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https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Brian_Wilson_No_Pier_Pressure_Deluxe?id=Bc5sies6kucu622hhojlsbkzajy

Some tentative thoughts:
1 This sounds like his best solo album to date (besides BWPS).
2 Somewhere Quiet is the remake of Summer Means New Love plus lyrics.
3 Runaway Dancer sounds really strange. Like electronic polka.

Ohhh nice find

THIS ALBUM IS GOING TO BE BRIAN'S BEST RELEASE IN HIS SOLO CAREER.  I WILL BET.   ;D

Yeah I can't preview it  :-\

Must be only in the US

I'm in Canada. But yeah I guess it's not available to preview in your country. I feel for you.

Is it weird that I want to wait until I get my copy (of the Japanese version) of the album before I listen to anything else from it? I'm not even going to listen to "The Right Time" again. I don't want to spoil anything for myself... I shall wait. Eagerly.

wow a couple songs have a "Friends" vibe to it..... ;D

Runaway Dancer is friggin' ridiculous, how did Brian even do that?


We got a great album on our hands.

"Don't worry" sounds familiar to me,,maybe  "It's as easy as 1-2-3"  or some other song that I can't recall right now...

Like I said a few months back, this album will blow you away!

That one sounds like a mix of "Love You" and modern hipster indie music.

The clips sound really good.  Production is great.  This should be a winner.  It sounds like classic Brian Wilson but also a modern album (and not one that is pandering to a certain sound).

You were correct! If the samples alone are this stunning, just think how incredible the whole album is going to be. This is what we've all been waiting for and the wait certainly feels worth it.  :rock :rock :happydance :happydance :bow :bow :spin :spin :spin :woot :woot :thumbsup :thumbsup :thumbsup :listening :listening

If you'll notice, Al has a previously uncredited lead on track 10, "Somewhere Quiet."

Stunning samples. No other description will suffice. This has the potential to be the best BW-written album since the 70s.

Holy sh*t! It's going to be incredible!  :o

You are raising expectations with these comments.  I hope you are right.

A very kind member hooked me up with these sample...

2 words..

Mind blown!

Honestly, i'm at a loss for words, to have Brian creating music at this quality in 2015 is so special.

"Guess you had to be there" really stands out.

Listen to the samples more than once - and they start to sound better and better:

Highlights:

What Ever Happened
Saturday Night On Hollywood Blvd - can't believe how good the sample sounds - I am not a fun. fan at all - but he sings this perfectly - Brian did a great job on guiding him.
Tell Me Why
Sail Away - Al and Brian!!!
One Kind Of Love - Brian singing quite high here.


The chorus of Guess You Had To Be There (which seems to be all the sample is) is pretty great, but not sure how I'll like the parts Brian isn't featured on.  ;D

What's up with the synth horns and general production on Don't Worry?

This is going to be Album of the Year.

His voice sounds wonderful throughout  - and those backgrounds are gorgeous. To have gone through all that he has and to emerge this...ebullient...is so deeply moving to hear, even abridged. Congratulations, Brian. This one really soars. And I like the self-referential nods I keep hearing throughout.

Feels like a summing up and a new beginning, all at once.

(Most intrigued to hear Tell Me Why)

And Last Song sounds like a heartbreaker and a great way to go out.

Another gift to us, sent as a note in a bottle found under the pier, in this, the bonus round of his amazing life.

Makes me wonder if Dr. Love was on this record if he would've taken the lead on this one? 

If Mike were on this one, he wouldn't have let Al sing five leads, that's for sure.

Huh?? Surely Al is an amazingly better singer than the luhvster. Much rather hear him anytime.

The "he" I was referring to was Mike, not Brian. ;)

Ugh, can't seem to find a play button to preview these. Do you need some sort of device, or might it be geographically restricted?

EDIT - Ah, checking via proxy, i found that the samples are U.S only as far as I could see. Grr >:(

OOPS!! ::)  Sorry, Wirestone and yes, I agree. So damn happy he has absolutely nothing to do with this album. :happydance

Just listened to the samples and if this isn't a #1 album on the AC chart, I don't know what is.

It feels VERY refreshing. Can't wait to hear the whole thing.

Just to be clear guys , Al has one lead , "The Right Time" , sings the chorus lead on "Tell Me Why", shares leads with Brian and Blondie on "Sail Away' , doubles the chorus lead with Brian on "Somewhere Quiet" and a few lines in "Whatever Happened"....

I'm liking what I'm hearing!  This album sounds promising.

It's hard to tell just by comparing to the preview but do you all think "Our Special Love" is the same mix that was released on Hollens' album?

Let's hope it get's the promotion it deserves.

I cannot listen to the sample in my country, but all your comments are exciting!

Question: what about auto-tune???? Nothing at all?!

‍

Upon a few more listens to the samples, I am definitely impressed by pretty much everything I've heard, but here's the ones that really stood out to me:

This Beautiful Day
Whatever Happened
On The Island
Guess You Had To Be There
I'm Feeling Sad
Tell Me Why
Sail Away
One Kind Of Love
Saturday Night (I'm not a big Fun/Nate Ruess fan, but he does sound phenomenal.)

I can see there being a lot of mixed opinions on Runaway Dance (It's really different, but I dig it) and Don't Worry (Only sample that I'm not a big fan of.)

All and all, it really does sound fantastic and I cannot wait to hear the whole thing (and 1975 ITBOMM!) :-D

Saturday Night takes me back to the Vegas show.  Nate was THE highlight guest performer.  He brought down the house with his songs.  It looked to me that Brian's band (and Blondie in particular) were also really impressed with what he brought to the table.  Saturday Night was my fave new song that we heard that night and it is my fave of the samples presented here.  Love the banjo, the backing vocals and the melody is so perfectly sung.   Damn.  Damn.  Damn.  That is some tasty business.  Off to listen again!  Can't wait to be playing the whole she-bang.  Thanks for the embarrassment of riches Brian!

:o

This is incredible. Really diverse set of music here, and it's all top-notch quality. As Wirestone pointed out in another thread, notice the track times - it's great to see Brian get back into the 2-3 minute range.


My sentiments exactly. Guys we are being spoiled rotten here by one of the greatest songwriters ever. Wonderful time to be a fan!!

On my first, and admiteddly distracted, listen, the song that stands out as having the most hit potential, for whatever that is worth, is Saturday Night (assuming there is no Nate Ruess fatigue at the time it is released as a single, and assuming it is released as a single).

Sounds like a great batch of songs, I look forward to owning the CD (yes, the CD)!

EoL

I have mixed feelings about the production style (as I knew I would), but I'm excited to hear the little sunshine pop/Bacharach splashes, plus the shift in focus away from predictable BBs pastiche.  Looking forward to hearing more!

OMG I am hyped about this! This Beautiful Day reminds me of Think About the Days and Our Prayer, Runaway Dancer sounds like one of my songs style-wise and could be a hit if released as a single, Whatever Happened has Pet Sounds-style bass, LOVE LOVE LOVE On The Island...and those  are just my initial feelings. Listening to the rest, my God...this album is going to be a MOTHERFUCKER. Gorgeous vocals, and the best production on a BW solo album by far. If this had been the followup to TWGMTR as a Beach Boys album, it would've been the best one-two punch for the band since Sunflower/Surf's Up artistically. Instead, Brian's about to put out a *great* album that would further cement his status as America's greatest pop songwriter.

Hell yeah. 8)

 :grouphug 

Oh man, I feel guilty for being a little harsh on The Right Time last night, because these samples are good. I'm most excited to hear "Saturday Night" again, because that's been in my head ever since someone uploaded Nate Reuss' set to Youtube. I only listened to it once, but this sample makes me think it might be one of BW's all-time greats. He's still got it.

As I glided across these songs hearing outstanding vocals and shear bliss harmonies, I thought to myself, "Damn, who needs Mike and Bruce here? This is "No Pier Pressure" by The Beach Boys!!

Too bad Mike lost out by upsetting the cart. Poor Bruce missed out and decided to follow the Gravy Train. As far as I'm concerned this is the continuation of the "Thank God Made The Radio" album by The Beach Boys. Or could it be "One For The Boys Vol. II"?  ;D

Very much looking forward to hearing Brian's new album in its entirety!

"Don't let go, there's still time for us so let's take it slow"  - The Last Song.

the right time and what ever happened are the only two songs with Dave, correct? And AL is actually on 5 different songs?

I wasn't gonna wait 'til the cd arrived.   Are you kidding?  New Brian material...but I'll wait?  Ya...THAT'S gonna happen. :lol

These wee snippets of pure magic don't take me back to a bygone era...although these gems are certainly a progression from then to now.  A NATURAL progression.  While some folks...likely many...bemoan the way things fell out of place during year 50 it would seem that it may well have merely been the stars aligning themselves properly.

As was always the case back in the GLORY years Brian has surrounded himself with the A Team.  To share the lead vocals throughout was ALWAYS the way Brian did it.  Now...it's the way he's doing it again and it works for him.  It also works for us.  When Brian is inspired...WE get inspired and he has a crew with him on No Pier Pressure who have clearly inspired him.  It's contagious. 8)

The album is as advertised if the little pieces available are true indicators.  'They'...and I include Ray in this...have suggested all along that Brian really put his heart and soul into THIS album.  It's ever-so-easy to HEAR that THAT is true.  Not since BWPS have I looked forward with justified excitement and anticpation to sitting back in a perfect setting to enjoy a Brian Wilson masterwork.  THIS is exactly that.  It's not a reimagining of anything.  It's not a recreation of something left hanging.  It's BRAND SPANKING NEW Brian Wilson and FRIENDS.  There-in beams the difference.

The absolute hardest part of dealing with No Pier Pressure will be the conundrum of trying to figure out which song you like the best.  It could well take years.  This album is truly something special.  We...and others...will be singing its praises LONG after some of us have ceased to exist.  

Jackpot Brian.  Congratulations.  IF you EVER 'lost' it???...You most assuredly have it back again.  FAN-Freakin-tastic.  THAT's what I call *M U S I C*. :hat

My thoughts when I heard the songs for the first time went something like this. "You know who is going to be really pissed off about this album?" the response was outlined in a few posts above.

Zooey Deschanel and Brian..."with a drink in my hand..."  Hell, yeah!  :)

I know we are all super excited cause it's new music from Brian and it seriously sounds good, and it's new.

