The Smiley Smile Message Board

So, I've had the reissued Pacific Ocean Blue, with the Bambu tracks on the second disc, and I gotta say, I don't think Bambu comes anywhere close to Pacific Ocean Blue. There is definitely nothing that comes close to the majesty of "River Song" or "Farewell My Friend", and I don't think anything rocks like "What's Wrong" or "Friday Night".

But anyways, am I approaching the material wrong or something? Because it's kinda starting to become clear to me that maybe the reason it wasn't put out was because Dennis knew what he had with that album wasn't really up to par. He had a few great songs, like "Love Surrounds Me", "Love Remember Me", and "Baby Blue". And obviously, two of those three, were released in Dennis' lifetime. I really think that many of the songs weren't really fully formed, a lot of little pieces, but I don't think they sounded coherent together, unlike, say, SMiLE, which had many parts, but I don't feel was disjointed. The only song I really felt that kinda thing worked with was the "Album Tag Song". And while I'm at it, what's up with that title? So was that supposed to be the final song, or a section of another song? Just seems odd. But I think its a really powerful song. And by the way, wasn't this Dennis' last released vocal. It was from '79 or '80 right?

So yeah, feel free to disagree with me, I hope to hear this album in a different way.

I remember reading that Album Tag Song was recorded during the POB sessions. Possibly meant to come after End Of The Show I think it was.

I really like a lot of the stuff on disc 2 of POB. He's A Bum, Under The Moonlight, Time For Bed, Wild Situation, School Girl.

That stuff kicks, but in a different way.  :hat

Ok, I'm just going to come right out and say it. Bambu is so good it makes Pacific Ocean Blue stink. ;D I've said it before and I'll say it again, if Bambu had been finished in 1978-79, it would have been one of the great albums of the 1970's.

I agree it's pretty different from 'Pacific Ocean Blue', but I think it's potentially just as good ... but it doesn't really seem finished.  Think of all of the outtakes from POB ... he may very well have ended up recording more songs and selecting a set that flowed together differently.  But I do think the material is there and it's just as good in it's own way.

I think Bambu is utterly and terrifyingly brilliant! If it had been released, I imagine it might have gone down in history as one of rock's great tortured/wrecked epics ala Big Star's 3rd, or John Cale's Helen Of Troy,  or R&L Thompson's Shoot Out The Lights, etc

Of course it's unfinished but the offical release really was excellent. As with Smile it is so good that we now have these two fantastic albums as close to final as they ever will be. If anything made me love the music that much more were these two releases.

Big Star's 3rd (Sister Lovers) is basically unfinished and it's rightly hailed as a classic. Hopefully Bambu will be too someday.

I just looked up those three albums you mentioned above, and ater reading about them I'm rather curios. Do you have any more examples of "tortured/wrecked epics"?

Nice to hear I've sparked some curiosity!

Hmmmm, lemme thing.....

Richard & Linda Thompson's "I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight" might be a better fit than Shoot Out The Lights, but either will do. I've heard "Moody Blue" by Elvis described as such, also, what's that Randy Newman album??? Hmmm, Lou Reed's "Berlin" certainly fits!

But both "I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight" and "Shoot Out The Lights" by Richard & Linda Thompson were both complete and finished masterpieces in their own right, unlike Big Star 3rd which was compiled by others against Alex Chilton's wishes.

I don't think we can say with any real certainty if Bambu was/is all that great because it was never finished. Yeah, we may say now that "oh, why didn't Dennis just slap twelve tunes together and call it a day?" but the truth is that Dennis never got to that point due to a little thing called life (and the loss of Brother Studio) getting in the way.

And, let's keep in mind that many of the "Bambu" tracks claimed origins during the POB sessions, and in some cases, even before. Are You Real apparently was based off of a 1975 session for an early version of (I think) 10,000 Years. School Girl and Love Remember Me are POB outtakes. Album Tag is a POB outtake bisected by a 1979 piano/vocal session. The "Piano Variations on Thoughts Of You" is a version of Takin' Off, another POB outtake.

Well, whatever the hell it is, it's a masterpiece to my ears.

I didn't mean "tortured/wrecked masterpieces" in that they were unfinished, but rather wrecked/tortured as in mood/content. I probably could have worded it better.

