The Smiley Smile Message Board

OK, we've heard about the Carnegie Hall 72 CD/DVD release, and a possible Dennis 71-73 solo track collection.

With the success of the Beatles stereo and mono box sets, how about a boxed set of all the albums, remastered, in stereo (with the mono albums remixed in stereo where the tapes exist) and in the original mono, for the first time ever on CD for the Surfin' USA through All Summer Long albums?  And include a Rarities/Outtakes CD with the box as well. 

Maybe they're saving the Complete Capitol singles Vol 2 for the 11/11/2011?

In my point of view I don´t need no remastered things. I catched all original Vinlys and have the CDs - that´s enough for me. Don´t need these Single collections either...


What I´d like to have is ... the Dennis Solo-Tracks and the unreleased Beach Boys Stuff over the years... in good quality. That would be cool! And they should release the Paramount Concert from the 90th :).

I would love: a 3 disk SMiLE '67 set with extensive annotation, for the diehards. And for all others: a new promotion campaign for the 'Good Vibrations' box set (which, IMHO, still is THE Platonic idea of a good box set).

If it is possible (in a monetary sense): a 2 disk set of the finest unreleased stuff throughout the Brother years would be welcome.

But please: no Beatles type of thing.

I too would like a professional clean copy of the paramount unplugged concert.  But because of the nature of it....(unplugged) I'm not sure if the average buyer would "get it"  Unless it would be promoted that way  (ON THE RELEASE OF THEIR BOX SET IN 1993, THE BEACH BOYS PERFORMED A CAREER SPANNING  TWO AND A HALF HOUR CONCERT IN THE POPULAR "UNPLUGGED" FORMAT OF THE TIME.  WITH A FOCUS ON VOCALS AND NO NONSENSE BASIC INSTRUMENTATION, THE BEACHBOYS GAVE THE FAN FILLED AUDIENCE A NIGHT TO REMEMBER!

I need more (all) info on that Paramount concert. Please, show this country hick where to direct his horse 'n' carriage...  ;D

sent pm.......

I'm with Bicyclerider.

could I get the same pm???

That would be false advertising - the unplugged part of the show was maybe 35 minutes/11 songs from about 40.

False advertising... like that's never happened before. Isn't Knebworth advertised as "the last time the Beach Boys all played together"?

... I thought they wrote "last time they played together in England" didn´t they? Or last time it was recorded?

Yeah, huh, a Smile Box Set would become handy as well. But the Paramount has a good qualitiy. I mean, not that I´ve heard it anyhow, because I know having bootlegs and stuff is wrong  :angel: so ah, er... yeah

A couple of years ago when this "Love" project of the Bealtes was realised the Beach Boys asked the same producer to do the same with their stuff, didn´t they? And the Beatles-guys worked 5 years on the remastering project, so I don´t think that it´d be possible.

And we are in a rezession right now :). I don´t like it to spend money for something that I already have. Vinyl sound is good enough for me. With all this remastered music you´ll have to buy a new Sound System, because with an old one you can´t hear any difference...... see my point?  :lol

wallabie wrote:

"And we are in a rezession right now . I don´t like it to spend money for something that I already have. Vinyl sound is good enough for me. With all this remastered music you´ll have to buy a new Sound System, because with an old one you can´t hear any difference...... see my point?"
________________________________________________________________________

True dat. I mean: who wants to purchase a new sound system, with heat sinks, an built-in Spatializer and Aphex Aural Exciter, Burr-Brown op-amps, 14 sound channels, two ventilators, finished with Polynesian Sequoia sempervirens hardwood, and a vintage 1926 Theremin for a remote control?

Not me.

Only if it has an iPod dock for those quality MP3 things.

I would - that system sounds incredibly cool!  You know, if we'd all just spend more money on Beach Boys product and sound and video equipment to play it on, there'd be no more recession!

But nobody of us would have any money  :lol :angel:


Ah, ya all know what the biggest surprise would be? If www.beachboyscentral.com would come online - they said it will be hosted on the 4th of July. Maybe they meant 4. of July 2011?

