The Smiley Smile Message Board

 The new single is definitely "Isn't It Time", the 3 record deal is "TWGMTR, a Live album and a new  Greatest Hits package", and he would prefer to go back to touring in a station wagon with just himself and Bruce:   


http://www.billboard.com/news/beach-boys-talk-another-album-together-1007435152.story#/news/beach-boys-talk-another-album-together-1007435152.story 

>>Some things are already certain for the future. "Isn't It Time" appears locked
as the album's next single; "We actually did a little bit of extra work on the
bridge to make it more of a four-part (harmony) thing and changed the lyric a
little bit as well," Love says. He also notes that the tour will "definitely"
spawn a live album and DVD, while Capitol's catalog division is planning a new
greatest hits set for the fall. The Beach Boys star on a new, Thomas-directed
episode of PBS' "Front Row Center" series -- "The Beach Boys: Doin' It Again,"
which debuts this week -- and a network concert special is expected this fall.
 
"There's a lot of positivity involved in us all being together, and obviously
the audience is responding beautifully to it. It's great to have everyone
together," Love says. But, he adds, the reunion tour has been something of an
adjustment from the way he and Johnston have done things with their Beach Boys
since 1998.
 
"It's ridiculously expensive and intense," Love says of the reunion tour. "The
thing I like about how we ordinarily do things is it's very streamlined and we
sound great and have a good time performing at all sizes of venues. This one
you're limited to the larger venues. That's just how it is, the kind of tour it
is. That's the only drawback as far as I can see."  <<

If the franchise is taken away, he can go back to doing it his way between tours, under another name.

Thanks for the link


How is this tour any different than your own shows, Mike?  :lol

I'm sorry, but that is not what he said. He was referring to the cost of the tour and the stress of such a big production  being the "ONLY" drawback to the reunion. Give the guy a break. To me, I read this as being a reassurance to fans after the news yesterday regarding the south american show that there is a very good possibility they'll do the same thing next year: a tour and an album. What more could we want? It seems you took this article in a negative way. I took it the completely opposite way. I wish the south american show hadn't been announced, but after reading the billboard piece, I'm as excited as ever about what the future of the Beach Boys (although if it all ends with the 50th, at least we go that).

DROOL.......................................................
...................................................SLOBBER......................................
.............

BRING IT ON!

 :hat

To the powers that be....

The Live Album:  Please don't just give us the NPR show on CD.  Watch it with the autotune.  Don't just give us a duplicate audio companion to the DVD.

The DVD: Please try to capture the joy and fun that the audiences are feeling at these shows.  Don't shoot this concert like an eighth grade talent show.  Film it from the audience's perspective and give the show the justice it deserves.  Also, please give us every song that was performed on the tour even if it's tagged on in a bonus feature section.  Oh and a 90 minute tour documentary is implied. 

K thanks!  :police:

Live album and DVD.

 :p to those who doubted the 'Live' album would happen

Vocals of Carl ?? Song by Dennis ??  :o


Thomas says he and Wilson had "about 80 hours worth of tape," much of it culled from material they were working on around the time of Wilson's 1998 "Imagination" album that "were always songs he had earmarked for the Beach Boys." Some are on "That's Why God Made the Radio," but others include demos with the late Carl Wilson's vocals and an unreleased Dennis Wilson composition, as well as songs that were part of a suite from which the new album's "Pacific Coast Highway" and "Summer's Gone" (co-written with Jon Bon Jovi) were drawn.



The other stuff:

I guess it's just Mike wanting to concentrate on the kind of show he and Bruce make normally. Lots of Surf stuff and all that and only just so many deep cuts. It probably also has to do with how many time you need to practice instead of just going out and play.
Anyway, the way they are doing it now is the right one. And it'll be very hard for Mike and Bruce to go back as "The Beach Boys" to the regular show, no matter how good it is. This current tour probably is the best tour the Beach Boys have done since the early 70s (and that makes it even sadder that Dennis and Carl aren't there) and gave the name/the brand a whole new meaning, drawing it out of the mud it threatened to bog in for the last decades. What is now - as Mike probably agrees on - is greater than any of the acts that toured on their own and, might I say, even greater than the Beach Boys have been since at least the 80s

Leave in the flubs. We are all adults here and can handle it!

What the Hell's wrong with larger venues?  The more people, the better, right?  "Limited". Sounds like that word should be applied to small venues, not larger.

Live album will be of this tour.  Nice!  Hope it includes every song that they're doing!

Greatest Hits again.    No mention of a "Live" Beach Boys anthology box from the 60's - 90's.

Fucks sake.

