The Smiley Smile Message Board

Saw this online... nice tribute... have to see this tour...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re9z7PoN2S8

Very cool! I didn't know they were doing this (again). I'm going to see Mike & Bruce in April, hopefully they continue using Dennis' voice and the film footage. I would imagine that they're doing this with a Carl song, yes?

Loved it when they did it on the 50th anniversary.

That was cool. That bad boy was rockin'! Was that Stamos drumming back there with Cowsill? A "Double John" duo.

It's obvious Stamos is familiar with the Shindig clip.  He and Cowsill are matching Dennis' playing perfectly.

Nice tribute. I always find it not right though that they don't use one of Dennis' own extraordinary songs to pay him tribute. But I believe they were already using "Do you wanna dance" when Carl was still alive.
Just my opinion of course.

That was real great---nice that they are doing that for Dennis.  In theory this should open up for them to have MORE Dennis songs in the set.  "Cuddle Up"??  ;D

If they're using the screen more and more these days, lugging around an LED screen would be a huge plus.

What else have they used besides this and Forever? Forever is his own song. Do You Wanna Dance was the only hit record with a Dennis lead vocal. I thought it was terrific to honor him with such a rockin' track.

"Forever" would be cool.
I'm not saying it's terrible. Just my opinion. "Forever" is a great track and meanwhile it's known among concert goers. And "Do you wanna dance" is not a very good song. I always wondered how they could record it and put that out back in the 60s. The production is great but...well, wtf. Let's just keep it at that.

Huh? They've done Forever like, forever. It was good to change it up this year. I happen to like the Beach Boys version better than the original; rocks more. Brian's wall of sound. Probably the closest sounding recording to the Spector Wall of Sound than anything else done.

If they did Angel Come Home, that would be so cool.  And they could use footage from the Midnight Special.

Seeing the timecode in the top RH corner of the Shindig footage got me thinking (apologies if this has been discussed before). Are there any clearances necessary when screening footage from Shindig, Ed Sullivan, etc. in public?

Only on the Beach Boys tour in 2012. I'm talking about using a video etc. When they didn't use video walls they practically could've done every song Dennis ever wrote for and recorded with the Beach Boys. That would be no problem. Imo still more fitting than DYWD (which - also imo - sucks in the live versions no matter by which band although it sounds kinda cool on the few 60s audience recordings I have heard).

It's a great song, a teenage anthem. And it rocked. There would not be so many covers of it, if the song had no merit.

Brian copped Del Shannon's treatment for the Beach Boys recording. Love that Del.

Two notes about this:

1st Note: This is the first time in a long time that Do You Wanna Dance? is played in it's original recorded key, I didn't know that they could all sing that high still wow! I remember that when it was played on the 50th anniversary tours, the key was dropped down to suite Brian's voice.

2nd Note: Dennis voice is actually taken from the original recording, so it's the 1965 vocal track of Dennis. Now what makes me wonder is if Dennis sang the lead by himself and the boys Overdubbed their background vocals or are all the voices recorded onto one track? I'm trying to go back to Craig's Today! sessionography and make sense of it. If they are all on the same track, then that means not only is Dennis in the chorus so is Brian, Marilyn, Carl, Al and 1965 Mike singing with the live band. Maybe they somehow isolated Dennis only?

Honestly, I don't care what song they choose. I am just really happy that Mike includes Dennis' contribution to the band in the Live show.

I can't fault any attempt to pay tribute to Carl and Dennis.

I just still find it beyond bizarro that you can go to a "Beach Boys" show in 2015 and hear Carl and Dennis sing, but not Brian or Al.   ???

Slightly interesting that the "Shindig" footage on the big screen appears to still have a timecode running at the top. Did they get that part of the footage from YouTube or something?

It would be interesting to see (preferably with the full surviving band on stage) different Dennis and Carl tracks swapped. When they don't have to sync any video footage, then I would presume they just have to isolate a lead vocal and then add a click track to it.

This is really interesting that they performed this recently with Dennis's original lead vocal....... because a few days ago I was thinking (something I read on the board got me thinking about this) how cool it would have been if in the mid/late 70's Dennis had stepped out front and performed this live with The Beach Boys. Probably at the time, it was thought of as too uncool, but in retrospect I think it would have rocked! Imagine the gruffer, bearded, POB era Dennis stepping out front to shock everyone with this rather innocent bit of 60's nostalgia. Am I crazy for thinking this?

Would be a golden interview question.

