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This topic can go in several directions.   I'm looking for a good discussion.  Per the subject thread above, I'm interested in info concerning the period after "Keepin' The Summer Alive" & just before "The Beach Boys" LP came out in 1985.  Here's a few questions/ideas: (ok, a lot)



1.  Why was there such a long break between albums?
2.  Did the BB have another album planned immediately after "Keepin' The Summer Alive?"

3.  If there was another album, what direction might it have taken?
4.   How many BB outtakes are from this era?  Or, are they all solo things?

5.  Did Dennis grant any interviews where he discussed his feelings about the BB not releasing any quality material, Carl leaving, & always fighting?
6.  Did Dennis' tragic death make the band want to record again?

7.  What was the breaking point for Carl?
8.  When Carl left, how did the other BB react in the press?

9.  What made Carl return to the band?
10.  Carl's feelings towards the band & their music during this era......

11.  Thoughts from Brian, Mike, Al, or Bruce concerning this BB era

1 - The performance of KTSA and the state of the band had much to do with this. I think CBS leaned on them more than a little, to be honest.

2 - Unless you count the Brothers, Cousins & Friends notion that never got past pre-planning in 1982, no.

3 - You guess is as good as mine, but one thing was for sure - Brian wouldn't have been involved much, if at all.

4 - shows & sessions 1980 (http://www.esquarterly.com/bellagio/gigs80.html)
     shows & sessions 1981 (http://www.esquarterly.com/bellagio/gigs81.html)
     shows & sessions 1982 (http://www.esquarterly.com/bellagio/gigs82.html)
     shows & sessions 1983 (http://www.esquarterly.com/bellagio/gigs83.html)
     shows & sessions 1984 (http://www.esquarterly.com/bellagio/gigs84.html)   ;D

5 - Not that I know of... which of course means someone will show up in 10 minutes with a handful.  :)

6 - I think it helped motivate them, but it wasn't the exclusive spur.

7 - The crappy live shows, no new material, not rehearsing: to paraphrase, "1981 has to mean as much as 1961"

8 - Y'know... I don't recall reading anythign about that. 'Course, Brian & Dennis were too busy exploring inner space...

9 - A solo career that never took off... promises to rehearse and not do casinos again... backing band members reinstated.

10.  I think his response to seeing the July 4th 1981 show on TV while on tour says it all: "It was painful" - that's all he said.

11.  Gimme a few days, I'll ask 'em.

This period has always intrigued me, having lived through it and the related excitement and eventual letdown every time a whisper of recording activity emerged (usually in the pages of the excellent but now defunct fanzine "Add Some Music"). 

March 1980 ASM:  "Brian is already in the studio cutting new instrumental tracks".
September 1980 ASM:  "Brian...has done work in the studio.  He did some writing during a month's stay in Hawaii by himeslef.  A couple of months back Brian cut seven tracks at the Santa Barbara studio, including 'Be My Baby', 'River Deep, Mountain High', and five originals".  Most of the originals turned out to be Mike Love compositions, but one ("I'm A Man"...not the Spencer Davis oldie, but an actual Brian original) was described a year later by Bruce (to Brad Elliott) as "great".  ASM goes on:  "Terry Melcher's name has come up as a possible producer of new Beach Boy product.  Bruce Johnston's involvement as producer of Keepin' The Summer Alive included re-recording 'Oh Darlin'', which had a vocal by Brian originally, and re-arranging 'Going On', a Brian Wilson arrangement of which is in the can".
December 1980 ASM:  "Brian Wilson has been doing a lot of work in the studio by himself which indicates perhaps that the next Beach Boys album will shift back from Bruce's control to Brian's.  Bruce had been contracted to produce two albums - L.A. and Keepin' The Summer Alive.  New Brian Wilson song titles include 'Dancin'', 'I'm A Man', and 'Stevie'".  And, from the following paragraph:  "The next Beach Boy effort will be released near the middle of 1981".  That same month, the group, without Brian, played a mini-concert on the beach in Hawaii for the Mike Douglas Show.  Carl told Douglas that Brian and Mike had recently written 18 new songs!  The AFM contracts from that year's post-KTSA sessions reveal that "Fly" was likely a Brian song (due to the presence of several of the old Wrecking Crew alumni), while we know for sure that "Boys and Girls" (originally taped for KTSA and re-recorded in November) is definitely a Brian song...the same is probably true for "Candlesticks" and "Up Again" as they were cut at the same session in November.  The contract for the May recording of "Song Within A Song" does not hold any clues as to the producer/composer, but it was cut at United Western Studio 3 with Chuck Britz engineerng, as were the above mentioned outtakes.


