The Smiley Smile Message Board

Hi there

Not posted for a while on here.
With the new BB 2012 tour goin on, i was comparing it to some of the BW shows from 2000 onwards to see what the diff is (yes i know one has the remaining BB's and the other just the one BB) sonically with the instruments / vocals / arrangements etc

Thought i'd branch it out a little to you guys and ask which is the best sounding boot of BB 2012, and also likewise for BW from 2000 onwards,
AN also what you think of the differences between the 2, and which you prefer for better or for worse etc.

One last one,
I'm desperate to find the best sounding/performed Live BW show of SMiLE (with some choice Pet Sounds, Here Today cuts thrown in), could anyone point me in the right direction on this?

THanks for your help!

David Marks leading the BB orchestra in the track Pet Sounds. . . . . .

I can say more if needed. . . . .

Fairly certain the original post includes several things that are forbidden by board policy.

Ignoring those parts, then ...

The two things are entirely different. The energy level, approach to the music -- yes, many of Brian's guys are there, but the mood and approach is so separate that I think comparing them is pointless.

This was a Beach Boys tour. It was about the lead guys and their legacy. The Brian tours are explorations of the music, with Brian sometimes coming down to earth to comment.

The best Brian shows I saw were two weeks apart, back during the 2009 American tour. And I have never, ever seen him more "on" than these nights. But seeing him with the band...he looks rejuvenated. He has something new to do. It's so hard to compare the two. I'm glad we got the Brian/Michael and Bruce (and sometimes David)/Al factions, but in the end, they work so much better together.

I think the great thing about the 2012 tour (besides the fact it actually happened) is that David is FINALLY getting that chance again to be in the spotlight.

I've only seen Brian during the Gershwin tour so I don't feel like I can comment on this specifically. I can say that I wouldn't mind if I never heard Brian sing a Mike Love lead again. But I also wouldn't protest!

Different crowds, different situations.  I've seen BW live many times.  The focus is on him.  The setlist is often a little more interesting and daring.  The fans are generally a little more versed in BB lore...but you can't beat the chance to see Brian and Mike and Al on stage together.  I've heard Brian do "Please Let Me Wonder" live...but it was so much cooler to hear him do it with Mike. 

I think Brian's better when he doesn't have to sing all of the leads.  It makes his voice stronger for the songs he does sing on.  When I saw him with the Beach Boys, he was in much stronger voice than in the solo shows I'd seen him do.  And since he brought the majority of his band with him anyway (though I miss Taylor Mills being in the lineup), I'd say the Beach Boys get my vote.

Entirely agree.

hi everyone

Thanks for all the posts on here, am getting a gen vibe/consensus on this.
Sorry if I've broke any house rules, defo not my intention.

I was just after anyone able to point me in the direction of the best BW concert (containing alot of SMiLE Obviously), and also the best BB's concert
so i copuld dig these out for my own pleasure and have a bit of compare and contrast of both worlds and see whats dif/better/worse/etc.

yeah diggin what people are saying alittle on this, still would love to be able to have a listen of the better of each - big fan of each!!!!

peace  :afro :smokin :afro

Yeah, and I think Brian's also better when he isn't the total focus of the show, and when he doesn't have to play the "Master of Ceremonies."  With The Beach Boys, the focus is on the whole group, not just him, and Mike, of course, is the MC, joking w/ the audience and introducing the songs, which is something that comes naturally to Mike. Thus, Brian is able to relax more, play the piano, and just get ready to sing his leads without worrying about bantering w/ the audience, etc. 

With his solo shows, it really depends what he's singing - He did the Gershwin set with little or no help from Jeff, sounded clear as a bell and sometimes like his 80's self. Come the second set.... Jeff is propping him up a fair bit, and it's standard play for BW. it's common knowledge he prefers new experiences/songs. Which is probably why the tour is working out!

Well hearing Smile material live I don't think I can top that in my book.

that is the vibe I'm after hearing through my speakers!!
I've got the BWPS Live DVD with Beautiful Dreamer, a little too jolly for me
& BWPS CD, not 'quite' as Jolly but lacks the resonence/vibe/contemplation/etheral otherworldlyness of TSS i also have

whats the best SMiLE gig? if anyone has a clue just send me a PM - am soooo desperate to hear more of the TSS vibe when played live, is it there?
sorry for the perseverance but i sadly missed out on seeing BW live mid 2000 :(

See the sticky thread at the top of the board about requests for PMs. This isn't a bootleg-trading board, and if it becomes known as one it may well get shut down.

Oops sorry about that, noted

No problem. Many of us would *like* to be able to trade unreleased material more freely (and if I had any Brian solo shows from the time you are talking about to share I would have PMd you, but I don't have any decent 2004 shows in an easily-shareable format), but it's not really something we can do here. We don't want to get the board moderators into any kind of legal trouble for something they do as a favour to us.

That said, if you're not a fan of the Smile live DVD or Brian's Smile CD, you probably won't find the live recordings from that time particularly impressive. If you've not heard any shows from that time, NPR has one that you can legally stream at http://www.npr.org/2005/08/23/4182988/brian-wilsons-smile-live-in-concert . It's better sound quality than most of the bootlegs I've heard, and is a pretty typical setlist and performance for that time period. Hope that's some help.

BBs much better.

Saw Brian's most artistically-significant tour (Smile) and still nothing compares to the vibe and performance of this reunion. Brian is in much better vocal shape now and seems loose and comfortable as compared to the show I saw, or most of the videos circulating.

BTW, I won't believe a word about Brian's killer 2009 shows until I see proof in video. None has appeared in three years.

You gotta believe it, man. They were amazing. Remember, when you have something that both I and The Real Beach Boy agree on, the chances of it being true are pretty high.

There were quite a few YouTube clips back in the day, too. I think most of them were taken down within a year or so.

I know it's generally regarded that the 2009 hits tour was great, but believe me when I tell you that trend goes back a year earlier to the US TLOS tour.  The Nashville show I attended was shockingly good.  I still remember the collective gasp from the audience when he nailed the opening line of In My Room.  No one, and I mean no one expected him to sing that well.  This is also my favorite BW live recording for obvious reasons.

For live recordings of Smile, you really can't beat the premiere.  It isn't the best sounding or the best performed, but the energy and vibe of that event can't be duplicated.  Amazing.

I know audio of at least 2 of those shows circulates, and they both sound really good. Brian was in excellent voice and you can also clearly hear him in a lot of the vocal harmonies, which to me is an indication of how into these shows he was. I was at the show at WVU in fall 2009 and it was the best I've seen Brian, both vocally and his interaction with the audience. He was more engaged in that show than the 4 other times I saw him, including during the reunion tour.

As a whole though, the reunion show was amazing. The set list, the energy and the overall performances from the boys and the backing band was incredible. Someone said above, and I agree, that not having to be in the spotlight the whole show benefits Brian, but I also think everyone benefits from the shared spotlight. The 5 of them together is the best case scenario for everyone, especially us fans!

Really if I like a band their solo stuff never carries near as much interest. There's exceptions of course (POB for one) but I like a lot of people, better known as solo artists, more in the their early bands. Brian's done some great work solo, even Mike and Bruce have turned in some fine shows, but I always missed the other guys. Together it felt so much better.