But the thing is, I really do agree with others who have said this really could be Brian's best solo album. The songwriting here does sound wonderful. Inspired. Whether it's old things that have been revamped or new stuff, it sounds vital. And that's what is really hitting me with these clips.

I also really like Brian and Al as a team. As other have said, back in the day, Brian didn't write every song for him to be on lead. So why should it be that way now? I like that you've got Al on there in many parts. You've got Blondie. And so on.

And as with 'Add Some' this is the most excited I've been for a Brian Wilson solo album since BWPS. And unlike that one, this one is basically gonna be brand new to us. I'll be honest, back in maybe 2006 or 2007 I kinda wrote Brian Wilson off as a current artist. I loved his music and I was sure there was a bit of great stuff in the vault, but I just didn't think either his voice or his songwriting skills were really worthy of him "mattering" anymore as a current artist. But then, TLOS happened, and while I didn't like it as much as some, I heard a bit of still vital songwriting. But I thought that was about as good as it'd get for Brian. Then BWRG came out and I was taken by his voice again. A lot of those vocals sounded better than anything he'd done since the '70s. Then The SMiLE Sessions happened and we heard The Beach Boys were reuniting. And I had hope that the vocals of the other guys would cover the fact that Brian wasn't what he used to be. But then the new version of "Do It Again" came out and Brian's part sounded better to me then Carl's 1968 part. And then the title track from TWGMTR came out, and I heard the best Brian lead vocal that had come out in my lifetime. And then I heard "Summer's Gone" a few weeks later and that astounded me. He sounded like Brian Wilson again. And the songwriting on TWGMTR....well it was the best since his first solo album. So I was reconverted to the school of Brian.

And now, seeing that he was working with Blondie again. And working a lot with Al, I heard what I needed to know! Five Al Jardine vocals on this new album, wow! They sound awesome together. Even if the songs with Al are the only good ones on here, that's enough for me. That stuff sounds that good. But it won't be. The other clips sound very, very good too.

Also, listened to the clips again. "Sail Away" definitely has a "Sloop John B" vibe as someone mentioned a few months ago.

I also now like "Saturday Night" a bit after hearing the studio recording. It sounds like a Format song to me. And for those who don't know, The Format was Nate Reuss' old band. I'm not familiar with his band fun. but yeah.

And "The Right Time" has really grown on me since yesterday. It's my favorite right now.

must not hear songs until CD is released.....these positive comments aren't helping!

I like the "Busy doing nothing" Jazz vibe in a couple of the songs... I also like the first song it reminds me of the intro from TWGMTR and the Suite... the 80's sounding synth songs may sound funny but the fact that the 80's have been coming back the last couple years I guess it makes sense, also there is a Love You vibe to those songs, but yeah it's 2015 the same year that Marty McFly went to the retro 80's diner..so it looks like maybe Brian is doing the 80's retro thing....I like it,,

This one is a lovely album, and it is musically and lyrically delightful. I hope Brian is recognized for the hard work he obviously put into this album.

Sounds alright. A few samples seem pretty excellent and several others sound like the usual BW duds we've come to expect. I'm not feeling what some posters are are all thrilled about. It was a good move to include Al though. He sounds much better than BW these days. Kind of sad though that it seems like the best way to improve a Brian Wilson album in 2015 is to have less Brian Wilson on it.

My reaction to hearing those clips:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5F8mLWjZeA

What I don't get is why they can't sell it now instead of waiting until April. The album is obvious ready for sale.

Because Brian has never been the type of guy to let other people sing songs he's written  ???

I don't agree with that. I think the thing about Al is that his voice cuts through in a way that the voices of his peers don't anymore. That's why it's great to have Al on here. Neither Brian nor Mike nor Bruce's voice cuts through like Al's does still. However, used strategically, Brian's voice still really works. On a song like "Summer's Gone" I don't think you could find anyone else in the world that would sound better on it then current day Brian Wilson. And on "From There To Back Again" you have Al and Brian's voices on there, and I couldn't think of anybody else I'd want on that cut. Is Brian's voice different from back in the day? Yes. However, unlike a large chunk of the last few decades, I think Brian's voice is where it should be. He sounds like a 70 year plus version of the guy from "Please Let Me Wonder" and "Caroline No", just like McCartney sounds like the seventy plus version of the guy from "Hey Jude." Really, Al is the only one of these guys who still basically has the "same" voice. Although you could argue that Jagger and Daltrey do too (while some would point out that there is a huge difference even for those guys). And also, part of what makes Al's vocals on the album so welcome is the way that his and Brian's voices work together. If you took either voice away, it wouldn't have that feeling, as you can see on Al's album when he's not using Brian.

the right time and what ever happened are the only two songs with Dave, correct? And AL is actually on 5 different songs?

Yep.

"One Kind of Love" - hearing Brian's voice on this song remind me (maybe a little bit) of his 60's voice, especially on the high note that he sings.
An emotional moment for me.

Screw this. Somebody should record those snippets. Can't listen to them, God I hate these country restrictions.

After listening again, gotta say...both Runaway Dancer and Saturday Night sound like radio hits..like, as in, right NOW.

Hear, hear! It is so tough, though... this thread does make it so tempting...

Listened to every sample once - every track is amazing. The ones that really got me were This Beautiful Day, Whatever Happened, Half Moon Bay, Tell Me Why, and Right Kind of Love (his voice sounds great)...but now I'm gonna refrain from listening any more until the album comes out.

This is how the album samples strike me now. When the Beach Boys reunited, Brian said he just wanted to record with the group from then on. He implied that he was done with a solo career.

On this album, I'll be damned if he doesn't follow through with that promise. This isn't an album about Brian Wilson, the solo artist. We've had those records, and they have been sometimes great, sometimes okay, but always a little self-conscious about his history and the group's discography.

No, this is an album about Brian Wilson, the writer and producer and singer, the man who always felt most comfortable writing for a congenial group of fellow musicians and vocalists. You can't do harmony without other voices, after all. These songs don't sound forced or self-consciously "solo." They sound like Brian Wilson songs, pure and unencumbered by expectation.

In other words, guys, Brian has made another Beach Boys album. It can't be called that, but that's what he's managed to do. And it's breathtaking to witness.

^This. Well put.

Great to see all the positive comments here.

These samples aren't working in the UK. Don't suppose anybody has recordings that they're able to share please? Thanks in advance!

Wow. I'm at a loss for words. It's gonna be a long wait. Ugh. :)

Agree with (all!) these sentiments.

Sounds like Brian Wilson Contemporary Artist has asserted himself. Thanks to all for all the comments. Quite tittilating.

Someone on this board recommended a very good proxy plug-in for Firefox. Unfortunately a reboot of Firefox on my computer deleted it, I can't remember the name, can't find it on the net, and can't find the post on the board where it was recommended. Who knows the plug-in I'm looking for?

You don't need a proxy plugin, just a proxy site - google is full of them, but try http://www.uk-proxy.co.uk/ if you're in the UK, though sadly it doesn't work for the audio.

But if you use iTunes in the UK you can preview The Right Time.

YouTube album preview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_vj5u-CXkE (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_vj5u-CXkE)

I felt two years ago that the astrological alignments favored a new creative milestone in the arc of Brian Wilson’s career, and that the Gershwin and Disney albums, and then That’s Why God Made the Radio, might be analogous to the burst of creativity that produced Today and Summer Days on the road to Pet Sounds.

And so, tucked in the corner of my mind has been an anticipation of what was to come, with the expectation that it would be exceptional. Initial responses to No Pier Pressure seem to bear out the celestial prognostication. To take it a step further – Pet Sounds was followed by Smile. And so it seems we may be witnessing a creative flowering the end of which is nowhere in sight.

Here’s what I posted then:

"TUNING IN THE LATEST STAR
FROM THE DASHBOARD OF MY CAR..."

A revealing choice of words there. One might have expected the tuning in of a station or of a song but no, in 2012 we find Brian tuning into the stars.

And the timing could not be more appropriate as the aspects do indeed progress to mirror the alignment of the mid-sixties. And not just any point in the mid-sixties, but specifically October 65 thru June 66, which, as I am sure you all know coincides with the production of Pet Sounds, not to mention Rubber Soul, Revolver and Aftermath. Can I add Blonde on Blonde to the list, I forget its release date.

The Pluto-Uranus conjunction and synod in late Leo, and Saturn's opposition to it, contributed to the climax of the Vietnam war and the POP Flower Power uprising against it, heralding a major cultural transition for humanity.

Since the mid-1960s Uranus-Pluto synod, throughout the first quarter of the cycle, a 47-year period, this cultural-revolutionary theme has fully engaged society's creative process. Now, at the turning of the first square of the cycle…the mid-1960s theme will now shift into its next prominent quarter; the creative action quarter. How this plays out is of course yet to be seen. Activists and revolutionists may storm the global stage during this transition point in the cycle; and it may produce another principal shift in our societal revolution. It may also be much more progressive due to the placements of Uranus and Pluto…It may also stimulate dynamic radical action for those born in the mid-1960s—matured forces that must now "explode into space."

This square is of extreme significance for those with prominent Uranus and Pluto natal placements, and for those with aspects to key points and planets in their natal and progressed charts by transiting Uranus and Pluto. It is fundamentally significant for all of humanity due to Uranus and Pluto's astrophysical bio-resonances, and simply for all of Earth due to the fact that all life on Earth nests within the greater planetary and cosmic cycles that create the ever-changing evolutionary symphony in which we evolve.

The Uranus Pluto Synodic Square - 2012-2015

Our current Uranus-Pluto square can produce radical, spontaneous, destructive, crazy, even war-like behavior for the spiritually unaware reactive type of younger soul. For souls more mature, this square can stimulate the motivation to adapt quickly to radical change and to create innovative solutions to emerge from or to rise above destructive scenarios and emotional turmoil. It may stimulate the creation of new technologies and modalities of thought motivated from structural systems and societal modalities that simply no longer work.

To conclude: If Brian Wilson is in tune again as he was in 1966 we may be on the receiving end of a startling new musical revelation! 1965 (TWGMTR) was followed by Pet Sounds (No Pier Pressure).

Let's Hope So.

I'm not in the UK, and what good does the proxy site do if it doesn't enable you to hear it?