Rock Bottom by Robert Wyatt comes to mind. Mr. Wyatt just broke both his legs and was destined to live his life in a wheelchair, quite the bummer. Cut with the Soft Machine guys and other UK prog alum....its definitely a tortured/wrecked epic

It's not too late is an epic song

I agree with the OP in that Bambu doesn't come close to POB. I think there are a number of reasons for that. Dennis's voice was obviously gone, some of Carli Munoz's material stands out like a sore thumb and there is a dated feel to a lot of it for me.

No Other by Gene Clark!

Bambu isn't close to POB. The lyrics, melodies, production, not on the same level. But then again Dennis wasn't on the same level either, so it's understandable.

If Baby Blue had been on there, it would have helped a lot, but...

And is it me, or is It's Not Too Late a little dull? Carl's vocal is whiny and uninteresting. There. I've said it.

Bambu's worth the price of entry for the first half of Love Remember Me alone. One of my all-time faves. Tug of Love is tremendous. Album Tag Song is set as my wake-up alarm tune.  Had it been finished and released back in the day, I think Dennis's place in rock history would be regarded very differently by the general music listening public. Hey ho, it wasn't to be, but what a treasure trove the POB/Bambu compilers uncovered for us.

Oh yes, i agree completely. Despite my negative assessment in my previous post, I am very grateful to have it/hear it. So it's not as good as POB. There's very little in the history of recorded music that is, so it's no fault of the music itself. Dennis just set such high expectations of what was to follow.

<-------- this idiot is about to tell you something.

When I ordered Pacific Ocean Blue on the internet, I was in a phase of wanting only to own original albums as they were when they were released, refusing to buy albums with even bonus tracks. So I got the non-legacy edition. I've never heard Bambu :(

I bought the 3LP vinyl edition and haven't listened to Bambu yet !!!!!

I think the Bambu disk suffers from bad sequencing. Too many slow songs in quick succession. Try changing the track order, slow song / fast song. The material is there, but not presented in the best order, to me anyway.

Mike's unreleased hot tub video?   :pirate

speaking of Tug Of Love (my favorite song on the whole thing), whats the deal with that weird, gurgly, white soul vocal on the part where Dennis is chanting "feel the pull, feel the pull" and it comes in with "I feel the pull". I accept it b/c I love that song so much, but its so weird and out of place, like someone was joking around

Don't know if it'll be helpful, but I rearrange the order a couple years ago, along with some extras:

"Under The Moonlight"
"Its Not Too Late"
"Constant Companion"
"School Girl"
"Wild Situation"
"Baby Blue"
"Love Remember Me"
"Love Surrounds Me"
"Tug Of Love"
"Mexico"
"Ten Thousand Years"
"Holy Man (feat. Taylor Hawkins)"
"Are You Real"
"Only With You"
"He's Bum"
"Time For Bed"
"I Love You"
"Cocktails"
"Album Tag Song"
"Sound Of Free"
"All Alone"
"Lady"

The only song I can say I'm not crazy about is "Under The Moonlight." To me it just doesn't feel very "Dennis." And the only complaint I have with the re-issue is the editing done to "Wild Situation," because I love the "shock" ending on the original! ;)

And funny story, at the time I bought this, I had never heard of Foo Fighters, just a couple years later, they'd become one of my favorite bands. Although, having heard their cover of "Have A Cigar," I have no idea how Taylor pulled off such a Dennis vocal here.

Bambu (for decades known as "Bamboo") is great, even in its unfinished form. As good or better than Pacific Ocean Blue? Nah. But it remains unfinished, so who's to tell? Very hard to beat POB though.

The bonus tracks on the POB Legacy Edition are nice. "Tug Of Love", left off the original POB and rumored to be in the vault for years, met my expectations and I wasn't disappointed. This version of "Only With You" exceeded my expectations. "Holy Man" is a great song and I wish Dennis could have done the vocal to it - it's bordering on sacrilege that another artist did the vocal, but it was very well done and better than no vocal at all! I think Dennis would have loved it.    

There are definitely some high points in Bambu. Many that I'd heard before on various boots since the mid-80's, but in MUCH better quality and much better mixes with this release. Plus many tracks that weren't booted before. I thought they did an outstanding job on what they had available. My favorite track on Bambu? "Wild Situation". I'd heard the song before in various forms of completion, but the final mix is great!  The only thing missing is the original ending of the song. THAT disappointed me!  ;D

Guys like Mark Linett, Alan Boyd, John Hanlon, Gregg Jakobson, Jon Stebbins, and David Beard should be commended for a job well done on this. And especially Jim Guercio for authorizing it in the first place.

