The Smiley Smile Message Board

http://popdose.com/a-fans-notes-brian-wilson-jeff-beck-wang-theatre-boston-ma/

"Four Pet Sounds classics followed, including the instrumental title track, on which Nick Walusko reclaimed the lead guitar part that had been taken away from him on last year’s Beach Boys reunion tour. "

David Marks, a real BB , played it last year; why do I want to here Nick play it when a BB is standing right there? And Jeff singing WIBN when Brian and Al are standing there?. . . .Give me the  BB please and not this bizarre novelty act. Beck plays some bizarre leads on BB surf songs. . . . .Dave was doing great, and I want to hear Dave.

I hope this strange Beck/Wilson thing ends soon. I have tried to love it and tried to hate it, but all I can do is just plain, stone cold not like it: awkward, stilted, forced. . . . .but I do like Brian's energy on some songs. Let him bring that to a full band reunion.

"Wouldn't it Be Nice" was a difficult song in the BB's setlist for a long time. The rare occasions when Brian was with them, he would try to sing it and his voice would give out. Al did it sometimes, Carl might've sung it, too, but it just seemed like it was in too high of a key for any of them. I think Jeff does a fine job on it.

Mike is the one preventing a full band reunion, remember?

As for the Brian/Beck collaboration... it won't last much longer so let's enjoy it while we can. It's a rare and special thing. Two giants from the 60s who have endured and refined their art over the course of their storied careers, who happen to respect and inspire each other tremendously.

Brian is clearly enjoying the hell out of it, the reviews are amazing, and to top it off we've got Blondie in the mix!

I agree that Al & Dave should be spotlighted a bit more. With Al's voice and Dave's chops... it's a damn shame we aren't hearing more out of them. Oh what I'd give to hear From There To Back Again live!

I think the Beach Boys can never happen again as in 2012. The blood has run cold again and this time they don't have 20 years to get over it.

...I can sort of see why any-Beach-Boy is better than a non-Beach-Boy, but...  isn't this a bit like complaining that they don't get Blondie Chaplin to sing "Little Deuce Coupe"?

David didn't actually have anything to do with the original song.  Having him play it at the 50th was lovely, yes, but it's not really a question of authenticity...

Cheers,
Jon Blum

Sure, but Dave sells a few more tickets than Walusko, methinks. People pay to see him. He's a star, kinda. Walusko isn't. Both can do a great job at it. But I'd rather have Dave do it.

Regarding WÍBN...  Al can sing it perfectly well. His voice rings beautifully up there, even when he's straining a little. There is something compelling and heroic about that vocal, and those traits are reflected better by Al than Jeff. It's not a matter of authenticity (though Al was the live lead vocal choice for this song early on). He's a star, people pay to see him, and he can do it better than Jeff. The latter shines on DWB anyway and gets plenty of recognition as a very fine singer and support for Brian.

Not for nothing - but didn't a non-Beach Boy (Jerry Cole) play it to begin with?

Over the years, I’ve seen Al, Carl, and Jeff Foskett all take varying amounts of the lead on “WIBN.” Al did in the 70’s, then Carl started doing it more in the 80’s (with Foskett in the mix as well). I think Matt Jardine just sang it solo on occasion, including those weird shows in 1998 after Al left while Matt was still in the touring band.

I’ve heard a recording from a show in 1988 where the lead is a mess, sounding like a period of transition where they couldn’t figure out who should sing lead. At one point during the song, Al, Carl, and Jeff are all singing the lead in unison, and at one point, PRIOR to the bridge, Mike starts singing the lead too! There is literally a point at which four people are stepping over each other singing the lead!

Al did it every show on the C50 tour and hit it out of the park.  No disrespect to Jeff but I'd rather hear Al sing it.

Maybe Dave was having a bad day and didn't feel up to it?

No disrespect to your feelings, professor... I would have loved to see the reunited Boys stay together. But, that didn't happen, and there's no reason for Brian to sit at home staring at his navel, waiting for Mike to decide he's "allowed" to be a Beach Boy again. If it makes Brian, Al and Dave happy to go out and do something as daring as this  "novelty" tour, so be it. In the process, Brian seems to be cementing his status as a creative force with the press, critics, and hardcore fans.  That's not a bad thing.

It does seem that Al and Dave are underutilized.  We can only guess at why some of the performance  decisions were made.  Perhaps they just wanted to give the band members a moment in the sun. I think that's pretty generous.

I thought Al was being doubled by Jeff.

Why do some of you folks so often speak as if song keys can't be changed? And why are some so quick to subtly accuse Al and Brian as being incompetents when they're not? The Live At The Roxy version of "Wouldn't It Be Nice?" sounds fine in a different key. The C50 version sounded fine and Al sounded great -there's no reason Jeff needed to double him, and now it's just Jeff? Why?

The Beach Boys should be singing their own songs and if keys need to be changed, that's fine and totally forgivable onsidering they're in their frigging 70s at this point. Same goes for "Don't Worry Baby".

 :thumbsup

Yes, Brother John, a playful and intentionally absurd analogy.

When Brian and Mike (it was Mike who did the set list) had Dave play on PS, it was a way of saying, welcome home kid, we have loved you since you were 12. The lost BB was found and home again, given the honor of playing a challanging part on an epic BB album that he, of course, did not play on, but cherished. For Dave fans it was a triumphant gesture and artistic accomplishment. It was so good that it made the album and inspired gasps of awe from listeners.
 It was part of the magic of the BB reunion.

Nick playing it just means more of the dissolution of all that. . . . .

I seek only the White Whale. . . . .

The Professor

Well, Dave's wife has been known to post here. Perhaps we can put out some "vibes" (written-out and otherwise...) across the Net and see if she will become aware of peoples' concerns/questions and come on board to possibly explain the thinking behind the performance decisions that have been made for this tour...

What would actually be cool--a version where Nick and Dave play in tandem/trade off. A timely new little twist for a timeless classic.

Watching the Boston show, it didn't seem as though Al or Dave were being under-used. It was simply a short set, with a lot of lead vocalists to include (BW, Al, Dave, Blondie, and yeah, Jeff). And Brian likes to hear Jeff sing his songs in their original key, much as the rest of us may complain.

As for Walusko on PS, as nice as it was to hear Dave last year, I always thought Nick did a better, more album-accurate job.