The Smiley Smile Message Board

As Beach Boys fans, each of us connects to the personalities behind the band in different ways, but the sense of fraternity which unites them together is something everyone can relate to. We know Brian, and Carl, and Dennis and Johnston, and perhaps the most infamous Beach Boy of all, Mike Love, who's exploits are often recalled, but where does Al fit into things?

I don't know if I'm being a bit too liberal here with regards to taste, but I genuinely enjoy Postcards From California, I enjoy it above many of even Brian Wilson's solo offerings. It's probably no coincidence that the record store day appearance by Al available on youtube is also one of my favorite Beach Boys' related clips. Al's long been one of the group's standout vocalists (in a group where every member is a standout vocalist ironically), and though not especially brilliant, many of his compositions and demos from the 70s are worthy of recognition regardless.

I was wondering if anyone here who's met him could take the time to share some stories with us. Otherwise, I invite posters to chime in with their own opinions of Al's place within the band, his legacy and personality and just in general what type of guy you think he might be.
 

Al was the greatest, because he eats desert before the main meal.

and he looked better in a A-fuel Dragster than Michael Dukakis looked in an army tank.  :police:

Couldn't be nicer when we've talked, haven't spent a great deal of time with him but he makes a great first impression. As far as the band he added a cool folk country vibe, impeccible singing, and is excellent on stage. He is a great talent, and that he could hold his work proudly alongside the work of the Wilson's and Love says a lot.

My favorite story about Al is one that I've read from several sources, usually phrased "Don't let Al order first when you go to a restaurant."

Because more often than not--in fact almost always--when he hears what the next person orders, he will change his mind and order what they're ordering.

Apparently it's gotten to the point where he winds up ordering his initial choice after the last person to order chooses Al's initial selection!

Of course, a fantastic singer, who deserved more leads than he got. Just love the way he nails "Honkin' Down The Highway"!!

Al rules.  And that fact that he is kinda goofy makes him even more endearing to me. 

I was about to type something about Al but I can't remember my opening line! ;)

"Al Jardine" would be a great name for a sandwich, too. What kind of sandwich, tho?

"Let me have an Al Jardine on wheat..."

 this is a real nutbuster...trying to quickly come up with a funny ingredient for the Al Jardine.

horse meat?

EDIT It's a damn shame 

Hearing Al Jardine's voice in the harmony blend, that always makes me very happy. That powerful voice. He seems like a nice guy. If I were forced at gunpoint to dine with the Beach Boy of my choice, it'd probably be Al Jardine.

Al's cool. His solo album annoys me though. I still listened to it a bunch when it first came out all those years ago.

Al would probably be the coolest to hang out with I imagine. :)

Remember in Doin' It Again where Dave demonstrates some of his guitar parts -- It'd be neat to see Al doin' that.  I desire deeper understanding of Al Jardine, the guitarist. Who is he?

Probably a simple answer. Just about as basic as an accompanist gets?

there's this great video that might still be on youtube of Al at some awards show and there's a  bunch of guitarists who all do little short solo to introduce themselves, people like Tom Petty and Chuck Berry and Hubert Sumlin (these are just examples, might not have been the actual personel). and then they say, "and Al Jardine of the Beach Boys!" and he plays the worst solo. it's cute.

Yeah watching Al at the Wembley gig, I was struck by how youthful he seemed in his movements and general energy levels compared to the others. He seems the healthiest and his voice is certainly the least weathered. The songs with his leads were the real touchstones - the ones that transported me back and made me realise that this was the real deal. Watching the Jools Holland show I thought it was a missed opportunity not giving Al at least one lead. I can't understand why Brian was given all the leads on that show.

I think he's written or co written some of the best songs in the catalogue too: California, Take A Load Off Your Feet, All This Is That, Kona Coast, Crack At Your Love. Ok those last two are contentious, but I love 'em!

