The Smiley Smile Message Board

Shelter

These tunes have quirky BW titles. :thumbsup

No cheesy surf titles so far.

So what do we know so far? Recording at Ocean Way, produced by Brian & Mike, some songs written with Joe Thomas, grammy band

Titles announced so far:
Do It Again
Shelter
The Private Life of Bill and Sue
That's Why God Made the Radio


Anything I'm missing?


The Private Life Of Bill and Sue ??????
Blimey that sounds like the title of a homemade porn movie  :lol

2012 is gonna be fun!!  ;D

The Private Life of Bill and Sue

Yea, like Kowabunga! It's Party Time or The Ballad of 'Ol Ho Dad and The Honey. Or, Surf's Up, USA.

When/where was this title announced?

That's Why God Made the Radio Was I the only one that immediately thought of that song by Paul Simon, "That's Why God Made the Movies"? :p

Could the admins put a pin on this topic so we can keep new album info in one spot??

No , I thought of that song from One Trick Pony as well (great song though)
Might be a re-write however lets hope its a new song

Love has mentioned he might work on some material with David, right?

.... And I thought of No Wrong Notes in Heaven by Scotty Bennett.

Scotty Bennett and Brian Wilson, actually.

This was posted by Bruce on BBBritain:



FYI: The album we are recording has some amazing moments and we are not driven by the stress of 'are there any hit singles in the new album'......
But there is one Brian song that I play over & over & over!

As in "we don't care" or "there are plenty of them"?

As in "we don't care" or "there are plenty of them"?

Meaning, I think, that they're getting on a bit age-wise, are content, living in the moment and just aren't concerned with making an album that appeals to the mass market. They're letting their artistic juices flow, enjoying themselves, and have enough money in the bank for album sales not to matter - they can just make music that pleases them, and hopefully us.




I hope…

That Bruce quote sounds great.  I'm really thankful they're not singles-driven here.  I pray that Mike has restrained himself from dropping more Beach Boy song titles in the lyrics.... "We were good vibratin' on a Grammy stage, thinking wouldn't it be nice to do it again???"

I see it as Brian and Mike contractually having artistic control of this project; as such, the record company will be bound to accept and release whatever is delivered to them.

I think this is hilarious  :lol :lol :lol :lol

The  B104 FM music news page is now quoting this board, and it's posts, as an official news source on the new album.
http://www.b104fm.com/musicnews.htm

"THE BEACH BOYS HAVE FOUR REUNION TRACKS IN THE CAN
 
 
2012 will be the year that the surviving Beach Boys hit the road behind a new album for the first time in over 25 years. Over the course of their press duties publicizing their brief -- but acclaimed -- appearance on Sunday's (February 12th) Grammy telecast, the band revealed several titles of new songs, which have already whetted the appetite of fans.

The preeminent Beach Boys message board, SmileySmile.net, posted that a total of four newly recorded tracks have been announced: "Shelter," "The Private Life Of Bill And Sue," "That's Why God Made The Radio" -- and the group's initial reunion track, the remake of their 1968 classic "Do It Again," which the band laid down last June.
No title or release date for the set has been made public, but the Beach Boys' tour itinerary will be announced tomorrow (February 15th). The Beach Boys are: Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, David Marks, and Bruce Johnston.
 
We asked Brian Wilson if he was happy with the way the group gelled in the studio after 15 years apart: ["Oh yeah, I was thrilled! Not one of those guys needs any work -- they're all great. Yeah, they're all good."] SOUNDCUE (:04 OC: . . . they're all good)
Beach Boys co-founder Al Jardine met Brian Wilson when they were both in high school in Southern California playing on the Hawthorne Cougars football team back in the late 1950's. He told us that even as teens Wilson's talent was always there: ["Brian was like a divining rod. Whenever he touched the keys to that piano, something happened and I don't even think he understands it."] SOUNDCUE (:07 OC: . . . he understands it)
FAST FACTS
 
The Beach Boys' only officially announced shows in the U.S. are set for April 27th at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and May 12th in Uncasville, Connecticut at the Mohegan Sun Arena."
 

I think this is hilarious  :lol :lol :lol :lol

The  B104 FM music news page is now quoting this board, and it's posts, as an official news source on the new album.
http://www.b104fm.com/musicnews.htm

 

Meaning, I think, that they're getting on a bit age-wise, are content, living in the moment and just aren't concerned with making an album that appeals to the mass market. They're letting their artistic juices flow, enjoying themselves, and have enough money in the bank for album sales not to matter - they can just make music that pleases them, and hopefully us.




I hope…

Sometimes having AGD around is a good thing...

Mike, God bless 'im, being named executive producer is a little scary, as well. I love 'im to death, but I can't think of many Mike Love-centric projects in the past that I've been a huge fan of. Obviously "executive producer" is a bit ambiguous, but it's generally the guy who have the most authority over what goes, what stays, how it should sound, how it should be presented, etc. etc. etc. "Do It Again" goes down well enough, so hay, we'll see.

+1   

I hope there's a Quality Control system in place apart from the Executive Producer.  And considering the participants, there is probably a team of lawyers who have to approve the final product.

Hey, were more legit than most news sources  :lol

Yeah, if they were quoting AGD, Jon S. or other honored guests.

They haven't.  Haven't heard AGD confirm those titles (cept Do It Again of course)

he's just a big cuddly teddy bear!

 >:D

And getting bigger...  :(

wasn't Mike "executive producer" of the Pet Sounds Sessions?

it's like a little paper crown he can wear so he feels important.

i think it would be cool if Do It Again doesn't make it onto the album

As stated on this forum, the "DIA" video was leaked without the permission of BRI or anyone involved.

I did not know that, I don't have time to read everything.

Thats cool, yeah it's just all so exciting, I can't wait to hear the new album. I sincerely hope
there are several new video's associated with the album, and that they are available in some
type of deluxe version of the album

…why is the Do it Again video not on Youtube anymore ?

"Shelter" & "Bob & Sue" have been mentioned to me by one of my better sources. Dudes name was... Cohen, or something like that.

Personally, being the fact freak I am, I'll be fascinated to see if all the new material is indeed new, as in newly composed.

We don't know how many songs are in the can.  We've simply heard rumors of four titles.  They have been recording off and on for awhile.  David was just in the studio putting down some guitar on some track the other day.  Darian was in the studio with Brian the other day.  Who cares what song it is that Bruce likes.  We can't hear it yet anyway.  And he's not in England, he lives in California.  Mike has mentioned that he'd like to write some stuff, but we haven't heard of anything definite.  Same with Dave.  We'll get more info when they want us to have more info.  I'll repeat something here that I had to repeat over and over when we were waiting for info on TSS...Patience.

If Johnston is in England, does that mean no recording is going on until
he flies back to the states or is that a misconception on my part.

I think it would be a cool idea to keep DIA off of the new album and release it as a colored 7" single. Maybe with a re-recorded Friends

Right you are. I have no idea about anything. I got excited about the "four songs in the can" and the Johnston remark, about the one tune.
Then I watch the DIA video, and get pumped up some more.

I don't even know what methods or procedures they use, if Brian cuts the tracks, and then they come in, or its different for
every track or what. If they cut just enough, or prune it down from lots of tracks.

It's way too early, I need to chill, and wait two or three months. for some news.

The only thing is I cant help it, I have a feeling the album could be special. DIA sounds good, they sounded good on the Grammys
and I need to wait, I feel they were pretty cool about dribbling out info for the fans on Smile, and It looks like they are gonna continue
spoonfeeding the faithful with a few tidbits, AGD will see we know something

So here's the deal.

1.) Brian started recording backing tracks for some sort of project last year. This was documented by several sources.

2.) Eddie Bayers, a session player used by Imagination co-producer Joe Thomas, tweeted that he was working on new BW material.

