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Sounds remarkable

http://www.amazon.com/Brian-Wilson-Reimagines-Gershwin/dp/B002RWKSII (http://www.amazon.com/Brian-Wilson-Reimagines-Gershwin/dp/B002RWKSII)

Remarkable???  I'm blown away!!!  Alright, I'm almost from Brian's generation,
and I've always loved Gershwin, too, but this is almost too-o much!

Vocals -- Best of the solo career? I'm thinking yes.

Tracks -- Low fidelity makes it hard to hear them clearly, tho I'm not sure how I feel about the string lushness. Some neat stuff here and there. Love that there's an instrumental.

This could really remake Brian. If he wants, he can be a crooner!

"They Can't Take That Away from Me" sounds fantastic.

Really fun ;D

I am blown away, simply blown away.

vocally brilliant. Extraordinary.

 :-D

Oh My... this sounds really really good!!

Thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOW! Just blown away. Ok, after hearing the first few songs (summertime, I loves you porgy) I wasn't too impressed. Then I hear the flip side samples and was at a loss for words. I finally let out an expletive of joy after finishing listening.

'I Got Plenty O' Nuttin' sounds amazing.
'The like I love in you' - already heard on his site, is amazing.
'Someone to watch over me' sounds like it was a track intended for Pet Sounds.

I just can't wait. Thanks again for the link!

I... I want to... but I'm not going to! I will wait for the release or the inevitable leak!

I always wanted to ask you, Ed, if you ever heard Brian playing "Rhapsody in Blue" over and over and over again back in the 70s?

I didn't catch this the first time visiting the page, but there is video of a song called "What Love Can Do" (sounds AMAZING!!!! I can't believe it!!) right below the sample listing.

Does anyone know how that will be released? Because it is not listed as being on the album.....

This was released a while ago on a a mixed cd or something.

Amazing song you should DL the MP3

http://www.amazon.com/What-Love-Can-Various-Artists/dp/B002DKGWUW (http://www.amazon.com/What-Love-Can-Various-Artists/dp/B002DKGWUW)

Oh  my  God ! ! The brilliance of those vocals pull you you in with an incredible undertow effect-Brian's sophisticated style has returned. :h5

Thanks! Just bought it and it sounds soooo good....I am glad Brian is back out there making beautiful music....God knows this world needs it.

What Love Can Do -- written by Brian and Burt Bacharach. Released in 2007 on a CD exclusive to Target stores called "New Music From an Old Friend." He also did a new studio version of "God Only Knows."

Last year, the CD was reissued with some new tracks, and with Brian's song now used as the title. http://www.amazon.com/What-Love-Can-Various-Artists/dp/B002DKGWUW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1280029024&sr=1-1

Both tracks co-produced with Phil Ramone and (I think I can say this without contradiction) autotuned out the wazoo. But excellent tracks nonetheless!

Yeah, many, many times.  Shortenin' Bread more often, however, as i said, I was a Gershwin fan too, so I'd ask for Rhapsody.  I had an old upright, that my Grandma brought for me when I was like 6, (back in Brooklyn), and everyone, (not only Brian & Dennis, but Lowell George, Van Dyke - can't begin to name the people, especially after I moved to Topanga, right between the Corral & Neil Young's place, The Gold Rush), absolutely fell on love with it's sound!  Brian convinced me to 'tack' it, and Dennis weaseled it out of me, on my 30th birthday, and moved it on to The Harmony...

On several more listens -- note the perfect backing vocal to TCTTAFM: "Boogedy boogedy boogedy shoop." A new classic nonsense phrase.

And the chorus to "I Got Rhythm" slays me.

So who on earth taught Brian all this jazz phrasing? Or has he been singing along to his Rosemary Clooney records?

Everything sounds amazing...Brian's voice really suits this material, and the arrangements are so "Brian"...I can already tell this one is going to be in heavy rotation in my CD player for a long time after it's release.

Holy hell...Brian's singing is the best it's been since the glory days, or at least Sunflower...his phrasing is off the chain..."It Ain't Necessarily so"  makes me think of early Tom Waits, before he started sounding like Cookie Monster (I say that as a huge diehard Tom Waits fan). Absolutely brilliant.

