The Smiley Smile Message Board

http://www.masslive.com/living/republican/index.ssf?/base/living-1/115113565898160.xml&coll=1&thispage=1e

"I've just written with Brian Wilson, and all I know is they're damn good songs," Bacharach said about his new body of work.

Holy Cow!  ;D
 
These two should definitely collaborate. It'd probably be better than any other solo work Brian's done. Guaranteed not to be completely shitty.

i've been sayin that they should collaborate for a long time...it's like we get the bacharach-esq stuff with she says that she needs me, guess i'm dumb, let him run wild...but if this is real, i'm gonna have to change my pants

!!! YES !!!


Amazing news, I wonder why so few people are responding to this. There are a couple of questions that come to my mind:

- are these songs meant for Brian's upcoming rock'n'roll-album?

- Burt and rock'n'roll?!?

- Who wrote the lyrics?

- How did the writing-process work? (I mean: did Brian wrote a verse or bridge and Burt added a chorus; Brian wrote the songs and Burt did the arrangements etc etc )


Imo, this is about the most exciting news in recent BB/BW-times.

This is great news...I bet they both just sat at the piano and jammed...

I absolutely agree with JRauch. "Damn good songs". WHAT SONGS! Why is this kept so quiet? This is Brian Wilson AND Burt Bacharach collaborating! Does anybody know anything?

This better be good. The last thing I want is another GIOMH and using songs that were 15 +  ::)

It can't be another GIOMH. We're not talking about Andy Paley, Steve Kalinich, or Sweet Insanity stuff. THIS IS BURT BACHARACH! He would never lower himself to GIOMH standards. And they just wrote the songs; they're new?!

I need more on this. Please don't let Brian ruin these songs with his singing. Call the other guys (Mike, Al, Bruce) now!

Maybe the Bacharach and Wilson songs could be used for the next Beach Boys album? Maybe Bacharach is going to fill the shoes of Gary Usher and Roger Christian and become Brian's next songwriting partner.

I'm allowed to dream, right? :bow

Just to make it sure: are these songs for Brian's upcoming album or for Burt's? The line "...and all I know is they're damn good songs" makes me believe it´s the first one. And that would mean that these songs are for the famous "rock'n'roll-album". But would be Burt the right guy for that kind of music? And didn´t Van Dyke mention some weeks ago that he was called by Brian for some songwriting? So is it actually Brian AND Burt AND Van Dyke?!?

Man, I have the feeling that this will be something BIG.

An interview with Brian in which he says he's been writing with Burt Bacharach and "we're going to do some recording".  He also says he wouldn't be opposed to doing studio work with the Beach Boys, "if it is OK with all of the managers."  All very intriguing...

http://www.shns.com/shns/g_index2.cfm?action=detail&pk=WILSON-MUSIC-06-29-06

Courtesy of a poster on the blueboard.


Questions and answers with Brian Wilson

By JERRY FINK
Las Vegas Sun
29-JUN-06

Brian Wilson celebrated his 64th birthday last week, a couple of days after Paul McCartney. The former Beach Boy and former Beatle _ icons of the '60s youth culture _ are aging, but their music appears to be ageless.

McCartney cited "Pet Sounds" _ the legendary 1966 Beach Boys album composed, arranged and produced by Wilson _ as the inspiration for the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."

Wilson founded the Beach Boys along with his brothers Carl and Dennis, cousin Mike Love and school friend Al Jardine in 1961. They created the "surf sound" and some of the most memorable songs of the decade _ "Good Vibrations," "Surfin' USA," "Fun, Fun, Fun," "I Get Around," "Help Me Rhonda" and "California Girls."

Then life fell apart for the musical genius.

He left the Beach Boys in the mid-'70s, plagued by mental illness and drug abuse. He became estranged from his daughters from his first marriage, Carnie and Wendy.

He and his daughters mended fences in 1997 and released an album "The Wilsons." He remarried in 1995, and the couple adopted two daughters and a son.

He even dug back into the archives and completed the 1967 Beach Boys' album "Smile," which he finally released two years ago. But Love sued Wilson over the album and other issues.

Wilson talked about his life these days during a recent phone interview from his Southern California home:

Q: How are you?

A: I feel unbelievably well. I go on a five-mile walk every morning, then work at my piano. Then I play with my kids for a while, and go back to the piano. Then I have dinner and work at the piano some more.

Q: Are you performing at more concerts these days?

A: Not really. I don't go on the road too often, just every few months.

Q: What can fans expect at a concert?

A: Beach Boys hits. Mostly Beach Boys hits, but also some of my new songs.

Q: Your music has endured for decades. What do you attribute that to?

A: I can only accredit it to good harmonies and good melodies that have brought a lot of joy into the lives of a lot of people.

Q: The music world has changed dramatically since the '60s. Do you think it's for the better, or worse?

A: I don't like what's happening in music at all. I'm disappointed in the condition the music business is in now.

Q: Do you think it will ever turn around?

A: It will get worse to the point where someone records a record that is so great everyone will just flip over it. Then things will get better.

