The Smiley Smile Message Board

At the season opener, April 10th.

Will this be the first Post-Grammy show!?

As of yesterday there was a private gig on youtube (now removed) from Montreal last weekend of a Mike and Bruce show.

But the reunion line-up? Don't think there has been anything since the grammies.



Oh.....and the anthem done acappella would be a cool gage for the tour ahead.

Have they done an a cappella National Anthem before? Cuz that sounds really nice. Really, really nice. I'd like to hear it very much.

Sorry if this has been posted already, but more details here:
http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120403&content_id=27865568&vkey=pr_la&c_id=la

5 days till we see all the boys together

Really excited!  ;D

This will receive a lot of coverage.  It's important for the Beach Boys to pull out all the stops and put on a good show.  I don't want to read any articles the following day which say they should have retired.

Who are these dodgers and what are they striving to avoid?

Originally, trolley car conductors.

The Beach Boys' hometown team.

Nur & spell? Darts? Soccer?   :p

Been wondering how the Beach Boys got the dodgers gig? ;D

http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/la/fan_forum/anthem.jsp

I feel like an idiot for not realizing you were being facetious.

I feel bad for being facetious.

I'm pretty apathetic about this.

They were better when they were in Brooklyn. :lol

Well, if you were truly THAT apathetic you wouldn't have bothered to post about it

You're right in many ways...and they gave the fans in New York who couldn't stand the ritzy and glamorous Yankees a hard-nosed group of more regular guys to cheer for. When they moved to Los Angeles they lost that element. And the Mets because they were so bad for so long never captured the old Brooklyn Dodgers appeal to the masses.

Let me say - Phillies fan to the core - one of the best things I ever saw in sports was the sight of Matt Stairs in the 2008 NL playoffs launching a moon-rocket shot over the wall in LA and effectively silencing all the Hollywood glitterati like Mary Hart and Larry King who had come to watch the game that night...and which eventually led to the Phils winning the Series that year. I'll watch the Beach Boys perform but that's it with me and the Dodgers.  :-D

I'm surprised the Dodgers could afford to hire any national act beyond maybe "Up With People" to perform or sing this year considering all the financial hardships they've had with the McCourts and all that.

Play Ball! ;D

SF Giants fan since 1958, bitter rivals of the Trolley Dodgers all the way back to their New York days, hard to do this, but I'll have to get my hands on at least one souvenir piece (assuming I can get special permission from my sister who lives in San Francisco and is never without something with a Giants logo on it). Dodger Stadium is a great venue, in any event, and of course there is always Vin Scully to listen to, the best baseball announcer ever even if he has worked for the wrong team since 1949. Should be a fun day at the park, but I hope they lose.

I just posted it in the "tour"-thread but since this thread is about that specific topic I post this quote from Al's facebook page again (we got too many threads about the reunion stuff, don't you think?) This way we all should be able to at least listen to the performance (I hope for videos on youtube afterwards, guys !):

Completely agree with that assessment, NHC.  I'll take SBC Park ANY day over Chavez Ravine, but I'll make an exception for one day to get a souvenir.  ;D

Manny Mota, October, 1977; Bill Rusell, October 1978.

nvm

Hey Mikie, you really a Giants fan?  Shouldn't you know the name of your stadium is AT&T? Just sayin'... By the way, I am going to the game tomorrow.  Anybody else here going?

The late Harry Kalas is right up there with Scully - People outside of Philly heard him regularly as the voice of NFL Films productions, where he took over for another Philly great John Facenda. Even if folks don't know him by name they know his voice. "It's OUTTA HERE...." :)

Shane Victorino... ;D
(http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/10/13/victorino_500.jpg)

Yeah, I don't like him much either. How about you and I agree to stick with Wilson, Love and Jardine?

Where is the fun in that? I guess we could take bets on whether Mike will be wearing a Dodgers cap, or if he'll dust off the Rolls Royce model. :) Nothing like a little good-natured sports rivalry banter. As long as it doesn't involve soccer. ;D  I'm just joking.

I thought the poster who has Mr. Met in his avatar would have chimed in...:-D

I can't really talk smack right now, the Phiillies are still better.  HOWEVER, they have clearly peaked and are trending downward (although this does not mean they won't win it this year). In two years, the Dodgers will be the NL's best. We are just happy (HAPPY!!) to not be embarrassed by the McCourt's any longer. As for Mr. Met, forget it. My bet is Johnston will show up in the Dodger cap tomorrow.

Chicago Cubs fan :woot

Sorry to hear that.  ;D

I've always liked Tampa Bay. I originally became a fan because of how lousy they were. But I saw the potential.

Its a pain at times, but games at Wrigley Field are so fun. I think Brian likes the Cubs from when he lived in Illinois.

Have faith in Theo and Jed.  Just keep them away from the free agent check book.  Hate the Rays and their cow bell ringing fans, but Andrew Friedman is great. Dodgers need a new GM with the new ownership, I envy both the Cubs and Rays for the management teams.

Well, if Magic and his cohorts buy the club, it'll be bye bye McCourt!  Then the Dodgers will have deep pockets and will bring in some decent players!

They bought 'em.  Been approved. They officially take over May 1 (and they already have some "decent" players--Kemp, Kershaw, Ethier.  But I know what you meant)

They got rid of Manny a couple of years ago - that was a start. Now they need to beef up security and put more lights in the place so no more fans get their asses kicked and aren't afraid to go to games at night.

Theo's last year in Boston was a mess, but I know he will do a good job with Chicago. Dodgers will change for the better with ownership that cares about the team, unlike the bimbo McCourts.

Mikie,  did you ever see Willie Mays play? ;D

Yeah, I saw Mays quite a few times. Along with McCovey, Marichal, and Perry. Saw 'em play the Dodgers a few times too when they still had Drysdale, Sutton, Osteen, Davis, Parker, and Roseboro. Remember as a kid seeing Koufax, Wills, and Gilliam on TV. When the Giants weren't on the radio, my Dad would listen to KFI radio at night and pick up the Dodger games with Vin Skully. Those were the days........I even remember when Marichal hit Roseboro over the head with a bat!

Also saw the A's play the Dodgers in Oakland in the '74 and '88 World Series!

My old man played for the Chisox.

''

Who is your dad?

Blimey guys , what sport are you talking about ?

Can we please talk Soccer ( ie as us Brits and Euros call FOOTBALL ) , David Beckham , Norman Hunter , Nobby Stiles , Bobby Moore , David James , Paul Scholes , Tom Finney , Nat Lofthouse , Kevin Keegan  , Bobby Charlton ,  Glenn Hoddle , Tommy Smith , Alan Shearer et al etc.........I could go on for hours !

Now  'Thats Why God Made Sport'    :lol 

Was he a third baseman, or a Triple A manager? 
Probably should talk more about the Cardinals, tho, cuz they're the world champs; not the Phillies, not the Dodgers, not the Cubs in the next 200 years

Maybe this has been posted? I jus found it. Jeff will be there singing tomorrow too, so it looks like they will do more complex harmonies and higher registers and whatever. http://www.kool.fm/kool-music/c22e3f5b4e1af5283d246a793e5a2528

There's an audio link but it looks like it's Real Audio PLayer file and I don't have that.

I don't think the Cardinals are going anywhere this year, and I say this cautiously as my home team just dropped three in a row. They lost Pujols and LaRussa...hardly an insignificant change to both the core of the lineup and the way the team is managed.

The Phillies are hurtin' more than they should be, and I said as much during spring training when they were just a flat kind of team, with no real offensive spark, a terrific starting rotation with one of the best closers in the game, yet a shaky-at-best middle relief bullpen staff. Take an infield which has all star players at four of the four field positions, then remove two of the four with injuries: one coming back in perhaps a month, and the other indefinite.

That kind of loss would be as devastating as trading your MVP power hitting first baseman and losing your future Hall Of Fame manager in one off-season!

I see the Phillies still competing once the lineup stabilizes, I see the Cardinals up there naturally, the Giants luster has worn off, the Mets will again self-destruct by September if not sooner, the Braves need to get over the 'star power' of the old Chipper Jones legacy and focus again on younger talent which can actually deliver consistently (hello Heyward) the Reds are WAY too overhyped and overconfident, and the Marlins aren't all that despite spending a lot of cash. The Nationals have a lot of hype behind them, but they talk too much and will finish third. The other NL teams will be sub-.500 teams again by October.

My predictions only.

Go Cubs Go! Defeat the Redbirds this year! ;D

(http://www.chicago-cubs-fan.com/images/goat.jpg)

Oh no... :lol  You ever go to Phillies games at the Vet and see all the insanity in the stands? :3d

I have seen games at the Vet since I was about 7 or 8 up to the last year it was standing, and have been to Citizens Bank Park since then, which is awesome. Great food, good atmosphere.

Honestly, having seen this firsthand several times, the biggest yahoos and most loud, obnoxious fans are in the stands when the Mets or the Red Sox come to Philly and those Boston and NY folks travel in for the games. These people can't hold their beer! The insanity in the Phillies stands has been overblown, take it from me as I've been there. Eagles games, in the cheap seats are a different story. I wouldn't go there if I were given tickets! But baseball games in Philly, and the fans in general, aren't what the reputation suggests.

The worst place I've seen for idiot fans acting foolish and starting fights over nothing was in the center-right bleacher seats at Fenway Park. Each time I was there, just to catch a game on the cheap, multiple fights broke out in that seating area. Philly has nothing on that, believe me, unless it's the Eagles...

I will say as a fan that a rumor/reputation I'm proud of is that Phillies fans have, in the past, grown impatient with action on the field other than the game and have indeed booed both Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. Not many cities can say, with pride, that they booed Santa off the field. ;D

St. Louis has the best fans anywhere AND the team going to the world series( again)

It's nice to dream. ;D

I'm kidding...I don't mind the Cards as much since they got rid of JD Drew and Scott Rolen a few years ago. Those two guys...

No Albert Pujols, no Tony LaRussa, no World Series.  All they have is Freese and Beltran hitting for power.  No mas!

Pujols schmuholes; so what. he's only one guy. we've got a whole team! molina, holliday, freese, furcal, berkman, beltran, descalso, jay, and the list goes on and on. sad for the rest of the league who have virtually nobody.
Hey! Howzabout those Beach Boys?

And Ozzie Guillen gets suspended for telling the truth...........

Thanks. I didn't see it before

That's funny, Ozzie Guillen himself had a different version of it this morning:

Ozzie Guillen accepted full responsibility for his comments about Fidel Castro and expressed extreme regret and embarrassment during a press conference at Marlins Park on Tuesday morning.

Speaking moments after his five-game suspension was announced by the Miami Marlins, Guillen said he did not mean to say he loved and respected the Cuban dictator in a Time magazine interview.

"I was thinking in Spanish and I said it wrong in English," said Guillen, who answered questions in both his native Spanish and English during the press conference.

"I'm not saying the journalist was wrong. I was wrong. I had one thing in mind and I said something else."

Guillen, from Venezuela, said repeatedly that he does not admire Castro -- "a person who has caused a lot of damage, a lot of pain," he said -- even if that's how his comments came out.

"I don't want to make any excuses," he said. "What I wanted to say was I was surprised Fidel Castro stayed in power so long."

Throughout the press conference, which lasted more than 45 minutes, Guillen apologized many times.

"I feel like I betrayed my Latin community," he said. "I'm here to say I'm sorry with my heart in my hands."

He added: "I will do everything in my power to make it better. I'm very, very, very sorry."

This is close, I'm getting excited now for the pictures and videos  ;D

Brian in a suite at Dodger Stadium with a fan

(https://p.twimg.com/AqFXtS3CAAACJhu.jpg)

Sound Check

(https://p.twimg.com/AqFEVJmCIAAJxz3.jpg)

Awkward hairdo. The setting looks nice though!

Bruce's shorts. :lol

8 mics up there which include Foskett and Cowsill.  Who's the 8th...Darian...Scott?

Where are Mike and Al?

And go back a few pages, the poster who guessed Bruce would be wearing the hat gets the prize! That, and the shorts of course. :-D

GF, I was in a hurry and mis-read what the article said.  Guillen's a good man. I believe him.

I know what he was really thinking when he gave that interview though!

All they need up there is Brian, Mike, Al, Bruce, and Dave with maybe Foskett doing the high part.  That's it!

And somebody please tell Bruce not to wear white shorts.  Hats are fine but loose the damn shorts!

Al and the Loverster I would assume.

Oops. I thought there were only 7. Misread thy post.  :o

Bruce needs his shorts.  8) Awesome pix!

All I hear is jealousy of Bruce's impossibly tanned, slender, and supple thighs.

eeeee! This is so exciting! I wish I was there.

Where are Mike and Al?

On the toilet.

Brian looks like he hasn't missed too many meals.....

Steak Dinners will do that to a man...

Guillen definitely messed up in a big way - if what he meant to say got lost in his translation, that's what he's standing by and if people like the way he manages, that's that. However the Marlins have every right to suspend him or fire him over this, because he is working for a corporate interest that depends on the community and the people who come to see the games to support the team, buy the merchandise, and buy tickets to the Marlins games.

The team relocated to "Little Havana" in Miami, they're trying to connect and brand themselves within the Cuban-American community there which has money to spend and many of which are baseball fans, and it looks like Guillen really screwed the pooch on this one. There are some things you just don't say as a representative of his organization, and this is one of them.

Guillen aside, I think the Marlins' mascot "Billy Marlin" is one of the most annoying mascots in all of baseball. The best clip I saw of him was when he was being towed in the outfield behind an ATV or something, and something went wrong which sent him crashing into the outfield wall. :)

They both had to go at the same time?  ;D

Don't forget the birthday cake

I'm wondering if this picture is of them rehearsing the "mini-concert" set after the Anthem?  I doubt David would use a guitar to accompany them on the National Anthem plus you can see a guitar behind Foskett.  Hmm...kinda hoped to see the full band up there playing but I guess this will be a good sampler of the vocals for the tour. 

Small acoustic set after Star Spangled Banner. I guess.

Well, that's the whole thing and the reason the Marlins had to take action. I guess Guillen may have (at least temporarily) offended most of the Miami (and South Florida) population. If it were some place like Seattle or S.F. or Minnesota, he'd probably be off the hook. But there's a huge Cuban community down there. A lot of Cuban and Puerto Rican and Venezuelan players throughout baseball, and I believe they will see Guillen's side of things here. Again, Guillen will come back and be even more motivated to win games and the club will support him. He's a good Manager, and over time that's what will override what was construed in the interview. He doesn't really need to prove himself as a baseball Manager.

Was unaware of the Billy Martin mascot. Have to check that out!  ;D

The game usually starts right after the Star Spangled Banner - they wouldn't do a BB song immediately afterward unless they'd want to be booed out of the stadium... ;D  I was a little confused by the guitars as well.

Some of the Beach Boys' songs easily could be the national anthem  ;)

That's true, the timing of it when they're trying to build a fan base couldn't have been worse! Everyone will survive and the Marlins will carry on. :)

My apologies on "Billy Marlin", I got my mascot bloopers confused. It was actually Seattle's "Mariner Moose" who was being towed by an ATV on roller skates, and went crashing into the outfield wall. That guy broke his foot or something. "Billy The Marlin" made headlines for not only acting like a jerk but one time the team was sued because "Billy" was launching T-shirts into the stands from an air cannon and an older man said one of the Marlins shirts bonked him in the head and knocked him out. :-D

Maybe Dave's guitar is just there to clue them in on their notes.

The now-deceased 1955 World Series MVP Dodgers pitcher (and 1991-96 Phillies pitching coach) Johnny Podres grew up in the same town where I'm from (the only reason I'm even mentioning it is because it's such a damn small town, and something like that is seen as a big deal.).

Good call... I suppose the question is where will they place the acoustic set of BB songs.  Perhaps before the Anthem then? 

Or after the game? I'm not at all familiar with the proceeding of a baseball match.

I do know that they usually sing the anthem before burning the giant wicker man.

Probably won't be after the game.  There is no telling how long a baseball game can go...it can be the typical 2 hours but if it goes into extra innings it could go on for a while.  Regardless if this happens or not...the crowd usually leaves the stadium right when the last out is called...terrible time to have a mini BB set!  I'm not sure what the Dodgers do doing the 7th inninng stretch but that could be a possibility but I doubt it.  It will have to be before the game, and I suppose before the Anthem is sung.

