The Smiley Smile Message Board

As I sit and listen to BWPS and LOS, I am once again appreciating Taylor's contribution to the band, both on record and in concert.  She was not with the band when I saw them in Virginia at the outset of this summer's North American Tour.  I understand she was also absent from  subsequent concerts.  Is she really gone for good?  Are there any reports of why she left?  Has she appeared with them at any point in this tour?  Date of her last show with the band?   She had become such an integral part of the sound and the stage presence that it is odd that she would just simply disappear.   Is she touring her own albums?   Raising a family?  Singing with another band?   Was there conflict with Brian's organization?  If this has all been covered somewhere on the board, I have missed it.

As far as I'm aware she hasn't been sacked, but I'd watch the Brian camp a little more closely. Keep in mind, they rather poorly kept the Jim/Bob situation secret.

Really, am I alone in feeling that she didn't really add anything except eye candy?? I've been to two Brian concerts since June, and not once did I think "Oh, yeah....this is where Taylor would have come in...." Don't get me wrong, she's an excellent singer, but I don't think she musically contributed much at all...just the call-and-response from "I Wanna Be Around," the "Marcella" intro, tipping over a little toy that makes a "baa-a-a-a-a-a-a" sound, clinking a triangle once, and maybe belting out some background vocals on "Your Imagination."

Odd that she would disappear? Nothing new...Andy Paley, Mike D'Amico (twice), Darian once or twice (although it was pretty well-known why), Todd Sucherman, Steve Dahl, Jim Peterik, the "Tasty Brothers" (seriously, where on earth does that name come from??? I Googled that once and, well..did NOT get Bob and Jim! Wonder if Jeff just made that up or if it was an inside joke...)....mostly gone with little to know explanation, or with some kind of implicit understanding if you could put two and two together and get something close to 4....

BTW, wasn't she pregnant some time ago??? I'm sure that might have something to do with it, especially if Todd's on the road with Styx....

And the reason Jim and Bob going was secret? Because they FLAT OUT MENTIONED IT. It was no secret, ever. Hell, Melinda talked about it on the Bluebird a lot at the time. When the band played in Chicago in 2008, Jeff or somebody else in the band said that Jimmy was in the audience....

Taylor Mills doesn't even have to sing.  Just having her stand there and smile is good enough for me.

She said recently on her web site/blog that she would be re-joining the band soon. "Soon" isn't soon enough. They need her in the vocal blend and they need her wonderful stage presence. I'm sure she's missed by many.

I disagree that Taylor was no more than eye candy.    I miss her as a key part of the harmony.   But to each his own.

What is the story on Jim and Bob?   I missed that one too.

They simply quit. I know Bob was playing bass in the house band for the Chicago performances of Jersey Boys. Don't know about Jimmy...

No, they didn't. Nothing simple about it.

OK AGD.  What was it?  (pm if not appropriate for public consumption)

Agreed on the PM, considering how Melinda denied up and down that they were fired and "we loved them."

Jim and Bob got the shaft.

Well, Taylor doubled a fair amount of Jeff's parts, so that is missing in the blend. She also had some parts specifically suited to her, especially on TLOS where she has a few moments of her own ("Good Kind of Love" and "Southern California" spring to mind) and she did the highest "have you seen the grand cooley" on "Cabinessence," so I miss her musical contributions, even if they weren't directly heard, or if her visual element (as a straight man) was more evident.

Taylor as a straight man. Nope, can't see that one...

I still think Brian needs to give his band lead vocal spots!

Imagine Taylor doing Surf's Up, for example???  :)

This way, he could give his voice a rest and really work himself up for a good showcase or two or three or four each show.

Establishing his band as vocal personalities (like he did with The Beach Boys) would give the whole thing more character and then if Brian ever retires, his band would be the logical personnel to keep the show on the road, so to speak.

Could somebody PM me the reason they got fired as well? If not, i will understand with me being a relative newbie (since April) on these boards.

Ahem, pardon me, what I meant was thus "even if her visual element (to a straight man) was more evident." Sorry for the confusion Andrew.  ;D

She was all over the harmonies and backing parts, and being an excellent singer...well, she's a backup singer, so she was doing her job well. I thought there was something missing last time I saw a Brian show. She really does add to the blend, whereas if some (not all) of the others in the band stopped singing, you might not notice. I was never clear on why Jim and Bob left either--except that on this board people hinted at the time that it was not their decision. From Taylor's messages, it sounds like she left voluntarily and planned to come back. I thought at the time she might be pregnant or trying to get pregnant. I thought that was more likely than something musical, since she said it was for "personal reasons." Plus, she didn't even stop touring with Brian to promote her solo albums, so this had to be something else.

Anyone with an avatar like yours gets a free pass.  ;D

Aha really, never knew you were a Gabriel-era Genesis fan! I was hooked since "Supper's Ready" years and years ago.

They used to rehearse in The Maltings in my home town in 1969. Rutherford's parents lived here. Charterhouse isn't that far away.