IMHO the best thing would be if they do a DVD-box with various (unreleased) concerts for the fans in a limited edition and sell the DVDs individual for the non-hardcorefans. Release (at least some of) the concerts on CD too, plus the whole '65 Chicago-conert (to have something that represents the classic Beach Boys as a live act, incl. Brian).

Then of course the PBS-special with Beach Boys reunion (but please (!!!) without any guest stars, except maybe BBs-offspring like Carl B., Wendy, Carnie, Michael, Christian, etc) for either a single song for each act or for the rousing finale, which will probably include "Barbara friggin' Ann".

And then it's time to release the new Beach Boys studio album on Capitol and for once in the Beach Boys' carreere do it right! Make announcements in newspapers, radio, internet. Get some tastefully (!!!) stories, about how work was done in the studio and on the road and how the songs were composed back in the days.
Once just let the music speak and don't try to make some fun-in-the-sun-nostalgia thing out of it and also not a Pet Sounds-thing, because then the same problem will come up that's causing the underappreciation of the post-PS-music.

Let some famous and respected guys write in music-magazines about the greatness of their music (but don't compare them to the Beatles in every sentence or mention how much McCa was influenced by Pet Sounds) and get the BBs on Letterman, Conan o'Brian, etc. etc.

Again, this one time, please do it right. See what kind of potential is liyng there. Get rid of the hawaiian shirts and put the boys into some dark tuxedos or whatever and make music (from the early garage-surfrock to the big stuff) without any waves on a screen or other nautical orientated stageshows. For the surf-part, the band should be just basic and the more complex the music gets, the bigger the band. You could use Mike and Bruce's guys for the early stuff with David Marks on leadguitar of course and then use Brian's band for the Pet Sounds,etc-era music. Make it like a musical that shows the different eras of the band in music. No talking or acting or whatever.
Just do something new and maybe innovative. Don't try to do what did good for other bands and reunions. So no "We'll make a Beach Boys version of the Beatles' "Love" " or whatsoever.

This would be the last chance to make the Beach Boys' name shine again for the public. Knowing the history of the band though, I guess it won't turn out very good and tasteful....

It shouldn't be so hard if you do it with some love....... (well, and Wil-son of course)

I´d say - Mr. Rocker you are a dreamer  ;D.. they couldn´t do it right neither for the 25, 30, 35, 40 or 45...
a new studio album would be cool, because then they could create a "Beach Boys Sound of 2000" ... but I don´t think that this will happen


Yeah, a concert Box Set would be cool. Chicago, Michigan, the Beachiago-Tour... maybe Lei´d Hawaii  :lol, Carnigie Hall, Paramount... yeah, I´ll take it.

But please - as ya said - no more guest stars and no more "Huh, we create a box set with 100 songs where 90 of them are already sold by the fans and 10 are unreleased"... they should give us a Live-Box-Set and an Unreleased-Box-Set (and a new studio album)


But this should be a concept album of California. So, don´t think that Al´s album will be published.... so 3 songs from Alan´s Album, 2 from Mike, 1 from Bruce (does he write songs?) maybe a cover of a Dennis Wilson song (I´ve got a friend  ;D) and 5 Brian Wilson Songs... yeah!

Just for information, I'm serious. That would be a professional way to celebrate the 50th anniversary and make money with stuff that probably wouldn't sell if it was released next year for example

Interesting -- the Atlanta show's unplugged segment ran about an hour.

I haven't heard this, you have any sources? not to sound like a college prof or anything  ;D

Concerning re-issues of the albums: it would be a great chance to clean up the discography, cause it's total mess now with odds & ends scattered all over the place. If they would re-issue all the albums individually (not as 2fers, that is) and add all those odds & ends (B-sides, 2fer bonus tracks, some unreleased stuff, all the rarities from 'Endless Harmony', 'Hawthorne CA', 'Beach Boys Rarities' and the GV box set) to the albums they were recorded for, as bonus tracks... That would be fantastic. Imagine how great an expanded version of 'Sunflower' would be, for instance...