Someday I'd really like to hear a remixed version of the Pacific Ocean Blue album. What Moffitt and Mankey did at the time was OK with the tools they had, but there are many instances of instruments and great vocal things that I've heard could be brought out in a better mix with much less mud and hiss on the tracks.

I must admit Bambu doesn't do it for me like POB does. Only three or four songs seem to reach the same heights as his debut. Maybe if it had been completed, who knows? But I can listen to the unfinished Smile tracks and see how it had the potential to better Pet Sounds, but I just don't see it with what we have of Bambu.

"Moody Blue" wasn't really a downbeat album. Elvis had been talking of doing a half studio and half live thing for a few years. He didn't make it easy on his co-producer Felton Jarvis because he didn't introduce too many unrecorded songs in the 1977 shows, but the fall 1976 session was short but upbeat. He didn't do one song he planned to, but he would have had he liked the song enough. The early 1976 sessions were more tough and sad. "From Elvis Presley Blvd.", taken from those sessions, is a very personal and fairly depressing LP. Still as he did finish both these albums I'm not sure I see the same thing. He wasn't leaving the room coming back unable to work or anything. He didn't mess up takes by being high. There was a session in early 1977 that was cancelled, but though it was long thought that he didn't show up he actually did but hated the studio they booked. I learned this by helping to write an Elvis recording sessions book.

Mikie --

I'd throw Stebbins name in there -- he was in the trenches and the mixing sessions to boot.

Done.

I actually prefer a lot of Bambu over POB. POB is great, but sometimes I think there was too much production, too much overdubbing on some of the tracks. I don't know, too many layers, particularly on the ballads. Who knows, perhaps my opinion will change as I grow older.

Often the unfinished, spontaneous nature of Bambu brings out Dennis' rock & roll, wild side on tracks like School Girl, Wild Situation, and He's A Bum. I missed Dennis the rock & roller on POB.

I'm glad Dennis recorded several of Carli's songs.  I think Dennis was going for a more commercial sound on Bambu.  If that album had been released, I really feel it would have charted much higher than POB.  Plus, "Constant Companion," if released as a single, should have gotten airplay.  Put "Love Surrounds Me" as its B-side.  It's Not Too Late is a great song, too. Incomprehensible why it wasn't released on L.A. Light Album.

About Elvis, the Moody Blue album has always seemed largely upbeat to me.  Then again, He'll Have To Go, Unchained Melody, It's Easy For You, and She Thinks I Still Care offer a different story.  From Elvis Presley Boulevard, as Mike said above, is much more sad.  At least they included the underappreciated "For The Heart" on there.  I would encourage anyone to check out the 2001 Follow That Dream release (FTD) called THE JUNGLE ROOM SESSIONS.  All of these songs are stripped of their overdubs, horrible string sections, and many of their backing vocals.  You'll gain a new appreciation of Elvis' artistry in his final year.

That is definitely one of my feelings about Bambu. Especially stuff like "Constant Companion" just reeks of cheesy '70s radio. There are a few other songs too that have that really '70s vibe, whereas I feel most of Pacific Ocean Blue has a timeless quality.

Also, I didn't speak on the bonus tracks for disc 1, but....wow. "Tug of Love" is great, just as good if not better than anything on Pacific Ocean Blue which is saying a lot. I also love his version of "Only With You", whereas I'm not so hot on The Beach Boys version. I feel his voice fits the song better than Carl's.

But what I think would really be awesome is an album collecting that best (and most finished) of his work from 1967 to 1974. I really think that era deserves to be fleshed out more so we can understand Dennis as an artist a bit more. I'd also love to hear whatever he did between 1980 and 1983. Especially his supposed last recording, "Labor Day".

Very true. And if one listens to the BEST of Elvis' live performances in '76 and '77 (almost any version of Unchained Melody, How Great Thou Art, It's Now or Never, Little Sister etc) and not the uninspired stuff he was sick of singing, El was in magnificent voice. It makes me wonder how great he'd have been then had he kicked the whole prescription drugs crap in the early '70s. Late period Freddie Mercury aside, I've never heard a seriously ill man sing so good.  :(

How do you feel about What's Wrong? It sounds to me like Under the Moonlight, Part One.