Yeah good question ;D

<<This is really interesting that they performed this recently with Dennis's original lead vocal....... because a few days ago I was thinking (something I read on the board got me thinking about this) how cool it would have been if in the mid/late 70's Dennis had stepped out front and performed this live with The Beach Boys. Probably at the time, it was thought of as too uncool, but in retrospect I think it would have rocked! Imagine the gruffer, bearded, POB era Dennis stepping out front to shock everyone with this rather innocent bit of 60's nostalgia. Am I crazy for thinking this?>>

I thought this throughout the 70s.  A great idea; I still don't know why they didn't do it, unless Dennis just wasn't interested.  I did have a conversation with Carl about it during an evening of coffee and dessert with Carl, Gina, Brian Berry and a couple of Mr. Berry's friends, following a show in Evansville, IN.   A longtime friend of Carl's, Brian had been gracious enough to invite my wife and I after the show to this little gathering.

I asked Carl about Dennis possibly doing Do You Wanna Dance in the encore.  Being in my early 20s and naïve about what was going on with Dennis, other than the fact that he wasn't with them on the tour, I suggested that it might give Dennis something fun to do.  Unfortunately, this was in October of 1983.  There was an uneasy silence, no doubt because I was the stupid one in the room.  Carl finally spoke, quietly saying, "Dennis has other problems right now."  

That's fantastic. My respect for the Mike & Bruce show just got bumped up a notch.

I feel for you, Steve. You and I are about the same age and I am sure if I had been in the same situation at the time I would have said something equally as awkward. Looks like you had the idea of Dennis doing "Do You Wanna Dance" back in the 70's way before me though.  :)

Coincidentally, I got to spend some time talking with Brian Berry 10 or so years ago. He had a great story about having dinner with Carl and hearing the newly released BB single, "Kokomo", come over the restaurant speakers.  Considering how he answered Carl's question, they were apparently pretty good friends.

Really nice CLEAN sound on Dennis' voice too.  I remember the lp track/and 45 sounding a touch muddy back in the day.  I agree with Gregg that it would have been cool to have Dennis kick out the jams with DYWD back in the 70s...the whole decade.  When I last saw him in the late summer of 82 he was in no shape for that Steve.  Man he aged in a hurry.

 Can't find who it was who suggested that in addition to including the DEARLY departed...that clips of Brian and Al should also be included.  To showcase Denny and Carl is respectful...a complete positive  To add Brian and Al would shine a light on Beach Boy shortcomings and problems...too negative.  Although I personally would love to see and hear them  they are physically capable of delivering their performances in person.

And no...I don't wanna dance. :hat

I think it's nice they are doing this in the show now. I'm not expecting Mike to put songs like Slip On Through, Cuddle Up, Long Promised Road on Angel Come Home in the show, though - Mike likes to play the hits, not semi-obscure album tracks that the casual fans have no knowledge of.

Mine got bumped down a notch. When they used "Forever" during the C50 tour, it felt like a tribute to Dennis as the remaining band was back together. Here it feels like exploitation by Mike and Bruce. Mike and Dennis were not exactly best friends (not sure about Dennis and Bruce) and it feels like they are taking advantage of Dennis to tug at the heartstrings of his fans and make themselves look good in the process. Maybe I am just too cynical though - and it is always good to hear Dennis.

It's a very Mike kind of tribute in that it is of a song from 1965, and no late 1960s, 1970's-era images of Dennis appear on the video screen. It fits in with Mike's interpretation of the band as a fun relic of the 1960s, which is probably the time--playing amateur psychologist here--that he has the most positive memories of Dennis from.

Good points here. "Forever" is probably too deep and a bit melancholic for this incarnation of the band and its target audience.

A really cool tribute to Dennis would be doing "All I Want To Do", its lead singer being still alive and touring with the band.

Hehe, complete with sound effects? ;)    Actually that is my favourite Mike lead.  Great song.

So what exactly does Bruce sing now?  GOK and DYWD were usually his only 2 leads and the occasional Disney Girls.

My opinion, this is a near perfect tribute to Dennis. The shows I'd seen Dennis would sing "you are so Beautiful".   I love Dennis but at that time he was not in good voice and not healthy.  He was abeautiful spirit and here we see him in his youth, vibrant. "Do You wanna Dance fits the live performance as much as "Barbara Ann" or even "rock n roll music".
"Forever" was used in 2012 in the tribute. I wish I went to the show since I don't live too far from that venue, but I passed on it.

Jet without wings

Mike and Bruce were at least rehearsing Forever w/ Dennis on the screens (just like C50) at soundchecks a couple years back.  Did they ever end up doing it?