Where is Nic Cage when you need him?....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOpsbAUEe90

The only songs usually heard at a baseball game are the Star Spangled Banner right before the game, and in the past 10 years or so teams have also been singing "God Bless America" either before the Star Spangled Banner or during the 7th inning stretch. If it's a game in Toronto they do "O Canada". In Chicago they have a tradition of singing Take Me Out To The Ball Game during the 7th inning stretch. No songs are officially done after the game because most fans are already heading out the door. No songs are performed between innings other than the 7th inning stretch.

We'll find out soon enough, but I can see one guitar being used during the National Anthem, others have done that with vocals...but 99 out of 100 performances of the song are done a capella. Two guitars or more - that has to be for another tune. Confusing. We'll see.

This reminds me of the series of combination Beach Boys/Baseball games in the 80's, sponsored by Chevrolet. After a ball game, the Beach Boys came out and did a concert, usually in centerfield. It was good for both the Beach Boys and for the baseball team and they drew very good crowds. Two-for-the-price-of-one deal. For one of the gigs, Reggie Jackson rehearsed and joined them onstage for 'Shut Down'. There's a video of them somewhere rehearsing that's really good - Al and Bruce were teaching him his parts.

Baseball, Beach Boys, Apple pie, and Chevrolet!

So...we have the link for listening to the performance but no official word if the video will be streaming online anywhere?  I suppose we'll have to wait for someone to tape it off the TV and then upload it online?

I'm at the Baseball Hall Of Fame, I asked when the time to play a second song would be and they said most likely just the 7th inning stretch.

They just mentioned Brian Wilson on the AM station stream. "he needs his rest and let's see what happens."

(https://p.twimg.com/AqJEvlxCIAE59z1.jpg)

what the..... what does that mean? are there problems?

(http://i3.ytimg.com/vi/fC3c52fBP7E/hqdefault.jpg)

(http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lucam5ROKS1qg49moo1_500.jpg)

I think he's just being condescending.

Thanks Slim.  Good to see Mike, Al, Bruce (and I think I see Brian) ready to go.  Their own jerseys is a nice touch.  No shorts!

Thanks. I can see them all in this picture, except for Dave. Brian is barely visible near Foskett, who is most likely going to be heard the clearest. Side note; didn't realize Bruce had lost that much hair in the back; probably why he wears the caps so often.

oh. ugh. ok, thanks.

They must have told Dave to get out of the way for the picture.......again  :lol

It's kinda early for them to be already on the field..still about an hour to go till gametime.  I'm wondering if their mini-acoustic set will be much, much earlier than the Anthem?

Yeah they just said the pregame starts in about five minutes so I'm guessing maybe soon, considering claims of how good the pregame sounded earlier. Hawthorne references and timelessness mentions, so it's soon. Fun, Fun, Fun was mentioned.

I'm at work right now...do we know what network the game is being televised on? 

Lets hope this end up on youtube!

Good pics, Lowbacca!   There's a couple more of the Boys playing Baseball somewhere. Always really liked the one with Brian and the Wilson glove!


Oh I love that simple way
People live from day to day
There's a song inside of you
It's stronger everyday
It's trying to say
"Everything will be alright"
That's what we're trying to say to you

Oh the baseball season's on
Get your season tickets now
Those athaletes work so hard
There the pitch and the bat goes pow
It's trying to say to you
"Everything will be alright"
That's what we're trying to say to you

Batter swings and the ball goes sailin' out in the crowd
Roundin' third safe at home and the fans start screamin' loud
Baseball's on
Baseball's on
Baseball's on
Baseball's on
Baseball's on

Oh I love that simple way
People live from day to day
There's a song inside of you
It gets stronger everyday
And it's trying to say to you
"Everything will be alright"
That's what we're trying to say to you!

This was posted on facebook. Don't know if it helps:

For those of you that don't get Dodger games you can catch it on MLB.com (paid service). Of course we will post any live video as soon as it becomes available.

No doubt it will...but it might just be a little wait until someone finally uploads it.

If we're going this crazy for this...how are we going to handle the first show of the tour?   :lol

Is it broadcasted on the radio? If so, is there a stream?

Thanks Rocker.  I'm currently listening to the AM radio broadcast.  It doesn't seem that the BB will have any special footage except what they also can find on YouTube uploaded by other people.  Please do share whenever they post...I'm not on FB anymore to check myself!

http://www.iheart.com/#/live/189/?autoplay=true

Thanks dude, but: "only available in the US".  :(

Damn!  Sorry about that.   :-\

Are they just talking over an acoustic Surfer Girl? It sounded vaguely Foskett and there was some cheering afterwards.

Listening to the show now..

I hear the BB singing "Surfer Girl"...crowd just applauded.

Yes, it appears the mini BB set will not be broadcast anywhere.  We're hearing it in the background through the PA system while the hosts start their pregame show.

There better be a Thomas video crew out on the field, then.

I believe that's all folks.  We heard the tail end of "Surfer Girl" way in the background as the Pregame show started.  If we see any video of this  performance it would have to be from any crowdshot videos from any fan in the stadium.  

Bit anticlimactic  :lol

well, not an absolute disaster, but all I heard was Jeff. . . . . .Brian did step up on the bridge, but this "jeff carrying" the group stuff is getting to be too much?  Could any of you heaer any other voices?  In the grammys, in the house I could hear (via you-tube) them all, though only Jeff was audible (for the Brian parts) on the TV--just like this.

(http://d3j5vwomefv46c.cloudfront.net/photos/large/558016985.jpg?key=640480&Expires=1334087623&Key-Pair-Id=APKAIYVGSUJFNRFZBBTA&Signature=lkX5jMUt-B1NiwZF5aG-t-ZAX~XJB5GZJwRpSm~jk0cTjjQPa1lOyE3ydPHeNitSIruJYdSc9X1tWp30o4k1sbCtfz2rS6ziJ8qITocYhOLAWOh-yJ8pcJZkL-ED~3zLBwvACOmE7bVHd46YgPAxk47Of7ZCHLUAMyMXTWT2qhg_)
http://twitpic.com/9888nt

(http://d3j5vwomefv46c.cloudfront.net/photos/large/558028840.jpg?key=1024768&Expires=1334087729&Key-Pair-Id=APKAIYVGSUJFNRFZBBTA&Signature=j5dhDsMcGYnz1p4LRH9VAK~dSpXvVAJZ48zmxe7GnRzD1Q9As4e5bHUWJdjSD~5h9AMm8rPt3DEbWv0~X35eqTRPH3chlhTeGFtNLV6ynhOZEdsCiZe0CtePmEZ4QgBPjuSXkYWFGbJiLT9YOla3Bh9Y0qa1o3gW3b~lDY25Uzk_)
http://twitpic.com/988ht4


People are tweeting that they are watching the BBs perform....

Prime Ticket showed the concert, both video and audio.  They sounded nice, at least what I could hear of them.  Jeff seemed to dominate the mix.  Brian a little wobbly in the middle, but it was nice enough, I guess.  

Was it just Surfer Girl?

Is that Scotty B. on the far right?

So.. they only sang "Surfer Girl", than comes some pregame show, than "Star Spangled Banner"? Hmm..

Yes. 

Thanks for the info.  I wonder if anyone captured the video.  

Brian seems thrilled

(http://c0014264.r32.cf1.rackcdn.com/x2_bef4e52)

http://lockerz.com/s/200232530

Yes, Scott B.

The kids with the fancy cell phones today could upload their videos to YouTube while still being in the Stadium... right?  :)

It might be worth checking dodgers.com later on tonight.  Video clips might appear.  

Al has got more hair than ever

David Marks looks like one stone cold motherf*cker there  :lol

He looks like security for the beach boys

Mike Love needs no security.

(http://www.beachboysband.net/MIKE_LOVE/ML_RAP.jpg)

I see Mike Love is observing SCTV's own Bobby Bitman's first rule of showbizness: always leave them wanting more.

That's why he wears only 9 rings.

(Pretty sure there was a Tolkien thread elsewhere on the board...surely there's some mystical tie-in there).

Twitterers say they are singing the national anthem now.....

The anthem seemed to sound better.  They did it in C, began all singing in unison and then broke into harmony.  Seemed a bit more energetic and the mix seemed better, being able to hear more of the band in the mix. 

Yes, I watched it al live here in LA, as I live about 7 minutes north of the stadium. It was on channel 464, the Dodgers HD; the anthem sounded terrific!  Clean, strong, with a solid arrangement and, as noted, a swing into harmony, though without any falsetto rise on the "free" as one might have expected. Surfer Girl was disappointing unless the mix heard in the stadium was any better; seriously, all I heard is one guitar and voice, and it looked like this one guy, whom no one but we know, was stepping in to do it instead of the BB.  I am not anxious to see that one again, though I am anxious to hear if the event sounded better than the TV. This produces so much anxiety. . . .

The radio broadcast is usless...no anthem.  The Anthem should be found on the TV broadcast though...hopefully someone recorded it.

How sounded the harmonies ?

Apologies to any sports fans but I just suffered through more than an hour of inane sports talk for nothing.  :'(

I hope someone uploads their performance.

The Boys of Summer Meet the Beach Boys of Summer!!!

 ;D

Couldn't hear Surfer Girl nor the Anthem... disappointing.

Solid.  I wouldn't call it amazing, but it was solid.  Better than "Surfer Girl". 

Need.... video of.... reunited Beach Boys.... singing in some.... baseball stadium....

All waiting and no BBs makes Lowbacca a dull wookiee.

I'm an SF Giants fan who lives on the Central Coast of California so watching the Dodgers anything is torture for me...but I get Prime Ticket HD so I watched this in spite of my anti-Dodger sentiment. I thought Surfer Girl was decent. yes Jeff was really high in the mix, but on my TV speakers i could still hear some good harmony from everyone. Brian sang lead on the middle section and sounded ummm...in a hurry, but good enough. The Star Spangled Banner was really good, maybe too good, probably padded by a track...if not then... the harmonies were pretty dang awesome for a live one take. Overall I think they did a good job...nothing embarrassing, nothing classic. Just good.

Argh! I want to watch this!
What is taking so long, internet community??

I think most of the ppl are watching the game.

Didn't I read somewhere something about the Dodgers marketing Beach Boys/Dodgers merchandise? Is this available anywhere online?

I’m happy to see and hear any source for their performances, but hopefully somebody can grab the actual TV airing and put it on YouTube rather than only a sketchy cell phone video. But as I said, anything would be cool.

I'd like to hear an audience recording. "The Grammys", just sayin'..

True, that can give a more accurate sonic picture. But I’d also like to see something that doesn’t look like the band are little dots in the middle of the screen, all while seeing a pixilated, shaky picture.

So, we’ll just be needing both sources, TV and audience! :)

That's unacceptable!!

True dat.

3 possible sources of material:

a) audience recording(s)
b) official tv version
c) official version from that baseball team's channel

anything else? As far as I know the BBs themselves did not plan on taping this.

Nothing in the "new arrivals" section of the Dodgers' online store currently. Maybe later in the season they will be though?

As far as I'm concerned, it's still Pacific  Bell. My sister worked on one of the committees when the stadium was being promoted and built and got to be down on the field with a few hundred others on opening day in 2000 (Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, Juan Marichal, Gaylord Perry, to name a few Hall of Famers). We were there for the first playoff game that year and saw several others before leaving the area. It is an absolute gorgeous park in a gorgeous location, unlike Candlestick where we suffered for 40 years-  too cold and no-man's land (although we did see several after-game BB shows there). Like Jon Stebbins says, watching the Dodgers is torturous for  a sensible Central or Northern Californian, but the Giants are blacked out here in Las Vegas unless its the Dodgers, Padres, or a regional "game of the week",  so what are you going to do?  Anyway, I really enjoyed Surfer Girl, the Anthem, and the short pre-game interview with Mike Love. it was a good time.  I'm too simple-minded to worry about the mix or the this or the that, it's the Beach Boys live doing their thing fifty years on and as long as they're on key, I'm happy.

Just got home from work, recorded the pregame and National Anthem.  From what I can tell they interviewed Mike, spoke about the band and also about Kevin Love.  The entire performance of Surfer Girl was televised, as was the National Anthem.  I'm currently encoding and then uploading to YouTube.  Will post a link when it's complete!

Thanks that's much appreciated! Can't wait to see it!

You're a star  ;D

Bravo!  Thanks so much!

(http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lftb0pSrIp1qa9yvvo1_500.gif)

Make sure you name the YouTube video something unrelated to what it is and only pass the link around in PMs because they reeeeealllly don't like having portions of their footage disseminated without express written consent from Major League Baseball.  ;)

That's why all the videos you find online outside of the MLB site are either filmed at the game or somebody filming their TV.

Thanks so much for sharing it!

"Hey Mikie, you really a Giants fan?  Shouldn't you know the name of your stadium is AT&T? Just sayin'... By the way, I am going to the game tomorrow.  Anybody else here going?"

Yeah, NHC, that's really sad. No excuses, but I was in a big hurry when I posted that. It was SBC Park before AT&T though, so it's the same ball park!!  I do remember freezing my ass (and feet) off in Candlestick many a time. Still have my Croix de Candlestick pin for sticking it out for an extra inning night game.

This has been a good thread.  Beach Boys and Baseball.  Only thing missing is the beer.  As the late Harry Carey useta say, "Ya can't beat fun at the ol' ball park!"

It would be a real bummer if they were only selling the merch at Dodgers Stadium...

True...or in the privacy settings set the video to "Unlisted"---only people who have the link are able to see it.  It won't show up publically on YouTube for others to find.

Anything??.?

What do you mean anything?

First upload almost done, will post link as soon as it's finished.

Waiting for links chum

This should be cool!

A little rude, no?  The guy is going to give us some great video here....no need to rush him!  ;)

Patience, my friend. Takes time to get the videos ready & upload em. Then YouTube has to process them or whatever they do in between when they're uploaded and available to watch.

Link 1, Mike Love Interview:

http://youtu.be/-T6y8mWzQdY

My apologies for the video quality, I had to cut corners on the encoding to get it uploaded fast enough, the others will follow as soon as they're up!


..see Reply #195 for all video links..

I just realized the time on these posts aren't in my time zone.  All the posts say like 3 o'clock, and it's almost 7 where I am, so i thought these posts were four hours old!  My bad!

Great stuff!

Thanks very much, GoodVibrations33!

Thanks man!  Mike sounds pretty good

I thought it was pretty funny how they said "Mike Love 1988 Inductee Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame" and then he started talking about the Rolling Stones' biggest mistake  ;D ;D

He was seconds away from challenging "The Boss" to jam, you could feel it.

Thanks for the encoding!

Mike Love is perpetually challenging people to jam. And he always wins.

Classic Mike, had a slip in a song title pun right away and then namedrop "Kokomo".  ::)  ;D

Link 2, Surfer Girl:

http://youtu.be/uaXFnM3aM4U (http://youtu.be/uaXFnM3aM4U)

National Anthem, up next!


..see Reply #195 for all video links..

Thank you thank you thank you!!!

Surfer Girl was lovely

Excellent, thanks so much! 

That was real nice to see.  Brian was a little shaky on his part but all in all a great version considering this technically their first public appearance singing a classic song since the Grammy's

Love seeing Al motioning for a comb during the intro...haha...oh Al...

You could hear Mike through the other mics doing a good job on the bass vocals, they just didn't put it high in the mix....

Thanks for posting!
Wow, Jeff is way too high up in the TV mix.

Mike without hat , very much fair play

http://www.latimes.com/sports/lat-dod11_m2a9efpd20120410144400,0,2937352.photo

Great moment seeing Mike rest his hand on Brian's shoulder to signal Brian's part.  Brian looks at Jeff for reassurance as he sings. 

So much Foskett, but great to see!

Holy crap...

Ain't that somethin

Agreed. It's always shocking to see Mike without a hat.

Whoa that's the first time i've seen him without the hat since that Beatles documentary from a few years back.

I completely forgot that they'd have to remove their hats for the anthem.  This is like the first time in a looooong time Mike's been anywhere without a hat on.

Maybe that's why they never sang it :D

Notice Bri doesn't have his hand over his heart for the anthem.

Well Mike has it on his belly.

Here are all three video links:

Mike Love Interview:  http://youtu.be/-T6y8mWzQdY (http://youtu.be/-T6y8mWzQdY)

Surfer Girl:  http://youtu.be/uaXFnM3aM4U (http://youtu.be/uaXFnM3aM4U)

The Star-Spangled Banner:  http://youtu.be/KnSMXW91LHM (http://youtu.be/KnSMXW91LHM)

Once again, sorry for the quality of the videos - wanted to get them up quickly!

The quality is fine! Thanks for taking the time to record & upload all of these.

