The Smiley Smile Message Board

Hi!
I'm a Beach Boys die-hard fan, and I know that the Boys have an incredible number of unreleased songs, and concerts.
I know that Capitol Records never will release some products like Adult Child, an entirely collection of unreleased songs, etc...
So...Brother Records could release these material as cds in a special site and sell these products in this site.
Jimi Hendrix's family did a thing in this way. to release "underground" recordings (studio and livE) made by him, they created the Dagger Records label, and they sell their cds only in the Dagger's site.
So..BBs, if they'll want, can make this and put out post seventies (and not the Capitol owned recordings) unreleased material in this way.

Great idea !

And they could call the site...

ummmmmmmmm...

errrrrrrrr...

 I got it...

BEACH BOYS CENTRAL !!!

Yeah.  And the site to do this should be called "beachboyscentral.com".  Coming to a computer near you about ten years after the last original BB is dead and buried.

And the heirs decide making money is a good thing!

lol :P
Hi Andrew!
First, I really apreciate your site (I enter Bellagio every week) and your postings.
Second: I have BBs Central link here for years :P So this is the idea behind Beach Boys Central?

That was one of the initial reasons for setting up BB Central.  :(

and the initial reason for it not being up is?

The Beach Boys.  :(

good call

But hey, at least the site says coming soon...... :P

(http://beachboyscentral.com/images/splash_02.jpg)

WOAH!

I almost did the exact same thing with that pic! :lol

So sad that this site couldn't go on.
Because it was the only way that we'll hear one day a Adult Child released with superb mix and mastering, some soundboard concerts like the 72-73 shows recorded for In Concert (or the 68 concert with Little Bird in their setlist), and an entirely collections of only unreleased songs.
Capitol only want to make compilations with a few "new" things every year, and they'll never explore the 70's material.
And sure, they want mainstream products.

Capitol/EMI has immediate financial problems that might sink that ship, the Beach Boys are the least of their worries. BRI has four voters who, from what I can tell, aren't all that interested in releasing rarities. Mike has said putting out the unreleased stuff is 'scraping the bottom of the barrel." I doubt Brian ever thinks about it at all. Carl's kids don't seem very motivated either. Al is spending years and years tweaking his own album, he's not gonna be much help with this either. Unless all of those entities are pointed in the same direction nothing is gonna happen. Dennis' estate has no say. Elliot Lott has been in the head position at BRI for a long time, I don't know him but I've been told he's an honorable person, managing to survive and maintain a status quo. It would seem logical that a relatively passive approach is the one being taken by most of these people, they think of basic survival as the priority. Therefore, nothing much will change as long as the cast remains the same. Money is a motivator, but there isn't much money in these type of rarities proposals. It takes someone, or a team of people, with crazy passion for the aesthetic potential of such a release to make it happen. But the people with real passion are essentially out of the power loop. The entire enterprise is shrinking, including the fan base. However, there is always potential for something to gel, because the music is just so damn good. That's all i'm gonna say, and I probably already said too much.

Keep talking Jon, you make 100% sense to me.  While the heads have no interest in releasing this stuff the rest of us continue to be more frustrated, pissed off and disenchanted with the band.

For Mike Love to say that this would be "scraping the bottom of the barrel" let me ask this of Michael Edward Love: Mike baby, hasn't what you and Bruce have been doing for all these years been just the same?  You are in a cover band with little or no credibility with the true fans and you consider it progressive?  You've reached the bottom of YOUR barrel in terms of calling yourselves "The Beach Boys."

For all those that make the so called "decisions" (Beach Boys, Capitol, etc.) the future of the Beach Boys legacy lives in the vaults of Capitol and Brother.  We are done with reissues, Pet Sounds and Smile.  All of us know there is a lifetime of unreleased quality material (call them rarities if you wish) waiting to be heard.

Damn.

To get the website up and running would be a minimal cost compared to putting out a CD of everything, they could make easy money this way.

Question, (and I apoligize if this has been asked elsewhere); have these previously unreleased songs already been remastered and stored digitally? Or would that work still have to be done?

If that work is already done, I imagine they could put it out any day if they chose to do so. It doesn't cost much for the use of server to host the files...