Watching the new Brian Wilson songwriter doc I had a moment of panic. One of the talking heads, Barney Hoskyns I think, prounounces the surname with a hard 'I' sound as in 'dine' out. It's Jardine like sardine right? een. Or have I been saying it wrong all these years?!

yeah, it's like sardine. that's how the other members of the band pronounce it.

Love Al Jardine. After all, he's the man who told us Smile was coming out.

would love to see this if anyone manages to find it. I faied.

Yeah, Al was the total highlight of Wembley for me, and cosine on it being stupid not to have given him a vocal on Jools Holland. I enjoy seeing Brian, but I've been to loads of the solo shows, and y'know, despite some fanboy bluster to the contrary (The Beach Boys are hitting their peak! He sounds just like he did in 1965), his voice isn't always comfortable listening.

Was super happy to hear Al do wouldn't it be nice. Wished he'd done 'Heroes' as well! All of the ones he inherited from Brian back in the day. Not 'don't worry baby though' (carnegie '72 related murdering)

Al nailed "Don't Worry Baby" on the '73 live album.

Al has always been one of my very favorite members of the band and remains an excellent Singer. I like quite a few of the songs that he wrote and I think he did a good job of lroducing the vocals on MIU. He also helped the bands popularity outside the U. S. with Cottonfields and Lady Lynda.

It's a shame that his efforts since 1998 have been an exercise in how not to have a solo career. And that prior to this reunion that he had wasted so many years.

Tried Al Jardine, but I knew he wouldn't do.

Smallest member, biggest voice!
I just wish him and Brian worked together more.
I really love Wake The World.

Aha...that's the one I'm talking about. It's just too high for him, imo of course.

One thing I don;t hear mentioned much regarding Al is he usually had probably the more difficult background vocals to sing. He usually took the part right below Brian's, which was often times right in that break point in the male voice. Not quite falsetto but not full voice either. His skillful singing was essential to their vocal blend.

He was also a man of many different voices. He had his bright, cutting lead voice, he could sound like Brian at times, and then he could blend in the background vocal mix so well it was sometimes hard to pick out his voice and recognize it as him.

And he seems to still be able to do all of this equally as well today!

Seems like the most down-to-earth. I like the way all of his shirts are too big. His voice is very distinctive, then and now. It has held up extremely well. His vocal on Crack At Your Love makes that song. I also think it's cute how he reveres Brian, always hanging around him, complementing him, talking with him on stage.

Al Jardine is gifted with a strong, rich voice. His voice in the blend is one of the key ingredients that makes The Beach Boys sound like The Beach Boys, a point driven home time and again by this year's reunion shows. Otherwise, I've found him to be a true gent, a guy with a big heart, and definitely a down-to-earth human, not someone on a "star trip."

The way he's kept it up could make you cry.

I've noticed in recent interviews that he's the one who seems to revere Brian the most. Not that he didn't necessarily appreciate Brian's talent before, but it seems like his appreciation has grown. I remember that one interview where he praised Smile as a great masterpiece.

He's both the best living singer in the band (and, controversial opinion here, but he was better than Carl for the last couple of decades of Carl's life too) and the one who has been nicest during my brief meetings with the band over the years. He may not be the greatest songwriter in the band, but he's someone I'd find it hard to say a bad word about, and that's not true of any of the others.

number 9.........enjoy yourselves    ;D

http://mojomagazine.tumblr.com/post/21385581099/farewell-american-bandstands-dick-clark

or go here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jpy4NfDQjio&feature=youtu.be

The most enjoyable part of the Knebworth live cd is Al. The Cottonfields/Heroes medley and Lady Lynda. I love that Mike calls for a reprise of Lady Lynda. I love Al and it was a treat to see him share the stage with Brian in Boston a few years back and of course at the BB shows this year.

