The Smiley Smile Message Board

Freshly received email:

BRIAN WILSON TV ALERT!!!


Tune in to Jay Leno to see Brian Wilson perform "They Can't Take That Away From Me" from his critically acclaimed album Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin!

Be sure to leave comments on his Facebook page following the performance and if you haven't purchased the album yet, you can grab it below.

Thank you for all of the support.
Brian Wilson Team

No Taylor according to her Facebook, but OK I'll watch it anyways!

I know they chose it because it's an upbeat track and that's probably a little more compelling for late-night TV than, say, "Someone To Watch Over Me" but even so... I find this song to be kind of forgettable. A better upbeat choice would have been "I Got Rhythm", I think. Oh well, I'll still see how much of a trainwreck it will be how well it will go!

Ill watch!

What time does it come on? I'm in Pennsylvania by the way, if that matters.

11:35 for us Easterners.

His song won't come on till the end of the show, however....

Thanks.  :)

Have the big screen and all other TV's running out loud in anticipation. I wish it would be I've Got a Crush On You, but something more upbeat is probably the choice.  AND THEY CAN'T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME, bugitty, bugitty, bugitty shoo..........
Unless the power goes out! ;D

Ok just saw it, exactly what I expected: average.  Brian sang some of it fine, but shouted some of the lines as well. He nailed the final "no, they can't take that away from me," but couldn't really sing the bridge that well. GREAT to see him at a grand piano tho. Band looked and sounded very good.

I didn't know what to expect, because I haven't listened to the album yet.
But, I thought it was fun fun fun. It was a rocking little Gershwin number on National TV.
Heck, my girlfriend liked it, and she doesn't really like Brian or the BBs. 
I thought Brian shouted the whole song, much more than he sang it,anyway, but it kind of fit the arrangement.
But what the heck! If he enjoys it, it's OK with me, cuz I enjoyed it too. 

Did he play the piano though?

Also no Taylor for Australia according to BW.com. Will she be replaced I wonder. How about Wendy or Carnie?

That was great! I'm so glad he looked happy and into it!! As usual everyone sounded amazing ;D

Arghh....missed it. Hopefully it will end up online, like on YouTube or something.

It will be on hulu.com tomorrow.  :)

I liked it.  That band sounded great and looked really into it.  Brian was as comfortable as he's going to be on a show like this.  The grand piano was a good idea.  We all know he wasn't playing it but it wasn't obvious like the keyboard is.

I really believe that when Brian shouted some of his vocals it was because the surrounding ensemble was so overwhelming. Turn up his mic and let the sound through the monitors tell him he's the main attraction, like at the end. Overall I rate it 8 out of 10 stars. Good job Brian and Company. The album is killer!

should have picked a more impressive song imo. 

I thought Brian sang flat in some parts, but he was smiling and having fun.  If Brian couldn't hear himself, that could explain it. I remember when I had an ear infection once and couldn't hear out of one ear. It really threw me off when I sang, so when Brian sings in a band situation I cut him some slack. He's still my hero.

I wonder what Brian thought of that little girl who sang right before him. She was incredible.

Really?  I think it's the best song off the album.  To each his own I guess.

I was glad to see that he looked good and happy. I was however quite underwhelmed by his singing, and the arrangement is pretty bland too IMO. Band was good as usual. Great to see him performing on Nat'l T.V. though!

I think this is the first time Ive ever seen an introduction of Brian where "Beach Boys" wasnt mentioned.
Wonder why?

I have to be totally honest...after watching the 10 year old girl sing opera as she had previously on "America's Got Talent", I knew it would be a tough act to follow, and unfortunately Brian had to follow it. Whenever a non-celebrity like that girl from PA displays that much natural talent and so much love for the music, it just hits you in the gut.

Put it this way, I can't count the number of times I got that similar feeling in the past from watching Brian's music both in person and just from listening to recordings, but last night Brian was good, the band was great (as expected), but that girl singing opera was breathtaking.

Here 'tis...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0GySxJZKJI

I thought he sounded rotten.  I would almost guarantee that nobody who saw that performance who wasn't already a BW fan was converted.  Atrocious.

What's the connection?  ???

http://www.hulu.com/watch/180619/the-tonight-show-with-jay-leno-thu-sep-23-2010 (http://www.hulu.com/watch/180619/the-tonight-show-with-jay-leno-thu-sep-23-2010)

up on hulu. Fast forward to the last 5 minutes to see the song.

I loved his ending vocals.....and I did see a smile on his face through some of it, I hope he had a good time!

Whoops, didn't see your post Roger Ryan....thanks for the link!

On the plus side -- we know he wasn't lip syncing.