Do I detect "Shortnin' Bread" in "I Got Rhythm"? :-P

Permission to say... "told you so" ?  ;D

And it sounds even better in toto, as several of the tracks segue into each other or have little link pieces. Also, you get to hear some classic BW fades.

This is the real deal.

Oh my this is going to brilliant! Summertime (sounds deliciously creepy!), I Got Plenty O' Nuttin' and They Can't Take That Away From Me stand out at the moment, gutted that I have to wait until September 6th to hear this in full!

I really don't want to listen til i can listen in full..... Someone leak it already! : ;D

really amazing...the LEAD vocals are stunners. he's singing like...a singer

Cannot believe this!!!!! Hot diggetty! Holy Toledo even... this is sumptuous, bitchin' and too much to take in.

A lot of folks are going to get this album as a present from me. Just stunned.

Me too — just listened to all the preview clips 3 times, & pre-ordered it for my 76 year-old mother.  Very excited; Brian sounds great.

This is amazing stuff... beautiful, stunning, breathtaking, wonderful... can't wait to hear the whole thing!!

Be sitting down when you do... or have something soft behind you, because you will fall flat on your ass.  ;D

nothin' but love and someone to watch over me sound great..

excited about this..

OMG ! Brian can still sing with soul !!  :o :o  Incredible

I was thinking along the same lines when I listened again this morning, and wondering where else he could take this - after the Disney album.
Lo & behold, I opened my Sunday Times to read these two articles about Jimmy Van Heusen & Sammy Cahn:

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-robin7hoods-20100725,0,3401028.story

Ironically, the first article begins:

Of the following fabled songwriting teams of the 20th century, which won three Oscars, garnered eight Oscar nominations, but never won a Tony?

A) Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II.

B) George and Ira Gershwin.

C) Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe.

D) Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen.

If you picked "D," well done!

For all their accolades, Cahn and Van Heusen lack a single Broadway hit -- their "Skyscraper" (1965) and "Walking Happy" (1966) faded fast --that showcases their sassy lyrics and engaging pop melodies.

Until now.


Sidebar is a good one, too:  'Robin and the 7 Hoods' has the Van Heusen sound

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-ca-robin7hoodssidebar-20100725,0,1129203.story


One more thing; for obvious reasons, "Postcard"  is down there as 'Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought'.  How do we get Amazon to list "Pacific Ocean Blue" next, instead of a John Phillips with Spanky & Mackenzie ???  All of us buy another new copy?

Same,

Lot of family and friends will be getting this as a gift  ;D

"Nothing But Love" sounds very promising indeed.

Not enough cursing, though.

Please, please, please say the Shortenin Bread riff pops up somewhere?  :lol

I am holding out and refusing to listen until I actually buy the CD myself... hearing bits and pieces (or entire tracks) in advance always takes away a good deal of the excitement of a new release for me.  I remember getting Surf's Up the day it came out, not having heard a second of it in advance, and how thrilling that experience was.  It's nice to hear things ASAP but, in the end, I always regret it when I give in to temptation and take an advance peek.

I'm excited as hell for August 17th!!!

Why can't they just release it now?
It's evidently ready, and has been, seemingly, for some time. Heck, they could have put it out July 17th.
Why are they torturing us?

I think the release date is a ploy for Grammy attention.

Wow. Ever since I first heard not only the finished Smile version of "I Wanna Be Around" but also the all-too-brief verses of "That Lucky Old Sun" that Brian should do more crooner-like tunes. Boy oh BOY was I RIGHT. He's amazing. I can't wait.

My cup runneth over.  I'm overwhelmed at the care and emotion that went into this album. 

Interesting...  So if the tracklisting on the Amazon vinyl page is accurate, the Porgy and Bess songs are linked into a suite.  Is this the case?

1. Rhapsody in Blue/Intro
2. The Like in I Love You
3. Summertime/I Loves You Porgy/I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'/It Ain't Necessarily So
4. 'S Wonderful
5. They Can't Take That Away From Me
6. Love Is Here To Stay
7. I've Got A Crush On You
8. I Got Rhythm
9. Someone To Watch Over Me
10. Nothing But Love
11. Rhapsody in Blue/Reprise

I have to throw my hat in the ring and say that this sounds truly incredible. I loved TLOS, but this sounds like it blows that album out of the water production-wise. I agree with those who say Brian sounds the best he has in years - he sounded markedly improved on TLOS, and in spite of the tricks (double-tracking, autotune) he sounds incredibly engaged on the Gershwin material. Luckily they seem to be used more tastefully and sparingly here on BWRG than on "What Love Can Do." I cannot wait for this album!