3.) Jean Seivers, Brian's publicist, said at the time that Brian was recording some previously unreleased but already written material at Joe's studio in Illinois.

4.) In subsequent interviews, Brian talked about having written new songs, including the Shelter and Bill and Sue tunes, but in collaboration with Joe Thomas and Jeff.

5.) The Do It Again sessions likewise took place in the middle of last year.

6.) All of this happened before there was any news of an official reunion.

7.) Once that came out, news of the album started flowing fast and furious. There has been no more mention of Joe Thomas as a co-producer, but he is mentioned as co-writer of the God / Radio song.

8.) The group apparently recorded on some of Brian's stuff before the end of 2011, and they have obviously been going at it over the last month or so.

9.) Mike and Brian were writing a song in the studio a week or two ago, according to Andrew.

10.) Dave and Mike have some songs they have brought to the project and hope to include as well.

So, taking these 10 points together, let's draw some conclusions.

It seems likely that tracks for the album were recorded throughout last year by Brian, Joe and Jeff. It is probably relatively quick and easy for the group to put vocals on top of those and finish them up. Even if they only managed 4 or 5 titles, they could have finished a third to half of the album this way.

Some of those tracks might well be trunk songs, dating back to the 70s, 80s or 90s. We had official word that Brian was working on some older tunes. Now, whether those are older tunes fans are familiar with or not, who knows.

It also seems clear that Brian and Mike are doing some on-the-spot writing. So a track or two (or three) on the final album could well come from these last couple of months' worth of sessions. Is Joe Thomas involved? No one knows. But given that Darian has been shown in the studio, it looks like some of Brian's band is.

Finally, you have material from Mike and Dave. (Al and Bruce haven't said anything about contributing). So perhaps a couple of tracks on the finished album could come from them.

Therefore, I'd predict a finished album along these lines:

Ocean Way
The Beach Boys (Capitol, 2012)

Do It Again 2012
Shelter (JT session)
Black Widow (with lyrics rewritten by Mike)
The Private Life of Bill and Sue (JT session)
New Mike song (possibly with a BW credit added for cred)
That's Why God Made the Radio (JT session)
Dancin' the Night Away (possibly with Carl's voice kept)
New Brian-Mike collaboration
New Dave M. song (with ML and BW credits added)
New Brian-Mike collaboration
Still A Mystery (JT session)

Now, the exact old songs being used will probably be different. But I wouldn't be surprised at all if we ended up with something like this.

Finally, I understand the desire for a Dennis tribute, but I don't know how it would work. Dennis's songs wouldn't really fit. What else is in the can that could be used for an album like this that wouldn't work better on an all-archival release?

Not to nitpick, but there are 11 tracks there. Given the time pressures, how many more do you think they could realistically finish, mix and master for a June-ish release?

As for archival stuff, I was thinking that the Boys might go back to the mid-90s just for the chance to get a couple of Carl vocals. Dancin' isn't great, but it is a BW/ML co-write, correct? Black Widow was a total shot in the dark. Maybe they'll go with Adult Child material instead.  ;D

Finally, I understand the desire for a Dennis tribute, but I don't know how it would work. Dennis's songs wouldn't really fit. What else is in the can that could be used for an album like this that wouldn't work better on an all-archival release?

"Shelter" & "Bob & Sue" have been mentioned to me by one of my better sources. Dudes name was... Cohen, or something like that.

Personally, being the fact freak I am, I'll be fascinated to see if all the new material is indeed new, as in newly composed.

I wouldn't mind if the songs were old but never heard of. Besides, there's no way of telling if an unfamiliar song is new or old by merely listening to it.

I wouldn't mind if the songs were old but never heard of. Besides, there's no way of telling if an unfamiliar song is new or old by merely listening to it.

Not to nitpick, but there are 11 tracks there. Given the time pressures, how many more do you think they could realistically finish, mix and master for a June-ish release?

Really hard to estimate without knowing how many they've already recorded, how many they've already written, who all is contributing songwriting

I'd hope for more than 10 tracks, and some better 'archive' reworkings. Plus something representing Dennis.




THAT ALL SEEMS LIKE A REASONABLE EDUCATED GUESS, INCLUDING AGD's CAVEAT

I WOULD GUESS THAT MAYBE THEY WILL TRY AND CUT A COUPLE EXTRA TRACKS AS BEST BUY OR ITUNES
EXCLUSIVES<,OR JUST TO HAVE A COUPLE EXTRA FOR SOME FUTURE COMPILATION BECAUSE LIKELY THEY WILL NEVER
CUT ANOTHER STUDIO ALBUM AT AGE 70

I WOULD GUESS YES, THEY WILL AT LEAST CONSIDER TRYING TO USE ONE OR TWO CARL WILSON PERFORMANCES

PERHAPS DENNIS WILSON IS CONSIDERED TO BE INCLUDED BECAUSE THEY SAMPLED SOME OF HIS DRUMS OR PERCUSSION
ALREADY FOR DIA.

I AM THINKING THIS ALBUM WILL SOUND LIKE A RECENT BRIAN WILSON ALBUM< LUCKY OLD SUN OR SOMETHING WITH
BEACH BOYS VOCALS INSTEAD OF THE SOLO ALBUM GROUP , THAT IS, THE WILSON SOLO BAND VOCALS WITH ALL THOSE CATS>

I UH JUST HANDICAPPING , GUESSING WOULD THINK< THAT THERE WILL BE A BIT MORE MIKE LOVE BEACH BOYS SURFy GIRLS CAR STUFF
INFLUENCE< TO A DEGREE> BUT THEN AGAIN LUCKY OLD SUN< HAD FOREvER YOU'LL BE MY SURFER GIRL SO WHO IS KIDDING WHO
PET SOUNDS TWO, IN OUR DREAMS. MAYBE THEY SEEM KIND OF INSPIRED AND INTO IT, THEY HAVE TO REALiZE THIS MIGHT BE THE LAST
TIME THEY RECORD TOGETHER< THIS ALBUM IS GONNA BE GREAT!

Do you guys think the whole album will sound like the new Do It Again?

Instrumentally, probably not. If some backing tracks feature Joe Thomas's musicians, then expect something more adult contemporary (and Brian did call the album "mellow").

Vocally, I would expect it to be similar. It's the four guys plus Foskett (maybe David on a tune or two).

Brian's band may contribute some backing tracks too, which would mean something slightly less slick, although they're a pretty well-oiled ensemble themselves.

I don't know how I feel about that. I don't know if it would be better for the album to be strange but bad or decent but boring.

I wouldn't mind if the songs were old but never heard of. Besides, there's no way of telling if an unfamiliar song is new or old by merely listening to it.

If the recording is old, you can tell. There are specific sound characteristics to certain time frames. If the recording is new, you can't tell how old the song is if you haven't heard it before.

Apart from SURFIN' SAFARI and SURFIN' USA, has there ever been a Beach Boys (or solo) album that did not utilize a melody, song or track that had been sitting around for a couple of years or more?

I would be surprised if the new album is completely new.

Even they weren't 100% new -  "Surfin' USA" (the song) was hardly original, a fact not lost on Chuck Berry's lawyers, and of course the début album's title track was a re-recording (not forgetting "Surfin'", leased from Hite Morgan).

Right. I guess I thought I would make an exception for material worked on within a year previously*.

*Using that barometer (and excluding albums that contained covers of songs released more than a year previously), I'm thinking ALL SUMMER LONG, FRIENDS and BEACH BOYS '85 (?) would be the only albums of all new original material that the band ever released!

Well Do It Again  was a quick fix arrangement and recording to test the waters - that could maybe explain the autotune, as time wasn't plentiful to get takes 'just so'. Hopefully the album has more thought and care put  into the arrangements of the new songs. It looks like, from the studio photos, that Brian's band is on them - we haven't seen any other musicians, right - and that is heartwarming. I  just hope rushing the album for a summer release doesn't mean it's, y'know, rushed.

