The Smiley Smile Message Board

The grammy nominations are tonight, with an "iconic band reunion"

It has to be The Beach Boys, right?  :o

Find out tonight on the Grammy Nominations concert on CBS, 10 eastern.

UPDATE:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/11/grammys-is-a-beach-boys-reunion-in-the-works-.html (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/11/grammys-is-a-beach-boys-reunion-in-the-works-.html)

Yes , with Eddie Van Halen subbing for Carl

And Tommy Lee for Dennis

And Simon Cowell for Murry

I hope Mike hasn't been fasting this week... :-D
(http://arkhonia.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/vlcsnap-rnrhof-brian-97.jpg?w=500&h=375)

The lovester is crazier than Brian when he fasts as the events of 1970 and 1988 proved. :lol

 :lol

A rolling Stone writer tweeted it's going to be the Beach Boys...

I don't know, I got hopes  ;D

If Mike makes a speech, we should all play the Mike Love drinking game. Take a shot every time he says "Cousin Brian", talks about harmony, and mentions that he wrote "Kokomo".

I expect to be on the floor by the end of the night  :lol

Dennis used to say, "brother Carl..." and talked about (The) Harmony.

Let's drink to both. And if there is a reunion, let's hope for the best and drink to that, too.

If there is a reunion, will Brian sing Kokomo???  :ahh :ahh :ahh

Only if Mike sings "Cabin Essence"

Maybe someone will pull Mike aside before the event and go over the list of things he agreed not to do when they signed up to appear: Fast, do the chicken dance, wear a gold lame turban, extend the phrasing of the word "when" for more than 5 seconds in a speech, adjust Brian's microphone numerous times when it's just fine where it is, make devil horns with his fingers and hold them behind Al's head, make any jokes about aging or bodily functions, feature choreography with bikini girls carrying surfboards across the stage, say the phrase "fun in the sun" more than once...

...Be Mike Love...  ;D

That doesn't leave him with an awful lot to do.

He could still use the mic stand as a steering wheel or dance on top of the piano. Also he could say Dennis was a druggie for the five millionth time.

"The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!!" will feature a special live announcement from a truly iconic group regarding their historic band reunion set to take place on the GRAMMY stage on Feb. 12, 2012."

This has to be the Beach Boys!

Wow! I wasn't planning on watching that show, but now I'll definitely set my DVR! This is great advertisement for the album going into the Christmas shopping season. Now it's SURE to sell a million copies.

 :happydance

I'm still setting myself up for a let down but come on, it has to be The Beach Boys

It sounds to good to be true but this could be it.

If not the Beach Boys, a very pleasant surprise would be a CCR reunion.  I' m hoping for both!

Whats the likelyhood of John Fogerty being nice to them?  ;D

I wasn't going to watch this...

Change of plans now for sure  ;D

haha yeah I know!

But John has been pretty verbal in recent months about being "open" to a reunion now.  So the ban has definitely been lifted!  

Apparently though, last week at a NY concert of John performing the albums "Green River" and "Cosmo's Factory" in their entirety, they put the image of the album covers on the big screen but photoshopped all the other members out of the image--only leaving John.  So I'm not sure how much the wounds have healed....

It's still very possible it will be Van Halen  ::) Or some other band..

It's all rumours at this point and TBB are one of the rumours so let's wait and see..

Have the Van Halen camp been also been throwing around the idea of being on the Grammy's too? I've heard Al Jardine mention the Grammy involvement for a while now so I'm leaning that this is going for TBB...but you never know...

Van Halen have said nothing

Al said something about a tribute at the Grammys, that could still happen in February if this "reunion" thing isn't The Beach Boys

Yes that's true but that would be kind of an insult to "announce" Van Halen's reunion tonight and then in February TBB also reunite on the same evening without a word of warning or a heads up...like "oh right, and here are The Beach Boys..."

Van Halen don't need to announce anything, their reunion is generally understood to have been ongoing since 2007 or so.  They can announce a new tour or album or whatever but it's not that big a deal since they've been doing stuff very recently.

Maybe Mike could dust off the ol' Moog Theremin, set it up next to the podium, and play a dramatic "woo-woo" sound on it before every nomination is announced.

 :lol

He'll do anything to get on the red carpet

Heck, have The Beach Boys dust off the striped shirts. :lol

Not to burst your bubble guys, but:


Think about the audience for the Grammys for a sec. Do you really think an organization that now mostly caters to younger fans of modern pop/hip-hop/rock would be hyping the reunion of a band with very little exposure in that demographic?

I mean, I'd love to be proven wrong. But all the hints say it's either going to be Van Halen or Black Sabbath -- and the latter is a long shot.

I remember a few years ago Mike & Bruce et al were scheduled to play during the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. Now, as the parade airs during the morning, I often do not wake up until afterwards. But that year I made sure I woke up right as the parade began so I could watch the whole thing on TV. I sat through some of the stupidest, brain numbing television I had ever seen. And what was my reward? Only a few minutes before the parade ended, I was treated to five second clip of the band bundled up so warmly with coats, hats and scarves that you couldn't even see their faces, and they were poorly lipsyncing Little Saint Nick.

I'm torn. Especially because the Grammys are at night. I'd have to go out of my way to come home, first of all, and I hate awards shows. And then after sitting through all of it, I may only see Van Halen reuniting. I hate liking such a popular band but hating everything else about pop culture.

it's going to be the Beatles,Ringo and paul  going White Stripes with just ringo on the drums and paul on the guitar and that's it.... :lol (I hope it's the Beach Boys) :hat

That was fun while it lasted.

Just saw this the first time the other day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIX0L7TWcCw

You know, that's not as bad as I remember. I guess you can only be soul-crushingly devastated by the same thing once. Cool to see Bruce playing bass.

Wouldn't It Be Nice

 :)

Here's the thing, published 2 weeks after the tweet from the grammys

On November 3rd, the Grammy Foundation posted a Tweet that strongly implied that Van Halen would perform at their nomination special on November 30th: "Who do you predict the reuniting band will be @GRAMMYnoms?. Does this hint make you wanna 'Jump' & 'Dance The Night Away?'" However, a source tells Rolling Stone that the band will not appear at the event.  A spokesperson for the Grammys did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/van-halen-sign-to-interscope-reports-20111114#ixzz1fDwuHuSM

AGD has strangly been missing from this conversation.....

Wel as AGD has often said. Bit hard to have a reunion for a band that has never broken up!

Sorry. Most likely VH.

But the same thing applies - Van Halen reunited in 2007, toured into 2008, have dropped frequent hints about a new record, just signed a deal for a new record -  anyone who is aware of Van Halen should be aware that they in the midst of a reunion already in progress.  There hasn't even been a period of prolonged inactivity, much less a break-up.  I mean, I hate Van Halen and I haven't been able to avoid knowing this.

I'm not saying it won't be them, I'm just want to register my discontent and the loose application of the term "reunion".  Black Sabbath, who toured frequently with Ozzy from the late 90s to the mid 2000s, I'm looking quite sternly in their direction as well.

I think it will end up being Black Sabbath. They recently announced a reunion and will probably do sh*t like the Grammys and late night talk shows to get some exposure.

Or maybe Van Halen but I'm think 9outof10 people don't give a goshdarn at all.

Of course is there anybody who still cares about the Grammys? The current state of popular music is at an all time low. Nu-metal WASN'T EVEN THAT BAD compared to the stuff that is being played on teh FM frequency

That the Beach Boys or Van Halen have never technically broken up or already reunited doesn't matter at all. It's just semantics: they could easily spin it as a reunion in the studio, or a "spiritual" reunion, or however you prefer it.