Mike, have you realised that being one of the biggest bands in the history of recorded sound means YOU CAN DO sh*t LIKE THIS AND NOT FEEL POOR. Y'know, play to 20,000 people WHO WANT TO GIVE YOU MONEY and appreciate the fact that you're an part of an artistically legitimate outfit who can put on superlative shows which not only feature bastard Kokomo but also all the cool material you've spent all that time pretending you didn't care about, even though if I had sung the bass part on Prayer (to pick ONE)  I'd print up fucking business cards saying so.

Here's an idea, Mike - Fire your astrologist. Maybe give a little less to David Lynch's wallet/TM fundraiser next year. Get a fucking decent accountant. Or just stop thinking that you only deserve to play Arsepit, TX's local dog track and brothel. You fucking invented a small section of American pop music and you are still here to enjoy it. ACT LIKE IT.


Sorry. Especially to any residents of Arsepit, TX.

To do the Live CD justice or to do it the right way, it has to be a 2 CD set. The first CD could cover the opening "fun" set, and the second CD could be for the "deeper" set, with the encores, of course...

That's right. But I guess the CD will just be the same material as on the DVD. A soundtrack to it.

I hope the DVD will not just be the PBS special (which I haven't seen of course).

All I can say to the people who are involved: Please be careful in making these things ! Don't try to just go the surf route and leave out the deep cuts. Make this stuff worthwhile for one of the greatest bands ever.


And re: a new album. I said this somewhere else. Although I'd like to hear more of them they should only do it if they can deliver an album at least as good as TWGMTR. In their ages every new record could be the last and TWGMTR would actually be quite a nice way to leave the stage

Agreed. As awesome as this tour juggernaut may be, I can see Mike looking forward to downshifting a bit and doing some less stressful M&B shows. Lot of pressure up there, and it's been truly amazing to me how they handle it night in, night out.

I'm also looking forward to the next album. But please - let's rawk it a little! There may be stuff in the can from Carl and Dennis, but let's keep it fresh and rawk it. I want to hear them harmonize to da big beat.
 Buzzy booozy buzzy boozy bah bahm. Like that - get on that harmony kick.

Mike Love doesn't understand the BBs legacy at all....

Is it our fault Mike has a bunch of ex-wives that he has to pay off...

What a cheapskate , always about the money

"Isn't It Time" is a great choice, but "next single"?

Was TWGMTR ever released as a PHYSICAL single?  I don't think so.  ANyway, where are all the obscure B-sides that would be welcome by us?  This is why ITunes singles SUH-UHCK.

I'm sure the Carl track he's talking about is Waves of Love. Wonder what the Dennis track is......  ;D

Ah, the 1973 Beach Boys In Concert did pretty well.  I'd say do the new one just like that one. Mix 'em up.

It's good he talks about doing more studio work, yes.

The touring part: he mostly talks about how his band sound great for less money and 'stress' (dude, you love touring) and play everywhere, even if that is some fleapit that no musician of his stature would take his worst enemy to. f*** that, imo.

Please make the LIVE CD a double or triple CD with 50 tracks. Please don't cut corners. This tour is too good for that.

A Box Set? I think Capital can do that without a new BB deal. That stuff is already in the vaults.

I'm not trying to insinuate that Mike's opinion won't hold any weight but my feeling is as someone mentioned the other day, if Brian wants to continue after this tour, the show will go on.  They won't be playing flea pits either I don't think.

Bri: Hey Mike what are we doing here playing this car wash on a Wednesday afternoon?

Punch it baby punch it!

We were told via press release back in March we would be getting both a greatest hits cd and a box set by years end.  That came direct from Capitol.

Sure Timmy, whatever you say 


Man, I've got to go back and check the Capitol vaults again; I couldn't find WIBNTLA there  the last time through

I think what Mike means by "expensive" is more to do with the fact he sees a lot of money being wasted..

He probably doesn't see the need for all the musicians and the massive platform and the screen...

Basically he's making a lot of money from the tour but he could be making more

I'm still hoping for a Mike Love and Celebration set. No joke.  :woot

I still want the band to stay together.

He doesn't even say anything about money being wasted. He just says that the only drawback is that the scale of the tour means they can't play smaller venues -- which is true. But he also says that "concert promoters are also pushing for more of the reunion lineup."

It doesn't come across as at all negative to me, just "this kind of tour costs money, which means you can't play the small places I sometimes like playing". I don't see why anyone would think that was a bad thing for him to be saying.

You're just another Mikeista, aren't you?

Of course they can. They played a 2200 seat event center in May.....

Screw the money.  Think about the fans and what they want this time around, Mike.  You got more than enough money already.

Jeez, I know I shouldn't worry, but hopefully Mike just didn't mention the box set because he's not a "deep cuts" kinda guy, much less a rarities fan. He was pushing the things that will probably make more money (i.e. "hits" album and live album) because that's what he does.