Well, I don't recognize any Beach Boy on the anthem...

That's more like Jeff Foskett singing with the Beach Boys in the background....

Disappointing...

I'm sorry, but I couldn't make out a single Beach Boy during the national anthem!

If this whole tour is just gonna be the Jeff Foskett show, I'm staying home.

I'd rather hear the guys sing terribly than antiseptic, NSYNC Jeff

I hear Brian

Maybe the audience mix was different - be interesting to see if any fan footage gets posted online.

Not to start this debate again, but I *really* don't too much care for Foskett's voice.

ahhh...see others beat me to it.

BUT WHO ELSE IS GONNA SING THAT NUTSINAVICE FALSETTOOOO?!

Thanks again GoodVibrations33...well done!

As others have said...I can barely make out any of the Beach Boys.  I hear 90% Foskett and the other harmonices that come in later may have been Scott or John but I wouldn't past them that it was all Foskett on a pre-recorded track.

Jeff has to read this board..

Man, I can imagine his face when he reads these threads  :lol

Thanks for posting the YouTube clips. Nice to see. I think these TV productions, this or the grammys, are going very conservatively on the mix. I don't know if someone in the BB camp tells them to fall back on Foskett's mic or what. I don't think this is going to be as big of an issue on the tour. #1, I don't think they'll mix the tour this heavily on Foskett. #2, the majority of the BB songs are going to have leads with backing harmony rather than the majority of "Surfer Girl" and all of the anthem, which feature a harmony lead so to speak. So assuming Foskett doesn't do a bunch of leads, I don't think he'll feature any more heavily in the vocal blend on the tour than he does at a Brian show.

Let's face it. With this BB tour sporting something around 17 people in the band, we're going to be hearing a lot of "non Beach Boys" in the harmony blend. That's okay, as long as we can hear the BB's too.

As an aside, I'm 100% sure that Brian and the other four BB's could have done something much more elaborate in terms of harmony on the anthem in the studio. They sounded fine in this clip, but it's more singing in unison than harmony.

Well it's all legit, isn'it? We were expecting to hear the Beach Boys sing the anthem and all we get to hear is the actual background singers being the lead vocalists and pushing the Beach Boys voices aside.

It's not looking is it?  With the Grammy's a few months ago and now this...it's a bit worrysome how a tour or new album will sound.  I'm still putting it on the TV mix.  These people don't know how to mix the Beach Boys...they merely put the strongest voice of the group upfront in the mix and buried everyone else in the background.  I'm hoping the sound at the shows are more fair.  

Indeed...it's all unison until we get to "And the rockets red glare"...we have some harmony parts that start there and continue to the end of the song.  I honestly can't identify who that lower part is.  It honestly sounds like Jeff Foskett.  The fact that there were very little closeups of the guys singing it makes me believe that they were definitely singing to a track of Jeff doing most of the work.  Any voices from the BB were added live right there but low in the mix.

As much as I dislike these tv mixes I think the tour will sound much closer to what was heard in the room at the Grammy's. Jeff obviously has to handle those falsetto parts but it's not like Al and Bruce are shabby midrange singers, they could have been a lot more prominent in that mix. Also as the guys sounded so good at the Grammy's inside the hall it begs the question as to why they need to be covering up all their voices on the tv feeds anyway?

Disappointing mix, but no band is going to sound great in the middle of a field with fireworks, jets flying overhead, doves, a bunch of people with guns standing next to you, and absolutely ridiculous delayed echo mixed for television. Anyone who thinks this gig is going to be in any way indicative of the upcoming tour is actually insane.

I could hear a little Brian, no Mike & Bruce, and it seemed to me Al might have been doing a lot of the legwork with Jeff as well - his plummy tones were in evidence.

I'm tryna be Mr. Positivity over here, but I really think we'll miss Carl on this tour.

Also, to be British about this..... does this sort of thing happen at every single baseball game? The massive flags, the anthem, the speech about guys getting shot for your country.... with football, its just get on the pitch and go, is all.

Carl would have owned in singing the anthem...

I do not think this Foskett showcase is a sign of things to come on the tour and the album. I think we can forget that for much of the general public, the last thing they remember the Beach Boys sounding like is Good Vibrations. I imagine many people would be shocked to hear what Brian sounds like today and what the collective Beach Boys sound like in 2012 without Carl and Dennis.

Most people who attend the concerts and probably all who buy the album will know what to expect and will be happy to hear any authentic Beach Boys work. However, the general public who is watching the Grammys to see Chris Brown or watching the baseball game to see..... baseball.... they are a different story. And along with those two high profile gigs comes uneducated press coverage which could seriously damage their PR going into the 50th anniversary.

The Grammy and Dodgers performances were not for the real fans. I do not blame them whatsoever for featuring Foskett in the mix as they did.

Just really, really eager for the concerts now, though. :)

Thanks, ya done good!

Really moving ceremony; those young heroes in the crowd.

And our hero musicians.

Me too...

Shame I'm not going to one  :P

Really good stuff.

And what was Brian looking at the whole time? Foskett?

All you gentleman who don't care for Jeff Foskett should leave him alone..Brian likes him and maybe even needs him.Jeff at one time was just like us. A super-fan. He had the balls to go and knock on Brian's door. God bless him.I like his cd's too. :wall

You're right.  I'm just feeling slightly cheated on today's perfromances.  The sound guys at the network don't have a clue what they're doing when it comes to presenting a fair mix for 8 guys doing harmony.  I'm just so eager to hear what these guys sound like together again that I felt a little robbed today from what we got on that broadcast.  But anyway--it was really, really great to see them singing together.  

Apparently.  Brian looked to him for assurance and as a guide throughout both songs

I guess just don't have the falsetto!

We'd all forgive them for it. Lots of older guys adjust the keys, or simply don't hit the high notes, but as long as it's still THEM singing, it's all good usually.

I think you will find that Mike knocked on Jeffs door , so actually I think you will find that Jeff owes rather a lot to Mike for his career.

Additionally can I also add that I am a fan of Jeff   

I don't care too much for the song.

My recollection is that Foskett started in Mike's band doing the small number of shows to promote "Looking Back with Love" in 1981, and then later in 1981 Foskett joined the touring BB's (I would presume at the invite of Mike, but I dunno), who were still struggling with being Carl-less. I even recall hearing reports of shows in late 1981 of Foskett singing leads on a few Carl songs that had been dropped from the tour when Carl left, such as "I Can Hear Music" and "Darlin'." Then of course, he ended up in the band until 1990.

 I don't want to burst your bubble, but I expect the concerts to be every bit as airbrushed as these admittedly poorly mixed tv appearances. Don't forget, most people buying tickets for the reunion shows won't know much about the band's history either. They will wants to hear the classic blend -- yes, with falsetto. If anything, the live shows will sound less like the Beach Boys, because you will have an extra 10 voices on stage.

 The one aspect of the reunion that I expect to sound at all classic will be the record. All of the guys have sounded good on their recent cds.

Possibly Craig , I'm now getting old ( over 30 odd ish ish ish  ) and its now knocking on to 2 am  ??? But my first knowledge of Jeff was in Mikes band ( Endless Summer Band ) to plug the LBWL Album in 1981  

I could hear Brian all the way.

I agree with the fact that lots of non-hardcore randos will be attending the reunion but I disagree that that will lead to an extremely washed out sound. Of course Jeff will be there on the falsetto. I expect to hear him on almost every song. But I also expect to hear the other guys strong and clear.

I think the difference between the Grammy audience and broadcast mix is evidence on my side. I guess I'll stay cautiously optimistic, for now.

Oh you can hear Al go high on "banner yet WAVE"

Thanks for posting; really appreciate it. Like others, that was clearly Jeff Fosket and his back up band, who may or
 not even have been singing. That's almost a sham; too bad. I really think they could have done it alone with the 5 of them if sung in the right key. Or even with Foskett, if he was under control.  Dissappointing for sure, though it sounded fine.............just much of the Beach Boys.

The anthem is done for every sports game.  Not every Game has all the hoopla though, this was more for opening day.  But yeah a lot of games honor our troops at the start.  And you know Americans like showing patriotism

Good point , exactly why I think that Brian,Al and David ( along with Jeff ) should have joined the Mike and Bruce band - Honestly the M&B 2008 UK Tour was by far the best (without Carl) BB's sounding band I have seen or heard HONEST !

Yeah wasn't Randell involved with that too? Mike sure knew how to scope out new musicians! I must find that story about Jeff going to Brian's house, it was quite funny if I remember right. 2am...dear me I can't believe i've sat here til this time refreshing the page for these videos!  :lol

That 2008 tour was really something special! The setlist from that tour will never be bettered I don't think.

I have no issue with him personally...I just am not a fan of his voice as he has gotten older. Just my opinion, which I am entitled to have as you are yours.

You guys had better get use to the "CEO of Falsetto" singing the high parts this year because he's all you got! I can already see some of you reviewing concerts and seeing the band on YouTube and bitchin' about Foskett's voice over and over.  Nobody in this current line-up who will be touring for the 50th can get as close to Brian's old falsetto as Jeff can. Don't think Bruce can do it anymore as he did in the 60's and 70's, and I don't think Al wants to do it anymore like he did in the 70's, and obviously Carl Wilson isn't around to help with the high parts. And Randall Kirsch isn't with this touring band either, neither is Matt Jardine, and neither is Taylor Mills (damn!). So all you have is Jeff doing the high parts. That's it! Get use to it!

In addition, Jeff is pretty much Brian's best bud right now. His confidant, his aid, his "bodyguard", and go-to guy if you will. His right hand man to lean on these days as Brian's brothers and doctors and in-laws are gone.

Too bad this wasn't a night game so more people would have seen this in person. Of course in L.A. with all the traffic, the whole crowd wouldn't have arrived until the third inning anyway....



That said, damn it to Hell, I miss Carl Wilson already!  And of course Dennis too.  Those guys would have been glad to have been there today! I'm really, really gonna miss seeing them with the band touring this year.  But we picked up Dave Marks, and that is VERY cool indeedie!

Yep Randell was there as well , I have some tapes ( remember those ?? ) somewhere of a couple of the shows.

Papa Do Run Run has been a feeder band for the BB's ( including of course a certain Chris Farmer )

Tapes?? Behave Rob i'm just a young pup  ;D

It's not about Jeff singing the falsetto, it's about not hearing the Beach Boys sing.

I think Rob Dean should get on stage and do his Dennis Wilson impersonation.  Have Cowsill move over and let Dean do a coupla 'Love You' songs and he'd win the band and the crowd over. I can see the standing O's already... 

Yeah right , but that would be a massive dream come true and die SMiLING  8)  AND do you really think that Mr Marks will give me Forever ??  :lol

and then come out for the pre-encore sing You Are So Beautiful and say 'Ladies and gentleman THE BEACH BOYS' and then fall over in a drunken (very highly possible) state  ;D


Oh , and then compete with Mike for the birds

I can do without the falsetto if I get to hear the Beach Boys sing

Another annoying aspect is: when you have Jeff basically singing lead and the other guys on distant back-ups, so get cameras focused on Jeff like today.

 Jeff is a legend in his own mind, but The Beach Boys can do fine without him.  Again, Matt Jardine can sing circles around Jeff.  On his best day, Jeff could never come anywhere close to what Brian sounded like in his prime.  Jeff is a backing musician and a cover "artist".  Jeff is just darn lucky that Brian has gotten comfortable using him as a "crutch".  There are five real Beach Boys performing at this reunion, and Jeff is not one of them.  I know it may sound like I'm picking on Jeff, but seriously, he is just an arrogant backing musician, this tour is not dependant on him!

Agreed. I get that he needs to be there because it's reassuring to Brian and you can tell how nervous he is and how much he doesn't want to be there. It feels like having his voice featured so prominently is a disservice to the real Beach Boys. Makes them seem like their voices are inept. Which I really don't think they are.

WOW.

(http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/562056_10150744021222241_34250497240_9348471_2065681540_n.jpg)

Why the hell would Brian's people post this picture on FB?

Just got back from the game.  A few things. First,the stadium mix was worse than the tv mix.  On SG,allI could hear was Foskett,with Brian on his part, but his mic was low.  On the anthem,it was all Foskett,Cowsill and Bennett,with a little Jardine.  But remember, sadiums are terrible for sound. Everything is delayed and bounces around all over the place. The paprazzi around the Boys pre-game was unreal.  More than I have ever seen at a Dodger game. Must have been close to 100 media memebers, photographers around them around home plate for about 30 minutes before SG.  Justyn and Annie Hinsche Wilson were there on the field with the group, lots of hugs and pictures.  The crowd gave thema standing ovation when they were introduced to sing SG.  Everybody around me was saying how good they sounded. No, TWGMTR was not playedon the PA, but the hits were played between every inning.  No BB mercahndise was seen in the stores.  I did not record the performance, wouldhave ben worsethan the tv mix anyway.  In all, this did not do anything to dim my excitment forthe upcoming shows.  It was quite a sight to see the guys together in person after all these years, don't the sound on today's stadium mix

Thanks for the updates, guys!

One more thing, can't believe how slowly Brian is moving around. Doesn't walk as much as shuffle.  Sat in a chair on the field except right as they sang.  Hope this is related to the recent back problem and he will recover soon

That's probably the first time I've seen Mike Love without the hat (for a few minutes).  He looks fine, but watching the interview he seems old.

Am I missing something?

Arrogant? How? I mean, all he's doing is singing. It's not like he's shooting little old ladies at the same time or anything.

Also, the tour is darn well dependent on him. No Foskett = No Brian. No Brian = No reunion tour. It is that simple.

On Surfer Girl you can clearly hear Al and David...plus Brian real up front on that bridge section.

I really hate to be a pessimist, but Brian was moving slow at the SMiLE signing in S.F. a few months ago and kept shifting in his chair. Sounds like he still isn't doing too good. The big gut doesn't help with the back problem either. I seriously hope he'll make it through the busy tour this year. I'm a little concerned about that.

He's old now. It's to be expected. He could definitely be in worse shape for somebody his age, especially after the abuse his body went through during the late 60s, 70s and 80s.

Seems like the past 2 or 3 years though, he's really started showing his age. Except for that beautiful head of hair. Ain't never gonna lose that.

I like those clips. And the Mike interview was fun.
The mix was poor, agreed, but then most BBs TV mixes have been poor over the years. They're a difficult group to mix.

They definitely sang live... No pre-recordings (you can even hear the mic popping).

Brian was fine in the SG bridge. And in those few parts where you can hear the entire group, you can feel -barely- the magic of the sound they can produce.

There's no reason to fear that live mixes during the tour will be anything like this.

I saw him live 8 years ago, and he did not seem an agile walker on stage.

That's why all those stories about walking/running 5 miles a day seem so unbelievable to me.

AGD has posted that Brian just likes to sit. Always has. Look at that Summer of Love video that's been posted -- Brian is sitting in a chair playing a fake bass for most of it! He's been shuffling for a decade at least, maybe more. Yes, it seems like his back isn't great (and it's disappointing to see him big again), but I really doubt it will affect the shows.

He ought to get a personal trainer and work some of that gut off, he'd feel a whole lot better, even at his age.

Mike takes the hat off for the singing of the national anthem.

I could believe them. Doesn't matter how much you exercise if you eat enough birthday cake. And exercise can stimulate appetite, too ...

Mixing was terrible on SG, The SSB was INCREDIBLE. Some of those harmonic parts were mind blowing, man I can't wait for the album! THEN WE KNOW IT WILL BE MIXED WE.....

oh... wait... do I have trust in Joe???? :O

Well, yeah, he sits down during his concerts too, with exception to standing up and playing bass for a couple of songs. And he laid in bed for a few years too!

I see Brian on stage behind a piano for the upcoming gigs, like he was in the 70's and 80's.  Don't think he'll be sitting on a bar stool behind a keyboard this time around, but I could be wrong. Would be really cool if he stood up and played bass for a couple of songs, though.

I hope you're right, Wirestone.

It is a lot of Foskett and I can make out Al in Surfer Girl and the anthem.  The problem with Foskett's voice is it never blended as well with them as Matt Jardine's. It always stuck out and that's what you're getting here.  It's technically great , but lacks the blend and ya he's a little high in the mix but I'm sure the sound people asked ok who's singing lead on Surfer Girl, they answered Foskett so he's up in the mix and they kept the same mix for the anthem.  Mike's voice concerns me more...interesting that in 2 big performances they stayed away from heavy Mike leads. Good Vibes is a lower range.

I think he'd be in much worse shape if he wasn't getting at least SOME exercise. People that age tend to go south (mentally and physically) pretty damn quick when they're mostly idle.

