The Smiley Smile Message Board

http://www.aljardine.com/photo.html

My review:

Love the new website design! Awesome!!!!!!!

Songs:

1) Postcard from California - different lyrics than we heard before.  Now the similarity to Rhinestone Cowboy makes sense - Glen Campbell is on the track.  Would expect the writer of RC, John Hartford, be listed as co-writer (Al's no dummy and certainly the Love/Wilson songwriting lawsuit caught his attention)

2) Lookin Down the Coast - I love this song and am soooo happy a version is getting officially released.

3) Honkin Down the Highway - I can never get enough of HDTH.  Brian's on it.

4) Drivin - Great song!!!!  A duet between Brian and Al.  They sound great! (gosh, maybe a new BB album would sound cool)

5) And I Always Will - Not grabbing me (yet).  A reminder that Al is no Brian Wilson but that's no surprise.

1) Postcard from California - can ANYBODY listen to this one and not keep thinking RC... RC... RC... RC... Bad move and ammunition for lazy critics.

2) Lookin Down the Coast - The '78 version wasn't that hot and this one seems to have been well done. Good one.

3) Honkin Down the Highway - Why bother?

4) Drivin - Nice one.

5) And I Always Will - It seems to be a nice song, let's wait for the full track.

They're okay. I'm sure I'll buy the CD and obsessively listen to it and after 100 listens I'll think every song is genius, just like with every other BB-related album.

I like And I Always Will alot. I know it says for Mary Ann, but it sounds to me like Al reminiscing about the good old days with the Beach Boys and saying he'll always be a Beach Boy

I like all of it. Drivin' rocks.  8)  Hokin Down is nice but a cover of a Beach Boys song seems kinda odd.

Of all the unreleased Beach Boys songs I've head, Lookin' Down The Coast is my favorite, so I'm really glad it's finally being released. I do like the original better though.

I find it slightly distressing that of the five samples, two are remakes from late 70s tracks (albeit "...Coast" was not officially released) and two are based on melodies from other 60s songwriters. I think it's great Al is putting out a solo album, but I was hoping he would have something a little fresher to offer. By the way, the Moody Blues' track that "Drivin'" is inspired by was actually entitled "Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?)" but I guess that is just so much "Teenage Wasteland" water under the bridge!

Now that you said it, I relistened and indeed, it's the same riff as in "Tuesday Afternoon". But the rest is quite different.

That music's just a bit too harmless for my personal taste. That said, BW sounds totally relaxed on Drivin', which is quite a treat. Very nice performance.

"Honkin'" is great, but I keep wanting to hear Dennis' distinctive growl on the "honk honk honkin' down the highway" background parts!

Apparently because Alan is convinced the song was never released.  ;D

Sounds pretty damn good, No need for the 'Honkin' cover though, it's perfect as it is

Hee hee.

I'm really glad Al decided to do this.

That is strange... The guy's been a professional musician for most of his life, had just two new original compositions released since Still Cruisin' came out 19 years ago... You'd think he should have more than enough new material...

Afraid most of the songs sound insipid to me and lack the punch and spark of the originals.  They're just nice, nothing more.

Al isn't really a "classic songwriter".  Clearly, he likes re-imagining existing material a lot.  That seems to be his forte.  And there's nothing wring with that, some of the worlds most beloved compositions are variations on existing themes.

I think that He and Carl were so used to other people doing the songwriting that that part of their brain maybe wasn't exercised as much...so when it came time to write their own stuff, they weren't able to churn out songs.  Plus, Carl and Al were so good at adding little bits to other people's songs.

This should be looked at as a record of Al the performer.  Listen to his voice, which is still pretty good.

Drivin' doesn't sound too bad. I'll make a full blown judgement when the album comes out.

I think these songs are OK, but somehow seem slightly contrived, and a little bit forced. I'd be interested to hear more but like many people I would have expected a bit more of a spark given the collaborators.

Anyway I hope all these new albums release a creative competition, this might give Brian a good reason to get Youth as the producer of That Lucky Old Sun.

ok maybe im crazy, but is that flea??