As long as we get the box set and a new studio album, I'm golden. The greatest hits will be nice if there is indeed new tracks, and the live album, well, maybe I'll get it if the tracklisting is enticing enough.

bgas posted a total lie about Mike wanting to tour in a station wagon with Bruce.   I don't see anything about that anywhere in that article.  So much for bgas Beach Boys knowledge not to mention his biases. Go post on the Blueboard.

You know there'll be some freshly baited hooks in there (aka new tracks) to lure us old fogeys who already have 3-4 different compilations already. Box set okay, greatest hits cd - ah, no.

Besides, greatest hits releases are for housewives and johnny-come-lately's.

Hardly. I have no time at all for Mike's music when not co-written with one or more Wilsons, and my fifty favourite Beach Boys songs probably wouldn't include a single Mike lead vocal. With the exception of Isn't It Time, I find all the songs he's written or co-written on the new album to be execrable. I think Looking Back With Love may well be the worst cultural product in the entire history of human civilisation. And I have no particular opinions of him as a person either way.

What I don't like is when people repeatedly choose to put the worst possible interpretations on anything he -- or anyone else for that matter -- says.

Things he *doesn't* say in that article:
He's not touring with the rest of the band after the reunion tour ends
He doesn't see the need for the expense of this tour
He'd rather be touring with his own band

Yet people in this thread have interpreted him as saying all those things.

I just think there are some people who are determined, no matter what Mike actually says or does, to see him in a hostile light. If he says "I'd like to play small venues, but it's impractical with a tour on this scale", he's being money-grubbing, but if he were to say "I love playing these huge venues" then he'd only be saying that because large audiences mean more money. If there's *nothing at all* he can say that wouldn't be interpreted badly, then there's something very wrong there.

http://www.pressandguide.com/articles/2012/06/27/life/doc4feafbb29edf1494390588.txt?viewmode=fullstory

Mike: “There’s a lot of ideas being floated around but nothing definitely in stone,” he says. “We’ll just have to see what the consensus is after finishing up this year of the reunion, and then we’ll take a look at what else we can do in the future. I know I’d be happy for it to continue.”

it is clear  who knows their beach boys knowledge between the 2 of you. you even know his real name? and how many beach boy items that name is printed on? another reason to dislike cats....  :)

Well, we know there's a drawback for Brian also: having to be in front of crowds, being nervous, etc. Yet, just as his cousin, he's pulling through while this lasts. This is as much an act of greatness as these guys can come up with.

There's such a bright outlook for the future that I just can't understand the urge to downpoint Love for a remark in an interview not unlike Brian's or Al's. This is as big an act of generosity to us fans as they are capable of -while making some money- much more than we could dream of. Mike calls the shots on tour, and he's agreed to a fanboy's dream setlist as much as it is reasonable. He's put his stamp as executive producer on an album he did not write much on, that ends with a quasi deathbed letter (exagerating here, I know).

Let's give these guys a break. Especially Mike. Let us not wait for every tiny bit of minutia to jump on him like if it was 1999.

 It's our turn to grow mature now.

I actually think Mike has been pretty magnanimous and ceded a lot of control over this tour.

It's not what he's used to...the relatively complex stage setup and large number of musicians probably means it's not making much money. Not that cash is the be-all and end-all of everything but I don't think Mike has ever shied away from commercialism and that is not always a bad thing.

But please everybody, read the interview and not just selected quotes.

Mike is totally open to the possibility of a South American tour and maybe more dates with all 5 surviving Beach Boys. Mike is open to another studio album, and the most tantalising of all...Brian is not yet ready to share the full version of Summer's Gone with us. Maybe there's something really special yet to come from the Beach Boys.

And no....Mike says nothing about preferring to tour out of the back of a station wagon with Bruce. He just says this tour setup is bigger than he's used to, more costly and so on. He doesn't say he isn't enjoying it.

It must be a doubled edge sword for Mike.  Yes, this version of the band is a pain to shlep around the country but I hope he doesn't forget that with that size, comes all the hype and attention from the media.  Don't tell me he hasn't enjoyed how much the Beach Boys has been in the spotlight in the last few months?  He's always been huge on "keeping the Beach Boys brand out there" well...here it is.  Keep the whole team together and you've got it, man.

Yes, please. Don't try to 'fix' things in the studio...it sounds fine as is!

Probably another greatest hits without any Love You songs..

Well, let's be real here, Love You songs don't belong on a greatest hits package.

Yeah i've kinda forgot that it has the name "Greatest Hits" before postin' that, so yeah.. i was just givin' echo to what i posted in the other thread talking about compilations that it's sad that there's never any Love You songs on any kind of compilations (but i could be wrong, please tell me if there is -edit- wait wasn't there some kind of Brothers compilation with like, one Love You song on it) while there's stuff like Wipe Out and Here Comes The Night on popular compilations like Sounds Of Summer.