I think the sequencing of Bambu is a relevant thing to consider. Some of us lobbied to have Tug Of Love be the lead track on the Bambu disc instead of a bonus. That song would have undoubtedly been on a released Bambu, as it was a hair from being on POB. Add that, Baby Blue, and peel a weaker tune or two from the Bambu disc and you've got a great record. Its different, darker, and yes more '70's "rock" sounding than POB, which I prefer. But I think Dennis was trying to evolve with Bambu, and he was doing it with a monkey on his back. I think Love Remember Me, and C0cktails are among his best things. Listen to the track of C0cktails...its a '70's Pet Sounds track. Album Tag Song is a '70's Smile track. And the fact that anything began life during POB sessions or earlier is irrelevant as Dennis, like Brian was always recycling ideas and using bits of older things...Only With You is just another one.  To me the least palatable song on the Bambu disc is All Alone which to me reeks of the worst things about what was coming in the Adult Contemporary world, I just hate that tenor sax sound, and the overall production of All Alone is very un-Dennis if you ask me. Bambu is kind of messy, and sad...but the best of it meets the DW standard of greatness.

I really do like "All Alone", it's got a dramatic feel to it and it sounds like a Surivivor song but I still dig it, though the sax really is annoying at points. I can't really say which album I prefer, I am just happy that I discovered such beautiful music, even though I needed a few listen to get into it and enjoy it that much.

Besides not finishing "Bambu", I think it's really sad that Dennis didn't tour for POB. Maybe then there would have been a better commercial success, which would have led to more Dennis Wilson albums or even better Beach Boys records.

BTW Did Dennis consider "Baby Blue" for Bambu or was it specifically written for LA, thus not beeing on the deluxe POB?

Funny you should ention Big Star 3rd as I was going to compare the ramshackle quality of Bambu to Alex Chilton's Like Flies on Sherbert. The other post mentioning Gene Clarke's No Other has me racing to the cd player to put on that astounding album! The wrecked masterpiece criteria probably applies to Neil Young's Tonights the Night and John Cale's Music for a New Society. For me Bambu is probably not quite up there with these albums but it is a great album which I play frequently and shows that Dennis had so much more to offer. I particularly love that it is so different from POB.  

Yeah, that Gene Clarke album is amazing, and yes, Tonight's The Night might just be THE tortured/wrecked epic of all-time!

One thing I particularly love about Bambu, is that, while yes Dennis' voice is in rougher shape, he's emoting a bit more and reaching in range more than on POB. Songs like All-Alone I love because of the sheer emotional intensity Dennis brings.

I greatly prefer Bambu. Under the Moonlight, Love Surrounds Me, Wild Situation, Constant Companion, and Holy Man are all great great great great songs. The only two songs on POB I like as much as any of those are Pacific Ocean Blues and River Song.

I think Under The Moonlight is absolutely one of Dennis' best vocals!

I like the version of Under the Moonlight that is on Dumb Angel rarities much better than the Bambu version...also the KICK A$$ percussion jam that opens up Companion is missing on Bambu...

Other than that, it is beyond amazing. Too bad Dennis was not able to develop his talent to the fullest. So sad...

Carl's voice on Bambu is also unreal...

I forgot about It's Not Too Late... that's a great song. Carl's voice is amazing on that one.

I was hoping to get your opinion, Jon, and I gotta say I really agree with you on much of that. You kinda hit the nail on the head about "All Alone" being super schlock that woulda fit in on the same radio stations that would be playing "Kokomo" and the new Journey record. Also, I'm not asking for it, but is the second version of "All Alone" circulating? And how is it compared to the version we have?

But anyways Mr. Stebbins, can you explain how the process of placing the tracks on the reissued Pacific Ocean Blue? For instance, why were "Tug of Love" and "Only With You" considered bonus tracks for POB, if, as you claim, they should have been part of the Bambu listing. And I'm not doubting you, but why is it you think "Tug of Love" would have been on Bambu, if it was passed over for POB?

Also, does anybody in the know think it is at all possible that Brother/Capitol/whoever would possibly release a Dennis solo album from his late '60s and early '70s material? Or does that all count as "Beach Boys" material? Well regardless, hopefully this 50th anniversary gets us some new, unreleased Dennis songs!

I like the Bambu cuts way more than POB.