The BW band needs to do a touching tribute to Mike on the NPP tour. The videowall can pulsate with legal threats and colonoscopy footage. Not a dry eye in the house!

 :lol

I think Brian's new album title NPP, in and of itself, is already his own "tribute" to his cousin, and speaks volumes.

It's mighty, mighty hard to see things any other way than you have just described. I'd very much like to disagree, but I can't seem to logically do so.

Here's a question I have for anyone who disagrees, and thinks that it's NOT exploitation, and NOT in very odd, or dare I say poor, taste in any way shape or form, considering the post C50 circumstances:

If Mike were to outlive one or more of the current BBs who he refuses to tour with, and then added a video tribute(s) to them too... after that specific member(s) spoke at length in the press, post C50, about how hurt and bummed they were that they were essentially (or in a rounabout way, more or less) canned, due to Mike's actions, from the BB live act while they were alive, healthy and breathing...

Would *that* video tribute still strike you as simply a 100% genuine, heartfelt tribute about how much he truly loves, cares, and misses playing/touring with that member(s)? Or would it finally get weird at that point? At what point would the man's video tribute actions be questionable? Ever?

Because it would amount to "You can be up here on stage singing with me, unless you're not really here and alive, healthy and breathing".

I'm waiting for the usual suspects to explain away how this scenario would also simply be a moving tribute, and nothing more.

Looks like myKe just set a new waving/pointing record during the video. His back is to the audience in the beginning-is he adjusting his partial plate?  ???

Of course! It wouldn't be the same without them, would it? :-D

Cent Dep...To give Mike [and Bruce] the benefit of the doubt...THEY represent the group known as The Beach Boys.  And they do it often.  They also represent the interests of BRI.  In order to truly represent the Beach Boys to the FANS...I think it makes a LOT of sense to not just merely mention the names of the departed stars of the group but to also feature them in a meaningful way.  The whole show can't just be album cuts.  You HAVE to include hits too.  So why not include Denny's all time biggest hit lead vocal performance?  It's NO ONE'S fault that DYWD is the top of the pole for Dennis.

That said I still don't want to see video of LIVING members...unless they're right in front of the big screen...on stage...performing with the Beach Boys.

{I put Bruce in brackets because I doubt he has much of a say or a vote on matters of this nature...so to toss him in to the blame mix is really not fair is it?}

Mike and the surviving members did a nice job promoting how special and unique 2012 and the C50 was. I just prefer the tributes had stopped when it ended myself.

This clip shows a lot of shots that make it seem the band was Mike, Bruce, Carl and Dennis. I know that Brian and Al (and David?) wanted their images removed but it just rubs me up the wrong way a bit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=secgXHQb7hM

But I can't seem to shake the tacky feeling. And what do you honestly think of my question, if (heaven forbid) a living non-M&B BB member (who vocalized major disappointment/sadness about being squeezed out of the BBs) passes away... would it then be ok for a M&B video tribute to start appearing for that member too? IMO, it defies common sense to even think of it. How would Mike introduce the video? "Here's the member who recently very, very much wanted to continue playing in the BBs... but now that he's passed away and isn't here anymore, let's pay tribute to his talents and play this video to recreate his existence." Sorry, but it just feels gross to think about. Am I off base?

And if we can agree that this is a ridiculous scenario, I don't see how it's too terribly different from currently playing video tributes to two fallen band members (in particular, members who I feel certain would have objected to how C50 ended, and found the current situation unthinkable and inappropriate).

Exactly, its a sicko situation to keep the two other founders out of the band, while only acknowledging the other two because they passed away. Its like the rest of the group is dead to Mike Love.

The best way to keep touring with Mike, apparently, is to die.

(http://i.imgur.com/vESj1.gif)

Poor Bruce.
-----------------------------------------
I get what you guys are saying. :hat

I think I am pretty safe in saying Dennis would not be happy that Mike uses his image on stage today. Carl I'm not sure.

I suppose the difference is that Carl and Dennis are gone, so showing clips of their performances is the only way to see them.  The others are still alive and kicking and performing, so you could go see them if you wished.  Not saying I agree.

So, when Brian & Al were there that was ok?  That would make Dennis and maybe Carl, happy? Am I getting this right? Some of you people are never happy, are you?

Big difference. The C50 was a celebration of all things Beach Boys with surviving members signing up. Besides, my comment relates more to the Mike-Dennis relationship. My opinion, and only my opinion, is Dennis would have been ok with it for the C50 because Brian, Al and Dave were involved. Due to the strained relationship he had with Mike I can't imagine him being happy after 2012 myself.

