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In the old Add Some Music fanzine, Brad Elliott wrote a  piece about how the LP came together (the fact that Carl had to do it, the other guys were dragging there heels etc.). I have seen quotes but could someone please post the story if they have it. I never was able to get a copy of the magazine.

Thanks!

Bob

I'd be happy to post this, but I;m out of town and away from my ASM collection until the weekend.  If I forget, please remind me!  It's an interesting story.

Thanks c-man!

This is just an anal question on my part.  Is the master for TYOH in the BB tape library? Just wondering.

Bob

What I remember about Ten Years Of Harmony, is that, on the original vinyl edition, they used some cool mixes, mostly single mixes, but they sounded superior to the album versions, IMO....

It has the single mix of the 'California' single, with added Brian.

I'm not sure about the others, i'll have a listen when i get it back from my parents'.

I've heard the single mix of California, which I prefer over the Holland version despite its excessive arrangement. The added Brian moments really do it for me (just for his sweet voice's sake) and the whole thing reminds me a lot of Cotton Fields, which of course is another favorite when it comes to single mixes.

Never heard the single version of Rock'n'Roll Music though. Is it much different from the album mix?

Rock and Roll has less background vocals the first few verses. It's Ok is mastered fastered. Cool, Cool, Water has the first section excised.

If I wanted to hear San Miguel, I would need to get this album out. I don't know where else it is available.

It's on the Good Vibrations box set which you can get on CD or as an MP3 off a place like Itunes.

Here is the article in question, Bob. Makes for interesting reading!



Sifting Sands: Ten Years Of Harmony

Brad Elliott

For most Beach Boys fans the recent CBS compilation, Ten Years Of Harmony, was a welcome addition to their collection. The handsomely packaged set included not only several single mixes and edits previously unavailable in album format, but also a previously unreleased single mix ("School Days"), and two tracks which had never seen the light of day in any form ("San Miguel" and "Sea Cruise").

The assembling of Ten Years Of Harmony however, proved to be no easy task. CBS executives spent more than a year working to release the package.  In the course of that year the album underwent several major revisions and countless minor changes.  To some of those involved, the final package was a severe disappointment.

The idea of a compilation album was first proposed in the fall of 1980.  As originally planned, Ten Years’ Harmony, an original title, would have been only one disc.  The target release date was January, 1981.  Early on, CBS pegged "Come Go With Me" as the album's first single.  Also scheduled for inclusion were "San Miguel", the vetoed mix of "School Days" and, at Bruce Johnston's insistence, "The Lord's Prayer". ("That's gonna go in the compilation album",  Bruce said last February.  "We're gonna lease that from Capitol. Lease it back and put it on, because it's never been on an album").

Before a track lineup could be formed, however, the album's release was postponed to May and then to September.

Among the group members, Bruce at least was thinking about the track lineup.  "The compilation album, if we get it out, will be, on the fan level, the best album they've ever had.  Because it's gonna cover all the period from, say, ‘68, ‘69 on.  It's gonna get the best of everything, like "Til I Die," "Disney Girls," "Sail On Sailor," "San Miguel".

Bruce’s most ambitious thoughts concerned the Smile tapes.  "We're gonna collage the Smile album in this compilation.  We're gonna go through the Smile album and just take little, sections of the tunes we have and put it out as a kind of sampler of the Smile album.  We're just going to skim the Smile tapes and make a beautiful six minute collage".  He was quick to add, "Brian doesn't know this".

CBS kept the compilation album on its list of projected September releases, and in July received from Caribou records a master for the record:

Side One: "The Trader", "Deidre", "Long Promised Road", "The Night Was So Young", "Sail On Sailor", "Come Go With Me".

Side Two: "Marcella", "Surf's Up", "Cool Cool Water", "Don't Go Near The Water", "Talk To Me", "Til I Die".

CBS executives were dumbfounded.  This was not the record they had expected.

Within a few short weeks, CBS' questions were answered. A CBS promotion man mentioned the tape to Bruce Johnston, who expressed complete surprise at the existence of a track lineup.  The Beach Boys, Bruce insisted, had made no such thing. It quickly became evident that Caribou president James William Guercio had thrown the tape together, reportedly because the Beach Boys had seemed in no hurry to assemble a lineup.

In a subsequent conference telephone call, Bruce, Mike Love, Alan Jardine, and CBS’ two in-house Beach Boy fans brainstormed a rough lineup for a two-record set.  Agreed upon were:

"Add Some Music", "Roller Skating Child", "Disney Girls", "It's A Beautiful Day", "California Saga: California", "Marcella", "Rock And Roll Music", "Goin' On", "It's OK", "Cool Cool Water", "San Miguel", "Good Timin’", "Sail On Sailor", either "Wouldn't It Be Nice"(live) or "Darlin’" (live), "Lady Lynda", "The Trader", "Come Go With Me", "Deidre", "Mona", "Don't Go Near The Water", "Surf's Up", "She's Got Rhythm", "Honkin’ Down The Highway", "’Til I Die", "Long Promised Road", and either "River Song", or "You And I" (both from Dennis' Pacific Ocean Blue).

