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Discuss, review and rate Good Timin: Live at Knebworth, England 1980, released Jun 15, 2004.

(http://www.smileysmile.net/images/albums/liveatknebworthdvd.jpg)

A celebratory concert. Great fun for all involved. Even Brian seems to be having fun. 4 from me.

I gotta give a 2.

The beginning of the decline. Brian looks totally lost. Mike is on autopilot. Carl and Al give their all, but poor disheveled Dennis. He looked like a fucking wreck, but he damn nears saves the show with his pure, unbridled joy at being a BB.  The only one who, on this night looks like he wanted to be there.

I'm with Rob on this one.  I was really psyched up to see all the Boys performing together, but MIke's prancing and nasal voice is really irritating and Brian is clearly not "engaged".  Instead of making me happy, it makes me sad to watch it.

That's funny... On my copy he really doesn't.  :)

Watch the Keepin' the Summer Alive performance. He gets into it.

I think it's  HONEST, warts and all...At one point Al asks BW (sitting behind the Wurlitzer ) "Are you OK ?"  How times have changed... Dennis clowning with ML--mortal enemies, eh ? BW leaving the stage when they play H&V...Mike, and especially Carl playing to the camera--not that there's anything wrong with that...Dennis, damaged, but still giving it all he's got...

Crap cover!

Would've been better with some more SMiLE material...  Cabinessence, Vegatables, etc.

Still, they put on a good show.

Denny drumming at the start of "California Girls" is just...  :o  One of the coolest things I've ever seen/heard.

I'd really like to know what was really going through Mike's head when Dennis put his arm around him during Surfer Girl. He looks like he's thinking "Keep smiling Mike, people are watching!" to himself...

And I would like to know why Carl seems so upset at the end of "Surfer Girl" and Dennis and Al have to keep him away from Mike....

I gave it a 5 because the band is all together and at least appear happy on the surface. Dennis and Mike horsing around during Surfer Girl was very touching.

God, I miss Dennis.

this concert rocks! its great to see the guys all together and having a good time for the most part. i love this version of darlin'. I love the rockier version of Keepin the Summer Alive and Brian looks to be having a good time as well. wasnt a couple other songs ommitted from this?: Wouldnt it be Nice, I write the songs, Some of your Love, etc.   Whats with the sign in the background saying: DONT PANIC? why not play Good timin' though? good to see brian on the keyboard on Help Me Rhonda.

anyone ever notice how Bruce tries to start a clap about, mmmm 7 odd times?

are the crowd cheering Al on during the intro of lady lynda because it's bach or Lady Lynda? (didnt know because I heard LL was popular in the UK)

Best Part of the whole Concert: "LADIES AND GENTELMAN, BRIAN WILSON," on the Surfer Girl bridge, i love it.

Great cd and dvd, despite the edits and omissions. The worst imo is the edit towards the end of Rock And Roll Music on the cd. The cut out the few bars of Dennis playing just his crash cymbals. It's complete on the DVD. And the missing songs: Good Timin', In My Room, Catch A Wave, I Write The Songs, Some of Your Love, Wouldn't It Be Nice and Santa Ana Winds.

In my opinion, there's no reason Good Timin', In My Room, I Write The Songs and Santa Ana Winds should'nt have been included. I've heard all of the missing songs and they range from good to great. I thought it very stupid to subtitle the release "Good Timin' " and not even include that very sing. But what do I know!?  ;D

As for the "Don't Panic" sign, that was for Brian.

No matter what the guy swere going through personally...it's still a very solid performance overall. They should release the complete July 4, 1980 D.C. show. It was recorded on multi-track.