More to come...

I don't think I have heard those unreleased cuts just mentioned.  Were they fully completed studio pieces?

Might they be on a boot?  (we are allowed to discuss boots per se but not deal in them etc?)  If so, which one?


I will say this about that period.  Carl went solo...and later returned to play some improved live shows.  Dennis passed.
Brian was unable to contribute very much at the time.  These things added to the already downhill trajectory of the late seventies culminating in KTSA.   These days of the early to mid 80's were the years of Carl Wilson.  The best songs on either KTSA or 85 and also two solo albums.  Not only was this a dry spell for studio releases for the BB but the live shows without Carl were not good.

Something interesting about Carl stepping away from the band temporarily -- the reports about his departure always made it sound like he always intended to return to the BBs, citing his issues about rehearsing more, not playing so many resort venues, etc. as conditions for his return.

I saw them before he left, while he was gone (with Brian croaking out Don't Worry Baby and Surfer Girl while Mike smirked and grimaced,or so it seemed) and after his return.  When he came back it was the best performance I had seen that I could recall.  Then came the 85 album.

Those 1981-82 shows without Carl are DIRE to say the very least. Even the touring band in 1998-2001 wasn't a pimple on the ass of the 1981-82 band without Carl. And as far as bad shows are concerned, it's not just the Long Beach show from 7/5/81, but the Washington, DC show from 7/4/81 too. Even the St. Petersburg, FL show from March of '82 was terrible. They were going down. FAST. Of course when Carl made his return in April things began to look up. And by May, forget it. He got them back to 100% and made Brian and Dennis take time off to work on themselves. Any number of the summer 1982 gigs began with It's OK, of all things, and the shows just got better from there.

Very cool little concert. Unfortunately Dennis wouldn't be there when they played the same beach in '86 for their anniversayry:


Part1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YMiVCzx14k)

Part2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZmR_a2lh0o)

Part3 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u97qjWvvToY)

The band did do some recording for a post-KTSA album...COUSINS FRIENDS AND BROTHERS was the title I was told too.  I heard some tracks at Alan Boyd's on one occasion, so they did exist.  I think "Be My Baby" came from these sessions.  There were six songs in all as I recall.  I remember one was Mike's "Bucks" which was actually the best of the lot, surprisingly good and very un-Beach Boys like (kind of an early '80s hard rock kind of thing).  "Boys and Girls" may have been in there.

I was told that Brian, Mike and Al were on the tracks.  Don't know about Bruce.  Definitely no Dennis and Carl.  My recollection is that a number of them were demo-like (drum machine, tack piano, rudimentary keyboards).

That's what I had to offer, but the album definitely got past the talking stage, because I personally have heard stuff from that time frame.  And Brian was definitely in on it.

Don't know for sure, but it's likely that titles such as "Fly", "Candlesticks", and "Up Again" are backing tracks only, with no vocals.  But since they are not booted, I can't say for sure.  :(

No big deal but I think the working title was Brothers,Cousins and Friends.

Wasn't KTSA originally going to be called Brothers, Cousins and Friends?

I do believe so - seems like that was the generic working title for any band project 1979-1984.

It's been a long time, but I thought that it was the working title for M.I.U., as well.

That should finally be the title of their 50th Anniv new album with new music and new re-worked tracks with Carl and Dennis they should release next year.