Sorry, but what are you referring to?

Yes, that's Flea.





 

about Honkin Down the Highway's inclusion...perhaps Al felt he never got it right, just by his mistakes and laughing at the end....maybe he thought his version was inferior to Billy Hinshe?

 aljardine.com 'articles'  (http://www.aljardine.com/articles.html) lists these songs titles (not the final track order):

One article says a song features Carl Wilson on b/r vocals

1. “Help Me, Rhonda” - duet with Steve Miller

2. "California Feeling" (yes, the Brian/Steve song)

3. "Don't Fight the Sea"

4. "The Tide pool Interlude"

5. "California Saga" - Neil Young sings a verse

6. "A Postcard from California" is a duet with Glen Campbell  b/r vocals by "America"

7. "California Dreaming"

8. "Crumple Car"

9. "Honkin' Down the Highway"

10. “Au Revoir"

11. "And I Always Will"

12. "Drivin" - duet with Brian Wilson + David Marks on a Guitar Solo

13. "Lookin Down the Coast"

Sounds like a short album to me.  Since Al is going retro in part, he might as well put on his new version of 'Sloop John B" as a bonus track.

Please pardon any screw-ups as I was gleaming from eight articles

If that's true it really almost would feel like some kind of Beach Boys album. Only Mike and Bruce are missing.
I always hoped that tracks that have Carl on recorded vocals would've been held back for a, hopefully, possible Beach Boys-reunion album. Maybe there still are some tracks that Carl recorded

Many thanks for that listing,


I count six cover versions - seven if he does include Sloop as a bonus which I don't think he will as  it'd affect book sales  ::) -  maybe more as I simply don't recognise the other song titles, other than Postcard (which sounds like a cross between Sloop & Hotel California) and the others that are on his site as samplers.

I will be buying the album, and hoping the final mix sounds meatier than what's on Al's site at the moment, but I wish there was more original stuff on there. I can't help but feel that the covers won't stand up when compared to the originals.  Unlike some folks, I'm sold on the CA Saga trilogy on Holland - it's one of the initial things that inspired me to fly to CA from the UK  to see the Sierra Nevada and Yosemite, Big Sur, and the West - and doubt it can be bettered.

There's a thought -  if he's covered the entire trilogy, at least that'll boost the album's length somewhat.

PS: Given the California theme, and the fact that there're so many covers, couldn't he have added Hotel California, California Calling and California Girls, as well as California Roll and Southern California from TLOS?

What about Crack At Your Love as a bonus track? I know the real Al fans can't get enough of that song.

I wonder if California Saga is "California Saga: California (On My Way to Sunny Cali-forn-i-aye)" or whatever or if it's the whole shebang with Big Sur and Beaks of Eagles. I'm hoping for the latter.

I guess it's the recording he did around '96 as a demo for Merle Haggard, which has appeared on one of the ESQ-CDs I believe. So just the last part of the trilogy.
Or maybe it's a new one with "Song of the whale" "Lookin' down the coast" and "Santa Ana winds"  :-D Call it "California Saga Episode 1,2, and 3"

It is NOT the demo for Merle version, and yes it is the On My Way version from the California Saga.  It has been completely re-recorded with Neil Young, Stephen Stills and Matt Jardine singing on it.  It will have David Crosby too but he hasn't recorded his part yet (Neil and Stills have though).  It has a different style to it fitting of the CSY contributions.  How do I know?  I had a decent chat with Al (over two days in Las Vegas) about it.  I will be posting about the two Al shows that I saw as well as about the not yet released Al Jardine songs (not posted on his website) and the Dennis Wilson songs from the new 2 cd Dennis comp that I had the pleasure of hearing while I was there.  I heard more of the Al cd that hasn't been posted on the site yet.  Though the cd is not yet finished and some of the mixes I heard are not yet finalized I am pretty excited about it.  If for no other reason than Al clearly has the strongest voice of the surviving Beach Boys.