Well, they all look kind of funny but Brian looks bored and annoyed and the stands behind them make it seem like only a handful of people showed up for the game.

This is a better one!
(http://desmond.yfrog.com/Himg808/scaled.php?tn=0&server=808&filename=pdcla.jpg&xsize=640&ysize=640)
http://yfrog.com/mgpdclaj


And another one:

(https://p.twimg.com/AqJ3TciCMAA5HN0.jpg)

And another one:
(http://d3j5vwomefv46c.cloudfront.net/photos/large/558016985.jpg?key=640480&Expires=1334113179&Key-Pair-Id=APKAIYVGSUJFNRFZBBTA&Signature=OjW0SdgxnZVbAJFqRQWDIYn399By4SFsZ9JldU6S5e0wugHPim54qWSacV8tKwv2VsnzAhQw9KQaR7GUlA8NdyH2mOWn3W4lycsnBc4quKjd04XA0yYbqBtOvPGq~1bovgqpKj1xXsSBwJU6mYmdnKUgUpWZQElm~w~Jqu490Zs_)
http://twitpic.com/9888nt

The "Jeff" story I always heard was Jeff knew the neighborhood Brian Wilson lived in, and using the stained glass window on the cover of one of the albums (Wild Honey?) he drove around until he found the stained glass window on the house, then walked up and knocked on the door, Brian answered and they talked for a few minutes.  Later he joined Mike's band but that has nothing to do with him meeting Brian, that was just a 'fan' moment. 

I think once the boys get on tour, they'll have their own sound guy that travels with them who can mix everything properly.  If you say

"BEACH BOYS!"

everybody thinks "FALSETTO"

If you say "WHOS SINGING FALSETTO"

the entire band points at Jeff

The sound guy mixes Jeff as lead, everybody else as background. 

Simple as that.

It's a true story.  I did the same thing.  So.........

Somebody has uploaded video of the anthem from near the right field foul pole:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVENbV2DSN4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVENbV2DSN4)

And then there's this
(http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/IurZT6A3ARszuLn8_AAo0Q--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9aW5zZXQ7aD04NTE7cT04NTt3PTYzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-04-10T224520Z_01_DLM117_RTRIDSP_3_BASEBALL.jpg)
http://sports.yahoo.com/photos/top-mlb-photos-slideshow/beach-boys-band-member-brian-wilson-sits-performing-photo-224520747.html

(http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/u0VysfzdxRV1yPX6A3K4Mw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9aW5zZXQ7aD00MjA7cT04NTt3PTYzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2012-04-10T215753Z_01_DLM00_RTRIDSP_3_BASEBALL.jpg)
http://sports.yahoo.com/photos/top-mlb-photos-slideshow/beach-boys-perform-los-angeles-dodgers-mlb-national-photo-215753295.html

(http://ph.cdn.photos.upi.com/slideshow/lbox/fa68479128ac9d9d5e1754ebf3e72aff/MLB-DODGERS-PIRATES.jpg)
http://ph.cdn.photos.upi.com/slideshow/lbox/fa68479128ac9d9d5e1754ebf3e72aff/MLB-DODGERS-PIRATES.jpg

(http://ph.cdn.photos.upi.com/slideshow/lbox/68bb5a35f38d97e1f62fe275baf20061/MLB-DODGERS-PIRATES.jpg)
http://ph.cdn.photos.upi.com/slideshow/lbox/68bb5a35f38d97e1f62fe275baf20061/MLB-DODGERS-PIRATES.jpg

(http://ph.cdn.photos.upi.com/slideshow/lbox/1959df64ab873242374b9ae262fb9d12/MLB-DODGERS-PIRATES.jpg)
http://ph.cdn.photos.upi.com/slideshow/lbox/1959df64ab873242374b9ae262fb9d12/MLB-DODGERS-PIRATES.jpg

I get what you're saying but there was nothing they could about the crowd...the official start time for the game was 1:10pm and these pictures were from when they first came on the field to do "Surfer Girl"...at about 12:30pm.  So most of the crowd hadn't even gotten to the park yet...and considering these people paid to see a baseball game; there was no urgency to go there earlier to catch the BB perform a song.  I doubt many in the crowd even knew they were going to be there.  Not like us here though!  Thanks for the pics.

Hey is it or is it not a great time to be Beach Boys fans.

these guys sure are getting up there lol

It's a great time..

Obviously

That would be a great avy but I love my current one

See what you have to look forward to? ;)

This is such a cool shot

(https://instagr.am/p/JQgoBxkPhr/media/?size=l)

Sounds nothing remotely like anything having to do with The Beach Boys at all.

man the foskett is way too friggin loud!!  i know the concerts won't be like this but sheesh

I couldn't discern Brian or Mike. Foskett was definitely loud and proud.

If I were in charge of mixing the shows, the first thing I would do is turn Mike's microphone up as high as it would go, so when he starts with his really thin bass vox they'd still rattle the stadium.  He sings great he just doesn't have much power anymore and has turned into a really gentle voice.  Then, I'd mix Al, Bruce, and Brian all together so that theirs were a nice solid backup pad, maybe with Al bumped up a little higher than Bruce and Brian.  David/Scott/Jeff/etc. would be non existant.  lol Brian and Bruce would be forced to sing false whether they liked it or not. 

All this crap about Brian not being able to sing falsetto again is bullshit, and if Brian can do it (he clearly can) there's no way in hell Bruce can't do it.  These senior citizens need a good kick in the seat so they can go out there and actually work for it... no showing up and taking a paycheck, dammit get out there and sweat guys!

Autotuned or whatever, Brian's clearly singing false or pretty damn close to it all over the Disney CD and sounds fucking fantastic.  If it sounds different than he sounded in the early 60's, so be it. 

Interviews/Highlights:  http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/cutfour/article.jsp?content_id=28357722 (http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/cutfour/article.jsp?content_id=28357722)

'nother Surfer Girl.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fceHAQ-Rx-k

I know Bruce still has his falsetto. If you find the video from Imus where they are performing a few songs (including the Make Love, Not War song), Bruce is the one hitting the high part at the end of Fun, Fun, Fun.

Let's hope to hell not. It's great to see them together, but the Grammy's and now this, it's been Foskett galore with a sprinkle of Mike, and pinch of Brian and nothing else.
OMG, the clip stack-o-tracks posted of the mix in the stadium is worse! It's nothing but Foskett and a faint bit of some other voices. When Brian sang, it sounded nice, but that's it. In fact, Foskett was mixed so much up front that you could hear his guitar blaring over Brian on the bridge. Sigh.

I really think it's because they don't have their own sound guy.  Brian's concerts aren't like that, and Mike's concerts don't mix Mike completely out either.  They're just playing strange apperances with sound guys who aren't familiar with or don't care one way or another who's who.  The 'boys are apparently just happy to have the gigs and go along to get along, or don't hear the mix, or whatever. 

Stupid Question:


Today, the Beach Boys all showed up wearing the same shirts.  When was the last time that happened?  Think about that!

I think so too.

I have listened to all available recordings; I heard in on live TV. There is no getting around it: Jeff was like a drunk guy at a show that gets up and pushes the singers out of the way and grabs the mike; it was bad karaoke.  Someone must get him to stop dominating.  I have tried denial; I have tried blaming it on the mix, the sound guys, the position of the stars, the erratic will of Zeus, on Bush and Chaney (and I am a Republican), but you just cannot hear these performances without your face falling to your shoes as you bite your lip to fight back tears. I do not want to see the Jeff Foskett show for 100 bucks a ticket. Today was a disaster, despite how the songs wound up sounding "OK" or "good"  or "solid."  Thus I am revising my initial analysis of the TSSB, in which I thought I heard Al singing out in front (I was wrong).

Face it, Brian is connected to Jeff by umbilical cord - like connectivity. All these tour dates, the look of Brian in that chair? You'd have to be a dreamer to think he'll get through this most ambitious tour without a major hiccup. And it'll only take one. To me, it's so painfully obvious. There's nothing Alan or Mike can do. Hate to be so negative.

Time to cancel the tour, then!


Really? And we can divine this from looking at a photo of Brian in a chair?

He will be fine.

The tour will be fine.

It will not be to everyone's tastes, but Brian will show up and sing his handful of leads, sing some harmonies, and otherwise chill. It's less daunting than any of his solo tours.

The animous thrown at Jeff continues to bewilder me.  The guy gets paid to sing.  He shows up, they decide what he's going to sing, and he does it to the best of his ability.  Hate the sound guy, hate the guys in charge, hate the managers, hate Brian for loving Jeff so much, but dont' hate on Jeff for doing his job. 

Ron, when you're right, you're right.

And you are so right here.

Who said anything about hate? Hate is such an ugly word.

But how can you be so sure?  :-\

Jeff doesn't sound good.  He didn't always sound that bad, but he does now.  He's getting older like everybody else and the high range is the first to go.  His voice was always thin to begin with.  It was okay as a voice for an outfit like Papa Doo Ron Ron (or whatever that surf band he was in is called), but it's not that good for a Beach Boys band (especially for a highly anticipated reunion tour, I know touring outfits in the past varied in quality).  He needs to be doubled by someone in the band.  His voice sounds best when doubled, and that's what was done much of the time in Brian's band.  Hopefully when the full band is together they'll have two or three guys singing the falsetto parts and not just Jeff.

SG & SSB: the safe "Foskett" mix from people who don't usually work with the Beach Boys. No biggie. Won't affect the actual reunion shows, though.

Bizarrely these clips sound more like a tribute band than some of the Mike and Bruce shows.

Hopefully it`s just a blip...

His touring band definitely had a little more oomph in that upper range when performing with Taylor. Would be cool to see some of the kids performing with the band if they are at all interested in that. Maybe there'll be a couple surprises along the way.

Jeff doesn't just dominate the mix, he dominates everything. I've witnessed this first hand, the way he talks to Brian like he's not just a child, but a stupid child. I was shocked. From that point on I've been predisposed not to like the guy. To me he came across as a nasty, arrogant bully. This is in a situation when they thought no fans were present!

There are two sides in the BW camp. The people who treat Brian like a human being, and those who are milking the cash cow. This is not a statement from me, this comes from inside the band. And the inference was that Jeff is on the latter side.

Who knows what goes on, and changes daily in such a complex situation. People have bad days. But what I witnessed was pretty damning.

That's really sad.

I just hope that the 5 BB will perform or sing at least one song alone during the tour. That would be so cool.

One other thing... it seems like the boys just don´t stand close to the mikes??? They should know that to get the voices out there they should do what Jeff does.. HAVE YOUR MOUTH UPCLOSE TO THE MICROPHONE!

But again, that's up to the sound guys to fix. Some people don't work close to the mic, especially if they're used to doing backgrounds.

yeah that´s true. And they probably heard themselves good in their earphones to.

I really doubt jeff abuses Brian like that. Brian needs a minder and Jeff plays that (not easy) role. He seems like a good guy to me and Brian obviously agrees

Can someone please clarify who was the lead vocal on SSB? Everyone is saying it's Foskett but I have no idea what his head voice sounds like, to me it sounded like Al. As for Foskett's falsetto parts, far too shrill and prominent, turn his mike down next time please!

I'm pretty sure that's Jeff, layered with a few other unrecognizable voices.

Al should've taken lead on that one.

So, uhh.. about the new record...  ;D

If Brian bottles a line or freaks out, which, you know, is entirely possible considering he is singing acapella in a baseball stadium with 400 things going on around him, you'll hear Jeff. It's well known Jeff covers Brian on more difficult songs, and this certainly qualifies.

So you know whose fault it is that you hear Jeff so much in this? It's Brian's.

He's not dominating. He's just singing his part like he's told to do, and because his voice is in better shape than any Beach Boy besides maybe Al he is heard more. What's he supposed to do? His job (along with, in this instance, Scott and Cowsill) is to keep a bunch of 70 year old men with varying degrees of decayed voices  together in an extremely high pressure scenario. Of course, the shitty mixing here doesn't help whatsoever, and the absence of Mike and Bruce is inexcusable. But it's all about Brian I suppose.

But absolutely no-one here is ragging on Scott B or Cowsill. Wonder why.....

In the beginning it sounds like Al.. than it sounds like Foskett.. weird. Dunno.

Yeah, I could pick out Al and Jeff most prominently. Jeff kinda takes over as it gets going/Al probably moves to a harmony part.

Exactly! Cowsill has a very powerful voice. I think he's singing unison with Jeff most of the time during SSB.

But enough with the Foskett bashing for me. You can hear layers of beauty underneath the lead and we'll get loads of it in the tour and, specially, the album.

Foskett/Kirsch/Bennett - 100%

Brian/Al - 50%

Mike/Bruce - Are they singing?

have to say I wouldnt be able to recognise David Marks voice but he looks like he is belting out the anthem

I would agree. Tough to single out Bruce and Mike during SSB. You can hear Dave here and there. As well as Brian. Al's the most prominent actual Beach Boy. It's mainly Foskett/Kirsch/Bennett. But the reasons for this are clear, and have nothing to do with the eventual reunion concerts.

The 5 Boys are in pretty good vocal shape these days - it's gonna show on the album and especially when they hit the stage. No worries.

There's no reason not to have Mike audible, his bass vocals would have sounded amazing rolling round that stadium just like they did at the Grammy's. I'm sure it's mainly Cowsill underneath Jeff's vocal when they break away from the unison singing in TSSB.

David hasn't got a really strong voice but it's quite distinctive when you hear him sing lead. He'd do well on a song like Love Surrounds Me...take the hint guys and play it on the tour!  ;)

i think foskett would be better if he just calmed down his delivery a bit.  he doesn't sing it sweetly/softly enough

You know what Murry would have to say to him...  ;D

Nfm.

Thanks for the videos !!

I haven't gone through all the pages, but here are my thoughts.

First, Jeffrey is mixed way too loud and maybe the only one who is real close to the mic. You can see Brian far away from his own at some points. What you can hear of the boys sounds good though. I think I can hear Bruce on Surfer girl and Brian is audible behind Foskett on the anthem. But whoever sticks out, there's that warm and lush bed of harmonies in the background that's so special about the Beach Boys. They seem to be in good shape vocally and after working so much on the album that was to be expected. I said it in another thread, I'm glad that they more or less go from the studio straight on stage because that way their voices are in form. I just hope that the mixes at the concerts are less heavy on Jeffrey. His voice is very important - no question about that. But at this performance it overshadowes the others and doesn't seem part of the bed of harmony. Bring it on guys !

I don't remember seeing Kirsch there.

Kirsch, Cowsill, whatever....  :p No, you're right. Didn't even notice the mistake.

That's because he wasn't there.



Here's an article about yesterday. Is that Carl's son on the last picture?

http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_20368076/beach-boys-and-dodgers-at-50-good-vibrations (http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_20368076/beach-boys-and-dodgers-at-50-good-vibrations)

Yeah Justyn was there with his mum apparently.

Rocker - They seemed to be arranged in a formation in front of home plate; I'm a girl, so please indulge me, but it seems that one half of the guys were on one side of a sort of wind tunnel, where, their voices may have been "blown away" before they even hit the mic. They were all singing. You can tell by their physicality.  The shirts were really cool.  Glad they did that event.  Great kick-off with great back stories.  Lots of kids have worked as ushers just to get to see the ballgames. 

 This is exactly what I mean about Jeff being arrogant!  On multiple occasions, I've seen him go out of his way to be a jerk to several die hard fans.  I've also seen him be down right mean to Brian.

It actually looks like Carl came along for the occasion

They should have asked him up to sing with them, that'd be cool!

:lol
I was thinking the same thing when I saw the video. I'm sure they will get the mixing right for the tour.......................I hope

You won't see "the Jeff Foskett show for 100 bucks a ticket"... No worries, fellow beach bros.  :) I mean, yeah, you will have paid 100 bucks, but you won't see "the Jeff Foskett show".  ;D

Who wants to join the Jeff Foskett fan club.... ;D

Yeah, I've heard Jeff Foskett tortures puppies and laughs. A friend of a friend of a person who once met someone who once knew someone who played in a band with Probyn told me.

As for the mix -- essentially it was Foskett and Cowsill, with little or nothing from anyone else (those who thought it was Al they were hearing were probably hearing Cowsill - he has a similar voice, and takes Al's parts on stage with Mike's band). I don't see any reason to worry though -- an outdoor event, doing only two songs, without their normal sound engineer, with someone trying to balance eight mics in the open air for a baseball stadium PA, that's not going to be anything like the situation at any of the actual gigs. Mike's always been audible at Mike's gigs, Jeff's never overpowered the rest of the band at Brian's gigs -- I don't see it being a problem.