Know it was originally California Feeling, then Winds Of Change, but not Brothers, etc.... But, who can say "not" ?

I asked  a friend of mine who saw the BB numerous times his thoughts concerning this period, & here's what he had to say.  This came from an email:



"I saw the Beach Boys a couple of times when Carl went on break, and, honestly, I didn't think the shows were THAT bad. Actually, I thought Brian sang well, certainly better than the "croaky" 15 Big Ones and Love You period. He was beginning to try to "sing" again, meaning actually holding notes and using some phrasing. This new style would soon surface again when he "returned" in 1983 and on the 1985 album.

When Carl returned (and he really wasn't gone that long actually, if you think about it), the shows were very tight, but Carl's returning gave Brian a chance to leave - again. When Dennis died, they got even tighter and more professional. I think Brian's regression back into drugs/food and Dennis's demise finally scared the guys - in a lot of ways. They almost had to change, finally grow up, become more professional, live a clean lifestyle, whatever.

I don't think they recorded right after KTSA because I don't think anybody had any decent material left. They already raided a lot of Dennis's better stuff on L.A., Carl used a lot of his stuff on his solo albums, and Brian wasn't prolific at that time. They could've gone back to a Mike & Al project like MIU, but, I don't think a record company would've bought it.

If they would've recorded right after KTSA, I think it would've resemble L.A. (Light Album); I think they would've tried another "adult" BB album; that was the only semi-critically acclaimed album the guys had recently other than Love You. However, two "fun" songs, "Come Go With Me" and "The Beach Boys Medley" were big radio hits so who knows. I could've seen them do a Beach Boys 1985 type album a few years earlier, say 1982-83 (without the Steve Levine production BTW).

I think Carl returned - with his tail between his legs. Seriously. His solo albums did not sell well; they were basically ignored. What else could he do? Open up for other acts? Carl Wilson? I also wondered how much he (Carl) actually liked his own solo material. Did HE feel it was worthy of his talent(s).

I feel the same way about Brian's solo stuff BTW. Carl stepped out and got a big dose of reality, a dose of the music "business". But, really, did Carl have enough to say - musically - as a solo artist?

I don't remember reading many things from the band about Carl's leaving. Obviously there was no internet and the Beach Boy's were fading as a popular/important group. I just assumed that most people thought he'd be back in a relatively short time, unless he had a hit, and that wasn't happening. Carl - like Dennis - knew where the money was, which was being in the Beach Boys. And, ultimately, money drove everything. Everything!

Despite Brian re-gaining weight, I thought during that period 1980-81 that Brian was talking and singing more "normal". I had no idea if he was on drugs yet or not. But, he wasn't slurring and he wasn't raspy.

If you really listen to that infamous 7/5/81 concert which was televised, Brian actually tries to SING. Yeah, it's rough and slightly flat, but it's a different kind of singing than he was doing the last couple of years. Actually, he sang a lot like that later in his solo career, just better(and auto-tuned). Oh, yeah, he also PLAYED the piano.

You know, there isn't much positive from that early 80's period. Dennis died and Brian received IMO irreversible brain damage with Landy. But, if there is one small positive that came out of it, I think it finally scared the band shitless and gave them another dose of reality - they better clean up their act, personally and professionally.

I think Mike and Al knew this, Carl probably came to realize it after going through some problems of his own. Bringing Bruce back, while not supercharging the band musically, did give them another "clean" guy. Actually, after Carl came back in 1982, the shows were markedly better sounding, and continued that way."

One thing about the Long Beach concert, people point to Brian as being one of the big reasons that concert blew, but he only totally ate it on one song:  "Don't Worry Baby."  He actually had just finished doing a quite decent version of "God Only Knows" before he launched into that one.  Adrian Baker's singing was far worse than Brian's on that show IMHO.  One of the other, big reasons that concert was terrible:  the sound going to TV was absolutely atrocious (Al's mic was up louder than the rest of the band's; Ernie Knapp's bass sounded like it was going through a bad DI and just went twink twink).  Dennis' drumming was erratic so with that and the non-existent bass, the foundation of the band's sound was a jumble.  In fact, I've always been tempted to lay the blame for that debacle at Mike's feet, since I believe the whole thing was his idea, and there was just not enough thought given to the logistics of actually pulling something like that off to live TV, particularly given the state of the band at the time.  I can think of many reasons why this would have been the case but the bottom line was, the mix that day was godawful.  Even if the band had performed great, it would have sounded like merda, and bad mixes have a way of sabotaging the band's performance too (since a lot of times the monitors suck too).