Russ

A few songs of Al playing solo earlier his year on my channel. Here's "Heroes and Villians"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZmW-bgJs_4&list=UUdmS9B6Qr3lJwYZdQEj5QtQ&index=24&feature=plcp

I can't believe I missed that despite having it on the calendar! Underlined, even. Thanks for the videoing, wonderful stuff.

If properly trebled up, and surged -- a straight-ahead Beach Boys rhythm part would of made for a  much better "solo" than that.   :afro

Well Al's not playing a solo. I wrote that in these videos Al was solo...as in "unaccompanied" and playing all by himself (which is the best way to see "who he is" as a guitarist, as you've put it).

The beginning of that bandstand clip is even funnier when they introduce Al and he clearly looks SHOCKED to be called as he is in midwine sip.

It was SO good to listen to BB harmonies and hear Al in there again. It sounded like the BB.  Since he's been gone people have duplicated his leads well but the harmony was always missing something. The two that sealed it for me on this tour was him echoing Brian on IJWMFFT . That was a highlight on their '06 tour and I was so thrilled to hear it again. Also having him sing WIBN. I've listened to many people sing it and it was just always missing something , good not great. But then you hear Al tear into it this year and I was like YES that's it. Especially in the concerts where he was louder than Jeff like Wembley.

Glad you enjoyed it!  If you're interested, here's the original thead from when the event happened.  Hard to imagine that this occurred about a week before the first show of the reunion tour. 

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,12762.0.html

I was talking about the American Bandstand clip. :)

Al knows who he is. He is the least skilled guitarist on stage during the oldies jam by legends of classic rock; The Part Where They Solo. It's fun to see Al in that role, as opposed to Bruce Springsteen... I'm f*ckin 'sick of that guy getting up on stage to jam.

(http://f0.bcbits.com/z/23/25/2325527532-1.jpg)

I got to see Billy in concert shortly before his death, no sign of ill health during his performance. Great guy. Back on topic, Al isn't exactly a prolific songwriter, but I generally enjoy his contributions to the BB's, have listened to his solo album a number of times and quite enjoy it. Definately the best singer in the current lineup...oh, shoot, that's right, he's not in the current lineup. Dang it, ML, you sure know how to mess up a good thing!

There is a lot to like with this man.   For my money, his vocals MADE the celebration tour.  So much in fact that I would have been satisfied with a post reunion lineup of Al with the Mike'/Bruce  band.  Such a vocal lineup would sound much like the touring band did for a couple of decades before Carl's death.  I could listen to that sound  from now on.

I also like that Al settled in Big Sur, became a local there, and had a genuine love and appreciation of that place that is in my heart, my second home.  When I'm not there, I daydream about it.    I like it that he performed his solo album at the Henry Miller Library  near his home in Big Sur.  Don't Fight the Sea conjures images of the wild and windy Phifer Beach just down the road from his home.

He has been the little guy who stood tall and hung in there despite being an often unappreciated stepbrother for many years. 

And despite his somewhat limited activity with the Beachboys these past 14 years, has produced what I think is the best solo lp of any member of the band, (although some would argue that LOS is better).

Utmost appreciation and respect for Al. Everytime we've ever seen the BB in concert he has always looked like he is having fun on stage and performing. He's taken care of his voice over the years and it shows. An important part of the harmony that sets the group apart from others. I met him once a day after the R&R Induction of the group and congratulated him about it and he was as humble as could be. Some friends talked to him after an Al Jardine and Friends concert in an out of the way place and they said he was very friendly and accommodating.

Had the opportunity to meet Al maybe 10 times over the years, wonderfully kind guy every time without fail (which is true about some, but not all, of his bandmates). Same can be said about Matt, which in turn says something about Al.  And what a voice...

I met Al after a show he performed with his band in Scottsdale, AZ, two years ago. He was very patient with those who waited around hoping to meet him. This was shortly after the first version of "Postcard" had been released, and I brought my CD-R purchased from Amazon just in case I might be able to get his signature. He seemed genuinely surprised & appreciative that I already had the album... "Hey, you've got the album!"... and then asked me what I thought of the group's performance of "Don't Fight The Sea", which I think he had introduced by saying it was only their second time playing it for a live audience. I was... and still am... thrilled that a Beach Boy asked me how he did.