I have a very good proxy plug-in which only works for youtube, without which I couldn't have watched this either. Thank you for trying to help, anyway. :)

I can't take this serious unless you take Eris, Haumea, Makemake, and Ceres into the equation.

Deleted.

Man, I got to tell ya, Runaway Dancer and Saturday Night on Hollywood Boulevard are AWESOME.

This is totally different from what I was expecting.  It's very strong production-wise, as all of Brian's recent work has been, but he really seems to be playing around with different musical styles.  I'll wait until I hear the album in full to decide whether it's the best of Brian's solo career, but from the previews it definitely sounds like the most adventurous.

I have to disagree.  If we are talking about Mike Love, I don't think he is going to be pissed and that is the problem.  See in order to be pissed off about something, you have to care enough about it in the first place.  Judging from his comments regarding TWGMTR, Mike Love either didn't sense or couldn't connect with the fact that Brian was creating some amazing music both for that record and now for it's follow-up, "No Pier Pressure".  So as Mikie stated, Love jumped off board (or upset the apple cart however you want to view it).  If the new Brian Wilson music was of any importance to Mike Love, I can't see how he wouldn't want to be a part of all of it going forward.  The problem is I don't think it is important to him, bringing me back to my original point.

Btw: If I haven't already made it clear, this stuff is fantastic!  If it was a Beach Boys record it would've been better than Radio and since it's a BW solo I have to concur with those who are saying it's probably his best solo album yet.

https://soundcloud.com/reggiedunbar/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure-previews

Uploaded it to soundcloud. Don't know how long they'll let it stay due to copyright stuff. So listen fast :)

"The best of Brian's solo career" Stbbly?  It seems, in a sense, way too early to definitively make that claim.  We, after all, are only hearing limited clips of the songs from the album.  Yet... ... ... :hat

This isn't some questionable 'comedy' flick where they used up all the best jokes in the TV commercial and then we find that the story is just swiss cheese and that we've already heard all of the funny stuff.  No...I know that we're going to hear even more amazing surprises when we get to hear the 'whole '9' in another 7 weeks.  Why THIS album will be a contender for being considered Brian's all time best solo effort is simply that he has returned to what historically worked for him.  With No Pier Pressure Brian is directing the performances of a group of talented singers and musicians who have aligned themselves with Mr. Wilson in order to help him deliver a complete and fullfilling, artistically satisfying and rewarding communal effort.

There's no deer in the headlights here.  It's collectively a force to be reckoned with...assembled by the man who is about to release one of the very best albums he has ever been directly associated with.  Where it ranks over-all?  That'll vary from one set of ears to the next.  But I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that most folks will have it sitting somewhere in the upper echelons of his body of work...solo or otherwise.

Or maybe it's just another bad comedic movie. ;)  [not]

Well, thank you very much! ;D

Thank you!

Sounds pretty mellow and easy-going. I didn't pick any instant hooks or killer melodies from those snippets, but can't wait to hear the whole album!

Don't like this at all.

How's that?

I like what I can hear of the songs. Some of those arrangements though -- ugh. Smooth-jazz tenor sax? Adult Contemporary guitar licks?

My only complaint is that it's not gonna be out for another 2 months.

Love the samples. Lots of BW falsetto here. Nice!!

The clarity in BW's vocal tone on "What Ever Happened" is pretty amazing.

Everyone has their own feelings, right?
On first listen, I enjoyed almost every track to some degree, tho admittedly it is hard to get the full flavor from a snippet. 
However, Half Moon Bay, could go in the dumpster. I thought it sucked at the Vegas show, and I still do. NOT what I want to hear coming from BW
but then, I don't get to decide for anyone but me

How can we still be dancin'  :-  ' Heeeey EVErYBodyyyyyyyyyy'

Is this the same guy!?  Luv em', thanks from the UK for the link.

Remember the talk of a Wild Honey-feel? This sounds like another Imagination. Which, I still listen to Imagination and like it well enough, but this in not what I was hoping for.

That said, I wasn't impressed by the Right Time on first listen, but I've grown to really like it.

Some snippets really jumped out, others felt like a bit pedestrian.

Still, can't wait to hear the whole thing  :)

Thank you for that, Reggie D.

Nice to hear Zooey and Brian doing a Bebel Gilberto thing.
Always good to hear Nate Ruess's voice.
And Al J is my hero.

Anyone know why Frank Ocean dropped out of the album? At least in the case of "Last Song," we know two versions were recorded and they decided to use the solo BW version rather than the duet with Lana Del Rey. Did Ocean ever actually record anything?

I'm not sure I'm going to like this one. Too much Imagination, not enough TLOS in the sound. These *are* just previews, so I'm keeping an open mind, but... well, let's just say that I've never been much of a fan of Imagination.

As I said upthread - I will be the first to admit it publicly if I change my mind!

Thanks for that.  Some observations

PROS:

Does Al Jardine sound great, or what?

Loved hearing Brian going up into his high range a little.

The collaborations seem to be working well.

I think Last Song is going to make me cry.

Gorgeous harmonies. But, hey. It's Brian.

I'm digging the variety of styles, from AC pop, to smooth jazz.


CONS:

Synth horns

I would have preferred a little more grit here and there.


All in all, I think this is going to be a very enjoyable album. Brian seems excited by it, and I'm guessing it's because this type of work puts him back into his preferred element: he's writing, producing and arranging for other people's voices. With good promotion, I think this could do well on the AC charts.

Agreed.  I hear roughly 3 really good tunes that are clearly out of place with the rest which sounds like the typical solo BW plodding uninspired stuff.

To say this is his best solo album ever isn't really saying much, even if it was.

My thoughts so far:

Great album!  Runaway Dancer and Saturday Night have the best chance of charting, though the sax on RD could hurt its chances.  Whatever Happened will probably be my favorite song on the album, but maybe Runaway Dancer.  Don't Worry doesn't seem like a Brian song at all, I need to hear more of it.  Last Song is every bit as good as Summer's Gone.  Can't wait until April 7th!

I agree completely.  I hope these 2 are released as singles.

Thanks very much.

The Right Time is the first single...and not just in Norway.  Our radio station received it via  the usual channels yesterday.  I did a BIT with the morning man about the album this morning.  The PD/MD will likely play it over the next few days giving the audience their 'say'.  Then he'll add it...or not based on the criteria he uses.  IT WILL get a chance with us.  Same chance as every other possible new hit.

Unfortunately, have to completely agree with this which is the entire root of the problem.

On another note...so what exactly has gotten into Brian?  I, the staunchest Brian supporter you'd ever find, had almost given up on any relevant new music from the man.  And here we now are, with a 3d consecutive brilliant piece of work, each better than the last. So what gives with this creative rebirth at the age of 70 plus? And, of course, if only all three albums could have been a final Beach Boys trilogy...

Loving the clips!  Runaway Dancer, On The Island, Sail Away, and Saturday Night caught my attention immediately.  As others have stated, RD and SN definitely seem to be standouts.  To me, based on the clips it sounds like Brian has hit a home run with this CD. I can't wait to hear the entire album.

I wonder if we'll ever find out which songs were written with the Beach Boys in mind, and which were conceived after it became obvious the reunion was over for good.

Eh, I don't think it's such a great tragedy or big loss. The lack of "Pisces Brothers," nasal bleating, and lazy references to past hits will make it a better album.

Tho come to think of it, Mike could've done the "take it sloooow" line in his painfully "sensitive" voice. While pantomiming incredibly slowly in the studio to practice his stage moves.

No need to agonize over what might have been, let's enjoy what we actually HAVE! Or will soon, anyway. NOW ANNOUNCE A TOUR POR FAVOR!

Beach Boys In Mind; what a great song title!

I wonder about that.  TWgawdMTR is a Beach Boys album.  I think it might have been done with a sort of what would 'they' expect from us for our 50th anniversay album.  Why wouldn't they consider that?  [consider 'us'?]  That said...I'm not a big fan of the idea of drooling over teenage girls and pretending that we can still do all of the sh!t we used to be able to pull of as if we were living some kind of 'groundhog day' type of endless summer.  Those days are long gone no matter what Michael Edward thinks.  Yes it's oh-so groovy to play the oldies-but-goodies and for us to sing along with them when they do it.  But for NEW music?  No,  Let's NOT get back together and do it again...'cause we look like dinks when we try to keep it urealistically based in the 1960s ... for a whole bunch of different/valid reasons.

There is also the point which has been made in THIS thread several times regarding Al's vocals.  And over these past dozen years or so Brian voice has improved and grown stronger/truer to the 'note'.  Has this been achieved with a little electronic assistance?  Who gives a flying trout?  I have to say that the two weakest voices from the core lineup are not a part of this more realistic 'take' on adult life.  [aka No Pier Pressure.]  And as there are no pre-conceived demands or expectations which might come with any of the other 2 albums in your triumvirate...this album isn't forced to wear the millstone which comes with having Mr. Love along for the 'ride'.  Obviously...as a result...and thankfully...there really is NO pier pressure. :hat

I'm happy for Brian and it isn't fair to judge from clips but they don't really hit my personal taste. Obviously I'm in a minority around here and I hope Brian is encouraged to keep on creating.

I agree. When I imagine Mike and Bruce as part of this, I thing of their offering the best of themselves, vocally and spiritually, but no one wants weak and pointless contributions. As for the clips, my ears are now only listening for Al and Dave and Blondie parts--not yet hearing the songs in themselves outside of that. But I hear some PLOBAS echoes in that Island song and some frightening synth sounds here and there. No real evaluation beyond that and beyond loving Our special love and The right time--both fantastic. If a Brian-Al-Dave song charts , that would have to make Mike and Bruce think. Their voices could have been wonderful on that, and it could chart, which is what Mike wanted...

will wait for it all

In conclusion: Al sounds fuckin' great.

Speak for yourself.  ;)

Thanks for the link ReggieDunbar. I don't know where JT get the idea that these songs have a Wild Honey or Carl & the Passions feel to them - we are in pure Imagination territory here for the most part. The Right Time is quite good, the chorus keeps growing on me with every listen.
 The song with Nate from Fun - let's just say Brian may not have burned the Smile tapes but there's still time for him to destroy this bowel movement of a tune.
Brian's singing on record is still at that level he reached on the Gershwin record, ie impressive. Al sounds great as always.