I really enjoyed this.  Sitting at Nepenthe looking down the coast.  Been there, done that!  Looks like some of the photos were taken near Al's Big Sur ranch.  Does he still live there?  Beautiful country.  Same stretch of Big Sur where Boby Darin spent a little quiet time.

And Brian does sound relaxed and tuneful here.  Too bad this flurry of recording from them all in recent years couldn't have been a BeachBoys album.

Very cool! :3d

Thanks for the info ! I'm looking forward to read your story

Rich - a request.  Next time you talk to Al, can you pass on the we'd all like some bonus tracks?  Demos, whatever???  A CD under 40 minutes would be disappointing ( though I will buy it in any event).

Overall, I love what I've heard and Al sounds great!  And can you please ask him to come play in Hawaii!

I'd like to go on record diametrically opposed to that--at least the last sentence. Too many musicians put out albums loaded up either with too-long songs, too many songs (some of which suck) or unnecessary "bonus" material just to make people think they're getting some kind of value. But you know what I think is good value? The best music possible. Check the running times of Pet Sounds and Sgt. Pepper. That's value.

But Luther, surely you would love the original demo tapes (pretending that they existed) of just Brian and a piano demoing all of the Pet Sounds material? ;)

Couldn't agree more, Luther. If an artist really has something to say, they don't need to make you sit through hours and hours of music. Of course I like the occasional bonus track, yet a short, complete artistic statement I just find so much more rewarding.

I dislike bonus tracks on new albums, I think if there are additional tracks on there they should be integrated into the rest of the album otherwise stick them on a B-side.
As far as demos go, I don't think I have much interest in hearing demos of new material as my familiarity with the material is too recent to get nostalgic and think I want to hear a demo.
If I hear old Brian, Macca or Queen demos of familiar material then that is often an interesting and at times exciting experience but only because i've spent years hearing certain songs only in one configuration.
I like Al and some of his stuff over the years (His version of Back Home, Susie Cincinatti, Loop de loop etc) but am not sure about this album but will certainly give it a listen, I just don't care that much for the covers of songs he's already sung before.
He's been recording it for years, it's almost the 'Chinese Democracy' of Beach Boys related albums!

Wow, some interesting information out there if 'someone' puts in a little effort. ;D

http://www.aljardine.com/articles.html

see - Beach Boys Fan Club Interview

I sure would. And still I can recognize the difference between such tapes and some Jardine demos of run-of-the-mill tunes. There is a difference between wanting to hear the origins of classics and wanting to hear everybody's work tapes.

Well I guess phirnis and Luther are just going to hate the upcoming rerelease of ''Pacific Ocean Blue'  Those 20 some unreleased bonus tracks are going to make for the worst BB release ever.  How dare they dip into the vaults and put out those Bambu tracks!

So the experience isn't ruined, just hit your stop button when track 13 finishes  :lol  (just yanking your chain guys).  I agree that bonus tracks, say, at the end of 'Pet Sounds', diminish the experience).  I thinks Al's album will be no 'Pet Sounds'. and, say, the inclusion of the unreleased "A Pirate Looks at 50" would make the album more interesting.

Talking about P.O.B./Bambu, I could certainly do without a bonus track by that fucking Foo Fighters drummer.  :)

Interesting - in another interview maybe a year ago, he clearly stated that they'd never released it.  8)

Its not a track by the Foo Fighters drummer. Its a Dennis Wilson recording that never had a lead vocal added to it, Taylor nicely filled in the lead using DW's melody...very tasteful...very Dennis-like...but if you can't stand to hear it that way then the pure version with no vocal added is on disc one...so calm down. Personally i think both versions are great.

Aloha AGD - You probably know better than anyone how often band members are completely misquoted by writers/editors who know little to nothing about the history of the Beach Boys. How many press releases have I read, this year alone, about Beach Boys band appearances featuring Al, Brian, Bruce and Mike.  They even use old pictures.

Clearly, this article indicates Al has vivid memories of the "Love You' sessions.

"Alan:  And, "Honkin' Down the Highway," did I mention that?
 