Suggested by the CBS executives, but vetoed by the three Beach Boys, were the studio version of "We Got Love", "Child Of Winter", and the unreleased single mix of "School Days".

However, the Beach Boys suggested several ‘bonus’ tracks which they would be interested in including.  If the tapes could be found, they suggested including a song from the encore (with Elton John) of the group's June 3, 1972 London concert, and "Jumpin’ Jack Flash" from the Washington, D.C. show of the 1975 Beachago tour.  There was also talk of the group making a quick trip into the studio to cut "Back In The USSR".

By late September the contents were firming up.  The tentative lineup at that time was:

Side One: "Add Some Music To Your Day", "Roller Skating Child", "Disney Girls", "It's A Beautiful Day", "California Saga: California" (preferably the single version, if the master tape could be found), "Marcella".

Side Two: "Rock And Roll Music", "Goin’ On", "It's OK", "Cool Cool Water" (the single edit, hopefully), "San Miguel", "Good Timin’", "Sail On Sailor".

Side Three: "Darlin’" (live), "Lady Lynda", "Sea Cruise", "The Trader", "Mona", "Don't Go Near The Water" (or possibly "Feel Flows"), "Surf's Up".

Side Four: "Come Go With Me", "Deidre" (or maybe "This Whole World"), "She's Got Rhythm", "River Song", "Long Promised Road", "Honkin’ Down The Highway", "Til I Die".

As the cover art was worked up and liner notes drafted, David Leaf, author of The Beach Boys And The California Myth was asked for his advice.  He submitted another track proposal:

Side One: "Surf's Up", "Cool Cool Water" (45 edit), "This Whole World", "Add Some Music To Your Day", "Disney Girls", "Feel Flows", "’Til I Die".

Side Two: "Long Promised Road", "San Miguel", "Marcella", "Sail On Sailor", "The Trader", "California Saga: California" -(45 mix).

Side Three: "Good Timin’", "Goin’ On", "Sweet Sunday Kind Of Love", "Matchpoint Of Our Love", "The Night Was So Young", "Baby Blue", "Lady Lynda".

Side Four: "Come Go With Me", "It's OK", "Rock And Roll Music", "It's A Beautiful Day", "Sea Cruise", "She's Got Rhythm", "Roller Skating Child".

Although Leaf's grouping of tracks somewhat chronologically and by tempo was not adopted, his efforts were directly responsible for the inclusion, on the next CBS lineup, of "This Whole World" and "Feel Flows" instead of "Mona" and "Honkin' Down The Highway".  Also added, at the insistence of CBS, was the single mix of "School Days".

Approximately a month before the album's release, Carl Wilson went into the group's tape library to find the master tapes for the twenty eight songs.  Luck was with him and all the masters were located, including those for the "California Saga" and "Cool Cool Water" singles.  Also, it was at that time that the compilation's last track, "Wontcha Come Out Tonight" was added, bringing the number of included songs to twenty nine, and finalizing the track lineup.

One last problem remained: the inner gatefold.  The photo of the group, taken backstage at the 1977 Central Park concert, already had been selected.  At issue was a proposal to “doctor” Bruce into it.  Carl put his foot down. Bruce was not a Beach Boy on a par with the others, and should not be included in the main photo.  If Bruce wanted his photo on the album, Carl stated, he could have a small 'mug' shot. Bruce decided that if he wasn't wanted in the main photo, he didn't want to be pictured on the album.  He is not.

Carl also insisted that individual production credits be given, prompting a few minor squabbles in places (most notably whether Brian would be credited for tracks from the MIU album: he is on only "Wontcha Come Out Tonight," which he wrote and sang.  At about the same time, the planned liner notes were shelved and replaced by the song lyrics.  That decision was probably CBS’.  The record was due for release immediately, and another squabble, which the liner notes likely would have generated, might have caused further delay.

Despite the many problems in assembling and releasing Ten Years Of Harmony, CBS is pleased with the package, and already is considering a one-record Ten Years Of Harmony, Vol. 2. for release next fall.

Thanks, now I won't have to post it this weekend! 

One thing wrong in the article, though, is that the inner gatefold photo is from the group's New Year's Eve 1976 show at the L.A. Forum (IIRC), not their September '77 Central Park show. 

You guys are more than awesome....THANKS ALOT!

No worries! Thanks for the correction as I simply used  Optical Character Recognition to copy the article.

By the way, I really enjoy reading your essays and look forward to future instalments.

You're very welcome.