Sadly, no... but at least one other BB riff is prominently recycled.

Other tracks are also linked.

I didn't want to listen to the clips because I just wanted to wait for the album to come out, but after reading all these comments here I couldn't resist. Very impressing work indeed. Probably his best vocals since he lost his "old voice", and the arrangements really sound like Brian in his prime...

Apart from Rhapsody I don't know any of the other originals I don't think, so it would be useful (if not essential!) to hear them so I can make a comparison, because obviously what we will be listening for are the Wilsonian parts of the songs first, and the Gershwinian parts second.

So, could anyone recommend a source for the original Gershwin recordings/arrangements (which I assume BW worked from, more or less) for me to acquire/listen to online.

Edit: Would this be any good?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/George-Gershwin-Essential-Collection/dp/B000I2KPHS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1280146375&sr=1-1 (http://www.amazon.co.uk/George-Gershwin-Essential-Collection/dp/B000I2KPHS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1280146375&sr=1-1)



TVM!  :)

It's nearly impossible that you've never heard any version of 'Summertime'.  :)

Well, yes of course I've heard dozens, but I'd like to know what Brian has done that no-one else has.

I mean, I've heard it on TV, in movies, on the radio, played by blues guitarists in pubs and bars... It would be nice to go back to the originals, if there are such things, and here what the master did with them before everybody else.

I've added a link to my post above - what do you think of this collection?

That collection would be a good move - if you're looking for the man himself, there's a 'Gershwin Plays Gershwin' collection out there, which is a collection of piano rolls transferred in the modern age. In case you don't know what a piano roll is, this should help http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_roll

It's essentially a collection of Gershwin demos, including Rhapsody In Blue and An American In Paris, which is nearly the equal of Rhapsody. Sadly, that's the only one from Brian's album on there, but it's a good listen, because it's only George bloody Gershwin playing loads of rare tunes!

As an aside, this is my personal favourite Gershwin (besides rhapsody). I was so excited to hear Brian's doing it on this album http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCTIpclVQe4

oooo someone to watch over me is reaaaaally really good.  that's one of my fav songs, and his version sounds great.

Thanks very much - will look into these.

That's an old doo wopish song from 1961 by Barry Mann.  Jan & Dean recorded it and changed some of the lyrics... making Brian's choice of using that a little MORE interesting, lol.  It probably predates the song,  too, as the song intones.

"I'd like to thank the guy
Who wrote the song
That made my baby
Fall in love with me

Who put the bomp
In the bomp bah bomp bah bomp?
Who put the ram
In the rama lama ding dong?
Who put the bop
In the bop shoo bop shoo bop?
Who put the dip
In the dip da dip da dip?
Who was that man?
I'd like to shake his hand
He made my baby
Fall in love with me

When my baby heard
Bomp bah bah bomp
Bah bomp bah bomp bah bomp bomp
Every word went right into her heart
And when she heard them singin
Rama lama lama lama
Rama ding dong
She said we'd never have to part
So.........

Who put the bomp
In the bomp bah bomp bah bomp?
Who put the ram
In the rama lama ding dong?
Who put the bop
In the bop shoo bop shoo bop?
Who put the dip
In the dip da dip da dip?
Who was that man?
I'd like to shake his hand
He made my baby
Fall in love with me

Each time that were alone
Boogity boogity boogity
Boogity boogity boogity shoo
Sets my baby's heart all aglow
And everytime we dance to
Dip da dip da dip
Dip da dip da dip
She always says she loves me so
So........

Who put the bomp
In the bomp bah bomp bah bomp?
Who put the ram
In the rama lama ding dong?
Who put the bop
In the bop shoo bop shoo bop?
Who put the dip
In the dip da dip da dip?
Who was that man?
I'd like to shake his hand
He made my baby
Fall in love with me

 Barry SPEAKS: Darlin, bomp bah bah bomp, bah bomp bah bomp bomp
And my honey, rama lama ding dong forever
And when I say, dip da dip da dip da dip
You know I mean it from the bottom of my boogity boogity boogity shoo "




LOL

i would just youtube some stuff. for me, just youtube ella fitzgerald's someone to watch over me and summertime. pure amazing.  and Ella's version is one of my fav songs ever. 

someone to watch over me - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JANcQf3fjuA
summertime w/louis - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JANcQf3fjuA

another great gershwin with ella is a foggy day (in london town).