"Honkin'" and "Drivin'" are kind of a pair. Ritchie Canata is playing a big old Baritone Saxophone on "Honkin'." That's finished. That's a killer. It's similar to the original, only better. I'm using the original Moog synthesizer we used on the original recording on the Beach Boys Love You album. The Bari sax is my favorite; he has a little solo on it. So, we've got "Honkin'" and "Drivin'."  (from article on Al's website)

Jon - Was any thought given to David Marks (or Brian) singing this?  Guess it would lessen the appeal of POB to Foo Fighter fans but, to me, would be so much more appropriate!  That said, I am giddy with excitement to hear it!

Thought was given to a few options, but the bottom line is that Jim Guercio didn't want anything but Dennis' orig. recordings on this release, he wanted them mixed properly and wanted the puzzle pieced together as best we could...but no extra Beach Boys vocals, no added instruments or vocal parts etc... The Taylor Hawkins thing happened purely on a whim, it was thought of as an experiment...it was never thought of as a strategy. Gregg Jakobson is friends with Taylor who is a big fan of Pacific Ocean Blue. He played him the track and said well if you want to take a crack at putting on a vocal maybe we'll try it. But the no vocal version was always intended for the package no matter, Hanlon was in love with the track for 30 years and insisted it be included. The Taylor vocal version is on there too because it shows off the beautiful melody, and its really tasteful in its presentation. Jimmy liked it, and Sony was happy to have an extra marketing angle...maybe some new blood will listen to Dennis, or maybe it will get a little extra ink. It was Gregg's idea and it ended up working, and its only one track...the other 32 are purely as Dennis recorded them. I'm sure once people hear it they'll say...hmmm that doesn't stand out like a sore thumb...it just kind of fits in.

Mahalo Jon!  I do like the idea of putting a vocal on it/hearing the melody!  Appreciate the story re: Gregg's efforts on the track.

Besides, anyone named Gregg can do no wrong ;D

Best, Gregg G - Honolulu, HI

My wife's a big Foo Fighters fan and Dennis is her favorite BB... works for me! It'd be like how I'd feel if  Scott Weiland sang "California Feeling".

Glen Campbell's lead vocals are now on an updated version of "Postcard from California" on the 'track samples' page.

I like it alot better! It's 'Wichita Lineman'/'Rhinestone Cowboy' meets the Beach Boys.  Jimmy Webb anybody?

Covering up the bass line of "Honkin Down the Highway" like that should be a crime. That moog bass (or whatever it is) on the original makes the damn song. I'll be sending Al a postcard, and he's not going to like it.

Yes and no, I think it made the song in 1977, but not in 2008. Doesn't fit with Al's sound on the rest of the album.

That's true. I just meant that the bass line is not at the forefront of the mix like it was in the original version. I like the version off of the Caroline Now compilation (a sample can be heard at: http://www.amazon.com/Caroline-Now-Songs-Brian-Wilson/dp/B00004VWBE) better than Al's, to be honest. It gives it the more organic feel I think Al was searching for in his remake while not sacrificing the original song's appeal.

Never can get enough of "Honkin Down That Gosh Darn Highway"!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IuwKIRcbMg&feature=related

Full track list now listed on
www.aljardine.com

I like what I hear. Can't wait for this to be released. This could be an incredible year for us BB fans- POB/Bambu, PFC, and TLOS..... :rock

I can't wait for it either.

Needs more remakes.
 ::)

I have defended Al over the song choice now since the beginning, but I gotta admit the one that made my heart sink was California Dreamin! It wasn't even a Beach Boys song. I know Al's voice has always fit the song well, concert staple etc but jeez Al nothing else was available??? I wish he had covered Heroes and Villains if he was gonna do another remake.  I mean I am still looking forward to it , think it sounds great etc. but I think its fair to criticize him for that one and I am a huge Jardine fan.

I think we all would prefer originals.  I suppose California Dreamin' at least fits the "California theme" he has going. And, contrary to some reports, looks like no "Rhonda"

'HMR' is listed as track 9 (though, with that font, it's a little hard to read)