I didn't dare tell him that I had videoed it, but here it is, if anybody wants to judge for him or herself...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocnmaDdE8k4

Interesting comment after the song, indicating Al wasn't sure if the song was ready for prime time. Although I think he would be entitled after all he's done, it doesn't seem to me that Al has an ounce of ego.  As they say, "The Gentleman
from Monterey".

It's funny cause i was just listening to From There To Back Again for the first time in a while and realized how really beautiful it is, not onyl because of how well written it is (thank god Brian Wilson is still here) but also because the amazing Al Jardine's vocal performance! man, that really has to be one of the most beautiful song he sang.

What's the consensus on Loop de Loop?

Nice try (both your question and Al's work on it).

Seriously, it is kinda fun.  It's also amusing Al was so obsessed with it. 

I kinda picture him feeding goats and humming it to himself.

Al  should open a restaurant. Call it The Loop de  Loop. Biplane replica and  big smiling Al out front.  All the waiters are named Pete.

If Bill Wyman can own a  BBQ joint called Sticky Fingers... why not ?

It's great...I always forget that he was no slouch at arranging/producing. Fact it, he came up with a pretty high proportion of the bands 'hit' material during the seventies- Cottonfields, California, Lady Lynda, Come go with me. It's a beautiful day deserved a higher profile too

I'm not sure you were aware, but Brian had produced a totally different version as a demo.  It's on the "Endless Harmony" soundtrack.  It had different lyrics and a slightly psychedelic sound.  I'm not sure how Al even conceived of it as a novelty number more akin to "Amusement Parks USA."  Al kept bugging Brian to remake it and went ahead and did it the way he saw it, complete with new lyrics.  His version didn't get released, either.  Al also re-did "Cottonfields" because he wasn't happy with Brian's production on the album version, although it wasn't as major of a revision.  Of course, Al's take on it got released as the single version and became a hit in Europe.  I sometimes wonder if Brian was pleased with Al re-doing his work.

I've watched this a few times and it still strikes me as thoroughly wacky. Frankie Avalon jamming on trumpet? Fusion legends Donald Byrd and George Duke mixing it up with old clips of Bill Haley? Pity this doesn't have running commentary by Paul Shaffer doing his Don Kirschner impression - or by Donnie himself.

Some missed opportunities here - it would seem logical to have Doug Kershaw and Charlie Daniels do a fiddle duel, but then nothing is logical about this clip.

Come to think of it, doing an updated version of this would seem a good way to honor Dick Clark's memory at the next Grammys. That could really make for some nutty combinations.

I'd say an even better theme restaurant for Al would be one called Susie Cincinnati's.  Big photo of John Belushi greeting you as you come in - this was his favorite BBs song, and he personally told Al that.  Menu replete with every variation on chili-with-spaghetti and bratwurst you can think of. And, for certain VIP visitors, the menu would include vegetable samosas and T-bones with caesar salad too.

I'd say an even better theme restaurant for Al would be one called Susie Cincinnati's.  Big photo of John Belushi greeting you as you come in - this was his favorite BBs song, and he personally told Al that.  Menu replete with every variation on chili-with-spaghetti and bratwurst you can think of. And, for certain VIP visitors, the menu would include vegetable samosas and T-bones with caesar salad too.
[/quote]

If it is a Cincinnati themed restuarant it HAS to have chile spaghetti.   Topped with grated cheddar cheese.   If yu want to throw on a braut in honor of the close proximity to Columbus, that would be ok too.   mmmmmmmm,mmmmmmmmm!!! :p

Holy lord, thank you for posting this, I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.  I must have watched Al's solo 15 times in a row just now, and I almost feel bad for laughing.  He's so small, and he's really trying...I love the man, but  :lol...