Wait, so he didn't get credit on "Matchpoint of Our Love"? Or did I read it wrong...

Thanks for sharing!

Quite intriguing how Bruce got marginalized within the group when he had just produced two (admittedly unsuccessfull) records for the Beach Boys. I remember a 1980 video on YouTube where BJ said something to the effect that he didn't want to add his own material to another BB record since it didn't fit their style.

Ah, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvjL2jYXZ8A (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvjL2jYXZ8A)

I have the 2-CD set. Does that count? Is it collectible?

I think the 2CD release uses all the usual/album mixes. No fun.

Though if you want 'Sea Cruise', it´s there or nowhere.

I could be mistaken, but I'm pretty sure the US- and European 2CD-releases differ. On one of them a few wrong mixes (compared to the 2LP) were included.

Interesting. I must listen again; haven't done so in a long time. I seem to recall that I found the mixes so-so, as if they were from LP so to speak. But perhaps the LP masters were used, and my CDs really have something interesting to offer. As soon as I've done so I'll let you know.

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,3212.0.html

and

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,4.0.html

Pretty shabby way to treat Bruce.  I mean, they really couldn't have taken another photo.  Really bizarre considering he seems to have been in on thinking about the track selection.

I agree, Ed.

The only thing I can suppose if that Bruce was being seen more of the Mike 'n Alan team, and Carl might not have wanted having another Beach Boy in the hat that could mess up his own interests. I feel like Carl had more input in the L.A. album and Keepin' The Summer Alive than he had in other releases from the period. What do you think?

Was Carl Wilson in the group at the time he was making these decisions?

Maybe he was thinking about what time periods were being represented in this ten years of harmony, with bruce leaving then comming back....

That's what I surmised back when this happened.  Of the ten group albums represented in this anthology, Bruce was onboard as a band member for only four.

And no, Carl wasn't a part of the performing band when the comp was put together, but he was an official Beach Boy (just like Brian was still a Beach Boy when not touring with them).  And, if I remember right, he produced or coproduced the majority of tracks included from that time period.

What's Talk To Me? Haven't heard of that one..

One of the 15 Big Ones. What about this track list? Whoever compiled this one probably chose tracks at random.

Oh, lol. Well then I have heard it, but obviously didn't care for it that much...that album just seems so random as well

Just checked my (Austrian pressed, apparently, at first glance) CD copy of TYOH... it's got a very rare track on CD 2 - Long Promised Rad... as in "totally rad"?

Bruce was on all the albums from the 70's except  MIU. Not as a full flegged band member, but he was there.

And no, Carl was touring with the guys in 1981, but he compiled the LP. One reason he did was because the BB had already taken an advance for it AND an LP of new material. Carl was the only one willing to "work" at the time, so.

BTW, in 1981 and 1982, the BB played close to 240 each year.

You mean Carl WASN'T touring with the guys in 1981, right? (except for the first couple of months of the year).  And it's true Bruce was on all the studio LPs from the 70's as a guest, except MIU, but for CATP through Love You, he's only on a track or two, and not as an official BB.  I'm sure that's why Carl objected to him being included in the picture, because the only the five guys pictured in the gatefold were official Beach Boys for the entire timespan the anthology covers.

I agree with C-Man's analysis.

This album was my introduction to some of the songs.  This was in pre cd days and I didn't own all of the vinyl.  These days we are used to having everything including bonus tracs.

The album was a treat and a revelation.  I took it to a show in the mid 80's and the band was happy to see it, and all gladly signed it. When they played tracs from it mid-show, they thanked the audience for whoever it was that brought it and asked us to hold it up for everyone to see.

Hey loveandmercy, give talk to me another chance, I think it's one of the better covers though the best part is the Tallahassie Lassie part around the end, it's a very classic Brian Wilson moment on a very non-classic-Brian Wilson produced album

Totally agree about Talk To Me. I'm so glad to have had this song on my favorites list for all these years. How could a Beach Boy fan not like it?

It sounds like Carl's slightly drunk era

Talk To Me is nice enough, but Little Willie John's version (the only other version I've heard) is just sooooo much better imo.

I was going to say the same thing Mikey...the orig. version by Little Willie John from '58 is so damn cool.

I did mean Carl WASN'T there, thanks c-man!

Being 22 at the time that TYOH came out, it was really kind of a let down after all the hype that led up to it. It is still a fantastic collection.  I talked to both Bruce Johnston and Steve E. (VP at CBS) and the actual release does not come close to the collection they had in mind. SMiLE tracks, more unreleased stuff, etc. Sure sure, we have all of it now, but try and put yourself in fan mode back then (no internet). Only fanzines and magazines like Gold Mine and Time Barrier Express. You really couldn't find Record Collector. I remember buying the big Capitol Years boxset from the UK for $110 (1981 dollars at that) just by walking into an import record store, with no idea before hand that such a collection was coming. They only got one copy at that. I walked around that store for an hour, trying to figure out what I could live without so I could buy that sucker. I was NOT going to go home and come back later! That was a hard check to write. But I bought it! And still have it about 5 feet away from me on a shelf in my office! So after hearing all of the promises of what TYOH was going to be and then what evenutally was released. What a letdown.