Now, Brian LOOKED terrible at that show -- the vacant look in his eyes was truly disturbing (though it makes his plaintive "heys" at the end of "God Only Knows" that much more poignant) -- and I think that contributes to the overall impression of the show (bad).  But his singing was just one of the factors in why that show stunk up the room.

I saw the band in September 1981.  I was very young, but even at that stage I was aware enough of the history and personalities of the band to keep an eye out for drama, and it was there.  A couple of things I remember:  the band completely broke down in a segueway in the Car Medley (Dennis' fault I believe), and there was an actual 30 seconds of confusion before the band was able to start the next song.  Brian by that point only did one lead, on "Sloop John B," which he very deliberately mangled (first two lines vicious Mike Love imitation, last two lines Yosemite Sam imitation).  I seem to recall Mike got his revenge later.  It was quite simply the worst concert I ever saw by a major band.

I saw them again in '86...this time Carl was there but no Brian (nor Dennis, obviously). Tight, professional, even slick.  Good choice of material, hits-focused but some recent stuff too.  Completely different thing.

I think the post above is probably pretty accurate.  And no, I don't remember the stuff I heard from the proposed '81-82 album being very good.  Definitely not LIGHT ALBUM worthy.  More like Mike Love's solo album than anything.

I... really want to hear this. As much as I'm sure I'd hate it if I were actually involved with him or The Beach Boys in any serious way, Brian committing such sabotage when he does something he doesn't want to do is really funny. :lol

Yosemite Sam?!

Wow... :lol

I do have an interview with Mike about his feelings about Carl's departure-but I have to look for it. I'll post something later on this.

Well, that should be interesting. I guess Carl did leave because of the way especially Mike was looking at the whole band-stuff

A few quotes by Mike:  1) Sept 4 1981 while down in Florida to play a solo show-Mike said in the Miami News: "I disagree with what Carl says about the band. I think that people that come to see the Beach Boys want to hear our old stuff.  I think your doing them and yourself a big disservice if you kid yourself into thinking they don't want to hear those songs."
On Carl's absence-Mike quoted in Syracuse Herald Journal on Aug 28 1981: "We have all the musical parts covered. Musically an individual Beach Boy is not missed. When you're singing background, you're not really missed."  As far as Carl's complaints about playing Vegas and Tahoe: Mike said in the same interview that "he doesn't mind playing to crowds at places like Las Vegas...A lot of the Beach Boys original fans are in their 30s and 40s and don't want to put up with the bump and grind of, say, a festival seating show in Madison Square Garden. 'There are millions of people in that category now'"
In many interviews at the time-Mike shied away from saying that Carl had really quit-usually he stated that Carl was just taking a break to do a solo tour and they wished him the best with it.  However, when Mike said this in Spring 81-he also said Carl would be back in Fall 81 and he wasn't.  By March 82 Mike was a little more critical-telling the St Pete Times: "You don't have to fold up an institution to do your own thing. He could have done both."  It may have gotten more heated-but actually Carl was back for some Canadian shows at the end of March and back for good by May.

Thank you Ian !




Did Carl say that they shouldn't be playing the old stuff? As far as I understand he wanted just some new material (maybe excluding stuff like "Little old lady..." which wasn't a Beach Boys song to begin with) and better rehearsing, etc. But I don't think that he wanted all of the oldies gone.

I did actually tape the show on a cheap Radio Shack recorder I smuggled in.  I have it somewhere.  One of these days I'll transfer it over to digital, but the quality is not that great.