I was gonna say something like that but you said it better so Il just say...agreed.

On first listen, I was kind of let down. Some of the production is just not my taste, and I especially didn't like the 80s feel on Runaway Dancer, the boy-band feel on Our Special Love (though that's probably mostly the lead vocal), or the synth horns (really?) on Don't Worry. However, on additional listens, I really started to be able to overlook those things. This is a strong album.

There are moments where Brian seems to be able to capture an emotion so well, like in "Guess You Had to Be There" and "This Beautiful Day." And the un-hip moments are charming--like Zoe Dechanel in On the Island referring to a "color TV," as if there's anything else these days. Of course, the harmonies are superb. I'm excited.

Ontor - Agreed.  I LOVE the sound of the voices on this record.  We even get the familiarity we all seem to like and the family-feeling harmonies with Al and Matt and Brian sounding great.  We still haven't heard a lot, like Blondie's stuff adding another dimension to this, Kasey Musgraves, and everything that will make it a complete Brian great. I would use the phrase, "wouldn't change a thing," but it sounds ridiculous, as we're talking about Brian Wilson here.  He knows what voices he wants.  It's his creation.  I'm thrilled as hell and just keep ordering NPP from various places because it's so fun to be able to do it.

Seeing the astrologers weighing in here, I had to chuckle.  In the late 90's I remember telling Brian and Melinda that I saw another huge creative/success peak around age 70 for Brian.  He got a big grin on his face like he already knew it.  I don't think he needs us astrologers - He's him and he knows what he's up to - "I'm thinking maybe I'll just stay..."  Lucky for us, he did and we're STILL getting these wonderful musical gifts...very, VERY cool...

Runaway Dancer and On The Island are the two I'm looking forward to the most.

So who's buying the surfboard bundle?

Thank you so much for uploading this.

On my second listen (checking the google play page to see which track's which),
I'm hearing different layers of retro, some 70s, some calling back to his musical/Beach Boys past,
+ others to more recent(ish)/current takes on retro sounds.
maybe some vocal processing but you can't really judge from a transcoded recording of a compressed stream.

Intro/wordless fragment of This Beautiful Day is wonderful - initial (& 2nd reaction) is this :o but good shock -in awe   feels like healing music .
Runaway Dancer reminds me of early 00s club disco (Plus Mccartney/Wings' Wonderful Christmas Time's chaotic synths for some reason) + 80s smooth sax . - could get annoying very quickly , prob non essential.  

What Ever Happened is lovely.
Massive lols at the soundcloud commentator adding "goes pssh" just as she sings "a cigarette" on On The Island

there's an internet indie station (soma fm - the bagel) I can really see playing some of these tracks (they already play She & him).

Our special love going into The Right Time just works (the end of the that clip just made me go ahh)

Somewhere Quiet, I'm Feeling Sad, & Tell Me Why are going to be special. The song before Saturday Night (fake edit - One Kind Of Love) really stood out (my inner 13 year old adores it) - reminds me of that Van Dyke Parks quote of Brian suffering from “an absence of unconditional love-love that has no contingencies, no hooks, no fine print, no exploitation in the subclauses”.

Saturday Night feels like I've heard it before (haven't knowingly heard The Format, but really like Fun.), it's catchy, happy, fun - could/should be massive - give it a good video & the right promotion and it could be all over Uk music channels like Fun's hits were.

aw at The Last Song - this is really going to be f-ing special.

:thumbsup :thumbsup  Precisely!

I'm really enjoying reading the commentary, but I feel the same way. Haven't listened yet... still holding out for that 'Christmas morning' moment when I can get the album and play it all the way through. I guess it's the kid in me.

I was very dubious about "The Right Time" but I'm completely back on board having heard the snippets!

The first few seconds of "This Beautiful Day" – if that's what the first snippet is taken from - have very similar muted trumpet to Gershwin's "Here Come de Honey Man" as played by Miles Davis on the Porgy and Bess soundtrack…

… which is an interesting thing to note, given the history of that track and the story of Smile bootlegs.

There's that old BW sense of humor....

Agree 100%.  I hear some good songs in there, and Brian and Al sound really great, but...yeesh, this production style is not my bag *at all*.  It just strikes me as very much in the "Imagination" vein (which also had several songs I quite liked married to production I couldn't stand), and that's not something I enjoy.  (And I don't really feel the more "contemporary" tracks, either.)

Feeling very conflicted and disappointed in the sound of the clips (from a production standpoint, not writing or vocal performance standpoint).  I am really glad Brian's still making music, though.  I just feel like this isn't really my thing.  I can only speak for myself, though.  *shrugs*

Brian and Zooey sounds like they are having the most inappropriate relationship in that song.

Go Brian!

I know you're not a BW fan from your previous posts (to each his own), so I'm honestly curious...which three songs were they?

What's your opinion of "Pisces Brothers"? Do you like that?

I am a huge Brian Wilson fan...but I am generally disappointed in his solo material...for the record Imagination is my favorite BW solo work.  From what I can tell I really like Our Special Love, The Right Time and Sail Away.  I hope I am eventually convinced on the rest of the album.

Meant to specify 'not a BW solo fan'.

Our Special Love is indeed killer. If I had to pick one, I'd say Half Moon Bay is the only track that doesn't immediately grab me.


Oddly, I hate Imagination lol. Well maybe hate is too strong a word, but it's at the bottom for me. Yes, worse than GIOMH.

Thanks man!

I'm surprised. The guy can pull it off again and again it seems....



Messrs. Jardine sr. and jr.  :rock

Thanks for the Soundcloud preview!!!

Sounds great, but a little too much of that melancholy Imagination sound...
With Al, Blondie and David on the album I was expecting at least a couple of real rockers...
The samba song is great, On the island, as is the disco type song, Runaway dancer...
I’m Feeling Sad - Summer means new love w/lyrics - a pleasant surprise! :)

Incidentally, if anyone out there is getting very thoughtful, going "gee, I wish this were a real Beach Boys album even tho obviously it's a real Beach Boys album in all but name... maybe I should do my own compilation CD of it and put 'Pisces Brothers' in the center of it like a big stinking daybreak over the oceanic turd. Then I can close my eyes and almost smell Bruce's shorts..."

If anyone, anyone at all is thinking about doing that, just don't. Think of the children. The precious children. Also the shorts... the terrible, haunting shorts.

Has this been noted on any of these NPP threads? If so, apologies.


http://www.classichitsandoldies.com/v2/2015/02/18/check-out-preview-of-brian-wilsons-upcoming-solo-album-no-pier-pressure/


A promo video for “The Right Time” is scheduled to premiere this Thursday at Yahoo! Music.

I sent you a PM earlier, I don't think you've been online since then but I want to make sure you see it.

Yikes..GIOMH disgusts me.

I love what Brian and company are doing here........ the songs are going to be interesting to hear in their complete form....

but, like others have said and suggested, the thing I do not like!  is that 90's digital production.....

the tracks sound like 'imagination' era tracks....... gosh, wish someone would fire up the old tape 8 track(s) and do things

the way they sounded best........... and not to be harsh, but Joe has gotta Go!!!!   

3 strikes, he's out (ie. stars n stripes, beach boys live 50th cd, and now this)

Sounds like Brian is keeping up his part as a performer/arranger, and doing great!

maybe it will sound better as wav. files or on vinyl    :-\

RickB

Hey Billy , In my opinion nothing is worse than Getting In Over My Hernia  :lol

Posted by someone who has evidently never heard TLOS.

Also "Michael Rowed The Boat Ashore".  :)

Nope. I'm not really a fan of any of the bands solo music.

Actually, I have, and the spoken word parts hurt the album a lot.  The A-Side is not very well sequenced in my opinion compared to the B-Side.   :-\

This new album sounds like a combination of Imagination and TWGMTR.  To me, the sound is comparable to Paul McCartney's NEW and I don't know why, but I'm not as bothered with the Imagination-style production as I feared I would be.

:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

OK, so they're samples, and my ears are in a bad way again... but even so, I'm hearing what sounds like way too much autotune for my liking. Does Thomas know where the bodies are buried, or where the negatives are ?

There are some lovely, lovely moments, and I want to hear the complete album before pontificating (hell, I just want to hear), so I'll hold my tongue. For now.

Your opinion was rendered invalid the moment you posted what is above in caps.

I agree with him, personally. As for TLOS, I did think it was a great album, but I hated the interludes, and in fact liked the demos more.

I didn't know that.  Sorry.   :-[

http://brianwilson.fanfire.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Store.woa/wa/product?sourceCode=BWIWEBWWUSD&sku=BWIBN009

There's the surfboard for ya!

Am I the only one to notice that every time there are groups of positive comments about this new album that certain "old guard" members of this board feel that they have to set the record straight and get everyone into silly negative discussions about who's holding Brian hostage forcing him to use instruments he doesn't want to use, pro tools plugins, and the like, or just generally accepting the fact that because someone likes this new music doesn't mean that they don't like Brian's older solo material.  I'm a music fan, and participate in several music message boards, and I've rarely seen the likes of this.  Just because I happen to like Led Zeppelin IV doesn't mean that everybody who likes III is a complete idiot.  I love what I hear so far and I'm not afraid to say it.  Its almost as if certain contributors think they can bully others into changing their mind.  I like Lucky Old Sun and I like what I'm hearing here, and it shouldn't mean I have to choose between the two.  Like somebody said before, thank God Brian is still creating music well into his 70s.  Someday that may not be the case.

So, is anyone here planning to shell out $2,700 for this package?

agreed. It's all subjective anyway.

No. ;)

Club Kokomo is like that. :p

Everyone notices it. A few months ago when the 10 second Zooey clip was released the Brian album thread turned into a multiple page long anti-Brian circle jerk....a few people kept spouting repetitive negative drivel (auto-tune, Brian's career is in the tank if he's doing collaborations, Brian will never get on the radio again, etc). It's an obvious agenda that isn't executed too subtly. I loved TLOS and listened to it countless times; but I too think this will be the best album of Brian's solo career.

Heh, if one doesn't like this album there is always the 2017 Mike Love solo album. Woo.

So, five Al leads/co-leads, eh? A quick lookthrough of the def vocal credits list done by this board some years back gives that there never was a BB studio album with more than that. (But Surf's Up, MIU and Still Cruisin' have five as well).  :hat

It sounds like really good, but I think the songwriting was better on Brian Wilson.