Again, I'm not definitively saying one way or another. If that Rolling Stone "source" is accurate (also a big if), then great. It's just that, given it's the Grammys, the evidence is skewed a lot more towards Van Halen or Black Sabbath than the Beach Boys.

True..

Well, let's just sit back and see what happens

OMG that would be the coolest thing ever if Paul and Ring toured like that!!!

Elton did it with just Ray Cooper and it rocked, so why not???

I honestly can't see Rolling Stone (or anyone for that matter) referring to Van Halen as "legendary" ..... At least not yet. So, my money is on either The Beach Boys or Sabbath.

Rolling Stone is promoting Van Halen on the music page....http://www.rollingstone.com/music

iirc Doug and Stu said they weren't into a reunion with John. But of course I'm sure they would be. Just too much money. Fogerty holds the best cards in his hands. We all remember what happened at their Hall of fame induction, though.



Regarding the Beach Boys, it would be a smart move to announce their reunion (or their anniversary plans) at the Grammies. So...smart move....the Beach Boys.... no, sadly not. I'd like to be proven wrong though.
How nice would it be to see the guys up there announcing a new album and then bursting into a great acapella Surfer Girl.... (I know that THAT won't happen)

On the other hand, do you really think the BBs would reunite ? I'd expect a celebration for their anniversary but no reunion as in being one band, touring and recording together for the next years

Not trying to drag this off topic but I saw Fogerty at the local jazz festival (iknowrite?) and he put on an amazing performance, I'd love to see him get back together with CCR too bad about Tom though.

All of the news articles are about Van Halen appearing at the Oscars to announce a world tour. Nothing about the Beach BOys. I found this: http://newsblaze.com/story/2011113010332100001.bw/topstory.html

The term 'Supergroup' used in the story.

I can live with that!

Known for his unrivaled solo career and former role as singer, songwriter and producer for the super group, The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson is one of the most iconic and influential music legends of our time.


There's that word again.... iconic

I WANNA SEE THE ENTIRE SMiLE SURPRISE PREFORMED TONIGHT!

Think not.  ;)

Call me kinky... But I love it when Andrew winks!!

Last time you said that, we got TSS.


Holy. Shi*.

Going to break out my pendleton for the events about to unfold.....

Van Halen will be the band that will "reunite" tonight ... I put "reunite" in quotes because that band has been performing constantly for 40 years, "reuniting" both with Roth and Hagar several years ago.

I can't imagine a reunion of Brian, Mike, Bruce, and Al that would possibly do justice to the Beach Boys sound.  Most of the recent old-man-rocker-reunions have been pathetic, go-through-the-motions exercises in paycheck cashing.    The best of the reunions was in 2007 with Led Zeppelin, who rehearsed for six weeks and did only one show where the proceeds went to charity.   The surviving Beach Boys are very old now, and their voices are quite different. They would need to rehearse for a long time to get a good sound, but even then, I find it difficult to imagine that it would be nearly as good as it was in the 60's, or even the 70's.  Do you think Brian would rehearse with Mike for 6 weeks?  

I would, however, love to see Brian and Mike on stage together, accepting a Grammy for SMiLE.  That would be a dream come true.  Say what you want about Mike and the history of SMiLE, but his voice sounds wonderful throughout TSS.  

Andy Greene, Associate Editor, Rollingstone.com: "My guess for the "iconic band" that's announcing their "monumental" reunion at the Grammy special this week: The Beach Boys."


Just adding more oil to the fire lol

Hoping they will roll onstage to the tune of California girls.

The words 'reunite' and 'reunion' might be a trifle, ah, excessive in this context. Remember, this is just the nominations announcement, not the awards ceremony itself. Scale back your expectations from 11 to maybe... oh, 7 ?

For now...  :)

I'm setting my expectations so low I can't possibly be disappointed

Anything will be a pleasant surprise  ;D

Life is so weird.

"Ladies and gentleman, here's the moment you've all been waiting for.  Reuniting for the first time in decades...here they are....ABBA!"

I would be pleased by that.  :3d

In a plexiglass car  :-\

In a retirement home tenant shuttle  :p

Everyone ready?

yes

Even better...A HOVERROUND!

Totally ready for the bad news  ;D

Oh god...the Gaga  :P

She looks like the "I like Turtles" kid lol

I wish i didn't have to watch this... but hey, it's for the boys!

I'm currently drowning out this crap with "Are you Ready for Love" by Elton.

Late 1970's-Early 80's Elton is his best phase imo. I need to pick up more stuff from this time. "Momma can't buy you love" is one of my top 5 of his

I'm listening to "Long Promised Road" Live from Endless Harmony.

I'm hoping to add another live performance tonight :D

Oh man, you guys are sitting through gaga

God, it better be The Beach Boys  :lol

Can't we fast forward this or something?  :-\

When do you think we'll hear an announcement? Before a commercial or something?

Anyone's guess, just hang in there  :lol

Ugh, They say don't wish your life away, but i'd gladly give away the last 23 minutes of gaga and reahwelfjawlkfnawe I can't even spell her name D:

I'm 21 and I'm happy to say I've know none of the performers so far

I know them, but hate them.

Also, anyone see the moderately good country-ish guy get overtaken by the rapper guy? I almost threw up, It reminds me of Paul McCartney with JayZ D:

I'm right there with you, man

Apart from gaga, she's unavoidable

uuuggghhhhh I HAVE STUFF TO DO TOMORROW LETS GO KIDDIES TIME FOR A REAL ACT.

Why did the country guy rap the first verse!? I think Ludacris (spelling?) missed his cue!

As a teenage Beach Boy Maniac, I'm embarrassed to watch this.

Watching this, I hope it's not the Beach Boys that are announced  :lol

Haha :D

My dad says it's an embarrassment to his generation to have an act of his time even announced at this.

 :lol I'm in the same boat as you here...

I gotta turn it off, this is just painful..

Katy Perry, now I'm interested

........................They better show up!!!

Is that it?

Was anybody announced?

5 minutes to go and nada on any reunio by anyone.

no, we have a little bit more pain first.
It's not over till it's over.

Are you effing me? Sugarland and Lady Gaga? How the hell is that a reunion...

Jesus Christ, imagine nothing is announced  :lol

I wouldn't be surprised if they mentioned it over the rolling credits..knowing how these idiots do these shows...

It's not lookin good, for us or Van Halen fans  :lol

SABBATH?  ;D

That's it. It's over. Nothing announced...

We've been duped

What a sad way to get people to watch their pathetic show.  Cheap shot.

Nada, absolutely nada.... :deadhorse

I could have watched something interesting instead... :whatever

Watched the horrorfest for nothing.........  Time to go listen to Till I die or Pet Sounds

................


What.


The.


f***?

Let's all make an agreement never to watch an awards show again.

All this...and no one is announced. Forget the Beach Boys. No one.

So much for "an iconic band" or a "reunion"

AGD! Get in here! I demand an explanation!  ???

All the speculation on the board + Andrew's  ;) caused it to be delayed...

"#grammynominations
All of us at the Smileysmile.net forums are planing on filing a suit for false advertisement. Reunion my ass."


ANDREW. WHAT HAPPENED.

Can you believe it, where do they get off

Ouch. Quite glad I forgot all about this, as if I had sat through all that I would be filled with rage and heroin right now instead of just heroin.

Did I really just sit through that sh*t to get no reunion whatsoever? What a load of bollocks!

maybe they were going to reunite but then broke up at the last minute..

:lol

Boy, ashamed to have my name as the topic starter

f*** it, maybe something in February

No worries Slim...you did good by being proactive!

I suggest renaming the thread to The Grammys Suck.

The Shammy's

haha hilarious

I expect them to give me an hour of my life back.

