a coincidence.

Consider - Brian can't (or won't) do it... Carl's still cleaning his act up... Dennis - yeah, OK... Alan tried with MIU... and Mike doesn't do production. What was the alternative ?

Didn't Jimmy Guercio produce POB? Was there any thought of bringing him on? Anyone consider Phil Spector? Although he was a nut case even at around that time according to the Ramones. Having said all that, I think the LALA was very well produced. Not so much for KTSA.

Well...they DID bring Jimmy G. on (have you never seen the production credits for "L.A. Light"?).

I didn't do my homework

[Alex]

Which brings another interesting question. What did Carl and Al think of Bruce when he returned? Obviously, he was voted back in right? Was it unanimous?

Initially he was brought in to help with the singing, then production, and almost immediately the road.  When the "Light Album" was released, Carl said in an interview (Time Barrier Express), "Alan and I had been talking with each other and we both said how great it would be for Bruce to come back in, and be involved with us.  Dennis had also expressed that on his own, and Brian totally independently...had called Bruce and said 'Come on down to Miami".   Notice how Mike wasn't mentioned!  It was supposed to be a temporary return, but the rest is history!

My feeling is that Brian's call to Bruce to come down to Florida coming straight after Yetnikoff making his famous statement about being royally rogered is somewhat less than a coincidence.

Consider - Brian can't (or won't) do it... Carl's still cleaning his act up... Dennis - yeah, OK... Alan tried with MIU... and Mike doesn't do production. What was the alternative ?

Didn't Jimmy Guercio produce POB? Was there any thought of bringing him on? Anyone consider Phil Spector? Although he was a nut case even at around that time according to the Ramones. Having said all that, I think the LALA was very well produced. Not so much for KTSA.

Well...they DID bring Jimmy G. on (have you never seen the production credits for "L.A. Light"?).

Beach Boys/Bruce Johnston/Jim Guercio, or something like that.

[tpesky]

I think Jim G. may have started it, but then Chicago was going through some turbulent times with the recent Terry Kath tragedy and he chose to focus his attention on them.

[Jon Stebbins]

I think Jim G. may have started it, but then Chicago was going through some turbulent times with the recent Terry Kath tragedy and he chose to focus his attention on them.

Guercio and Chicago severed their producer/artist relations in late '77 to early '78, that break-up was occurring before Kath's death. Guercio's attention in '78 was primarily focused on directing the film Tom Horn starring Steve McQueen, that became an epic meltdown in itself with Guercio eventually removing himself from the film in mid-shoot, Kath's death, not to mention Dennis, Carl and Brian's combined spiral made it a tough year for Jim, but it was Tom Horn that took up his time and energy.

[c-man]

Who said this?  Carli?

No, but he was there.  The "session dude" referred to by Dada above was Ed Carter.  Ed Roach was also present and remembers it the same way.  The other Beach Boys were not "on the road or something for a week or two" (as the presence of Ed Carter proves)...the Miami sessions involved the Beach Boys and their support band of the time.  

[TdHabib]

IIRC, didn't Guercio produce "Good Timin'," which was worked on in '74 and December '78.

[Jay]

Who said this?  Carli?

No, but he was there.  The "session dude" referred to by Dada above was Ed Carter.  Ed Roach was also present and remembers it the same way.  The other Beach Boys were not "on the road or something for a week or two" (as the presence of Ed Carter proves)...the Miami sessions involved the Beach Boys and their support band of the time.  

Is it known what ever became of these recordings that Brian was doing? Are they "lost"? Buried deep inside some vault? Or did Brian immediately have them erased once they were "finished"?

[Jason]

Some of them circulate. The version of Brian's Back that circulates with no lead vocal and a rather quirky backing track is from these sessions, as is Calendar Girl.

[c-man]

Which brings another interesting question. What did Carl and Al think of Bruce when he returned? Obviously, he was voted back in right? Was it unanimous?

Ooh...good question!

Well, based on the Time Barrier Express quote of Carl above, probably...the only guy not mentioned as being favorable of Bruce's return is Mike!

[c-man]

Some of them circulate. The version of Brian's Back that circulates with no lead vocal and a rather quirky backing track is from these sessions, as is Calendar Girl.

As is "California Feeling" (Carl singing lead with Bruce doing a cameo in a couple of places).

[c-man]

IIRC, didn't Guercio produce "Good Timin'," which was worked on in '74 and December '78.

Yes.  He's quoted as saying that Dennis was the only guy who could get Brian working at the '74 Caribou Ranch session, and that he (Guercio) let Bruce finish the song in '78, but that in his opinion Bruce "didn't get the mix right".