The Smiley Smile Message Board

What happened to this song?

There was that great half-hour documentary on the making of the MIU Album which was called "Our Team".

One of the main highlights of the special is the BBs recording the song "Our Team".

It seems that at one point this "Our Team" song was highly regarded by The BB's. I feel like it's a catchy song, and actually succeeds in mixing the early 60's style with what was the current sonic landscape of '77/'78. Possibly the hit they needed at the time.

Is there any evidence that the MIU album was to be titled "Our Team" at some point?

What happened? And do you think it was a good decision to scrap it?

My wife says the opening line is very me:

We look like we know what we're doing When they ask us to play  :lol

I really like the song. I can see most serious fans hating it, though. Brian's solo lines are great. and the banjo is pretty cool. and the crowd noises.

"Our Team" wasn't good enough to be a single, but I still think it should've been the closing track on MIU, coming right after "Winds Of Change".

No way, "Our Team" should've been the opener and worked into the album like "Lucky Old Sun" was on Brian's solo album.  Imagine a symphonic arrangement based on the flute melody fading in and then out after "Pitter Patter", and an intricate chorale arrangement of the chorus melody coming in after "Winds of Change". The album instantly goes from 5/10 to at least 7 or 8/10.

I wouldn't call Our Team a stone classic, but being an upbeat group oriented song it is surprising that it was axed for lesser faire.

I like the song, but I don't think it's fits MIU. It's a little looser than those other cuts. It belongs SOMEWHERE, just not sure where.

It is a little pile of goofy crap. Love it. Since the California Feeling bootleg.

It's such a catchy song. First time i heard it was on the GV boxset. The piano is great, and I love Al's and Dennis' vocals. With the exception of My Diane, it's vastly superior to anything on MIU and i'm glad it was left off the album as it doesn't deserve the taint by association. Wouldn't nice to have seen it released however, although i can't really see it fitting anywhere on L.A.

That would be hideous. I think the whole Smile being finished, really shitly debacle has warped Beach Boys fans. One thing they never were, is pretentious.

As for 'Our Team'...I absolutely love it. If it'd been on MIU (don't care where really) it'd have been one of the two standouts along with My Diane. They were absolutely NUTS to scrap it. It's also got a much better production/mix than anything else on the record.

Really don't like it.

Glad to see this underrated gem getting some love. It's such a tight record. True Beach Boys - in the late 70's.


Interesting point. I think I agree with that. As a one off single it could've been great. I just find it odd that they named the "Making Of" special after the song, and made the recording session footage a major part of the special. I guess title wise it fits better than say, "Hey Little Tomboy: The Making Of MIU" but they must have intended on using it at the time. Question exists: is there any reason why this track was pulled, over (as Mike Eder said) several inferior songs? Maybe because of the lack of Mike Love?


You think it's Dennis? At times it sounds like Brian singing those lines. But it almost sounds a little too deep and sad, and maybe too uncharacteristic to be him. Then again, the vibrato heard on those lines seems to be vintage BW.

Wasn't there an idea for a sports album at one point (or two?) That, and "It's Trying to Say" would fit nicely on something like that!

Can't see it on MIU (or any Beach Boys album that doesn't suck!).

I have to say I don't really like it; I mean, i don't hate it, either, but it grates on me in a big way. I am surprised to see so much love for it, for me the melody isn't anything great and the falsetto is too screechy and hurts my ears.

Brian also cut the tracks Bowling and Basketball in '78 at the tail end of the MIU sessions. In fact, somewhere in my mess known as the attic, I have a '78 taped phone interview with Brian where he specifically mentions just recording Bowling. Thus, I have to admit to always being intrigued by these yet unheard sports ditties -- to go along with Our Team, Baseball, etc.

I'm not expecting fully fleshed-out masterpieces, but you never know... :)

It's supposed to be quite the funny track:

The boys all like to go bowlin'
They really get those pins to rollin'
Denny bums smokes from other bowlers
And hides 'em from Landy's controllers

SMASH! I got a strike
Oooh, take that Mike (Mike: "Hey, man...")
'Bout to get a turkey!
This coffee's got me feelin' perky!

Al can never find shoes that fit
He's so short he should just quit
He can only throw a ten pound ball
Be careful Al and try not to fall!

GOSH! I got a spare
And maaannn, hear comes Bruce the Bear
He's been outplayin' Carl
It's enough to make a grown man snarl

Yeah, bowlin'
Yeah, bowlin'
Yeeeaaaahhhh, bowlin'

Love it too. Kind of fits with the health kick/sports songs from late 70s for me: Our Team, It's Trying To Say, life is for living/hey Little Tomboy (ok tenuous but there is 1 baseball reference) and match point of our love. Maybe chuck the americathon one in with the cycling. Stretching it a bit here ...

is that Dennis (the girls in the stands and all of our fans) ? Sounds like Brian to me.

Really? I'd always thought it was Dennis. Does anyone know for certain either way?

I always thought Dennis too, but I think it's Brian. Check the vocal credits list.