Q: How do you keep busy these days?

A: I'm working, always working on my music.

Q: And how is the music going?

A: Things are going pretty fast. I'm writing all these songs, and I hope to do some recording this year. Lately I've been writing with Burt Bacharach. We're going to do some recording.

Q: You've had some legal issues with Mike Love. Have they been resolved?

A: We had a meeting recently. Things have gotten a little bit better between us. We discussed business, but I don't know what's going to happen.

Q: Do you ever foresee rejoining the Beach Boys?

A: I would not be opposed to recording again with the Beach Boys, if it is OK with all of the managers. I might consider some studio work _ that would be very exciting.

This "all the managers" line. If these guys want this to happen then it has to be done like a business and that is one person in charge. Each member can have their wife or handler on the side but each faction having a so called manager with equal power is a disaster waiting to happen.
I say call in a hardass anti-bs muso nazi from outside BB land. >:D

Any ideas?

Note that it said: ""I've just written with Brian Wilson, and all I know is they're damn good songs," Bacharach said about his new body of work."

So I'm guessing that it's for something Bacharach is doing, but who knows. I'm excited about it. And thanks for posting that Les, that's even better news about Brian wanting to record with the Beach Boys again. What would make a new "Beach Boys" recording even better is to have the surviving members of the wrecking crew, with members from Brian's band.

Brian's comments on the music business are great. I wonder if he was speaking about himself saying that someone will release a song so great that everyone will flip for it?

On the Bacharach thing -- I wonder if there was any ego clashing at all between the two giants?

No doubt great things are coming from these two songwriters. Pretty exciting.

This BW/Burt Bacharach  (did you notice his initials are BB - it's fate!) collaboration has me a little excited. So I checked out a Bacharach website, complete with forum, and there was a short thread about BW/BB, but with no new info.

Anyway, guess who was one of the posters on the thread? PUNKINHEAD!

I love his enthusiasm!

Don't be fooled!

It was merely Punkinhead's arch-enemy. He uses the same name to create mass confusion in his true followers as we are. The real "PH" will be here soon to straighten out the mess.

You might be right. The post was a bit too conservative to be from the REAL Punkinhead!

well, i wanted to make a good first impression...like i was smart or something...

if i was really motivated...i'd make a new user name of the REAL punkinhead...but then again i just reached 600 posts...and i'm dern proud...

you dont think im conservitive?    ;D

No, I don't! You've achieved Beach Boys P.H.D. status in record-breaking time! I'm just a Smiley Smile Associate, a mere peon.

I expect you to go on that Burt Bacharach message board and make us proud. Keep digging until you get the answers. What's going on with Brian and Burt? I know you can do it, because you had the guts to admit that you dance to "Matchpoint Of Our Love"...

awesome or to have an idea of writing an 'almost Famous' meets Holland short story

Does anyone here have bought (and liked) Painted from Memory (1998) and At This Time (2005)? YAWN.

can you imagine if a fan was invited to goto holland to write an article of the whole recording process? that would be quite the experience!

BTW I love this movie and just bought it on DVD. One thing tatalways comes up to me is that the guitar player looks quite like Bruce in the early 70s. I also like that Beach Boys-vibe (Pet Sounds, Feel Flows)

But that's OT, sorry

Your point is well taken. I haven't heard those albums; I'm just familiar with Bacharach's hits.

I suppose Burt Bacharach fans could be saying the same thing about Imagination, GIOMH, and All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth.

I guess I'm just trying to be optimistic. I mean, you gotta admit, the potential of collaborating with Burt Bacharach is better than Joe Thomas, Andy Paley, Steve Kalinich, and the guy from Ambrosia. Although it hasn't happened for a long time, don't you get the feeling that maybe Brian could actually be motivated or inspired by working with someone of Bacharach's caliber. Or maybe not...

YAWN!?!?!  To each his own I guess but I find Painted From Memory to be absolutely gorgeous!  Of course, I am also a die hard Elvis Costello fan so maybe my perspective is a bit clouded.  I for one think the music and the arrangements on this disc are breathtaking.  Haven't heard This Time yet.  I am pretty pumped about the news of  a collaboration between Burt and Brian!  Bring it on!!!

I love EC, but think I'm going to pass on his new one...have you heard it?

I don't like Painted by Memory a lot. Maybe given the circunstances - Bacharach's unimaginative songwriting in the eighties and nineties - it could be considered a pleasant surprise. I'd say it's strong in colors and ambience, passable in pure songwriting.

Can this partnership with Burt motivate Brian? Sure. Even if it doesn't sound like Brian and Burt collaborating in '68, just having Brian motivated would be a good start. I don't feel Brian really wanting to make new music for at least 10 years.

On the contrary, Painted From Memory is absolutely superb. The musical and lyrical qualities of nearly all the tracks are absolutely top notch. It was a collaboration made in heaven, though there are probably one or two tracks too many on it...

"To each his own I guess but I find Painted From Memory to be absolutely gorgeous!"

I absolutely agree.