Oh and by the way. Just got word that they cancelled the reunion due to Mike Love refusing to sign the contract that specified he would not be able to speak at all before or after their performance.

A lot of people lost an hour tonight  :lol

It's all good, something might go down in February


 :lol

so the only reunion was Grandmaster Flash and members of the Furious Five doing "The Message"... is that song really 30 years old? wow.

Really?

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/11/grammys-is-a-beach-boys-reunion-in-the-works-.html

SEE

Something is in the works

bummer talks fell apart for tonight.... :(

Yeah  :-\

Could have been amazing

And to further rub salt into the wound(s), Kanye West somehow got 7 nominations, and he'll cry and pout if he doesn't leave with all 7 statues...he's such an asshat, I'm sorry. Actually I'm not sorry, I'm being honest.

Shame about the reunion. Maybe Mike really was pulled aside and asked not to do his chicken dance, and that was the deal-breaker. :)

Broke down when they told Brian perhaps. Remember. He's known nothing about it for months!

I'm glad I didn't watch! but getting onto the board just now and seeing that this thread had seven pages and having to read through people live-blogging their disappointment was disappointing enough.

I know, it was like the opposite effect of the Smile premiere when the reports were coming in from that first concert and the anticipation was actually rewarded with good news. I wasn't even home - I logged on, started reading from page 2 looking for the big reveal, got to the LA newspaper link, read the lines about no reunion and Kanye West, and I started cursing.

Who knows what happened although reports say the show was bad. If thats the case and the grammy people wanted the band to do something cheesy, I wouldn't blame them for pulling out.

What's the big deal, it's one TV show.  Unless that one show is somehow a pivot for a massive worldwide tour and a record deal.

No-one bats 1.000, no-one ever has. But fair do's, it wasn't VH, like I said.

Leave it to The Beach Boys to make another shaky publicity move. Hard to believe these guys can not make a decision for even one appearance together.

Talkin' The Beach Boys here - the band who, when presented with three possible options, invariably chose the one that made the least possible sense or was the biggest financial risk.  ::)

I'll bet this decision came from Brian's camp. Between his management people and his lawyers, I can't decide who is worse. ;)

They messed up, but the that show was a cultural wasteland where the people wouldn't of cared about this "old geezer band" very much.

Absolutely.  I suspect that the Beach Boys would have appeared very out of place among the latest plastic flavors of the month being showcased there.  I'm not sure what would be the best way to launch a possible Beach Boys reunion, but that wasn't the place.  Honestly, I'm amazed that any self respecting music fans place much stock in that soulless pageant to begin with--and more amazed still that I actually sat through it (usually with volume down) just for possible word of a Beach Boys reunion!

Well, while this is realistic, it never the less depressed the hell out of me.

:\

I just point to my signature..... 

At least you can count on the Beach Boys...... ::)

Bawwww :(

I want to believe they'll get their due some day. Some day.

Thought of that signature last night as well... :)

Brian would think he was on another planet surrounded by stuff like rap and dubstep that makes up modern music. But I think he would respect acts like Adele since she is a traditional singer.

Wait! You're not speaking of Brian "Smart Girls" Wilson, are you?

Landy had him drugged out of his mind and brainwashed when he did that, plus its never been officially released.

I like the rough mix that contains this interesting bit of dialogue:

Brian: "'My name is Brian and I'm the man! I write...' Gene, this is fuckin' stupid!"

Landy: "brian the kids'll love it"

Brian: "... fine. 'I love hips and legs and BREAAAASTS! And..' oh FUCK THIS, GENE. WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING."

Landy: "brian the kids'll love it brian"

Brian: "YOU SON OF A BITCH, YOU ARE THE SON OF A BITCH NAAAOWWW."

Landy: *shoots laser beams from fingers at Brian's head*

Brian: "Brian... the kids... 'll love it. 'BREEAAAAASTS!!!!11111111'"

I'm sure that any such decisions would come from Brian's managment, but of course that doesn't mean it was no good decision. Maybe Mike really wanted John Stamos to announce that thing

Wouldn't have been terribly offended if the likes of Stamos had announced it. As long as he doesn't follow it up with, "And we're recording twelve Dennis Wilson songs with hair metal arrangements for a new album and I'm singin' all of 'em!", hey, fine by me.

Someone in the Brian camp nixing this does feels likely. I won't assume this is the case without knowing, obviously, but given their record... :\

I'm not sure the band owes us fans anything, but that sure is a letdown on their side.

Good news, The Beach Boys are pretty much being metiond in all the grammy articles for last night, one example

Speculation is mounting that a tribute to Amy Winehouse could be in the offing, while the ceremony could also mark the 50th anniversary of the Beach Boys with something special.

I'm so excited, February 12th is going to be amazing...unless they pull out again

http://www.clashmusic.com/news/adele-kanye-west-gain-grammy-nods (http://www.clashmusic.com/news/adele-kanye-west-gain-grammy-nods)

The more I think about this, I think if the Beach Boys really did back out at the last minute and leave the Grammy folks holding the bag so to speak, it was a pretty cool move. I don't care about the Grammys too much. For the third time in this thread, I'd like to say how frustrating it is to see a chump like Kanye get rewarded with 7 nominations. Adele is very good, I think her record "Rolling In The Deep" has been one of the best records I've heard in the past year, but any group of voters who see fit to award a crybaby like Kanye isn't fit for the Beach Boys to stand on their stage and play that game. The Beach Boys don't need that lot for anything, IMO.

That said, I think Smile Sessions should win that historical Grammy because it's the most fucking groundbreaking music to come out this year. And to think, Brian didn't even have Autotune or one of those g*ddamned Akai beat machines to create those sounds.

Ooh, now I'm getting quite excited. Hopefully I'm not getting my hopes up for nothing.

O don't like the Grammies either (and I don't take them serious) but it's still one of, if not the best way to promote yourself. If the BBs would do it on their own I don't think much of the broad public would get to know it because their probably not interested in looking at Beach Boys news.

I'm curious to hear any opinions if the image around the band's brand name in the afterglow of the Smile Sessions releases might be in conflict with the image the current members would project if they did their usual schtick on stage at this event? I know there is a bit of a commentary loaded into that question, but I'm curious if anyone else is thinking that way...and being mysterious can be a devastating way to build an aura.

I'm really glad Kanye got a bunch of nominations. Not that I care about the grammy's, but that album is amazing and it would be nice to see people give it another chance.

And that crybaby thing gets over played. He just says what's on his mind. He's actually one of the most honest artists out there. I'd think that for Brian Wilson fans who have an open mind to rap, he would be an easy favorite.

Kanye's" 808s and heartbreaks" album was influenced in part by Pet Sounds.

I'll pass on Kanye. I don't care for him, I don't like the way he acts, conducts himself, flaunts his wealth and his fashion sense, but then complains when he doesn't "win" something. Does he want sympathy, empathy, or something else when he's done that in the past? How is it overblown when at awards show after awards show for a span of time, the joke was watching to see how Kanye would make a joke out of himself that night? That said, he can on occasion craft a decent beat in the studio. But 7 nominations? Nah.

A lot of artists speak their mind, that doesn't qualify them for anything beyond what the average person would get by doing or saying the same things. A lot of average persons also don't go around throwing a temper tantrum and seeking public support when something doesn't go their way. I'm sure the "Louis Vuitton Don" has his fans but I'm not one of them.

So let the Grammys have him, and if that's who they deem worthy of 7 nominations, the Beach Boys did a good thing by blowing them off last night.