Just saying.

...and by the way, I'm always happy! ;D

edit

I'll also say this. Anyone who goes to a Beach Boys show has probably been disappointed about some aspect since the beginning. I've read enough here over the years. Brian wasn't there, Stamo's was there, Bruce clapped/ adjusted his mic too much. Mike pointed at he ladies like a dirty old man, Dennis was drunk/ absent, Carl was drunk, my favorite song wasn't on the set list, Bruce butchered God Only Knows, F**kin Barbara Ann again.

Sound familiar?

Why shouldn't fans be able to critique aspects both good and bad in their opinion. We know people in the loop read here so sometimes it can be a win-win.

Pretty weak falsetto from Jeff on this one. Is this typical lately

I hope it was an off night.  Hard to keep THAT up forever.  Where would they...Brian and now the Beach Boys...be w/o him?  Vocally I think, at this point Jeff has the toughest job.  Can'r whisper or fake your way through that.

Now now you two. Think happy please! ;)

I saw Jeff with Brian at the Smile show in Montreal and later in Calgary a few years ago. Jeff was outstanding. I sure that his falsetto isn't failing him.

No, I don't know what you are talking about. These guys are human and not once did I ever expect perfection. They are my favorite band, so maybe I am just a bit more forgiving. Never has any of that really hurt their popularity. As for the exploitation of Dennis & Carl, I don't care how many are on stage, if you believe that showing video is exploiting them, then it should'nt matter how many are on stage. You either do it or you don't, if just showing the video is an issue. Mike is just as much a Beach Boy as Brian & Al. We nit pick this sh*t to death. Both guys (Dennis & Carl) were Beach Boys and whoever goes out there to the public as the Beach Boys should be able to honor one of their own.

It shouldn't matter how many are on stage only in a scenario that exists outside of the actual sad reality of the situation. Like in the fictional scenario that Brian and Al decided to retire and not play live anymore, and not have any desire to be BBs anymore. I don't doubt that Mike loved/loves his late cousins Carl and Dennis (despite major differences); that's never been a remote consideration. He just has a hell of a strange way of showing love towards the Wilsons in general.

And, drbeachboy, I have yet to hear what you think of my question - if (heaven forbid) a living non-M&B BB member (who vocalized major disappointment/sadness about being squeezed out of the BBs) passes away... would it then be ok for a M&B video tribute to start appearing for that member too? Would that be totally ok and not weird at all too? Maybe defending the current video screen situation is easier since Dennis/Carl weren't around long enough to express their own displeasure/disgust with how C50 ended, but I'm not quite sure how one can defend hypothetical video screens for people who specifically voiced deep hurt over how things went down. Ya know, they're my favorite band too, but some things just don't seem right.

You quoted my post, not PF's. So, are you asking him or asking me?

Actually, it shouldn't matter if any of the rest want to honor a departed band member, whether as a band or solo. They did have a past together and as for Mike and the Wilson's, they are family as well as band mates. All I can say is That if you don't like it, then don't go to the shows or even worse, stop being a fan if it's that offensive to you.

Sorry, that was a typo on my part. I was curious as to your opinion on that specific question, Dr.

This "quote" was not mine but drBB's. Please correct it CP. Thanks.

I don't want to go off on a tangent but if we are talking hypothetical. I have never been a fan of the licensing situation of 1998 so I think the name should have been retired then. If the surviving members wanted to record/tour ie the C50 sure, bring on the tributes. If Mike with Bruce were solo in name I'd even allow them some video/picture tribute slack. Same for Brian/Al/David or a combination of.

Again, this is my preference. I don't want to derail the thread on the licensing of the name. There is enough of that elsewhere on the board.


edit.

Snap on the quote. No problem CP.

Fixed the quote in the earlier post, sorry PF... this is what happens when I try to post on an iphone  :-\

The issue, to me, with the video tribute is the timing. As far as I'm aware, they never used these prior to C50. In C50 they were employed as a means of including the deceased members of the band in the reunion. Post C50, Mike refuses to tour with the LIVING members of the Beach Boys, so reuniting the band is no longer his motivation. Yet, he continues to play the warm-fuzzy nostalgia-for-what-was with the deceased members.

Bottom Line: Video Dennis and Video Carl are great Beach Boys. They don't challenge Mike. Real Brian and Real Al, not so much.

OK, so the idea appears with C50. Mike has continued using it since. There is no challenging here. Just a continuation of honoring the two departed family band members.