I'd rather hear "Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again" in its original, archival form but maybe it's not outside the realm of possibility they'd rework it for a new album.  What would be cooler, maybe, would be doing vocals for "I've Got a Friend".

Thomas worked on songs dating back to the sixties for the Imagination album, so he
certainly wouldn't have an aversion to reviewing unreleased older material.

Unless you've heard it before somewhere, of course.

I had no idea Wilson's Gershwin and Disney albums were cut in a matter of weeks. what about
Lucky Old Sun ? Lucky Old Sun would have been a great Beach Boys album.

TLOS is more complicated. It originates with demos cut in the summer of 2006 -- many of Brian's leads on the album come from his demos.

The live performances in London were recorded and then used as the building blocks for the band's work in the studio (one of the reasons Bob Lizik, who had departed the band between the live shows and the studio recording, is credited as bassist for some of the tracks).

So the album was patched together from 1.) Brian and Scott's demos, 2.) the first live performances and 3.) some work at the Capitol Records studio. The time spent in the studio was pretty quick, though -- certainly closer to weeks rather than months.

Sometimes I get the feeling, people think it's not right no revisit old material that was never recorded or released. As long as tthe material is good and the new recordings are as well, I'm totally fine with it. If it turns out to be GIOMH-like, that's something else... But Imagination's "She says that she needs me" is great and doesn't even sound too sterile compared to much of the other recordings on that album.



I Love SHE SAYS THAT SHE NEEDS ME from the Imagination album. I had never heard of the song, in recent years I heard an original demo from the sixties
and realized it was an old tune. That they had used for the album in 99, or whatever year that was.

GIOMH has a couple nice tracks on it as well, Personally I like the one he wrote with Van Dyke and Soul Searchin, and one or two more. The song With
Elton John I didin't understand at all, it sounded like an Elton John record with harmonies by Wilson, and the one with McCartney had to be the biggest
letdown of the year. To think two people that great would finally cut a track and have it sound like that was baffling. It's awful that song. I love the Desert Drive song, that sounds like an old Beach Boys record, I love that one. I know thats an earlier song from some Paley sessions.

I find it interesting that Wilson cuts his albums in a matter of weeks or a couple months now. I expect TLOS is a more complicated album musically
than the new Beach Boys album will be.Anyway historically as AGD pointed out, almost all Beach Boy albums have tunes written a good deal earlier.
Wilson solo albums have the same thing.

Why Do people hate GIOMH, I hate parts of it, but I Like a few tunes, the one with Clapton is bad too, because its not a Wilson type of recording.

The New York Times recently talked with Brian and Mike.  Some interesting tidbits on the album.  According to Brian, it's about "half way done". 

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/17/a-few-words-with-the-beach-boys/

Am I the only who is not convinced the new 'Do It Again' will be on the album?  I mean, if it's really going to be a 'mellow' album with a suite at the end, this track would stick out like a sore thumb.  I've not seen any mention anywhere that this new recording will be on the new album.  It's been described as a recording made 'just to see what it would sound like' and seems to be used to promote the tour and the reunion in general.

in fact, by the time the album comes out, 'Do It Again' will be old news.  I'm sure the 'lead' track will be something else entirely.

http://www.emusician.com/news/0766/another-day-peering-into-the-creative-genius-of-brian-wilson/139364

Mark Linett:

"Some arrangement changes were made on the floor. This is something they had already played live as a 36-minute suite of songs at London’s Royal Festival Hall. Although this music had been performed, and we actually already recorded a live version at that point, once you get in the studio, things tend to change."

I'm not aware of any live recording at the RFH in 2007: certainly no mobile was visible. There was an abortive attempt to record it in January 2008, then the sessions resumed in April. The liners make no mention of remote recording, and if any live shows had been used, then Jim Hines would have been credited as well, as he was also there in 2007. Not sure where you got that idea from, but it's spurious.

"Little Bird" has a "CIFTTM" riff... the track for "Drive-in" was cut at the 10/63 "LSN" sessions (thus could well have David on it), while "Do You Remember" was roughed out as "The Big Beat" at least a year earlier... and "California Calling" has been carbon dated to 1982 9composition, not recording)

I read somewhere(many years ago) that Getcha Back existed in some form when Dennis was alive. Is this true?

Therefore.

The January TLOS sessions didn't work out. Bob Lizik was not part of the April sessions -- at least not as depicted in the DVD. So is it crazy to extrapolate that the reason he is credited on the TLOS album is because Scott pro-tooled in bass lines from a live show?

However.

I likely overstated my case in saying the live recording was used as a foundation for the '08 studio work. While bass parts are certainly foundational, that same doc suggests that elements from the BW/SB '06 demos were also used as guides in the studio.

I'll also admit that I have no idea where live recording was done. I had thought that the only place TLOS had been played live up to that point was in London. Looking at Eric's setlist archive, I see it was also performed in Manchester and Birmingham, so recording could have been done at either site.

Finally.

The fact that "The liners make no mention of remote recording" strikes me as a weak point in this case. Many of Brian's vocals on the album come from his summer 2006 work with Scott in his house. However, Scott receives no engineering or studio credit on the record, and those sessions are not mentioned.

I believe TLOS was also performed in Australia, late 2007.  And I believe Bob's basslines were flown in from the demos, just like some of Brian's vocals.  The demos as they have been leaked are pretty elaborate & well-produced, and we know Scott and Darian worked on them pretty extensively while Brian and the rest of the band were touring Europe in the summer of '07, so it's not hard to imagine they had Bob in adding basslines at some point between 2006 and 2007.  Finally, Scott DOES receive studio credit on the record:  "Additional Production" (as well as co-mixing).

He didn't say it was from a live show, just that it was a 'live' bass - presumably, as opposed to sampled.

It is noteworthy that Mike says that one song is as good anything they've ever done.  I hope he means it and that he's not talking meaningless hype.

As much as we'd all like Mike's statement to be proven true, I think that the chances are pretty slim that they're going to knock out something on par with 'God Only Knows' or 'Good Vibrations' or any of the classics of that era. 

Hope for the best, but prepare for something less.  And "less" is fine, as far as I'm concerned.  The body of work that Brian and Co. have produced over the last 50 years speaks for itself. Anything else that we get is gravy at this point.

Given the competition... very likely.  ;D

Given the competition... very likely.  ;D

As I stated in my compilation post, we have reason to believe that Joe Thomas's session musicians could be on a chunk of the album's tracks. You know, the Imagination guys.

As I stated in my compilation post, we have reason to believe that Joe Thomas's session musicians could be on a chunk of the album's tracks. You know, the Imagination guys.

Given the competition... very likely.  ;D

I don't know... if they manage something as competent as LA (Light Album) at this point I will be very happy and very surprised.
On the other hand, I can't see it possibly being any worse than KTSA or any of the albums after that.

How about something in the spirit of 'Still Cruisin'' then? A half-new LP with some rap. And a Beach Boys Medley. I think it's a great idea.

Don, you missed the "C" off "rap".

I don't see that as meaning the new album will sound like Imagination. That was a contemporary sound at the time and it's not anymore.

Given Brian's run of albums since BWPS I think a great album is well within their grasp. Really at the moment we know zip about the new material. I'll not bother speculating on what might be from the info given so far in interviews. My personal preference would be that it's all new Brian Wilson compositions in collaboration with whoever he chooses and if other band member material is included it is because it merits inclusion. No remakes or finishing tracks by Dennis or Carl . All new stuff please boys.

We do? Only thing I can think of is a) Joe Thomas' involvement itself and b) that drummer tweeting he was involved with Do It Again in june last year despite this not being the case on the final mix.

They are such an iconic group they could probably get away without their name on the front cover. We here are not keen on the 'Beach' aspect and 'Boys'?  ;)

Last week group shots were done according to David himself. I hope these are for inside or maybe the back rather than the cover.