Hmmm... I have my doubts. I think the two-fers are generous, and sell for beer money, so: they're totally in the spirit of Brian. The early albums are, strictly speaking, collections with hits and filler tracks. They'd make rather thin material if released as one album per CD proper, even with bonus cuts. But you do have a point: the rarities are scattered all over and the collector has to fork out money for the same stuff over and over again. If your plan were realized, all of us here would have to invest on a large scale again (*...sigh...*). I myself would feel like I'd be investing money past my own passing away one day, and perhaps numerous items from your proposed catalogue would be still sealed on that sad day...

There are lots of fairly easy ways to fill every album up to the maximum playing time. Include both the stereo and mono version of the album if available. And in addition to the outtakes, they could throw in some backing tracks, a capella and binaural mixes, live versions, recording sessions...

I think that if every single album were to be re-released again that, perfectly reasonably, a lot of people would complain about fans being taken for a ride. There would be some great stuff there I`m sure but as it would cost hundreds of pounds/dollars not enough imo. I also doubt it would make anyone any money...

If there was to be a new album from the members then including a Dennis song and maybe something linked to Carl could be a nice idea. It`s a shame in a way that Soul Searchin` was wasted with the dire version on GIOMH...

I think the Beach Boys' albums deserve to be available individually, don't they?

And imagine, for instance, this being released on a CD with a nice LP replica sleeve:

01. Slip On Through
02. This Whole World
03. Add Some Music To Your Day
04. Got To Know The Woman
05. Deirdre
06. It's About Time
07. Tears In The Morning
08. All I Wanna Do
09. Forever
10. Our Sweet Love
11. At My Window
12. Cool, Cool Water
BONUS:
13. Break Away
14. Celebrate The News
15. Cotton Fields (single version)
16. Sound Of Free
17. Lady
18. San Miguel
19. Soulful Old Man Sunshine
20. Games Two Can Play
21. I Just Got My Pay
21. Over The Waves
22. Walkin'
23. What Can The Matter Be?
24. You Never Give Me Your Money
25. Forever (a capella)
26. Add Some Music To Your Day (a capella)
27. This Whole World (a capella)

Doesn't seem superfluous or a rip-off to me...

I havent heard about this either. I'd love to see the DVD.

Well, not every album can have 15 bonus tracks.

I think the re-release of BW's first solo-album got pretty close...

If I am not mistaken BW-Solo had 16 Bonus, wasn´t it?

No, they should just do a box-set with all unrealeased stuff... like California Feeling with Brian on Lead back in the 70th. I don´t want to buy all the original Albums again just to have some bonus... but I think that is what they would do... or maybe make a new compilation with 2-3 tracks... they do this for 20 years, why should they change now?

A friend of mine has every official released LP/CD by the beach boys... I think he spend money for "Fun, Fun, Fun" 20 times... or even more...:)

Pet Sounds has been re-issued with 77 bonus tracks, so I don't see why not.

I think the twofers are an excellent idea, considering the brevity of some Beach Boys records - Would anyone really be happy forking out £10 for the 8 tracks of CATP? I do like it and all, but even with bonus tracks i don't think you'd be getting the best value.
I think more Hawthorne's are the way to go, but I do think, and this is coming from a proper fan of the things, that the stereo mixes are a cop-out of giving us actual unreleased material. Can't complain, though.

As for the anniversary, i can't see much more than another career-spanning boxset thing. I don't think Mike would welcome Dennis or Smile releases to celebrate it.

The very things the fans would like to see you mean? To make something special 'Special'.

I meant more 'Good Vibrations' than some massive thing of rarities. That of course would be insanely good.

Really there is room for both. GH's and rarities on a twofer perhaps?

Because I'm a nerd with too much time on my hands, I've got some suggestions for the bonus tracks if each album would be expanded and released individually:

Surfin' Safari: material from the Lost & Found 1961-1962 comp, which I believe is out of print anyway.

Surfin' USA, Surfer Girl, Little Deuce Coupe, Shut Down Vol. 2, All Summer Long, Christmas Album, Today! and Summer Days: the whole albums (or at least what's available) in mono and stereo, in addition to some outtakes and alternate mixes/versions.