On the negative -- he sounded raw.

And the grand piano is silly.

Just to restate something here: If the full episode from last night is available, watch the opera performance just before Brian's, it is really quite amazing what this girl can do with her natural voice.

I did miss Taylor with Brian's band last night.

i don't know why they keep picking fast paced songs for him to sing on these shows.  that is not where his strong point is. 

I still think he could've done a good job with "I Got Rhythm" had that been the song played. I mean, sure he gets nervous and shouty, but I think his shouty vocals would've worked better on that song. Plus, I just think it's a less cliche voice and more inventively arranged and well-sun and... overall, more captivating. This was a good performance though, hiccups and all. His vocals could've been mixed higher as well, I thought. Also, the times he did not crack a smile he looked like this emoticon while singing: T_T -- it was sorta cute. (http://sae.tweek.us/static/images/emoticons/emot-3.gif)

Edit: Or "Nothing But Love". That would've also been a far better choice. I am assuming, of course, that less uptempo stuff -- such as "Someone to Watch Over Me" or "It Ain't Necessarily So" -- while superior material, would not be ideal for a late-night TV spot because... I don't know, people who watch those sorts of programmes haven't much refined emotional sense or something. Who knows.

It ain't necessarily so would have been great. 

I think you're missing something here...namely, watch this clip starting around 6:40

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HI9pg3o2GA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HI9pg3o2GA)

And this was right before Brian did his song. The people watching this seemed to be just fine with their emotional sense watching a slow, operatic vocal piece sung in Latin! I think Brian just wasn't as compelling last night as Jackie Evancho, and if I were his management I never would have had Brian follow her onto that stage.

I'm gonna have to agree with Rerun, he doesn't sound good at all. The band sounds great, but Brian is just off...I don't think this will appeal to anyone but BW/BB fans...

that was rough...

The time came a long time ago to stop with the performances on the tube-

         1. They usually choose the wrong song.

          2. Brian is usually off key.

           3. Like last night, he looked like a caged animal-scared to death.

            4. This will not sell albums. It will turn people away.

Another bad management decision. :o

I don't think anything he does, ever, will appeal to anyone but BW/BB fans.

That being said, the album jumped like 10 places in the Amazon sales chart today. It's back down now, but it did move.

He was really into the TLOS material when I saw him live, and singing VERY well. I don't know if/when he performed "Midnight's Another Day" on television but I think it would have gone over well. That girl is INCREDIBLE! He definitely shouldn't have been following her.

Oh crap.  That was awful.
The band was good as usual but Brian really had an off night.

Oh crap.

Brian Wilson has been playing live and releasing albums for 11 years with this band. For the entire period I have read comments about his live performances, most of them negative.
I'm no Blueboarder but Brian is what he is. The record execs, concert promoters, Lettermans, Lenos understand that. Why don't we?

I concur with all the negative posts as YES it was rather shite , but hey we will all be buying our Concert tickets won't we ?????

Yeah, that was pretty rough on Brian's part. Not helped by the fact he was pretty gormless up there. Somewhat depressingly, the backing sounded almost EXACTLY THE SAME as the CD. Even down to the 'Party'esque backing bits during the solo. I mean, jesus.

*Waits til his paycheck arrives as to buy tickets to RFH*  ::)

Because he's capable of doing much better, and has done so.

This was Brian just going through the motions...I agree with those who said he couldn't hear himself well. He finished the song pretty well during the "quiet" part, so that kind of bears it out.

Important distinction to be made here.

Brian's live performances -- in the context of a full show with his band -- are often outstanding. Sometimes they're only okay (and on some tours he's clearly content to go by the numbers), but they're seldom atrocious all the way through. That's why people go. That's why I go. I've never been disappointed by a BW live gig.

Brian's live performances on TV, though, where he plays only one song or one and a half -- are virtually always poor. I'm almost never impressed. This time on Leno is not actually on the lower tier of his TV appearances -- which says something about how bad most of them are.

That was my thought as well...he seemed like someone not having a great voice night, but couldn't hear himself on top of it.  Especially given that he's only got one good ear in the first place, I would think that having a good monitor in that ear would have helped quite a bit.  At least he looked like he was enjoying himself to some degree, as much as he ever does in his TV appearances anyways.

Brian's Leno performance = meh.

Best BW TV appearance of recent vintage - doing bvs for Neil Diamond. He was clearly having a complete blast.

Give props to Brian's band. They really do so much to carry an otherwise rotten performer.

to be honest, I've defended Brian over the years amongst whether it's a general BB fan, or a hardcore fan like us...