Didn't Dennis not even go to MIU?

it sounds just like 15 Big Ones Brian to me.

It's Brian-you actually see some footage of them recording it at the end of the Our Team documentary. As noted-Dennis was pretty much absent from MIU-he came and drummed on one track for a day but that was it.  He recorded his vocal for My Diane in Seattle while on tour.  Carl was pretty much absent too-he was only at MIU about three days.

Hence why MIU is utterly appalling...

As Ian confirmed, it's Dennis.
Can't understand the love for this song. Quite awful imo, though it has some nice melody parts here and there.
Isn't it credited to all members? So Dennis did contribute something to it. Or was it just done that way to go along with the "team-spirit" and was in fact only written by Brian and whoever else?

You mean Brian ;)

What I like about this track is that it sounds completely uninhibited. Everything else on MIU, even My Diane, has got a really tepid, dead sounding mix, and they've played it safe with pretty much every creative choice- even down to excising the insanely creepy talking bits on 'hey little tomboy'

By contrast, Our Team sounds like a total blast- almost a Beach Boys party sound...great, loose playing

Of course ! Sorry for that

I replaced the Peggy Sue cover with it on my mp3 years ago. 2 oldies covers on side 1 is too many.

"Peggy Sue" is the best lead vocal Al Jardine ever did. In my opinion, of course... :police:

Never listened to this one. Hrm.

You need to listen to The Beach Boys' catalogue, son.

I wouldn't say his best, but I like their version of "Peggy Sue" very much. Great production; just listen to the backing track. It's - imo - a better "Come go with me". Although in both cases they don't come near the original

Christmas Time Is Here Again is way better than Peggy Sue.

Hey, just because the likes of "Our Team" and "Brian's Back" have eluded me until recently doesn't mean I haven't listened to most of their stuff. ;(

*measures penis*

Hm, I think all of the Christmas-"cover"versions are inferior to the originals. On the other hand, both use the same backing track, don't they? Maybe it's just the vocal work that turns me off

That version of Peggy Sue is pretty fun, but it could be pretty much anyone...could easily be off some dodgy cabaret bands covers album.

Al does sound a bit like Carl, singing it though.

The Christmas versions are the originals, not the other way around.

Really? Well, at least that wouldn't really count for "Peggy Sue" as that is a cover and was recorded - iirc- during the 15 Big Ones session. But with the others they really did a better job with M.I.U. (never thought I would say that)

Belles Of Paris is pretty obviously a horribly altered Christmas number.

Melekalikimaka can be played on most digital jukeboxes in my area... so you can bet that's what I always put on!

In spite of myself, I love this tune. It would have made no sense on MIU, but then MIU is a barely coherent album as is. Replace Winds of Change with it.

There were four good things recorded for MIU, two of which (Our Team and Your Sweet Lovin') didn't make the cut (the others being My Diane and Pitter Patter). My theory has always been that they decided to hold them in reserve for the first CBS album, but then get led in a different direction by Bruce and Jim Guercio.

Also MUCH better as a Christmas song.

Love the study in contrasts provided by the Christmas album

Morning Christmas/everything else.

Ahh, I forgot about "Your Sweet Lovin'". Would be awesome to hear that in full quality on the box set.

While we're at it, when was "Everybody wants to live" recorded and for which album? I like that song

Feb/March 77, at Brother Studios, for Adult Child.

I agree! I like this idea a lot!

I have a one-track cd with a recording of the Our Team doc. It sounds like it'd be awesome to see. Has any footage popped up on any of the documentaries we've come to know and love?
I think the Mike come Back to LA sounds like one of the best parts. It's got some female voices on it, who are they?



Also, just a side note, the liner on the MIU record lists the musicians who play on it as "our team"....must have been something they were keen on showing.

Hahaha

pretty sure this is from the MIU Our Team Special:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRtEaff4X04&feature=share&list=ULNRtEaff4X04
Mike singing Kona Coast. The YT uploader also has uploaded a video of Dennis singing My Diane...both songs were featured on the special, I believe

Yes, that ^^^ would be from the Our Team documentary. I wonder if he has "Mike Come Back To L.A."? And, did you catch his name? I wonder if he's the bass player from Slade?

Why is the "Our Team" special not available anywhere?!? Doesn't anybody have it at home to upload it? I especially have wanted to hear "Mike Come Back to LA" for years!

I've heard it. I like it alot and somehow, I know it's never gonna get released. just not the type of thing to be released

Mike Come Back To LA is on several bootlegs. You don't need to see the special to hear it.

Yes, this. Also, it's nothing all that special. Basically just the group singing the line "Mike Come Back to L.A." over and over to the tune of "Some Some Some of Your Love".

Thanks for that. I'm sure I'm in the minority but I love this song, maybe just because of the beautiful melancholic shift the song takes at these lines:

And pretty island girls greet you with a flower lei
You'll throw it back into the sea
Hopin' you'll be comin' back to Hawaii

If I didn't know better I'd swear Brian wrote that part.

I'd also love to see this doc. Does anyone have it in reasonable quality?