Personally, I love "Susie Cincinnati". Have they ever done that live? I'd have demanded this if i had sitten nearer to the stage last August.

"Loop De Loop" is fun, I like that, too.

I think "Susie Cincinnati" would actually make an awesome garage rock song, it's unfortunately a Beach Boys tune though! :lol

Yup: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1aGOKpIDWhY  :thumbsup

Al may not have much altitude but more than makes up with amplitude!

I just wanted to say that my girlfriend REALLY likes Al Jardine. She loves all of his leads, and especially his part in Don't Go Near The Water. Haha.

I wonder what you mean? Why can't it make an awesome garage rock song if it's the BBs? I think it rocks. It's Brian on bass, too.

Since the last post on this thread, Al has earned more appreciation.
His powerful versatile voice is going strong.
He's steady and consistent.
He can rock a beard.
His interviews can be very forthright.
AFAIK he's never beaten anyone up nor gotten beat up.

With Mike and Brian releasing autobiographies this year, I'd love to see Al write one. 

I would expect it to have the most balanced perspective. It would be good.

That's exactly why I'd love to see it. 

But it would take him a long time. With lots of revisions.  ;D

I'd settle for an album of folk tunes he said he was considering. You know, Weavers, KIngston Trio and stuff like that.  Love the guy!

I would allow Al Jardine to beat me up.  It would be amazing.

:lol

 :jedi

I used to have a bootleg of his friends & family concert with Brian's daughters and his sons. The set list was excellent & varied.  I believe Carnie sang Don't Worry Baby which was a nice twist.  

His voice was perfect for the cover/recording of Then I Kissed Her(Him).

They did Susie Cincinnati live a lot of times during the 1976 15 Big Ones tour; you can check some of the versions out on You Tube.

One of Al's great features is how his name (Al/Alan) tranlates so well into palindromes. Like this which isn't one per se:

 [Alan/Tom's Palindrome]

- P a l i n d r o m i n'-
G.P. Al in "Dr. Tom" - in?

His ability to hold, indeed, nurture, a grudge for decades.  :)

To paraphrase Robert Fripp:

"Al and a palindrome is a party
Al, Lana and a palindrome is an orgy" ;D

And, Emily - Al still rocks the white suit!  :lol

He's in good company there.

:( don't tell me. I don't want to know.

Indubitably!

That scene with Gary Usher and Al in The Wilson Project was hilarious. Why didn't Al approach Brian about paying the money back as he was the one who asked Al for it in the first place?  Al's reply, "Brian's different." LOL

I hadn't thought he was serious about that. Do you think he was? I mean... how much money was it?

I think I read $800.

Al said it was originally 800 dollars but with 25 years of interest accumulated he estimated that it had gone up to 15,000 dollars!

Well, that's relying on a 12.5% annual return. I'd like to know who manages his investments!

Let's not derail this topic with boring monetary & grudge-holding stuff. He is core member of the Beach Boys. undisputably, the 2nd best voice in the group. This is an Al Jardine appreciation thread. Get it now?

...Shall we consider the irony in the fact that we're hashing over an incident which suggests that Al held a grudge for about 25 years, *thirty* years more down the line?...

Cheers,
Jon Blum

Thank you for informing me my comprehension of basic English is inadequate. I shall be taking steps to remedy it post haste. I shall also work on my sarcasm.  :)

 ;D

I don't think the money thing is worth a thread of its own and will certainly not derail this thread as there's no discussion material in there. So when it was accidentally brought up, it was OK for Emily to ask.

The TWGMTR album would have been even better if there had been more Al leads. I absolutely love "Susie Cincinnati", "Santa Ana Winds" and "Waves Of Love (saxophone version)".

I don't see if mentioned on here yet.