Another greatest hits package? Come on.

I want a box set!!!

I admit to having a suspicion that this fall, in time for the holiday shopping season, someone in or around the Beach Boys camp has the idea of getting a greatest hits compilation of some kind on the retail racks to capitalize on the success of this tour. They're playing some songs live that may or may not have been offered on these most recent packages, perhaps they will try to get them on another hits album. Perhaps even more remixes/remasters, who knows. The Beach Boys are selling right now.

Think "Beach Boys" product over the past several decades *up to 2012* and would it be wrong to say the biggest sellers have been the compilations? Someone has to have that in mind with this tour going over so well. Capitol has to have that in mind - greatest hits packages are the cheapest to produce.

Greatest Hits Vol.3- Best of the Brother Years, featuring liner notes by Brad Elliot (shortly before he went underground to avoid paying people back money that he owed)

SCORCH!!!

Yeah thanks, that's what i thought, but then again, that's probably like, the only one? and it's just one song :/ oh well.

Sure. It's just useless to me. They could also just re-release Endless Summer - the one where they add Good Vibrations.

But personally I think the time is also right for a Hawthorne-like CD. Sure it probably wouldn't sell as much as Greatest Hits but it might sell more than Hawthorne did the first time around. Clearly I'm just being selfish here.

Count me among the selfish, I feel exactly the same way and have posted those thoughts many times. I think a Greatest Hits package in 2012 would be far from necessary, but thinking in terms of profit and low overhead-easy return record company and band decisions, I can see another one coming out:

"But...but...this new one not only has the same songs you've bought on the previous 6 hits packages, we've also remixed and remastered both versions of "Be True To Your School!"

That kind of thing... :-D

I'm game for another rarities compilation any time. It's overdue.

Wouldn't surprise me in the least!

Heck, even if someone rigged up a phony album cover and track list for an unreleased-tracks comp, it might satisfy me for a few weeks (that's a hint to the more creative folks here).

From Mama Says to Mike Says.

greatest hits
just the hits
that's what sells ba-by

hit the road
move that merch
never be la-zy

boyyyyyyy - *boomph*

lol Doo Dah.


Isn't this comp supposed to have several 'new' songs on it?


Yeah...Honkin' Down the Highway

So many things though should be released:

Wouldn't It Be Nice To Live Again, Carry Me Home, We Got Love, Over the Waves, Big Sur, Walkin', Awake, Life is For the Living, Lines, It's Trying to Say...my apologies if any of these have seen a release. Any others?

Well apparently plans have changed (or it's entirely possible I misread the original reports completely).  Originally I thought the plan was to release a greatest hits package for the masses and then a box set for the diehards.  Sort of like what they did for "The SMiLE Sessions".  That is why a few months back everyone was throwing in requests like the original version of "California Feeling" and WIBNTLA.

I'll settle for - not just settle for, but literally rush out to buy - a full, unedited release of those early session reels that were discovered by a guy some years ago and eventually made their way to Jon Stebbins who got them into the right hands and into the official vaults. These had studio session material missing from SOT, and by the news accounts, the tapes were in excellent condition. I think that's the story, anyway.

*That* is the kind of thing I'd want on a wish list. :)

I think Mike loves the reunion tour and the attention, but Mike has never been one for long rehearsals to learn different songs, intricate parts etc going as far back as the 60's so in his mind that creates a lot of stress and time and that part he doesn't enjoy. With the Mike and Bruceband , I would bet Mike hardly spends any time rehearsing/soundchecking. Totten does everything with the band, Mike checks a few part and sound levels and bam he's done. Sometimes it sounds great, sometimes it sounds half assed. That's been Mike's way for many years.
 But so far he has been willing to sacrifice it the time and stress for this tour so good for him. I'm not sure he does it more permanently time will tell.

I don't think plans have changed at all. The original press release said a new hits comp and a career-spanning box. New Capitol promotional material has also mentioned the "ultimate" boxed set, or something along those lines.

What Mike Love needs to learn is that that is a bloody stupid way to be the greatest American pop band.

To some degree I felt watching the show last night as if it's already two shows. The first half is the Mike and Bruce show, the second half is the BW show. Frankly, additional songs could be added where all Mike would have to do is shake a tamborine and mime like he's singing along if they were songs Brian really wanted in there. The Wondermints could cover any parts Mike didn't feel like learning. Have Bruce adjust his microphone for a while, no problem. And I don't mean any disrespect to those two guys in suggesting it. If Dave can go out with the band and do "Pet Sounds" without any other members, why couldn't Al or Brian do songs at certain points where Mike or Bruce didn't have much to do besides an occasional "bom bom bom"?

