The Smiley Smile Message Board

OK I'll start this one and the mods can move it over to the 21st century albums box.
Well I got the new Hallmark CD.  Buy three cards and they give it to you cheap.  First ten songs are Mike & Bruce live, a pretty good representation of their more-or-less current live show ("Dance Dnce Dance", "Wouldn't It Be Nice", I Get Around", "GV" and the like).  A decent listen, but with a few clams here and there.  Includes Jeff Foskett, CD recorded by Mark Linett and Alan Boyd.   The 3 solo cuts are a bit schizoid.  Brian's is the Gary Usher co-written  "The Spirit of Rock & Roll", it's a mid-temp rocker, OK but not spectactular, like a lot of GIOMH.  Al's "PT Cruiser" is a re-write of [insert name of favorite BB car song].  OK too, but obviously trying to sound retro.  Mike's "Cool Head and Warm Heart" starts out with an "Our Prayer"- like choral intro (not arranged by Mike but by Adrian Baker), then turns into a soft ballad not unlike "Meant for You".  Shallow but pleasant.  If he can keep that going he may be on to something. 

A couple of questions: Did you get this by simply going into a Hallmark store? It wasn't supposed to be out until May 15, although I always guessed that different stores might put it out at different times since they don't deal mainly with CD or DVD releases, which are supposed to have an exact date for release.

Secondly, are you sure the recordings are of Mike & Bruce? All of the indications previously have been that most of the live stuff is from 1989 (thus including Al, Bruce, Mike, Carl, and Brian) with a couple tracks from 1974 (presumably Al, Mike, Carl, and Dennis). I believe "Wouldn't It Be Nice" was supposed to be one of the 1974 tracks, which means it probably would have had Al (or perhaps Carl) on lead vocals. I know the circa 1989 BB's could sound rather anemic sometimes, but I'm a bit worried about this CD because I would think that lead vocals from Carl or Al on those live tracks would be obvious. Do these live tracks sound like they have other guys from Mike & Bruce's band singing? I don't think Mike or Bruce handle the Carl or Brian leads like WIBN or GV in the current touring band, so those would have to have some of the backing members (Cowsill, Farmer, etc.) singing if they are current Mike & Bruce live tracks.

I don't think that they ould've been allowed to call it a "Beach Boys"-product when it was just the Mike'n'Bruce-show (no bashing!). They are allowed to call themselves "The Beach Boys" in concert and on tour, but not for studio works or CDs afaik.

Yeah, GV was also supposed to be 1974 and those tracks were the main selling point for my buying it.  And how did you get a copy?

Well I'm at work now and can't check the CD, so this is from memory.   Yes I just went into a local Hallmark store yesterday and bought it, guess they released it early.  It is billed as the BB.  The concert was recorded in one venue in California by Mark Linett,  produced by him and Alan Boyd.  So it can't be from the 70s or early 80s, Linett  wasn't working for them yet.  I don't believe a specific recording date is mentioned.  (Maybe ask them on their threads?)  Nor, interestingly, does the booklet list Mike or Bruce as participants in the live set !(But they're there, of course).  EDIT: Since the personnel listing is vague, it's not clear what era it's from or who else is on it, for all I know Al may be there too, but it sounds fairly recent.  Right off I only recognized Mike but I'll listen again. The booklet just lists the musicians in the backing band.  Jeff Foskett is among them.  Then there are the three solo tracks I described.  I'll update when I can look at the disc again for additional info.

If they changed the CD, that will suck.  A 1974 pair of tracks was interesting.  10 tracks by the current band?  Ugh.

The majority of the live tracks are from the 1989 show that was used for the "Endless Summer" tv specials.  Exceptions are WIBN and GV which are from 74.  The new tracks are nothing really noteworthy (trust me I've heard them).  I'll buy this album when it's released around here but only because I'm a completist.  If I had to pay full-price for it I'd be disappointed.  Still, new (old) Beach Boys product is better than none at all.  Let's just hope that Alan B can find the ADATs for the 93 Atlanta show and see that bugger released!!!

I'd not been following the background of this project so when I first listened to it I wasn't trying to pick out Al and Brian in there.   Now I will.  But like I said the booklet is deliberately vague on recording dates and which BB are in the live show, and you guys may be right that there may be contractual reasons for that.  But if I can get hold of the disc then surely some of you can and with your knowledge of the source recordings, among us we can post a more comprehensive review.

My local DJ friend is sending me the CD as we speak. Should have it in a couple of days....

The live tracks do indeed feature The Beach Boys - with Brian.   (More info on that later)

And yes - there is a website under construction!  This is going to be THE official Beach Boys/Brother Records site, with all sorts of special features in the works.... including exclusive releases of material from The Beach Boys' archives. 

Stay tuned for details!

(We had planned to have a temporary page up in time for the release of the CD, but it turns out that the album is hitting the shelves a little earlier than we anticipated!)

Alan

" including exclusive releases of material from The Beach Boys' archives. " Wow! Will
these be available only thru the website? My mouth is watering for more! I hope
this is along the lines of the RCA FTD Elvis collector releases!

My mouth is drooling! :)

Regards,
Cal
:)

Holy crap! I need to change my shorts! This is the best news I've heard in ages!

Wonderful news indeed. Our dreams are coming true...

Does Brian's "Spirit" feature only his voice, or is his band included with harmonies? To me, that makes all the difference in the world.