This is beyond the point, but after reading the whole thread I have to ask: so what if Kanye West, or any of the nominees, is a jerk? Does that somehow change the quality of his music? At the time of its release, I read a lot of positive, well-written reviews for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. I don't care for the Grammys or Kanye West, but as far as I'm concerned, his nominations don't seem that blasphemous.

Do you listen to the Beach Boys because Brian Wilson has led a troubled life, or do you listen to them because it's good music? A sizable chunk of this board seems to just appreciate the music for what it is, separating it from the fact that the group were no strangers to Kanye West levels of utter jackassery.

It's hard to separate the artist from their work, and the Grammys tends to magnify the former. I'm not saying the backstory can't impact your appreciation of the music, but don't be so quick to channel a dislike for the person towards what they create.

Mike Love and Kayne West have a lot in common in awards show crashing :lol

Well, what other criteria do the Grammys have?  They can't judge on the music because there is no objective standard for what is good and bad music.  And if there is, it is beyond the Grammys' philosophical scope to put that into a rubric.  If Kanye hadn't got lucky and become a massive star, he could have made the same album and nobody would be paying attention.  It may still be just as good or bad, but that's not the standard.

That's my opinion of Kanye, and would it surprise anyone if I were to say I like some of his songs but overall I'm not a fan of his music? I listen to music all week, new styles and old styles, and in this way I'll restate again that he can sometimes create a catchy beat but that skill alone doesn't justify the heaps of praise he receives for doing what he does. And what is it now, a case of if I say I don't care for him or his music I'm "close minded"? That's pure crap.

As if it's hard to find, now Kanye is lashing out at the fashion industry and going on profanity-laced public rants about that group of folks because some critics didn't react to Kanye's new line of fashion as positive as he thought they should. So the guy is the same guy in fashion as he's been in music, a guy who must think he's owed some level of praise and recognition from his peers for the act of signing his name to the work.

With the Beach Boys I got into them as a younger kid via an 8-track Greatest Hits v.2 tape, knowing none of the backstory and not being aware of it, and thinking that Bruce Johnston was Brian for some time (I know... ;D). With Kanye, I heard all the hype, listened to a few tracks when it was still "new", and didn't see what all the hype was about. All the stuff about Kanye's actions came after I had already given a listen not knowing who he was, and nothing I heard from him ever connected. As far as spending my money on a Kanye album now? I'll go to YouTube to check it out for free, he's not worth my money.  :)

Just for anyone interested in the latest chapter of Kanye feeling like he got an unfair shake:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/06/fashion/kanye-west-designer-yawn.html (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/06/fashion/kanye-west-designer-yawn.html)

Some sources still say it's Van Halen and being a fan of both groups I'd rather see a Beach Boys reunion but I think a new Van Halen record has more potential to be successful. On the other side I don't know any artist that treats their fans as bad as Van Halen do and now pay them for a new CD/Blu ray? I am glad that there has been no reunion news, it would be even more disapointing if they would have announced something when it probably would be shelved anyway.

True, but even if the Grammys' entire selection process is based on them being fed heavily-promoted albums by big record labels -- which wouldn't surprise me at all -- I still think they just pick their favorites among those selections. What irritates music fans (and for that matter, smaller record labels) about the Grammys is the fact that the organization is so massive that their sole opinion is subsequently regarded among the public, even just subconsciously, as definitive.


You're right, and it's also not what I said. You've heard his music, don't like it, and also happen to dislike the man behind it. That's perfectly fair critical thinking. But there are people who, on this board and elsewhere, think he's a jerk and a) judge his music solely on the basis of this fact or b) try to pretend the opinions of people who thought highly of his work don't matter. That's close-minded, and has nothing to do whether you personally like the music of Kanye West.

Maybe Kanye can team up with The Beach Boys for a Smart Girls/Summer Of Love medley at The Grammys.

[sigh]

Thinking aloud...Wipe Out...Fat Boys...Beach Boys...was that 1987 or 1988?...possible Kanye/Beach Boys/remaining Fat Boys anniversary performance at the MTV VMA awards... ;D

Thought they already had a reunion and Eddie fell off the wagon. Is he outta re-rehab yet?

Do you mean in the past year? I wasn't aware of it if he were. Eddie's been clean for several years as far as I know - he's been running his own music company EVH, and he's involved with designing the guitars, amps, and they have various accessories under the EVH brand as well.

The Beach Boys from 1985-1995 really killed their legacy pulling stunts like wipe out to stay on the charts. If Dennis had lived, i wonder what would have happened in those years?

It's actually "Beach Halen" a new super group with Mike Love (with Bruce on keyboards) fronting the Van Halen band.  They will be unveiling a new song, "Surf The Night Away" at the Grammy's...David Lee Roth has been demoted to back up vocals.

Hmmm, I feel a parody coming...

Eddie wasn't sober! A year or two ago they started touring with Roth and Wolfgang. Evidently, Edward couldn't stay away from the bottle and the tour was cancelled and Eddie went back into rehab.

Recording Academy president Neil Portnow statement:

“In the world of creativity, everything is fluid. In the process of discussions that we had been having with an expectation that perhaps
 we would be at a point tonight where the artist involved and we, moving forward, would be ready to announce [a reunion], they weren’t
 quite at that point. So it’s live television, we go on to the next act. It’s rock and roll and so on. That being said, we were genuine about
 the intention and we are genuine about the discussion.”

Since Van Halen has been back for years, and Black Sabbath already announced, this does sound like he's talking about the Beach Boys.

Sure as hell sounds like the BB and their overall level of organization. Sure as hell sounds like a damage limitation/snow job as well.

Oh no, I was just trying to make a joke  ::)

On a serious note...the level of frustration I have with the band's struggles to get back together is immense...and they're simply hurting their beloved fan base by acting like this...

Those were just rumors, really. The official statement was him needing some kind of medical procedure. Keep in mind he had surgery done on his hand in 2009 and was having issues with it as far back as 2007. I mean he could've went back, but maybe not - again, they were just rumors.

Also, I know there are very big egos at play, here, but I don't get all the confusion/delays/struggling/complexities. If you want to reunite, reunite. If you hate each other but still want to reunite one last time, finish an album in separate studios and do about 5-10 worldwide dates and be done with it, already. If you hate each other and don't want to reunite, then don't.

Why is this being made so complex? Why can't anything be simple between anyone anymore? This may sound obscenely naive, but what happened to the kids who got together and wrote "Surfin'" in a garage because they loved playing music? Surely they're in there somewhere amongst all the clutter of contracts and money.

Hey, Andrew... It's rock and roll!

In the world of music, anything goes, and unpredictable excitement is what you can expect when you tune into the Grammy Awards (tm) this February (c)! Enjoy the Grammy Awards (tm) with a bottle of Pepsi (R) brand soda flavored water.  Watch history unfold as legendary vocal group Linkin Park (c) (tm)  reunites with all of its original members, as well as Steven Tyler*, will.i.am, and other special guests with new product to promote!

Also, this year's Grammy Awards (c) (r) will feature another unprecedented musical event: the formation of a brand-new legendary group! Which one will it be? Tune in to find out!

* In case of extenuating circumstances, Mr. Tyler's spot will go to his closest match, Stephen E. Thyler of Maine. Mr. Thyler, please contact the National Recording Arts Society at your earlest convenience.

Rolling Stone join in on the fun, this is getting good

(http://assets.rollingstone.com/assets/images/embedded/1000x595/b1c6eab8ab91b7ef6dc5d3841e964447d57c4447.jpg)

Expect an official announcement of the Beach Boys reunion tour sometime in the next couple of months. This Grammy debacle didn't exactly get things off  on the right foot. One can only imagine what crazy behind-the-scenes drama caused them to pull out.