I also think that Carl's thoughts on Bruce, production credits, etc, were reflections on his state of mind at the time. He really wanted to make an impact on the other members of the group. To really kick them in the ass to get going on recording and practising. The vibe from the BB to him at the time was "we are continuing without you, making sh**loads of money, and hardly notice that you aren't here!" Mike even said in an interview that he couldn't believe Carl left while they were having one of their most prosperous year ever!. So Carl wanted to make his presence felt, and he exerted alot of control over this project. BTW, how would you feel if your were getting the above vibe from the band and also being told "Hey, go put this LP together that we have already gotten the advance for because we are way too busy to bother with it!". The rest of the group knew Carl really cared about their catalogue.

From Brad's own article in Goldmine:

With the New Year's show and party barely, a memory, the Beach Boys launched into a very full year of touring. Early on, they told CBS (who distributes the Caribou label, to which the group is signed) not to expect an album until the Fall at the earliest. The company had been hoping to release product around May.

Also postponed until at least fall was a "best of" collection of tracks from the past decade. At one time, that album had been planned for February release.

With no product to push, CBS dropped its financial support of the group's touring in May. Probably contributing to that decision were the reviews the group had drawn in the first months of the year. All around the country, the group had been knocked, for lackluster, uninspired, stale performances. Lyrics were almost routinely botched.

With the group dredging up such dated numbers as "Long, Tall Texan" and "The Little 0ld Lady From Pasadena," the tag "Irrelevant" was heard more and more.

And alot of people I knew at the time thought that they way Carl bailed on the rest of the group was chickens**t. I loved it. He told them and told them what they needed to do, they didn't do it figuring that Carl would just suck it up and go ahead with the tour dates, but he returned the group's touring contracts for May and June unsigned. Talk about an attention getter!

Unfortunately Carl's efforts didn't make a big difference in the grand scheme of things: maybe the shows improved upon his return, but the band never did become truly relevant again. They were more and more an oldies band. Their few remaining hits were more and more nostalgic. But hey, every band's time must come, right?

I believed the Beach Boys truly stopped being a "rock and roll" band in 1980 and became an oldies band. 81-83 was transition with 1 last gasp Summer of 83, Carl back by then, all 6 on stage and then they had morphed into an oldies band by 1984 where they would remain.

I half-agree with you. KTSA was the end of them doing rock, but BB85 was their last non-oldie band album (with a couple of exceptions), as it tried to swing too far the other way.

More from Brad and Bruce:

Brad: "San Miguel" is still unreleased.

Bruce: Sitting in the can. One day we'll stick that out.

Brad; Walter Winnick with CBS was telling me it me it might get on a compilation album this year.

Bruce: Yeah, that will be on the compilation album. The compilation album, if we get It out, will be the best ... on level, the best album they'll ever have. Because it's gonna cover all the period from say '68,'69 on. It's gonna get the best of everything, like "'Til I Die," "Disney Girls," "Sail On, Sailor," "San Miguel." It's gonna have a lot of stuff on it.

Brad: I gather all of that stuff is no longer owned by Warner Brothers?

Bruce: Right.

Brad: It's now the property of the Beach Boys?

Bruce: Well it was never owned by Warner Brothers. It was leased. You never asked me about the "Fire" tapes? They're all there. Desper and I have assembled all that stuff. It's all there.

Brad: Is it going to come out?

Bruce: It's better not to put it out.

Brad: Why?

Bruce: 'Cause if you put it out now, it's going to be a disappointment. We're going to collage the "Smile" album in this cornpilation. We're gonna just take . . . go through the "Smile" album - Brian doesn't know this - and just take little sections of the tunes we have and put it out as kind of a sampler of the "Smile" album. 'Cause it'll be better as a teaser than the whole thing. It's great, but a lot of these things aren't finished. So it's better to go and collage them and ... for instance, if I played you the whole "Fire" part, it's Interesting, but it's kind of interesting like hearing Stravinsky do something.

Brad. "Fire" was just one part of an "Elements Suite."

Bruce: Oh, true, but it goes on and on and on and on.

Brad. Does the "Elements Suite" exist, completely?

Bruce: Everything's there.

Brad: The water section was somewhat similar to "Cool, Cool Water?"

Bruce; Mm-hrnrn.

Brad: The air section ... Brian has told someone.. . it's in an interview ... that "Air" was a piano Instrumental. Is that right?

