*Merged* Brian Wilson current album thread

[guitarfool2002]

if this album turns out to be anything other than yet another misguided, mislead, misdirected, autotuned mistake for apologetic fans and the ever decreasing minority of young adults who can bear the cringe factor permeating the last 35 years of new beach boys-related material, ill eat my hat

I'll buy a bottle of really good white wine to go with that hat if you tell us which Brian Wilson albums of recent years are autotuned mistakes as you suggest. Gershwin? TLOS?

i did a quick relisten of both those albums a while ago and couldn't believe that there was actually autotune on Gershwin! granted it was much more subtle than TWGMTR. but yeah, TWGMTR is bar none a huge squander. i still can't believe the 'Eye of the Tiger' guy contributed to its title track. nor that brian had absolutely no say on the final track list.

I bought two bottles of white wine yesterday, and enjoyed one of them very much during a band rehearsal last night. It gave me the liquid courage to even *attempt* hitting Brian's falsetto as we decided spur of the moment to add Surfin USA to the upcoming gig.

I have the other bottle chilling...and I know I won't have to send it *anywhere* to compliment the eating of a hat. I knew when I wrote that yesterday that I wouldn't have to send the bottle of wine anywhere because there is the truth and there is fiction.

And in this case, as with so much of this thread, some folks insist something is "fact" when in fact, it's not.

So my offer for the ear wax removal kit stands. I'm doing it as a public service. 

Because, what is or isn't on the Gershwin or other albums in question really shouldn't be subject to fan speculation when the album was recorded a certain way, and that's the end of the story. Period.

Again, point out the Autotune and I promise to keep the other bottle of wine corked and chilled.

[Al Jardine: Pick Up Artist]

sh*t, I know a girl who adores Lana Del Rey and The Beach Boys...this will be exciting for her.

BRB, gonna start listening to LDR.

[GhostyTMRS]

Notice the article says "songs in contention". For all we know we may only get one of these duets, but I DO feel like a quintessential old timer not knowing any of these people outside of Zooey Deschanel (which evidently is something I also have in common with Brian).
I'm by no means freaking out. This could be a very interesting album. My gut feeling says that all of these duets will be included because a) the songs may be great and a) the star power (to younger folks anyway) could help sell the album.

If Frank Ocean doesn't make the cut they can title this album "Brian's Angels":Zooey , Lana and  Kasey in silhouette..Brian represented by the intercom., etc

[Jim V.]

... except on GIOMH, Brian knew and admired all the collaborators!  They're literally having him record duets with people

HES NEVER HEARD OF.

We know he's at least heard of Zooey*! "You're a very pretty girl." Hell, maybe they're just bringing in talented female collaborators who also happen to be great looking to pique his interest. Deschanel, Musgraves? I mean... OK, I'm kidding. Kind of. Not really.

*Joey

He totally DID think her name was Joey when they did that interview thing, didn't he? Ugh.

[guitarfool2002]

Pardon me if this comes off as too blunt or confrontational, or if it upsets or angers folks whom I may have had good and informative exchanges with on this board previously...

It's frustrating beyond belief to see some of this stuff on what could exist as one of the greatest and most informational music-related message boards on the 'net. For the Beach Boys, hands-down, the way this board works when it's hitting on all cylinders is *the best* Beach Boys resource for anyone interested in the band and their music. There are some great people here.

I guess having said that, I do not understand the motivation behind some of us coming on here to critique, criticize, cast doubt on, and in general put a dark cloud over a Brian Wilson album which has not been released or "leaked" to the public in any form as this thread is exploding. Just like the "Love And Mercy" film, which again no fan has seen even a minute of a finished product, yet there is a line formed to bash the quality, bash the cast, bash anything about it...based on nothing of substance.

Let me repeat: Based on nothing of substance. Unless substance equals on-set still photos and an iPhone video, and studio photos and reports of Brian with various musicians.

Is it asking too much to perhaps wait until we can actually listen to the music as a finished product before bashing it and questioning who is involved with it?

If the motivation is to simply bash Brian Wilson in general, at least engage a discussion or debate or critique something which actually EXISTS and for which we can base opinions and critiques on the actual product rather than basing it, in the case of the upcoming album, on *nothing* but assumptions and speculations.