I think another thing that might be telling for Mike is that he's so interested in making direct contact with audience members, eye contact, all that pointing, etc., that when he's suddenly in a huge space, it's just a sea of faces in front of him, which makes it harder to connect with people in the same way. Yes, the extra expense of having to fly people and cart all that gear around is also prohibitive (and almost certainly explains the cost of the VIP experience, to help offset that expense so that the five main members get proportionally more than, say, Probyn). But I think he also just thrives when he can see the people and interact with them.

So many varying conflicting reports concerning the box set. Hopefully Phil Cohen can stop by and sort things out  ;)

Just a reminder that the setlists between Mike vs Brian's groups aren't thaaat different.  Here's a setlist from Brian's tour last year and one from the current tour:

Brian Wilson - Gershwin Tour Fall 2011
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bZJyaIKdw-Y/T-kydXe4wHI/AAAAAAAAQNk/2j80mcu6V98/s576/IMG_4084.jpg)


The Beach Boys Reunion 2012
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Ef-WdMbDSpk/T8xuXvWMFKI/AAAAAAAAJW8/FgpApY9R2kU/s576/IMG_5456.JPG)

No question. But what we have now is the f*cking Beach Boys!!! When they all are going solo again, it will be just that. Members of the Beach Boys doing their own stuff

Gosh Darn

Yeah, all the talk about singles nowdays I don't get. If they are talking strictly download, wouldn't every song on the album be a single? Is it not possible to go to itunes and just download individual songs from the album? I WANT MY 45'S!

"Mike Love doesn't care about Beach Boy people"

(http://cdn.necolebitchie.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/george-bush-kanye-west-statement.jpg)

Some Paley stuff maybe?  Still A Mystery, Soul Searchin, etc....

Technically...We Got Love WAS released.

I still think we should hope for the best about the Beach Boys Central website, but...after almost 6 years, it's less and less of a possibility.

 :lol

It's not about setlists - if it was, Brian would come out tops because he did a significant portion of his new album, and subsequently the entire thing in it's entirety. But I'm not criticising the group for not playing TWGMTR in it's entirety - that wouldn't sit well for these shows (and arguably it didn't for the Gershwin ones either). Rather, it comes down to what their separate ambitions for the band are.

Mike seems entirely content with playing absolutely anywhere with the smallest ensemble possible to maximise costs, whilst simultaneously seeming content with the group being a spent force musically. Maybe Brian coming up to him with a new BB's album was a shock, IDK. But I imagine he would have been perfectly happy with touring Kokomo into the ground with the ever fiscally minded Bruce, his son, and some hired hands, because he likes touring but he also likes money. The two dovetail nicely - more touring, more money.

Brian, on the other hand, is happy to tour with a huge band that constantly lose him money and do artistically ambitious tours, and continue to create new music.


There's a fundamental difference of opinion as to what 'The Beach Boys' should be. Brian clearly still sees them as a band - maybe his band, and maybe he always saw them that way - which can still create new music and be a big deal. Mike is advised by his wallet. He would be much less enthusiastic about new studio material if TWGMTR sold sweet FA.

If Brian and the Beach Boys hadn't sold massive amounts of records and made massive amounts of money in the early days, singing about surfing and cars (with Mike writing some lyrics and doing some lead vocals), Brian wouldn't be rich enough to throw money away doing big band tours of the music of George Gershwin (not exactly his own new music) or his other non-hit solo albums.  If Kokomo hadn't have been a massive hit in 1989 or whenever it was, there might be less of an audience for the Beach Boys reunion.  The public's view of the Beach Boys and Brian Wilson fans are very different and Brian Wilson fans might hate it but there's an interdependence because the casual fan paid the bills that made the so-called art possible. Maybe hardcore Brian Wilson fans don't like the early hits and lord knows most of the despise Kokomo, but they helped make the things that Brian did since possible.  Something has to pay the bills.  I don't think Brian lives in a two bedroom ranch house or drives a Hyundai, either. 

If making money isn't important to you, please send me your pay check. I'm sure after your comments above that all the effort that you put in what you do is worth zero to you. When you cannot legally make a record as The Beach Boys, touring becomes your main source of income. At the Camden show I saw 3 eighteen wheelers, along with 3 or 4 tour buses. It has to cost a small fortune just in fuel for this tour. Not to mention paying the musicians, techs, roadies and insurance.

I think we ought to be careful what we wish for, a show loaded with deep cuts might tickle we few but it might drive the reunion crowds into their couches at home. We also ought to be careful what we read into other peoples' quotes.

Doc, not bothering quoting that because MASSIVE SETLIST PHOTOS

Fair point. But our menial jobs are not the same as being a Beach Boy. My new job does mean f***-all to me. It's a job and it's my rent. It's got literally nothing to do with how I envisage myself as a human being. The same cannot be said for these people. If Mike views it solely as a job, well, shame on him. I don't think he does, but I think he's trying to have his cake and eat it.