The GIOMH debacle, accepting a lot of his shouty vocals, defending and finding the best in his performances on and off the record....

but I can only defend what I believe to be something acceptable, and that performance wasn't acceptable, sorry Brian.

Unfortionately I have to agree.

And I think 'The Like In A Love You' would've been a much better choice.

Yes he was...he was even standing, and looked comfortable.

This one? Just going through the motions. I think once he realized he couldn't really hear, he just said "**** it".

I haven't watched the performance yet, so I can't say anything about it, but I wonder why people are saying that TCTAFM was the wrong song. You can't do promotion on a late night show with a slow song like e.g. "Sumertime". People need to have something that sticks to their ears, a hook. TCTTAFM fulfills this absolutely. Great choice for turning people on to that album.

Spot on. Best song on the album and the liveliest - the choice was a no-brainer.

They ran a poll on the Bloo as to what to play - "TCTAFM" won by a country mile.

i just can't get into that version.  everyone knows that song, but it just doesn't work, or at least it's a step down in that sort of arrangement.  And Brian just doesn't sing those fast songs well at all anymore.  "someone to watch over me" would be have been great.  or i've got a crush on you. 

i understand why they played that one but bleugh. 

The band was really superb here. I wish I could say the same for Brian's vocal.

Where's Taylor Mills? They really need her!! Maybe they should have had the little blonde girl fill in for her her. She's a cutie - look at Foskett wave at her at the end.

c'mon!! it's easy to rant once the cards have been played. But 9 out 10 posters demanded active promotion for the album. This was supposed to be it.

TCTTAFM was by a mile the best possible choice... the performance was bad, period. A slow song would have been murdered by a bad vocal. By now, I think fans should know that BW is a weak and unprofessional LIVE singer. Be okay with it. Non-fans, and casual fans, as somenone posted, seem to be okay with it.

Oh, and please mention three or four TV live performances by Brian with top professional-quality leads  ::)

probably none cause none of them lean to his strength, which is slow and soft vocals.  pretty sure i said TCTTAFM would be a bad song choice, so i'm not surprised. 

Statement from Taylor, as posted on the Bloo/Facebook, 9/23:

"I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be taking a little time off for personal reasons.  Unfortunately, this means I won't be going on tour to Australia in a few weeks with Brian and the band.  Don't worry, I will be back with the band very soon!   So, I will be rooting for them when they perform on The Tonight Show on September 23rd and wishing I could be there supporting Brian and the guys.  Thanks for your support and understanding.

Love to you all,

Taylor"

Good to know she'll be back.  Thanks, AGD.

Why? 
I don't see what she adds, other than being mildly good looking.

The Jay Leno show has a very uptempo vibe-they most likely requested that or another like it from the album-I would have preferred to hear Brian croon a little with STWOM along with IGACOY-he can handle that type of song  as opposed to what he did. His version of TCTTAFM is weak at best. What's the deal with always being the last act on the show-I think its the same deal on Letterman.

To those who say TCTTAFM was the ideal choice - what about I Got Rhythm?

Seriously, mildly good looking is a bit of an understatement. Anyway I'd rather look at her throughout a concert than Jeff Foskett, wouldn't you?

Definitely that.

From "Theotheranonymous" on the Good Timin'/Dennis thread:

Are you a chick bgas?

It's the same boring formula being applied by those in charge of network television, going on what works, what is cheap to produce, and what a focus group thinks is OK...I don't like it, and it ruins a lot of the shows to know exactly what the schedule is going to be as the show plays out, meaning the monologue first, followed by a skit or audience bit, followed by the main star, followed by a lesser star or "commoner", then followed by the musical guest. It's stale, and hasn't been innovative since Carson nailed it down about 40 years ago.

Letterman, when he first went on the air at 12:30 after Carson in 1982, was an innovator, and was willing to have a musical guest like a Carole King or a James Brown perform 3 songs, and do in-depth interviews in between songs...or have a then-new band like REM play two songs from their debut album. Not that every show was great or worth watching, but it felt new and it was different, especially on a network. Now both he and Leno are so formula, it's hardly interesting to watch them beyond a guest you want to see.

I do, however, credit Letterman and Leno with being good friends of Brian Wilson for the past decade or more, and willing to give him a spot on their shows as Brian was promoting something or going on tour. They are clearly fans, and that's pretty cool.

No, but what's your point? 
That because I think Taylor adds NOTHING, other than mildly looking good, to the mix, that somehow reflects on me? 
Ahh too bad for you, MIKIE.
She sings nice, she looks OK. SO what. She's replaceable by, probably, hundreds or thousands of women that can do the same.