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/iconic-group-reunion-at-grammys-nominations-concert-doesnt-happen-20111201#ixzz1fK4LsJbU[/i][/b]

Last night I tuned into the Grammy nominations special waiting to see an "iconic group" announce their "monumental" reunion. I saw Lady Gaga sing with Sugarland. I saw a lot of Bruno Mars. I saw the Band Perry inexplicably cover Tom Petty's "Free Falling." I saw Usher perform with Mike Stoller and Valerie Simpson. I didn't see anything resembling a reunion.

What happened? "There was the expectation that the artist involved and we would be ready to announce," Grammy President Neil Portnow told the Telegraph. "We were genuine about the intention and discussion, but the time frame has moved."

Many people thought that Van Halen was supposed to be the band, largely due to the fact that the Grammys sent out this not-so-subtle Tweet on November 3rd: "Who do u predict the reuniting band will be @ GRAMMYnoms? Does this hint make u wanna 'Jump' & 'Dance The Night Away?'" This seemed to confirm beyond any doubt that Van Halen was the band, but what many people missed is that the Tweet also linked to a Hitfix story that guessed it was Van Halen. The fine folks at the Grammys merely sent out that Tweet to get people talking, and the Van Halen song titles were a reference to the HitFix prediction. They wanted to open up a whole Twitter-wide guessing game.

Unfortunately, all it did was make everyone think that Van Halen were locked in. According to industry sources I've spoken to, Van Halen were never - at any point -  lined up to appear at the Grammys special.

It's hard to be 100 percent certain, but I'm extremely confident that it was supposed to be the Beach Boys. Their 50th anniversary reunion tour this summer is one of the worst-kept secrets in the music business right now. The Los Angeles Times agrees with my assessment. "Sources close to the show said that talks with the band – reportedly the Beach Boys – fell apart in the 48 hours leading up to the nomination show," the paper reported this morning. "There's hope, however, that the Beach Boys will still be available for the Feb. 12 Grammy Awards."

Expect an official announcement of the Beach Boys reunion tour sometime in the next couple of months. This Grammy debacle didn't exactly get things off  on the right foot. One can only imagine what crazy behind-the-scenes drama caused them to pull out.



Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/iconic-group-reunion-at-grammys-nominations-concert-doesnt-happen-20111201#ixzz1fK4H3mXS

I, too, wonder if it was Brian's team behind the hold up.  They are so used to putting him in the position of exalted genius who was wronged by the group, but to be part of the group, that has to be put aside on both a personal and business level.  Here's hoping they can do that without too many bruised egos and feelings.

"One can only imagine what crazy behind-the-scenes drama caused them to pull out."

I think many of us here could make a pretty good guess...  ;)

Lawyers...

Mikes hat is in the wash?

+1

Gotta admit, after 50 years, the guys are consistent as hell!

Some people still think it's Van Halen: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/no_van_halen_at_grammy_awards_concert.html

And I guess a lot of Van Halen fans sat through the same crappy telecast that a lot of us sat through. Not me though I was at school.  :hat

I had to make an account on that site to let them know the truth. In the politest way possible .

Kayne West blows as does practically everyone making "music" today.

Oh yeah Van Halen blows too.

 :police:

These guys honestly need group therapy at this point. :thud

I have to agree.  If they really want to go for it, more power to them, but I can't shake the feeling that Brian's heart really isn't into the idea of a reunion and several of the comments he's made this year seem to support that.  Last night's non-event seemed to confirm the instability of this concept.  What's the point here?  Another greatest hits tour/cash grab?  A Brian Wilson solo album featuring the Beach Boys on vocals (which is rather my impression of this latest Joe Thomas project)?  What would people want from such a reunion, best case scenario?  

*sigh*  If they WERE going to do it, can't imagine a better way to do it.  I mean, actually going for it, that is.

I wish all Brian solo albums had the Beach Boys on vocals.

The old saying goes too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the broth. I think this can apply greatly in this case.

Very much so.

But that would mean no Jeff....

 ;D

Nonsense.

I'd like to see a joint reunion of the Beach Boys and Van Halen at the Grammys.  Doing the tribute to Amy Winehouse.  Then everyone can be happy.  

Carol Kanye? Is that the rapper who disses AGD?

I can't decide if that would be the best or the worst thing ever.

Featuring a David Lee Roth sung take of "California Girls", plz.

BOTH!

I don't get the rush to blame Brian's management. How about Brian himself?

From a great Boston Globe piece that ran a month ago:

Jardine, at one point, told Rolling Stone that the group might do 100 dates around the world. Wilson, in an interview, was noncommittal, saying “nothing’s confirmed.’’

“The only reason for him to do it would be if he decides he deserves to be able to celebrate 50 years of his music with the people he actually started with,’’ says Melinda Wilson.

Does she think Wilson will perform again with Love? She sighs.

“You know Brian,’’ she says. “From day to day it changes. From hour to hour it changes. What do I think he really wants to do? I don’t know. I haven’t asked him today.’’

http://articles.boston.com/2011-10-30/ae/30339311_1_smile-sessions-beach-boys-carl-and-dennis-wilson/4

Frankly, it sounds like Brian still hasn't made up his mind. And like his management would really like him to.

But the thing is Brian does what he's told..

If they said, "Hey Brian, get ready were going to the grammys", he would get ready and go

Do you really think that's true?

Come to think of it, wasn't everyone just saying that Brian should be allowed to do what he wants? So isn't Melinda doing what everyone was just saying should be done -- letting Brian make up his own mind?

Or is the problem that he seems to be deciding differently than we would like?

Could be.

Food for thought.. what would Brian actually do at a reunion show?

It's one thing to sit in front of a muted keyboard and only have to sing the leads in his range. At a BB show, his leads would be extremely minimal. At this point, his falsetto is pretty much shot in the studio. No way it's happening live. The chances of him learning a lower harmony part for an entire set are slim at best. And... it seems that his live instrument chops aren't really there anymore.

Maybe he just doesn't see where he'd fit in.

Or.. maybe he's been working hard at getting his sh*t together, and needs a little more time. One can only hope.

Well, do you think Brian really wanted to release SMiLE in 2004, or tour last year, or do a Gershwin album or a Disney album

Honestly, I do think Brian does what he's told because if he didn't, his output in the last 10 years would be pretty different

Sure. Why not?

The alternative is to assume that a grown man in his 60s can be pressured into recording three full studio albums, recording some the best vocals of his solo career on two of them, and finding the inner wherewithal to perform multi-hour shows.

I don't think anyone does that amount -- or quality -- of work "because he's told to."

EDIT:

And for that matter, if getting Brian to finish and release Smile was as easy as just telling him to do it, why was it abandoned for 36 years? The man does what he wants, when he wants to do it. Sometimes he doesn't care enough to say no, but those cases are pretty easy to spot (Speed Turtle, anyone?).

Sad to say I think that's how it works..

When Brian said he want's to quite touring last year I really feel he meant it but you can bet that won't happen..

It's weird, I just feel he's not getting to do what he really wants to do..

I have always read mixed message from Melinda.  She's always said she thinks Brian gets in a bad place when he's around the Beach Boys, then in other places, she's said she's never seen Brian as happy as when he is hanging out with Mike.  So, she might get her cues on what she says from Brian, who knows.  Also, Melinda is not the only part of his management, there are his actual managers, his lawyers, etc.  Those guys may be the sticking point, if it is Brian's team.  Then, you have Brian himself, who just may not want to play 100 dates around the world.  I've never even heard Mike or Bruce mention anything like that.  Since Al said it, no one listens to Al, he's lucky to still be in there after the lawsuits, so it can't be taken seriously.  But I do think their appearance on the Grammys depends on reaching agreement on other issues and other appearances and recordings.  Those issues could take time and could be more difficult to resolve.