Surfer Girl - The Foskett-Lite Mix.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYyfUCdGTv0

sh*t.  You can clearly hear Brian... all through the song.  

that's better.  "the blend" is back.

Yes that mix is far better. Thank you for posting.  :3d

Yes, that's his mom (and Carls ex-wife and Billy's sister Annie) next to Tommy Lasorda

That's more like it , thanks for posting..

I am real surprised that nobody has mentioned the rather off last guitar chord by DLM , Oopppppps

I'm just having my dinner, and watching a movie, then I'll regail you with my first hand account of what I witnessed. I will attempt to be as unbiased as possible, giving Jeff all benefit of the doubt, based on the circumstances. But bear in mind this is a seven year old memory.

Even on the light mix, Jeff sounds really bad.  He shouldn't even sing on the tour at all if he's going to sound like that.  It could be he's either singing too much lately or has a cold/allergies, but it's bad.  Not just shrill and unpleasant, but not on pitch.  He can play guitar, so it's not like he has to sing.  I definitely hope they don't have him do any leads.  Whichever guy(s) they had singing on the recent Al record release party could sing falsetto much better (videos on YouTube).  They have better people singing falsetto on videos of the Mike/Bruce touring group, too.  To me, one of the weaker parts of Brian's band is the vocals, and Jeff is part of that.

Mike drops 7 different song titles in the first minute of this interview....This must be a new record for him  :)

That "guy" would be Matt Jardine. He sang the falsetto part for the Beach Boys from 1993 until Al left the group.

The video description didn't identify who it was and the camera also kept jumping around so it was hard to tell who was singing falsetto.  Yes, he does a better job than Jeff.  I have heard clips of the Beach Boys after Al left where they had someone doing falsetto parts that sounded better.  Jeff has done a decent if not spectacular job in the past, but I don't think he can do it any longer.  I know he took a lead or two in Brian's band that Brian used to sing, and for the sake of people going to the tour shows, one hopes he won't be doing it with the Beach Boys.

Hardly.  He's getting slow in his old age, usually he can slip 5 or 6 in rapid fire in about 15 seconds or so, the poor guy is starting to slip a little bit with old age.  It's sad to see, the loss of courage as he gets a little farther along, lol. 

I'm intrigued. Can you tell us more? As in, an example of how he was bully-like to Brian? Anything specific or just how we basically know he treats him?

I definitely know what you mean about Foskett/others talking to and treating BW like he's a dumb child. It's apparent on the BW DVD's I've seen. Like when they're working on the new SMiLE, Darian Sanahaja-notgonnaworkhereanymore and Foskett especially kind of treat Brian like he's their senile old grandpa who can't wipe his own ass, talking to him like they literally would a kindergartener.

No...that's his "In The Back Of My Mind" salute...very cool Dave.

This must be in reference to a special, uncut version of the DVD I haven't seen.

I think that was Adrian Baker and I really dislike his falsetto, more Frakie valli than BW.

I've said before I dont think Jeffa falsetto is that good - his hero his Brian and he wants to be like him ap he sings high, but really he's much more of a mid range singer. Personally I like Randall kitsch the best, Matt used to be great but more recent videos I'm not quite sure (he probably still is).

Id give the gig to that kid from the fendertones (check YouTube)! Great BW style falsetto and what a magical thing that would be for him!

I think Foskett is fine as long as he’s properly mixed. I’ve always preferred Matt Jardine, and not because he’s affiliated with Al or any other reason other than I think Matt’s falsetto is the best overall and, just as importantly, blends the best with the BB’s. I don’t know if it’s a family thing or what, but he has the least affected falsetto of anybody I’ve heard in touring BB bands.

I’d rank Matt first, then Foskett, then Adrian Baker a distant third. Baker actually managed to sound worse than the other BB’s at the infamous Queen Mary TV gig in 1981, and everybody was sounding off at that show. His brief second stint in 1990/91 sounded better, but as many have said, much too Valli-esque.

I can’t rank Kirsche since I haven’t heard him too much. Actually saw him play with Al’s band in 2000 (he was a one-time fill-in), but I don’t think he even sang at all, just played bass.

I think Matt Jardine just has a more pleasant singing voice in general as compared to Foskett. Foskett has a specific tone, a bit nasaly and a bit more jarring, whereas Matt is a bit more smooth and rounded. Matt is also, I’m guessing, a good 5-10 years younger than Foskett as well, so that might give his voice a bit more youth to it.

In any event, I was hoping Matt would be part of the reunion tour, regardless of whether they have him do the falsetto parts.

Where does Christian Love rank for you guys?

This happened in 2005.

I got backstage several hours before a show in Liverpool. I met a lot of the band members who were very kind and gracious to me, as they had enjoyed one of my albums. I met Brian, who was in great spirits, clapped me on the back and had a bit of banter about the weather with me. When I was introduced to Jeff however, he looked at me dismissively, turned away, and announced it was time for the sound check.

A band member had previously been saying to me there were a lot of  politics going on at the moment, and there were two very different sides in the BW camp, and there was a difference in the way Brian was treated. I'll be honest here and not embellish this, as I do not remember great details on this conversation. I do remember it was very much a "them and us" type of dialogue. Jeff was not specifically mentioned, but I must have had some reason to think he was speaking negatively of Jeff.

I asked the band member to whom I was speaking if I could attend the soundcheck, and he said yes. Wow, what an honour, my own private BW concert! They rehearsed some instrumental tracks, then Brian wandered on and sat down at his keyboard. Jeff said "Right, lets rehearse so and so". Brian said, "no, I want to rehearse blah blah" Jeff, trying to be patient, but as if speaking to a child, "No Brian, we need to rehearse this, we only have x amount of time, we're doing this, OK"

Then they rehearse "Tell Me Why", (it's Liverpool).  Jeff says "Brian, you need to learn your harmony, listen, I'll sing it to you"
                                                                                  Brian says "I know it already"
                                                                                  Jeff - (becoming more irritated,) "Brian, let me just sing it to you, we don't have a lot of time".
                                                                                  Brian - " I know it". He sings the lower harmony perfectly.

Then comes the vocal level tests. Brian, staring into space, doesn't hear the sound guy call "Brian". He calls again. Jeff shouts, with an angry, irritated look on his face "Brian, please pay attention, we need to get the levels" Brian barks his note.

Now, in fairness to Jeff, they obviously were up against it time-wise, and I was also rather put out by him snubbing me. And also, seeing it written down here, it may not seem he was being that rude to Brian. But honestly, if you'd heard it you would have been shocked at the withering "look what I have tio put up with" way that he spoke to Brian. I honestly felt like jumping on the stage, shaking him and saying "Who pays your bloody wages?"

Now it may well be that in order to get Brian to do something, you need to be hard with him. I'm sure Dr Landy would agree with this. But to witness it first hand was horrible.

It may also be true that Jeff was having a bad day or something, as I know some of you have met him and he was lovely. Bear in mind though, Jeff did not know there was an audience.

There, and I've tried to be as unbiased and fair to Jeff as possible, but ever since then I've had no time for the guy. So for me personally, the Grammys and the Dodgers have been spoilt by having this guy hogging the sound.

I really like Christian, on some songs more than others. Check out the version of God Only Knows with him on lead if you haven't heard it, the timbre of his voice is quite similar to Carls. You can tell he's family and his voice would fit the blend perfectly but I hear he wasn't into being part of the 50th.

He is alright.  He does REMIND one of Carl, but that is as far as I can go with that.  Since we're talking falsettos here, I've never heard Christian try falsetto that I know of.  One name I never heard mentioned as a possible vocalist that DOES sound similar to Carl is his son Justyn

this doesn't seem too bad of a story.

Well, I said I'd be honest about it, but also that you had to be there. Some vibes cannot be conveyed.

Sorry if folk were expecting to hear about Jeff beating Brian with a big, black dildo

Just listened to both songs for the first time. They sounded good overall. The mixes were a bit Jeff heavy, but we're probably the only people in the world that would notice. Remember the purpose of a performance like this; they're trying to drum up publicity about the reunion to the general public. They're trying to take what they have and make it sound the most like 60s Beach Boys as possible. That means close harmonies with a distinct falsetto on top. This is what will sell the most concert tickets. It probably wouldn't have been a smart move to count on Bruce or Brian to sing that part under the circumstances and end up underwhelming thousands of people. Instead the play it safe and underwhelm the few of us, who already bought tickets 2 months ago.

Of course it could have been better. The mix could have been better, they could have Matt doing the high stuff instead, they could add a second person on the bass parts to help fill out the sound, but working with what they have they did a good job. I would consider this an overall success, and man, was it good to see them all together like that.

Nope. There are worse ones, though. Apparently in the first tour, folks backstage were treated to a full-scale berating of Brian over the quality of his performance in the first set. (The folks doing the berating were not named.)

Brian and his circle of folks are very complicated and codependent. That being said, part of Jeff's job is running interference for Brian. That means acting like a heavy occasionally, which I'm sure isn't pleasant. And he likely resents Brian at times -- it's no doubt hard taking care of a guy who acts so willfully helpless. That's a very human response.

"this doesn't seem too bad of a story."

Not good either, but if the show's sh*t because they don't regearse properly, what do you say?  You blame Foskett anyhow, I guess. Doesn't AGD say BW doesn't do anything he doesn't want to?  He could always fire Foskett

Jeff's "pitch" was perfectly fine -- maybe the vocal blend of all the singers was not the best, but, c'mon people, they were singing at a baseball stadium, for cryin' out loud, probably the WORST place in the world to be performing vocal music.

GEEZ

Jeff was purposely made significantly louder than everyone else. anyone who thinks otherwise is being too idealistic. don't blame it on the baseball stadium.

but this still doesn't matter for any part of the tour except for the group choruses and Brian leads. it's not like Jeff is going to be singing over Mike on Surfin' USA or something.

exactly what I said  last night.  I was there, the sound was delayed and bouncing all over the place.  Nobody ever sounds good there

I kind of wish Matt Jardine was a part of this!

Thanks for the story...I can appreciate what you wrote because I totally got the "cold" Jeff once too.  I was at a BW meet and greet and right as I walk in waiting to have Brian sign my Surf's Up album, Jeff looked at me and said "What's your favorite Beach Boy song??"  His tone was demeaning and untrusting--he made it seem like I didn't belong there and that I wasn't a real fan.  My first response was "Vegatables."  He asked "Why?"  What the hell was this...an interrogation?  Was there a questionairre I was supposed to fill out before this?  No answer I gave him pleased him and I could tell that in his head he had written me off.  We left and went back to our seats.  I was so disturbed by this that I went back to the backstage area, asked the security guard to ask if Jeff to come out and speak with me.  The security guard didn't know any better so he did.  I wanted to apologize and ask if there was anything I did.  Jeff comes out and says "I'm way too busy right now.  I can't talk.  You did nothing wrong...I gotta go!"  It soured my meeting with Brian and I couldn't focus on the show.  I've "gotten over" it since then but it's still a memory I don't like to revisit....

Hmm.

That's your story? Jeff asked you two questions -- none of which were particularly rude or intrusive -- and it hurt your feelings?

And it hurt your feelings so much that you demanded to speak to Jeff again because you wanted some sort of closure? Really?

And this proves Jeff is a bad, manipulative man?

 This is the type of behavior that I've seen from Jeff at every BW show I've been to.  I remember one show where Jeff came out into the audience during the intermission and stood in front of the stage as if he were waiting for fans to approach him.  Many did, and Jeff seemed to enjoy telling them that they were not going get any autographs.  It really made me wonder why he came out into the audience in the first place... weird.  

 But on a more positive note, I do have to say that every other band member I've encountered in both The Beach Boys and in Brian Wilson's band have been wonderful!

All this is why I just enjoy the music and not dying to be on the inside. It can be great and at times very disapointing.

I never said he was a bad, manipulative man.  Just because my story came after post after post of people railing on him on account of his loud vocal at the Dodgers game doesn't mean that I was joining in on the proceedings.  Another poster mentioned a story and it reminded me of mine, I was just sharing not adding to the fire.  I simply labeled Jeff as cold and like the other poster mentioned, no amount of writing can convey the vibes in the room.  The group with me all were asking what I had done to piss Jeff off when he confronted me by practically asking me to show my "fan badge"." The exhcange  may have come off as benign here in writing, but the hostility was palpable and it was noted by the people around me.  Nothing more.  Yeah, I'm the bad guy because I felt terrible about the situation and wanted to apologize to him.   ::)

Sounds to me like he was trying to suss you out as a scalper or somesuch.

I eventually went with that theory, pixletwin.  The other idiots I was with had that vibe about them so Jeff may have assumed I was with them and doubted why I should have been back there at all.   I went in with that group only because  that was how we were positioned outside at our seats. 

Maybe he just wanted to talk to the fans but didn't want any further hassle? Maybe he was looking for someone he knew in the audience? Maybe he wanted to see what the venue was like from the audience side?

To counter these, I've met Jeff twice myself and both times he was very polite, he signed autographs (including a live bootleg CD I had) and did nothing to upset me in the slightest. But then again, all of these stories of how terrible he is seem to consist of him behaving perfectly reasonably but giving off an 'odd vibe' or something. Given that studies have shown that most people are much, *much* worse at picking up nonverbal signals than they think they are (and that people can give off bad nonverbal signals based on things like being from a different country or having some neurological issues, none of which affect what kind of person they are) perhaps the benefit of doubt is in order?

It's rather unfair to judge someone based on the times you get to meet them when they're busy doing something else. I've met Bruce Johnston three times, for example. The first time, he was incredibly friendly, outgoing, and charming. The second time, he was polite at first but then made a couple of jokes which could have, had I been the kind of person to take offence, seemed quite personally offensive toward me (I choose to take them as merely ill-advised attempts at banter). The third time, I didn't speak to him but he was unutterably rude to two other fans who were nearby. "Is" Bruce a lovely, friendly man who'll do anything for the fans or a complete arsehole? Probably a bit of both. Like most of us.

I have no great love for Jeff Foskett -- I think he's a decent singer, but both Scott Totten and Matt Jardine are better at singing those parts, and from what little I know of the BW band internal politics (all third-hand gossip) it sounds to me like he's a negative force as far as things like song selections go. But the abuse he's getting is out of all proportion to the actual 'offence'.

He's the effing band leader  for Chrissakes.  I'm surprised he didn't have security run you off as a potential stalker.  That's what I would have done.

 :3d

Thanks for the tip.   :-\ I was bothered by how he treated me during the first meeting not later when I tried to apologize.  If you're looking for a person who hates Jeff and wishes him to be out of the band--that ain't me.  I've posted many times on this board asking what really is the problem people have with Jeff.  I like his singing and have no issue with him as a performer.  This story just popped into my head because someone else shared a story and it conjured up my experience. 

You don't have the Mike Love, Not War b**t, I take it. Christian takes Carl's falsetto part on "Brian's Back", and sounds really, really like him.

Actually, Mertens is the bandleader these days.

Very nice. Thanks for sharing. How did you do that ?

okay
I stand corrected!

But, wow, I am just surprised that a professional musician like Jeff, who is a major part of Brian's show, would even come out because a fan asked a security guard to summon him!

okay WOW

I mean, c'mon, Jeff answered your "summons" and you were still unhappy?

There was no summoning.  There was some kind of misunderstanding earlier so I wanted to apologize for it.  I extended myself to apologize to him....so, how am I the bad guy here? 

Speaking as a complete outsider who has never met the band, I think Jeff gets an unfair rap.  He does not have an easy job and I think he handles it fairly well.

Like Brian, my brother experiences auditory hallucinations and is medicated for it. You have no idea how quickly minding for someone with that condition can turn you into a narc and a terrible nag, especially when you are around them all the time like Jeff is. Think of how difficult it must be for Brian to stay aware and on task when he has so many internal and external distractions (and, possibly, general disinterest). Unfortunately, it falls into Jeff’s lap to keep him on track, even if that means dragging him along and losing some tact.

I know it must be horrifying to see this dynamic at play, especially when the person you perceive to be demeaned is a hero to you.  But could Brian tour successfully without someone playing that part? (whether or not he should be touring is another debate entirely) From what I’ve seen, Jeff’s nagging is always in effort to get Brian to appear at his best to the world. And I’ve never heard Jeff brag about his position.

In summation, I do not think that the examples provided should lead anyone to believe that Jeff is bad.

BRING BACK ADRIAN BAKER!!!