Please close this thread, Phil say's it is not coming out.

Huh?

Let's see here. We are fans of this band, yet it sounds like we are ashamed of their name (no name on the cover), their age (no picture of the band), and maybe don't try to sound like The Beach Boys, because from since 1978 The Beach Boys tried too hard to sound like The Beach Boys (from another thread, here). sh*t, these guys don't stand a chance of pleasing us, their die-hard fans. Yikes! ;)

Given Brian's run of albums since BWPS I think a great album is well within their grasp. Really at the moment we know zip about the new material. I'll not bother speculating on what might be from the info given so far in interviews. My personal preference would be that it's all new Brian Wilson compositions in collaboration with whoever he chooses and if other band member material is included it is because it merits inclusion. No remakes or finishing tracks by Dennis or Carl . All new stuff please boys.

The mystery remains, however, why Scott would say that he had flown in Bob's bassline from a live show. I mean, why not from a demo, then? Or if there were "personnel issues," why even bring it up at all?

I've got the perfect album title and cover concept :-D:

(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/52684612/BeachBoys50.jpg)

I have no inside knowledge, but I have a gut feeling the new album will be called 'Celebration', for good or ill. It seems to be an appropriate Beach Boys brand name for the whole 50th anniversary tour/ album package. At least the title doesn't have 'Summer' in it.

I have no inside knowledge, but I have a gut feeling the new album will be called 'Celebration', for good or ill. It seems to be an appropriate Beach Boys brand name for the whole 50th anniversary tour/ album package. At least the title doesn't have 'Summer' in it.

I also hope they manage to find and include at least one quality 'new' Carl lead vocal (not Soul Searchin, already released), as it seems wierd to me to have the Beach Boys without Carl (and Dennis for that matter) represented. But then, Summer in Paradise had no Brian input at all, so I guess for me, you can have the Beach Boys as long as you have at least one Wilson brother involved. Otherwise, it's a 'BB related' project.  :)

Bassist Brett Simons' personal website lists the title as being "Celebration."

Bassist Brett Simons' personal website lists the title as being "Celebration."

Bassist Brett Simons' personal website lists the title as being "Celebration."

If Brett is going to be on the road with Melissa Etheridge,  it would be the perfect oppurtuity to get Eddie Carter back into the BBs band.

1) Is there going to be a rotation of Bass Players on the tour ??
2) Who is playing Bass on the new album ?
or 3) Have the backing tracks already been laid down ??

1) yeah - Carol Kaye/James Jamerson/Carol Kaye/Bob Lizik/Carol Kaye. Carol will also be playing drums, guitar, keys, tannerin and mallets
2) see above.
3) Some have.

  Please Tell us more Andrew, about any backing tracks, songs, overdubs, vocals. anything about the recordings
that doesn't violate or go over the line of any confidences, or bean spilling. Tell us what you can, without upsetting you're friends

I also hope they manage to find and include at least one quality 'new' Carl lead vocal (not Soul Searchin, already released)

There will be a combination of both to look forward to. Really excited about some new stuff we are working on however.

I'm surprised whoever is behind Mike's FB page is as responsive as they are.  It's not really Mike is it?

I don't get the Indian on horseback logo and the Beach Boys.  Is that the original Brother Records logo?   I think they can do better than that today.

:wall :angry :thud :thud :thud

I think it is him. To be honest, whoever is behind the page is not really that responsive. I see tons of wall posts that aren't replied to. It seems like Mike is a pretty busy guy hence he wouldn't have the time to go through and respond to everything that is written on his page.

It's definitely not him. No way, no how.

Hey, guys! Mike just responded to a question I left on his Facebook page regarding whether the new record would be all newly written material or if we'd see some old unreleased material reworked for the album. Here's his response:

If it's not him, then how is it official?

As to the admission by Mike Love, that, YES, the new album will feature some old material. Can we clarify, old material,
which has never been heard in public, or reworkings of old B Boys hits like Do It Again, or reworkings of hits by other 60's
artists or what ?

Hopefully he's not talking abouzt re-recording old hits. That would ruin the whole thing for me.
How's about asking him that ? That woud be interesting to know, because as far as I have seen, most, if not all Beach Boys fans would hate re-recordings of already released material

The way I phrased the question would make it seems that he's referring to previously unreleased material being given a second look. Hopefully we see songs like "Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again" and "Still A Mystery". At least, those are the two I'm hoping for the most.

I wouldn't mind if the cover of the album is a variation of this slick, simple look:

(http://www.rockon.it/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/beach-boys-50-celebration.jpg)

The way I phrased the question would make it seems that he's referring to previously unreleased material being given a second look. Hopefully we see songs like "Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again" and "Still A Mystery". At least, those are the two I'm hoping for the most.

Right!?

My father, a great artist, made me a collage for Christmas: he assembled tiny pieces of cut up $ bills to form the Brother logo. My jaw dropped to the floor when I saw it. If I could figure out how to post pictures to the board I'd definitely show you all...it's pretty incredible. I love that logo so much.

WIBNTLA just wouldn't fit, if you ask me. Too much of a different era. It should appear on an archival release, not a reunion record produced by Joe Thomas. I would really prefer that any use of earlier material be re-recorded, so the album would have a cohesive sound.

Well it's not on youtube and there are no samples on the link to buy the album. If its never been booted
how, did he get it to do a cover?

Alan Boyd from the SMile sessions is in a Beach Boys cover band, do I understand that correctly?

Well it's not on youtube and there are no samples on the link to buy the album. If its never been booted
how, did he get it to do a cover?

Alan Boyd from the SMile sessions is in a Beach Boys cover band, do I understand that correctly?

I don't think the whole album will have songs flowing into one another.  I know Brian said that, but I think he was talking about the ending bit that Mike was talking about.  I wouldn't get too excited about the differences between a medley and a suite...these guys aren't trained musicians.  Medley and suite and songs flowing into one another likely mean the same thing to Mike and Brian.  Remember, Brian called BWPS a rock opera, when it is certainly not.  The ending sounds really interesting, whatever it is, but I don't think the whole album is going to be that way...just the end 'little bit of a suite' thing (until there's no more album).

And in the end
The Love you take
Is equal to the Love...you make.

The modular approach, stimulated by Lenny Waronker, worked nicely on BW 1988, not so nicely on Imagination. The idea of continuum worked fine in BWPS and TLOS. However, there is no obligation or need to release a product in that form. I'm sure someone over BW camp thinks that this helps portray Brian as a serious musician and that's why they keep doing it.

The wives looked happy in the "Do It Again" video?   I didn't think Melinda Wilson looked so happy....

The wives looked happy in the "Do It Again" video?   I didn't think Melinda Wilson looked so happy....

And Love likes what he's hearing.

"It's sounding really good in the studio," he says. "The tracks are pretty much done. We're still working on finishing up all the vocals, but it's sounding fantastic so far."

To Wilson's ears, "The word for this new album is mellow. It's the '60s revisited, kind of a dip back into the past, but it retains a little bit of the 2000s, too. So all in all, it's a very good album."

[He said the songs all flow into one another, and we have a caveat, from one poster, who thinks they mean just
the end of the album, not the whole thing. I'm not being disrespectful, I really don't know what the truth is,

http://beachboysnews.blogspot.com/2012/02/424-brian-wilson-and-beach-boys-reunion.html (http://beachboysnews.blogspot.com/2012/02/424-brian-wilson-and-beach-boys-reunion.html)

My guess for the album title: The Beach Boys - In A Mellow Tone

http://beachboysnews.blogspot.com/2012/02/424-brian-wilson-and-beach-boys-reunion.html (http://beachboysnews.blogspot.com/2012/02/424-brian-wilson-and-beach-boys-reunion.html)


My guess for the album title: The Beach Boys - In A Mellow Tone

So do I.. dont we all.