I like this show but compared to It's Ok they have all gone way down. Dennis looks bad but he is having a blast. Still something isn't right. Brian seems very zoned out. Mike, and Al are getting a little corney with their kicking during School Days. Carl well he was perfect-in his prime. Ok for all that Mike sounds a lot better then he would a few years later, Al gives his customary good performance, and though Brian is there  more in body then is spirit, it's nice to see the whole group. Bruce is a lot more fun then too. I think it is the last really good show I have heard. The 7-4-80 is pretty good but as Stebbins notes Dennis runs out of steam halfway through that show. My only real gripe is the edited songs. Rough or not they should be there. It ruins it for me almost (they pull the same merda with the lost concerts dvd I WANT MONSTER MASH so I can make fun of Mike more.)

I gave this a 5. Even though the band was clearly not at its peak it is still nice to see them all together. I too love some of the moments that people have already mentioned such as the bit in Surfer Girl when Dennis says "ladies and gentleman, Brian Wilson". I think Carl is marvelous on this concert and he really carries the show well. I too love his version of Darlin', man he had such a diverse voice. I also love Dennis's drumming at the start of California Girls... I showed some friends that who arent particularly keen on The Beach Boys and they too thought that that was pretty damn cool. Al is also fantastic on this concert. It is nice to see Brian performing on stage even if hes not having the best of times. For me Carl, Denny and Al are the main reasons that I enjoy this concert.

It's a 5 without a certain frontman who shall remain nameless. In any event, it's a 4 from me. Brian is indeed largely absent, but the moment when Dennis comes up behind him and kisses him on the head, well there are not enough points in the world to score that image. The band sounds great. Dennis plays drums a lot better than I remember him doing, and Carl is in great voice.

I watch it all the time...it's fabulous. Great music, great showmanship. And Dennis steals the show, for me at least.

There is something I've always wondered about this cd/dvd set. Are these the original tapes, or the studio overdubbed version?

I'm pretty certain it's the studio overdubbed version.

I got the Live at Knebworth DVD and CD a few months ago.  I give it a 5. 

The Autotune used on Mike's voice makes him sound like T-Pain!!

Pretty wretched. Not the music, exactly (the band still had some real chops), but simply depressing to watch the disintegration of Brian and Dennis and the transition of the group from touring powerhouse to traveling jukebox. Two from me. Three if I'm in a better mood.

I love this DVD warts n all!

I love Mike's voice, but what the hell was wrong with it that night? Was it the cold weather? His voice sounds like the air coming out of a popped tire!

Brian's actually solid that night. If you pay attention you can really hear his solid old fashioned piano against Mike Meros and his various keyboard sounds. It really holds down the bottom.

I understand the edit on Rock N Roll Music for the CD version. It was a case of Dennis simply ending the song too soon, but he tries to save it by hitting the cymbals and kick drum in order to "wind" the song down as opposed to it's normal abrupt ending. Mike looks mighty pissed and Carl looks panicked. It makes for good visual drama, but audio-wise, it's a mess.

I don't really know about Dennis losing steam halfway. He wobbles a bit on a couple of later songs, but more because of his goofing around with Mike Meros, rather than him simply sucking. He also kicks merda on Good Vibrations. I LOVE the way he played it live. He really goes into some complicated tom tom work in the last section, while creatively tossing in some snare here and there. Dennis rules!!!

A good DVD to watch (I had some of it on VHS from back in the day) but indeed, signs of the "beginning of the end" - I gave it a 4.

My absolute favourite version of Darlin is from this show! Carl is awsome as always!

Yeah, that is a great version. I really don't understand all the complaints about this show. Dennis looks wrecked? Well, what did you expect, it's 1980. I think he looks fine, he's into it most of the time, "Elton John eat your heart out!" Brian isn't too bad for the time, at least he looks interested SOME of the time. Carl, Mike and Al are solidly professional, but I still don't know if Bruce really plays that keyboard or not - can't distinguish it in the mix.

The auto tune is unnecessary... the raw tapes sound better

Robo-Mike on "be true to your school" comes to mind.... :lol

I think Bruce's keyboard is turned on at least some of the time... You can hear him playing support keys on You Are So Beautiful and Brian does for some reason, venture over to Bruce's keyboard for Help Me Rhonda (Al sidles over and ask him if he's alright!) .... so, I think it's at least plugged in

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Yeah, at least Dennis' drums and Carl's guitar can be heard!