This thread has made me sad, proper versions of Carry Me Home and WIBNTLA seem further away than ever  :'(

Ahhhhhhhhhh... crap, here we go again.  >:(

1 - the 'true fans' who have either seen Mike & Bruce since 2004, or have open minds (or both) have been giving them generous (and deserved) props for their live set. I've seen them in 2004, 2005 & 2008, in the UK & the US, and each time they were better than before - and in 2004, the year of BWPS, they just blew me away. As for credibility, you ever see the BB in 1981-2, or 1991 ? They sucked, and that was with Brian, Carl & Alan on board.

2 - they call themselves 'The Beach Boys' because they have been awarded a license to do so by Brother Records Inc.: want to know who voted to give them that license ?  The voting members of BRI, that is, Mike, Brian, Alan & Carl's estate. The vote was 3-1. If Brian and/or Alan wanted to comply with the terms of the license, they could tour as The Beach Boys too.

You seem to be having to explain this a lot lately Andrew, relax, beathe and try to remain calm! On a related note, do you know if The Beach Boys are playing mainland UK this year? So far the only UK date announced is for Belfast and I'm not sure I can justify flying to Belfast just to see them......or can I?

#2 is yesterdays news but regarding #1, I did see the Beach Boys in 1981 and correctamundo, they did suck.  Calling themselves the Beach Boys is a joke because they are "members" of the Beach Boys but who thinks of anyone in that band a Beach Boy?  It should be "Mike Love and Bruce Johnston of the Beach Boys with supporting band."  That title I could believe.

Regardless, that's a different conversation altogether, not for here.

My information is no mainland shows this summer.

And... I'm explaining it because there seems to be a growing pocket of Blooness hereabouts, although I suspect most of them haven't seen an M&B gig for a few years.

That's a shame as I do really want to see them play after reading very good reviews from yourself and many others over the past two years.

What exactly is the blooboard? I've seen in mentioned dozens of times both here and on the SDV2 board but have never bothered to google it, it is never talked about in a positive light!

There is, of course, a difference between having a license to tour as "The Beach Boys" and actually being the group of singers and musicians popularly identified as such.

This is the rub. But as long as Mike and Bruce do it, and have the seeming backing of Brian (who has no interest in touring under the name) and Carl's estate, things are the way they are. It's not perfect, but it's not as heinous as some bands from the 1960s. Mike, given his bad press, gets a rougher time from the media than some of those other bands, though.

As for unreleased stuff -- the record industry has imploded. There's no money in it anymore. I think it's safe to say that unless the band really wants to put something together (and has an outlet other than an old-fashioned record company), we won't hear the unreleased tracks in official form.

Ever. Really.

If Brian lives another 20 years (not out of the question, really), we may never even see an official '67 Smile release. There simply won't be a company to do so.

We'e all real thrilled that you have seen the Mike and Bruce Tribute band-and thrilled that you like them as well. And if people do not want to see the Mike and Bruce Tribute Show that's ok too. And if we choose to comment on why we don't want to spend our time seeing them, we'll do it.  So  how about cooling it  with Mike and Bruce and let everybody make their own decisions, ok?? Quit spreading yor yellow spray all over this board, will ya?? :afro

The only people who have a problem with Mike & Bruce touring as "The Beach Boys" are us die-hard fans. Most of the people who attend these concerts could care less who is in or out of the band. As long as it stays that way, and folks continue to go to the shows, then the shows will continue until Mike calls it quits. Also, you can call the band whatever you like, but in all cases you are wrong. Whether we like it or not, this is the 2010 version of "The Beach Boys". It's not classic, but it is the best it is ever going to get. I wouldn't be at all surprised that when Mike & Bruce retire, that a band will be put together to tour with the name. All it would take is a corporate vote at BRI to make it happen. At this point the Beach Boys are only a corporate name; a revenue stream.

Is it safe to assume from this sentence that Al was the dissenter in the 3-1 vote AGD mentioned?

What exactly is the blooboard? I've seen in mentioned dozens of times both here and on the SDV2 board but have never bothered to google it, it is never talked about in a positive light!

It is a reference to the message board at BrianWilson.com. I have not looked for a while but it did have a blue background when it first started.