This is from memory because I haven't watched the video for awhile...

If those live tracks are from the 1989 concert that was featured on the Endless Summer TV show, then Brian Wilson was NOT present - at least not for the Beach Boys' portion of the concert.

On each Endless Summer TV show, they would show one or two songs from this Beach Boys' concert (wasn't Mike wearing a black outfit?). Actually, on a couple of the songs, Mike re-recorded his lead vocal later; it is obvious. Anyway, I don't remember seeing Brian on stage.

However, Brian did appear on two "solo" songs - "Love And Mercy" and "In My Car" - from I believe the same concert. I remember it was very uncomfortable watching him holding a microphone and "dancing" and gesturing on the stage.

Can anybody confirm or correct me on this...

Well the info from Mr. Boyd is most helpful, when I get home I'll check the CD with headphones and see if I hear Brian, etc.  and verify what Jeff and others have noted above.  "Love and Mercy" and "In My Car" are not included on this CD.  The only clue on the live set is the B&W guys-going-grey publicity photo on the back of the CD, which you've seen before.  They're not listed by name in the lineup and it doesn't say "recorded at the 1989 concert" or 1974 concert or whatever.  Again, I'm assuming there are legal reasons for this (not meaning anything sinister by that, just how someone or some contract said it had to be).  Yes Brian's band is singing with him on "Spirit of Rock and Roll", sort of the reduced group like he used for the CD single "Path of Life". 

The track features Brian, Scotty B, Tay-Tay, and wildman Nelson plus sax from Joel Peskin.  It was recorded at the same session as "Path of Life"

Edited to add: Brian is in great form here, but it would have truly benefitted from having the full BWBand both instrumentally and especially vocally.  Oh well...  still a great track

As I understand it, during the 1989 tour (some or all of which were shows on a tour with Chicago), Brian did some dates with the group. I know of one show in Phildelphia that circulates that shows this type of show: The BB's would start the show without Brian. Then Brian would come on and play a few songs with the group (usually something like "Surfer Girl" with Brian singing the bridge). Then the BB's would leave the stage and Brian would do a mini-set of songs from his solo '88 album using a mixture of backing tracks and the live BB band (usually "Love and Mercy", "Walkin' the Line", and "Melt Away", although at one show at least as shown on the "Endless Summer" show, he did "In My Car" solo as well). Then, I believe, Brian would leave the stage and the BB's would finish the show without him.

The "Endless Summer" show, in terms of the footage from the actual live show, only showed some songs (usually 1-2 songs per show), and didn't show any of the songs Brian and the BB's did together. But they did do a few at most of those shows.

I'm also not sure that this new Hallmark CD is taken from the actual show used for "Endless Summer" (which was the Universal Amphitheater). I always just assumed it was from that string of shows on that tour. It may be from that actual show, I don't know.

I like this version of "spirit of rock&roll" better than the SI-one
But I believe the live tracks were a little doctored in the studio

Wow -- that's fantastic news (and long overdue)! I love the idea of putting the money directly into the artists' pockets. The Beach Boys beat the boots, indeed. :) It's about time!

I just thought I'd mention that it doesn't appear that this early release is planned by Hallmark. It sounds like one store (and no doubt a few) have simply messed up and put the CD out early. I've just called four different local Hallmark stores and none of them have it out yet. Interestingly considering how clueless retailers can sometimes be, most of the Hallmark stores I called were quite aware of the BB CD, and were quick to mention that it is due in May (15th to be exact, although one store mentioned they might get it early, just not this early).

OK here's the deal, see...

Most of the live stuff is clearly 1989 because Mike introduces "Kokomo" as something they hit with "last summer".  The credits say all the live tracks were recorded at the Universal Ampitheater.  Mark Linett mixed it but there are no recording engineer credits (small correction there). Good Vibrations, though, sounds like it's from the same concert, not 1974.  If that one is from 1974 there's some real sleight of hand going on.  Jeff Mason's info is otherwise right, it seems: Al is certainly in there and his son Matt is in the band.  If Brian is there, he's well blended in and not taking any lead.  The concert song lineup is "Dance Dance Dance", "Wouldn't It Be Nice", "Surfer Girl," "Kokomo", Mike does a corny bit about not playing the old used car songs anymore, then they launch into "Little Deuce Coupe" and "I Get Around."  GV is the last live track and  they say they're going to intermission, then there's the three solo tracks.

As for how the store near here got it and no one else did, can't say.  But if you're in Pennington, New Jersey you can pick one up.  They've got quite a few.

If I remember the early word on this CD, the '89 and '74 tracks were going to be mixed together (with five songs from '89 and two from '74). One way to tell if there are any '74 tracks: Is Al singing the lead on "Wouldn't It Be Nice?" If so, it's probably not from 1989, as Carl had taken over the lead on that by '89. (Although, I've heard shows from the 1988-89 timeframe in which the band kind of can't decide who is singing lead. I've heard a show from 1988 that features Al, Carl, and Jeff Foskett all singing the lead in unison for some reason; even Mike comes in well before the bridge and is singing too. Really weird.)

As for how your Hallmark store is selling the CD, I doubt there's any big mystery behind it. The store probably just put it out before they were supposed to. Most of the stores probably already have the CD's in stock, they're just waiting to put them out for sale on May 15.