Concert: the tracks that were left off the album (Don't Worry Baby, Hushabye, Surfin' USA, Surfer Girl, Be True To Your School) and since three full concerts were recorded maybe some alternate versions.

Party: plenty of outtakes from that session.

Pet Sounds: more than enough bonus material available.

Smiley Smile: Smile outtakes.

Wild Honey: Lei'd In Hawaii sessions.

Friends: difficult one, maybe a live set, as several 1968 shows have been professionally recorded.

20/20: plenty of outtakes available.

Sunflower: plenty of outtakes.

Surf's Up: enough outtakes.

Carl & The Passions and Holland: a lot of live shows from 1972 and 1973 were recorded professionally, so maybe some live stuff.

15 Big Ones: plenty of outtakes available.

Love You: Adult/Child outtakes.

MIU Album: the christmas tracks.

LA Light Album, Keepin' The Summer Alive and BB85: enough outtakes available.

Still Cruisin': plenty of single-only tracks from around that time.

Summer In Paradise: US & UK versions, plus a few single-only tracks.

And of course, backing tracks, a capella mixes and recording sessions are an option.

Some of the benefits of this plan:
- The Beach Boys are one of the biggest bands in music history. Their albums should be available individually. Can you imagine Rubber Soul only being available combined with Revolver?
- No Beach Boys album should be out of print. Not even Summer In Paradise. This would be a good excuse to re-issue Still Cruisin' and SIP.
- Every BB comp ever released could be deleted, cause if you've got the regular albums, you've got everything.
- All the stuff that's now scattered all over the place would be re-organized. All the Lei'd In Hawaii tracks in one place, the the Today stereo mixes in one place, all the Summer Days stereo mixes in one place, the Sunflower/Add Some Music outtakes in one place...
- Five words: Surf's Up with Dennis's songs.
- Nice opportunity to release a sh*tload of unreleased, rare and out-of-print material and a few live sets.
- Re-releasing the entire catalogue would generate a whole lot of publicity for the 50th anniversary.
- Albums like Sunflower and Friends get more recognition now then when they originally came out, maybe they'd finally reach a decent chart position now.
- You could have AGD re-writing all the booklets. ;D

Have you seen how Beatles fans have reacted to the rip-off nature of the Beatles reissues? They're very expensive, being mainly half-hour albums on one disc. There was the opportunity to include bonuses, session outtakes and more -  maybe even stereo and mono mixes on the same disc but they didn't even remix the stereo versions. Just cleaned them up (remastered). They sound superb... but what a waste of space on the discs!

Trouble is those albums tarnish the band's reputation and are a good reason for the entire project never getting off the ground. Suppose the Beatles reissue series had included all their solo albums - even Ringo's!


Not true -  we'd need special compilations just to compile all the mixed up mixes that have been accidently issued on compilations over the years!

Agree that that would be nice but how many discs might such a re-issue programme occupy? Whew!

Then it would only be fair to include Mike's too!

THAT'S what we want/need/are waiting for!

Ah! "Shelter" -  that's just a pseudonym isn't it, Andrew!

That's why I think the re-issues should have a whole lot of bonus tracks.


I think it just makes a band look amateurish if some of their albums aren't available.


No, all the special mixes we have now (binaural, a capella, stereo etc.) should be added to the albums that the original versions are on. Most BB albums are about 30 minutes long and a CD has a max. playing time of 80 minutes, so there's enough space to include all the odds & ends.


Just one disc per album, so if I'm not mistaken that would be something like 31 discs (studio + official live albums). To be released seperately and as a box set.


 ;D

Not if they were to include everything that you`ve talked about. For example, with an album like CATP they would obviously have to fill it with live versions if they were going to make it worthwhile. So therefore fans would also expect the other CDs to feature live songs too but it wouldn`t be possible to include much at all on things like Sunflower and 15 Big Ones because there would be no space. Fans still wouldn`t be happy...

Anyway, all of the comparisons with The Beatles don`t work because they are so much more popular and respected than The BBs. The only BBs album that compares in terms of popularity is Pet Sounds and that has already been released in numerous versions. How many people would actually go out to buy Surfin` Safari, MIU, KTSA, SIP etc. just because there were a few alternate versions or unreleased songs on the CDs? Even some of the hardcore fans might not bother...