The Syracuse quote had to have been for the show I saw, which was the New York State Fair, Sept. 5, 1981 (IIRC).

...AGD says Sept. 2.  I'll go with AGD.

It does seem Mr. Love's perspective changed radically during this period. Initially he's saying that Carl-the-background-singer won't really be missed, but by spring of '82 he equates his absence with the folding of an institution.

My belief was that Carl had had enough of the Beach Boys' lack of commitment and his going on his own for awhile was partially in protest. He also wanted to make music that didn't conform to the Beach Boys' "brand" and that's what he did. He was quoted as saying that touring solo gave him a greater appreciation of what Mike did on stage, but I've never read that he returned "with his tail between his legs."

"You don't have to fold up an institution to do your own thing. He could have done both." 

Yet four years earlier, Mike and his brothers wouldn't let Dennis do both...

Is it in Timothy White's book that it's mentioned that Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees was a proposed producer for the "Brothers, Cousins and Friends" album?  Is there any truth to this?  Or was this just an idea that was floated around...or maybe just unsubstantiated rumour?  I for one would have loved to see a Gibb/Wilson collaboration.

Barry Gibb, Paul McCartney, Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Wonder, Val Garay, Milt Okun...the list goes on.

Buckingham?!?! Good God that could've been great!

I think given where Barry Gibb was at around '81, it would not have been a good collaboration, though it might have been a commercially fruitful one.  (Now Maurice Gibb would have been different -- he had a much more natural affinity for the BBs sensibility -- and he was newly sober at that time.  Might have been interesting)

Stevie Wonder Vs. A late 70's Brian Wilson? The world as we know it would cease to exist  ;D

As an aside, who are Val Garay and Milt Okun? The wikipedia's are not especially illuminating.

I believe Val Garay was Kim Carnes' producer.

Continuing my dip into the archives re: the Brothers, Cousins, and Friends era:

From June/September 1981 ASM:  "The release of a new Beach Boys album probably will not come about until early next year.  They have not been working in the studio", and a few paragraphs later, "Word of anything new from Brian or the band is rare.  Supposedly Brian has been writing, e.g. 'Sweetie" and "City Blues'.  There was a constant rumor of them trying to get into a studio to cut 'Sweetie' all during August".  "Sweetie" was in fact even mentioned in the brief interview the Boys did prior to their televised Long Beach concert on July 5th.  Mike said he wanted Brian to do the song (which he described as "really hot") that day, but they didn't get around to rehearsing it, with everything else they had to do.  This issue of ASM goes on to say "Incidentally, the recent Brian Wilson composition 'Stevie' was evidently recorded with Brian on the lead vocal, and produced by Dennis Wilson".  According to an AFM contract, horns were added to "Stevie" at a January 14th "Beach Boys" session at Sounds Good Recording.  
    
There is also an AFM contract for a Brian session at Gold Star in April, the song listed as "Untitled"; Diane Rovell served as contractor, and a few of the old Wrecking Crew players were present.  Interestingly, the artist on this one is listed as "Brian Wilson", not "Beach Boys", and the employer name is "Brother Records (Beach Bum)".  Beach Bum was Brian's publishing company.  

That summer, Bruce granted a phone interview to an AM radio station in North Platte, Nebraska.  In discussing Brian's current state, Bruce mentioned that with Carl out of the band temporarily, Brian had picked up some of his leads and had also taken to telling funny jokes onstage at appropriate times.  When asked about Brian doing studio work, Bruce artfully dodged the subject by replying "Well, we haven't recorded in a year", before quickly moving on to talk about the plans underway for a two-record anthology of the latter-day Beach Boys music (specifically mentioning "Disney Girls", "'Til I Die", and "Sail On Sailor"), that materialized later in the year as "Ten Years Of Harmony".  