I am pretty sure most of us who grab every show in sight will be able to tell within two listens if WIBN and GV are from 1974.  That would mean that Ricky would be on drums and the sound would be more agressive and fuller than on the 89 material.  This is what was originally announced in the press release.  So most of us will see in two and a half weeks.

Point to Jeff: Ricky Fataar is listed as one of the musicians, so that would suggest 1974.  Maybe your educated ears can tell for sure, I've listened a couple times now and the blend is really good if some of these tracks are fifteen years apart.   I see Mr. Boyd is looking in -- care to comment?

I gave you guys a name check when I condensed this and posted it on the grey board.

People touring in 1974 included Carly Munoz, Ed Carter, Ricky Fataar, Mike Kowalski, and Billy Hinsche.  Any of those in the credits?  Of course, most of them were there in 1989 too, I believe...

Is anybody willing and/or able to post a picture of the front cover (and/or the back cover or any other artwork from the CD)? Or, at least a description of it? I'm mildly curious as to what the CD looks like.

This post-Mother's Day release date is pure sexism.  Don't moms like the Beach Boys, too?  More people buy cards and gifts for their mothers than their fathers, too.  Marketing faux pas.

Wow, that's fabulous news!!! (http://www.clicksmilies.com/s0105/lachen/laughing-smiley-012.gif)


He's very prominent on "Little Deuce Coupe"...

They have a foofy female artist for Mothers' Day promotions.

My hunch would be that it's marketed with the beginning of SUMMER in mind.

On recordings I've heard of Brian singing during Kokomo, it's always been pretty obvious that he was there, in comparison to the recorded version.. after having listened to the studio recording for so long (probably one of the first Beach Boys songs I heard) he just sounds out of place.

I've found the disc at the Hallmark store at Rockefeller Center in NYC, below ground
at their concourse level store. $10.95 plus tax!

Regards,
Cal
:)

Gave cd a first spin at my desk at work. For the "new songs" I actually like Mike's song, "Cool Head, Warm Heart" a lot! Brian's "Spriit Of Rock And Roll" (new version)
really doesn't do it for me. I guess any Landy era written songs I have problems with for some reason. Al's song "PT Cruiser" is a retread/retro track that's
just ok. There could be some good things coming from Mike's tentative
new solo album!

Regards,
Cal
:)

I work at 30 Rock and bought mine at the exact same Hallmark.  But it was $7.50 since I also bought three cards.  ;D

Here you go...

[attachment deleted by admin]

And the back...

[attachment deleted by admin]

Thanks for posting the scans. A couple of interesting things I've noted on the artwork:

It does indeed state that all 9 live tracks are from the Universal Amphitheatre. So, either that listing omits the info on the two 1974 recordings, or perhaps the 1974 recordings were also performed at the same venue. Dates would have been nice, but somehow we have the dates anyway based on early reports.

It appears that Brian thanks "The Beach Boys" underneath his solo track (and also dedicates the track to Carl and Dennis). This certainly isn't any sort of hard evidence of a pending BB's reunion or anything. But I recall that recent releases from Brian have often been dedicated to Carl and Dennis but have not mentioned the Beach Boys. It just seems like sort of a weird thank you, considering that the track in question was, apart from the Hawaii anniversary show performance in which they tacked on a few BB's to a solo recording, intended way back when as a solo track.

The mention of the upcoming website that will hopefully offer some substantial things for fans does now give a better context for this Hallmark CD. It seems like it could be a sort of "sampler" to offer both to the fans and perhaps the BB's themselves to show what sort of archival releases are possible in the future. Hopefully future archival releases would be more substantial than this Hallmark CD, but it seems to bode well for possible future releases.

I don't see a Brother Records logo on the back cover, which is a bit surprising. Brother of course is mentioned in the booklet.

I think the overall design of the CD is pretty good. It's way more subdued than I thought it would be. I thought the artwork would just look like another one of those BB compilations you see in drug stores and gas stations, but this artwork is pretty understated and tasteful, within the confines of still having to show surfboards, woodies, etc. Plus, I like orange for some reason, which is probably why I didn't think the original CD artwork for "Endless Harmony" was as bad as most people thought! :)

Too bad none of my local Hallmarks are breaking the release date. I'd ask somebody to pick a copy up for me, but by the time I got it all sorted out, it wouldn't be too long before I could go get it myself (assuming the Hallmarks near me don't screw up and not put the CD out at all!).

Why didn't Brian use Paul Mertens on Sax? The sax player on this is really good, just wondering. I still don't know what to think of this version of "The Spirit of Rock 'n Roll" if I like it more or less than the versions from Sweet Insanity, etc. While Al's "PT Cruiser" is definately a rip off any car songs from the '60s sounding like the BBoys, Jan and Dean, etc. it's really catchy. Definately sounds more like a Jan and Dean song. This cd is a good listen.

I'm just guessing it was a later overdup to the track. It comes from the same sessions as WDTPOL / L&M, which did not include a sax. But given that Joel Peskin also contributes to the Mike Love track, perhaps he just dropped by the studio and did the work on both tracks. Peskin also plays on the original recording of Kokomo, so he's another link to the 80s version of the group.

Longer than that.  Peskin was doing sax work live for the group in 1971.

I wonder why Ricky Fataar is listed as an additional player, when he was a full group member at that time....

Dear Alan: I would be happy to spend hundreds of dollars on the new Beach Boys site, if you let me. I'm certain I'm not alone!!