Whoever mentioned Christopher Cross in another thread is dead on. I like some of Cross' stuff, mind you.

I was also just thinking that it was kind of funny that the upcoming Brian Wilson solo album has more Al leads than the last Beach Boys album did.  I'm glad, though--his voice sounds great.

The last 20 years of Brian Wilson, on one simple timeline.

1995 -- Orange Crate Art*
           I Just Wasn't Made for These Times
1997 -- The Wilsons (four tracks)
1998 -- Imagination
1999 -- First solo tour
2000 -- Live at the Roxy (live album)
2001 -- An All-Star Tribute to Brian Wilson (DVD)
2002 -- Pet Sounds Live (live album)
2003 -- Brian Wilson on Tour (DVD)
           Pet Sounds Live in London (DVD)
2004 -- Gettin' In Over My Head
           Brian Wilson Presents Smile
2005 -- What I Really Want for Christmas
           Brian Wilson Presents Smile (DVD)
2007 -- New Music from an Old Friend (two tracks)
2008 -- That Lucky Old Sun
2009 -- That Lucky Old Sun (DVD)
2010 -- Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin
2011 -- In the Key of Disney
2012 -- That's Why God Made the Radio**
           The Beach Boys Live in Concert (DVD)**
2013 -- The Beach Boys Live: 50th Anniversary Tour (live)**
2015 -- No Pier Pressure

* With Van Dyke Parks
** With the Beach Boys

-- 11 studio albums
-- 3 live albums
-- 6 DVDs

You embezzled an entire decade, brother.


EDIT: Sorry, I jumped the gun. Wasn't sure it was 2015 either but I checked after your post. Thanks!

Somehow posted before I was done. The point is, the last 20 years have seen Brian in an astonishingly fruitful and committed place. The original compositions haven't piled up with the force or regularity of the '60s (or even the '80s), but the creativity and willpower has continued. It's quite a stretch to be a fan.

Its been quite the ride! 8)

I became a fan in 2006, notice how creatively he came alive again around then.

Coincidence...I think not.  ^-^

:hug


You can say that again. Still dazzles me, the fact that it's 2015 and we're getting a new studio LP and he's still touring + other stuff on the way. Brian is like a cork on the ocean. Damn, he should use that metaphor in a song!

I wasn't going to listen to the preview, but I couldn't help myself after all the good words in this thread. With a handful of slightly puzzling exceptions (hard to judge from a 15 second clip, of course), I think this album sounds like it's gonna be RAD. Seriously. And it just sounds like the music with exceptional melodies and maturity that an artist the caliber of Brian has wanted to make for a good long while, music that has been bottled up inside of him... that he wasn't held back in any way, shape or form, by any bandmate(s) with an ego-based agenda. Unfortunate, but the truth. I guess maybe that's why it has to be a solo album.  

It sounds like he really took his time making this as good as it could be, and while I disliked the album's title when I first heard it, I now absolutely LOVE it, because it hit me that this sounds to be the work of an artist unencumbered by the BBs name and all the baggage and needless detours such as demands (not requests, but demands) for mythical rooms that would come with recording a latter-day album (sans Carl and Dennis and their influence to hold Mike back from his current power leverage position), with the BB name on it.

No pier pressure, indeed.

Brian will surely have the last laugh here because this is gonna kick ass, and I feel pretty certain in thinking this is a far better piece of art than would have been with the compromises needed for this to have been a 2015 BB album.

Nawwwwwwwwwwwwwww.  I think I'll pass. :hat

Oh crap!!!  Looks like I'm reflecting on something in Cent Dep's post.  No...it was a negative comment about something way up that I had quoted...and then thought...Nawwwww.  I think I'll pass... after erasing my initial 'contrifriggin'bution.

Why...I thought...should I take something that looks kinda bad [to me] and MAKE IT WORSE?  So here we are...sorry Cent Dep.

Nice 'willpower'  there buddy.  ;) :lol

I think it will be more commercial or to be more specific more commercially sounding than TLOS.  TLOS was for Wilson fanatics periods.  NPP is going to be for Wilson fanatics and the general public as much as a BW project in 2015 can be geared towards the general public anyway.  Judging from some of the samples, if this album was released in the eighties Brian would've had a legitimate "Brian Wilson is Back!" hit on his hands.  Much has changed in thirty years in how records are moved and what makes them successful so I think some moderate radio airplay and a successful tour would be a good indicator of commercial success which I think is more than attainable with this particular record.

I too think NPP won't just be for Wilson fanatics, as evidenced by the prominent inclusion of Al on lead vocals on the lead single. It's more than a bit unusual for the lead single on a Brian Wilson record to not be Brian Wilson himself (this doesn't really bother me), but I think it's also geared at a large section of BB fans too. It was a bit odd to have to explain to a couple friends who I played the song for yesterday. I introduced the song as the "new Brian Wilson track off his upcoming album", and they were like "that's not Brian Wilson!"

Sounds boring and doesn't sound like Brian Wilson.

How does Brian Wilson sound?

Like everything he's recorded since 1961, I guess.

Except Speed Turtle. I like to pretend that was somebody I don't care for, like Stevie Nicks after a sex change or something :lol

Brian's voice sounds fantastic on One Kind of Love

Looking forward to On the Island, Last Song, and Saturday Night the most.

What strikes me the most after listening to the previews of the songs, is the instrumentation and production.  It's a complete departure from the stuff he did before, in my opinion.  It literally sounds like he fired the entire band and hired a whole new one, then went out of his way to try and make it sound different than stuff he's done for the past 15 years.


And I like it.

I hope those aren't really the last 20 years of Brian Wilson...

Judging from the clips, Brian is in good voice. The previews aren't stunning me though like the TWGMTR previews stunned me. I think it's going to be an ok album, but like Andrew I think it will rank after TLOS. If that's "negativity" for the BW religious fanatics on this board, go blow yourselves up.

When NPP comes out, I'll probably listen through GIOMH just before it, that's going to make me appreciate it more! :-D

One thing bugs me: the price for the vinyl on Amazon. 60 Euros?!? And I'm going to buy it at the record shop, where it's going to be more expensive still...

Uh guys, actually crying here. Best BW album of my lifetime? Most Likely. Runaway Dancer sounds like a contender for a new fav "weird" track

Edit: Let me back this up.
I love, I mean LOVE TLOS. Don't give me that guys, from what I'm hearing this is much more of the BDubs I love. Crazy, beautiful, and deep as the ocean when it needs to be.

I actually think the synths make this more Brian than anything else.

The guest singers and ABSOLUTELY AMAZING SOUNDING VOCALS will, from what I've heard, carry this above anything I've seen come from Brian in my time here on earth.

and again, that's not AUTOTUNE. It's a very modern (not in a good way in some cases...) style of mixing vocals. A cheap tactic to double track... Not much better, but it's not AUTOTUNE. I really dislike that...


I LOVE the sound they had before, but it was honestly getting old... It was time for some new stuff, and this hits the damn spot.

I've used autotune on some projects, and I know what it sounds like...and that ain't it. Not every pitch correction unit sounds the same either. Now, I'm certain there were digital effects used, but not the kind some think. That gives me an idea...

Oh and to touch on something else, I agree that it was time to change things up a bit.  This sounds more genuine than some other projects in the past, if I'm being frank. It's amazing what a little bit of confidence can do...seems like Brian's got his swagger back, and I love it.

To prove a point.... here's five versions of the exact same vocal lines I did. One of these has autotune, one of these has a different pitch correction unit, and the rest of them don't. How well can you *really* pinpoint this? Same reverb and compression are used to make it fair.

Which has the autotune?

One, two, three, four, or five? The answer may surprise you. And to REALLY throw you off, one is totally 'dry' apart from the reverb.


https://www.sendspace.com/file/4k90yp

Answers tomorrow...I'm very interested to see if anyone correctly guesses.

The third one sounds a little more 'upfront' or 'punchier', while the last one sounds weirdly distorted. The other three sound exactly the same to these untrained ears. You have a nice voice BTW Billy.  Pure guess; I'm going to say take two?

Now THIS is interesting.

The 5th is the most obviously processed one. The third one sounds bad too, but in a way completely different from the others, that's probably the unaltered one. I can't tell 1 and 2 apart at all, I think there is some slight pitch corection on number 4.

Can't wait for the solution!
:huh

I'm gonna take a punt and say the second take.

Smooth voice, btw  :o

Here's a bit of something... the fifth one is actually not pitch corrected at all...I used a plug in that simulates the guitar effects used by Robert Fripp! I threw that in as a ringer, because it sounded like the 'T Pain ' effect.

But yeah, I'll answer this one later tomorrow...

BTW...I used to have a decent voice pre cigarettes. I'm trying to quit by the end of this weeek so we'll see how I sound in a few months!

When I thought yet another sterile recording had been produced, these samples appear and I'm stunned. This sounds like a mature, fully developed version, of BW+JT's style 17 (!) years after Imagination. A lot has gone by, including the C50 reunion, which must have boosted Brian's creative ego. The songs sound rich, thought out, developed; no one records Brian's vocals better than JT, I think. They also seem to have found a working dynamic for composition: away from the music room at home and into the studio... the results are different, more spontaneous perhaps; it is slick-sounding, but not dry; and the production touches and overall sound do not suggest commonplace as Imagination's nylon guitars, ror instance. This is also a departure from BW-by-default productions of the past in his solo career, when everything was a patchwork of clip clops and other nods to his sounds of 1966. I do not hear one half-arsed song either: there is no "A friend like you" here; or a "Dream baby"; or a "Where has love been". These songs seem elaborated, thought-out; they are statements from a pop king claiming his crown and scepter.

I won't listen to the samples so i can save the album for when it's released in full, but i wouldn't be unhappy if this were Imagination II.

I really like Imagination. It's probably my favourite BW solo album.

This album is gonna get slaughtered by the critics!

I'm going with 3 actually.
My reasons for guessing that may give it away though... But I can tell you I'm pretttttty sure that's the auto tune...

Oh yes. Because love you was slaughtered for being too "Brian Wilson" and too "weirdly creative"

Seriously? I know you're trolling but even a troll would know that's wrong.