You mean "The River In Reverse"?  The one with Allen Toussaint?  I have it and I think it is solid.  Not either of their best work, but it is enjoyable.  Worth having if you are a fan.  Again, my point of view is a bit lopsided as I am a HUGE Costello fan and even like his work that gets panned in reviews, so take my opinion with a grain of salt!  I love the fact that Costello takes so many chances by stretching out and trying different genres of music.  A real artists IMO. 

Sorry, this has gotten way off track as far as being anything Brian/BB related!  Oops!

This could turn out really awesome.    ;D

Wonder who writes the lyrics though?  Lord knows the melody, arrangment, and production will all be top-notch with those two involved.

With such legendary talents, one of them just being the lyric writer seems a waste.

Neither of the two is a lyricist, is my point.  They'd likely need to bring in a third person to do that.

Mike Love, perhaps?

David Pack from Ambrosia perhaps?

Van Dyke Parks, Ray Kennedy, Tandyn Almer, and Jack Reiley perhaps?

John Stamos perhaps?

Billy Castillo, perhaps?

 :lol

Sorry...inside joke. See, the running joke between me and a few others here is that I've written/recorded around 500 songs within the past 4 1/2 years, and have never written a single lyric. Meh...I guess it's not as funny as when you explain it. For the two or three of you who got it, though,  :smokin

Mike Love said in that vegas interview that Brian has sent him a track to write lyrics for. 

What interview was that?

 http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Jun-30-Fri-2006/weekly/8072221.html (http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Jun-30-Fri-2006/weekly/8072221.html)

Why not Hal David doing lyrics? 8)

Pretty interesting interview:

http://www.petsounds.com/#

woo, finally loaded.

Yeah, that thing is slow.

BTW...I lol'd at this...


Really? BOTH of deMartin's twins are 6 1/2? Sure one's not five, and the other thirty-four? :lol :lol

*coughcough Brad Elliotcough*
Sorry, gotta clear my throat.

Thanks for the link, great interview.  I'm glad the interviewer let brian talk about what he wanted to, instead of just asking him the same old questions.  Interesting that Brian went into depth about Frank Sinatra.

There was this story on the news today, some woman had twins 2 months apart!

Ouch.

http://www.9news.com/acm_news.aspx?OSGNAME=KUSA&IKOBJECTID=60b7b621-0abe-421a-012d-0e376e9db0cd&TEMPLATEID=0c76dce6-ac1f-02d8-0047-c589c01ca7bf

Very cool. Thank you. I wonder why DeMartin says that the video on the site was a promo-one for "Wouldn't it be nice". Everyone knows it's for "Sloop John B", even if the makers of "An american band" put WIBN on it. I mean it's on the audio DVD that this site also mentions as "Sloop John B"- promo video... Anyway, I really like this site and hope it gets even better.

It's also good reading that Brian seems realy to be working on some songs.

Iffn you're talking about the American Band video shenannigans and the subsequent SOT[/b] boots, no, not Brad Elliott.

speaking of american band....what's with VDP saying that a majority of the songs he wrote with brian ended up on an album called pet sounds??

Re: Brian working with Bacharach

A thought occurred to me today.  It's possible that Brian just presented Bacharach with a bunch of songs he wrote 20-30 years ago that were never released officially--stuff for Adult/Child or Sweet Insanity, maybe. Bacharach wouldn't be familiar with that stuff, of course, and would therefore think they're newly written.

If and when this material gets released commercially, all us "in the know" folks would know the real stories behind these "new" songs.  Shades of Gettin' In Over My Head!

I hope I'm wrong, though!

He doesn't say that.

Pretty close though -- he DOES claim in that video to have written songs for Pet Sounds, no doubt about that.

He says "I wrote lyrics for Brian Wilson, most of them when an album was done called Pet Sounds, which prepared us..".
I think he's trying to say that he started writing with Brian after Pet Sounds.

That's debatable.  Not how I took it.  But the grammar IS off there for sure.

I interpreted the same way Ian did...didn't think it was confusing. :shrug

How  did Pet Sounds prepare US for Smile if VDP had nothing to do with it?

It seemed to me that he was trying to say that he started writing lyrics for Brian as soon as Pet Sounds was completed. Once Pet Sounds was out they were already preparing for the next album which was suppose to be Smile.

Exactly.

What the f*** is this interviewer thinking about??


(http://img127.imageshack.us/img127/8297/wbush16cb1.jpg)
(http://img127.imageshack.us/img127/1930/halter3rg0.jpg)

Ummm...what's the deal with the Dubya pics? :lol

Luckily, they just added the 'ignore' feature to the board.

Brian just told the interviewer some pretty groundbreaking news, and he just goes back to asking about the legal issues with Mike Love... (those pictures show Bush not reacting when hearing the news about 9/11)

Often when I read interviews I get the feeling that the person conducting it has preconceptions of how it will turn out, and just goes with it. It's so rare that an interviewer is interested in actually seeing where the conversation might go. More often than not, they want an answer to their prewritten question so they can move on to the next.