I'm betting you're quite correct on this.  Most people seeing them now couldn't care less, and probably don't even know who the actual guys are/were, it's just "The Beach Boys."  
My feeling about this is, the argument is really kind of moot, because two of the key members are dead, one has been essentially banished, another would rather tour on his own, and the remaining guys using the name are so old now it won't last long.   Basically - there is no Beach Boys any more.  Not a real one.    It might have been nice had they or if they would, get together to make a decent age appropriate album of good material, but most likely that won't happen - what they'll make, if they make an album at all, will probably be...god, just something bad.  :thud
I would never go see Mike and Bruce's version of the band because I've no interest in that.   But are they entitled to do it if they want?  Yeah, and more power to them, but I'd rather see a show with all the remaing original guys w/some back up musicians play a nice stripped down show where they swap stories and just be cool, and be their ages.  That'd be the only way I'd want to see these guys now live.  Other than that, I have all their albums and will always consider them one of the greatest ever, of any time and genre.  They were  music, and they wrote the songs - but it's all very much past tense for me.
As far as a band going out under the name after all the originals retire/die - ewww.   But I suppose that's not unforseeable.
Which makes me want to ask, anyone know of any tribute bands?  Are there any around doing the beach Boys?

Take note that since Carl passed away, and "The Beach Boys" became a licensed band, that no new albums or recordings have been released. My understanding is that this is also part of the licensing agreement. This is definitely a very good thing. I'd really hate to see Mike releasing re-recorded versions of their hits. I hope that Brian & Al are never convinced to participate in a project of that nature, should the remaining Beach Boys decide to record a final album.

See, I disagree with the idea that anyone could tour under the Beach Boys name. Mike's distinctive nasally voice is all over the early hits, and having him lead the band makes it seem like it's BB enough. If you take out Mike, I really don't think it works.

Just put a clothes pin on the singers nose - nobody'd know the difference   :woot

I have a little different perspective.  How I see it, the Beach Boys are not so much a name, or a corporate entity, as a loosely connected group of people who forged a distinct sound and feel and created a lot of beautiful music over the years, and did so in a lot of different configurations with the help of all sorts of people.  For example, Pacific Ocean Blue may have been a solo album, but so far as I'm concerned, it was made by a Beach Boy, it's Beach Boy's music, and when I think about awesome Beach Boys songs from the late 70s, I think of River Song and Rainbows and all the rest! 

Right now we don't have NO beach boys, we have MANY BEACH BOYS!!  We have new Brian Wilson albums!!!!!!!  Now if a new album made by Brian Wilson isn't just about the essence of Beach Boys-ness i don't know what is!!  And we have bands playing Beach Boys music, with original voices, adding new interpretations, bringing the catalogue to new people!  I don't care if its called the Beach Boys or Endless Summer Band or Brian Wilson Band on the ticket stub, so far as I'm concerned, its Beach Boys music!

I feel incredibly blessed that I live in a world where the Beach Boy's are not in any way "past tense."

just my two cents. 

Note that in my posts on any MB since early 1998, I've rarely, if ever, referred to them as "The Beach Boys", rather "Mike & Bruce", "the touring Beach Boys" or some such... because, no, of course, they're not The Beach Boys, any more than Rog & Pete are The Who. My beef is with people who say they'll never go see them because they know they won't be any good... reminds me of my father, who'd never ever eaten a tomato, but always averred he'd hate the taste. A great, great man, but in this regard, a very silly and blinkered one. My strong suspicion is that said individuals are secretly scared stiff that they might actually like what they hear, should they steel themselves and go to an M&B gig.

Last word to Brian: "Well, Mike & Bruce are The Beach Boys, and Alan is Alan Jardine... but I'm Brian Wilson !"  ;D

Works for me.

Can you say, "Four Freshman" ?  :)

I'm pretty sure there's a couple of classic motown bands and rock'n'roll doowop bands who do exactly the same as well. Don't ask me to name any of them.
Gene Simmons has also expressed a desire for Kiss to continue after him and Paul Stanley retire/die to keep the cash rolling in - that I can believe...!

yikes  :ahh

The touring Four Freshman actually aren't that bad, I saw a PBS special of them and they sounded pretty good, they are just a questionable franchise.

Some of us haven't heard the improper versions yet.  :(

Or "The Drifters"??

Don't forget the Sugababes lol

Napalm Death has been around since 1982 and hasn't had any original members in the lineup since 1986!