I don’t necessarily see the album getting “slaughtered”, but I don’t think this will be his most acclaimed work either. Makes no particular difference to me; I like the idea of simply continuing to produce the stuff. If there are some gems, then it’s worth it to me. Even “Gettin’ in Over My Head” was worth it for the little gems here and there, even it meant suffering through “Saturday Morning in the City” and whatnot.

This album is pretty exciting in that, while Brian has indeed put out a lot of stuff since 1998, we haven’t had a ton of “new” albums with mostly or all “new” material (as in, not covers or remakes of previously released material).

I think it’s also noteworthy that this is, probably, the first solo Brian release with contributions from Al. It’s the first for David as well apart from that weird random “Sweet Insanity” session years ago.

But did "Love You" get rave reviews all around back in 1977? I honestly don't know. My perception has always been that it didn't perform super well on the charts, and that both critics and fans have found the album to be rather divisive in terms of agreeing on how good or bad it is.

Keep in mind, how "critics" absorb a new BW album may have little to do with how even the most objective, non-fanboy-ish fan might feel about it.

I think a new BW album is more likely to get a positive review in, say, Mojo or Rolling Stone than in, say, Entertainment Weekly (if they even bother to review it).

As much as Jeff Beck being a tool in regards to Brian and the Brian tour, I think a few weird Beck instrumentals with wordless vocals from Brian and Al may have theoretically garnered better reviews than an easy listening/AOR sort of sound. But we'd never know, and we don't know exactly how the new album sounds yet anyway.

‍

Am I the only one who loves those synth horns?

Based on those snippets it sounds good and I'm looking forward to it.

Don't get the negativity especially the people that were not "expecting" this. What were you expecting? There are a block of people out there that have been waiting for either Pet Sounds 2 or the real Smile since the first "Brian's Back" campaign in the 70's. When an artist creates a masterpiece in his/her creative peak it doesn't happen again. That's what makes it a masterpiece. Otherwise Pet Sounds would be just another cool Beach Boys album. EVERY time Brian puts something out, there seems to be a lot of misguided disappointment. Just like when TWGMTR came out ...tons of enthustastic anticipation....and now when people bring it up more times than not it's "aside from a few tracks it's kinda lousy".  It gets really old. TWGMTR is the best BB album since LA. No Pier Pressure just MIGHT be Brian's best solo work to date and at the very least has the potential to be a good album.

Oh , and I love the goofs on that google site already RATING the album as low as 2 stars from those snips. Priceless.

I'm always puzzled why places like Amazon (and Google, etc.) even allow ratings or reviews prior to release date. Sure, a small smattering of folks may have received review copies, and/or the full item can leak. But generally speaking, most pre-release reviews (good or bad, and I see some comically AWESOME! reviews of stuff that are just as invalid) are not going to be informed properly.

I can't speak for everybody, but honestly, this was exactly what I was expecting when I heard Joe Thomas was involved.  I'm disappointed, but not surprised.

I like a lot of the songs, from what I can hear.  I just don't like the easy listening/adult contemporary instrumental production (or the more sort of mainstream super-processed pop production of the more contemporary-style tracks).  I'd like the album a lot more if the tracks were more, for lack of a better descriptor, organic and punchy, and/or more flat-out Love You-esque weird.  Basically, the same way I felt about "Imagination" - some good songs that I can't stand to listen to because I don't like the production style.

It's OK - I don't expect Brian to put out stuff I'm going to universally adore every single time.  There's plenty of Brian solo tunes and Beach Boys songs that are well-liked here that I don't like at all, just as I'm sure there are ones I like that plenty of people on the forum don't like at all.  And it's OK for the forum for people to disagree.

For those  who are still playing the game...here is another clue. #3 is not it. I did use a de-esser and messed with the eq though

That post is autotuned!

:lol
Well my phone DOES have autocorrect...

 :lol

Good point! I'd also suggest doing a follow up "Doubletrack Challenge" where you take a vocal phrase and do 5 different methods of doubletracking it, manual and simulated. Since that is also coming up as a question regarding NPP's vocal sounds and methods of recording.

For me, I've about had it with the whole ball of wax, but everyone knows that by now. I'm sticking to challenges where I can get a cool button if I guess correctly. Although I could twist the logic of even the Pepsi Challenge in order to get a free button if I tried...
Q: Coke or Pepsi?
A: RC Cola! Give me a button.
Q: But RC Cola isn't even an option, it's Coke or Pepsi...
A: I taste RC Cola, I know what I tasted and that's RC Cola. Give me a button.
Q: If I give it to you, will you take the button and go away?
A: Yep.
Q: Here ya go, sport.

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c3/Pepsi_Challenge.jpg)

RC Cola is not an option!!! :lol :lol :lol

10 out of 10 soda drinkers who chose RC Cola also chose Autotune.  :-D

Funny thing is the board really does have a filter that could be set like Autotune. Every time someone types the word "autotune", it could be set to appear in the post as "mustard" for example. You'd get posts like "I don't like the way they put mustard on that lead vocal". It could be a lot of fun and laughs for April Fools Day.

please do that today!!!!! ;D

I can't auto tune a vocal but I can auto tune a fish *rimshot*

*billyshot*

The only review that mattered was Lester Bangs'!

I have been converted.  After listening several more times since my first review yesterday, I have decided I love almost every tune and am thinking this record will be incredible.

Yeah, I think for many it'll be one that gets better with repeated listens.

Welcome to the dark side.

We have steak and cake

Sean O'Hagan said it best:
"As far as I can see, Joe Thomas hasn't got a clue about Brian Wilson or his legacy. It's all just 'Little Deuce Coupe' to him. He wanted Brian to make a big Eighties ballad record, all cavernous snares. He kept referring to Brian's potential as an Adult Contemporary crossover artist. I sad, 'Don't you realize Brian Wilson is essentially a 20th-century avant-garde pop genius?' And he went, 'Avant-garde? Not the Brian Wilson I know'"

O'Hagen's statement is certainly interesting, but it says a lot more about him than Joe Thomas or Brian Wilson.

Who on Earth seriously thinks that modern-day -- as in, the last 30 years-plus -- Brian has any interest in being an avant garde pop artist?

Joe's perspective on Brian sounds much more on point, from both a personal and commercial standpoint.

Agreed. And really, when's the last time O'Hagan was relevant?

Trying so hard to refrain from the clips--but you guys are making it awfully tough. However, I've played "The Right Time" about 100 times so far...

Just for giggles, just listen to Runaway Dancer and see what you think... ;)

Okay, for those who played along...

1) This was the one unaltered one...completely dry except for the reverb added.
2) This, however, was the one that had the autotune! Entire segment, too.
3). No processing done here, aside from being re-EQ'd and having a de-esser used.
4) The exact same as #3, only without the equalization....and one note was tuned using Kerovee. Did that to throw people off.
5) The one that sounds the most processed, yet no pitch correction used. As mentioned above,  I used an emulator to simulate Robert Fripp's 'Frippertronix'.

I knew it was 2! That was a really cool game, Billy! I personally think that autotune is fine as long as it's not obvious (unless of course the song calls for obvious autotune as an effect). If there is autotune on the No Pier Pressure previews (which I bet there is), its not too obvious so I'm ok with it.

Son of a gun... Never heard any affordable autotune that doesn't cause some noticeable EQ fudging... you got me! Nice work!

See, it's all how it's used. It can be obvious, or very hard to notice. Also, there are so many things that sound like it to the untrained ear.

These days, it's pretty easy to get (legal) free plug ins , thankfully!

Haha, I guessed right. This now gives me the right to call out Joe Thomas on his overuse of autotune whenever I see fit, with zero repercussions. ;D

Was it the "meant"? Because that was the one note that seemed processed to me.

I bought a Fleetwood Mac DVD that was produced by Joe Thomas and there was no evidence of autotune at all, the vocals sounded all natural and it's a fantastic recording.  I don't understand what gave him the idea to put it all over the Beach Boys live album.

1. BW is co-producer. Why does everybody blame Joe?

2. One is prompted to correct pitch if the vocals recordings are out of tune. Perhaps that was/is the case.

3. A little pitch-correcting and processing could have made GIOMH a better album.

Brian always was - and still is - an innovative writer/artist, not one of those "contemporary" artists! Sean O'Hagan is absolutely right! It's just that Brian is too weak, or rather, too kind to say what he thinks, to get rid of people...

Remember Landy?? A rock star???

http://www.gettyimages.se/detail/nyhetsfoto/brian-wilson-with-dr-eugene-landy-outside-rehearsal-for-nyhetsfoto/77697551

With David, Al and Blondie on the album, I was expecting some real rocking sound, but no... :/

I don't think there has ever been a good chance in decades of Brian writing and recording something that truly "rocks." The most we're usually likely to hear from Brian that "rocks" would be doing something in concert like "Marcella" or something like that. The band had a brief period in the late 60's/early 70's where the harder-edge rock sound was in any sort of evidence, and a lot of that had little to do with Brian.

Now, I think it's fine if Brian doesn't "rock." That has never been his thing, and I love his music.

The question isn't "innovative" or not -- although I would question what artist of Brian's generation is still "innovative" to a significant degree. The work becomes more formalist and craft-driven over time -- that's just the arc for most recording artists (unless you're Scott Walker, I guess). The question is O'hagan's specific use of the incredibly pretentious phrase "avant garde." At most, that describes one album that Brian and the Boys ever released (Smiley), and one that they didn't (Smile), both of which were done in about the span of a year.

The kind of music that Brian has made for the bulk of his career -- before and after the Smile experience -- is thickly orchestrated, vocal-harmony based pop, with a jazzy chord sensibility. Nothing avant garde about it. He is, like many of music's most successful artists, an amazing collaborator and assimilator of influences, not necessarily a true original. That was true of the Beatles, and it's largely true of Brian. Pet Sounds isn't groundbreaking in any particular area -- more complicated and experimental songs had been written before, more intricate arrangements recorded. What Brian did was very comebine the Spector musicians with harmony vocals,  introspective lyrics and a concept of the pop album as a discrete unit of work. That was special.

Most of the collaborators Brian has repeatedly worked with understand this. Andy Paley. Joe Thomas. Scott Bennett. Even Van Dyke! All have, to one degree or another, helped Brian create thickly orchestrated, vocal-harmony based pop.