Well....AGD didn't explicitly say they got fired; he just said "No they didn't" to my post that "they simply quit" -- which to me implies that there's still the possibility that they QUIT, but it wasn't a "simple" quit.

Fascinating stuff, I wish I lived in England sometimes. Great group.

Oh, btw...I should mention that while I don't think Taylor added much to the mix (btw, I MUCH prefer her on "Good Kind Of Love" over Carole King, who sounded just too screechy), that does NOT mean that I'm happy that she hasn't been with the band; just that I don't really notice the difference...again, I've heard some of her music and she's absolutely talented by all means...

I got the whole story from AGD, so its all good. :)

I agree on Good Kind Of Love, and I completely disagree as far as her not being an important part of the mix. Listening to the CD of BWRG it's impossible not to hear her contribution. She sweetens the top harmony very nicely, and eases the load on Jeff (who I AND OTHERS reported was off key - sharp - at a couple recent shows, he was really working hard to project and that may be why he wasn't up to his normal standards). She has a big role in TLOS and BWPS, and I wonder if her absence wasn't what was missing in St. Charles.

Sure she's great to look at, she has a lot of stage presence too. But I hear her all over the place on the recordings and from prior live shows. If she doesn't return I think they need to find a replacement. I think they miss her a lot.

Remember, even Brian said back in the real early days of his band how much she added - he mentioned sweetness and "rounding" of the chords specifically.

I thought it was well known that he (Mike) had to stay home for a while with his kids. That was not a secret.



That's the name of a Chicago based trio they play with. Look here for more info:

http://www.luckykraig.com/livemusic.htm


This is the first I've heard of that, I'm not aware of that being the case. It's pretty much none of my business either.


Scott Bennett gave a shout out to Jim at the TLOS show in Chicago in '08.  IMHO they were very fortunate to get Mike D'Amico back to play drums, because Jim Hines was one HELL of a drummer. I have nothing against Brett Simons - and he seems to be an excellent player - but so was Bob Lizik, and he and Jim were important parts of the chemistry. While capable players took their positions it just doesn't feel the same without them. With no Taylor it feels even worse.

The second time around -- when Nelson replaced him -- yeah, it was pretty well known that he took time off to be with his family. But in 2001, there didn't seem to be any kind of announcement, and fans were kind of wondering if something shady was going on because you barely see D'Amico (if you see him at all!) on the TNT Tribute broadcast and DVD, but he was there. And suddenly he's not there for the Paul Simon tour. After Brian's portion of the show that year in Holmdel, NJ, Brian came out to sign autographs, and the rest of the band went out and mingled with the crowd outside. I overheard this conversation:



OK, got it....thing is I spent most of my life in or around Chicago but never heard of them outside of a Brian concert; I HAVE heard of Poi Dog Pondering, though -- in fact, I even played a few of their songs on the radio during my brief broadcast career. (This was before Paul was working with Brian.)


Well, not that it's none of your business or anything -- I thought it was pretty public knowledge at the time. I could be wrong, though, thinking of someone else....



Keep in mind, Jim's not the band's original drummer. :)  Mike is a hell of a drummer; glad he's in. And you know who else is a good drummer? Scott. At the Hammerstein Ballroom in 2008 he drummed when Brian just had five of the guys with 'em. He's a LOUD drummer, but very good!

Plz can Jeff and bring Taylor back. Plz.

Think you might be - much fan speculation back in fall 2010, but that was all.

Was it Jim Hins who played on Live At The Roxy? I ask this because drumming is great apart from on Be My Baby which nearly sends me to sleep.

I completely forgot about that. That's the straight scoop. Sorry, old age creeping in... It was right after that when "Mind If We Make Love To You" was released. It featured 3 superb Mike D'Amico compositions (I LOVE "Something I Knew"!) that I'm sure he wanted to be sure came out right as well as his other responsibilities related to finishing the CD. Remember too that Mike plays more than just drums/percussion - he played a lot of the bass on MIWMLTY too.


Back when the band was touring with Andy Paley Scott had to take over percussion from Andy when they played the "Let's Go Away For A While/Pet Sounds" medley. Andy apparently couldn't do the job, but I'll tell you that Scott and Jim sure could (as could Jim and Mike D'Amico). Scott is a one man band!

No, Jim wasn't the original drummer, but in the pre-Roxy days the band was certainly in a state of flux. You had Joe Thomas on keyboards, Jim Peterik on guitar, Chuck Soumar on horns, and a few more names that floated through. It remains that Jim was on drums longer than anyone by a good margin since Todd Sucherman chose to stay with Styx.

Yes, it was Jim Hines.

Ok this is crazy but is this girl on stage the new Taylor Mills or something, or is she just some girl from the crowd who jumped on the stage

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

Starts round 1:27

What was that weird noise at around 1:07?  ???