Brad Elliott interviewed Bruce for the October 1981 issue of Goldmine.  On the subject of new Beach Boys music:
Brad: "I understand Brian's been in the studio, in and out recently, doing things like...I understand he cut 'Be My Baby'."
Bruce: "Oh yeah, that cut 'I'm A Man', 'Be My Baby'."
Brad: "Is 'I'm A Man' the oldie?"
Bruce: "No, this is a new song.  God, it's great, it is great.  He cut it at Mike's.  And he cut a song called 'Stevie'...Dennis produced it and it's really great.  Brian wrote it and sang it.  And Dennis produced it.  And it's really great, I think."
Brad: "What is the status of a new album, a studio album, this year?"
Bruce: "Hah.  Are you kidding?"
Brad: "No."
Bruce: "No.  Singles.  I'm trying to get everyone to go in and record 'Rock And Roll Lullabye', the B.J. Thomas record.  I think it would be a great hit for us, just the way 'Barbara Ann' was.  I think it's good to do an old outside song."
Brad: "So there are no plans for an album this year?"
Bruce: "Well, we'll have to.  And it'll come because we'll do groups of singles."
Brad: "When will it come?"
Bruce: "We wouldn't have an album out until the middle of the summer and that's probably too soon.  We're gonna start with some singles around May.  You know, the production gets passed around.  Maybe I won't be the producer.  Maybe it will be Guercio, 'cause it's his label.  You've seen the production pass around.  Ultimately, it should always be Brian, but sometimes he doesn't want to take the ball."  
Brad: "Is there a chance 'I'm A Man' will be a single?
Bruce: "Well, if I'm around, I'll get that onto the album...and 'Doo Ron Ron'".

Early in December, a trio of fans chatted with a cheerful, upbeat Brian in his hotel room in San Marcos, during the band's two-night run at the Circle Star Theatre.  When asked if they would be coming out with a new studio album soon, Brian replied "In awhile, yeah...in a month or two", then answered a question regarding "Sweetie" by saying "We have 'Sweetie' recorded, it's all recorded", then proceeding to sing a line from the unrelased song.  When asked who sings the lead, he replied "Me and Mike and Al, we all rotate".  On the question of Carl returning to the band, Brian stated "Yeah, he'll probably come to South Africa with us...Yeah, definitely, I think he'll come back...it's his only source of income" (FYI, Carl did not return for the South African shows).  When asked to comment on the then-current single release of "Come Go With Me" (pulled by CBS from "Ten Years Of Harmony"), which was currently climbing the charts, Brian said that the record company "had instincts that it would make it, and it did, and they're real proud of themselves...it looks like a big hit for us".  On the subject of that summer's hit "Beach Boys Medley", Brian stated "Oh, I was real proud of that...I made some money, and that's what's important...it builds your career, y'know, career-building...when you get a hit record, it's just one more feather in your cap...".  

The subject of Brian writing new material once again came up, at which point Brian mentioned both "Sweetie" and "Stevie", confirming that the latter is about Stevie Nicks, and proceeding to sing the first few lines of the song.  Shortly thereafter, he honored the fans' request to sing a bit of "Still I Dream Of It" (but denied that Stevie Wonder was planning on recording it), after which one of the fans said "We wanna see The Beach Boys progress", to which Brian responded earnestly, "I do too, I'd like to see the same thing (chuckling)".  But when asked about a solo album, Brian stated "I don't wanna do a solo album...I don't believe in doing a solo album...when you're a group member, and you're part of a famous group, I believe in following the group thing...keep it all in the group.  Yeah, I don't believe in spreading it thin, and making a solo album".  

In regards to Carl going out on his own, Brian opined "I think that was a foolish move, very risky too, 'cause you can't always get a hit album when you're a solo artist coming out of a group".  When asked if he liked Carl's album, Brian said "I liked two songs on it, one or two, 'Heaven' and one other one, I can't remember the other one...I like 'Heaven' very much".  Brian commented on seeing Carl live at the Roxy the previous April by saying "It was a good show...he's a good artist, a good entertainer, good performer, yeah".  One of the fans asked if Brian thought Carl really would be back for the South Africa concerts, and Brian said "Oh yeah, yeah he should".  One of the other fans goes on to say "He really adds a lot to the sound, on stage, on album especially, but on stage...he's got such a great voice, that just to fill that in, you really need that...I wish that he would come back", to which Brian just said "Yeah, yeah".  