If they want to release something for the fans then a set of unreleased songs or rarities would be a much more sensible and affordable way to go.

And I'm absolutely sure that's partially because The Beatles have taken much better care of their discography.

Nah, it`s because they`ve always been much more successful and always will be.

While I cerainly agree that very few would probably care to buy "The Extended Keepin' The Summer Alive", they could still have a go at bringing out some of their most respected work as special editions, like Today! or Sunflower, both of which were even featured in Rolling Stone's top 500 records "of all time" (which is not that important but still shows that people have started to appreciate some of their records other than Pet Sounds).

That too, obviously. But the Beach Boys discography has been treated without much care and respect the last few decades and that certainly hasn't been very good PR. I don't know what the situation is in other countries, but if you go to a record store here and check out the 'Beatles' section, you see individual albums for 20 euros each (I can't recall ever having seen the Beatles' albums on sale anywhere). Then you check out the 'Beach Boys' section, and you see a bunch of crappy budget comps for 7,99, and some 2fer-discs with two albums each for 10 euros. How do you think that looks to the casual buyer? Beatles = classy. Beach Boys = bargain bin material.

Seconded. The Beatles didn't allow their material to be used for ads etc; they also bowed out at their peak so their catalogue isn't tainted by the crud they might have released later on. So the overall quality of the music is unsurpassable, the integrity of their reputation undiminished and uncommercialised outside of their own official output.

 ???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztSYJNO4kac&feature=related

 :p

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg1DA4DY9Gw

Don't forget that the BB two-fers - especially the more recent versions - were mastered with great care, in HDCD for those who have it (most do), by Mark Linett.  In that respect the current BB releases, sonically, are far superior to the 1987 CD issues of the Beatles catalog.  It took the Fabs another 22 years to get around to doing the CD remasterings right.

Maybe that's more a shout-out to Mark than anything else, but it's still a noteworthy point.

Oh my gosh, you're right -  the Beatles were crap after all!!!   ;D :lol ;) :-D :lol :lol

Heh! I stand corrected!

Ringo can't be blamed tho, he didn't know any better!

I think some would quibble with that - first off, I suspect most of the BB fans both on this board and in general who purchased the 2001 releases do not have HDCD.  Second, I would argue that the original 2fers in many respects sound better than the 2001 releases.  Perhaps I would change my mind if I had HDCD - does HDCD somehow counter the loudness/compression of the latest remasters and tame the overly bright treble?

 ;D Some would say the same for Mr. Love!

But let's not forget this classy gem  ::): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuCrOwsgJ-c

They could have pulled this kind of reissue campaign with bonus tracks etc in the beginning of this decade. The moment is gone.

But I still say that a rarities / outtakes studio collection would be a critical success and even make a bit of money. Just don't mix them with vocals only / backing tracks only / radio promos / stereo remixes / live performances.

Reply to Bicycle Rider: sorry to be a broken record (sp!) on this subject.  If you have a computer with Windows Media Player 10 or higher, HDCD is built in and will engage automatically when you play the CD.  Try it wearing good headphones (not earbuds), or putting the output through your stereo. The HDCD treatment, like EQ, is something that can be applied to taste - you can trowel it on, or just put a hint of it there.  To oversimplify: it increases the dynamic range, adds volume, and creates a smoother sound by effectively "forcing" a couple extra bits into the 16-bit standard signal, then extracting them out in the A/D transfer.   Indeed, some quibble, but I think what Mark did was apply it tastefully, so the discs sound good in non-HDCD players (like my car).  My personal view is that Pet Sounds in stereo, in particular, really benefits from it.  I have a hard time deciding whether the HDCD or the vinyl of BWPS sounds better - both sound very good.

People who type out SMiLE should be banned for twelve years.

I'm pretty sure Michael Jackson owned the rights to most of The Beatles catalog and he was responsible for their use in commercials...

Besides, what Ringo did had nothing to do with The Beatles.  Ringo hasn't exactly had much solo success in the last twenty years, so any marketing is good marketing for him and I say go Ringo.