Something else in Mike's favour to consider is that he himself is not 'the draw' of The Beach Boys. In a touring context, with promoters and the press, it's Brian. In Britain, 2011, Brian plays the RFH and a small tour, Mike plays a racecourse as a one-off - it's likely all he could get. Which must drive him fucking insane, because he works his arse off as a frontman. I sympathise with that. And maybe Mike's smaller ensembles vs. Brian's little orchestra play into the Brian/Mike fight. And yeah, the popular consensus of Beach Boys fandom is that Mike Love is Satan.

But he's 'kept the Beach Boys out there' to the extent where he's playing a racecourse and Brian's playing one of our most prestigious venues. What does that tell you?

I would still like to see them do one or two of these shows before they "pack it in".  I mentioned a few weeks back to mixed reviews that it would be interesting if they would perform for example "Pet Sounds" in it's entirely to a smaller more intimate crowd and film it for posterity.  Probably a pipe dream but not a bad one nonetheless.

Royal Festival Hall holds 2,500 people.  That's not a large venue.  I don't know what other places Brian played in Britain.  Britain has been a good market for Brian Wilson.  In the States, it seems like Brian was playing the same cities and areas every time he toured and I'm not sure he's done as well in certain regions so he didn't play them too much.

Mike, on the other hand, has played all over the United States and since the United States defines the casual Beach Boys' fan I'm not sure it made a difference who he was playing with before the reunion and the publicity about who the members of the reunion band are.  Mike had very low overhead since they rented everything including the amps.  I read an online interview with Scott Totten, since I had not idea who he really was until this reunion tour, other than seeing his name as part of Mike's band.  Scott said he didn't like playing with rented amps since he likes control over the sound quality, but the budget was cheaper with renting amps in each city versus slogging the same equipment in a big rig.  I'm sure the current reunion  tour has its own amps, PA, lighting, props, video screens, and whatever.  That's a big budget.  I'm not sure the Beach Boys are the type of act that can sustain the kind of ticket sales to finance that once people no longer see the novelty of a 50th reunion.  I'm not sure how much interest there is in deep cuts other than in a few big cities or college towns and only in smaller halls, like when they played the Beacon in New York. 

We're getting a show like that now. And it's going across better than well.

Times change.

As I've said, I saw shows in Bangor (small market, casual fans) and Boston (big market, more die-hards). The deep cuts went across equally well in both places. Both were sellouts. And people love Brian like crazy.

I think this distinction between "casual" and "diehard" fan meant something when the audience was mainly boomers. But with successive generations, people like both the band and are aware of Brian's story within it. They don't see a difference -- and believe me, IJWMFTT got one of the biggest reactions at each show. IJWMFTT.

Brian is always going to be a smaller act simply because he's not quite as famous as the band he comes from. But to draw the conclusion from that that people aren't interested in seeing the Boys do a diverse and musically interesting show is faulty.

Literally every other big name rock band can do what Mike Love deems as really expensive. You think Bruce Springsteen rents his amps?

Being a musical artist is Mike's job. He's lucky in the sense that he gets to do what he loves as a job. I guarantee you that anyone that makes music, also makes it to make a living. Can you imagine Brian greeting customers at Wal-Mart when he is off the road becuase he only made music for music's sake? Being a rock star is a business, big business.

I think it is ironic that Mike has toured so long as a BB, yet doesn't understand the legacy of the group at all as shown by his cheap stunts. His BBs-lite were quite good live though.

Him and Mike also earn enough from those stupendous royalty cheques, mind. If Mike somehow isn't making enough money from them, he is probably being embezzled.

Kittykat, my point is not about capacity, it's that the Royal Festival Hall is an exceedingly prestigious venue in the heart of London, and a string of theatre dates.... and Mike plays a racecourse. And the last time I read that 'The United States defines the Beach Boys fan', The Real Beach Boy was joking.

Before the C50 became a reality, one of the most popular objections for a reunion was: "the BBs -read Mike and Bruce- play every year in your town... What difference would this make to the public? Why would people wanna go?"

Well, aside from those naysayers being proved dead wrong, and not having acknowledged the mistake of their presumption, it's amazing that the discussion has turned to the exact opposite.

But would enough people (as in enough to sell out) want to go pay big ticket prices for the reunion line-up if they tour again after this year?  I'm not saying they wouldn't, but a 50th anniversary is special and it's also gotten a lot of publicty that subsequent tours would not get.  I don't think there are as many Beach Boys' fans as Bruce Springsteen fans or Bon Jovi fans or even Kiss fans.  With or without Brian Wilson and Al Jardine included in the line up.  Mike may now have a reduced or no audience for his shows without those guys and the big band on board, but the big line-up may not be self-sustaining.  Which would mean much more limited or no touring for any configuration of the Beach Boys.  Of course Bruce Springsteen can haul his own amps in huge big rigs.  The current Beach Boys reunion tour isn't even on the scale of a Bruce Springsteen tour.  Bruce has done big basketball arena tours in numerous cities for years now and still packs them in.  The Beach Boys reunion tour has only played a handful of dates that big and may never be able to sell those kind of venues again without the 50th anniversary hype.

