The Smiley Smile Message Board

this was at Western Studios i believe with Jan & Dean, recording Surf City perhaps? I've seen pics of what looks like Bri, Jan/Dean, Phil, and mike love possibly? what happend? It looks like he's telling Brian that he's in the way or something. Brian, in this picture looks older than i imagined at that particular time

show the pics dude.

I think I know the pic you're talkin' about...and it's from '65.  The other dudes besides Phil (and his bodyguard), Brian and Mike are the Righteous Brothers.

OK, I found it...it's just one Righteous Bro, Bobby Hatfield.  And there's a couple of other people there too.  And to me it looks like Phil is giving Brian an affectionate pat on the side as he scurries by.  I'll try to scan it and post it unless someone beats me to it.  Brian is dressed the way he's dressed on the inside back cover of the first Capitol box set booklet (where he's sitting in the studio playing the bass). 

i would scan, but i cant, it's on the Endless Harmony documentry when they're talking about Spector

It's in Badman's book. I don't have a scanner, BUY THE BOOK IT'S FANTASTIC.

Anyway, Brian looks like a giant infront of Phil. Giant in both meanings to be applied to their careers....

forgot it was the Badman book, i love this picture...I also uploaded another pic that was in the book from 1966, really interesting to see Brian with the guys (besides Pet Sounds promo/studio pics)  Sorry for the blurry-ness, my camera sucks

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c31/justinplank/P4280006.jpg)

(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c31/justinplank/P4280008.jpg)

The picture of them at the carnival with the Octopus ride is pretty cool.

Brian met Spector more than once.  He played on a Spector session, but was kicked off for not being able to sight read fast enough and not getting the rhythm right (if I'm not mistaken, it was for Brian's own song, "Things Are Changing for the Better").  He has said that Phil shared some tricks of the trade with him when he attended Phil's sessions (which he descibed as piercingly loud), and Phil also attended at least one Beach Boys session, or at least popped in briefly.  Brian also met Spector in the '80s, possibly as part of Landy's therapy, visiting Phil's house to prove that Phil was harmless.  Little did they know!  Brian bumped into Phil at Lakers' games the past few years, though obviously not recently.

it's better than the view you got from An American Family


Jan or Dean: "Hey Phil, this is Brian Wilson."
Phil: "I've heard your stuff, lets go (to the engineer)"

end of convo

I would loved to have seen the look on Brian's face when he ran into Phil Spector at a Lakers' game.

In 1984, The Beach Boys appeared on The Tonight Show (Joan Rivers was guest-hosting that evening); they were promoting the D.C. Beach Party. Brian was present that night (he looked great!), and while answering one of Joan's questions about what they were up to, Brian blurted out something about having met with Phil Spector recently, and they were talking about doing something together... I often wondered if Brian really met with Spector then or if he made it up, and what the collaboration would've produced.

In some ways, Brian's career echoed Phil Spector's, at least chronologically. When Spector was going strong in the mid-1960's, Brian was right there with him. After Spector slowed down in the late 1960's, Brian slowed down. When Spector returned to work with The Beatles (as a group and as solo artists), Brian came back with Sunflower and the Jack Reiley stuff.  When Spector (and John Lennon) went "back" with the Rock And Roll album, Brian "came back" with 15 Big Ones.  

I also think there's a correlation between Phil Spector's eccentricities/mental problems and Brian's, but I don't want to go there right now...

you bring up some really valid points

punkinhead...watch out with those pictures. I'm not sure if posting these kind of things violates any copyright issues...



To the above poster: Good points about the Spector/Wilson similarities. I doubt Brian was simply copying Phil with the whole reclusive section of his life. Obviously Phil was a massive influence on Brian's life, even leading Brian to greatly distrust him.

Wasn't Spector "crushed" when 'River Deep, Mountain High' didn't sell like he had expected? Similar to Brian with Pet Sounds/Heroes and Villains/Smiley etc. I don't think it has ever been touched on yet --- How Brian expected Smiley to sell. It had the myth of SMiLE backing it, yet the word of Derek Taylor with the word of a scrapped project. Being that Carl said it was a 'bunt rather than a grand slam' makes you wonder if the group had expected big $$$ from it.

That's what I'm talking about. Take a closer look at it...

to me, it's easy to see why River Deep didn't do well; some may beg to differ, but it's just not my cup of tea...didn't George Harrison like this tune a whole lot?

i'll be careful on pic posting...kinda funny we just got done with this whole boot posting stuff

It's an interesting production. It's extremely aggressive but using hardly any instruments which are used in today's aggressive music. That recording rocks more than most things. But as a song I think it's only so-so, whereas something like "Good Vibrations" is a great song, great production, great recording, etc.

exactly!

This picture was used on the cover of an interesting Phil Spector soundalike comp:

http://www.acerecords.co.uk/content.php?page_id=59&release=847

Dunno, but I heard Lennon play it as a guest DJ. It was a smash in England, correct?

Maybe he thought he was playing Nilsson's cover.