Shady,

The girl is Mike D'Amico's daughter.  She has been coming out for a song or two in the encores for much of the Canadian tour (she was on stage for both the Alberta shows I went to).  She was also onstage with Brian's kids for an encore song earlier this year.  Nice to see the younger generation having fun up there on stage...

Very cool..

Hope she comes to Ireland too   :lol

Somebody on YouTube once posted that Taylor Mills is the mother of two kids already. Is that true? I find it very hard to believe that she's already given birth twice and has the figure she has. Unless she's a superwomen/hybrid alien.  ;D

People come and go. While I miss them all, it doesn't deter from the main reason I go to the shows. We don't know the inner workings. Perhaps it's all for the best. I had my eyes opened wide after my recent read of the "Wilson Project" to realize that holding this ship together is probably not as easy as it looks. There are reasons for everything that happens, I presume.

The Beach Boys... and girl.

Taylor would be better eye candy standing IN FRONT of Brian. Dig. There's your motivation Brian. I know you're a butt-man at heart.

If so, she's never once referred to them in all the time she's been in Brian's band.

Darian was gone? And why?

Had commitments to Disney the first time, second time he was compiling TLOS with Scott.

Darian was also not with the band in 2003; he was touring with Heart.

Good catch.

Did he miss any shows when playing with The Zombies?

That was March 2008 - no BW shows between January and May.

Sorry to bump something old, but somebody was asking about it on the other thread.  Does anybody know for sure if Taylor is coming back?

About her only being Eye Candy....  Either on the DVD, or just a general story floating around, there's this story about Brian debuting "That Lucky Old Sun" a few years back.  Taylor made the trip of course, but was sick when the show rolled around (somebody called it Montezumas Revenge, LOL!).  Anyways, the girl, wearing sweats, got a live microphone and sung "Good Kinda Love" from behind the curtain with the rest of the band. 


*That* is why Taylor deserves a spot in the band. 

I don't think Taylor's that attractive (she's gotta be almost 50 at this point besides). I own both her solo albums but I don't think they're very good. I like her vocals on TLOS.

I do think one of the reasons she's in the band is so Brian has a girl to look at. but at least they're utilizing her well.

I don't know how old Mike D'amico's daughter is so someone let me know if this is an inappropriate thing to say, but she's way more attractive than Taylor. There's this one encore video I saw where Jeff or someone gives her his guitar and she's wearing these really big glasses and she's pretty good looking.

You're about a decade off.  ;D

Just 'off' IMO.

LOL preach it brother. 

She has talent. That she is pretty doesn't hurt but if she didn't have the chops she wouldn't have been there. People always say that when there is a girl in the band.

She sure looks great for 60!

Badaboom! :lol

[sigh]...  :lol

Seriously, if she's around 40, I'm kind of surprised. I would have guessed 28-33, tops.

She first sang with Brian in 1999. If she was 28 today, that would mean she was 16 when she first appeared on stage with him.

Well, I have a friend that went to high school with her in Iowa. And he's a year older than me (I'll be 40 in December). So assuming she was within a 3 year range, she's no more than 44. And looking fit, I might add.

.

From photos, she looks like she's in her late 30s or up to 40. Plus if you do the math, she has to be at least 35. The whole band is in their 40s and 50s, right?  It's kind of a shame that some people think of Taylor simply as "eye candy." I think she's a great singer and a valuable part of that blend. I didn't really like her solo stuff much (more the material/production than her voice), but I really enjoy hearing her on Brian's albums. I hope she returns.

No - one member is 69.  ;D

It's not hard to find on the 'net, so I'm not being a cad by saying Taylor is 42.

60 is the new 40.  Don't believe me?  Have you seen Bo Derek lately?  She's like 80 and still HAWT. 

Noticed this on Taylor's twitter from January 9:

taylormills Taylor Mills
@
@filipbuekens Hi Filip! Hopefully next year I will be out with Brian again... Have a good one!

I hope she'll be on the Beach Boys reunion tour.

Have you ever gotten close to Taylor? Looks like she has to apply her makeup with a trowel, there is so much of it !

Me-owww! The claws are out now.

When you saw her, was it right before or after a show? Typically you'd wear much more makeup on stage than you would regularly; to help hide sweat/oiliness or to work with the stage lighting. It's not really fair to make a comparison to someone in stage makeup vs. everyday woman wear.

As far as Taylor as a singer, I really like her voice, but I don't think they are lacking anything without her now. On stage this summer and on the Disney album I didn't really miss her. If they are looking to add another singer in the near future they should look for someone a little more on the bass side, because especially live, I think they could use more bottom.

Then why not Taylor? [bah-dump-bump] Tip your waitress. I'll be here all week.

When I posted that I thought about changing the wording, because I knew someone would do that  :lol

Honestly I thought Taylor was around her late 20's.

Big wet kiss heading your way from Austin TX.  ;D

I still want to know why she left the band

Why Andrew, I didn't know you were in Texas! Hoy-oh! I'm on a roll.

I said it way before him! Where's mine?  >:(  ;D

Gayyyyyyyy



 :lol