Bruce: I'd have to just go back and look at everything. I'm just telling you the tapes are sitting around. We're just going to skim the "Smile" tapes and make a beautiful six-minute collage. You'll love it. It's better to do it that way, because musically now, as opposed to '66 or '67, it would be more interesting to just give you a peek at it than to do the whole thing. There's been too much press on it. It's like talking about bringing out the '67 Rolls Royce and they finally show it in '81. You go, "Oh, no."

Brad: When you left the Beach Boys, you said, you worked on "California Saga" and you worked on at least one or two cuts on "15 Big Ones."

Bruce: I think I've been on every album, except the ... uh ... what's the name of the album? 'The meditation album? You know, the album they did at ...

Brad: "MIU?"

Bruce. "MIU." That's the only one since'65, whether I've been in or out of the band, that's the only album I haven't worked on.

As fans, you can see why we were all so excited in 1981!!!

I always thought Ten Years Of Harmony was the strangest album title. Oh, I knew what it meant, but it was confusing.

Even though Ten Years Of Harmony was a quasi-attempt to make the Beach Boys look like "artists" with some of those Reprise selections, which song do they choose to release a single? A cover, an oldie, "Come Go With Me". What always amazed me was that it went Top 20! If they would've released it at the time of MIU, it probably would've tanked. Amazing.

When Carl returned to the group, the shows did improve quality-wise. Actually, the group did appear to have a more professional attitude. I think they (including Carl) were sick of the "stoned" performances. They cleaned their act up in a number of ways, and weren't going to tolerate some of that past insanity anymore. 

It's still hard to believe that Bruce was blackballed. And, the photo (from 1976) isn't one of the best. Strange album in many ways. And, they screwed up the eventual CD release by using the wrong versions of some of the tracks.

My biggest disappointment with the album when it came out (besides the lack of more exciting unreleased stuff...I mean "San Miguel" was great, but there was plenty more where that came from) was the lack of musician credits!  Still, I thought the remastered vinyl sounded great. 

Loved the remixed sound. And yes it was strange that an oldie was picked to be the single. But it sounded more like a hit than anything else. And it did go top 20 (along with the BB medley that year).

I also remember vividly MTV in 1982 showing a segment with Mark Goodman (the VJ) talking about a BB concert in Cleveland (of which they showed a part of) where the group had recorded their new single Runaway for release in the fall (recorded the song on June 11th at the Blossom Music Center). We know what happened there. And with their original version of California Dreaming....and the original version of California Calling......and Sweetie (with a Mike/Al/Brian lead vocal).....and so on. So much music that we didn't get to hear until later (although California Dreaming was released in'83).

And as for the screwed up US CD version of TYOH, at least all of the tracks have been release on other comps in the last nine years (except for the 45 mix of School Days).

I think it should have had all the single A sides and been in order. Of course that would have shown the steep decline from 1970-1980. Also WAY too low on Dennis stuff.
   
These are questionable choices.
Roller Skating Child (instead of the Night Was So Young?) 
Wontcha Come Out Tonight 
Darlin'  (Why not You Need A Mess Of Help for a rocker?)
Sea Cruise  (All the great unreleased Dennis and they pick this fun but slight track?)
Don't Go Near The Water
Deirdre 
She's Got Rhythm   
River Song (Why not a group song great as this is. Forever, Slip On Through etc.
Still it is a good album because this material hasn't been recycled to death. Still Elliot seemed to have an anti-Dennis bias Brother Years 3 proves that.

Forever is on there, isn't it?  But yeah, how about Baby Blue or Only With You?

I disagree with that. In a lot of ways I think 85 was among their most oldies albums. True, the production was more modern, but the songs were really very backward-facing. It was more a "we old guys can still keep up ... as we do our old thing" than a real new album.

In a way (sorry for derailing a big further), I feel like Holland is the end of them as a new band, with Love You and LA as either exceptions while the band was trying to find its next course.

No, Forever isn't on there!  Which is a freakin' crime! 

I understand why roller Skatin' Child, She's Got Rhythm, Sea Cruise (which I love) are on there - the collection needs some uptempo songs, it would be lacking and not flow well if the selections were all ballads and mid tempo numbers, as good as Baby Blue and Night was So Young are.  I just wish Bruce had been able to follow through with a Smile suite (legal problems there - that was still Capitol owned recordings), We Got Love (Brother probably didn't want to give away song royalties to the exmembers), and Child of Winter on there.

Not a single Dennis song on Best of the Brother Years 3. I thought that was so obviously wrong and mean spirited. No Slip on Through, Forever, Its About Time, Cuddle Up, Only With You, Baby Blue...how do you call it the BEST of the Brother Years and leave off every one of those songs? Please explain it to me.

I guess Forever ISN'T on there...I'll be darned, I coulda sworn it was!  Well it SHOULDA been...really, it shoulda been there instead of "River Song"...always thought it odd that one solo track was included.