(also, apropos of nothing: I really want to hear "Cool Head, Warm Heart." I couldn't tell ya why, but I've been inordinately curious about the Mike album since it started being chatted about.)

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Why, why, why...

The two 1974 tracks, "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and "Good Vibrations - do they sound ANY DIFFERENT from the versions on the 1973 In Concert album? Is there any reason stated anywhere WHY seven tracks are selected from a 1989 show, then they go back to 1974 for two? Just wondering about the thought process behind that choice...

For the car medleys that I have heard in concert, there were usually three, maybe four songs strung together - "Little Deuce Coupe", "409" (sometimes), "Little GTO" (sometimes), "Shut Down", and "I Get Around". And I love the car medley, great live rock & roll! But on this Hallmark CD, why just two songs?  Why cut out the additional song (maybe 2 minutes)? A shortage of space on the CD?

I could care less what songs Mike and Al contributed to the CD, and wonder why Bruce (who always seems to be writing songs for some project) didn't contribute any - but is anybody disappointed with Brian's contribution/choice? Much like the Beach Boys Classics Selected By Brian Wilson album in which Brian dug out "California Feelin'", this was a perfect opportunity for Brian to "stretch out" (yes, we've heard that before) and do something new and fresh and DIFFERENT...

pretty sure RIcky was still in the band in 74

I have to say from what I have heard of Mike's album (which was circulating quite freely on the BBB board a while ago) it is quite significantly better that GIOMH (I am far more a Brian fan than Mike fan btw). It has better songs, better vocals, and superb background vocals.

I like Mike's cut.

Al's is typical.

Spirit of Rock and Roll has always been one of my favorite unreleased cuts. The new version is pretty good, but it doesn't sound as convincing as earler attempts.

The concert stuff is sounds ok. I haven't explored it that thoroughly yet....

'Spirit of Rock and Roll' - Is that the one with Dylan doing a couple of lines?  How many versions are there?

yeah there was a version with Dylan doing a vocal. I'll see if I can find it when I get to my room. I think I like the Sweet Insanity attempts of the Spirit of R&R better.

I much prefer the "Spirit" without the Dylan vocal. His couple of lines become an intrusion, then a quick annoyance. (nothing against Dylan's singing, just the wrong somg for him) I feel the dame way about Terrance Trent D'Arby trying "Walkin the line...I'm glad they didn't use that one either...IMO

One reviewer of "Sweet Insanity" actually thought it was Landy singing those lines, that's how awful he thought that singing was.  Hysterical, huh?  And I'm  huge Dylan fan, especially his later stuff.

Now....on the other hand, I DIG Paula Abdul with Brian on "Make a Wish".. Puts the version on GIOMH to shame....

I think I have that version somewhere too, but cheers.  Never got around to listening much to that era.  I probably have at least one other version too, so I'll check that out.

There are five versions of Spirit of R&R.

There is the more-or-less original version, demoed up by Brian and Gary Usher. You can hear it, with some audience applause, in the tapes from a TV appearance BW did with Dion (I think). Brian is obviously lip-syching the tune. This is on one of the Vigotone boots.

The second version is that same track, more or less, with extra BB voices added. That was lip-synched by Brian for the Beach Boys' Live in Hawaii special.

The third version is the first Sweet Insanity attempt, without Dylan.

The fourth version is the second SI attempt, with some Dylan and slightly different instrumental solos.

The fifth version is this new one. I'm very curious to hear it, as "Spirit" has always been one of the defining songs of Brian's 80s output (to me). That's not to say it's one of the best, but it, along with "Water Builds Up" and DLHKSAA, sum up the period.

I too would be interested in hearing the new one.  Listening now (to the Dylan one).  Thanks for the descriptions.

please forgive me...but i think i've heard another version that is only Brian, drenched in Synths from beginning to end fade. No others w/ gtr solo and bridge..a complete tune all the way.
its the 1st song on the 26 big ones  boot. am i right or wrong?? is this the G. Usher version??

I tried looking around for this CD at several of the local Hallmark shops in my area (Kennesaw, GA) and could not find it.  I asked several of the employees there about it and they said it would probably be out after Mother's Day is over.  Anyone in the Atlanta area find this CD?

I'm in Atlanta; I'll let you know.

Keep in mind that the CD's release date is supposed to be May 15. So there supposedly shouldn't be any copies being sold anywhere. So there's nothing wrong with stores that aren't selling it. It's really just a case of some stores screwing up and putting it out early (I'm assuming they aren't doing it on purpose), which of course is a plus for fans. I've called at least 7 or 8 stores within a reasonable driving distance, and none of them have it. As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I've been surprised to see that many of the stores are on the ball in the sense that they seem aware of the CD and many of the stores specifically knew about the May 15th release date. Of course, I wish they would have broken the release date, but it's at least good to know that I won't go into the store on May 15th only to find that they have no idea what I'm talking about when I ask about the CD.

There are tons of copies up on EBay. By the time I found the copies on EBay, I've passed figuring that by the time I put in a bid, pay, and wait for it be shipped and arrive, it will probably be on or after May 15th. I start to get pretty motivated to hear this CD, but then I remember that we're not talking about an Endless Harmony-style archival package. It's still a neat little release, but I certainly hope the new website has some even more interesting material to buy on CD and/or DVD.