I just think that lets him off the hook too easily. He's his own man. If he doesn't want to deal with Melinda, he can divorce her. She hasn't been his conservator for years. If he wants to release some crazy album, he has any number of guys in his band who would jump at the chance to make it with him, and any number of indie labels who would kill to release it. But guess what -- he hasn't done any of those things because he likes being comfortable.

What you're seeing is a skilled manipulator who allows others to either make decisions for him or look like they're making decisions. It allows him to act blameless and deflect attention from people who want him to do things. He's aggressively passive aggressive (look at the laundry list of former best friends) and expert at always seeming innocent and put-upon. So you'll always have concerned commenters who say they can see his soul in those troubled eyes -- while he's managed to end up fabulously wealthy with a devoted backing band and a legendary status in the industry.

The poor soul.

Is this at all true? I'd never heard that.

That's very possible, it's a hard one to understand..

Much like a lot of other things with Brian  :-\

I still think Melinda follows the dollar, hate to say it


(http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd120/hipsterrunoff/photographs/a02080da.jpg)

Are your ears working??

I have to second this opinion. I'm not big on hip hop, myself, but I can easily say I appreciate and, in fact like, a big chunk of Kanye West's output.

Sometimes personal opinions can cloud tastes in someone's art. I don't think Kanye West is a cry baby. But, even if he was, I don't think that would be a valid reason to not like his music. It would be akin to those who think Mike Love is nothing, but a jerk not liking "Let The Wind Blow" or "All This Is That" simply based on him personally.

However, having gone through both junior high and high school in the late 90's-early 2000's with The Beach Boys as my favorite band I am a very firm believer in "too each his own."

Though, besides the no-show of The Beach Boys last night, a let down for me was the absence of the Foo Fighters from all, but 1 top category.

Funny thing about that We Are the World II shoot -- Brian refused to stand up for the video filming (even though every other artist, including the older Tony Bennett, did), so they had to digitally add footage of him standing in the final video.

This is the man who always does what he's told, remember.

I have this photo on my Ipod. I love showing it to my friends who aren't so keen on The Beach Boys!!  :lol Oddly enough, though, many of them not so endeared to The Beach Boys, aren't really all that fond of Kanye West, either... go figure. Haha.

Maybe he just couldn't stand up, difference between that and making Brian hit the road for two months

I have to agree it's possible he couldn't stand up.  He doesn't stand up in his stage show.  It's either fatigue, age, or anxiety.  That was a big crowd of people to sing with, just like when he sings in front of a crowd now, he has to sit down.  It might have been easier to stand for an insert shot because there were less people in the room and it was quicker to do than standing around as long as the initial shoot was.

What is the relevance of that photo with Kanye, Al, and Brian? It just means they were in the same room together!

Kanye is producing the new Beach Boys album. Didn't you know?

Damn, was meant to put a quote under it..

Kanye said in a interview that a big influence on his Twisted Fantasy album was meeting Brian at that recording session

What about Al? :)

Haha, Thank God they are, as I make a living with my ears.

Basically I'm just speculating on why whatever was gonna happen last night didn't happen. Forget Melinda. Think about it from BW's perspective. He gets down on himself about his voice, etc. He even said during Beautiful Dreamer that he felt he was too old to do it (and that was in '03) and wound up going to the hospital over it. There's a possibility that he could be going through a very similar inner turmoil with a potential reunion coming up, hence there being no official announcement as late as December 2011, and the cancellation last night. Imagine being Brian Wilson, at a Beach Boys reunion, and not being able to sing the high parts like he used to? He's a competitive guy, you can see how pissed he gets when he screws up at his own shows. It would be depressing for him.

I could be completely off base, btw.

Just like the writers of SNL, He had no idea who he was  ;D

Look at how Kanye and Enrique are looking at Brian. That's respect

I remember that SNL bit - and I'm wondering too why Brian and Al are the only ones shown holding sheet music.

Getting back to the Grammy show - was this to be a full performance? Maybe they couldn't agree on a backing band, or they didn't have the time to rehearse something to pull off on live TV? I know we joked about this months ago, but the reality of it is that Mike, Al, and Brian each have their own bands who they are comfortable with - maybe they couldn't agree on who to play with? I'm just guessing like everyone else until the official word comes out.

I'm betting Brian pulled out after it dawned on him what he was about to do.

I'm going to bed now and listen to Jan & Dean's Liberty singles.....

I wonder if any of them knew what they were about to do...not joking when I say that. Maybe the original plan was to show up on stage and present something, then they found out it was a live performance. I'd back out too in that case, hypothetically.

Hope he plays some bass or keyboards on the early hits, then splits leads with Mike as the show goes on. I want to see him try to do the falsetto live one last time with everything he has left.

This was never billed as a performance...all it was supposed to be was an "announcement".

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/11/grammys-is-a-beach-boys-reunion-in-the-works-.html

Obviously they have plenty of time to rehearse and choose a backing band should they perform on the February telecast.

+1.

His most recent vocals on ITKOD are great for the most part. It's weird, unexpected, and incredible that it seems he's slowly returning to his vintage 60's voice. I bet if he puts in the time, he can pull it off. He can't just go up there and wing it though. That would be an event that requires training, just like he did in his garage as a teenager.

i'm not big into hip hop, but i think kanye can be pretty great.  He at least goes out and does new things, he's a complete drama queen, but that's ok.  And yeah i remember seeing a tweet or blog post by him in capital letters praising pet sounds.

i wouldn't be surprised if the band couldn't get brian to do it and the grammys said no thanks without him

All it means is Brian is one of the laziest people on planet Earth: sees a chair, sits in it. People who know him far better than any of us here have told me that.

Like Jon said, the only mention of a performance at the Grammy noms was here, on this forum. Regard:

"Here is what the Recording Academy promised in its press releases leading up to the nomination concert: "In addition to unveiling nominations for the 54th GRAMMY Awards, 'The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!!' will feature a special live announcement from a truly iconic group regarding their historic band reunion set to take place on the GRAMMY stage on Feb. 12, 2012."

So, clear the evening of 2/12/12. As to what happened to make it not happen... could be anyone's guess: them as know are understandably not talking, but Brian realising he couldn't pull a live show with the BB off isn't the reason .

I can't believe we're discussing the fact that Brian Wilson can't stand up in this thread, tbh  ::)

Not can't - won't.  ;)

I hate that part of every concert where they make him stand up and strap the guitar on. What's the point? He obviously hates doing it.

I guess if was to sit through those encores he'd look like a party pooper – but you're right, it's a tad painful to watch.

Just my opinion, but I feel it will be the reunited Rolling Stones with Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor in tow to celebrate the Stones 50th anniversary.

The only thing the announcement accomplished was getting more people than would normally watch a show like this to sit through a bunch of music-biz pap. I'm glad I was working and couldn't watch. ;D

That was my confusion about what it was going to be if it were the BB's, thanks for clearing it up: It felt like a lot of hype to announce with such secrecy the act of three or four men walking on stage to plug an upcoming performance rather than actually perform, so my signals got crossed.

You're right...it was a lot of hype, and they couldn't manage to get their sh*t together to take advantage of it. I hope something good comes out of it all. Potential still has a pulse from what I hear.

I do hope something develops from the potential, especially since they are very much in the news riding a bit of a critical recognition wave with the Smile set, and it's kind of hard to imagine what could have derailed this if it were just them showing up at the podium.

Doesn't this sound all too familiar?
http://ultimateclassicrock.com/why-van-halen-wasnt-at-the-grammy-nominations-broadcast/

Reuters reports that Recording Academy president Neil Portnow — that’s who puts on these shows — seems to explain, in a thinly veiled response to fan inquiries about Van Halen’s absence, how the rumors started and why the appearance didn’t happen.