You know who Brian has never collaborated with? Sean O'Hagan. The only one who believes that Brian's music -- and Brian -- are something that they aren't. I'd bet that's not a mistake.

This isn't to say Joe Thomas is my favorite Brian collaborator, or the one I'd pick for him to work with (of the recent guys, I like Scott the best). But TWGMTR sounded far more like a BW arrangement and production than Imagination, and NPP sounds even more like BW than that (with the lovable exception of the two synth pop tracks). And Brian called Joe out of the blue to work with him again -- after multiple lawsuits in the late 90s -- so this is the big man's choice. I'm sure Melinda and everyone else in the BW orbit would be delighted not to deal with him again, but that's what Brian wanted.

In other words, I think JT and BW see eye to eye on a lot more than folks on this board would imagine.

Really? Seriously? Now we're back to the victim Brian being manipulated into making records SOME people don't like or think Brian should make. Brian working with Mike Love, Brian working with Joe Thomas, Brian using processing tools is the real Brian. That other Brian only exists in some of your heads.

Actually, I completely agree with Wirestone here - I think O'Hagan absolutely believes Brian to be somebody he isn't, and bringing up O'Hagan quotes makes me cringe just a bit (even though I'm inclined to agree with him about Joe Thomas).  For a large subset of indie musicians, things like Smile (or, at least to some extent, the legend of Smile, passed down through a series of muddy bootlegs) were huge influences, but they cast a very narrow window on Brian and his music.  I've never been too keen on the desires for O'Hagan to do a thing with Brian - I just don't think Brian's going to be down with a High Llamas-esque mind trip.

(Personally, if we were to go down the road of "offbeat indie musician who, in our dreams, should make a record with Brian Wilson," I think somebody like Robert Schneider of The Apples in Stereo would be *far* more in tune with Brian's sensibilities than an O'Hagan - I think great things could come about from pairing the guy who wrote songs on Apples records like "Shine A Light" and "Ruby" with BW.  And even just strictly in terms of production sound, I'd love to hear these songs if they were handled by, say, a Ken Stringfellow or Chris Walla or somebody else in modern (but not super weird) indie rock/power pop rather than a Joe Thomas.  But that's just me.)

Brian making "thickly orchestrated, vocal harmony-based pop with a jazzy chord sensibility" is dead-on correct.  And I *love* "thickly orchestrated, vocal harmony-based pop with jazzy chord sensibilities."  I don't really want Brian to try to make Smile 2.  I *want* him to follow his classic sound, that orchestrated harmony-drenched pop.  I just personally don't like having said style be buried in Joe Thomas's production style.  I want to hear those songs and that Brian arrangement without the '70s light rock guitar riffs or the easy listening sax & muted trumpet and with punchier drums.

But yeah, it's apparently what Brian wants.  *shrugs*  I'm not going to judge BW and say he's wrong, just realize that his taste in this and mine are very different and move on (as I plan to do here, rather than just repeat myself too much.  I threw my 2 cents in and I'm done now, and besides I'm a newbie that nobody really cares about, haha).  Not every album's gonna hit my taste.  I still like the guy.  :)

I think Brian Wilson for his time was an innovative artist.  Yes he drew influences (who doesn't) but "Pet Sounds", "Good Vibrations" and "SMiLE" then and now...it's hard to draw comparisons with those works.  There really hasn't been anything like them in terms of approach or result since those recordings were made.  Others may have tried but as far as results go, I don't think anything has sounded as far out of left field and been as successful as something like "Good Vibrations".  I can only imagine how that record sounded back in 1966, it must have sounded like it had come down from Mars or something.  It's the definition of unique and in a class of it's own and quite possibly because of that is the greatest 45 ever released.

Brian Wilson is MOR now.  I think that is to be accepted.  Those who don't accept that fact are going to be woefully out of tune with where Brian's music is today.  Once you've accepted that fact, you can begin to appreciate that it can be argued that Wilson's music has aged better than a lot of his contemporaries because of how he arranges his music.  His vocals obviously aren't where they were when he was in his twenties but the man knows harmony, he knows arrangement, he knows how to get the most out of a particular piece of music.  He has his bulleyes and his complete misses but even on something like "The Right Time" which lyrically isn't anything that is going to blow you away, that block of harmonies is pure heaven.  When you hear those harmonies and how he arranges them, stacking and filling in holes as he goes it might as well be 1965 all over again. 

The notion that Brian Wilson in modern times is an avant garde artist is as Wirestone noted: pure nonsense.  Even if he was inclined to go that route, I'd wager he'd lose a lot of his audience by trying to make another album in the vein of SMiLE.  First off it likely wouldn't be as good and second of all it would be viewed as a retread and I can list many artists who have tried to replicate their greatest successes on modern albums only to come up short.  Brian Wilson knows what he's doing.  He's learned to live both his professional and personal life in the present, allows his music to reflect his current tastes and also is wise enough to harken back to the past when need be and throw us a few bones ("Half Moon Bay", the bass in "Whatever Happened To") that recall his past glories without trying to recreate what he's already accomplished long ago. 

Sean O'Hagan's perspective is as valid as anyone's. What you hear in BW's music largely depends on your own cultural background and there are many artists from the field of experimental music who consider BW's music (even beyond Pet Sounds and Smile) a crucial inspiration.

To a certain extent I can relate to O'Hagan's approach. Brian himself, however, doesn't seem to be interested in being marketed as an "avant-garde pop genius". That's his choice. Fair enough.

Gotta include "Love You" in that list as well.

It's been a great read so far with the comments about Sean O'Hagan and what he said regarding Brian and his music. I think a few posters had some spot-on opinions and comments that are worth considering even beyond O'Hagan and Brian, regarding fans, influences, and creating music in general.

I'm repeating or rewording what has already been said, but I can understand where O'Hagan is coming from in some ways. But I would like to add another layer to it. And again, it can go beyond Brian's music and apply to many artists who have the body of influential work that Brian has created in his whole career.

Consider that some very strong impressions, images, and assumptions were created by many fans and especially musicians in their own minds as to who or what these musicians they were connecting with from afar may have been.

I go back to for a moment John Lennon and Elvis. There are numerous interviews where John describes being a teenager and picking up late night radio broadcasts in his bedroom as a song like Heartbreak Hotel was broadcast. It was mythical, it was epic, it was the stuff of legend in the minds of many teenagers like Lennon who heard this music, then saw what images they could find of Elvis and Eddie Cochran and Buddy Holly and others. There was the element of connecting your own dots and forming the opinions and legends about guys like Elvis based on the incredible music coming across late-night radio that was becoming part of your world. Then you start writing and playing music, and a lot of that inspiration came not just from the actual recordings but also of that grand image you held of who and what these heroes of yours actually were.

And perhaps alongside that, what you wanted them to be - maybe to live up to your expectations, to match the enthusiasm created early on by their work that first touched you deeply, or to just be that ideal in your mind in real life.

Remember the meeting between Elvis and the Beatles? Nothing really happened for a long and uncomfortable time when it first got underway after the introductions. The Beatles were starstruck, for once in a long time they couldn't talk or quip their way out of a situation. Here was Lennon sitting in the same room as the guy who he had literally dreamed about and considered a hero sitting in front of him in the same room...and he was overwhelmed by the reality. Elvis finally got tired of the scene and announced he would split if all the Beatles were going to do is stare at him...he wanted to jam, talk, etc. That broke the ice, but even then it was a tense situation. I believe all four Beatles felt let down by the experience, at least that's how they told the story in years to come.

But how could they not be let down in a way...here was the guy they had created and built up in their own mind as a giant among men, an idol, and it turned out he was basically just a guy like them underneath all the legend and fame. That can be shattering, as much as it is a thrill.

Consider how and when I'm guessing a musician like O'Hagan took that kind of deep influence from a musician like Brian Wilson.

The mythology around Smile, around the reclusive genius image, around all of the rumor and innuendo...you'd play scratchy Smile bootlegs, you'd play Smiley Smile and Pet Sounds, you'd read LLVS and all the other Smile related material available, and there would appear an image beyond what was in the music and on those pages. You created in your mind and started to believe what images you got from listening and reading and soaking it all in. I've said many times, what some of the fans who didn't get into it as of the late 80's and early 90's may have a hard time jumping into some fans' shoes and remembering a time when the idea of anything close to the level of musical output, touring, new material, etc from Brian Wilson was a fantasy, a pipe dream. Even a few years before Smile was premiered on stage, I remember very well thinking it will forever exist on bootlegs and will never go beyond.

We'll spend the next decades trying to guess what a finished Smile would be like, we'll spend decades trying to learn and analyze and decipher not only the fragments of music but also the fragments of information about the music's creator.

So perhaps some of us built up a set of expectations and an image of Brian Wilson based on some of those wishes and pipe dreams from those days when the idea of someday buying a ticket to see Brian Wilson not only tour and perform as a solo act, but one day get a full live presentation of Smile *as a cohesive whole* was the stuff of pure fantasy...it could never happen!...we thought.

Now we get the real Brian Wilson, this is the music he created and recorded and wanted to release in 2015. And retroactively, going back the previous decade-plus as well.

If it doesn't line up with that idealized, imagined perception of who he was and what kind of music he'd make if he'd only make another album, it could possibly be going back to that mindset that fans may have had in the 80's and 90's, where short of these speculations and hopes, the reality was there was nothing specific in the works, a full tour wasn't scheduled anytime soon, and Smile would exist only as fragments, bootlegs, and fanmixes.

So I do *think* I understand where Sean O'Hagan may have been coming from because I was one of those fans who went all-in and got major influences at that time when there wasn't anything concrete or even probable in the works as far as new events and music. The images at that point were easier to grasp than the reality, so those images of Brian toiling away on avant-garde music that the world wasn't ready for in 1966 and 1967 became the go-to place to be when listening and imagining the possibilities...and also taking musical and creative influence from those works.