Bary Mann's song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIP9Dwzdt3g&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIP9Dwzdt3g&feature=related)

And here's Jan&Dean's version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nODwYiZHqE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nODwYiZHqE)

I'm thinking about how so many rockers hit their peak in their 20s (maybe 30s) and never hit it again. Here's Brian, with all his problems and terrible history, and based on what little we've heard, he may have come pretty darn close to a return to the form he had in his 20s. Remarkable.

Okay, McCartney. Game on.

Although it indeed sounds terrific and like Brian did a fantastic job, we shall not forget that he didn't write those songs. In his 20s he nearly wrote all of his material

This is true.

No words...should have sent a poet.

Oh I nearly forgot, you NEED a Porgy and Bess in your collection. I have Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong's version, but Miles Davis' is supposed to be more 'canonical'.

There are real issues -- significant issues -- with hearing Gershwin "originals."

It boils down to this. George Gershwin wrote his songs -- not his classical pieces, mind you, but his songs -- at the tail end of an age we can't really imagine today. Popular songs were composed, then performed on stage in musicals, and then published as sheet music (sometimes the sheet music came first, and the songs were interpolated into shows). People then bought the sheet music and played it on their pianos at home.

Okay, you say, so let's listen to that sheet music. Or let's listen to Gershwin's piano rolls. Well, that's okay, and there are some period-appropriate recordings of his musicals (http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Crazy-1990-Studio-Cast/dp/B000005J0J/ref=pd_sim_m_1, http://www.amazon.com/Oh-Kay-1994-Studio-Recording/dp/B000005J3C/ref=pd_sim_m_2).

But this is not how Brian would have heard these songs.

Because around the time Gershwin began to have hits, you began to have a commercial recording business. At first, generally classical is recorded. But as the 30s go into the 40s, you begin to have a "popular" recorded music business, which is basically jazz and Broadway-type numbers.

Gershwin dies in 1937, as this is taking full form. And his songs -- and the songs of other Broadway composers such as Cole Porter and Irving Berlin, et. al -- are seized by folks in this new business. After all, musicians of the day are singers -- not songwriters -- they need material! And so all of these tunes, which were originally performed in a slightly rickety, up tempo way, begin to be arranged with a jazzy feel (Gershwin was jazzy originally, of course, but never quite as loose as his later interpreters) and with lush orchestration.

As the 40s move into the 50s and 60s, new popular music (blues, "race records" and rock) eventually seizes the kids. But there is a vibrant market of music for adults. These classic tunes keep being recorded, and are increasingly "interpreted." And these interpretations -- which would be unrecognizable to the composers of the 20s and early 30s -- are probably what someone like Brian heard.

So his Gershwin is popularized twice over. You have the originals turned into recorded standards, with extra "swing," and then Brian's move to update them again (although sometimes very slightly).

An example is called for, I think. Take the song "S'wonderful."

Here it is in 1928, shortly after it was introduced. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3-SiyX59L0

Here it is in 1964, jazzed up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5qh2jNlvWE

Here it is in the mid-2000s (in the version Brian seems to um -- draw inspiration from) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c59Osjwews4

So which of these is the "original" Gershwin tune? All of them, I'd say. If you need a reference, I would say that Ella Fitzgerald's studio collection (http://www.amazon.com/Ella-Fitzgerald-Sings-Gershwin-Songbook/dp/B000006P6L/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1280185938&sr=1-1-spell) is one of the best -- she sings the melodies pretty straight, and I think her versions represent a 50s-60s standard that would have been familiar to a young Brian.

Porgy and Bess is, properly, a three-hour opera. Neither of those versions is canonical in the sense of representing Gershwin's actual composition. They may be good jazz records, but they're not Gershwin's creation.

Simon Rattle's version of the complete opera on three disks with the London Philharmonic is really the only way to go for the classical piece: http://www.amazon.com/Gershwin-Porgy-Bess-George/dp/B000AQACX4/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1280186393&sr=1-7

Gershwin's songs are infinitely malleable, of course, but his classical work -- the instrumental stuff and P&B -- should at least be experienced as he wrote it once or twice (Gershwin seldom orchestrated his Broadway shows, for example, leaving them to others, but he actually wrote out all the orchestral parts for Porgy and most of his other classical work by hand).