Brian was then asked when the group was heading back to the studio, and kind of chuckled before replying "Uh we're going back in the studio, probably in just a couple...well...I'd like to go in this coming week, when we go back tomorrow (we go back tomorrow, to L.A.), and I'd like to go in Wednesday or Thursday, for about two or three days, and just knock out a couple songs, and get the album on the way.  We have quite a few songs, six or seven songs, that are half-way done, that are on the way done, so we could finish up an album in about three weeks if we got down to it".  When asked for more titles, Brian struggled to recall any besides "Sweetie" and "Stevie", but when asked if "Loop de Loop" was one that would be coming out soon, he said "No...we decided not to get into that...it's...it's not good enough, y'know?  We want something that's good out there...'Come Go With Me' sounds real good", then "Let me think...songs on the new album...oh, boy, where's my memory...well, Mike had 'Be My Baby' that was gonna be on there, but he put it on his album...and 'Calendar Girl' was gonna go on there and he put it on his album...there's one called 'Night Blooming Jasmine'...I wrote it".  When asked about "City Blues", Brian said "'City Blues' is a song that Dennis and I and a friend of his named Garby wrote together, which is pretty good...".  

The conversation turned to Dennis, who was sick and didn't play the previous night's show...Brian dialed his room to ask if he was going to play that night, and whether he was up to signing autographs for the fans.  While waiting for Dennis to answer, Brian named his two favorite Beach Boys albums as "Holland" and "Carl And The Passions - So Tough".  When asked if he liked the "MIU Album" at all, he replied "No, I was in a bad frame of mind during that time, I wasn't in a good space...no, I didn't like the whole bag at all".  After speaking with Dennis and advising him that a warm shower might help him feel better, Brian turned back to the fans with the bad news:  "He's in bed, he don't feel well, he might not make the show tonight, he didn't make it last night either.  Yeah, he doesn't feel well, he's got the flu or somethin'".  The three fans went on to praise the band's new music, to which Brian said "I hope you like 'Sweetie', because 'Sweetie''s real, uh...real cute...y'know, real cute song".  One fan said that they had talked to Mike earlier, who said he couldn't get Brian to sing it for the live show...Brian said "Yeah...I do the first verse, and I do all the bridges, and I do another verse...I do two verses and two bridges".  When asked if that entailed high singing or low singing, he replied "It's in the key of B, so...that's sort of a middle-range key, that's not a real high key for singing it...that's a pretty good mid-range key to sing in...it's a very moderate key...very nice key to sing in...the song goes along, right along, goes right along, y'know, and just keeps on pumpin', and just has a nice little mid-range beat, y'know, a medium beat...".  Wrapping up the visit, Brian stated that his two favorite songs he'd written were "Good Vibrations" ("because I like the way Mike sings the chorus, I like the way he sings, y'know") and "'Til I Die".

Brad Elliott's piece on the compiling of "Ten Years Of Harmony", published in the Winter 1982 issue of ASM, mentions "There was also talk of the group making a quick trip into the studio to cut 'Back In The U.S.S.R.'" as a possible bonus track for the compliation.

From Brad's book "Surf's Up:  The Beach Boys On Record 1961-1981", which came out at the end of the year:  "July 1980 Studio Recordings:  Brian and Mike spent a week at Mike's Santa Barbara home, where the former Lovesongs mobile recording unit had been permanently attached and dubbed WAVES (Western Audio-Visual Entertainment Services).  While there, the pair recorded tracks for seven songs - "Be My Baby", "River Deep Mountain High", "Greenback Dollar" (the Kingston Trio classic), "Why Don't They Let Us Fall In Love?" (a rare Phil Spector-Ellie Greenwich-Jeff Barry composition) and three new songs, Mike's "Bucks" and "Children Of The Night" and Brian's "I'm A Man".  Brian played all keyboards, Ed Carter played bass and guitar and Bo Fox and the late Kim Calkins split the drumming chores.  Brian produced, with Jeff Peters engineering.  Vocals were recorded for three of the songs - "Be My Baby", "River Deep Mountain High" and "I'm A Man".  After returning to Los Angeles, Brian recorded instrumental tracks to several songs, including "My Solution" and "Shortenin' Bread" (again)".  Brad's book then mentions the "Stevie" recording session, and states "Also during the last half of the year, Alan recorded "Don't Fight The Sea".

