The Smiley Smile Message Board

I just listened (for the 1st time, surprisingly) to The Pointer Sisters' 1980 song "He's So Shy":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGIraUHg-5Q

And I was struck how this seemed like it could have been on Carl's solo albums. The song was apparently written as "She's So Shy" and was originally intended for Leo Sayer.

Does anyone else feel like Carl's solo material from this era was trying at times to capture this song's sound? Not saying it was directly an inspiration for anything, but who knows.
Granted, it could just be that it's a pop song of the era, but I for some reason think it would have fit like a glove within the Carl cannon.

I hear what you’re getting at, but I think a lot of it just has to do with the production techniques of the era.  One thing I find interesting is how much better Carl’s solo material sounds when it’s performed live (for example, on the Bottom Line CD).  I think others on this website have pointed the same thing out.  Material that’s pretty lacklustre on the albums sounds so much better on the live recordings.  And it’s precisely because it’s missing that 1980s Pointer Sisters vibe. 

Yes, I have listened to the Bottomline recording just recently. The performance sounds really great even if some songs are just not that strong. His band is cooking and Carl's vocals are top. If you'd get that sound and feeling (and some better songs) on the record, it'd be a different story with Carl's first album. The second one obviously is stronger and has a better production. Are there any live performances like the Bottomline show out there to promote the second one? Would love to hear "She's mine" in a live setting.

I always thought a great show opener for Carl during that time would have been "What More Can I Say". it rocks as the opener for Album 2.

"What More Can I Say" was performed in the 1983 shows, but "Too Early To Tell" was still the opening song, as in 81. "She's Mine" was not in the setlist. IIRC, the set list was about half of the songs from Younblood, and half of the songs from the first album. Sure would be great if some kind of audio recording from the 83 shows turns up, but so far the closest thing we've got is Carl doing a couple of the Youngblood songs with the Beach Boys.

Thanks for the info! Yeah, I really would like to hear a "Youngblood" show. Apart from no recordings having come to light, do we know if any radiobroadcasts even happened at all?
Please ecuse me for repeating myself, but I just want to say again, what great vocals Carl put on at the Bottomline show and how tight the band sounds (including Gerald Johnson on bass). Man, they were really rocking and it's sad that this doesn't come across on the album, although you certainly can listen to and enjoy it for what it is. If just the material was better.

Along those lines, it's maybe notable that singer/songwriter Myrna Smith cowrote the majority of Carl's songs with him. She was part of an R&B female vocal group in the 60s; it's not hard to believe The Pointer Sisters would have been at least one reference point for the then-contemporary sound they were going after in the early 80s.

Myrna was part of the Sweet Inspirations who were one of Presley's backing groups from '69-'77 (Gerald Johnson was their bass player at that time and then became part of Carl's band). In '75 he recorded the Pointer's "Fairytale" which became a standard in his concert until the end. So, she had contact with the Pointer's material at least at that time. But I'm sure there was more, the Pointer Sisters after all were big at that time.

The only solo concert recordings i'm aware of all come from Carl's first tour. The Bottom Line show seems to be the common one, but I've also got a recording from just a few days before or after at My Father's Place - another radio broadcast; and a fan recording from another venue I can't recall at the moment.