True, Taylor can be replaced, but she has great stage presence, a very nice personality, and I heard she gets along very well with her fellow bandmates. She's not only good looking, but she has a great voice and adds good high parts in the vocal mix. Ever heard her solo albums, bgas? I think she sings great on 'em. Do you like the new duet she sings with Brian?

You know, I've brought along my girlfriend to see Brian & the band since around 2002. You know who she watches and comments on the most, even more than Brian? Taylor Mills. She says Taylor has a lot of class, dresses well, and is a good singer. That's from another woman's perspective. So...........like I say, I think she's great too, and I hope there's no serious issues with her right now and she's back in the band soon.

Taylor is replacable but she's a part of the band. She may not be an integral part like Jeff or Darian or Scott but she's been with Brian for what, 10 years? I'm not crying that she wasn't there for the performance but will happy to see her come back and I hope all is well in her life.

Taylor's been there since day one, 3/9/99 in Ann Arbor.

since when Brian can'ts sing the fast songs anymore? It used to be just the opposite until, well, two days ago.

FWIW, when Brian was talking to Peter Buck in Mojo in 98 about touring, he said he'd like to go out with a "two guys, two girls" backing group. Besides being lovably bizarre, I always think of that comment when people knock Taylor. Having a woman in the band was clearly on Brian's mind -- it was probably just serendipity that it ended up the way it did, though.

Taylor's 'hoola' dancing on Roll Plymouth Rock at the Smile concerts are enough for me. I do enjoy hearing a female voice in Brian's songs.

I thought his Leno performance was so bad that I turned off the TV. No joke. And I think he has given decent TV performances before-- Kimmel with the Christmas song, and Leno with H&V (where Bill Cosby made a point of going over and shaking Brian's hand after). I think they picked TCTTAFM because it's relatively easy to sing compared to a song like Summertime, which requires nuance. But I agree that Brian probably couldn't hear himself.

As for Taylor, she's one of those singers who can belt out a song but also knows how to hold back and blend in with her head voice. And that counts for a lot. And she was good enough to be on pitch with those difficult Smile songs time after time. In other words, technically, she's as good with her voice as the guys are with theirs. She's not just eye candy. Brian has said before that he loves women's voices, and of course he put Marilyn on some BB records, so it's not that odd. I think Taylor is worth a lot more than her looks. And as has been said here, she seems to be a classy and genuinely nice person (I think her smiles on stage are quite warm and genuine), and like the other members of the band, she gets Brian and is patient with him.

There was a fine performance on "Late Night" with Conan O'Brian in 2004, for BWPS. Conan is obviously a HUGE fan and set aside a large, reverential block of time at the end of the show for Brian. I remember that they did "Prayer" and H.&V., and I seem to remember that they might have done a 3rd song. Anyone remember? ???

I was thinking it was Sloop John B

Yes, it was.

My first post! Whoohoo!

Welcome aboard!

whoa, where's the video for that!?

Thanks!

I always loved a female vocalist/backing singer. That is why I think Van Morrison's 'Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart' and 'Sense Of Wonder' are his best albums. Magic.

I think that could also have a lot to do with being able to listen more closely while watching a performance on TV.

I've said before, that is a rough looking crew for the most part without Taylor.  And I love her vocal contribution to the group. 
So, on Leno, we were missing important sound and visual components of the performance 8)

For reference -- some earlier Brian W. late night appearances. Lots are missing from the tubes, including the Conan H&V, which isn't bad, a 2001-ish Leno "California Girls" and the "Delirious Love" mentioned above. Also missing -- the all-time worst modern televised BW appearance -- Farm Aid 98. Raw voice, bad mix, Brian not hearing himself -- all of the above.
 
Do It Again (Letterman 1995)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bszrCosp1BA

Sail on Sailor (Letterman 2001)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BakwE9cjSc

Good Vibes Clips (Leno, Ellen, etc. 2004)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9_PMJfXvCQ

Little Saint Nick (likely lip-synced, Kimmel 2005)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ENayF9nv8U

TCTTAFM (Leno, 2010)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0GySxJZKJI

And comparison -- live (and untelevised) in May of this year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSJ_wJgqv4o&NR=1

Stating the obvious here but as Brian hasn't been televised singing that song (as far as I know), it isn't a fair comparison.

I would say that it's been apparent for a long time (certainly since the Roxy album) that Brian's voice can cope with singing some of the slow numbers like Add Some Music, Love and Mercy, Til I Die etc. that are within his range. When he has to sing the other songs he struggles (as shown in those clips).

You can at least hear the Leno performance of "Delirious Love" here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGe7dIP75ao

Is it just me, or did Brian start to sing Little Deuce Coupe for a split second during Little Saint Nick?