The Smiley Smile Message Board

Everyone knows MIU was an Al driven project but how much were the other guys involved? These are my guesses, but correct me if I'm wrong.
Mike- Very involved.
Brian- He's involved, but not by choice, as he's becoming sick again.
Carl- Barely involved. Annoyed with the nostalgia/surfing direction.
Dennis- More or less completely uninvolved, with the exception of My Diane
Al- The most involved.
Bruce- The only record he's not on since 65!

So, I am always hearing about the wall of Als which makes me think that Mike and Brian weren't as involved as we'd like to think. And what hand did Ron Altbach, co producer, have in the project?

Altbach and Jardine were co-producers.  Mike, Brian and Al were present for the duration and are the primary vocalists on the album.  Brian's falsetto is prominent throughout the album.  Carl can be heard on Sweet Sunday, Hey Little Tomboy and overdubs on Peggy Sue.  Dennis can be heard on My Diane and the chorus of Hey Little Tomboy.

Even in 1978, it was obvious the Beach Boys for this album were primarily Brian, Mike and Al.

It's my understanding that Brian was present for the writing as well... and was very much involved as a co producer during the early sessions (the unheard Beach Burlesque, for one), and that his earlier experimentations were far more innovative than what ended up on the album ("Why" on disc 6 of MIC is also evidence of this).

A new mix of San Miguel was reportedly prepped for the album as well.

She's Got Rhythm began as Ron Altbach's  "Lookin' Good," B side of Almost Summer, and found on the soundtrack of the same name. 

And that's what little I know...

http://brianislandlocked.blogspot.com/2013/09/my-interview-with-ron-altbach.html

Thanks for sharing! That's very interesting.