The Smiley Smile Message Board

Does anyone have any further info on this BW solo track?
It's from the Usher period, right? I'm assuming it was recorded at the same time as "Heavenly Bodies", etc?

I think it's one of his best 80s tunes, and very surprising that this tune hasn't been re-recorded (or even released as-is).

I think this was actually going to be on the BW88 album before getting nixt. I believe it's a rerecording of Black Widow from the Usher sessions. I'm in the middle of the Wilson project book right now but haven't seen anything about this song yet.

Was going to be on the 1988 album (and indeed was on some pre-promo cassettes) then was going to be the B side of " Melt Away"... and yes, a revision of "Black Widow".

Recorded between June 8-14 and 15-21 in NYC, September 16 in LA, also November 18 & 19, all 1987.

Very cool. Since it made it out to some pre-promo cassettes, I would like to think and wish and hope and pray that a decent-ish quality copy of it is floating around somewhere... Wonder why it got cut from both the album and as a B-side.

Did another song replace this, or was it going to be an additional track on the album?  Any idea why it was nixed?

It's not a bad song. I'd like to see it get an official release one day, but I doubt it'll happen. The original 1983 demo of Black Widow is one of the best things Brian ever did in the 1980s.

What really needs to happen is a MIC-style box set for Brian's solo material, of which there are tons upon tons of unreleased outtakes. I'd be very surprised if a BW solo box didn't see official release at some point (even if digital-only), though it may be years before that happens. I don't see that not happening. Since this track *almost* saw release a couple of times, I'd venture to say that it will come out eventually. It's certainly top-shelf in the unreleased BW solo cannon, IMO.

I would love a BW solo box with unreleased material, but I don't know if it would be a big seller. How many people are really big enough fans of solo Brian to buy a box set? I hate to say it, but maybe after Brian's death and everyone realizes his significance...

I doubt we will ever get a BW solo box (for the reason you mention, Amy), but I hope for some previously unreleased tracks on the Love and Mercy soundtrack, or maybe on a "Best of BW" CD to coincide with the movie.

I'd love to have a BW-cd which just compiles all the various b-sides and bonustracks released through the years - tracks like Message Man, Believe In Yourself, Let's Go To Heaven In My Car, Listen To Me etc. etc. Even though some of the songs may be throwaways it would be great to have them officially compiled on a CD or a set of cd's instead of just having digital versions of them.

Also - it's a shame there isn't a "Back To Mono"-type of box including all of the productions Brian did in the 60's and 70's. Would make an awesome collection!

Good call! I love both your ideas! We need all those single mix/b-side/bonus tracks all in one place. And I've been wanting a Pet Projectw Vol 2 and 3 forever. There's a lot of items from mid to late sixties of his side productions that I've never heard like the Ron Wilson single and the (I think it was called) Bob and Bobby- Twelve
O Four single and other various goodies.

I hate to say it too, but I think that's the most likely possibility... years from now (hopefully many).

The drummer from Queen recently released a 12-CD/1-DVD box and it was sold out almost instantly. I'm sure if something like that can sell, a Brian Wilson boxset will sell as well..?

A B.W box..?!   EVERYONE here would buy it.

Did everyone here buy MIC?  Me a (Avid) Fan since 1981 and I did not purchase MIC.

But B.Widow/LDIA, DTOPE,...  Magic Lanterns, In the wink of an eye, Elbow, So Long............  Love You demo's....?!     C'mon gimme gimme... 

What's amazing is that, even with all the recycling he does, Brian has at least three or four albums worth of unreleased tunes from the 80s onward. The volume, when you include the Usher stuff, SI, the Paley sessions, the Asher collabs and the Bennett sessions, is pretty remarkable. And that doesn't even include the stray released tracks, some of which are deeply impressive, and the backing vocal appearances. You could get a five or six disc set really easily ...

Is there really a BW song called So Long? Hmmm.... :/

Yeah, it's from his 80s collab with Gary usher, I always knew it as Turning Point...it's known as So Long in the Proect Wson book.

I have not bought mic yet, cuz I don't have the money for it.

Maybe he could release a song or two on iTunes and just see how it sells. It's not like the old model is the only one anymore.

Here's how I think they should do this, release a 2 cd best of the solo years cd, the first cd will be highlights throughout his solo years, including those rare hard to find songs that are now OOP, disc 2 should be nothing but unreleased songs and demos etc....

A set like this, at the very least, *will* happen at some point. No doubt in my mind.

Aren't almost all of the ones he's released "Unreleased and Demos" ?

It was released as "You've Touched Me" on GIOMH. The same basic chords and structure, with a bit of a different rhythmic approach.

And different lyrics (obviously)

Even though "You've Touched Me" has a few cool melodic touches exclusive to the remake, I think its early incarnation as "Turning Point" (or is the proper title "So Long") is far better. I love those 80s BW synthy demos, even if they have their weak spots.

The only really tough one for me to dig is the demo for "Save The Day", whose Landy-penned (?) lyrics are only about 1.5 rungs on the turd latter improved compared to the lyrics for "Looking Back With Love". Brian should've called that track "Looking Back With Brian". I'll take "Fairy Tale" over "Save The Day" any day..

I REALLY like that song Fairytale .. Nice chords + melody.. Gotta redo the vocal maybe..

I agree, the problem is that that the vocals are bad in several spots on that one.  The same with Make A Wish and Rainbow Eyes.  I can't listen to those tracks because the vocals are so bad.