Here's that piece of art my father made me for Christmas. It's assembled with incredibly tiny cut up pieces of dollar bills. (thanks Alholio71 for the uploading instructions!)

(http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/5562/dscn1347x.jpg)

Gorgeous , I now want one made out of old £1 notes

rab,

Can I use that for my avatar? That is super-freaking cool! Well-done Dad! :)

most definitely!

@Amanda: He was really happy with it! I can't even imagine the amount of hours it took to make it....but it was well worth it I think!

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-et-beach-boys-20120225,0,3559719.story

New album information. And some silliness.

"Waves of Love" seems to be another title we can add to the list -- and an already recorded Carl vocal.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/music/la-et-beach-boys-20120225,0,3559719.story

New album information. And some silliness.

"Waves of Love" seems to be another title we can add to the list -- and an already recorded Carl vocal.

Speaking of which, why the weird vibes about the song?

just the title - could you fit any more BB cliches in 3 words! - I'm surprised Mike never used it for an album!  ;D

Just got back from Jeff Peters' studio where we did overdubs on Al Jardine's original song "Waves of Love". A rough demo version from '95 is currently on his Postcards CD but this new recording is KILLER!! Mike Kowalski on skins, Ed Carter on bass, Mike Meros on B3, Richie Cannata on baritone sax, Jeff Peters & Randy Mitchel on guitars, Al & Matt Jardine & Carl Wilson on vocals. I'm really excited about this "new" song.

Vintage, I would calm down. I doubt AGD -- or anyone outside of the principals -- has heard much from the new record. I'm sure we'll know more in a couple of months. Waves of Love is an old Al tune (aren't they all) that he wanted to put on Postcard from California.

Speaking of which, why the weird vibes about the song? Is Al not supposed to get a tune on the record?

I think the Beach Boys should avoid using old material like "waves of love" and "do it again" as much as humanly possible. I'm up for some new music.

I don't get Al's quote about not being able to have Dennis' voice on the record. I seriously don't understand why they wouldn't consider re-recording "WIBNTLA".

What do we actually know about WIBNTLA? I hear the title thrown around a lot but I really don't know anything about the song. Has anyone heard it?

Well I hope it's a better tune than, uh, Don't Fight The Sea, which although I love hearing the Beach Boys
sing, it does sound, kind of like a dorky Terry Jacks song. Maybe it's just me, and whenever I hear the words
Terry Jacks, I think of Seasons in the Sun, and hide in my room for two days until the sickness goes away! LOL

I don't get Al's quote about not being able to have Dennis' voice on the record. I seriously don't understand why they wouldn't consider re-recording "WIBNTLA".

I think some things are more suited for archival release. Especially when you get to things like this song, which go back so far. (And which may well show up the rest of the more recent material on the record.) You have to draw the line somewhere, right?

Perhaps, but judging the song solely on Adam Marsland's cover, I would conclude that "WIBNTLA" was a very good, but not earth-shattering song.

Even if including "WIBNTLA" is out of the question, I find it ridiculous that Dennis would have no presence on this new record. He was no less of a Beach Boy than either of his two brothers.

Frankly, I would prefer that neither be on there. It would be interesting to hear what the band can do today. Old recordings just make the whole thing seem weird to me.

Frankly, I would prefer that neither be on there. It would be interesting to hear what the band can do today. Old recordings just make the whole thing seem weird to me.

Agreed. New album = new material (as much as possible).

Hey all opinions are valid, but let me please state the following.

So far as we can tell, the bulk of the material is new, with a few archival songs. and those are going to be heavily
reworked with new overdubs etc. Also Wilson and the Beach Boys, have a career long habit, of, dipping into the song
bag for a percentage of the material. Look at TLOS for example. The title track is from a  1949 record by Frankie Lane
and it sounds nothing like Frankie Lane, it sounds like Brian Wilson or the Beach Boys, and that gorgeous little edit piece
near the end, from 1968? whats that called, can't wait too long? gorgeous, Honestly, those were my favorite bits on the album.
Also these cats are all 70 years old, and the fact that they are even doing this at all, modern medicine increased lifespan, its
remarkable man. This is a methodology that they have always used, writing some new material, and using certain choice archival stuff
because either they were a couple songs short on material, or the material just filled a gap in the album. Sloop John B, is not an original
song, it's an old folk standard or whatever. But when I hear Sloop John B, I'm not thinking anything except wow that sounds good.


If there are  hypothetically, a dozen tunes on the album, and eight or nine are new, and three or four are old, this is just the common way of
assembling an album the Beach Boys or Wilson has always employed.


Harrison, Lennon and McCartney do this, Crosby Stills and Nash do this, Lindsey Buckingham does this, I think, especially for older guys
this is a typical thing to do. I agree with your sentiment however, Lets hear a fresh new Beach Boys album! and we will, but a few of the
tunes are gonna be reworked.

As far as Carl and Dennis Wilson, being included, I think it's great. Dennis is included, as a musician his drums or percussion being sampled
on DIA, and maybe he will be sampled elsewhere, as far as his being included as a songwriter, I only know  of two solo albums, and a few
Beach Boys songs, he died young, maybe nothing that would sound good is available. Carl Wilson they have more tracks available, he lived
much longer, and they have fairly modern recordings of his voice that can be adapted, for use on the new album.

Look This album will represent the three surviving Beach Boys, along with Johnston, who has been with them 46 years? and Marks
who is kind of an original member. And Foskett had to be brought in for the vocals because Brian Wilson can't hit the high falsetto
anymore. Carl Wilson was a very important Beach Boy, its very cool, they will have one or two songs, with him, I understand what
you're saying, new material, the bulk of songs will be new, and the old songs will be freshly reworked and overdubbed, or cut from
scratch with the old vocals flown on top. Most of the album will be reflecting the surviving Beach Boys as they are today,


If they cut several of their old hits, I'll be sick to my stomach, but that doesn't seem to be whats happening.
We are very lucky this is happening, Most of the old masters from the sixties can't do this because too many
band members have died, or they just refuse to do it. Simon and Garfunkel wont do it, The Beatles can't with both
Harrison and Lennon dead, and George Martin is like 86 years old. The WHO could but they wont. The Kinks could but
they wont. This is one of the last opportunities of our lives, to hear one of the great original bands cut something fresh.
Maybe the last time. The Stones or Pink Floyd or someone might do it one day, maybe. This is possibly the last fresh album
we will ever hear from the great bands of the sixties.

I don't get Al's quote about not being able to have Dennis' voice on the record. I seriously don't understand why they wouldn't consider re-recording "WIBNTLA".

I am slightly worried, about " A Mellow" album. Generally speaking for a whole album to flow, you still need a couple
upbeat things, even if its mostly ballads.

Don't worry about that. "Mellow" in Brian's world doesn't necessarily mean just ballads. IIRC he once described "Do it again" as a mellow rock song (which it is). Though I hope DIA won't be on the new album, I wouldn't be surprised if something like it would appear


I'm excited to hear Carl on "Waves of love". Hopefully it's a good tune. I don't know what people would have against it. It is practically new material. And it's certainly not a finished song they just put on the album. It will probably be re-recorded from scratch plus Carl's vocal. If they use "You're still a mystery" I hope they would re-work that one too.

I mentioned more than once that I'd like to hear them finish Dennis' "California slide" because I love that song. But I don't think they will do it.

Congratulations on telling us what we all knew anyway. Your point is ?

Read the thread and you'll see exactly what my point is. People pissing and moaning that every song should be brand spanking new. That ain't gonna happen in Beach Boys world. Why argue this stuff. If you know your Beach Boys history, you know that there is always a good chance of old songs being used on new albums.

That wasn't the point I was making at all. I think everyone knows the album will feature some material familiar to "collectors." My point was simply that I would prefer the album be an all-new recording, with only the current lineup performing. No ghostly, edited in vocals, please.