Here’s Portnow’s statement: "In the world of creativity, everything is fluid. In the process of discussions that we had been having with an expectation that perhaps we would be at a point tonight where the artist involved and we, moving forward, would be ready to announce [a reunion], they weren’t quite at that point. So it’s live television, we go on to the next act. It’s rock and roll and so on. That being said, we were genuine about the intention and we are genuine about the discussion."

Wow. He did it. He made the imminent return of Van Halen seem boring.

Here's the link to Reuters' story:
http://in.reuters.com/article/2011/12/01/usa-music-vanhalen-idINDEE7B006Y20111201

This was already posted  in the thread

They don't "make him" do anything. And it's a bass.


He was the touring bassist for his band in the 1960s and 70s. often played bass in the band when he played with them in the 60s and 70s.


Not in the shows I've seen.

That's a stretch. He was the "touring" bassist in 1962, about 1/2 of 1963 or less, all of 1964, a few shows in '65, a little of '76, some of '77, a little of '78, not much if anything in '79...and that's about it.

Okay, how about this. In the 60s and 70s, when Brian toured with the group, he often played bass.

That's a stretch.

How many more modifiers do you need thrown in there?

My point is that the version of the band with the striped shirts on Ed Sullivan -- the lineup with Brian, Carl, Dennis, Mike and Al -- the one that made the band's first live record -- features Brian on bass. It's the classic lineup.

And when Brian returned to play shows in the late 70s, he did play bass for some of / part of the shows.

Sheesh.

 ;D

Yes, I know the quote has already been posted, but the article shows another interpretation. My point is that some writers are taking the quote to be about Van Halen, not the BBs.

Well here's the thing, The Beach Boys an Van Halen are all rumours...

All we know is, Rolling Stone are 100% sure it's The Beach Boys

Yet many fans on this message board are crazy enough to believe these guys could crank out a worthwhile new album.  ::)

Considering they're opening a restaurant in Vegas with a chain to possibly follow, the negotiations could even involve that and all the financial things are making it more complicated and time-consuming.  I also take the restaurant opening as a sign that they will reunite.  They'd have to do a joint appearance at least for the opening, I would think. 

Part of me hopes the future image of this band isn't tied to a restaurant.

Of course they won't. They'll be remembered for their last number 1.

Don't remind me...

Would that be better or worse than being remembered for serving killer plates of chicken-finger appetizers and slammin' turkey-burger sliders? ;D

Much, much worse.

Hey did you know that Mike wrote Kokomo without cousin Brian? Brian wasn't even there, and that song went all the way to number 1.

I know that fact well, I know of Mike's cowriters too who have quite a track record of hits between the three of them, and I also know the song gained a lot of popularity from non-Beach Boys fans by appearing on the Cocktail soundtrack, which was a popular fluff movie that a lot of girls wanted to see because of Tom Cruise. And that the whole Beach Boys scene at that time had a lot of younger female fans who were into Stamos. I remember the first time I saw the video, on MTV, thinking "why is John Stamos there and why is Mike playing a sax?".

I still have the Cocktail soundtrack...I bought that and The Doors debut discs from a friend who needed a few bucks. The Doors I still play often, Cocktail has been in a storage box for many years. :)

clocktail? Oh, come on! The profanity filter is *that* picky?

Test: Shrimp Cocktail

Interesting stuff. I was released a few months before Kokomo so I don't really remember what things were like at the time. I tend to avoid Beach Boys things that make me embarrassed so I've never actually seen the video. It sucks they have to play that crap at the reunion though. The first time we get to see Brian perform with Mike in a decade and some odd years is going to be some string-o-hits medley a la Dancing With The Stars, possibly lip synched (do they do live performances at the Grammys?) and John Stamos is probably going to be there. I'm not going to lie though I really do want to see Brian, Mike & Al perform together one last time. Would be a nice way to end The Beach Boys story.

The Kokomo video is not really embarrassing in my opinion. Now, the Crocodile Rock video, well? A whole different animal. ;)

How about the "Getcha Back" video...

71 days till a possible Beach Boys reunion. sweet! ;D

I dunno, if you're embarrassed by the Beach Boys at this point, I think you need thicker skin.  I like Kokomo the track and don't especially mind the video either.

I agree.  I think everybody's on board, including Melinda, but Brian isn't.  People think she and his managers tell him everything to do, Brian's passive agressive as hell, if he doesn't want to do something he'll go crawl in bed.  

I think that's why he put the weight back on, so they cant' physically drag him down the hallway.  Once he grabs onto the bathroom door casing, they haven't figured out a way to physically pull him farther than that, then he crawls back to the bedroom after they leave. 

Oh,.... you mean.... THE GREATEST VIDEO THEY EVER RECORDED>?>>>>>????????


That one? lol

Everyone assumes that Brian doesn't want to do this. Suppose he does, but is just being Brian about it and putting everyone on ?

I like Kokomo too, save for Mike's nasal, syrupy vocals. It is a lovely summer-dreamy composition. Had the vocal arrangement been different and had it been recorded during the band's heyday, everybody would regard it as a stone BBs classic.

I once considered doing a "Pet Sounds Era" arrangement of Kokomo.

You could still do it... I'd be very curious, honest.

I've personally always been ok with Kokomo...it's not my favorite BB song but it's far far from my least favorite.  I think it's actually one of Mike's better vocals because it's in the lower range and not a "wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeennnnnnnnnnn" type thing. ( Actually I just look for an excuse to reference that any chance I get)
I do however love the original with John Phillips on the lead on the Many Mamas, Many Papas collection. I wish the BB arrangement had stuck truer to that musically and lyrically.

Given that it features Van Dyke Parks, Jim Keltner and Ry Cooder, everybody should!

Speaking of which ... is it possible than Van Dyke actually receives regular royalties for his work on Kokomo? What a mind f---! (Yes, I know he's on SIP, too. I just refuse to believe it.)

I've seen the claim that Summer In Paradise was one of the first albums if not the first to be recorded with ProTools, which is now the industry standard. Is this true?

And the point of bringing up Kokomo and the movie Cocktail (note the profanity filter in effect...) was that the single was a good single but I'm speculating it would not have done as much in sales and popularity if it had not been used in that movie. And the segment of female fans who were following both Stamos and Tom Cruise in 1988 was a big sales motivator for that song. Just my speculation.

The best I ever heard Kokomo was an unplugged snippet on the "Regis And Kathie Lee" TV show, when the Boys were on plugging the country album and they did a quick performance of the song around the piano. Carl's voice made that song, and he sounded awesome that morning, it made me re-think the song entirely and I enjoy it much more after that. I have that one on VHS.

I'll buy Cocktail......I don't buy that Stamos touring with the BB in '88 and appearing in the video did much of anything for Kokomo...and yes I was alive and well aware of what was going on in 88.

Try reading the tech notes.  :)

At least there are no regular royalties coming in from that one ...

 ;D Andrew, you've called me out: I have to admit I do not own the Summer In Paradise album. I saw it in Tower Records many, many times browsing the racks but I never bought a copy. That's why I never comment on that album's content or quality, I can't because I never played the whole thing.

I'm assuming they did use ProTools, then... :-D

Stamos brought in a group of fans that otherwise would have ignored the Beach Boys, most likely. When he was on the soaps, his fan base among women was massive, and if he were involved in something they'd want to see-hear-buy it. Those same fans from the 80's having grown up still flocked to Broadway to see Stamos recently in a musical that wasn't as good as the hype, and the thing sold tickets.