The second version of All Alone does circulate, but I'm not a fan of that one either. The process of sequencing and picking POB bonus tracks vs "Bambu" tracks was a bit of a mini-battle, Hanlon submitted his choices, Guercio of course weighed in, Jakobson too...everybody including me had an opinion...but Sony kind of pushed through their preferences at the end. We were thrilled to get so much unreleased and unbooted material on there either way...and figured the fans could do their own sequencing. I think Tug Of Love would have been a Bambu track cause they needed finished stuff...and Guercio really liked that one...Dennis had only dropped it from POB because Pop Hinsche passed away and Dennis wrote and recorded Farewell My Friend as a tribute...something had to go from POB to make room for that. Tug Of Love would have made a nice bridge from the POB sound to the starker Bambu sound, with Love Remember Me also helping that transition. Remember, there was supposed to be a third album (he signed a three album deal) so DW was just recording boom, boom, boom, until he went off the rails. Some of what we know as "Bambu" could have been pushed to the third album. There's more unreleased stuff...unbooted stuff...some of it is GREAT.

Would you be allowed to elaborate on what else may or may not be in the vaults and as of now still unheard?

Another beautiful moment on Bambu is in the song "Love Remember Me". At 1:43 into the song. This piece of it was making the rounds separately before the Legacy release, and it sounds like it may have been spliced in. Was it Dennis' intention to integrate this part into the song or was it edited in for this release? It sounds great - sounds like women singing on that - I figure Karen Lamm and/or Tricia Roach? Sounds full like a choir!

Love comes tumblin' down on you
My love comes driftin' down on you
Oh, come on, come on, hello, come on
My love comes gently down on you

Sounds beautiful!  

And while I'm here (can't resist!) and not Bamboo related but it can be found on Dennis Wilson Rarities - Dumb Angel 14. For those who haven't heard it, seek it out. Quad Symphony. Supposedly as a favor to Steve Desper, Dennis allowed segments of several song fragments he had recorded in quadrophonic sound to be pressed onto an acetate for Desper to use to demonstrate quad sound. There's a piece of a song called "All My Love". I read somewhere that this contains 350 overdubs of Dennis’ voice. Just shows you what Dennis was capable of - I've always loved that and can imagine if it made it into a complete song.

 

I would give my right arm to hear the complete "All My Love", if more of it exists. I have also heard about the supposed 350 vocal overdubs. Could you imagine how long that would take somebody to do?

Honestly even though there is some late seventies cheese on a few of his cuts,  Dennis just had this gift of making everything he did in the studio have some sort of quality. I don't think he ever didn't try. I don't think he could do what he could in 1970 by say 1980 (or even 1975 if we count his voice) but all of his work (not counting the lesser shows from 1977-83 where he is in increasingly bad shape) has such integrity. Bambu does not represent a dip at all for me as music, obviously his life had declined but not his creativity which after 1978 does seem to have taken a backseat if not a decline, except again vocally as he really couldn't sing after Rocky and Stan beat him up on Superbowl Sunday 1981.

Love Remember Me is without a doubt my personal highlight of the Bambu material and the only song from it I listen to on a regular basis. I've never heard such raw, powerfull emotion from one man's singing.

Listening to Dennis's mid 1970's work is for me kind of like a roller coaster of emotions. It's incredibly sad that the man who was responsible for songs like "Love Remember Me" and "Are You Real?" was falling from grace and just couldn't hold on to a somewhat stable and sober life. But at the same time if pisses me off! I mean, I want to put my arms through the cd's and shake him and say "What the hell is wrong with you! Don't you realise what you're capable of?". He had such an amazing talent to create this music. He had so much more to give! I firmly believe that if he could have toured with POB and then completed and released Bambu, he would have been a huge force to be reckoned with.

I had vinyl copies of both albums, one studio, one a boot, for years and mostly listened to the boot of bambu (the grey and maroon cover).  I found Bambu more......"accessible", more down to earth, less over the top and dramatic than POB.   It is a matter of taste and preference rather than which one is best.  I am glad that some of DWs music found its way to the BBs LA album.  The album would have been somewhat of a dud without them.

I'd never thought of it like that, but now that you mention it, I'd agree. "What's Wrong?" has always been my least favorite on Pacific Ocean Blue. I think the lyrics are clever, but the song feels like a "common" song, not really on par with Dennis' usual level.

For some reason, "What's Wrong" always makes me feel like I'm drunk when I listen to it. I'll bet this was Denni's intention in part!

..... Think I'll go to the fridge and grab a cold one  :)

I love All Alone just for the first 10 seconds...