I would love to see Mike and Bruce perform whenever they hit the UK but alas all my friends tastes in music completely suck so I have no one to go with!!  Personally I think alot of fans would be more comfortable if they were billed as "The Beach Boys featuring Mike Love and Bruce Johnson". Not as catchy I know but it does acknowledge somewhat that it is not the classic lineup but a more a tribute/celebration of what the BB's were. Of course those who hate Mike that much will criticise him whatever he does but give the guy credit for going out there and putting on a show. He could easily just sit back and count his money by now but chooses not to.

BACK TO THE ORIGINAL TOPIC!!!

I have recently not heard "Go Get That Girl" and "Micheal, Row The Boat Ashore" for the first time and was VERY impressed by both tracks. Why were these not put on the Christamas Reissue CD a few years back? Much better than the vast majority of bonus tracks they did put out. When Mikes says "scraping the bottom of the barrel" surely he can make a distinction between tracks of this calibre and something along the lines of "Lazy Lizzie" which I took off my mp3 after one listen?

Really? You really think Michael Row.. is better, in ANY way, than Lazy Lizzie? LL has been one of my favorite Love You era songs since I heard it on the old California Feeling Boot with Dennis on the Back and the liners written by 'Landy'. It has so many creepy/whacky things going (like, right before Dennis joins Brian on the final Chorus you hear whispered creepily 'it's Okay', or the weird humming moan in the last verse) on that, in recent years, my girlfriend puts in in her top 5 BB songs ever! I'd put it in the top 30 personally. MRTBA has, to these ears, absolutely no artistic merit whatsoever, not even as comedy. I know, totally off topic, but I had to defend the undefendable (as Walter Block would say).

I thought if you scraped away the Jardine/Albach cheese there was a pretty nice arrangement going on there. Mind you I am the guy who absolutely LOVES "Battle Hymn of the Republic"! :-D

errrrrrrrr... "Michael Rowed..." is a 15 BO outtake, produced by Brian.

Actually, it's "Michael row the boat....". It's an old song. But I don't have to tell you that.... Great version by Lonnie Donegan

My bad, just assumed due to the religious themes it was from the unreleased Xmas album. Ironic as I was only on the unreleased songs page of Bellagio the other day!! Sure doesn't sound bugger all like the rest of 15BO's era I must add.

What we need to see released is "Fig Plucker". Here's how it's described by Senor Badman:

A spoken-word segment is also taped at today's sessions (Nov. 11, 1968) attended by Dennis, Brian, and assorted Friends. Carl is also present but declines an offer to join in on the recordings, which slowly turns into a farce. The piece is based on a tongue-twisting limerick that Dennis has: "I'm not the fig plucker, nor the fig plucker's son, and I'll pluck figs 'til the fig plucker comes." Inevitably, when repeated faster it sounds like they're saying "pig Luther" - another Charles Manson term.

"Fig Plucker" should've opened 20/20!

I also want to say that "Lazy Lizzie" scares me in the sense that it seems like it could be autobiographical.

 :o

Another little "piece" that is along the lines of "Fig Plucker" is something that I've read about called "Oh Yeah". Does anybody know what this is?

Oh Yeah was just a quick vocal session; one of the Boys (Carl, I think) met a young black kid and somehow got him into Brian's studio to do what was basically something between rapping and singing while the Boys minus Brian cooed "oh yeah!" in the background.

It was like this -

I got the spirit (oh yeah!)
I know you want it (oh yeah!)
But you can't have it (oh yeah!)
'Cause I got it (oh yeah!)

It's in my hands (oh yeah!)
I can't fight (oh yeah!)
It's in my eyes (oh yeah!)
I can't see (oh yeah!)

It's in my mouth (oh yeah!)
I can't talk (oh yeah!)
It's in my nose (oh yeah!)
I can't breathe (oh yeah!)

It's in my legs (oh yeah!)
I can't walk (oh yeah!)
It's in my oomph! (oh yeah!)
I can't oomph! (oh yeah!)

Oh yeah! (oh yeah!)
Oh yeah! (oh yeah!)

I don't think it was ever meant to be taken seriously, although the kid probably was dubbed a copy for his own amusement.

Not Brian's home studio - recorded October 14th 1968 at Capitol's New York studio (the band were there to do the Ed Sullivan Show).

Wow...I'm not sure what to say to that.  ;D Does anybody know who wrote the "lyrics"? Does anybody remember who the kid was? Something tells me that Dennis had something to do with this.  8)