It's not an unusual thing with celebrity sex-symbols: Remember the band "Dogstar" with Keanu Reeves on bass? Would they have drawn any fans if Keanu Reeves weren't in the band?

They did. A beta version of ProTools, no less. That means it's either the first, or at least one of the very first albums recorded with it.

Wow that surprises me J. No judgement...just surprised.

it ain't no "anna lee the healer" but it's a decent tune itself.  it's just that '80s vibe ...

really seems more like a john phillips song though.  i could imagine it with a "wolfking of l.a." arrangement.

His original version is up on Spotify: sounds more Jimmy Buffet than Wolfking.

ha!  i shudder at the thought ...

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/grammys-van-halen-beach-boys-reunion-269367



Tweeting With the Devil: How the Grammys Launched a Misinformation Campaign in 140 Characters (Opinion)


Were Van Halen supposed to appear on Wednesday's Grammy Awards nominations special or the Beach Boys? Confusion risks tainting music's biggest night but THR has a solution.
It all began with a tweet. On Nov. 3, the official Grammy Awards Twitter, whose handle is @TheGRAMMYs, sent a message to its 208,000 followers which read:

do u predict the reuniting band will be @ #GRAMMYnoms? http://grm.my/vH7p3Y Does this hint make u wanna “Jump” & “Dance the Night Away”?

The 140-character missive came hours after a press release was issued by the Recording Academy announcing its annual one-hour nominations special (broadcast on CBS since 2008) and promising “a special live announcement from a truly iconic group regarding their historic band reunion set to take place on the GRAMMY stage on Feb. 12, 2012.”

In due haste, the media began speculating as to who the surprise act could be and it didn’t take long before Van Halen’s name came up with one industry website, Htifix.com, going so far as to put it out there. And it made perfect sense: at that moment -- and ever since, really -- they were the band with the most reunion buzz. Back together with frontman David Lee Roth, the legendary arena rockers were close to signing a recording contract with a new label (initially rumored to be with Columbia but landing at Interscope) after 40 years at Warner Bros., and releasing their first album together since the monstrous 1984. What better place to reveal a potential release date or a first televised performance than at a Grammys event?

So when the tweet appeared at 5:45pm on Nov. 3 with the most Van Halen-obvious hint imaginable and a link to the Hitfix story, it was all but a fait accompli that guitarist Eddie Van Halen, his bass-playing son Wolfgang, who took over for Michael Anthony in 2006, drummer Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth would be present at Los Angeles' Nokia Theater on Nov. 30.



Of course, nothing of the sort actually transpired during the televised special. There was no surprise announcement, nor was there an appearance by an “iconic band.” Instead, the nominations concert offered a few of the Grammys’ signature pairings -- Lady Gaga with Sugarland, Usher with Valerie Simpson -- along with a performance by country newcomers The Band Perry and a hip hop collective comprised of Grandmaster Flash, LL Cool J, Lupe Fiasco, Common, Melle Mel and Scorpio, who performed Furious Five’s 1982 classic “The Message.”

At a press conference immediately following the broadcast, Recording Academy president Neil Portnow was asked about the Van Halen no-show by Melinda Newman, the Hitfix editor who first wrote about the rumor and a former Billboard bureau chief. His response: “We talked about having something on the show tonight which was gonna be specifically about a reunion and sort of announcing it. What happened is very simple -- as you know, in the world of creativity everything is fluid so in the process of discussions that we have been having with an expectation that perhaps we would be at a point tonight where the artist involved and we would be moving forward and actually being ready to announce, they weren't quite at that point. So given that it's live television, we move on, we go to the next act, it's rock-n-roll and so on. That being said, we were genuine about the intention and we were genuine about discussions, so now the time frame moves a little further along and we'll see what happens on Feb. 12.”

A masterfully evasive commenter, in Portnow's non-speak, he never addresses Van Halen by name, continuing to perpetuate a rumor that his organization had basically already backed with that initial tweet. But the following morning, a different tale was told as Rolling Stone speculated and the Los Angeles Times reported that the band was never Van Halen, but rather the Beach Boys who have reunited its four surviving members, Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine and Bruce Johnston, for a 50th anniversary tour due to kick off in summer 2012. In a case of fortuitous timing, the band’s last semi-completed effort, Smile, recorded in 1966, was released by Capitol Records on Nov. 1 as The Smile Sessions, with the full backing of all four members.



Indeed, the Beach Boys are a Grammys no-brainer, too, and Wilson has himself appeared at several Recording Academy events over the years. The songwriter and producer was even honored in 2004 as the Musicares Person of the Year, an official Grammy function and fundraiser that helps support musicians in need. So to make a Beach Boys announcement or even feature a performance on the Grammys also makes perfect sense.

According to the LA Times, talks with the Beach Boys fell apart 48 hours before the show, but that doesn’t negate the initial Grammys tweet, which, in essence, acted as a truncated press release that said Van Halen would be there. The sequence of events reinforces, yet again, Twitter's power and speed of broadcast.

All this secrecy and confusion brings to bear a nagging question: was this a flippant tweet or did the Grammys purposely launch a misinformation campaign to get the media and in turn viewers -- among them, scores of Van Halen fans -- to tune into their We Are Music nominations special? With ratings up 12%, it certainly worked, but if we’re all going to get used, shouldn’t the Grammys at least buy us breakfast in the morning?

Here’s what we know: nothing. A source within the Van Halen camp tells The Hollywood Reporter that the band were never scheduled to appear on the program and that this is a classic case of “the internet gone crazy.” But the insider was hard-pressed to explain the Grammys tweet, revealing that the band was equally miffed. The Grammys did not respond to THR’s request for further explanation of Portnow’s comments. Newman, who THR also reached out to, declined to comment.



But now that we’ve all published, pontificated and perpetuated, who’s the winner of this pointless exercise? Van Halen, who received untold amounts of publicity during a time when they were negotiating a lucrative new recording contract -- and justifiably so since clearly the anticipation for a new Van Halen album, tour and all the accouterments that come with a grand-scale reunion have reached feverish proportions. Who loses? Van Halen’s fans who tuned into a 60-minute kudos fest and the closest they got to witnessing real rock and roll was when the Foo Fighters’ Wasting Light was listed as an Album of the Year contender.

The Beach Boys lose, too, because if they do appear on the Grammys this year, their name and Van Halen’s will inevitably live side-by-side in subsequent press reports, taking away from the impact of the announcement.

And the Recording Academy doesn’t emerge from the hoopla unscathed, either. With the understanding that the organization has an awards show to promote and a buzz to build, should that come at the expense of honesty? If Academy executives knew that Van Halen was never in discussions to appear, isn’t it now time they reveal the truth in some capacity and put an end to the message board madness? Or simply be straight with someone? Anyone? 

Maybe marketing executive Steve Stoute had the right idea when he took the Grammys to task last year, spending $40,000 to place a full-page open letter in the New York Times. His gripe: that the Grammys were out-of-touch with popular music and used the names of superstar artists like Justin Bieber and Eminem (the former lost Best New Artist to Esperanza Spalding, the latter lost Album of the Year to Arcade Fire) to lure viewers to their broadcast and ultimately leave them disappointed. Sound familiar?

But all hope is not lost where the various players are concerned, we have a solution: “California Girls” as performed by the unlikely pairing of, yes, Van Halen and the Beach Boys, lest we forget that David Lee Roth scored a massive solo career hit with the Beach Boys’ 1965 hit, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 with his 1985 version (see video below). And for good measure, the Grammys can throw Katy Perry in the mix. Now that’s worth tuning in for.

Ratings went up 12%, yeah no doubt we played a part in that. Poor Van Halen fans too..

Bastards got us good

That could be too.