Chris Bell's "I Am The Cosmos" is a pretty tortured and amazing epic. My favourite Big Star related release. It's more of a compilation rather than an album... but it flows pretty awesomely. The title track is just the best. http://youtu.be/kR594Kkxmzg

It takes time to get into Bambu. Doubly so because it wasn't finished. With POB, you're instantly overwhelmed by the classical piano, choir vocals, and grand feel of River Song, which sets the tone for the rest of the album. On Bambu, the sound is both louder and more vicious, and yet softer and gentler due to the larger presence of the ballads.

For me, it was hearing It's Not Too Late that caused me to go back and assess this album properly.

Agreed.  I became a major Big Star fan the year that set was first released (1992, along with the definitive version of "Third/Sister Lovers" and the live album from a '74 radio broadcast).

First became aware of I Am The Cosmos when a friend brought over that Big Star live album from whatever college that was in the 90's! The Posies guys sings it really well, but I then sought out the original and was absolutely blown away!

Its obvious DW was depressed and bambu was less joyous....He was losin it + new it..BUT..The pain in those songs are real + something for all of us to learn from..I posted this on another thread..DW had the WORLD by the tail..And STILL lost it..Something we can all learn from..DW legacy is his great music + pain....The guy had the thread + lost it..What a shame..GOD bless U DENNIS..WE Miss you..  Rejoice in the music we have..The guy was totally original like BW..The other guys were followers.. BW + DW were leaders..No offense to other BB..They have all had their original joyous moments....We love U but..Those 2 jeez are on another level..When i listen to DW material i actually get tears..SOULFUL to 9th degree..IMHO..

I really hope we get more '69-'72 Dennis stuff included somewhere in these anniversary releases ... and more than just a token few.

The more Dennis material released, the better. A Dennis Wilson box set would rock as well.

'What's Wrong' is amazing - and it reminds me of Dennis's depiction in the Steve Gaines book - "...he started playing the piano on his own when he was fourteen..he played well enough to hack out a mean boogie-woogie."  So this song makes me think of that kid bashing out trad rock numbers in his living room, and the kind of music he was exposed to growing up.

Not to mention his multi tracked harmonies.  Having a cold one now, in fact  :-D

Is there enough unreleased Dennis music to create a box set ?

Alright, I love Common but nobody has mentioned it as far as I can see. Do we not think it was intended to be completed for Bambu?

John Hanlon indicated that it was meant to have a vocal, but Dennis never got around to it. 
Incidentally, anyone interested in Bambu should check out my essay on the album at http://www.tiptopwebsite.com/custommusic2/craigslowinskicom2.pdf#page=35.

Yeah, Bambu is all that great and more.

I had POB on vinyl & and some Bamboo bootlegs before the reissue came out, but for some reason I don't think I ever fully appreciated either of them until the Legacy edition came out.  Now it all just seems like a continuum to me, with no major difference in quality between the two pieces.  And there are some amazing 'progressive' moments on Bambu, like the coda to "Are You Real", and "Album Tag Song", so I don't have any sense that Dennis was pulling back in his ambitions or whatever on that record.

Jon may not like it but I like the alternate version of All Alone better than the released Bambu version. The heavier drums and the electric keyboard give it a different sound. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dnYaNMaPrQ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dnYaNMaPrQ)

I actually agree. Even though Dennis goofs up the words, and seems to lose interest half way through, I like it much better than the other version. The think the keyboard's/synthesizer's give the song a more "progressive" feel. The saxophone in the first version just seems kind of cheesy. I love Dennis's vocal on the first version though.

Am I alone in consistently misreading this thread title as "Is Bambi all that great??"

the question should really be "Is Keith Moons two sides of the moon as good as POB and Bambu?"  ;D

Tub Of Love would be a great MTV talk show with Mike interviewing celebrities in a hot tub.

Yes, and the follow up show a few months later would be "Celebrity Pregnancies"

That's Baron Stewart's voice.  He also sings on "Album Tag Song".

I'm kinda bummed to learn, via your page with all the info on the album c-man, that "Album Tag Song" is actually not a Dennis construction. I thought the vocal part was supposed to be there, but apparently it was just placed their posthumously to make it more of a "song". Kind of a bummer.

"Album Tag Song" is two pieces of music. The first part with the heavy keyboards and drums was listed as "Album Tag" on the tape box. The piano/vocal bit was apparently from '79, and was just a demo that was uncovered. Maybe not "genuine", but it works.

