The Smiley Smile Message Board

Anyone know?

Brian probably does.

It's a good question... who even knows if he is still writing!

Let's ask him.
I'm sure he's working on that rock and roll album.

Well, there was supposed to be a new solo album out by Blondie Chaplin this year (?) and IIRC Brian is on it. Don't know about any more recent activity. My guess is that he probably is writing if he has any ideas (because that's what he does), but since there seems to be no contract or dateline to release anything, he probably is just taking it slow. Plus I don't know how the Covid-19 rules affect recording studios. Of course it would be easy nowadays to record in different places but I don't think that's the way Brian works.

There has been the odd social media post during the last few years showing him singing in the studio or something like that and I’m not sure that the outcome of all those sessions has been revealed. It does seem that he has been less active more recently though in fact I’m not sure how long ago the last post of this kind was.

I mean the guy is pushing 80 and he's been looking pretty frail these days.  No idea if he's even working on anything but I'd love to be pleasantly surprised.   

Pretty sure he did some recording for the upcoming documentary. A few songs at least.

A cover of Long Promised Road was confirmed, but it is probably a few years old at this point.

I assume that was related to the parts Brian recorded for Kesha, Janelle Monae, and perhaps the Long Promised Road documentary.

I think Brian has pretty much retired from recording his own new stuff and the completion of "Run James Run" was sort of a farewell to that kind of thing.

Apparently there was a definitive "no" to any new BB reunion recording.

I thought Honeycomb was also discussed, or if not at least it was mentioned that Brian plays it during the documentary.

For the Long Promised Road doc, Brian recorded covers of Honeycomb, I Hear You Knockin', Johnny B. Goode, and Long Promised Road, the latter with Blondie Chaplin and Jim James from My Morning Jacket. I assume they're waiting for the documentary to be released. According to the director, Brian and Jim James also cowrote a song and sing it together on the recording.

Really?! I didn't know that. Have those been confirmed. Now there's some of Brian's idea of a Rock'n'Roll album right there.

I doubt he's doing much work these days. Would absolutely love a new Christmas song.

Can’t wait to hear Honeycomb, that’s a tune that’s been kicking around since the days of Spring! And I Hear You Knockin is a great song, Dave Edmunds became a favorite of mine when he covered it!

There are obviously many, many Christmas songs to mine, but Brian has essentially cut two albums' worth of Christmas songs in the last 20 years. The whole 2005 album, plus almost an album's worth of internet exclusive downloads and whatnot. I don't particularly need something new, unless perhaps he arranged something and had Al sing it (which might be better than the pleasant but innocuous Christmas tracks Al has cut in recent years: "Hurry Up Hurry Up Santa Claus" and "Sunshine to Snowflakes").

I wonder if "I hear you knockin'" is a mix up and the actual song is "Keep a knocking". The latter one was played by Brian and his band at a couple of shows, hence my guess. But of course it's also possible that he recorded "I hear you knockin'".

Yep, the first four in ESQ and the last one by the director himself. Although he didn't offer any details other than it's a "beautiful" new song written just for the documentary.

He should produce Blondie singing "Oh Holy Night" - that was a highlight of their Christmas tour two years ago!

I had asked this on another thread:
Anyone know when Brian recorded his version of Carl’s “Heaven” just made available online?

Off the top of my head, and I may be completely wrong, I feel it was either 2007 or 2008, on Carl’s birthday. Those years when Brian would release random songs right on his website were really awesome.

The whole thing was recorded December 20, 2007. It was available for download the next day for Carl's birthday.

I remember Brian's spoken word message before the song kicks in, in which he wished people Merry Christmas and acknowledged what would have been Carl's 61st birthday.

 Thanks! :-)

That explains why he sounds great on this!! It’s unfortunate that his voice has gone down over the past few years.

Speaking of "when Brian would release random songs right on his website", a couple of days ago his facebook account linked to his youtube channel which has what sounds like a soundboard or multi track recording of "O holy Night" by Blondie from one of the Christmas shows in 2018. I never heard that one before and don't believe that any professionel recordings were released from that tour, am I right? Anyway, I put that link on the "Christmas Rarities" list. Maybe not too many people saw it, so here's the link. It's under "bonus".

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,25649.0.html

Recorded at my studio

I believe it was recently posted on Brian's website.......

I always thought the melody to "Live Let Die" would work well as a Christmas song.  Change the name to "Christmastime" (Christ-mas, Christ-mas-tiiime), add some sleigh bells, and convert the lyrics (which were fairly lousy for both versions of the song anyway) into yuletide-themed goodness and you'd have a nice track. 

Really... the one thing I'd like more than anything from Brian and co now would be the Paley sessions released. That would make me very happy.

I think about only half of these songs circulate/have been booted.

It would be really interesting to hear the rest, to know how much involvement Brian had in the writing of each song.

My impression is that some tunes were simply Paley stuff with a Brian vocal added.

I suspect amongst the stuff that circulates are the better of them.

Disagree with your assessment of those lyrics - VDP is a wordsmith god!

Um, I assume you mean "Live Let LIVE"...

For a moment I was thinking Live or Let Die....Brian doing that would’ve been interesting for sure...

Possibly besting the GN'R version?  :)

Easily lol

He wasn't on this song.  Either version of it.




Yep.  That's what I meant.  I think I'm going senile...🤣

He wrote the lyrics on both versions.

Yeah and the lyrics for either version really don't fit the melody in my humble opinion.  Particularly on the TLOS version.  With an infectious hook and sparkling production, why is BW singing about, of all things, whales? 

Could it be because he cares about the environment and animal welfare?

He has a history of writing and singing about issues he cares about.