Al Jardine elevated No Pier Pressure from a good album to a very good album, bordering on great.  (Sorry, hard for me to call any album with an EDM influenced track great). 

Having Al singing on the album with Brian was something special, and I hope Al continues to work with Brian for the rest of their careers. 

EDM? What's that?

Short for "electronic dance music" -- a US marketing term, not used in the rest of the English-speaking world, for any music with drum machines, sequencers, and synths. It's a near-meaningless term that covers everything from Donna Summer to Skrillex.

This summer, on the FX comedy Sex & Drugs & Rock And Roll, I heard EDM referred to as "Extremely Douchey Music." 

I really can't say that I disagree with this classification.

 ;D

Ah, thanks for explaining.

In fact, Pier Pressure's EDM track is the one track of the album the sound of which I find the least regrettable... ::)

And since I'm in the thread anyway...

I think Al always had the best voice of anyone in the band. Yes, even better than Carl.
Having met (mostly briefly) all five living 60s Beach Boys, Al was *by far* the friendliest and most pleasant (not saying he is generally, just in the experiences I've had).
Al's solo album *sounds* better, in production terms, than any Beach Boys album released since 1979, better than any Mike or Carl solo work, and half of Brian's solo stuff. And while it's not as good as Dennis' solo work, I'd often rather listen to it.
I've often suspected that Al had a large role in the unique sound that the band had in the early 70s -- that combination of folky instruments like banjo and pedal steel, with Moogs, which I find absolutely wonderful and which no-one else seems to have done.
He might not be the best or most original songwriter, but All This Is That is gorgeous.
He's also the only one of the band who never gave a bad studio performance.

Basically, Al Jardine is great.

That's why I really hope he continues to work with Brian.  Al might not have the songwriting chops of Brian, but his leads add that extra something special to Brian's work.  I couldn't imagine NPP without them. 

Certainly not disagreeing with your overall thesis, but fans of rootsy instruments jutting up against Moog synthesiser really aren't going to go far wrong with The Notorious Byrd Brothers (produced by Gary Usher).

Yeah, there are definitely a few precursors to that sound (some of the stuff on Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd by the Monkees is also in that direction, for example). But to my mind the sound on Surf's Up through Holland is very distinctive and goes much further than the Byrds did in making it sound like an aesthetic, rather than a gimmick.
(I don't know if I'm explaining myself very well, but this makes sense in my head at least).

 :thumbsup. And he has the "goods" that M&B need and hopefully will never have the opportunity to acquire. myKe must have had his head up his ass into record setting territory by firing him.

Yay

+1

When the Beach boys split into two camps "Dennis and Carl", "Al and Mike".  When and why did the relationship between Mike and Al deteriorate?

I don't know but you have to keep it clean with Al Jardine.

Mr. Hickey, that was great post! I too think he sings better than Carl did. And OSD, you're right, M&B would benefit from having Al in the band (I like the line-up as it is, mind you).

Add "California Energy Blues" & "Out in the Country".

Yes & yes. :3d

Thank you. And yes, Al would definitely be an asset to the current touring band. It's a shame that when Christian left the band, there was too much bad blood between the various members to have Al replace him.
That said, I've enjoyed seeing Al play with Brian's band, and I actually think he adds *more* to Brian's band, in his co-frontman role, than he would to Mike's -- but Brian's band play far fewer shows than Mike and Bruce, which means I've only been able to see them once since the reunion tour, while I've seen Mike and Bruce five times in the same period. So from a performance point of view I'm glad he's where he is, but from a purely selfish perspective I'd rather he be with Mike & Bruce.

IMHO, a credible candidate for best album of all time!  Anyway, anybody who loves any of the BB's stuff from the Pet Sounds through Holland needs to hear Notorious...  massive studio creativity coupled with the Byrds' usual brilliant harmonies (even tho Crosby is only on about half of it, McGuinn, Crosby and (allegedly in a few places) Clark's harmonies still shine.