That Jeff has 2 mildly, borderline, 'somebodymightbelying' bad stories on a messageboard, weighed against the dozens of good stories I've heard about him, I'm going to go ahead and conclude that he's a human being like the rest of us with a saint and a sinner in him at the same time.

Sounds good to me (and although it's ridiculously easy for people to hide behind a lie on the internet--I don't participate in that behavior!).  I may have just caught him during an off day or moment.  He may have suspected the group I was with weren't real fans so he singled me out (they all looked like Ebay re-sellers).  Nothing more.  I regret sharing the story now but ah well there it is.  I apologize to any member who was offended by it.

That one is not in my catalog, sir.  Fair enough.I will graciously step aside with that opinion.

Shouting at Brian kile he's an annoying child, and looking at someone you've just been introduced to, and then blanking them is reasonable in your book?

I agree, but the signals Jeff were giving off here where pretty blatant

In my post I tried very hard to give an unbiased account, and also not exaggerate it to my own ends. I'm not bothered about him snubbing me, and it was most definitely a calculated snub, but it did help shape my opinion of him, obviously. Honestly Andrew, the way he spoke to Brian was quite shocking. I'm sure I'm not alone on this board in feeling quite protective of Brian. If I worked for him, or with him, shouting at him is something I would never do.


Yes, you're probably right. I think the key thing here, as you say, is seeing your hero demeaned. But it's hard for me to change my mind after seeing it first hand.

Your personal experiences are very offensive to me, so please refrain from ever telling an anecdote about something that happened to you EVER AGAIN.

When people have posted pictures of personal appearances by Brian at record stores, not at concerts, I've noticed that Jeff has been in some of those photos.  Does Jeff do that out of the goodness of his heart, as it were, or is he paid for it, or a combination of both?  What I'm driving at is that he could be some type of minder, or he could be doing it as a friend.  That relationship goes back over thirty years.  It's hard to know if it's something Brian wants or his management or family wants it that way.  In any case, Jeff has seen Brian during his worst days so it's possible he doesn't expect the best.  It could be it's the detriment or the benefit of Brian, and it's impossible to say which it is.  

Yes, I'm pretty sure one of Jeff's jobs is "minding" Brian. But I'm sure he does it because he loves the guy, so yeah, out of the goodness of his heart as well.

How can that be? Are you gifted?

NO, I'MMA LIBERAL  ;D

You a'rre? OK, whatever.

Is it possible Jeff shouts because Brian is half-deaf?  He's been deaf for life in one ear and may not hear as well with his good ear after a lifetime of playing concerts.  If you've ever been around older people who are losing their hearing, it can be frustrating because when they can't hear you, they ask you to repeat what you said, and you often find yourself repeating it loudly and e-nun-ciat-ing ve-ry slow-ly in hopes they can understand you.  The older person then sometimes gets offended and feels like you're talking to them like a child or disrespecting them, when really all you're doing is trying to help them, because they need you to speak louder and make your syllables more distinct.  

Nah, I was just trying to rustle some jimmies by implying that liberals get offended easily.

But yeah, I'm gifted. I can rub my stomach and pat my head at the same time while standing on one leg.

I believe (and AGD or someone else can correct me here) that Jeff is the only full-time member of the BW band, and it's because of these various body-guard style duties.

I think what we're all getting at is: with Jeff's various bodyguard-like duties etc, he's not exactly the guy we want to have to suffer through basically fronting the band! It's kind of like if Stan Love had been up there singing cranked up way higher than the Beach Boys simply because he "works there"

I have no opinion of Jeff as a person but I don't like his voice, he sounds nothing like Brian or a Beach Boy (so he's the worst guy to be stunt-doubling Brian) Matt Jardine sounded like he belonged there. It is an important point.

That's more or less my feeling on him - I'm sure he's a good guy who has a very trying job, I just don't think his falsetto works well in the blend a lot of the time.  If we were somehow able to take the personal/political dynamics out of play, I'm sure they could find a more appropriate falsetto singer to cover those parts (be in Christian Love, Matt Jardine, whoever), but Jeff has that job locked up for the foreseeable future.  The best we can hope for is that he isn't overly prominent at the shows and (more importantly) on the album.

These stories don't sound so bad, with the exception of IHA's. But, hell, I bet it can't be easy working with BW sometimes. He can make it very difficult for his band just by dragging his feet (see the Smile DVD), and he's never been the kind of guy to just outright say 'No' to anybody. It's passive-aggression. And having to keep reasonable at all times in the light of that might look like you're being patronising or whatever, but I guess the alternative is getting angry and that'd be even worse, Stan & Rocky levels of 'hell, no'.


Still, that sounds like a pretty uncool thing to witness and I'm not doubting that.

There must be an anti-nepotism policy keeping Beach Boys' offspring out of the reunion band.  So, no Matt Jardine or Christian Love.  

Matt doesn't sound like that anymore live, sadly. Recent YT clips show that time has not been kind to his instrument. So you have to pick your poison, knowing it won't be to everyone's taste. Foskett has always struck me as a decent, acceptable sub on the falsetto parts. Obviously, yes, he does have a bit of a synthetic, I-can't-believe-it's-not-Brian sound, but it's never grated on me that much.

The other thing is, which no one ever acknowledges, is that Jeff had a perfectly acceptable career on his own as a singer and songwriter (number three in Japan!). It's not like he was a janitor or anything. He was capable of supporting himself, and he was well-regarded in the years before BW's band began. I have enjoyed a lot of his solo records. No one went into Brian's band thinking it would turn into 10 years-plus of their lives. I mean, the band basically ended the Wondermints' career.

In an effort to balance things, I'm a big fan of Jeff and part of that has to do with how nice he was to me when I met him (after Brian's opening set at one of the shows they played with Paul Simon).  I stood in line for Brian's autograph and after getting it, I walked over to Jeff who was standing nearby and asked him to sign my ticket stub.  While he was definitely "cold" to me, he obliged and chatted with me about different stuff including his (new at the time) version of "Everything I Need".  I told him I planned on ordering the album (12 x 12) once I got my bank account (and check card) back on track.  (I don't use actual credit cards and the overdraft on my account meant I couldn't use my check card for a while.)  It wasn't a sob story but he told me to send him an e-mail with my info, which I did the next day.  Then a couple days later I was very pleasantly surprised to find a complimentary copy of the CD in my mailbox!

Later I found out that like a number of singers out there, he tries to speak as little as possible when on the road, especially before shows, to keep his voice in better shape and figured that may have something to do with his seeming "curt" to many people, especially since I myself even got that vibe, before I realised his continuing our conversation led me to believe he had no problem with me; which was confirmed later by his generosity.

So while I do like me some Matt Jardine (a lot) and respect his family connection to the group, for me, Jeff's the guy I want up there with Brian, singing those falsetto parts, and with a 31 year history with the band, I'd say he's practically family as well; especially for Brian!

...just my two cents. :-\

I am ridiculously tempted to start a joke thread entitled 'The Fictional Crimes of Jeff Foskett' but it would probably turn into this again.

Maybe Jeff's done dirt, and deserves to be in the band because of what he's put up with.

Maybe sometimes when he goes to pick Brian up, Brian's naked. 

I heard one time Jeff coughed into his hand and then continued cooking dinner without washing the germs off.

I tried that several years ago when the Melinda-bashing got out of control. The thread was a beaut, but its title (which I shan't repeat here) was perhaps a bit much. Do a bit of Googling and you'll run across it.

Interestingly, it ended up purging a lot of the poison about her. Funny -- I've heard much less about Melinda's evils since the board started ragging on Jeff. At least it's less sexist!

It could be. I've said before that of all the falsetto BB sidemen these days, my vote goes to Kirsch. He has an unaffected, clean, delivery, a thick sound throughout his high range. Also, a low profile that won't take away from the spotlight any original member.

Nevertheless:
Jeff is an extremely competent singer, and a more than skilled guitarist. He can fill in for everybody with the exception of Mike. He has the trust of every original BB on this tour. He's worked with them all. His story with them goes way back. Brian trusts him and relies entirely on Jeff and, as Wirestone puts it, this reunion would not happen without Jeff. He had Carl's total musical support when he joined the band (when Carl came back into the BBs, he audioned Jeff doing Warmth of the Sun).

To me, he seems like a genuinely nice guy witha dream job that must, at times, be hard to bear. And he must be very good and reliable at what he does, given how many years he's been doing it.

Stage 1. Bashing Mike Love (lasted about 35 years)

Stage 2. Bashing Melinda (lasted 10 years)

Stage 3. Bashing Jeff (ongoing)

I wonder who'll be the next recipient of the fans' rage.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2128545/Beach-boys-More-like-Silver-Surfers-Reunited-sixties-boyband-sing-U-S-national-anthem-Dodgers-match.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

The Beach Boys are old??

I think everybody's going to get the steak knives out for poor little Al next.  If they ever start going after Al, that's gonna be the last straw, it'll be all out war.  LEAVE AL ALONE.

I tell ya, if they go after Al, I'll take no prisoners. It'll be bloodbath all the way.

Time to stop our panic. . . . .let hope for the best, Dodger stadium notwithstanding.

.

What a rag

You're not. :)

Maybe the mafia connections could help out.



Was that too soon? :D

JEFF FOSKETT FEATURING THE BEACH BOYS I LOVE EHT I WANT SOME MORE OF EHT

I say let's end the Jeff Foskett discussion. We've probably hurt his feelings pretty bad by now.  :-\

Yep. I sometimes wonder if those BB people need antidepressants after they read BB message boards.


Unjustified and one of the saddest things in BB history IMHO.
He didn't deserve that.

Can we start a petition for Jeff NOT to sing Funky Pretty on the tour?

Okay its official, Jeff is the anti-christ. ::)

Doesn't he still get a lot of flack from Brian fans? I have to admit I didn't like Mike at first because the first impression you get from many fans is that he is everything wrong about the Beach Boys and Brian is the only good one in the group. ::) I'm glad this perception has changed for most in the last 15 years particularly for Carl and Dennis, even David Marks has risen a lot in stature to BB fans! Mike still seems to be the guy who many people seem to bash though. >:(

That was a very insightful and interesting read. Thank you for posting that story! But that's such a shame the way he talked down to the genius like that. I can picture it happening.

You guys are a riot!  I've never heard this expression: "rustle some jimmies".  FUNNY!

 ;D

Mike Love Is God!

 :afro

New album title: The Fantastic Five-  Rise Of the Silver Surfers

The Daily Mail is an old Nazi newspaper.

Come onnnnnn. Mr. Positivity? He deserves some of it.

There is much more on-record to smh at for Mike than for Foskett and Melinda. Everything on them is just he said/she said.

Back around 1990 or so I DID get run off by the manager at the time. Chaz somedody. Kicked me right out of the dressing room. I had been standing in line for a chair massage and he said OUT. Since I was fully credentialed, you should have seen the look on his face as I was chatting with Carl after the show as the band was loading in the limos. Worked everytime, but he started recognizing me at so many concerts in the Midwest.

Chaz Yost, Road Manager.  Matt Sheppard (who passed away from cancer like so many in the Beach Boys' camp) was the Tour Manager at the time and, in my experience, a much more accommodating guy.   Joel Gast, Assistant Tour Manager, was also a very accomodating guy.  What is a chair massage? Why were you waiting for one backstage?

You sit in a special chair and a massage therapist works you over. No laying down. And it's because Al said it was OK. I did Alan a huge favor back in the mid-80's here in KC.

No kidding.  I guess I missed out on those....

Oh no! What drug did you score him some of?

Not hardly.
It had to do with getting several members of his extended family in the show. I believe he said they were from Kansas. Anyway it all worked out and I got a bonus from my employer.

A bonus of drugs?

One of my best friend's dads (who knew Al in high school) ran into Al at some hamburger stand in Vegas in the mid 70's and Al asked him for a ride to the Beach Boys show that night!!!!!

AGD should know what year this was and what hamburger stand and what Al ordered.

Was it drugs?

You mean, was the hamburger stand a front for some drug operation and Al was perhaps either a customer or mule?

If I were to make a final statement on the issue of Jeff, and if I thought anyone with authority in arranging, mixing and producing the band's sound live, or recorded for that matter, I would speak as follows.

I am deeply concerned that Jeff, as displayed in both the Grammys and, much more markedly, at Dodger stadium, is singing and playing as if he were a lead singer or a solo act, with the dear, still mighty BB reduced to merely a faint echo in the background.

Many fans are disconcerted if not deeply crestfallen at this, and we fear that in his desire to contribute to the reunion, Jeff had misunderstood his artistic and historical role.

Please let us hear the BB as they are today and make this historical reunion as authentic and as full of true artistry as possible.

Proof of the legitimacy of my claim and concern is amply provided by listening to the TV feeds of the aforementioned performances.  Who could hear them and not be deeply troubled by Jeff's dominance and his poignantly tragic drowning out of the BB?.

I just hope that whoever has been producing these performances realizes before the actual concerts start that people are showing up to hear Brian, Mike, Al, Bruce and David sing and not some sort of bizarre ventriloquist act.  I don't mind Foskett as part of the blend and to sing underneath Brian...but he should not be getting leads and his mic should be turned way down.

it's so bizarre that Foskett is so dominant on these mixes. sigh.

Dennis Wilson's death was poignantly tragic.
Since then, the Beach Boys/Brian Wilson trip has been more of a, in John Lennon's words, "half shut your eyes and pretend" deal. With some moments of genuine artistic success scattered among the ensuing years.
Expecting anything more than a whitewash at this point is expecting more than the group could, or would, ever deliver. And if they did hit us with a cold dose of reality, the majority of their audience would walk out. After the early years, whenever the band has made a brave artistic move, they have been rewarded with lesser attention and sales (save Good Vibrations).
Bob Dylan's audience wants reality, and they get it. The Beach Boys' audience, in the main, wants the dream and they'll get it. And as dreams go, I'm sure it will be worth the ticket prices for those who like that sort of thing. You know, such as those who pay large sums to see Paul McCartney play old, moldy Beatles flipsides while his band members sing in fake Liverpudlian accents. Me, I'd rather hear No More Lonely Nights.

At least Paul SINGS those damn songs and doesn't seem to lose sleep over whether or not he flubs a note or his aging voice cracks. He's freaking Paul McCartney for Chris's sake and people pay to see and hear him, and he give them what they paid for!

I keep going back to them just losing the falsetto if it means audiences have to put up with a bad copy! (can't call Jeff a carbon copy because he doesn't sound like Brian or a Beach Boy at all)! I could get up there and sound more like a Beach Boy than Jeff!

This might be a bad comparison but Brian Johnson of AC/DC has basically NEVER hit some of those high notes in their canon live. He's pretty much always adjusted the parts since day one and that hasn't stopped AC/DC from selling out every place they play for the last 30+ years. I think Beach Boys fans would deal with a falsetto-less (or falsetto compromised) Surfer Girl or whatever the hell else if they get to see and hear their beloved Beach Boys singing. I really hope someone from their camp is paying attention here...

Then again: perhaps Jeff is simply trying to keep the ship from sinking at appearances like Dodger Stadium. We can't blame him if they rehearse with everyone belting out and then they get up there and Brian and the other guys, for whatever reason, don't bring it. We can't blame him to stepping it up.

Jesus, people.  If you honestly are crazy enough to believe that Foskett is trying to maliciously "take over" the Beach Boys, you really should consider going outside and allowing some of that oxygen to return to your brain.  It's really not that hard to understand: Foskett is the only one in this group that can pull off the high parts well.  And the high parts are the lead in the harmonies.  Sure, his vocals seemed to be dominating the live mixes, but would you rather be hearing a half-conscious Brian Wilson muttering some half-hearted vocals instead?  If I were trying to pull off a successful reunion tour and album, I sure as hell wouldn't. 

Foskett and the rest of BW's band are really the backbone of this operation: they're the ones that are doing the heavy lifting with the harmonies.  The current Beach Boys line-up (Brian, Mike, Al, Bruce & Dave) simply can't do it themselves.  Be glad Foskett and crew are there.  They're the ones making these harmonies sound good. 

Tell us more about how all of these fans feel. Surely we have a lot to learn.

What do you mean with on-record, written in books by people who were not there back in the day and just invent and copy stuff that was written in other books?

