The Smiley Smile Message Board

Ok, so indulge me in a bit of a 'what if' mind experiment, just for some geeky fun...  ;)

Let's say that Bruce didn't end up filling in for Brian after he stepped down from touring i 1965. Who else from the LA music scene would you have liked to see join the group on stage and later in the studio in terms of what they could have contributed to Beach Boys history?

Obviously, I ask because I think it could be fun to learn which musicians people think could have brought something interesting to the group in terms of vocals, songwriting etc. This is of course not meant as a critique of Bruce at all -  I love his voice and later songs with the boys, but seeing how coincidental his involvement seems to have come about, a 'what if' scenario where someone else by some weird twist of fate joined might not, in theory at least, be so far fetched.

I'll start off with my two favourites for replacing Brian in a parralel dimension.  :lol None of them would probably have been realistic options at all or interested in joining because of their track record by then. But then again, Bruce had had quite a bit of succes before joining so you never know...

1) John 'Bucky' Wilkin, the guy behind Ronny & the Daytonas.

Ok, so he was based in Nashville, but he was discovered by Nick Venet of all people and frequently made trips to LA. According to an interview Stephen McParland did with Venet, he even brought him along to a couple of Beach Boys sessions so the guys must have known him. Here's a guy who could sing great, sometimes even sounding uncannily like Brian; who was an expert guitar player and someone who, at least to me ears, could rival some of Brian's best work in 1965. I'm of course referring to the fantastic 'Sandy' album that Ronny & the Daytonas put out in 1965. It featured incredibly lush and romantic ballads which would not have been out-of-place on Today. He also made some great one-off singles afterwards before going in a more singer-songwriter direction and eventually stepping out of the spotlight. My mind boggles at what he could have done as a member of the Beach Boys, at least in terms of supplying quality material.

2) Phil Sloan
This would be my second choice. As much as I love Phil's 60s solo work as PF Sloan I've often wondered what could have been had he expanded on the Beach Boys soundalikes he did with Steve Barri on the Fantastic Baggys longplayer the year before Brian quit touring. Again; a great musician who I believe could play various instruments, sing falsetto with the best of them and write incredibly catchy stuff. He ghosted on a lot of Jan & Dean recordings and of course worked as a songwriter/producer/session musician for Lou Adler & Dunhill. So he came in the same circles as Brian and the boys and had already proven himself more than capable by 1965. I reckon it would never have worked though as he'd probably have been much to strongwilled to function within the group.

So basically just a bit of fun to pass the time with before my copy of the Gershwin album arrives from the US. (I'm one of those who purposefully have refrained from listening before I hold a copy in hand.)

Who'd be your favourite to join instead of Bruce and why? And please let's keep it at a level that's at least just a tiny bit realistic,.... so no Paul McCartney stepping in for Brian. Ok?  ;D

Simply Glen Campbell. As well as filling in on certain things on tour, and being a studio guitarist anyway. And his vocal on Sagittarius' 'My World Fell Down' wasn't too shabby!!!

Me after building a time machine or falling through a hole in the space time continuum, I can play bass and sing quite well (but not falsetto) so I would fit the bill nicely!

In all seriousness i have no idea, didn't the Boys call half of the musicians in California looking for a replacement?

Actually I do have and idea, Peter Tork!

Bruce Palmer could have transformed the live band into something transcendent.  His bass playing would have given the band a kick in the butt, which I don't think you can say about Bruce Johnston, for all of his competency.  He would have moved things more in the SF-style long jam scene, which I happen to like.

Unlike Bruce J, he would have sided with the experimental, psychedelic side of the band.

But --

the Beach Boys would have stood by him during his legal troubles even less than the Springfield did.

and

His own drug-and-alcohol induced implosion was roughly the same time as that of Brian, though, and he never really made his way out of it.

I guess that Terry Melcher could also have been just as obvious an inclusion as Bruce...

Yeah, I agree that John 'Bucky' Wilkin would have been an excellent choice.  Great vocals on stuff like GTO and Sandy, the latter being an incredibly beautiful song.

Van Dyke Parks  ;D

Peter Tork? Although he did learn to play the bass (probably better than Bruce J) his singing voice wasn't very BB friendly at the time.

I like Hypehat's suggestion of Van Dyke. We have to think of somebody who can play multiple instruments of course. LA 1965...hmmm...If only it occurred 1 year later we could put Manson in there. That would have been appropriate all things considered.

Did they bother to ask David Marks? Murry had been fired, so why not?

As much as I love Mr. Marks I don't think he had the voice to be Brian's replacement.

As someone who is not a fan of Bruce AT ALL I would welcome just about anyone else, though Glenn Campbell would be the best imo.

Jimmy Griffin was one of the original 1960's contenders in the bands mind to replace Brian on the road, and I reckon he would've been amazing. He had such a fantastic vocal range and LOVED harmony ...  8)
For the unknowing out there - Jimmy eventually fame as a co-founder of the band BREAD alongside David Gates ...

Interesting. Didn't know this... Do we know who the other contenders were?

Del Shannon?

Captain Beefheart.

Wayne Coyne riding 20-30 years into the past in a time machine.? :lol :lol :lol :lol

As others have said, Glen Campbell.  All you gotta do is listen to "Guess I'm Dumb" to see how beautifully it coulda worked.  Fantastic guitarist too.

2nd choice:  Emitt Rhodes.  The dude was from Hawthorne for chrissakes!  Great talent and great voice...could have really supplemented Brian's songwriting in the late 60s/early 70s.

3rd choice: Sandy Salisbury.  What a great voice with The Millennium, and wouldn't have stepped on BWs toes in any way.

  

I think I also heard that Ed Carter and Jerry Cole were in the frame - although I think these were the names Bruce originally banded about when he was asked to find a replacement, so its questionable as to whether they were ever actually asked ...
AGD ??

What about Rick Henn of the Sunrays? What instrument did he play? But I guess the boys would have rather died than including someone from Murrey's soundalike group to the ranks. :-)

Btw, and a bit off topic - I absolutely love 'Soulful Old Man Sunshine'. Does anyone know if Henn worked on anything else with Brian & the rest of the group?

Flo, Eddie, or both.

He played drums.


... attempts to work with him (Nick Grillo´s idea) had proved fruitless. The only result of the Henn-BW partnership was one song: SOMS.  (from California Music magazine # 74)