1.) The ticket prices are not that high. Really, they're not.

2.) Brian has managed to tour with a lineup that large (although not with all the principals and effects) for years.

3.) There hasn't been that much hype. Not that I've seen. I mean, it's a lot for the BBs, but not for most musical acts.

If the Beach Boys really wanted to tour in this way, with this lineup, it is an option available to them. They would have to make changes and sacrifices (not tour as much, most likely, record more frequently, do more promotion, in Mike's case take a bit less money), but it could be done.

If the 50th anniversary shows, etc., have shown anything, it is how much value is left in this brand. You have to treat the band as something valuable and classy to have people want to spend money and time on it. This tour is, and people are.

That's my point. Everything is about business and money; composing, writing, publishing, recording and performing.

(http://i.imgur.com/c5xlg.jpg)

It is if you want it to be. But it doesn't have to be.

No, you tell me. You have all the answers. Tell me who of all the major acts out there right now that don't make money from the things that I listed?

Haha. Here we go again! I wasn't being hostile, I swear!

But I would say that obviously the "major acts" make money from the things you listed. Not everyone is a "major act", and not everyone wants to be one. In fact, I would say the overwhelming vast majority of artists couldn't care less about making money, or least wouldn't put it ahead of making the kind of art they want to make and you'll more than likely not hear of them with some lucky exceptions.

But people now seem to be suggesting there should more than there are already, not more than there used to be.

Am I misunderstanding this? Is he saying that they've gone back and touched up the recording? I know they've made the change in concert but it sounds like Mike is saying they will release an alternate version as the single...

Well, all my posts were about The Beach Boys. I think we can agree that they are a major act. Lots of acts pay their dues, but most have to eat, and hope that their art makes money and that they can make a living from it.

Hypehat's point though is that The Beach Boys are such a big act that they don't have to worry about still making money at this point. The only thing they have to worry about is spending too much of the money they already have. Otherwise, it's plain sailing! Look at George Harrison's career after, say, 1980. Was that a man really concerned about making a ton of money or just a guy who enjoyed making music and if he wrote enough songs, maybe releasing an album. Certainly everything was not about making money in that case.

People here claim Brian runs at a loss on his tours. If he didn't have other income, I doubt that he could afford to do that very long. They have different lifestyles can we do. They make a lot of money by our standards, but it may not be as much as you think, considering the way they live. As for Mike, one way to make more income is to bring expenses down. His shows are lean and mean. This tour creates more revenue, but also more expenses.

Yes, that's my point. Your point is that "Everything is about business and money; composing, writing, publishing, recording and performing." Well, clearly, if Brian's tours are running on a loss (and, to be honest, I don't know that they are) then it has nothing to do with "business" or "money" - that would be bad business. Now if your point is simply that people can't do things without money, well, that's just transparent. That's why some artists who are uninterested in having money be the end-goal of creativity work multiple jobs. But to say that "Everything is about business and money" is false and certainly doesn't have to be true for The Beach Boys at this point in time. Hell, it's not true for The Beatles, and I'm sure they're doing just fine.


They're not gazelles - it's not as if their extravagant lifestyle constitutes a natural habitat.

In the final analysis Mike knows he can sell out the Hollywood Bowl with Brian, Al and Dave or draw a "decent crowd" with Bruce at the Tick Tock Inn.

gotta point out that Mike, Bruce, Scotty, and John Cowsill are VERY MUCH a part of the CURRENT touring band.

I think this is a valid point. With this tour, you had a legitimate 50th Anniversary (rare in rock & roll), a QVC mini-concert, that Sunday Morning TV feature, Fallon and Leno appearances, the Good Morning America set, numerous TV and print interviews (including several major dealings with Rolling Stone), radio concerts/documentaries, a soon to be PBS special, live CD, DVD, and boxed set, a new hit album, and one of the better "Brian's Back" campaigns. Did I miss anything?

They did it right and the stars were aligned. I think they can do it right again, but....I hope, if they try this again, they get all that TV and print media coverage, it's essential. I hope the people who bought the new album...like it. And, I hope the "hype" - and there was definitely some - proved to be warranted; it WAS cool to see Al and David back in the fold. But, most importantly, even though the guy was touring and recording for the last 15 years, will the return of Brian Wilson to The Beach Boys as a vital member be sustained; will it continue to fascinate; will it continue to cause people to buy new albums and buy concert tickets?