Let me also say from a musical perspective...some of the comments on the artists who have been involved so far says something about the commentators.

If people need to "Google" Zooey, or Lana, or any of the other musicians to find out who they are...I'd suggest holding off on any kind of criticism or attempts to diminish them in some way, if that's what was going on. It's silly, it's petty, and above all suggesting they are there for some reason dreamed up in fantasy land rather than even knowing the story of how they came to work on the album is off-the-charts ridiculous.

Let me air this out again: This is a terrific board, and I guess I'm one of those who can't understand the motives behind coming on here and posting long critiques on films no one has yet seen, and an album no one has yet heard, and also writing things about certain artists who were unknown to some here until doing a Google search.

It just seemed so ridiculous I couldn't bite my tongue as I read the last 3 or so pages, and saw a replay of the film thread, only worse IMO.

But one positive could come from this...If you're here already declaring the upcoming film a bomb, and the upcoming album an autotuned disaster, you'll have a chance to save about 25 dollars US to use to buy something else.

I mean, why bother to buy a ticket if you know the film already sucks, and why buy the album if you already know what it sounds like? Don't spend money to confirm what you already know, save the 25 bucks! Simple as that  

[Gabo]

This album is going to blow. Looks like he's going the same way as Ray Davies, John Fogerty, etc.

[Moon Dawg]

  Rick Rubin would be the perfect choice to produce a Brian Wilson album. I am not a "technical" music person but anyone with ears would question the competence of Joe Thomas after hearing that awful live album from the 50th anniversary tour!

[Andrew G. Doe]

Rubin would never work with Brian. He knows it just wouldn't work.

[Andrew G. Doe]

Is it asking too much to perhaps wait until we can actually listen to the music as a finished product before bashing it and questioning who is involved with it?

The answer would seem to be "yes, it is". BTW, you forgot to factor in "people who invent stuff out of thin (and likely hot) air". 

[Shady]

We have officially entered the twilight zone.

[ToneBender631]

It's possible that there are multiple albums lined up with Capitol requiring a duets album as part of the deal. Kind of like how he did the Disney remakes to get the Gershwin album...

Difference is, we knew about the Disney/Gershwin deal from day one. The notion that Brian's singed to Capital for several albums and one HAS to be duets is solely an invention of yours.  

I also said "It's possible", indicating that it was a theory, not a statement of fact. But it's also true that it came out of thin air. Just like most other theories and preliminary reviews of an as-yet unreleased movie and an as-yet unreleased album that we've seen on this board the past few weeks.  I may not be as educated on the band's history or count any of them as friends like yourself, but I am professionally involved in the music industry and have some idea of how this stuff works. I'm not trying to be argumentative towards you or anyone else so please don't take it that way. I'm just trying to steer the conversation away from the somewhat knee-jerk, emotional responses we've been seeing of late, as so eloquently discussed by guitarfool2002.

Anyway, here's what we know:

Brian resigned to Capitol. Brian has an album coming out. We know that in 2 years in the studio, he's involved at least 3 Beach Boys, his usual band, Don Was, Jeff Beck, Joe Thomas and Matt Jardine (who recorded scratch/guide vocals). And a few interviews have now confirmed vocal collaborations with very established pop artists that tend towards the indie side.

What else do we know that Brian is working on?

Brian has a biopic coming out. This is a biopic about a musician so at the very least there will likely be a pop soundtrack and there may also be a release of the actual film score (which is being done by this guy - http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1589604/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cr9). We've heard from a first person source that Darian is doing a bit of work on the music for the film. I'd guess he's handling some amount of "secretary" duties like he did for BWPS, but that's just a guess. Now, will the other members of BRI allow Brian to license the original recordings for a movie they may not be on board with? Who knows. But I'll bet that the pop soundtrack will be a Capitol release as well and if they don't use the original recordings, then there's more music that Brian and his team will be figuring out.

Finally, note that the end of the RS quote from Brian says, "This project", not "This album". So, when Brian refers to a "project" which has resulted in 2 years worth of studio time logged with a number of collaborators on the production side, a number of vocalists, a variety of instrumentalists and multiple studios (let alone whatever he has setup at home), and potentially a variety of releases/outlets, I don't immediately assume that we're getting a duets album full of songs solely from 1998 or make judgements about the quality of something I've not heard.