Alan Boyd has been compiling an inventory of the Brother archives for close on a decade. I think that answers your "do they even know ?" question.

My point entirely, I'm not moaning I welcome any new album, exactly as they want it, Just my personal preference for a new song cycle.

Same here. I will be happy with anything the boys put out, and I am well aware of their pedigree, often finishing older songs for a new album.

The only thing that has me worried is the choice of "Do it Again" as a lead-off promo (hoping it will be on the album only as a bonus track). There is also a history here - Postcard from California is riddled with remakes and Al seems to still be in that mindset; the last album we got from the Boys was Stars and Stripes, which was all remakes.

If the group wants to use a Carl vocal, that's a-OK with me, especially since it is a previously unheard song. I am actually a big fan of "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love." I just hope they don't go back to the well of old songs and old ideas too often for the new record.

They already led off an album with "Do it Again," and that album was 20/20. See my point?

Andrew please explain one thing, Soul Searchin was a debacle why ? it sounded good on GIOMH, are you saying
Wilson and company scrubbed some BBoys vocals to make it just a duet for the solo album, is that why you think its
blasphemy?

The original BB backing vox were scrubbed, and they were far superior to what Brian did.

The original BB backing vox were scrubbed, and they were far superior to what Brian did.

Oh that is nasty. He made a duet with his brother, but scrubbed other parts by the BBoys, that is kind of
awful. Because it's a very good song, and wow that's too bad. I can see the more you peel the onion, there
are reasons for hurt feelings everywhere. Happily everybody has gotten over it. At least to where they are
all digging the new album.

Jardine only mentioned Carl Wilson on the one song, the wave song that he (Jardine) wrote. But I don't think
that excludes the possibility of the Beach Boys using "She's A Mystery" or some second song featuring Carl Wilson.

So anyway we learned, there will be a Jardine song, so my question is OK, Brian will be the one with the most
songwriting credits, but we know for sure, Mike Love and Al Jardine are getting some writing credits also.
Can we assume that Mr Disney Girls will get one song after 46 years of loyal service, or does his song get bumped
with Brian back in the studio? I'd say one song on this album for a songwriter has to be worth, several hundred
grand, Does Johnston get a salary on the road, or a split? I heard he is a nice guy, I hope he gets a piece of
the tour this is a big payday

All I know is I hope this album isn't dragged down by politics and makes it so we have to get one solo "Mike", one solo "Al" and one solo "Bruce" written track to please everybody.

Jardine only mentioned Carl Wilson on the one song, the wave song that he (Jardine) wrote. But I don't think
that excludes the possibility of the Beach Boys using "She's A Mystery" or some second song featuring Carl Wilson.

I was thinking 3-5 million units worldwide, and ongoing
sales as part of the catalogue and official canon, and so I very unscientifically thought, oh that's
gotta be worth several hundred grand for an album cut on here.

Is this Waves of Love song on Jardine's album available online somewhere for me to listen to? Never heard this one, I'd like to listen to it and imagine a full Beach Boys recording of it to get a pseudo feel for what the new album will be like.

 :lol  Where to begin? Still Cruisin' is the only studio album since Pet Sounds that we know has sold over 1 million copies worldwide. That relied on the massive success of 'Kokomo' and also featured three classic tracks. Also, 3-5 million in album sales worldwide is enough to get you into yearly top ten lists....so you're talking Rihanna territory there.

I think the tour will give it a boost and such, but I'd be shocked if it did any better than 300K worldwide and that's being very, very generous. It could just as well sink below 100K worldwide. A solo songwriting credit on one song on the album won't really amount to much to be honest. We're talking like a few grand.

I didn't realize the sales numbers for the Beach Boys had sunk that low, but those last couple studio albums were not that great,
and maybe I am just dead wrong, but they are gonna do much better than a couple hundred thousand units, huge free media coverage
the big tour, and supposedly the high quality of this new album, and the drama of the reunion, and the swansong, if this album is as good
as they say it's going to be, I still say 1-2 million units worldwide.

Didn't Brian Wilson presents Smile 2004 surpass between one and two million worldwide. Now that was 8 years ago
but still, this has the Beach Boy name, and everything else, if the album is good, they will do well. I hope.

Now I realize you were quoting numbers for sales going back to the late sixties, I find that hard to believe that some of those albums
didn't do better, but that best of package sold several million , a few years ago, No if this album is good, they'll do a couple million
world wide, too many good things are happening, the stars are right this time.

http://www.usatoday.com/USCP/PNI/Features/2012-02-26-PNI0226ae-beach-boysPNIBrd_ST_U.htm (http://www.usatoday.com/USCP/PNI/Features/2012-02-26-PNI0226ae-beach-boysPNIBrd_ST_U.htm)

I wasn't expecting much albumwise but DIA and the Grammys have raised my expectations considerably. However, even if the album is a steaming pile of crap I am very excited about the Boys getting back to together and the love going around already. Winning.

'Wilson says, "I don't think we're gonna do 'Smile.' I personally don't want to. We're not gonna do 'Smile.'"
At this point, Love steps in.
"Brian, you don't think we might do one song, like 'Heroes and Villains' or something?" he asks.
"Oh, absolutely," Wilson says. "I thought you meant the whole thing. Of course we can do 'Heroes and Villains.'"

Oh Bri.  ;D

Maybe they'll finish Can't Wait Too Long [Been Way Too Long] for the record!

Mike Love encouraging Brian to do "Heroes And Villains".  Yet another never-thought-I'd-see-the-day.  :-)

and supposedly the high quality of this new album, and the drama of the reunion, and the swansong, if this album is as good
as they say it's going to be, I still say 1-2 million units worldwide.

Didn't Brian Wilson presents Smile 2004 surpass between one and two million worldwide. Now that was 8 years ago
but still, this has the Beach Boy name, and everything else, if the album is good, they will do well. I hope.

Mike Love encouraging Brian to do "Heroes And Villains".  Yet another never-thought-I'd-see-the-day.  :-)

Cheers,
Jon Blum

Jesus. OK, you know how crazy it would be for them to sell 2 million albums worldwide? Last year, the tenth best selling album in the United States was Lady Antebellum Own The Night. It sold 1.2 million copies in the United States which is probably about how many The Beach Boys would have to sell here to reach 2 million worldwide. There's no way. They won't get any music video play on television (as if there's much of that anymore, anyway) and Adult Contemporary stations are the only ones that will play their tunes (and that's if they have a soft rock number or whatever that's very, very good). This band doesn't even get played on classic rock stations, only Oldies stations of which most of the country don't even have access to One.


Brian Wilson's Smile has sold a few hundred thousand copies worldwide. I'd guess about 300,000, maybe slightly more. In the UK where the band seems to have their biggest cult following, it sold over 100,000. Based on its US chart success, I couldn't imagine more than 150,000 Stateside. Again, you're way overestimating album sales in today's market. Surpassing 200K in the US in one year is now enough to make Billboard's Annual Top 100.

You are right about McCartney as his new, proper studio albums do reach the million mark.

Every unit in a multidisc set is counted as long as it is a certain length. So the Smile box does count as five units per set sold. Also, gold albums are for only half a million in sales and platinum is the award for one million copies sold.

You are right about McCartney as his new, proper studio albums do reach the million mark. A lot of that is due to the tour. If two million people see him live and one in four buys the album, he is halfway there. The tour for the Boys will dwarf any other promotion for this album.

Just so everyone knows - you currently need to sell 500,000 units to earn a RIAA gold record certification.

Every unit in a multidisc set is counted as long as it is a certain length. So the Smile box does count as five units per set sold.

So how many sells would it take to make a #1 on the singles charts?

What I'm getting at is that us hardcore fans in a coordinated effort maybe could create a hit, although maybe not a #1, for them by buying multiple downloads of the same song during the same week. Would that be realistic?