It's like the thing that Mike once asked Van Dyke Parks what "Over and over..." means which developed to the statement that he didn't support Brian during the SMiLE sessions. The truth is, Mike told what he honestly thought but still sang and supported. Same for Pet Sounds.
Allegedly, some Beach Boys wouldn't show up or leave SMiLE vocal sessions. The truth: The only BB who cancelled SMiLE sessions was Brian. I think he even left VDP alone with a studio full of violin players. Although I'm not even sure if that's true, because it was written in the same book that mentions a fight between Brian & Mike over Redwood + "Time To Get Alone" which isn't true either.
Mr. Positivity - I think one of the things that made the BB work was that there were different personalities. The group needed a positive force, self-confident frontman like Mike as much as a crazy genius like Brian. Wouldn't have worked with five troubled souls like Dennis & Brian.

Ugh.  I don't agree.  Brian's band really is not that good in the vocal department, Jeff Foskett in particular.  He sounded really bad at that Dodger Stadium performance, to the point they really should not have done "Surfer Girl" if they were forced to give him the lead.  They could have done "California Girls" instead, where he'd just do a backing part instead of a lead. I also think that's an insulting thing to say about Brian.  He can't really do falsetto too much anymore, but don't say he's half-conscious when he clearly is doing the best he can and does most of the leads at his solo shows, even now.  Also note that Brian sounded fine on the Grammy performance of "Good Vibrations" when you hear the YouTube audience recordings, where he was not mixed down by the house sound man.  It was the TV broadcast sound man who turned Jeff way, way up.  Brian sings better than Jeff at this point, on songs where falsetto is not dominant.  The band also sounded pretty good on the National Anthem, where Jeff was not turned way up and his voice was more blended in.  He's okay as a back-up singer, but shouldn't take leads.  They really need to find another lead falsetto singer for the tour if none of the old guys are up to it, because Jeff sure isn't.

Maybe they were all standing at the wrong microphones and Jeff ended up at the one with the volume turned up the loudest?

Or it's just a conspiracy and this whole tour is just a Jeff Foskett solo tour utilizing teh Beach Bros as the backing band.

"Bob Dylan's audience wants reality, and they get it."

I've been to great Dylan shows in the last few years where he's really up for it and actually sings; I've been to others where the band caries him and he displays no interest whatsoever, almost Brian-like.  The bulk of the audience don't seem to care,  It's Bob Dylan and he's singing THOSE songs that are part of our cultural heritage.  As for his recent recorded stuff... I can take or leave the faux-Crosby crooning; mostly I can leave the endless chugging bar room boogie stuff. Leave that to J. J. Cale (and I'll leave that too). As for all the fuus about him lifting other people's lyrics, other people's prose for his 'autobiography' and other people's artwork... Hey, he's post-modern.  Always has been. But reality? No.  It's Dylan's current reinvention  of himself.

Nevermind. All's I'm gonna say is that yes, Jeff's voice is completely overbearing and yes, he does sing every part as if he's the lead vocalist. Fans and non-fans alike are saying the same, and because of him shadowing Brian etc. they're saying Brian, Mike, David, Al, and Bruce can't perform anymore, and that's not true at all.

I really wish they would just change the keys of some of this stuff and have the original members loud and up front - no one expects them to sound as they did 40-50 years ago. To those saying this will change the feel of the original compositions, I say having someone whose voice is so overbearing, who is consistently mixed so high, and whose voice clashes so much with the other people singing does more of a disservice to the songs than merely changing the key. Jeff would be fine if he would just take it down a few levels and be mixed appropriately, but he chooses not to on the former and very likely played a hand in the decision for the latter. I hate to speak ill of someone I don't know, which is why I deleted my original post, but the guy is compromising something I love and I'm far from the only one who feels that way.

Brian, Mike, David, Al, and Bruce all still sound great, it's a slap in the face to everyone involved AND the fans to have things continue the way they are. The situation is just really sad and frustrating.

I'm happy for people to like Jeff, and defend him. It's all part of the rich tapestry of BB fandom. However, the thought police on this board have now turned on those of us who, for whatever reason, don't care much for Jeff Foskett.

I took on board what a lot of people, particularly Ivy, had to say. It must be hard to defend, protect and coerce Brian Wilson into doing his job, and I witnessed that frustration. And I don't for one minute believe he is consciously trying to take over the band. This is a sound mixing issue, and I doubt the performers have much say in these decisions.

But many of us don't like the fact that we're not hearing the Beach Boys. Jeff has a place in the mix, but when all you can hear is Jeff, and people are saying "no, don't worry guys, i can just make out Al's voice", seriously, is that enough?

And if they really can't sing anymore, maybe they shouldn't be doing this reunion. Maybe it is just about topping up their retirement funds. However, Brian and Mike's reconcillition seems genuine, and for that I am very happy.

I have faith that it will not be the case on the reunion shows, but yes, it's far from ideal. I think claiming that Jeff is taking over the group is absolutely fucking absurd, though.

It's funny, I never really had an opinion on the guy until everybody here kicked off.  ::)

Well, I think we're all united in wanting this reunion to go well. For some of us this means taking a critical viewpoint, others at times adopt a "empowers new clothes" stance, then we all swap round!

Endowed emporers may feel empowered.

I don't get the "lower the key of the songs and/or do without the falsetto" comments. Or maybe those that submit that idea don't get the BB's music.

The whole BB catalogue is harmony-dominated and driven. There's harmony stacks everywhere. There's a certain relation between the lead and its backgrounds. You don't change keys easily in that context. You kill the bass line, to begin with. Or, If you drop the falsetto leads down an octave, it'll sound like sh*t,  the former high lead clashing against the mid-range harmony parts.

In other words: don't you people realize how heavily your favorite music is built upon tight arrangements?  And that changing a crucial part of them would mess up the whole? They would have to rearrange their entire setlist to produce a sh*t-sounding result.

This ain't a Bob Dylan freakin' folk song. This is the Beach Boys, dammit.

What's not to get about changing keys from F down to Eb, or some other transposition? If no one in the group can execute the falsetto parts, bring in ringers, which they do. You can have harmony stacks in any range. No one has suggested that they sing low end triads.

Well, of course the people arguing for key changes are also arguing that they *shouldn't* have extra singers. But that aside, if you change the key down a tone, you're not only bringing the high end down, you're bringing the low end down too. Mike's voice is quite weak these days, and he may not be able to hit extremely low notes.

At some point, those arguing for the band to sing without assistance are going to have to face reality. The Beach Boys *were* one of the greatest -- if not *the* greatest -- vocal groups of all time. But that was before Brian lost his top end completely (and he can't keep pitch wonderfully even in the range he's still got), Carl died, and Bruce's voice roughened and became much quieter.

I'm absolutely certain that when we see an actual show, we'll have a better mix than we've seen so far. But I also know what that mix will be -- there'll be a prominent five-part harmony stack of Totten, Foskett, Cowsill, Al and Mike, and a lower-in-the-mix wash of everyone else. Obviously we'll be able to hear Brian, David and Bruce on their leads, but otherwise we won't be able to pick them out of the mix. They'll *be* there, but no more prominent than Scott Bennet or Probyn. At least, that's what they'll do if they have any sense at all, as that's the way they'll actually get a good sound out.

I'm going to go to the shows because I want to see Mike, Al, Brian, Bruce and David take their lead vocals, and hear them backed by extremely good musicians, and hear Mike and Al in the harmony stack. Anyone going because they expect to hear the BBs sing like they could in the 1960s will be horribly disappointed. They've used additonal singers, especially for the falsetto, for more than thirty years -- they're not going to stop now...

Complete nonsense.  He's singing normally into the microphone, just as he does at Brian's shows, except the SOUND GUY TURNED HIS MIC UP.

How hard is this to figure out?  He's not moving in front of Mike.  He's not belting into the mic.  He's doing his job.




LET ME ALSO SAY.

Mike Love is standing on the stage.  There is not a person alive who's going to f*** Mike Love out of a lead vocal, or sound louder than Mike Love, if Mike Love doesn't want them to.  If Jeff was being pushy in the band, Mike, at 93 years old or however ancient he is, would kick his ass either verbally or possibly physically. 

Great post.

It's just sad to think that BW's completely shut the door on his falsetto. I'm pretty sure he could still do it, if he cared to. BW on the high part, ragged or not, will give us the most authentic BB's sound.

But... (like others have said) I think the best bet would be to have one small feature in the show with the 5 originals singing themselves. That would be a great nod to us hardcore fans.

I disagree with some of the things you said about Jeff, but the thing about McCartney:

In my opinion, his voice was pretty WEAK in the early 90's, around the "tripping the live fantastic" album.  However performing has brought his voice back to great again.  So you're right; not only does Paul not really care if he screws up a note, he actually has a history of his voice getting much better because he was willing to go out there and just go for it. 

Mike is still going strong as a R&B-type bass singer (i.e. a white male singing a cool low baritone), so that's not the problem. But his lowest good note is the F sharp, perhaps F natural (like he sings in the chorus of Kokomo). Other than that, his tone does not ring. This has not to do with age or anything... it's just the way his voice is. The guy's a high baritone/tenor singing bass lines, and it's been like that all his life... Brian's arrangements are constructed, in part, around this fact. By the way, it's unusual in vocal groups, I think, to have the signature tenor lead be also the bass singer.

For the record, the lowest note he's recorded, I think, is the low E in Hot Fun in the Summertime. And when you listen to it you can percieve that he's just past his strongest-sounding bass range.

So, going back to my original point, lowering the keys = killing Mike's lines and destroying the arrangements.

And he's singing along with John Cowsill, who has one of the strongest voices in the planet.

People need to listen to Ron.

Uuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhh...........................no. 

Not for the last 35 years.

No they don't.

Huzzah!

and

Double HUZZAH!

I'm not sure why people are saying Brian should be turned down in the mix.  He has sounded just fine on the harmony parts where you can hear him, although he no longer does falsetto, other than to hit a high note here and there.  He's a perfectly adequate mid-range harmony singer and he's pretty much on-key.  You can pick his voice out in the mix on the national anthem.

That said, I'm still hoping they either get another guy besides Jeff to do the falsetto parts or have a doubling voice to sing along with him, who's turned up when he does sing falsetto parts.  His falsetto is grating by itself, and that's true of a lot of male falsetto singers, not just Jeff.  It's easier to get a male falsetto singer to sound good in the studio (with doubling and assorted audio processing effects) than in a live situation as a solo voice.  He was turned up way too high in the mix on "Surfer Girl," because on the original record, there are other, lower voices harmonizing on the lead, and you really can't hear them much at all on either the TV mix or the audience recordings at Dodger Stadium.  I agree it's probably the sound man's fault and not Jeff's.  They should have picked another song that would have showcased Mike more, such as "California Girls."  It would have been less of a let-down to have a real Beach Boy representing the reunited Beach Boys.  Or "Help Me, Rhonda" to showcase Al.  

It's obviously not Jeff's fault. It's not like he decided while they were singing to sing louder than everyone else.

It was a calculated decision that everyone came to an agreement about.

and as far as the comment about Mike not wanting to give up his leads, I remember hearing quite a few stories a few years back of Mike having laryngitis and Chris Farmer singing all of Mike's leads with Mike just lipsyncing.

This made me laugh for some reason.

Scott Totten is in the touring band, and he sings a lot of the falsetto parts in Mike's band (often doubling Randell Kirsch, whose voice is very similar to Jeff's). I imagine it'll be done the way it has been in the past with Brian's band -- Jeff taking solo lead falsetto parts like Don't Worry Baby or the falsetto in I Get Around, because he has the stronger voice, but either being doubled on the high harmony parts or taking the Carl part and letting Totten do Brian's part when it's just part of the harmony stack, because Totten is better on the really high notes.

Incidentally, if they do hand out leads to non band members, they should have Totten doing Let Him Run Wild -- he was absolutely phenomenal on that on the 2008 tour.

Mike said in the pre-game interview thing that they chose Surfer Girl precisely because it doesn't spotlight one band member but is a harmony thing. If they'd done anything with a solo lead, people would be complaining that most of the band were stood around doing nothing.

One final thing, on a different note -- rehearsals started yesterday, and today Brian's Facebook posted some of the lyrics to Busy Doin' Nothin'. Fingers crossed that they're rehearsing that one...

This would be a much simpler place if everyone's posts were one sentence long and straight to the point.




Glad they're not though.

Dylan is Alias. Reinvention is reality, as far as his career is concerned. If we can agree that reality can be relative.
Dylan's band may "carry" him musically, but does he have people on stage singing and playing along in an eaxct 60's/70's Dylan tone to cover him up? No. When Bob is shitty, he's just shitty. No one can carry him.

It just crossed my mind that it would be cool to have a DVD/CD of the 50 celebration rehearsal sessions, and not just clips.  Would be cool to see/hear the songs being rehearsed, worked on, parts worked out and sung, and then final rehearsal performances.

Maybe only you get the Beach Boys music and us morons simply don't, but anything can be adjusted. Just ask the Beach Boys themselves. They did "Do It Again" with the horns mimicking Brian's falsetto (back when Al, Carl, or Bruce were perfectly capable of doing it) and they also did "I Get Around" without the falsetto or anything mimicking it at all. It only takes a few minutes of thought.

When did they do that?

Do it Again: on both Live In London and the Knebworth album/dvd and I Get Around on the Central Park concert and random boots. It's all there via recorded evidence.

Good points being made all around.  The whole thing is a bit of a catch-22.  I do agree that just lowering keys across the board would ruin a lot of the songs because of the way the vocal arrangements were constructed (especially Mike's parts).  It's also a good point to say that the audience will go in expecting a certain level of "polish" on their performances, and just throwing the Boys out there on their own vocally would lead to a lot of disappointed concert-goers.  It's not realistic to make them bear the weight of carrying the show vocally. 

At the same time though, I do think it is important to have at least one segment of the show (by segment I mean maybe 1-3 songs) that features the Beach Boys as the exclusive vocalists.  Something like "Our Prayer" or "Their Hearts Were Full of Spring."  Lower the key, rearrange the vocals, I don't care - the Boys deserve to have a moment in concert where they just sing together like they used to in the old days (sadly, short a few members).  It may not sound like a pristine 1965 performance, but if they rehearse well enough, I think they could pull off something that would exceed most people's expectations.  They've earned a right to be heard on their own without using additional vocalists as a crutch.

I agree with you.  ;)

Your first post addressed at me was too aggressive, I think. But leave it at that.

Regarding the Central Park "I Get Around"... I think Bruce or somebody else is singing the high chorus lead but is left out of the TV mix-- the exact opposite of Foskett's Dodgers performance.

We can alwas have a french horn solo version of Don't Worry Baby, since none of the originals can sing it in its original key. ;D



...or leave out songs with leads that have to be sung by others, like WOTS or DWB.

Personally, I love Jeff's rendition of "Don't Worry Baby" (my second favorite Beach Boys song) and really hope it's included in the shows.  I'd also like to see him sing "I Can Hear Music" as part of the tribute-to-Carl portion and (blasphemy warning: ) would probably prefer him on "Wouldn't It Be Nice", over 2012 Brian (who sometimes lets Jeff sing it at his shows) or 2012 Alan (who gave it to Carl in the 90's because he was having trouble with it THEN!), tho I really wouldn't care either way, as long as it's played.  Beyond those, I think Jeff's only other leads should be the top harmony "group" songs like "Surfer Girl", etc.  Personally I don't NEED to hear "Warmth Of The Sun" but I know it's a favorite of many so I guess I'd give him that one too.  

While it may sound like I want him upstaging the actual group, that's not the case.  Check out my posts in the setlist threads to see my take on my idea of a well balanced show.

...Just my two cents.

And speaking of the Dodgers performance, all the talk/furor over Jeff's inclusion/performance/mix there has overshadowed one thought that's been bugging me about it:  The inclusion of Scott and John!  At this point, Jeff is the main axillary non-Beach Boy.  For all intents and purposes to the general, casual fan (who doesn't follow the group, doesn't know who Carl Wilson was, etc.) Jeff IS one of the Beach Boys right now, as in "Ladies and Gentlemen: The Beach Boys!" and those six guys walk out, backed by that massive band.  Just as Matt appeared as one of The Beach Boys on Letterman, Home Improvement, Stars And Stripes, etc, during that point in time, that's how Jeff is depicted now:  At the stadium, in the new "Do It Again" video, etc.)  Whatever anyone us may think, the group feels it necessary to have someone in that role due to the "fact" that "none of the original guys can sing the falsetto parts any more."  But my question is regardless of how great Scott or John sing, it's not like the other guys in the group need people to help cover THEIR parts in the harmonies.