Anyway, Capitol didn't own the SMiLE stuff, or any of the BB post-'65 album stuff...remember how Warners repackaged all the stuff from '66-'69, and was planning on releasing SMiLE in '72?  That's cause the BBs owned the masters, and were able to lease them to Warners, much in the way the Warners stuff was able to be leased to CBS for TYOH in '81.  In the case of "The Lord's Prayer", it was owned outright by Capitol, but Bruce had hoped to lease it back for TYOH.

Because Dennis' estate had sold their interest in Brother Records to the other members, and because Carl was no longer there to see to it that Dennis got represented (as he did on the 1993 box set).  Right Jon?

I figured they just picked the songs for Vol. of what charted, thus why Honkin Down the highway was the song that represented Love You, which to me, the Night was So Young.

It was Brad's doing. He even said so in an interview.

How did he explain this?

I think it was in ESQ. He said it didn't connect with the public or the Beach Boys image. What a joke

My curiosity is aroused by this discussion.  Think I'll get out the vinyl and have a listen.


Regarding the improved performances on Carl's return, I totally agree.  I saw a couple of shows just before his departure, one during his absence, and one not too long after his return.

Dramatically different and a treat to hear and see.   The one without Carl, Brian "performed", and I use that term because you can put your own spin on it if you like.  Mike gave what sounded like a sarcastic introduction to Brian and a very large, hygiene challenged Brian then croaked out 3 tunes on the baby grand.  A very sad and disappointing show.

Carl's return was like putting a new big block in a worn out Corvette.  What a ride!!

I remember Brad trying to explain that they wanted to include only CHARTING singles, and apparently none of Dennis's songs, despite several being released as singles, charted.  But then why call it Best of the Brother Years?  (although I think it was also called Greatest Hits Vol. 3 somewhere wasn't it?)  None of the songs on Best of the Brother Years was a big hit, so they should have just done a "best" collection.

I thought Sound of Free, released as a single in the UK should have been included - a great way to include a rarity yet to be officially released on CD.  Brad subscribed to the "Dennis's music wasn't commercial and didn't and won't sell" theory that has since been disproved and finally buried with the CD release of Pacific Ocean blue/Bambu.

Having personally heard Brad hold forth on the greatness of Dennis' music, especially Pacific Ocean Blue, I think that's a bunch of malarky!

If I remember correctly (and the old brain cells may not be functioning as well as I'd like), that Brother Years set started out as the third volume in the Greatest Hits series of CDs, with a track lineup that focused almost entirely on charting singles, including things like "It's Getting Late," "Rock 'n' Roll To The Rescue" and "Still Cruisin'." (My memory also says the token "rare" track on the set was the 45 edit of "Cool Cool Water," but I won't swear to that.)  Then the suits at Capitol got to playing with the set, dropping songs right and left in favor of non-charting tracks likes "Susie Cincinnati," "Disney Girls," "Trader" and "Honkin' Down The Highway," and even retitling the thing.

In the original conception (charting singles), none of Dennis' songs fit.  By the time the album was released, there was no real concept behind it, other than to put out a collection of songs that a bunch of higher-ups at Capitol personally liked.  I think the entire team on that project -- Brad, Andrew Sandoval and Cheryl whatever-her-last-name-is (she was on staff at Capitol) -- was immensely frustrated by the time it came out.  If, from the outset, the album had been designed as a true "Best of the Brother Years," I feel certain they would have included several Dennis tracks, probably "Forever" and maybe something like "Baby Blue."

Somewhere I think I've got the original track lineup for Greatest Hits 3 that Brad sent me lo those many years ago.  I'll look for it and post it if I can find it.

Pawelski, that was her last name. Cheryl Pawelski.

It was gonna drive me crazy not being able to remember it, so I pulled out a CD to check it.  I just googled her, and it looks like she's now at Rhino/Warner Bros.

Wow! Sometimes I amaze myself! An hour of digging and I found it!

This is the original planned track lineup for Greatest Hits 3, exactly as sent to me by Brad Elliott in October 1999 (some six months or so before the album came out).

1. Add Some Music to Your Day [#64] (1970)
2. Cool Cool Water [non-charting 45] (1970) (single edit – never before on CD)
3. Long Promised Road [#89] (1971)
4. ‘Til I Die [B-side] (1971)
5. Surf’s Up [non-charting 45] (1971)
6. Marcella [#110] (1972)
7. Sail On Sailor [#79/#49] (1973, 1975)
8. California Saga (On My Way to Sunny Californ-i-a) [#84] (1973) (single version – domestically unavailable on CD)
9. Rock and Roll Music [#5] (1976) (single version – domestically unavailable on CD)
10. It’s O.K. [#29] (1976)
11. Peggy Sue [#59] (1978)
12. Here Comes the Night [#44] (1979) (single edit – never before on CD)
13. Good Timin’ [#40] (1979)
14. Goin’ On [#83] (1980)
15. Come Go With Me [#18] (1981)
16. Getcha Back [#26] (1985)
17. It’s Gettin’ Late [#82] (1985)
18. Rock ‘n’ Roll to the Rescue [#68] (1986) (single version – currently unavailable on CD)
19. California Dreamin’ [#57] (1986) (currently unavailable on CD)
20. Still Cruisin’ [#93] (1989)