Anyway, I'm happy to eat my hat when I'm wrong in 6 months.  

[KittyKat]

It does seem a little odd that no photos have been released of his duet partners, whereas in the past, some photos were taken at sessions with a guy named Shane, for instance. I wonder if Brian was in the same room with his duet partners. It isn't necessary, both Sinatra and Tony Bennett recorded duets for their duet projects without being on the same continent, in some cases. They might also not be certain if they will even use these duets.

[leggo of my ego]

This album is going to blow. Looks like he's going the same way as Ray Davies, John Fogerty, etc.

Album? What album?

I'll believe there is really a new BW album when I can torrent it. 

[Wirestone]

Based on "From There To Back Again" alone, which I agree is a certifiable classic, I'd say that he still has it.

I need some memory refreshing. Did "From There To Back Again" originate from the 1997 Imagination sessions or was it written in 2011-12? I thought the only new BW composition on TWGMTR was "The Private Life Of Bill And Sue", of which the catchy chorus was written by Joe Thomas.

According to Brian interviews at the time, he wrote both "Bill and Sue" and "Shelter" as he and Thomas were prepping the album. According to Thomas, "Think About the Days" was written specifically for the boys as BW was pitching the album to them (Thomas wrote the chords, Brian did the melody and vocal arrangement). According to Mike and Joe, "Isn't It Time" originated as a jam session in the last few days of recording for the album (one of the reasons it was reshaped after the album release). Joe also said specifically that of the suite at the end, FTTBA was the one newly composed part.

In other words, regardless of what the "common knowledge" may be, nearly half of TWGMTR was newly written for the project.

[Wirestone]

With all that being said, we have confirmation of at least one old song being used ... "Last Song" is a Landy-era track, if I'm not mistaken.

[Cyncie]

Pardon me if this comes off as too blunt or confrontational, or if it upsets or angers folks whom I may have had good and informative exchanges with on this board previously...

It's frustrating beyond belief to see some of this stuff on what could exist as one of the greatest and most informational music-related message boards on the 'net. For the Beach Boys, hands-down, the way this board works when it's hitting on all cylinders is *the best* Beach Boys resource for anyone interested in the band and their music. There are some great people here.

I guess having said that, I do not understand the motivation behind some of us coming on here to critique, criticize, cast doubt on, and in general put a dark cloud over a Brian Wilson album which has not been released or "leaked" to the public in any form as this thread is exploding. Just like the "Love And Mercy" film, which again no fan has seen even a minute of a finished product, yet there is a line formed to bash the quality, bash the cast, bash anything about it...based on nothing of substance.

Let me repeat: Based on nothing of substance. Unless substance equals on-set still photos and an iPhone video, and studio photos and reports of Brian with various musicians.

Is it asking too much to perhaps wait until we can actually listen to the music as a finished product before bashing it and questioning who is involved with it?

If the motivation is to simply bash Brian Wilson in general, at least engage a discussion or debate or critique something which actually EXISTS and for which we can base opinions and critiques on the actual product rather than basing it, in the case of the upcoming album, on *nothing* but assumptions and speculations.

Let me also say from a musical perspective...some of the comments on the artists who have been involved so far says something about the commentators.

If people need to "Google" Zooey, or Lana, or any of the other musicians to find out who they are...I'd suggest holding off on any kind of criticism or attempts to diminish them in some way, if that's what was going on. It's silly, it's petty, and above all suggesting they are there for some reason dreamed up in fantasy land rather than even knowing the story of how they came to work on the album is off-the-charts ridiculous.

Let me air this out again: This is a terrific board, and I guess I'm one of those who can't understand the motives behind coming on here and posting long critiques on films no one has yet seen, and an album no one has yet heard, and also writing things about certain artists who were unknown to some here until doing a Google search.

It just seemed so ridiculous I couldn't bite my tongue as I read the last 3 or so pages, and saw a replay of the film thread, only worse IMO.