Well, I live near Harrisburg, PA and our Hallmark Store did sell me a copy.  I asked for one and one older lady did make the effort to go to the stock room and pull one out for me while noting they are not for sel yet.  Its enjoyable for one or two listens but not much else.  The live songs are nice.  Dance, Dance, Dance is alright. Wouldn't It be Nice is pretty tight and I really like Al's lead from '73.  Kokomo is not as good as the original and Mike's batter is old.  LDC is taken too slow and IGA is in its normal live version. Good Vibs is also nice from '73. Its funny to hear IGA with the same falsetto of Jeffrey Foskett as on Live at Roxy.  At first I had to make sure Live at Roxy wasn't playing.  Now, I had purchased Al's PT Cruiser single as soon as it was released several years ago, so that wasn't new to me.  It is still a nice tune, but has already worn on me. Mike's new cut is pretty catchy and does have nice vocals.  I have his album via the internet and the only unfortunate thing is that it is one of the 'highlight' tracks.  Brian's new track is however a 'bit' of a disappointment.  I mean, I DO like it, but I may still like the Sweet Insanity version better.  'Not that either version is magnificent'   The song sounds like it would have fit perfectly on GIOMH.  The song would have benefited from more studio time to develop an all around better backing track, but Brian seems these days less and less interested in doing that.  Overall, its a nice little release, but maybe not something to quite get your hopes up for.  Sorry if that sounds negative.

Sorry jumping in on this one late - Mike Kowalski was not touring with the band in 1974, only 1989 on those tracks. Bobby Figueroa was with them on the 1974 tour.

OK, courtesy of a friendly clerk and Mothers' Day, I have the CD and I have spun the live tracks once or twice.  WIBN is absolutely a 1974 track, as Al's lead is so reminiscent of the In Concert CD.  GV is harder to tell; it certainly doesn't match the other songs vocally, but the synth part for the Tannerin line is strange -- I haven't heard that particular set of settings before.  But as I said, vocally it is not 1989.  And yes, it was very strange on Kokomo to hear Brian singing in the BGVs.  But Foskett may actually be the most prominent non-Mike singer of the bunch.

To answer someones question, Ricky WAS with the band in 74 as I recall. 

Today is the 15th.  I guess I should call the mall store and see if this thing is in yet.  Sounds ...not too bad...to get some unreleased material for around 10 US dollars.  From the sound of it, I don't think I'd want to pay much more.


And damned if I'm not getting real curious about the mike love album.

Am I alone in detecting the pendulum swinging away from Brian a bit and toward Mike a little?  (I'm still pissed about the Al lockout)

I just called Hallmark and they have it, as said earlier buy 3 cards and it's $7.89. hopefully I'll have time to swing by today and pick it up :hat

Just picked up the CD (they had to dig it out of a carton on the floor) and listened to it a few times...

- Alan Boyd and Mark Linett did a tremendous job in making the songs sound clear. It's easily the best sounding "live" batch of songs in their history. I would love to hear a full Beach Boys' concert CD that sounds like this one - Sounds Of Summer Live! 

- The 1974 songs must've been recorded differently than the 1973 In Concert album because they sound so much better, unless, again, Alan and Mark cleaned them up significantly. I miss Rikki Fataar.

- I listened very intently and I do not hear Brian Wilson on the live cuts. I don't think he was present for four reasons:  1) I don't hear him in the mix. He's usually good for a couple of off-key or flat yells  2) If these songs were taken from the concert that was featured on the 1989 Endless Summer TV shows, Brian was not on stage with the group,  3) On "Surfer Girl", Al sings the bridge. I don't recall a Beach Boys concert where Brian was present and DIDN'T sing the bridge, and  4) The inside CD jacket lists Additional Musicians, but for some reason DOES NOT list the individual Beach Boys' names. Why? Are we to assume that everybody knows their names? No. Or would the fact that Brian Wilson's name would be omitted be too much of a negative? Are they (The Beach Boys, Inc.) still trying to make it appear that Brian was then/is still a Beach Boy?

- When you listen to the solo songs, you almost wonder if the credits are mixed up. Shouldn't Mike have written "PT Cruiser", Brian "Cool Head, Warm Heart", and Al "The Spirit Of Rock And Roll".

- As a solo "artist" who hasn't really written much since "Santa Ana Winds" and the infamous "Crack At Your Love" almost 20-25 years ago, doesn't Al have anything to say musically? I don't ever want to hear Al complain about Mike Love again.

- Brian Wilson needs a producer. Badly...

Oh, listen closer, he's especially clear on Kokomo.  I can certainly hear Brian.  And I liked the way that the 1973 album was recorded.  What I was impressed with was how seamlessly the two shows were knit together.  Alan, did you have to overdub extra applause to get it to sound that good?

I think Al has written since KTSA/BB (85)...Island Girl, didn't he write that? pretty sure he wasn't too present on Summer in Paradise...but I was pretty sure he wrote more for a project called 'big south?' or that's what AGD called it on his site.     http://www.btinternet.com/~bellagio/

To be fair to Al, Hallmark chose "PT Cruiser," (and all of the other titles as well, from a number of choices that we presented to their representatives).

Al had a couple of works-in-progress that would have been wonderful from our perspective, but the Halllmark folks just loved "PT Cruiser" since it sounded "so much like classic Beach Boys."  And I have to say, I can't really disagree with them.

From time to time I have to remind myself that there are several different types of Beach Boys fans and audiences out there, and it's all good.... for totally different reasons.  I think that's why we're still all here, you know?