...actually, I don't think he's had a platinum studio album since the mid-'80s.  They all go gold (and then some), but don't reach a million in the US.  Worldwide, though, they probably top a million.

His live sets tend to go platinum, but they're multi-disc...

Cheers,
Jon Blum

Seven units, actually.  ;D

Just so everyone knows - you currently need to sell 500,000 units to earn a RIAA gold record certification.

Look they don;t need half a million sales to be vindicated commercially or artistically. This is their year, just so long
as Brian delivers a good album.  Brians band many be technically better, but that Beach Boys blend with Wilsons
vocal arrangements has the chemistry, and wisely they are using some of Wilson's guys and Mike's guys aren't bad
either, that Cowsill drummer seems to have a good feel, hard to tell from just the remake, but if he is a Cowsill he
probably well understands the chemistry of a vocal group and family group..

The band line-up is actually what's convinced me that everything's being done right - because Cowsill and Totten are the two people from Mike and Bruce's band that I'd have chosen to join Brian's band. John Cowsill will *amaze* you - he's easily the best drummer any Beach Boys related act has had, as well as being a phenomenal vocalist. Watch the video of the Grammys if you can find it anywhere online now, and just look at his interplay with Nelson Bragg, and remember that while he knows the song, that's the first time he'd played in public with that band.

Singles are different, I think ... people do buy them in relatively large numbers as downloads. We'd probably have more impact as a coordinated album buying (both physical and digital) campaign.

I've only seen some videos of Cowsill singing, but it wasn't that impressive. As a drummer though he's great

As good as Cowsill is....the distinction of the best drummer any Beach Boys related act easily goes to Todd Sucherman

Well the thing about that, his name is Cowsill, so I presume, based on his apparent age, and appearance, he is
one of the "Cowsill" family.

Maybe they'll finish Can't Wait Too Long [Been Way Too Long] for the record!

As good as Cowsill is....the distinction of the best drummer any Beach Boys related act easily goes to Todd Sucherman

He is.  :)

I've seen John Cowsill play with Mike's band a couple of times.  Reminds me of DW.  That makes him perfect for the reunion.  There are any number of highly talented drummers out there.  Believe me, this guy "fits".

The album is likely going to be a bit rushed, let's be honest. It will be too hard for them to finish it during the tour and they'd also like the fans to either hear it before the shows or buy the album because they attended the tour. That means that they kind of have an enforced deadline which means we might get some weaker songs or parts of songs that probably would have been thrown our or changed with just a few more months in the studio.

On the other hand, we know that the preparation and songwriting has been going on for awhile and that there's at least a half dozen songs they're happy enough to have already committed to/finished. That's a great sign.

And if you want to play it that way, Pet Sounds was recorded in a few months. Certainly nothing longer than what's going on here. And the combination of BW's multi-instrumentalist band and modern recording tech means overdubs for a more layered production can happen even quicker than they might have done in days gone by.

If you check Andrew's site you will see how fast they got Carl and the Passions "So Tough" finished and released. April 18th was the last session for Make It Good and the album was released on May 15th. Less than a month. An April release date for the new album with sessions ending in March isn't too far fetched.

Hmmmm...maybe that's why it was only 8 tracks long...

The album is likely going to be a bit rushed, let's be honest.

Why ?  Has anyone been touring recently ? Nope. Do we know if they've been in the studio or not ? Yes. Was Brian recording tracks back last summer ? Yes.

You any kin to Phil Cohen ?

Hmmmm...maybe that's why it was only 8 tracks long...

I think Phil's last night might actually be Thornhill

who's saying the album is good besides the people working on it?

Well, who else would know at this point?

who's saying the album is good besides the people working on it? no one. don't get your hopes up.

It's not even half-finished at this point, so I doubt anyone from the press has heard anything. So... what, then?

I really hope "Do it Again" is not included; I think remaking old hits is one of the most shamelessly lazy things a music group can do.

Your source on that would be?

Isn't that basically what Mike said a week or two ago?

Isn't that basically what Mike said a week or two ago?

Well, who else would know at this point?

 ::)





















OK, just messin' wit yo heads...  ;D

 ::)





















OK, just messin' wit yo heads...  ;D

The "half-finished" comment really had next to nothing to do with the rest of my post, guys :'( no need to over-analyze or anythang.

I'm rather surprised by just how many copies some posters think this is going to shift. 50,000 units worldwide is optimistic.

These are the very same people who did, Good Vibrations, Pet Sounds, SmiLe, Today, and Summer Days.

I beg to differ.  ::)

[bWhat do you Mean Andrew? Because some of them have died?

Hal Blaine is 83, Carl Wilson is dead, Brian Wilson took lots of drugs, nothing can be done
about those things.

What do you mean? it can't be the same because its 40 odd years later?




It's as much the same as is possible, with  deaths, old age, and the passage of half a century.

Being picky - Bruce wasn't on Today !, David wasn't on any of them.


Oh I see

That's crazy. Certainly you just say that to get a rise out of people.

Music sales are way way down, and the Beach Boys have been declining for decades.
However, this is a monumental occasion. The 50Th anniversary and the swan song or
final album, from one of the five or ten most significant acts in the history of the rock era.

All the surviving original members singing together, a huge tour. a live DVD to follow.
The label seems to be fully behind the project, with whatever muscle they can still project
in a pinch. For historic Capitol records, this is a prestige project, and it should make some
much needed money as well. It should also shine a light on the back catalogue for increased
sales there as well.


We don't yet know how many versions of the new album will be available, just the standard version
or will there be a deluxe version, or signed limited editions. Bonus tracks for Itunes or Best buy
or a double album version at double the price.


If they deliver with a good album, say something as good as That Lucky Old Sun, but with the Beach Boy
blend   instead of that well meaning but saccharine sounding solo group. (no offense to them)

This is the real undiluted deal man, this is the Owsley bomb, the Occam's razor, the Mt Everest of living classic
rock bands... These are the very same people who did, Good Vibrations, Pet Sounds, SmiLe, Today, and Summer Days.

This is them, they even have Carl Wilson in the can to make a vocal appearance on one or two songs.  This is the four
way window pane of your musical soul.


Cream won't do it. The Beatles can't. The WHO can't and Won't. Hendrix is dead, so is Jim Morrison, so is Janis Joplin
Pink Floyd, could possibly do it, but they have refused. The Stones seemed to have uttered their last.As a group.


This album soon to be before you is the last of an extinct breed, one of the great iconic, hallowed bands of the sixties man.
The last album from survivors of the Happy revolution. Vietnam, Nixon, Woodstock a man on the moon, and who really killed
Kennedy...


This is it. If the album delivers, the sky is the limit, even with on line piracy, changing musical tastes, ageing vocal chords
Brian Wilson's fried brain and resorting to archival material to get Carl Wilson on the album.


This is not just another album. This is the last of its kind, and it is getting the full Monty treatment
from the record label, the faithful, a world tour. and supposedly some songs that will bring a tear
to our eyes and remember when.

Wouldn't you have liked to seen Sandy Koufax throw that last game, or Babe Ruth hit those
three homers when he was nearly through.. They still revere Abbey Road the last Beatles album
I think it sold two or three million downloads and remasters that one, 45 years after it came out.


Because of all things considered, the piracy, the changing types of music, their age, I say one to two
million world wide, in its initial run, unless they get lucky and catch a tailwind

If the album can fairly be described as Pet Sounds 2, or even just a great album, then the sky
is the limit, if they get lucky they could sell five million, depends on the single, how hard the label pushes
how many ads they buy on TV, radio and print, and on line,

They are getting tons of free advertising from the largest news and music publications on the planet.


A lot of people thought Mike Tyson was gonna knock out Buster Douglas too, but they weren't paying attention
to the fights before that one.