I think we can all agree that the overwhelming number of audience members who attended the reunion concerts enjoyed them. And, 50th Anniversary or not, a large number of that audience will support the next(?) tour. If Brian Is Back/15 Big Ones in 1976 and "Kokomo" in 1988 have shown, the fans will continue to support the band for at least another year or two.

So much negativity, yet I read it and all I hear is good news.

 Im excited they may make another album, that the tour will be documented with a dvd/album, their may be another alternate version of Isn't it time released, (continuing the tradition of Help me Rhonda and Cottonfields, different from the album cuts) and they are open to continue down the line as a touring group togther once they assess where they are at. It's all good!

The merging of Brian's band with Mike's is a dream come true for some (like me), and I hope it does help to give Mike's version of the group some more respect musically. I would like a live retrospective from throughout the ENTIRE history as I find it interesting as to how the songs and sounds changed (or evolved) over the years.

Just to put that into context, a few points:
The gig at Epsom had around twenty thousand people attending -- nearly ten times the capacity of the Royal Festival Hall. It was a *MASSIVE* crowd.
It wasn't 'all he could get' as such -- a plan for a larger tour fell through because of tax problems.
And when Mike and Brian play actual tours of the UK, as opposed to one-off shows, they tend to play similar-sized venues.

You're quite right that as far as the press goes, Brian's the important one, and that Brian's shows definitely seem classier in terms of venues and so on, but in terms of audience attendance Mike's band can draw just as much of a crowd...

Ah, I wasn't aware of that! Especially the tax problem.


Sheriff, I'd posit that everyone in The Beach Boys' league - Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, anyone like that - does a variant on these things as part of their usual promotional schedule and touring life, because they are huge and that's what big artists do. Even Brian makes late night telly part of his promotional schedule, even though it looks like chinese water torture to him. There's no reason why they shouldn't act like they are the biggest American pop band ever at this point. The Beach Boys still sell millions of records. And we're talking about how the fact they are on Fallon is a shock?

And lo, Wirestone sums it up quietly mid-thread. Although thanks to rockandroll for fighting my corner after I'd gone to bed  :lol

I wonder what Dennis Wilson song they are saving for the next record.. would they do some rerecordings on it, add stuff and all or leave it just like that?
could it be...WIBNTLA ?  :smokin

I read this article and was very, very happy to hear what Mike said.  He talks about the expenses of the tour as the only drawback.  Think about that.  He was probably asked, "Mike, what do you think is the biggest drawback of this seemingly incredible tour?"  He responded, most likely in a few seconds, off the cuff, that the expenses were the biggest drawback. That's all that was.  One sentence that has sparked an entire conversation about Mike being cheap and what not.  I really don't think we should read into this much more. 

Oh my, sanity reared it's head in here. ;) Well said!

I can't believe you're claiming there's sanity on this board

I know, who'da thunk it. ;)

Is Myke Luhv a cheapskate because of his heritage, his upbringing, his alimony responsibilities, his deep seated greed, his control freak attitude, his baldness or the fact that he just can't sing well?

It turns out you've been Mike Love all along. The Mike Love was coming from INSIDEEEE THE HOUSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

I'm no Mike apologist, but I think he's done a commendable job so far with this. He let Brian make the album Brian wanted to make, by all accounts. Sure, he jokes about the suite being a downer, but he's always done that. And he still sang on it, and he sang like Mike Love, which is a sound Brian has been missing for some time now. The Wondermints are great singers, but their voices don't have the personality of an Al or a Mike or even a Bruce voice. He's been supportive of his cousin throughout this whole process, and I don't think it's lip service just to see some dollars. He's a Brian fan too, after all. He's ceded enormous chunks of the show to Brian and Al's rotating wish lists. Even if those songs don't end up staying in every night, they're there, and he's learning them and performing them. I give Mike a lot of credit on this entire C50 thing. He's learned from past mistakes, and I give him kudos for that.

Going back to a conversation a little back on another thread, is there any evidence of how much Al has personally added to the setlist? Anything besides "California Saga"? The bits we've heard about soundchecks and setlist discussions suggest Mike is still, for whatever reason, the gatekeeper of the setlist and has been thankfully convinced to add various songs. But I don't think Al has come in with a list of suggestions and Mike had signed off on all of them. Al apparently suggested "Our Prayer" at some point, although it could have been Brian or his band that suggested that as well.

I think the thing with Mike is that he is being much more diplomatic and open to "change" for this reunion than we all would have probably guessed. But he's still Mike, and that still means he brings some sensibilities to the reunion that will never be undone, because that's the way he is. I'm amazed at how varied the setlist has been. But it sounds like Mike is still defensive about it, as if they would lose all their fans if they skipped "Little Deuce Coupe" one night or something.