All charting singles, with three exceptions: "Til I Die" and "Surf's Up," which I don't think anybody would argue should have been left off, and "Cool Cool Water," which obviously was the rare track come-on for the hardcore collectors. With this concept and lineup, I think it's easy to see why none of Dennis' stuff was included.

Easy for you maybe, but not for me. If they can make an exception for Till I Die they can make one for Forever, or Baby Blue, or Cuddle Up. But Dennis never wrote an 'in song...ya know...Timin', Goin, Gettin', Dreamin', Cruisin'...maybe that was the problem.

Maybe he should have titled it "Slippin' On Through."  And there was "Fallin' In Love," of course.  :wink

Those kids love the apostrophes!  ::)

Desmond I want to welcome you here. I hope you understand why I am going to say this, but Mr Elliott has discredited himself in nearly every way going back to 1982 when he promised to press a 2 LP set of Brian productions and never refunded many pre-orders he took. After making some boots in the 80's, he continued to not meet his end of the deal on various trades, records, Cd's books. He took some material I had written and never returned it, and after initially being nice, turned very rude. Thankfully I copyrighted it, but had to go to some pretty severe lengths to ensure it wasn't used. He screwed Diane Rovel over the credits to Winter Symphony, and frankly treated her with great disrespect. She came to me for some info about the stuff he took from me, and I was glad to supply it. Again I am not trying to attack you by repeating this stuff but it must be said. For all of the pioneering stuff he did at one time, he is a shady character.

Yep, I too find it hard to reconcile the way he ripped a bunch of us off. I know the whole First Wave affair might have put him in a bad financial position, but there was never any apology, explanation (that I'm aware of, anyway). That he ripped off other fans in other ways, as well as those closer to the band, is deeply saddening.

Just curious. What is it he took from you and never returned? Where did he try to use it?

All that aside, it doesn't change the fact that the mish-mash that was the Brother Years set wasn't what the Capitol Records team at the time (which Brad was only part of) intended. As originally designed, it was a lot more coherent than what appeared and really did fit as a third "Greatest Hits" set. That's all I'm saying.

don't want to throw stones at people, but for me, the first time, it was right after his "surf's up" book was published. he promised "updates" and asked for money up front. i sent it..never was an update..no refund..over 25 years ago or so.

not going to mention the others.....should have known better....but i'm sure many here are in the same boat.

I didn't say that Brad didn't like or even love Dennis's music.  But on the old smileshop site he vigorously defended not including Dennis's songs on Best of the Brother Years because they didn't chart and pointed out that Sunflower, which contained 4 Dennis songs, was the worst selling Beach Boys LP to that point, and specifically said Dennis's songs were not commercial and didn't sell - implying that Sunflower not selling was at least partly due to Dennis's songs.  So yeah, Brad did subscribe to the "Dennis's music isn't commercial and won't sell" theory that is now at last discredited for all time.  I agree that to include Til I Die and Surf's Up and Cool Cool Water on a non-commercial pretense but to exclude Dennis's songs was ridiculous.  Now maybe Brad was just defending the Capitol "partyline" justifying what was included and what wasn't, but he didn't give the impression that behind the scenes he was fighting to include Dennis songs.

Oh, and the single edit of Cool Cool Water had been previously released - on Ten Years of Harmony, the subject of this thread!

Hmmm... I hung around ye olde smileshop a lot, made my fair share of contributions, got myself involved in a lot of discussions, but that's one I don't remember at all.


Having been involved in the record business one way or the other for more years than I care to count, I can tell you it's all based on compromise. Lots of times, you have to get behind something you really don't believe in. I expect that's what must have happened, as I know personally that Brad loved Dennis' music. In fact, after that Carl Wilson benefit compilation CD was so well received, there was a proposal to do something similar for Dennis, and Brad was on-board with that! Somewhere I've got the proposed tracklisting for that, too. (We used to trade e-mails a lot back in the day.)

Yeah, but not on CD here in the ol' U.S. of A.

Best of the Brother Years (if i remember right) was also to include a 2nd cd that coincided with BB: An American Family (being that it was released after the premiere) and it was to include non hits included in the movie: Their Hearts were full of Spring, the Lord's Prayer, Let the Wind Blow, etc.