Frank Sinatra is probably the golden example.  Big hits in his 20's, Big hits in his 40's, Big hits in his 50's, big hits in his 70's.  He was incredible. 

To Wirestone's point:  I agree with you that Brian didn't hear Gershwin's intended versions, but the spirit of the composition remains even if it's turned into a rap song.  On top of that Brian never does a straight recording of anything he does anyways, they're all wilsonized... but again the source material is still the foundation.  I'd say Gershwin's music is a steady foundation to riff on.  

People don't make popular music the way he did, because they're really tuned into what's current, he's written truly timeless songs.  I think this album partially proves that while the recordings may be dated, the composition isn't.  It's possible to make a bad arrangement of a Gershwin song, but Brian's seldom made a bad arrangement of anything (performance notwithstanding!), and he genuinely seems inspired by Gershwin, so I expect nothing but the brilliance we know Brian's capable of from this album.  

I feel Brian's weakpoints over the years have been 1. songwriting or 2. performance... his arrangements are always interesting.  George Gershwin was an incomperable songwriter, you really cannot get a better songwriter than him... and Brian's performances seem to be outstanding on the snippets I've heard.  This is going to be one hell of an album.

If Brian could get a little help in the songwriting department on whatever material he has left in him, I think we could see some of his best stuff this late in his life.  His work with Scott has been great, I think he can be better.  

That's not to say Brian Wilson isn't a great songwriter, he of course is... but he's hit and miss.  George and Ira Gershwin are not hit and miss.

I meant canonical in the sense that everyone suggests it's the one you should buy..... I didn't know it was three hours! There's another £25 down the drain then.... :lol

Or Cliff Richard. He had two UK top 3 hits in the 2000s, if either of them would've gone to #1, he would've had #1 hits in SIX consecutive decades. Pretty amazing.

To Wirestone, Hypehat and Runaways,

Thanks a lot for all the information and discussion - I've learned more than I expected to!! :)

I take all your points about originals. I guess that, apart from the arrangements, I want to know the other versions so that I can spot all the touches that Brian has added, though I guess that there won't be much in the way of jazzing up the songs as the originals are jazzy anyway!  ::)

Wirestone's been educating me about Gershwin as well! But I'm happy to help  :)

One thing that's pertinent to Wirestones post - the drastic rearranging of Gershwin tunes with the times - would be that the first version Brian heard of Rhapsody In Blue (or so I've read here) was not the 14+ minute epic of Gershwin's original, but Glenn Miller's - who slashed it to three minutes! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pBg1r-QkjI

Unless you're as familiar with the Gershwin catalog as you are with Brian's, I'm not sure you can say the Gershwins hit it out of the park with every song they wrote. Most of us (me included) are only aware of the best stuff they did. The Gershwins might have had some clunkers along the way. The other thing is that G. Gershwin had formal musical training--more than Brian did. However, I will say that overall, based on the songs I've heard, it's hard to beat the Gershwins as songwriters, and of course Brian having the problems he did had all those little snippets of songs instead of whole songs.

I wasn't talking about hits, but musical quality.

I responded to Ron and he was talking about hits.

Oh, and here I thought Ron was responding to me, so we were all on the same topic. My mistake.   ::)

I just responded to what Ron posted, not to what he was responding to. I don't see the problem.

*edit* Oh, and are you saying that Cliff Richard has no quality?  ;D

There's no problem. Simple mix up. Let's just drop it.

I'm absolutely not sure, I've just read it somewhere, but wasn't Ira Gershwin helping a little on Ella's record?

That's a good point.  Time has done to Gershwin's music what it's starting to do to Brian's, nobody plays the worst Beach Boys songs on the radio, so anybody listening now would think they were all very good.  Of course really though, Barbara Ann excluded much of the early stuff WAS very good.  I'm largely talking about Brian's songwriting and performing in his solo career, however.