But one positive could come from this...If you're here already declaring the upcoming film a bomb, and the upcoming album an autotuned disaster, you'll have a chance to save about 25 dollars US to use to buy something else.

I mean, why bother to buy a ticket if you know the film already sucks, and why buy the album if you already know what it sounds like? Don't spend money to confirm what you already know, save the 25 bucks! Simple as that  

Well there you go making sense and stuff.

[Pretty Funky]

It does seem a little odd that no photos have been released of his duet partners, whereas in the past, some photos were taken at sessions with a guy named Shane, for instance. I wonder if Brian was in the same room with his duet partners. It isn't necessary, both Sinatra and Tony Bennett recorded duets for their duet projects without being on the same continent, in some cases. They might also not be certain if they will even use these duets.

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/119697302571132106/

[Sheriff John Stone]

Based on "From There To Back Again" alone, which I agree is a certifiable classic, I'd say that he still has it.

I need some memory refreshing. Did "From There To Back Again" originate from the 1997 Imagination sessions or was it written in 2011-12? I thought the only new BW composition on TWGMTR was "The Private Life Of Bill And Sue", of which the catchy chorus was written by Joe Thomas.

According to Brian interviews at the time, he wrote both "Bill and Sue" and "Shelter" as he and Thomas were prepping the album. According to Thomas, "Think About the Days" was written specifically for the boys as BW was pitching the album to them (Thomas wrote the chords, Brian did the melody and vocal arrangement). According to Mike and Joe, "Isn't It Time" originated as a jam session in the last few days of recording for the album (one of the reasons it was reshaped after the album release). Joe also said specifically that of the suite at the end, FTTBA was the one newly composed part.

In other words, regardless of what the "common knowledge" may be, nearly half of TWGMTR was newly written for the project.

Thank you.

[Gregg]

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/119697302571132106/

Nice! You go, Brian!

[Ray Lawlor]

Pardon me if this comes off as too blunt or confrontational, or if it upsets or angers folks whom I may have had good and informative exchanges with on this board previously...

It's frustrating beyond belief to see some of this stuff on what could exist as one of the greatest and most informational music-related message boards on the 'net. For the Beach Boys, hands-down, the way this board works when it's hitting on all cylinders is *the best* Beach Boys resource for anyone interested in the band and their music. There are some great people here.

I guess having said that, I do not understand the motivation behind some of us coming on here to critique, criticize, cast doubt on, and in general put a dark cloud over a Brian Wilson album which has not been released or "leaked" to the public in any form as this thread is exploding. Just like the "Love And Mercy" film, which again no fan has seen even a minute of a finished product, yet there is a line formed to bash the quality, bash the cast, bash anything about it...based on nothing of substance.

Let me repeat: Based on nothing of substance. Unless substance equals on-set still photos and an iPhone video, and studio photos and reports of Brian with various musicians.

Is it asking too much to perhaps wait until we can actually listen to the music as a finished product before bashing it and questioning who is involved with it?

If the motivation is to simply bash Brian Wilson in general, at least engage a discussion or debate or critique something which actually EXISTS and for which we can base opinions and critiques on the actual product rather than basing it, in the case of the upcoming album, on *nothing* but assumptions and speculations.

Let me also say from a musical perspective...some of the comments on the artists who have been involved so far says something about the commentators.

If people need to "Google" Zooey, or Lana, or any of the other musicians to find out who they are...I'd suggest holding off on any kind of criticism or attempts to diminish them in some way, if that's what was going on. It's silly, it's petty, and above all suggesting they are there for some reason dreamed up in fantasy land rather than even knowing the story of how they came to work on the album is off-the-charts ridiculous.

Let me air this out again: This is a terrific board, and I guess I'm one of those who can't understand the motives behind coming on here and posting long critiques on films no one has yet seen, and an album no one has yet heard, and also writing things about certain artists who were unknown to some here until doing a Google search.

It just seemed so ridiculous I couldn't bite my tongue as I read the last 3 or so pages, and saw a replay of the film thread, only worse IMO.

But one positive could come from this...If you're here already declaring the upcoming film a bomb, and the upcoming album an autotuned disaster, you'll have a chance to save about 25 dollars US to use to buy something else.

