The Smiley Smile Message Board

How far did Brian and Joe get on a followup album before Melinda filed her lawsuit?

How many TWGMTR songs are from this period?

I don't know how far they got really, but I know this. They recorded "How Could We Still Be Dancin'" and "Gettin' In Over My Head". Apparently they had versions of "That's Why God Made The Radio", "Summer's Gone", and "Strange World" but I guess they were all earmarked for The Beach Boys.

"Spring Vacation" definitely dates from the '98 sessions.

...as the original "Lay Down Burden", which Brian wanted to sing as a duet with Carl.

The original Lay Down Burden is, or was very similar to, Spring Vacation, right?

From what I recall there are acres of tapes in the possession of Joe Thomas, of Brian working out songs, talking about things he'd like to write, little fragments, etc... I wonder whether they've become other things, like on TLOS, or they are just chilling on JTs hard drive waiting for something.

Tbh, after the whole 'I wrote these songs in 1998' sh*t, the fact Brian wrote From There to Back Again in 2011 is the most heartwarming thing about TWGMTR

Word. I concur. Wonder what else he's been kickin' around lately.

My God... right on Hypehat.  From There to Back Again.  That's the kind of stuff many have been waiting for.

I totally agree. That Brian still has stuff like "From There To Back Again" in him. Wow. Usually older artists don't have much from their later career that measures up to their classic work. But that song easily fits in there for me along with Pet Sounds, "Surf's Up", whatever. It's that good in my opinion.

Strictly speaking, the aborted follow-up to Imagination would be the fall 2002 Western sessions that produced the released version of "Desert Drive" and a couple of other titles. Lasted maybe two, three days and quickly canned.

But wasn't material worked on and recorded with Joe Thomas after the Imagination sessions? Wouldn't that be considered material for the follow up?

I thought there was.  I remember an issue of ESQ around the time Imagination was released and Joe Thomas was talking about how they had recorded, Gettin' In Over My Head, It's Happening Again (Which I assumed was Your Still A Mystery), and Melinda Honey (Which I assumed was My Maryann, changed to Melinda's name).  I think there were more titles listed in that issue, but it is buried in a box somewhere in my basement, so I don't remember what the others are.  I don't remember if these tracks were recorded for Imagination or a follow-up.  For some reason I remember Joe saying that 18 or 20 songs were recorded for Imagination.  I remember thinking at the time that there was plenty of space for more tracks and that they should have put more on it.  Maybe someone else has that issue readily available and can look up some of this.

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For some reason, "From There To Back Again" doesn't move me much, even though I cann agree it is much deeper than any BB song in the last three decades. To me, "Summer's Gone" is the song up to par with Pet Sounds.

I actually felt the opposite; thought "From There To Back Again" was the highlight of the album with an interesting (if wandering) song structure.  And I felt that "Summer's Gone" was just a tad on the dull side. 

I found Summer's Gone a bit dull as well - at first.  I think I found it repetitive and lacking in development/climax.

But after a few more listens I started to feel that it does develop and build up to something but in a rather more subtle way than a lot of songs.

It's like Brian/the singer has to keep repeating that 'Summer's gone...', singing it over and over so that he can fully contemplate each and every ramification of that fact.  Summer's gone? What will that mean?...it's like a litany.

Then finally leading to the final verse as he sings 'Another summer gone...' 'It's finally sinking in...' he's beginning to come to terms with it and the song semi-resolves.

It's a very therapeutic song.

So there's something for everyone! :)