The Smiley Smile Message Board

So I was thinking about, 'what if' BWRG was presented to Brian around Love You/Adult Child era, which, if he would is a whole other discussion...But what if Brian did the Gershwin album with the production values of say: the Beach Boys Love You or Adult Child? Would he use all the tunes for lush arrangements by Dick Reynolds as he did for part of Adult Child (why were only a handful of tunes 'big band' quality anyway?) Or would he have did a quirky type production. Could you imagine Brian's voice from that period performing Rhapsody in Blue?

This also got me thinking about what if other albums were put through a different production from a different time? Like Love You with a Wild Honey type feeling/back to basics? Of course, it wouldn't sound as quirky without the farty synth. Or the Holland album with a Friends album type feel? Or That Lucky Old Sun in an MIU/KTSA type feeling?

I've always thought that the 'big band' tunes were the 'Adult' side of the album and the others were the 'Child' side.

good call

I can hear Don't Talk with a Smiley Smile type production.

I was also thinking of how awesome the Imagination album would be if it were re-recorded by Brian's band; their vocals as well

Of course we all have fantasized about Brian's band doing Rio Grande, live or in studio, I don't care  :p

I was thinking of I Got Plenty o’ Nuttin in a Love You type style, except it's a moog synth solo instead of harmonica.

btw, wonder why BW/BB didn't do any instrumentals in the 70s?

BW 88 would be great if de-synthed and totally re-recorded with current band SMiLE-style.

I think tracks like There's So Many, Nighttime, and Let it Shine would benefit from a Smile-like production. I'd also like to hear Brian and his band perform One For the Boys

all I know is that a Summer In Paradise style production could turn any of The Beach Boys' albums into to dated pieces of sh*t, especially if it means letting Stamos sing.

I know I'm in a minority here, but I think BW88 wouldn't benefit from being rerecorded by Brian's current band. Granted, I don't think the late-eighties synth production is by any means flawless, quite on the contrary. Still I think it has its charms and Brian's lead vocals, while strained, sound quite enthusiastic to these ears.

Agreed. Can you hear 'Love and Mercy' without synths? I know the IJWMFTT's version is done in guitar, but it isn't as powerful as BW88 version. IDK, I hope Brian keeps making NEW music, not remakes of old.

Very much agreed.  As much as I would love to hear some of his older stuff re-done in a different production style, I look at each album (not just of BW, but in general) as a time-capsule of sorts.  For better or worse, the sound an album has is reflective of what the artist was thinking/feeling at the time, and if that's how they wanted it to sound "in the moment," then it's usually best to leave it as-is.  I have to fight myself on this quite a bit the last few years, as I often get an itch to re-record stuff I did when I was younger.  As much as I would love to do it sometimes, I don't want to taint the original moment, as it were...I feel as if it would destroy the authenticity of the older recording, no matter how much I hate them sometimes.

I understand the whole "in the moment" concept, which is legit. But to me, I find myself not promoting BW's solo material except Smile, TLOS, and BWRG; whenever someone has a slight interest in the Brian Wilson saga, beyond the greatest hits and discovering Pet Sounds and Smile, I can't say much for the rest of his solo stuff (to a non-hardcore fan). It's hard for me to promote the genre/sound of BW88 and Imagination, when I myself don't like that genre.