I mean, why bother to buy a ticket if you know the film already sucks, and why buy the album if you already know what it sounds like? Don't spend money to confirm what you already know, save the 25 bucks! Simple as that  

Guitar Fool this , to me, is a well thought out message, and I don't think I could articulate it as well as you have , but I would like to add some thoughts , as I have read this entire thread.

There is a wealth of information to be gleaned from this board; however , I find it remarkable that some folks are condemning a record they have not heard one note of , that  hasn't even been mixed down or even completed yet. Brian will be 72 in less than two weeks and is still in the studio working. Does he have an agenda ? Unequivocally yes. He wants to hear his songs on the radio; that's his internal barometer that gives him satisfaction. These younger artists that are guesting on this records are all fans; and there is reciprocity ; Brian will sing backgrounds on their records in the future....And he certainly enjoys the praise he gets from them and loves the support from these younger folks; who wouldn't ! Now I can't even pretend I know much about any of them other than Zooey Deschanel , who was at multiple SMiLE concerts in the U.K. as well as the U.S.   I had to google the rest , like probably half the posters here over 50. And I couldn't identify any of them in a police lineup; but I am not the target audience. Anyone who is guesting own this record is a fan of Brian's , so why not take advantage of that and try and expand the audience ? One thing is absolutely certain ; GIOMH it ain't !  If you want to hear Brian and Al sharing lead vocals , you will like it.  If you want to hear Brian and Blondie sharing lead vocals , you will like it.  If you liked Brian's vocals on TWGMTR , you will like it. If you liked the background vocals on TWGMTR , then you will like it. If you don't like any of that , then you won't like this record.  It's really different. Cheers Ray

[Jonathan Blum]

... except on GIOMH, Brian knew and admired all the collaborators!  They're literally having him record duets with people

HES NEVER HEARD OF.

God forbid they introduce him to new people.

Seriously, if his co-producer hears this "haunting" piece of Brian's called "Last Song" and says "Y'know who'd sound good on a piece like this?  Lana del Rey", and introduces Brian to her...  This would not be a problem for any other artist.

The only reason to diss it would be if the results are crap.  And we won't know that till we hear it.

Cheers,
Jon Blum

[Shady]

I don't think brian has any agenda and he probably didn't ask any of the guest vocalist to contribute to the record, it's possible brian wouldn't be bothered to make another album if his people didn't ask him to.

All of this was somebody else's idea, probably Capitol records. All we can do is trust in brian and hope he continues his run of fine records.

I personally find it a bit cheap to pair brian up with these singers he probably doesn't appreciate (musically) , but that's the business he's in.

[the captain]

I personally find it a bit cheap to pair brian up with these singers he probably doesn't appreciate (musically) , but that's the business he's in.

That's the funny--and pathetic--part about this board. Nobody has a clue whether Brian does or doesn't musically appreciate these people (whether or not he knew them before these sessions being irrelevant on that), but instead they're projecting their own ideas about who they want Brian to be. And if, god forbid, Brian doesn't live up to the Brians-of-Dreams (and let's be honest here, there are many ideal Brians to people around here), then let's all get up in arms about how he's being mistreated, or sold out, or manipulated, or how he's lost his willpower.

Why mightn't Brian appreciate the people who have been named? In Musgraves and Ocean, we have Grammy-award winning songwriters. Don't you think Brian appreciates good songwriters? In Del Rey and Deschanel, we have people who sell music (and TV shows and movies). Don't you think Brian appreciates successful artists? I mean, he always has before.

It wouldn't be surprising if he hadn't really heard much, if any, of what they've done before. But it's moot. That doesn't mean he might not enjoy working with them. And if it helps sell records--or even just tickle the old guy a little--who fucking cares? Does the album have to be nothing but septuagenarians to be "authentic," as if that meant anything?

[KittyKat]

It's more a matter of the record taking a long time to do, partly due to a tour with Jeff Beck that turned out to have some bad PR via Beck, after it was over. Then the fact that the project seems to have changed directions.

People will say what they want no matter how many people try to quash it with condescension.

[Cyncie]

These younger artists that are guesting on this records are all fans

And, there's the common denominator. Doesn't matter if Brian is THEIR fan. They are HIS fans.