I don't know anything about Cliff Richard, but i'll assume he's not in the same league as Frank Sinatra :)  I was talking about Frank's 'hits', but I feel he was in nearly as good 'form' as he was in his early career.  Has anybody heard those live versions of "Mack the Knife" he did at the end of his career, where he called out the other people who had sang it, and the band, and everything?  Great stuff.  Of course 'My Way' was amazing too.  I'm way off topic.  Sorry.

You've just hit exactly on my problem with the ever-present complaint that "music today isn't as good as it was in the [60s / 70s / 80s / 90s / whenever complainer happened to be a teenager]. These days its all just [money / image / whatever.]" And my response would always be that the music business is always a business, and the vast majority of it is about the money / image / whatever. But over time we filter out what was less valuable and keep the best (more or less, with the occasional forgotten gems or kept trash). To truly recognize the greats, you need to let it breathe a few decades or more ... which is tough for us in a very immediate world.

What about Rhino's George and Ira Gershwin in Hollywood, released in 1992, a two-disc compilation that features many definitive versions of Gershwin songs made for movies from 1932-58?

Cub Koda, of allmusic, opines:

I don't know whether this material would have been especially familiar to Brian, but it would be an authentic representation of Gershwin's (popular) songwriting style, would it not?

I was thinking about that the other day, somebody asked me why I listen to old stuff and I told them that the songs they play on the 60's channels and things (I listen to a lot of XM) have proven to be great, or they wouldn't be playing them.  

I'm a Libra (I'm not a huge astrology fan, but some of it makes sense!) and I try to have a 'balanced' look at things.  When I was a little younger, I was much more critical of the new music... but like we were saying on the other post, popular appeal says a lot, even if I can stand to listen to some of it








To O: I wonder if Brian ran through some popular recordings before arranging the album?  I'll bet he did.  He apparently worked with the Gershwin family, and that would have been one of their semi-recent compilations, so they may have shared it with him.  They keep saying they made 100 unreleased unfinished songs available to him, likely they made a few good colections of the standards available to him too.  Also, if differences between the original and the interpretations were important, the estate would definately be the folks to know that!

What say Brian already has some Gershwin on CD ? I'm thinking Occam's razor applies here.

Absolutely right. They did not. The Gershwins wrote many, many songs, and most of them did not become hits. Brian may have had a higher hit average for the short amount of time he was writing as prolifically as George.

Some GG tunes were cut from shows and replaced with other, new songs that he wrote. Heck, one of his masterpieces -- the nearly operatic Broadway show "Strike Up the Band" -- was almost entirely rewritten after a disastrous first production. (Most people feel the first version is much better, but less commercial.) Even Porgy & Bess was cut way down for its '30s productions -- GG liked his original, full version, but he only ever saw it performed that way once or twice.


This would be a good reflection of what the Gershwins heard at the time. And because they were in movies, they were heard by the wider public, too. So it could be a good choice! Some of those songs didn't debut in the movies, though, so you're still hearing re-interpretations. But a young Brian could have seen or heard music from these films, too. (My bet is still on the jazzier, popular versions, though.)

Tru Dat.

You know, this is probably the first time I won't illegally download an album to hear it.

OK, this is my understanding - Brian compiled a CD from his own collection, which included some Sinatra tracks, Ella & Louis' Porgy & Bess and others including The Four Freshmen.

Just listened to the previews...not too shabby. Though I wish Brian would've done a rock and roll album instead...not a knock at the Gershwin record...I guess I was just disappointed that Brian wasn't going to work on Pleasure Island.

That makes sense.  I wonder if Brian was approached, or if he floated the idea to the Gershwin's, or if it was some kind of scheme Disney cooked up :)

I believe Brian was approached by the Gershwin estate first.

But it's interesting to hear he did some pre-production work on his own.

I think I'm off to make the same compilation CD as Bri ;D

Let the people say Amen!  I can't agree more.  I've tried to make this point with the complainers, but it never works.

Also remember that the pop songs of a particular time "belong" to the teens of that time.  So many dismiss today's songs as trash, but it's the soundtrack of the lives of my high school students.  Whether the songs were good or bad is irrelevant; the songs are there for them.  I grew up in the 80s and people said the pop songs then were trash, too...yet now they're heralded as brilliant.  Whatevs.

Was feeling a bit indifferent towards this upcoming BW release, partly as I thought this was just going to be a covers album, but finally got round to listening to these previews and there is definitely some great moments in here. I am really keen to hear the whole album now.