That's one thing I felt was lacking on the POB reissue - actual demos.

I don't much care for All Alone, and i can't stand Under The Moonlight, however the rest of Bambu is bloody great! Love it.

It'ss difficult to compare Pacific Ocean Blue and Bambu, and not just because one was finished and the other wasn't.  Pet Sounds was finished and Smile wasn't, but it is possible to compare them because each one is comprised of songs that are in a similar musical idiom.  I don't necessarily get the sense from The Bambu Sessions that Dennis was consciously attempting to create a style of music that was distinct from the kind he had made on Pacific Ocean Blue.  Judging from the available songs, it sounds like Bambu would have been less ballad-heavy and had a few more songs that rock, as it were ("Under the Moonlight," "School Girl," "Constant Companion"), but aside from that minor difference, it seems that Bambu would have basically followed Pacific Ocean Blue rather than broken with it.

As far as the songs on Bambu go, though, there are quite a few that I love ("It's Not too Late," "Love Remember Me," "Love Surrounds Me," "Constant Companion").  Some of the incomplete ones like "I Love You" and "Are You Real" show a lot of promise as well, and the others are generally quite good, but like Disney Boy (1985), I've never been too keen on "All Alone."  If The Bambu Sessions counts as a Beach Boys solo album, it's probably my third favorite, after Pacific Ocean Blue and Brian Wilson.  I've always hoped to hear more from his first unreleased solo album from the early 1970s, though.

This is one of the happy exceptions to extended threads here where it appears unpromising at the start but then evolves into something highly informative and stimulating. Thanks, guys.

It seems that Dennis really took to heart a variation of Brian's modular composition strategy, something that moved his music away from the more ordinary "verse-bridge-chorus" template. He loved to slam completely different sections of similarly-influenced music together, and the results, while often initially jarring, rapidly cohere in the listener's mind and emotions with a few listenings. Once that happens, you're in this very different and very amazing alternate world that he's able to create. And he was never afraid to just flat out rock and roll, something that couldn't always be said about his big brother. (Note to BW: we want this new one to rock, big brother!!)

I don't know if anyone else has this type of "relationship" with Dennis's work but for me I have to walk away from it for awhile lest it literally take over my life. When I start listening to it, it has an addictive power (probably something to do with the power of the addictive personality who created it...) that I can go with for awhile, but all too soon I'm somehow lost in that world, listening only to it and the edges of the real world seem to be falling away at an ever-increasing speed! And, no, I'm not "medicating" while I listen, either!!  :3d

In his own way, Dennis is just as powerful a musical presence as his big brother. We should give thanks to those stalwart folks who were relentless in getting such a generous swatch of his music out into the light of day again. Now we want all the rest of it!!!

This is probably as good a place to mention it as any, but I don't think "Quad Symphony" was ever a legitimate Dennis Wilson title, and that mix on DA 14 sure as hell isn't legitimate. How do I know? Well, I'm the one that made it! Basically put, I was commissioned by another Beach Boys fan who shall remain nameless to try my hand at a few edits of Dennis material-- this was back around 1999-2000 when I was just learning Pro Tools. The base parts for the Q.S. were all taken off of a couple of old CD boots titled Denny Remembered vols. 1&2. (Mikie you probably remember these.) This other BB's fan and I had heard the Steven Desper AES lecture where he discussed his and Dennis's adventures in quad sound, and decided it might be fun to try our hand at editing some stuff.

The parts as I remember them were titles: "All of My Love", "Piano Duet", "Organ Duet" and "Untitled Instrumental". The tricky part was syncing up the two duets, which I could tell would be able to interpolate to some degree. I think I cheated and faded them in and out to some degree, but I remember being pretty happy with the results.

I don't know if you remember the old Bamboo boot (not the red & grey vinyl, but the CD version with the POB outtake cover). I did the same thing with a couple of other tracks, namely the "Wild Situation" basic track with the separate harmony track... This actually turned out to be the way the song always went, if the released version is any indication!

I also synced up the basic "He's a Bum" track with an unreleased backing track that heavily featured the marimba. This didn't turn out quite as well, but if you ever come across it, now you know it was Frankensteined by me, and isn't a legitimate mix.

Not sure if this is of any interest to anybody or not, but I'm a pretty big stickler when it comes to historical accuracy, and I just didn't want anyone to get fooled into thinking any of these mixes were legitimate!  :P Carry on.