What a catalog....

Is this album available in Europe?
Or will it be released there?

I've got the CD and finally gave it a listen. The first thing I've noticed is that I can't really hear Brian on the '89 tracks. Are we sure he's actually on these tracks?

Come to think of it, if these '89 tracks are taken from the Univeral show that is shown in segments on the syndicated "Endless Summer" TV show, then I'm pretty sure Brian can't be on most or perhaps any of these tracks. I'm almost positive, for instance, that the "Endless Summer" TV show showed the Universal Amphitheater performance of "Kokomo", and Brian was not on stage during that song as I recall. This seems to be supported by the fact that I don't really hear Brian on the CD either. There is a high, slightly nasal voice, but that sounds more like Jeff Foskett in the harmonies, not Brian. (You can hear what Brian sounds like on "Kokomo" by watching that dreadful episode of "Full House" that the band did together).

As I recall, while there were other bits of the group with Brian shown during the "Endless Summer" show (the fireside bits, a few "Club Kokomo" performances), I don't think any live tracks featured from the Universal show featured both the group and Brian. There were a bunch of group performances, and a couple of Brian solo without the other BB's.

Interestingly, I recall other shows from '89 when Brian would come on stage for a few songs with the group and then do a few solo songs, and I recall that Brian joined them for "Surfer Girl" and sang the bridge. On the new CD, the '89 live version of "Surfer Girl" has Al singing the bridge, which I would think indicates Brian was not on stage during that song.

Some folks have mentioned that some of the live tracks sound almost too polished. I would imagine it is possible some post-production work was done on the '89 live tracks back in '89 for the "Endless Summer" TV show. The BB's have often done this for TV specials and the like. It sounds more or less like live stuff I've heard from the time period, so I don't think there are any drastic alterations. Mike's lead vocal on "Dance Dance Dance" sounds a bit too polished and up front, like it could have been re-recorded in the studio back then, but I'm just guessing on that. If there is any post-production work on these songs, it isn't much, and almost surely any work that would have been done would have happened back in 1989 when they were prepping these live tracks for that TV show. The only thing that was done in 2005/06 was to mix the stuff I'm sure.

The '74 tracks are blended in quite well with the '89 tracks, and I would imagine most casual fans who pick this up would never know that they are taken from shows 15 years apart. It particular, "Wouldn't It Be Nice" sounds like the drums have been mixed to sound as close to the '89 tracks as possible. Maybe that's just how the drums came out on that '74 show, but it usually seems like live stuff from back then had the drums sounding a bit less echoey and snappy and a little more dry and thick. All of the live tracks are a bit wet/echoey, a bit more than my personal tastes dictate (I'm probably in the minority in that I actually enjoy rather dry, up front, up close-sounding mixes for live stuff, which some say totally negates the whole live/ambient sound of live recordings), particularly the '74 stuff, but it all sounds really great from a sound quality point of view. Certainly, this is evidence of the huge amount of live material that the BB's could release.

As for the solo tracks, I was a bit shocked originally that the Al solo track was "PT Cruiser", given that the song isn't really "new", and while it's neat for what it is, it isn't the most substantial thing Al could have included. But given the explanation that Hallmark chose it, I can apparently safely remove any blame from Al's shoulders (other than perhaps to suggest he shouldn't have offered it up as a possibility, but I don't think that is a very fair criticism). The track sounds good from a recording standpoint; it sounds very warm, and Al's lead vocal is excellent. His voice has held up amazingly well. Too bad the song is such a novelty sort of a thing.

The Mike track is not bad at all, probably better than anything I've ever heard released under his solo name. The backing vocals, especially the intro vocals, have a bit of that really sharp, yet sterile, Beach Boys copycat-ish sound heard on other stuff from the past like the Adrian Baker-produced tracks or "Looking Back With Love." But the song itself is catchy, quite reminiscent of the more catchy stuff on "Summer in Paradise", yet with much more laid-back, organic sounding production than what was heard on "Summer in Paradise." I'm not big on sax solos; unless they are done in certain styles in certain circumstances, they otherwise always make songs sound to me like an overblown 80's ballad, so I think the song could have done without that. But that's just my lack of preferences for saxophones in general.   

Brian's track is somewhat disappointing. I thought I would enjoy it more. Comparisons to the 27 prior versions of the song are inevitable. In that sense, the biggest problem with the new version is that the key has been lowered noticeably, which right off the bat makes the song sound less energetic. The whole production seems a bit lethargic. The mix is way too wet/echoey, which is something I've noticed with a lot of Brian's recent productions (including another one-off compilaton re-recording, "California Feeling"). The near Spector-ish ambience at times makes the song lack a bit of crispness which is heard on the other two solo tracks. The arrangement itself is not too dissimilar to previous versions, although I don't like the altered drum beat added under the first line of the verses. Brian's lead sounds a bit lethargic as well. The rest of the backing vocals aren't bad. The a capella ending redeems the song a bit. I could do without the saxophone solo, although in fairness I can't say I would have wanted to hear the over-the-top 80's sounding electric lead guitar heard on some of the old versions either.