The "Star-Spangled Banner" was extremely light on Beach Boys styled harmonies and Mike referred to "Surfer Girl" as "four part harmony".  I suppose four parts, all doubled, would need eight singers but I'm pretty sure the song is four part harmony with a falsetto lead on top, which means one of the parts (in addition to the lead) isn't being doubled.  Furthermore, Mike and Bruce perform the song regularly with just seven singers so they obviously have an arrangement suited for that many singers.  So why bring in ANOTHER guy (or two) for this performance?  ESPECIALLY, if it's gonna be mixed so poorly that you only really hear the lead??? 

Again, I'm not knocking or doubting neither Scott nor John's ability.  I just don't know why we needed EIGHT "Beach Boys" to do four part harmony.

Thoughts?

I thought it was cool. Scott and John are just as much deserving of being there as Jeff is.

There's a lot of twaddle currently being rolled out among some good posts. We have to bear in mind that the BBs have augmented their on-stage vocals for decades -  not just with Jeff but with Billy H, various Dragons and many, many others, and no-one's ever got their vest in a twist over it.  Horns and other instruments have taken on vocal parts where the impact is needed (Darlin' springs to mind esp). Can't see any need at all for Surfer Girl's four-part harmony to remain a four part harmony and not be a three, five or six part harmony – there's nothing in the statute book that says it's four parts or someone does time.  The only issue here is taste and objectivity vs subjectivity. The BBs can do what they like in my book – the only requirement, really, for pleasing the audience at these shows is BLOCK harmony - punters are going for the spectacle of the original BBs on stage together, with lush harmonies all over the evening. No-one's going to be listening with dog ears and grumbling "ooh, that twelfth-octave resonant B-flat semi-chord wasn't done just as it was on the LP I bought back in 1825 – I'm heading home".  No-one's really going to notice much if the high notes are hit by someone standing stage-left without a spotlight on them.

Lush, block harmonies (by up to 18 voices), five guys in Hawaiian shirts stage-front, T-shirts for sale in the foyer.  That's Plan A.  I doubt there is a Plan B.

Yes, I'd still rather hear Matt than Jeff.  But that's the second row, behind the Hawaiian shirt front row :D

I don't knoW if anyone's noticed, but at the beginning of surfer girl the harmonies sound exactly like the record. That ooooooooh is so Beach Boys.

I have no problem with them adding extra voices to thicken the stack but the "additional additional singers" seemed odd (if not a bit unnecessary) for such a stripped down performance and Mike described "Surfer Girl" as "four part harmony" in his interview, just before they went out to sing it. 

Now granted, the following clip is a bit old now but there's no Billy or anyone else augmenting them here.  It's simply "The Beach Boys".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LE4eNAZxl0M

Well whew, Brian was looking particularly ripped over there on the left…

Check my post at the bottom of the previous page.  For whatever reason, right or wrong, the group treats Jeff now as they treated Matt back then.  On Home Improvement, etc, Billy and the others in the back up band didn't appear, just the actual members and the falsetto guy.  Matt was referred to as one of the Beach Boys, not "We're the Beach Boys, and that's Al's son.  He sings the really high parts we're kinda known for but isn't a member of the band.")  That's why I put "The Beach Boys" in quotes. 

Augmentation isn't the problem, it is the decentralisation of the Boys' own voices that folks are pissed about. Surely you realise this. It is getting to the point where if you closed your eyes, you wouldn't know if any Beach Boys were actually there.

Exactly. You can have a 1000-people choir sing four part harmony. Or two part harmony.

Sorry, who is the mullet-headed merchant of falsetto next to Bruce ?

that's Matt Jardine.

Love that clip. Plus, it's got Bruce in shorts.

Of the audiences on this tour, probably 1% or less would know the difference.  I'm all for the BBs' voices being central and I believe they should be. Jeff F's voice is alien to the blend to my ears and I hope it's toned down in future mixes.

But be prepared for otherwise.  Don't let's delude ourselves that the outfit going on the road is in the same shape as it was in '61, or '63, or '67, or '72, or '80 or '90.  My dad used to be something of a runner. Now he walks with a stick.

Let's also not delude ourselves into thinking we know more than 99% of the people.

double post - sorry

You could also make the decentralisation-augmentation argument with the Who after John Entwistle died, or even after Keith Moon died - 2 of the 4 key elements of that band's sound are gone, so they brought in other musicians and toured and recorded new songs with new "voices" in the band.

Or just contain this to The Beach Boys - let's put it out there honestly - who have not been a core band of 5 guys on stage since Hawaii, 1967. That's over 40 years of augmenting/changing the sound of the core band with other talents, and that's what fans have been getting at live shows for those 40 years. It's surprising to see it being raised as an issue now, after a baseball performance, when it's been the band's M.O. for 5 decades of live performances.

Yeah, and we are not the 99%. Nevertheless, people like us are why The Smile Sessions came out, and if that hadn't happened, it is possible the reunion wouldn't be happening.

The Who are awful after Keith Moon died. That is obvious.
And again, and this is not hard to comprehend, there is a difference between augmentation and making the original band members effective sidemen in their own live reunion efforts. Not hard to comprehend at all, unless that is, someone WANTS to not comprehend it for some odd passive-aggressive reason.

Nothing passive aggressive at all about wondering why this is an issue now when it's been the way the Beach Boys have performed for years, solo and as a group, unless someone wants it to be. Was it a similar issue with Blondie and Ricky being brought in as full members of the band and taking lead vocals on current singles at that time?

The point is, if these guys want to have people buying expensive tickets to their so-called reunion, they need to step up their game.  Yes, some Beach Boys touring outfits of the past featured little of the original Beach Boys, even when some of them were on stage.  But this has to be a little different.  For one thing, Brian needs to participate more than he did during past tours.  Now that he's done entire shows under his own name where he takes lead vocals, he needs to take a large share of leads in these reunion shows.  Without being doubled or drowned out by Jeff Foskett.  I'd rather hear Bruce or Al or Mike or Brian sing than Jeff Foskett.

I agree with what you said, it should be different for the special nature of a "reunion" tour and I'd like it to be that way with the focus on that core band of Beach Boys. But it's also a bit unrealistic to expect something that hasn't been the case for a few decades of embellishing and doubling vocal parts, and hasn't been the case so far in the several public performances we've seen. It's like setting up a disappointment if we expect something to be handled different than the Grammys or Dodger Stadium - that seems to be the way the vocals will be handled, whether we'd prefer it another way or not.

That actually puts it better than my feeble attempt.  Having someone cover the falsetto parts is augmentation. Bring two MORE guys to help sing in a stripped down, nearly accapella performance comes dangerously close to make the original band members effectively sidemen in their own reunion.  Hence, my question about John and Scott at the Dodgers performance.

It isn't the same thing, and you very well know it. You're just playing games, same as you always have. There is absolutely no relation between ADDING members to a brew who bring something of their own to the table, and having people onstage DROWNING OUT original members by doubling and tripling parts, mixed louder than the original members' contributions. I know you understand that fundamental difference, you're no idiot.

But, actually, I don't think they have performed this way for years.  In the past, despite bringing in some people to compliment their voices and add something new (Blondie, Ricky, et al.), the vocal foundation and backbone still started and ended with the Beach Boys.  Right now, that's very far from the case.  It's one thing to have someone compliment you, but it's quite another thing when they, mostly, start doing your job and regulate you to sidemen.  Hopefully we'll see something different once the tour starts. 

There's two sides here, it's quite simple.

Either you want to hear the Beach Boys voices in the mix, or you're not bothered and happy to just hear the sidemen.

No one needs to apologise for, or defend either position. As much as I don't really get the latter point of view, maybe it's just about seeing the guys together.

And I think we'll definitely hear the guys on the new LP, and that to me is the main part of BB50.

Pot, meet kettle.  ;)

I'm saying that the very practice being picked apart here related to the Dodgers performance and the Grammys is what has been going on for years. Obviously the appearances this year were far more obvious, but unfortunately, I hate to say it, that's what we're going to get. It's not much different from any oldies or classic rock band of the type seen on those 60's PBS concerts where "Steppenwolf" was something like John Kay in front of the same house band who had also played "The Hermits" for Peter Noone and The Youngbloods and Grass Roots and whatever other touring bands did those PBS shows.

And the Blondie/Ricky deal was a stretch but it was making a point, because weren't there some groups of fans who felt a similar way about that decision as some do now about the Jeff Foskett thing? That's all I was relating it to - a fan who might ask why wasn't Al or Carl or Dennis or Mike singing Sail On Sailor on that record, or taking a lead in concert? Not that they didn't enhance or bring a new sound to the group, but they weren't original members and that sticks with some people more than others. And others still prefer the recordings where it was just the Beach Boys on the early records, pre-Wrecking Crew and all that - to each his own. It's actually not too far removed from what they're doing now, although my opinion is I'd like nothing better than to have the core group of members doing their own thing warts and all - I doubt that will ever happen and it hasn't for decades. Gotta accept it.

One crucial element we need is knowing more about who is mixing these vocals that way. And, very important, if they are "following orders" or just mixing that way based on their own aesthetics.

I'm going to call a time out here and ask the question, rephrased from the other reply I had:

We are basing this on a performance at The Grammys and a performance at Dodger Stadium, so far. Do we know who mixed those shows, do we know who ran the live sound versus what was broadcast, and do we know if they were under orders to deliberately mix the original members lower in the mix to favor the other voices?

If the mixing decisions were done on specific order, then who gave that order? We can't assume anyone is regulating anyone to a lesser role if the person manning the mixing board boosted Jeff Foskett's mic over someone else. If it turns out that yes, someone is deliberately masking the voices in some way, there would be an issue for sure. I don't know how much we can assume based on two performances outside of the usual BB's concert realm.

didn't linett do the grammy performance? 

Not necessarily what we got out of the tv speakers. That's a different mix than the in-house mix, i.e. what the Grammy audience got.

But you just said:

"Obviously the appearances this year were far more obvious, but unfortunately, I hate to say it, that's what we're going to get. "

So there is, by your own words, no reason to assume there will be any difference between those TV performances and live renditions of those numbers. Also, the two TV events were completely different circumstances, with different crews, but they were both mixed nearly exactly the same. Coincidence? I doubt it.
What is happening is a simple thing: the Beach Boys "people" have made the decision to present a Beach Boys "sound", no matter how much it relies upon others to mainly shoulder it, rather than to highlight the sound of the surviving band members as the sound of the Beach Boys "today". Yes, that has been done before, to varying degrees, but this time, in mine own, and others', estimation, it has gone just a bit too far.
And yes, it is time to accept that things will not be any different on the tour, and likely the album as well. I'm sure the whole venture will have some type of value, just in a very safe manner that will preclude any kind of spontaneous interpretation.

Your French horn Don't Worry Baby idea makes me think of the SNL skit where they sent Elvis' gold lame jumpsuit out on tour and just blasted his music behind it. And that's what I thought of during the Dodger performance. You have three guys no one knows or really cares about belting out the song loud and clear and the guys you do care about either not turned up in the mix or barely singing. And for some reason Billy H, Blondie, Ricky, Matt J etc, always sounded like they belonged there where Jeff just sound awful to me. He sounds like some guy getting up half drunk at a karaoke bar and belting out Surfer Girl. I hate being so harsh but it sucks and is disappointing. They'd better stack the reunion shows full of Al and Mike leads because I really can't see Jeff pulling those off any better, and as we know, no one does a Mike lead only Mike! It's fun seeing Brian singing Fun Fun Fun at his shows but Mike's voice is badly missed.

I really hope the Dodger thing was a mixing snafu because on one of the other clips that is less Jeff centric, I can clearly hear Bruce and he sounds just fine.

I think it is far too early and assuming far too much to say this or to accept it.

It may indeed be the case. But given that you can always hear Brian loud and clear at his shows (with 10 backing vocalists!) and always hear Al at his and always hear Mike and Bruce at theirs, it would be strange to suddenly change direction with an actual Beach Boys tour.

I think the far more likely scenario is that each appearance (Grammys and Dodgers) were lightly rehearsed and in front of large, nonpaid audiences. The determination was made that the younger guys sounded stronger (and that the falsetto part needed to be louder), so their mics were turned up. The BW-heavy house mix of the Grammys suggests a certain amount of randomness is involved too.

I never disputed those points, in fact I made points supporting them: My main issues were why all of the criticism now and not over the past decades (however long we wish to go back), and is it different from either what the Beach Boys have done themselves presenting a touring band or what other bands do as a standard practice when members die or leave, making any original sound impossible. I think leading this into speculating whether one of the adjunct members is somehow running the show and relegating original Beach Boys to a backing band is assuming way too much...especially since we have two performances which were outside of the BB's concert realm, they were one-offs with mixing perhaps left to chance. Maybe the most spontaneous part of it all so far was how it would be mixed!

I think knowing the story behind all this would take it away from pointing blame at folks for making decisions when we really don't know, and a few comments were on the verge of suggesting Jeff Foskett is calling these shots. Based on what, his voice being loud in the mix?

I'd like a spontaneous performance, I'd like to see just the core band doing their thing, but again it wasn't staged that way so far from the three tunes we've heard. So when the actual shows with full setlists and proper soundchecks and all of that start happening, definitely make the call. Don't yet put all the eggs in one basket based on, what, a total of *three* songs, one being the National Anthem? ;D

Give it time. We ain't seen nothin' yet.

I meant didn't he mix the tv

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0jaOha7xbw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

This video is 29 years ago. jeff Foskett is a big part of Beach Boys history. However I agree his voice isn't quite what it was (and never was as good a falsetto as Matt or Brian obviously, who is) and someone should politely say its time to let someone else do the high parts.

But jeff is a good singer at mid range. I would have been happy if the narrative had been that Jeff was filling in for Carl in the reunion, and that he's been performing with the band for around 30 years.

I think if anyone should "fill in" (which is impossible) for Carl it should be Darian.
His soul voice is incredible.

Methinks we're over-obsessing about this mix.  So Foskett's mic was a little too loud.  So what?  Who was expecting a perfect mix at a baseball stadium?! 

He was equally loud on the Grammy telecast. Not hard to figure out, again.

It was a perfect mix, that's exactly how they wanted it to sound.

Mike Love said they wanted to showcase BB harmony by picking "Surfer Girl,' and that mix didn't accomplish that.

I know I've done it already, but at the risk of repeating myself yet again and maybe even kicking the proverbial dead horse, please take a look at this from another angle. At least for me, it's not the mix at the Grammys or the mix at Dodger Stadium being obsessed over. Rather, it's being mentioned alongside several posts I've read on this board trying to suggest that someone (or someones) in the band are deliberately relegating the original Beach Boys to sidemen in their own group by mixing the vocals to favor what may be stronger, non-original-BB vocalists in the blend. We can all hear this - but consider as you said exactly, what level of high-fidelity and a perfect vocal mix can be expected at a baseball stadium, anyway?

I'm saying again, let's wait until the Beach Boys can stage *their own* show and then judge what happens there. The Grammys and baseball were one-offs.

And if we are going to look closely at these two performances and start making assumptions, let's be fair and say that perhaps there were issues with who was mixing and how it was being mixed before pointing fingers at someone else and suggesting there is something almost diabolical at work here.

At this point, all things considered including age, the younger guys in the group might just have stronger voices than those in their late 60's and 70's, and Mike Love for one was always a softer singer who had to compensate for this by close-miking and all that stuff. If that is not accounted for, then the louder voices will naturally blast out in any vocal group. It's up to the person mixing to adjust that stuff.

I'll do it myself...the smiley: :deadhorse

The big thing that annoys me about Jeff on the high parts (and he's still a great singer), is his blend with the rest of the group.  It's subtle, but he doesn't sound like part of a cohesive whole, or like he's trying to match pitch and vocal style with everyone else.  He does his own thing.  It sounds a little less open and with less vibrato than how the group sang together in the 60s.  He sounds great with a wall of Jeffs by himself but doesn't mix quite right with everyone else.

Works fine with Brian's band but it just sounds off with the group.  I don't think it's all genetics, either.

By the way Justin, I wasn't offended by your story about meeting Foskett, actually it was an interesting story.  "Meeting celebrities" can be tricky.

I also apologize for my snarky and boneheaded comments about your story!

 :hat

Reading this thread now is hilarious. The shows are going great, and Jeff isn't at all the dominant singer, barring DWB.   :)

Hey thanks heysaboda ...I really appreciate that.  I was kinda embarassed by the story after I posted it because after looking at it after I wrote it--- it actually didn't look anywhere as bad as me actually going through it! Sometimes words can never deliver the full picture, ya know?  So I thought it was best to just let it go.   8)

Maybe this board can take the credit along with a few other suggestions made here. Stamos anyone?

Where can I watch the official broadcast in video form online?