This album should do very very well, unless it stinks or the promotion people are bad at their jobs,
this  should go through the roof with hard work, experience, and the sentimental vote


1-2 million first year . more if they get lucky, much less if the album is a disappointment.

vintagemusic is the anti-PhilCohen!  ;)


Not that there's anything wrong with that!    :)

Not that there's anything wrong with that!    :)

Neil Diamond's previous (?) album (the one produced by Rick Rubin) went to number one in both the US and UK.  I don't think it is unreasonable to hope for a similar outcome for our guys.  But does anyone have any idea of what sales were like for the Neil Diamond album?

vintagemusic, no disrespect meant but if you really think the reunion album is going to sell between 1-5 million copies then you have no grip on the music industry in this day and age. 50,000 copies on initial release is much more likely. Check how much The Smile Sessions sold.

Hmm… anyone know the sales figures for the last Joe Thomas-produced project?

Anyone know what the last album Joe Thomas produced was?



Well if the  idea is to go by what Joe Thomas has produced, the project would be in trouble sales wise
Joe Thomas seems like a sharp guy, who produces rock videos on vintage groups like Stevie Nicks, and
somehow stumbled into a relationship with Brian Wilson, producing the Imagination album. Much of his work
seemed to be farmed out to Session men and arrangers, and I know of no other artist of any merit Thomas
has ever produced, in the context of a new album.

Obviously Rick Rubin, Jack White, T Bone Burnett, there are qualified producers or co producers available.

But that doesn't matter. The Beach Boys have 50 years experience in the studio, and a cast of sidemen, that
could all be producers, writers and artists in their own right.

The question is, label support, timing, and the fact that this is no ordinary album., the label has something
special to sell, the original Beach Boys, more or less, doing a real bonafide special album, for the first time
in decades. I don't know how much Joe Thomas adds in the studio, but he seems to obey cardinal rule number
one, don't F up the music, he may not add much, but he doesn't force a bunch of incompetent choices to be made.,.
if he creates a good vibe in the studio, and makes the guys feel comfortable if he offers a little centeredness, in a sea
of quirky artists fine, that's his role, not the role of Phil Spector or George Martin, but a guy who attends to things,
makes sure the string section shows up, makes sure an arranger has charts ready, then fine.


No one knows how well this will sell, no one knows what kind of job the label or promo people will do. How much
money will be spent on ads, how much word of mouth there will be from the tour and album

But they have a special product here, it may be the death knell of classic sixties rock, but still this album can go
big big big, the final studio album from one of the most iconic groups of all time. A sympathetic press, dying to interview
the boys, much like the press used to interview the Beatles in the sixties, most of the groups are dead, or retired, and
here we have Brian Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine, and Bruce Johnston, mixing it up with the press, video clips of them
singing on a group overhead microphone in the Capitol tower, this is a red carpet nostalgia trip for baby boomers, and all
the suburban kids will hear from their parents, oh yeah, there was the Beatles, the Stones and the Beach Boys, and this
is a very special moment, little Johny, little Melissa,

Rolling Stone, Newsweek, and Time could offer front covers for this tour and album, and if the reviews say, oh this album is
special, this album transports you back to California Girls, Good Vibrations and God Only Knows., and if a great single starts
getting airplay, because Capitols promoters and indies start twisting arms, and if they buy ads, and it could go viral on the web
and , the all that free Establishment press eating up the story like candy, and Dear Carl Wilson include due to the wizardry of
magnetic tape

If the single is good, and Capitol pushes really really hard, and they start getting feature stories in time and newsweek, this
is gonna be very very big, three times four times bigger than Neil Diamond with Delirious Love

A group is more appealing, than stone faced broody Neil Diamond, there is the funny Beach Boy, the Clever Beach Boy, the spiritual
Beach Boy,

If this is played right, this stands in as a surrogate album for the Beatles album that never happened. This can go very very big, if they
play it right, if they play it hard, this can go big.


If everybody treats it, like eh, this means nothing, then that's what will happen, if on the other hand, you turn on your evening news
and see Paul McCartney or Pete Townsend say, this reminds me of what I wish we could have done, if your local CNN or ABC Broadcaster
looks dead into the camera and says, Ladies and Gentleman, the unbelievable has happened, The Beach Boys have recreated the time
and mood of so long ago with a brilliant new album, being raved about from wall street to London, this may be the most significant rock
album of the last twenty years.


If you start seeing that kind of press, watch what happens. But they gotta have a few first class songs, that live up to the hype
and Capitol has to open their wallets, and they need to call in every favor from every journalist, DJ and promo man they can,

Just watch,. this album is a rare opportunity. We will know pretty soon. Its all up to Brian and the boys delivering, and the PR machine
if they tell people this is one of the most significant albums in a decade, people will listen, people will believe, and in part, it might even
be the truth.

If they let this album die with ordinary promotion efforts, I will be very disappointed, the American Press is practically begging for interviews
they need a first rate journalist in the studio documenting the sessions for the special to air on ABC a week before the albums release.


The Beatles anthology sold around 20 million units on the strength of two new songs, and some film clips, there was no new, last
final album.

If everybody treats it, like eh, this means nothing, then that's what will happen, if on the other hand, you turn on your evening news
and see Paul McCartney or Pete Townsend say, this reminds me of what I wish we could have done, if your local CNN or ABC Broadcaster
looks dead into the camera and says, Ladies and Gentleman, the unbelievable has happened, The Beach Boys have recreated the time
and mood of so long ago with a brilliant new album, being raved about from wall street to London, this may be the most significant rock
album of the last twenty years.

The Beatles anthology sold around 20 million units on the strength of two new songs, and some film clips, there was no new, last
final album.

No, and you're missing the point entirely. It sold that many because it was The Beatles.

Reality check please, plot lost.

But they have a special product here, it may be the death knell of classic sixties rock, but still this album can go
big big big, the final studio album from one of the most iconic groups of all time. A sympathetic press, dying to interview
the boys, much like the press used to interview the Beatles in the sixties, most of the groups are dead, or retired, and
here we have Brian Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine, and Bruce Johnston, mixing it up with the press, video clips of them
singing on a group overhead microphone in the Capitol tower, this is a red carpet nostalgia trip for baby boomers, and all
the suburban kids will hear from their parents, oh yeah, there was the Beatles, the Stones and the Beach Boys, and this
is a very special moment, little Johny, little Melissa,

Rolling Stone, Newsweek, and Time could offer front covers for this tour and album,

If the single is good, and Capitol pushes really really hard, and they start getting feature stories in time and newsweek, this
is gonna be very very big, three times four times bigger than Neil Diamond with Delirious Love

A group is more appealing, than stone faced broody Neil Diamond, there is the funny Beach Boy, the Clever Beach Boy, the spiritual
Beach Boy,

If this is played right, this stands in as a surrogate album for the Beatles album that never happened.

If everybody treats it, like eh, this means nothing, then that's what will happen, if on the other hand, you turn on your evening news
and see Paul McCartney or Pete Townsend say, this reminds me of what I wish we could have done, if your local CNN or ABC Broadcaster
looks dead into the camera and says, Ladies and Gentleman, the unbelievable has happened, The Beach Boys have recreated the time
and mood of so long ago with a brilliant new album, being raved about from wall street to London, this may be the most significant rock
album of the last twenty years.

The Beatles anthology sold around 20 million units on the strength of two new songs, and some film clips, there was no new, last final album.

The Beach Boys have been pegged as a golden oldies band since 1973. With the exception of one nostalgic mega hit 25 years ago and the album that rode it's coattails, nothing of new material has sold huge numbers since their '60s heyday. This new album is not going to change that. It will sell to the faithfull, gather critical repsect if it's good, be dumped upon if it's bad and be be forgotten by the world at large within a year of it being released. I love The Beach Boys but dude, reality check time.

I had a dream I heard TWGMR last night

It was incredible

what is TWGMR? why do people feel the need to abbreviate everything?