I certainly hope this CD is a sign of more CD releases through the new website, or by whatever means. If Alan Boyd can talk about the website at all, I'd like to know if the possibility of archival material being presented on the website would only be confined to downloads. I'm not big on downloading (more than anything because I'm still on dialup!); I'd rather get the stuff on CD, so I'm hoping that whatever might be offered on the website would be offered on CD. The website doesn't say anything about downloads, I've just heard a few fans mention this as if it was common knowledge that the website was going to be all about downloads. Of course, I'm sure I'm getting away ahead of the whole website project, which I'm sure is still being worked out.

All it takes is to look and hear: If you compare "Kokomo" from the Endless Summer TV Show and the Hallmark CD you'll find:

IT'S THE SAME RECORDING.

On the Endless Summer TV Version, Mikes intro (that IS on the hallmark version) is editet out almost completely. On the hallmark CD version the introduction of sax player Michael Brecker is missing (that IS on the tv version), maybe some legal rights issues or something...
So, if you think you're hearing Brian on Kokomo (I don't think I'm hearing him, but I'm confused...) he must have been put in afterwards, he wasn't on stage during that song.

Like Jasper said, Brian is clearly audible in the background on "Little deuce coupe"

My issue is not Hallmark's choice of "PT Cruiser", but Al Jardine's choice to compose the song in the first place.

Over the last few years, Al has taken some shots at Mike Love for issues such as employing cheerleaders, the Beach Boys' set list in general, the "Car Medley" specifically, and the basic direction that Mike wanted to take the band. This comes from Al Jardine, artist!

I find his statements a little hypocritical when, as soon as Al forms his own band, the Endless Summer Former Beach Boy Family & Friends Beach Band, his set list, with the exception of 3-4 songs, sounds very similar to Mike and Bruce's.

Didn't the reason for Al writing "PT Cruiser" have something to do with a magazine article about the car? Hey, Al can do whatever he wants. But when he sat down and said to himself, "I think I'll write a 60's style car song that lifts directly from "Little GTO" and "Hey Little Cobra", I wonder if he was thinking about his comments about Mike Love's Beach Boys.

I'm also curious what Al thinks about Brian's "Let's Go To Heaven In My Car", "In My Car", "Desert Drive", and the re-recording of "Little Saint Nick". If Mike would've recorded/re-recorded  those songs...

The other night I was watching the video of The Beach Boys' 1965 appearance on Shindig. They were playing "Help Me, Rhonda", and right near the instrumental bridge, a bunch of cheerleaders came out and started dancing around the stage. And guess who's singing along, smiling proudly from ear to ear? Alan Jardine!

FYI - For what it's worth, Al seems to have been the driving force behind the group's late 1993 "unplugged" tour and setlist...

Alan, I haven't had the opportunity to see Al's post-Beach Boys' band live. Are you aware of any of his shows where he performed an "unplugged" set?

I'm told that Al has actually played some almost "folk" sets, solo, up in the Monterey area a couple of times, just to do it and see what it felt like, and I joined him for a gig at his Red Barn in Big Sur last year, where he played with the band Hey Stevie as part of a local arts event.... and when he played the MGM Grand for an extended run back in 1999, his band had the time during off hours to work up some cool "rarities" for the set, "Break Away" and "Wild Honey" and a couple of things like that.

When Al joined us for a short gig last summer in Sacramento, he was up there singing "California Saga" and "Honkin' Down The Highway," along with some of the Jardine perennials like Sloop, Heroes and Rhonda.  I have to admit, playing a "Love You" song with Al was a major "BB nerd fan" dream come true for me and Adam Marsland...

Honestly, if Al had the opportunity (and the bookings, particularly at venues other than one-shot "surf" and nostalgia shows), he and his band would certainly be going more deeply into the catalog.  But it's hard to get the momentum going, not to mention covering the expense and the logistics to schedule the kind of intensive rehearsals necessary for those songs, if you're only playing a handful of gigs each year.  When Al was pushing for the Beach Boys to do that extended set back in 1993, they were somehow able to get everybody in the band up to Big Sur for several days of intense preparation.  It takes a LOT of precise, hard work to pull off those tunes (as I've learned after countless hot sweaty hours in Adam Marsland's garage working with the Chaos band on the Dennis and Carl songs).

Alan

Wow! That's very interesting. I've always wandered what got the nostalgia-drenched later-day BB to suddenly make those more ambitious concerts.

I for one cannot wait to hear the results for myself.  The sound clips on the band's MySpace sound incredible.  Next weekend can't come soon enough (especially since i graduate this Sunday and can't wait to get it over with!)   

I think it sounds about a whole step lower. Noticeable, yes, but I don't think that makes any issues be the fault of the key.

Certainly, the fact that the key is changed or a whole octave change is only noticeable when compared to previous versions. I don't mean to say that the actual key makes it better or worse, as if the key of A is better than C irrespective of how that affects how the singer sings it, etc. Clearly, the key/octave was changed because Brian couldn't sing it in its original form. So it is in that sense that the song ends up having less energy, because Brian is singing it about a whole octave lower. I'm not saying he should have strained to hit notes he couldn't hit, though.

I think just hearing hearing the new version for the first time was a sort of off-putting at first in the same way as when I first head Brian and his band do "Wouldn't It Be Nice" or "Don't Talk" dropped down, and a few other songs.