Finally, the syndicated radio provider REX offered its subscriber stations two brief interviews with Mike:  the first, to air December 21st, titled "Beach Boys' Brian Wilson Not Cutting It?", and the second, to air the following day, titled "Mike (Beach Boys) Love Goes Solo".  The first segment went like this:  
Jeff Craig: "Beach Boys vocalist Mike Love is on sabbatical right now, so Rex asked about the future of the group - will The Beach Boys be back on the charts?"
Mike: "I think we will have some hits with The Beach Boys, because Brian's written some really fine tunes lately, um...he sometimes needs a little help in getting them across, because he doesn't have the verve or the stick-to-itiveness or the forcefulness that he once had, but he still has the creativity in terms of songwriting and arranging.  But as far as producing, he just doesn't care as much as he used to, about getting things right; he thinks that something that sounds like he did in the 1960s is good enough; he hasn't grown any, in the production level".  
And, from the second installment, Mike somewhat humourously explaining why he did a solo album in the first place:  
Mike: "Well, REX, let's face it, y'know, some of the other Beach Boys are getting older, and uh, just can't get it up for an album project, in fact it's been two years since we did an album project, and um - I have a little bit more energy than that.  We have done, with The Beach Boys, sporadic recordings, whimpy and feeble attempts, I might add, to come up with maybe a single or two.  With that in mind, REX, it was a very simple conclusion I drew that I better get off my buns and do an album".

More to come...

Your comments about the Syracuse show-the interview appeared in the Aug 28 paper-Mike was promoting the upcoming show while playing elsewhere.  The date of the show that we list at Bellagio is correct-I supplied all the concert data and have ads or reviews for almost all the shows from 1962-1992

I believe ya.  I know it was the first week of September. I have no problem believing it was the 2nd and not the 5th.  I suspect when and if I find the tape it will confirm you are correct, Ian.

I am getting ready to do some archival work on some old cassettes and it may be an opportunity to finally dig that tape out and digitize it.  Though I don't imagine it'll be very good listening, having been recorded on a $30 mono deck.

Here seems a fine place to point out that pretty much all of the info regarding the shows 1961-date at 10452 had very little to do with me: I just host the fruits of Ian's astonishing research. Likewise, the session info: I researched some of it, but the bulk comes from other sources, most notably Craig Slowinski. I'm just their messenger.  ;D

Ian and Craig's goshdarn messenger...

Point taken though, credit where credit is due.  Those guys are scary, I love it.  (People even wonkier and more obsessive than me)

C-man,

I don't know how you find all this info, but many thanks for taking the time to post it here.  Now I really want to hear Stevie feat. Dennis' production.   I'm A Man might not be bad, either.

 Interesting that 3 fans got all those off the cuff remarks from Brian.  I doubt Carl was very pleased if he knew Brian only liked 2 songs from his solo album.

I wonder if anyone knows what contributions Dennis & Garby made to "City Blues."  Perhaps they were discarded by the time Brian re-recorded it.  Sad that Dennis couldn't speak to those fans.

Thanks for taking the time to type all that up, c-man.  That was some great stuff to read.

This thread is very interesting.

The recent release of Carl Wilson's 'Youngblood' CD stands as a great reminder that it might be argued — as was the case with 'Pacific Ocean Blue' in 1977 — that a Wilson should have led the charge with the next "Beach Boys" LP.

Ah man, we'd all still kill to hear it!!!!