Um, just to set the record straight (or CD, as it were) FRIENDS/20/20 really needed that veil lifted, which the un-NRed 2001 issue remedied with flying colors.  I didn't find the louder mastering to be too much of a problem.  It's worth it to hear those songs "breathe".

BTW, I can't speak for the rest of the catalog; that's the only 2001 I have.

Interesting topic. That is, what should or should they not do for a 50th Anniversary release. Personally, particularly as some sort of a bonus release, I'd like to see a complete album with vocals only. After listening to something like that I'd defy anyone to come back and then (still) say the Beatles were the better group. Vocally the Beatles were good but the Beach Boys were perfection.

SMiLE SMiLE SMiLE SMiLE SMiLE SMiLE SMiLE SMiLE SMiLE SMiLE SMiLE  :lol :lol :p :p :p :p ::) ::)

I'm just gonna say SMilE because I dream of the day a big box set with everything from the SMiLE era is remastered and released.

Boots are just not enough.

Hah!  I love the above post!  No offense to the many fine posters on this board who type Smile as SMiLE, but the practice has never made any sense to me.  Using that logic, the great majority of Beach Boys album titles should always be typed in all capital letters (THE BEACH BOYS TODAY!, etc.), but Surfin' Safari should never be capitalized and should instead be typed as surfin' safari.   :) :)

There was a time when I used to type 'Der Schmillie' (for the SS LP) and 'Der Über-Schmillie' (the hypothetical official mega-box of SMiLE).

Originally, said posters thought they were adhering to Brian's overall vision for the project, as that's how the title appears on the front slick. Sadly, it was discovered some years ago that it wasn't Brian's idea at all but originated in the Capitol art department.  :o

I've heard nothing about either; anyone have any details?

Re Carnegie: http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,7795.0.html

Ah, yes.  If only SMiLE was an acronym for Spiritual Music in Loving Expression, then typing SMiLE would truly make sense.

Personally, I think capitalizing album titles simply makes a post easier to read and easier to scan quickly if one chooses. Typing "Smile" seems a little bland for such a monumental project so I always thought that "SMiLE" gave it a little weight. SMiLE (with the lower case "i") is unique and will not be confused with Charlie Chaplin's "Smile", Pearl Jam's "Smile", Cheap Trick's "Smile" or Michael Ritchie's film SMILE (1975) among others.

I had no idea this was upsetting you guys so much, so I will now refrain from including the  lower case "i" in the title...

I think I'll either refer to it as smIle or as LUEWWHoRTS.

Yes, someone in the Capitol art department did the lettering above the Smile shop.  And for a long time, I too thought that there was nothing more to it than that.

However,  I recently began to wonder if perhaps the anonymous Capitol artist was somehow inspired by Brian Wilson himself.  The fact is that Brian DOES write in an idiosyncratic mixture of upper and lower case letters.

Look closely at his writing in this photo from last year:
http://media.washingtontimes.com/media/img/photos/2008/09/03/BRIAN_WILSON.jpg

(i.e., notice the lower case "i" in "NARRATiVe"; also see "PLeASURe ISLAnd").

Dear god, I hope the art department doesn't catch wind of that...

I'm really excited for pleasure island, if it does ever happen.

You know the work is always good when Brians feeling it.

Like goin home is a rock and roll song, Brian loves rock and roll so Brian kills on that track.

Honestly, I don't expect Pleasure Island to ever appear. Don't know why. Instinct.

I hope somethng appears...just not under the title, "Pleasure Island." It's a lame name for an album.

Well, what about "Fiji" ?

Hmmm... bit of a burdened name by now. I prefer Ireland.

If history tends to repeat itself, Brian will tour Pleasure Island (with a premiere solicited by some prestigious music hall), get great critical reviews, and then release the CD.

"Back to Kokomo" might be a good title. ;)

Have so faith, it has to happen.

SMiLE, TLOS, Pleasure Island, Brian's trilogy. wow.

Can't forget his prior trilogy, Sweet Insanity, Imagination, GIOMH!!

 ;D

A band member I spoke to gave their opinion that it "sounds like a f****** soft-porn movie title !"