The Smiley Smile Message Board

(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ukU54oDAVk8/UBZOF46RUzI/AAAAAAAAAds/8l0sy10PNxc/s1600/knebworth.jpg)

Ok, so another fake twofer but I couldn't leave In Concert out of the picture & Knebwoth seemed like the logical companion.

I think IC is going to smash this one but Knebworth has a lot going for it. The former for me though.

Man this is hard. Dennis does more in the 1980 concert and we do have Brian and Bruce. Yet the 1972-73 band was in all ways tighter, more focused, and more creative. I reluctantly give my vote to In Concert though I think it has far too many oldies and Dennis should have had at least one song each side vocally or compositionally. Still the performances themselves are great as is having more from the Ricky and Blondie era.

I'll vote for In Concert. I prefer the setlist over what's performed at Knebworth although I do wish there were some Dennis compositions on there. My two favorites on In Concert are Caroline No and Marcella (which rocks 50 times harder than the studio version). I've actually been bored with the studio version of Marcella ever since hearing the performance on In Concert.

Love Knebworth but In Concert is what I still listen to a lot and had withstood the test of time...

Love You Still Believe in Me, live, Leaving This Town, Marcella, Funky Pretty, SOS, and my fave version with
Carl on Don't Worry Baby. 

And Rhonda, live.  5 minutes! (4:59)

Concert -  It makes me feel 21!   ;) 

In Concert by a lot.

I've got think about Concert vs. Live in London, but this was an easy one for me. Knebworth is a good performance overall, but In Concert kills it.

In Concert reflects the "band that might have been" with Blondie and Ricky on board, an arrangement that could have paid out many more dividends had it been able to continue further. But, alas, Jack Rieley was not really Superman, and the group began to splinter into factions as Brian entered into his most pronounced period of "drift."

It was a killer band, and one really hopes that the powers that be will someday release a more extensive version of In Concert, which would be a fitting tribute to that lost golden moment of opportunity.

Let the Wind Blow, Darlin', Marcella, and the Trader are enough to trump Knebworth.

I'd also like to add the In Concert songs really changed my perspective of the band during that time period.  I mean, these guys were good.  They rocked.  They gave an incredible show and were incredibly talented.  These songs are spectacularly performed, and some of them (i.e. Marcella) I very much prefer over the studio versions. 

In Concert of course has the much more interesting tracklist. The performances sound fresh and strong. Blondie and Ricky add a lot. Blondie's voice fit so great into the blend. Examples are "Don't worry baby" and "Good vibrations". You can hear Dennis a lot in the backgroundsinging but unfortunately he didn't get none of his own songs on the album and also no lead. I'm not that fond of the sound of the record. It sounds great with headphones but not so good through boxes imo. It could need some more bass. I guess a remix and/or remaster would be nice.
Sometimes I wonder if the recordings were sped-up a little but I'm not sure.

Knebworth has a very strong and great sound. Dennis on drums is just awesome and makes songs like "Surfin' USA" "Fun, fun, fun", "California girls" (thankfully with the longer end round) etc. rocking harder than they are on In Concert. Plus he at least gets to sing "You are so beautiful". "Heroes & Villains" is good but better on In Concert imo.
Brian is there but the mix on the CD and DVD doesn't bring him out as much and you could think he didn't add anything but some rugh mixes show he was playing. He's buried very much in the end of "California girls" for example.
Mike's voice is very, very nasal (although there are worse examples) and the blend is not as tigt as on the '74 album but the voices are better mixed than on that one.

A decision is not that easy for me but I guess my vote goes to In Concert. And the more I think of it the more certain I get.

I'll go with Knebworth because of consistency - both in performance and setlist - and the sound. I don't think The Beach Boys rocked as hard as that time frame (1980). Who would've thought Ed Carter had it in him? It's a fun listen, and Brian and Dennis are on the album, as opposed to In Concert.

In Concert is good, but it is too Holland top heavy (4 tracks including "Leaving This Town"). I'm not fond of that arrangement of "Help Me Rhonda", and, while I like "Don't Worry Baby" and "You Still Believe In Me", there is a strained feel to the vocals; something's just not right. In Concert rocks, too, (Fataar is such a superior drummer), but the sound and mix is underwhelming. It is a minor thing, but I don't care for the disjointed applause in between the songs.

I can summarize my vote for Knebworth as such:

Ricky Fataar opens California Girls with flashy hesitation. Dennis Wilson opens California Girls with a thunderous slam.

There on, I had a favorite.

Knebworth 1980.

FANTASTIC concert.  While there's a more artsy and interesting set-list on In Concert -- it's NOT classic live Beach Boys.  It's struggling Beach Boys.  Interesting but a rough time for them.  And Brian's absence on the set, is gaping.  

Early 1980s live Beach Boys is hands-down, the BEST live Beach Boys.  Dennis pounding out those primal big-azz beats.  Brian's there -- looking space-crazy.  Mike Love in full trucker hat-struttin' glory.  Carl in prime condition.  The crowds were BIG.  It's all there.  It's the best.  For me, this is the Beach Boys.  Opening with California Girls.  The prolonged sing-a-long of "Goooootta keep those lovin'-good......"

Chills.

It's a little more "greatest hit-sy" than I would ultimately prefer.  But they do work in a few recent numbers:  School Days, Keeping the Summer Alive and Lady Lynda -- which is actually the highlight on this album for me.  LOVE IT!  More than the studio version.

It's tough to rate these two, since they're two completely different eras.  But...there's something just too big and powerful about the early 80's Beach Boys, that from a "live" perspective is better than any other era.  I listen to In Concert a little more perhaps.  But that's because it is more varied and I don't want to burn out the Knebworth set.  We do need more live Beach Boys from this era...though the set-list probably would make it a tad redundant.  But, maybe not....

They played others as well but those couldn't be included on the CD/DVD:

http://members.tripod.com/~fun_fun_fun/6-20-80.html

Good Timin': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtcbfLnRfpo

Two good and entertaining live albums. These reinforce the point that if there are more noteworthy live shows that are in good shape, they should see the light of day.

I enjoy both of these and often play them back to back when in the mood for some "live" stuff. To an extent these represent the dilemma of the group with its fans: In Concert with some deeper material vs. Knebworth and a more "hits" version. And, as someone stated, it really is 2 different "eras" of the band. I really like  LL in Knebworth as much as I also like Trader in IC.

To me, Knebworth represents the BB as a solid touring/performing group during the '80's (with or without Brian and Dennis). IC represents the group in between peaks of popularity (mid-60's and Endless Summer) trying to find a happy medium with their setlist and perhaps with a bit more freedom to do so. Even the recordings show a difference - one a bit more polished sounding and the other more raw.

In the end I go with In Concert because it brings back the memory of the 1st time I saw them live and was just totally impressed with the then overall depth of their catalogue (my how it has grown even since then!) and became a huge fan. That's not to take anything away from Knebworth at all!

In Concert!

The best Beach Boys live album ever made, and one of the best live albums of all-time, hands down!

This is one of the biggest reasons why I think Blondie and Ricky should never have left. They made the Beach Boys live shows so much better!

My only complaint is the lack of Dennis. But it's still such an excellent album!