Question for Alan Boyd if he's reading: What other sorts of songs did Al play for the Hallmark people? I don't know how much info you could divulge about these recordings, but were they finished, new, completely solo Al recordings? Is Al going to give us a solo album ever? For that matter, can you talk at all about how the Hallmark CD came about and how the track selection and concept came about? I'd be interested to know how it was decided to use 1989 live tracks, for instance. Was there any thought given to making some Brother-era outtakes the "new" studio tracks? Or perhaps offering each of the BB's a chance to provide a new, solo track was a way to motivate them to be involved and supportive of the CD. It sounds like Hallmark had rather strong control over the tracklisting. I imagine they were looking for a mainstream thing to offer, so I would guess a CD full of "Holland" outtakes or something wasn't ever going to fly! :)

"Is Al going to give us a solo album ever? "  How about an internet/show only release?  If he's got more stuff in the vein of his acoustic version of California, I'm there!

That would certainly explain why Al was grinning from ear to ear when I thanked him for playing "Vegetables" at the 1983 Atlanta concert, post-show!

Let me be the first to say that Brian's new version of "Spirit" IMHO wipes the floor with the previous, unofficial versions. The difference is all in the track. It sounds like a Brian Wilson production. The vocals, too, while stepped down, are actually arranged.

The tune has never been my favorite unreleased Brian track -- mainly because it's always seemed like Brian trying to sound like something else. The new version actually sounds like him.

As for Al's track -- a retread, if well-sung.

Mike's is good, but not that good. It's a simplistic tune, dressed up with an excellent vocal arrangement. The instrumental track verges on soulless, although god knows it's better than anything we've heard from Mike in 30 years.

Why wasn't Bruce given space for a song?  Or did he choose not to contribute?

I haven't heard the new, lower key version of Rock&Roll, but IMHO, Brian barely pulled off the key in the older versions, so it's not like it's totally about him being older.

Al Jardine doing "California Saga"! Wow, I imagine that WOULD take a lot of prep to get down pat. 

I would like to know if a release of the video to the concert is planned. Or maybe a special download-offer on the new site..... Mr. Boyd ?

just bought this cd today. i really enjoy the live stuff. however i must say i much prefer the version of spirit of rock and roll on the second sweet insanity cd much more than this new version. maybe it is because i have listened to the si version for 15 years now. i don't know. but after the 1st listen to this version i must say i don't really like it. to each their own i guess....

You can tell Wouldn't It Be Nice has a different percussionist than the rest of the concert, but I probably wouldn't've noticed that had I not already known. Good Vibrations isn't all that obvious, and I love the electric guitar right before the chorus.. this is a Blondie track, right? Brian sounds like an old man in Spirit, but then again, he is. The new ending is interesting. PT Cruiser is a terribly obvious Rip Chords ripoff, not that that's bad. Too much saxophone, though. Cool Head Warm Heart is a nice peaceful closer, and the saxophone in this one doesn't sound obnoxious like the other two. I could do without some of the backing vocals, though.

I have to say I don't really hear Brian in the concert either.. guess he's not there.

I didn't know Paula Abdul was on "Make A Wish!"  I'll have to listen to it again.

Is she on the version that's on Sweet Insanity Version 1 or Version 2?  Or is she on both versions?

Just listened to Kokomo a few times.

I'm afraid I don't hear Brian at all.

GV and WIBN and not Blondie tracks; Blondie left in 1973.

I understand your point, but I thought it was quite thrilling to have these two musical legends singing on the same song...even if that song isn't particularly that great...

Still, this version easily beats the "shuffle" version found on the new Hallmark CD.

Well, I wanted to ask this since I heard the CD for the 2nd time, but I forgot to post. Do I hear the 80s Carl on the "chorus" on the 74-version of  GV ? It sounds like that to me... Were those two (WIBN GV ) also doctored up a little? And if so, then it seems that they would have had plans in the 80s to release that material, right? Well, maybe I'm totally wrong, excuse me....

the downer about this album, the spirit of rock and roll was a big let down. the begining sounds great with the choir of brian's singing...but i just can't stand the drumming and it just seems to be a let down to me....it's like the same thing he did with smile tracks...released them a little too late and it's lost its magic to me

A friend of mine got this for me last Friday for my birthday so I finally have heard it and can give my two cents on it.  The live tracks are good.  Nothing out of the ordinary but they are well played and sung for sure.  I can't say that I really hear Brian on them other than a few times, I think, on Little Duece Coupe and I'm not even sure it is him I actually hear there either.  Did we ever make a solid decision on who was singing lead on WIBN?  My ear is not as trained as most of you on here but there are times when it sounds like Carl and other times on this same track that it sounds a bit like Al to me.

As for the "new" solo tracks, I am let down by them.  Spirit Of Rock N' Roll should have been so much better.  I have been waiting for this to be officially released for a long time now and while I think it is harmless overall, it could have been SO much better.  PT Cruiser is just a bit to gimmicky for me to really enjoy.  Al's voice is great and e obviously has the best voice of the remaining boys but this song causes massive constipation from excessive amounts of cheese.  Mike's track is nice.  Surely the best thing I can recall ever hearing from his solo ventures.  The vocal arrangement is nice on this one.  Not a great song, but definately a pretty good one.  I was hoping for much more from this album but its good to hear any nrew material from the boys I guess.

Well, Alan Boyd confirmed that I must be hearing things on Kokomo -- though it sure sounds like Brian.  But the Little Deuce Coupe was not from the same exact set (though the same day) as the Endless Summer stuff, so Brian is most definitely on LDC per Mr. Boyd, the man who compiled the set.