I Love this DVD..! 5/5..  All the things people complained about at this juncture  were perfectly normal for a BB show..  At this time there were some warts but wonderful warts..  Nothing here seems abnormal to me ..I do wish they had left the rest of the songs in the video.. Maybe im to easy on them because ive loved them for so long..  That might be the case but its to late now for me to be to critical .. So glad they finally released this.. It gets played a lot..

I love and miss Dennis' drumming for The Beach Boys.....

an 'oompth' no one else can seem to do....

I think its a great period piece...... but not the best show to 'market' to BB folks...

there has to be better shows in the archive to represent The Beach Boys....

RickB

And he also played it on "I write the songs". Its not included in the dvd or cd, but it was part of the show and there's a good recording available.

I knew I write the Songs was performed along with Some of Your Love, Santa Ana Winds, and Good Timin' were all performed; why weren't they included if they were gonna fix things with auto tuning? The only thing I know is Brian messes up a small part of the lyrics to Good Timin. Anyone else have an idea? 

According to Alan Boyd, "Santa Ana Winds" wasn't included because it was sparesly rehearsed, with Al and Bruce reading the lyrics from a piece of paper, Brian and Carl unsure how to perform the song and the lack of a bass instrument. Other songs including "Wouldn't It Be Nice", "In My Room", "Catch A Wave", and "Good Timin'" were omitted because of sub-par performances and the need to keep the film within the 70-75 DVD minute limit.

This concert deserves a multi-camera angle release, enabling the viewer to choose which band member to focus on during a particular song.

That could be interesting - Brian may have been sleeping during much of it  ::)

You get to see what Brian does when he goes back stage during Heroes and Villains.

Btw Metal Flake, what's your source on the Alan Boyd statement? I wanna read!

They are notes I took of Alan's forum posts at the time (circa 2006) regarding the Knebworth concert.

I just love this show! I think they sound and look great. I'll give the only con for Brian being so invicible and singing a lead only couple times. Dennis is the best, Carl comes second, Mike is great and Bruce is just useless. My favorite cuts are Keepin' the summer alive, Surfer girl, You are so beautiful and Fun, fun, fun. Especially Fun, fun, fun rocks harder than ever. Wish I could've been there. If there's more filmed shows from 1980, and I bet there is, they all should be released in good quality. What the hell happened to them later, in '83 they sound and look so tired?

Edit: Looks like I forgot Al completely  ;D Well he's great as always of course. Does a great job with Cotton Fields/Heroes and Villains.

4.5 rounded up to 5. Mike's robot was ok but very nasal. Sounds like they're having lots of fun. The DON'T PANIC sign is funny.

Dennis was in pretty bad shape by 1983, that may have had something to do with it.

Just watched this again, amazing what some people notice, like Brian leaving the stage during Heroes and Villains. Most of the show, the cameras are not on him, it's easy to forget he is there, except for his solos on Surfer Girl and Sloop John B. He seems pretty 'into' Keep the Summer Alive and Help Me Rhonda. I did notice Dennis clowning with Mike during Surfer Girl, they sure didn't look like guys that were mortal enemies. And I did hear Bruce's keyboard during You Are So Beautiful. Carl smiles several times during the show, appears to be having a great time. Amazing how much energy Dennis put into his drumming, I noticed too that he plays what I would call an 'open hand' style on the drums. I guess I had noticed it before but never thought about it. I wonder who taught him how to play drums? I'm very thankful to have a video of this tour; anytime I see Brian, Bruce, Dennis, Carl, Al and Mike together, it is good.

From a historical standpoint, this DVD is absolutely essential.  Plus, you get the footage of Carl singing GOK that The Beach Boys have been using in concert for a few years. 

Both the Knebworth and DC 1980 shows are very solid shows, better than I think some folks give them credit for.

It wasn't their peak or anything, but it was SIX BBs on stage with only *three* (or four at Knebworth) backing guys.

