The Smiley Smile Message Board

There was a music quizz on the radio a few minutes ago, this was one of the questions:
"Brian Wilson worked extremely slow: it took him 37 years to finish an album. What band was he in?"

Yeah, he worked pretty slow...  ::) How about ten full length studio albums in 3 years, 1 month and 7 days? I doubt if any group or artist worked fasted it the sixties... Anyone?

James Last did...

...and here's proof, bro':

Discography
Productions of James Last: (As Hans Last, Orlando and James Last)

Die gab's nur einmal (1963)
Die gab's nur einmal (1964)
Musikalische Liebesträume (1965)
Continental Tango (1965)
Non Stop Dancing '65 (1965)
Hammond A Go Go (1965)
Non Stop Dancing '66 (1965)
Beat In Sweet (1965)
Ännchen von Tharau bittet zum Tanz (1966)
Trumpet A Go Go (1966)
Hammond A Go Go Vol.2 (1966)
Instrumentals Forever (1966)
Classics Up To Date (1966)
Non Stop Dancing '66/II (1966)
Midnight In December (1966) (Single)
Christmas Dancing (1966)
Sax A Go Go (1967)
Non Stop Dancing '67 (1967)
That's Life (1967)
Games That Lovers Play (1967)
Non Stop Dancing '67/2 (1967)
Trumpet A Go Go Vol. 2 (1967)
James Last Presents George Walker (1967)
Piano A Go Go (1968)
Guitar A Go Go (1968)
Humba Humba A Go Go (1968)
Non Stop Dancing '68 (1968)
Freddy Live (1968) (live-concert with Freddy)
Trumpet A Go Go 3 (1968)
Non Stop Dancing 7 (1968)
Rock Around With Me! (1968)
Käpt’n James bittet zum Tanz (1968)
Sekai Wa Futari No Tameni (1968) (only in Japan)
Die Dreigroschenoper (1968) (3 LP-box)
Non Stop Dancing 8 (1969)
Hammond a go go 3 (1969)
Op klompen (1969)
Ännchen von Tharau bittet zum Tanz 2 (1969)
Hair (1969)
Non Stop Dancing 9 (1969)
Wenn suess das Mondlicht auf den Huegeln schlaeft (1969)
Happy Lehar (1969)
Non Stop Evergreens (1969)
Classics Up To Dat Vol.2 (1969)
Onders moeders paraplu (1969)   

...that's 45 longplayers for you! (source: Wikipedia).

Talk about conceptual perseverance... a go go.

 :lol :lol great!

nah... you're quoting from memory now, right?    ;D


(and now watch out for Heartical D.' reply including a picture himself showing his complete vinyl collection of James L.  ...)

The Ventures  ;D  were prolific during that era.

I think Jan and Dean released an album every Tuesday and Friday for a couple years there.

Most of the jazz guys was pretty prolific.

Maybe the question should be "Were any other artists as prolific and original and dynamic and quality-conscience as Brian?"

Brian's work load in 1963-64 is pretty amazing. Most artists recorded a lot then but not too many were their own producer, or had a group of other artists they regularly worked with. James Brown and Ike Turner turned out a lot of productions, songs, and recordings. They were like Brian in that they produced themselves and others. Spector did a lot too back then too but wasn't a performer. Those are the only ones in terms of pure consistency I can think of, Jan Berry may come close but he didn't record quite as much being a med student. It's actually amazing how much work he did manage to do considering.

Holy crap! I counted 11 albums in 1968 alone!  :o

Motown groups were known to release albums at a fast pace. But that really doesn't count in my opinion, as it was Berry Gordy pushing his groups, as opposed to the groups actually being creatively prolific.  The Temptations alone have issued around 65 albums since 1964.

Frank Zappa was known for recording at a feverish pace in the 60s, of course, knowing his madness, much of it we never got to hear.

 ;D ...is the correct answer. James Last is probably the most machine-like, mechanical band leader in the world. His band sounds so. They are seasonsed players who can record an album on an afternoon. Believe it or not: I was introduced into the world of pop/rock via his 'Non Stop Dancing' LPs, where his band and choir did medleys of the hits of the day. I recall an atrocious 'American Woman' (Guess Who) and an even worse 'Questions' (Moody Blues).

Luckily, when I was an altar boy, the priest formed a children's club (no jokes, please). We had the right to pick one 45 on our birthday, that was added to our 'collection'. My choice was 'Immigrant Song' by Led Zeppelin. It blew me away. I was sold.

This is kind of obvious but I would say the Beatles - keeping in mind that their albums had 14 tracks per album, rather than the 10 or 11 on the Beach Boys, and their singles were as a rule not included on their LP's.  And then George and Paul did do some Apple producing work (and played on others' albums) in 68-69 as well, and John and Paul wrote songs for others that Martin produced.

If the time frame to choose from were larger, I'd say: Guided By Voices.

First of all: from 1962 until 1970, the Beatles released 13 studio albums, The Beach Boys released 16.

Every Beach Boys album released before 1967 had at least 12 songs.

Not entirely true: of the 22 UK Beatles singles released in 1962-1970, just 9 were non-album singles. That's just an album and a half worth of non-album tracks.

Brian also wrote and produced for others.

And in addition, when it comes to songwriting and producing, Brian pretty much did on his own for The Beach Boys what John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and George Martin did for The Beatles.

Actually of the 22 singles released in the UK, 13 out of 22 were non album singles, and some of the "album" singles had non LP bsides (like Yes It Is, I'm Down, and You Know My Name).

I'm not counting the "Collection of Oldies" as an LP but as a collection of singles long after the singles were released, and I'm not counting MMT as an album as it was originally an EP.

Besides the 13 albums and 13 non album singles you have four EP's (MMT counts as 2) with original material (I Am the Walrus is the only repeated track.

Their production was certainly comparable to Brian's in terms of quality and quantity -  the thread does say any 60s GROUP so it's moot if Brian did more on his own versus a group effort on the part of the Beatles and George Martin. 

If you don't count MMT than yes, it's 13 non-album singles. But in that case it's also just 12 albums for the Beatles (instead of 13) against 16 for the Beach Boys in the same time span.

And I'd like to note that the BBs also released some non-album single tracks during that time (The Little Girl I Once Knew, Break Away, Luau, Celebrate The News, The Lord's Prayer, You're Welcome, the re-recordings of Be True To Your School and Cotton Fields...)

OK, I just counted all the songs the Beach Boys and the Beatles released in 1962-1970 (and counted just one version of each song) and it turned out the Beatles won... If I didn't miss anything it's Beatles - Beach Boys: 211 - 199...

Brian worked at a face-melting speed, churning out album after album in but a few years. Truly remarkable.

(http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/3522/brianwilsonhawaiianshir.jpg)

Why do all your posts have to be accompanied by a digitally-altered picture? It's getting really annoying.

It's still wildly amusing to this mind and so I will keep doing it.

Nobody is a pro photographer in need of work. He's trying to make an inroad for himself. He has no knowledge whatsoever of the music of the BBs. The poor soul.

Can't an administrator rein in the photoshop thread crap?  It's that stuff that killed the original Smile board.