Desmond I remember you well at the smileshop  - you contributed some session dates and tapebox information that I've saved to this day and used in my "Smile primer" (which was ripped off for Badman's book, by the way).  But I remember the exchange with Brad equally well because when i suggested that Sound of Free might have been included Brad got very "snippy" and insulting towards me, like I hadn't understood what he had said about the inclusion of "charting singles."  You must have missed that thread.

I have nothing personal against Brad - well, he did take my money for First Wave and never returned it - but he did "con" a lot of people out of money for the Smile photograph set, the updated Surf's Up book, and First Wave.  He was relieved of his BRI liner note writing duties for some good reasons, not the least of which was his involvement in booting Beach Boys material.  But I don't think anyone can fault his research (and his liner notes for the stereo/mono Pet Sounds remain far superior to Leaf's which were substituted after his "firing").

Since this thread already has gone off its topic I might just contribute to that :)

What's the difference between the single version of RNRttR and the one on Made In USA (assuming that this would be the LP version)?

Fall Breaks It's a shorter edit

Desmond again I welcome you here and I am not trying to discredit what you are saying. As far as what he had it was an very early rough draft for a Beach Boys book that I have been working on for many years. It had some research I did that still hasn't been published. I don't know if he was going to use it for sure, but some of the things he had planned were close to my format. Because of the situation with Diane, Capitol contacted me about Brad and I let them know that he did have some material of mine that he did not have my permission to use. No doubt he did some great work and research in his day but I do have a hard time seeing the good side of him personally.

OK, at this point we should probably be moved into a new thread on the topic of Brad Elliott and Capitol Records, but I thought I'd throw this out for discussion:  during Brad's employment with Capitol, he vigorously debated two long-held notions:  (1) that Capitol "forced" Brian to include Sloop John B. on Pet Sounds against his will, and (2) that Capitol did little to promote Pet Sounds, thus resulting in its relative chart failure.  He quoted some documentation to support this revisionist claim, which I think I saved somewhere...so I'll look when I have time, unless someone else has it readily available. 

I'm just wondering if Brad's claims in this regard are now accepted by the fandom hierachy (AGD for instance), or if this is still debatable, and if so, may therefore be considered an example of Brad's "towing the Capitol party line". 

Thanks

Good question C Man. I would like to know if Good Vibrations was really forced on Smile or Smiley too.

First off...Desmond...so good to see you again. We know each other, but I won't say from where!

On the TYOH topic I started, the 45 mixes included on that collection have  all been released on CD except for the 45 mix of School Days.

The US CD has the 45 mixes of Cool Cool Water and It's a Beautiful Day.

GH Vol. 3 had the 45 mixes of California, Rock And Roll Music, and It's Ok.

And the Warmth Of The Sun collection had Cool Cool Water again!

A couple of years ago I brought up the fact that Andrew Doe in his book said he was told that the 45 master of Rock And Roll Music had been rendered unuseable. Yet Brad Elliott said Andrew S. had no problem finding it and using it on GH3. Who was telling the truth? They both were. Because Alan Boyd said on this very board that "As for the story about the original single master of R&R MUSIC self-destructing?  Hmmm.... Maybe that would explain why the documentation indicates that we only have eq'd safety copies."

Bob
 

Cool. What was it about? Are you still gonna get it out? Have you thought about making it available online or as a downloadable ebook?

And wasn't it some character with the handle "Cam Mott" who argued so vigorously that Capitol had actually done a credible amount of promotion for Pet Sounds? Is he still around?

The meat of the book is the making of each original album and single with new interviews, critiques, and some biography. I like all the Beach Boys so everyone will be given their due. As a major vinyl collector I also put in a lot of info as to what has and hasn't been released on that format. I expect it to be done by the end of the year. I finished the first draft years ago, but only now as I am doing the final draft am I truly happy with it.. I am editing the Carl and the Passions section right now and as I already did Holland and In Concert should be moving on to Child Of Winter next. It would have been done several years ago but I freelance on other music related books which do take up a good deal of time.
Thanks for the interest about it and this board will get a lot of credit in the final product.

Sounds great MBE!! In the near future will we be able to view a preview of what it's going to be like? I'm sure I'll be buying one when you're done :)

Likewise MBE. Looking forward to it.

By the way MBE, do you have a title for the book yet?

Thanks guys I really realized being on here that people were open to some new viewpoints, instead of Brian and the five a--holes or Brian being a 320 pound drug addicted recluse by 1968. I try to make it as fact based as possible and present all sides.. Sail On Sailor alone has about five different renditions of how it was written. They will all be included and dissected. I Can Hear Music will be the title. As far as a preview I can't do that as of yet,  but if you have read my posts you basically know my views. Certainly  I offer more personal opinion or speculation here. Again I do try to be objective as I feel each and every Beach Boys deserves his due.

Cam "signboy" Mott is indeed still around and posts occasionally.