I need to watch the DC show. I know it's on youtube, and I used to see clips from it on tv, but never watched it all the way through.

If you like the Knebworth show, then you'll dig the DC show. It's very, very similar (some would argue redundantly so). The shows were only two weeks apart. Similar setlists (I think the only songs unique to the hour-long DC video are "Good Timin'" and "Catch a Wave"), relatively similar performances. Dennis is still solid, though with less spark than the Knebworth show. On the other hand, the DC performance of "Keepin' the Summer Alive" is superior.

I have an officially released DVD of the DC show; it was released in Japan as "A Celebration Concert" first in the olden days on VHS (and maybe laserdisc) and then again briefly on DVD in 1997. It was a pretty obscure release, during the early days of DVD. I only managed to track a copy down when I was able to pay for it by having a fan in France buy a Japanese import. I then had to procure a region-free DVD player (the DVD is NTSC, but Region 2).

Here are a couple of pics of the Japanese DVD:

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(http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Th5AElyFzas/U3Td9ypnzlI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/IcGClq3BW-g/s640/IMG_20140514_231355_842-1.jpg)

(http://lh3.ggpht.com/-BHyoEQZHIKo/U3Td8tEMfCI/AAAAAAAAAEI/pkhotnvkPLg/s640/IMG_20140514_231437_885-1.jpg)

Of interest, 'Santa Ana Winds' was included in the set as a request from Roger Scott at Londons Capital Radio (who indeed sponsored the show).
Roger played the single a lot on Capital Radio, as did Steve Wright at BBC Radio 1 (who still plays it some 36 years later on BBC Radio 2).

I was there, and certainly remember Bruce holding the lyric sheet for Al to sing 'Santa'

Back in 1983, our local PBS station aired "The Beach Boys 20th Anniversary Special" (yeah, a little late), and a lot of the footage was from the CD and Knebworth shows. I recorded it on audio cassette, still have it in fact. Was always impressed with Dennis' playing in both 1980 shows. The DC footage seemed to turn up a lot back then - IIRC, they also showed some of it when they were on the Tonight Show in 1980. I thought it odd that they were showing footage that prominently showed Dennis and yet his name wasn't even mentioned during their chat with Joan Rivers.

Found a pic online of Bruce holding the lyrics (sure beats adjusting a mic stand  :lol) for Al on Santa Ana Winds at Knebworth

[(https://s32.postimg.org/bjg41kc39/ANA_WINDS.jpg) (https://postimage.org/)image sharing (https://postimage.org/)

I watched the 1980 July 4th show last night. Seemed to be even less Brian than in Knebworth; and when he moves over to Bruce's keyboard for Rhonda, it looks like he is just banging out one chord non-stop. He does not look well in this concert. Dennis is fine, although when he comes down front to join the singalong part of GV, I could swear I see Carl gesture a few times for Dennis to get back to his drums, and Dennis ignores him. That singalong goes on far too long. "That's it, now you got, a little bit louder!" Pretty good performance, though. Carl looks and sounds great - as always. Is there any footage from the 1981 show? I imagine that one - without Carl - might be pretty rough viewing.

What's weird/interesting is that some raw footage (with timecode) has circulated for years for some of the Knebworth show, in rather sketchy quality (I think some of that is still on YouTube), and through the murk it certainly seems like the performance of "Good Timin'" was fine, and in fact minus the flubs found on the Washington DC performance which *was* included in that TV broadcast.

Puzzling. The only thing I can figure is that Carl was not 100% pleased with his vocal on Good Timin'. It sounds fine to me, but he was very critical of his and the band's performances.

If you watch the video of "Good Timin'" and listen to the audio, that particular version seems to have a lot of tempo issues. There is a lot of speeding up and slowing down.

It's certainly not the most polished performance, but it doesn't seem that "off" to me. But I suppose it's possible that the murky fidelity of available recordings kind of hide the imperfections. Maybe when they busted out the multitracks and listened to them, it was a bigger issue.

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