Now there is a reality, this is the music being created by Brian Wilson on his terms. That in itself in 2015 is something a lot of us are celebrating and enjoying, it's been one helluva ride for fans. I'd hope a fellow musician like O'Hagan is listening and soaking it all in just as he did in his formative years as he obsessed over all the experimental and way-out sounds. Even if something new might not be exactly what he had imagined or hoped it would be, there are still those musical moments that we can hear and say "THAT is Brian Wilson, the real deal" and perhaps take a few influences on how a harmony part was structured or how the rhythm section was arranged, or any number of musical elements that might stand out. Even if the overall sounds or even the basic structure of the album might not be to everyone's liking, it's still music created by Brian Wilson and full of those (what I call) "Brian moments" like a bizarre chord change or whatever that you hear and smile...then try to figure out on your own.  :)

It can be tough for fans to progress alongside the artists especially when such strong mental images are formed, like Lennon with Elvis and any number of examples. Reality is reality - Fantasy is fantasy. When the two should meet, it's a wonderful thing. But expecting if not assuming the two will meet can invariably lead to a letdown if you get hung up on expectations versus reality. One can dream, yes, and dream so strong that you can make it a reality on those rare but beautiful moments, but sometimes it's just as enjoyable and fulfilling to take a look around you at what exists in the moment, at what is available, and soak it all in just the same.

I know Sean is a fan of Brian's music, I'd just hope he can put aside the preconceived notions or expectations (if there are any) of what he might want Brian's new music to sound like enough to listen with open ears and an open mind to catch all those "Brian moments" in the new music, whether it can be labeled avant-garde, commercial, or any other name. That one chord or melody or any other sonic goodness that we all have access to via new music in 2015...who would have thought that possible at certain points over the last 30 or even 40 years?

Great time to be a fan.  :)

I have loved Brian and all BB music for a long time.  I appreciate his effort in making this album but the production is terrible.  I am Joe Thomas'd out.  I just don't see how this album will translate to sales outside of most strident BW/BB fans.  I'm just going to come out and say it, in my opinion I just don't see Brian having ability to be successful in today's music market.  I truly believe the only reason TWGMTR was so successful was because it was the "reunion" album and I would be willing to bet it was a curiosity purchase for the general public unlike most of us hardcore fans.  I have let the Google preview of NPP stew for a couple of days to give it a fair chance to grow on me and unlike most albums every time I try to listen to it, to me it gets worse.  I even hate the fact that I'm typing this, I would love to hear Brian put out a last great rock and roll album!

I personally believe No Pier Pressure may be as successful as TLOS.  No more, no less.  I said before that this would be his best album to date, and artistically, it is.  It seems free from the pressures of the Beach Boys or Landy or any other forces at work against him.  The writing is his best in years.  Commercially, the production will not be a selling point, as everything seems to be processed through a compressor, which makes tracks sound lifeless and loud.  The vocals (whether auto-tuned or not) are heavily processed, and as a result of that, they sound soulless. 

That said, I'm still excited for this album, and I can't wait to listen to it. 

Let the arguing continue.

So, who is buying this lifeless, loud, processed music these days? Isn't this production technique what is en vogue now? Are our ears simply behind the times? Is this our issue and not Brian & Joe's?

The best chance for this album to be a big success is for Capitol to promote the hell out of the songs with Zooey, Nate Reuss and the Capital Cities guy.

I agree, it could be our (my) issue.  However, it is up to the artist/musician/producer to create a product that is tasteful for the market's ears.  Brian and Joe (I believe) are trying to market toward the hip teen crowd, as evidenced by Brian's collaborations with younger musicians (which were requested by his daughters I believe).  However, the problem with this vision is that Brian is marketing toward the wrong crowd.  Many youngsters do not know or care to know who Brian Wilson is.  They (mostly) dispose and consume records quickly, anxiously waiting for the next hook.  A work with layers upon layers of instruments with a fleshed out production is not what the kids will want to hear.  Brian and Joe are marketing to the wrong audience.

Nope...it was 'these' :lol

If Lana Del Ray were on the album, Capitol would promote it, as she is a hit with the young ones.  I'm not trying to make myself seem pessimistic, but fun. is considered a has-been now, as Reuss has not released a major single since 2012 with Some Nights.  Zooey of She and Him is not a big enough artist to have an impact.  Katy Musgraves does not have a big enough fanbase to justify sales.  

I do think Peter Hollins will score some buys from internet savvy fans.

Great post GF, and much appreciated.  I think this can also be what is behind the tendency to view Brian as controlled by outside entities.  It is easier to take that route than to let go of our preconceived ideas of who he was and is...and who we want him to be.  And of course the Landy years, an overheard interaction backstage, his overall state of mind, etc, are easy to point to as proof that Brian is not in control and that Joe Thomas is creating this music or adding non-Brian production touches or whatever.  It's become so entrenched in the way people view him that even when someone like Ray comes here and says otherwise the illusion cannot be broken.  No, he's controlled, otherwise his new records would sound the way I want them to sound.  I'm not a fan of the Imagination-like production, and I wish Brian wasn't either, but what if he digs that sound?  We can either deal with it, move on to another hero, or continue on in denial no matter what Ray and others say.  A court of law determined Melinda was capable of acting in Brian's best interest, to my knowledge no one legally challenged that, but there are those here that still disagree, and have been vocal about it. 

So I'm with you GF, I think there is as good of a chance that these records are a better indicator of Brian and his current taste than are our own O'Hagan-esque views.

Based on the two complete tracks we've heard and the snippets, NPP is MOR (or what I assume is MOR now, or what MOR was when Imagination came out). Yet it was only a few years ago that Brian produced TWGMTR. Maybe that was MOR-ish too, but I don't remember a lot of people complaining about the production. My first reaction to this new music has been disappointment, because it sounds like Brian and Joe Thomas have taken a step back from where Brian was in 2012.

Since it's safe to assume that Brian is happy with the way NPP sounds [as Empire of Love just pointed out], I'd love to hear him explain why he wanted this kind of production. And assuming he blesses us with more music in the future, I hope that he goes back to producing it without Joe Thomas's help. Anyone who can produce songs like "Shelter", "From There To Back Again" and "Summer's Gone" doesn't need a co-producer, even though he might want one, and want Joe Thomas in particular.

I think O'Hagan had some interesting insights and experiences with the BB's. Certainly entertaining stories. I don't know that a collaboration would have resulted in great music, and there's a huge question as to whether it would have functionally been able to even happen.

I think, especially back around that time, the frustration and tendency for fans to quickly jump on the O'Hagan scenario as desirable was that Brian and the band were picking some sub-par projects. This was within a year or two of Carl abandoning the Paley material (which wasn't pure genius either, but had at least a handful of tracks that were more solid than anything they had done in years) for the dire "Stars and Stripes" project and continued autopilot touring. Meanwhile, Brian's sometimes marvelous compositions were being wrung through a Kenny G filter for his solo album.

I think it would be great for Brian to do a bit like McCartney did with Nigel Godrich several years back; work with someone who will tell you when your stuff sucks, and also not overwhelm your inherent "sound." The problem is, I would guess Brian isn't comfortable with a new person coming in and "editing" his song portfolio and cracking the whip. Supposedly Darian did this a bit production-wise for "Smile", but that didn't involve all-new compositions.

All just stream of consciousness sorts of thoughts of course.  :lol

I couldn't agree more. and furthermore I don't believe Brian ever really did have any interest in being avant g arde. Except for Smile and the fact that Pet Sounds was very ahead of it's time. I certainly wouldn't call the bulk of Brian's work avant g arde. O'Hagens comments aside about Thomas and Duece Coupe which I don't understand, I think it is O'Hagen who is romanticizing his own wishes or opinions about how he visualizes HIMSELF working with Brian. Just like that girl or guy that some sit in high school dreaming about. You can visualize your house , kids and whole life with the person. The only problem is they ARE going out with Joe Thomas, or Andy Paley or Scott Bennett and NOT YOU !  I personally think Brian may actually like to hang out with these guys. I've never read an interview where Brian mentioned being influenced by O'Hagen. And I certainly don't see the Brian Wilson of the last 20 years laying on the floor with Joe Thomas, smoking a joint and recording vocals.  Auto Tuned or not. Who would help either one of them get up off the floor? Maybe they could get O'Hagen to help them up!

These Sean quotes are from nearly 20 years ago, right?

At this stage in his career, it seems to me that sales are not the most important factor for Brian. The fact that he's making new music and that he is a marquis name for a label should be enough. But I know that Brian has said that sales are important to him, and certainly sales are important to record labels. I doubt this will be a big hit, simply because Brian Wilson is not a big name (I realize this contradicts what I said about his being a marquis name--well, it is, for those people in the know. But his name does not have the Baby Boomer backing that the Beach Boys name does, nor is a known to young people). I have no idea how well Paul McCartney's last album did, but he is very, very savvy at marketing, and I believe he teamed up with a hit-making producer, did he not? Joe Thomas isn't exactly the hot producer of the moment. (McCartney also recently collaborated with Kanye West.)

I'm not expecting Brian to suddenly have a huge hit, but I love that something is driving him to make new music, and that those of us who love his music get to enjoy new material.

Brilliantly put, Wirestone. "Avant garde" is a term that does not apply to Brian; and much debatable as an asset, as O'Hagan seems to imply in his bitter and full-of-prejudice account of his approach to the band. In the end, Thomas digs Brian more than O'Hagan did.

Or maybe NPP will start sounding great after many listens to the whole thing.

But one thing for sure: If I heard "Our Special Love" on the radio, and didn't know it was a Brian Wilson song, I'd switch to another station as soon as Peter Hollens started singing.

Why? He's very good. Makes that song IMO.

Though I liked it from the get-go, it did take a while to get used to the new style. If you listen closely and peel away the layers, there is a lot of brilliance in that song - many harmonies are buried deep in the mix that you don't quite pick up on during the initial listen (at least for me). That the entire thing is a cappella is stunning.

You'll have to ask the poster who posted them. I'm relating it to 2015 just as the quote was posted in a discussion about a new Brian Wilson album in 2015.

Yeah, They are all pre-imagination quotes so what Sean thinks now may be quite different....or not.

Article is behind a subscription wall here if anyone has one - http://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/brain-wilson-endless-bummer

They most definitely did. And on all of the same points -- instrumentation, vocal processing, etc. It was muted somewhat by the excitement that everyone had at seeing all the guys back together as a coherent unit.


Point taken -- except that each one of those songs was co-written by Joe. I've come to think Joe's greatest skill is actually his songwriting with Brian. He's gotten stuff out of the man -- songs like "Lay Down Burden" and the suite on TWGMTR -- that few others have managed since the 70s (giant exception made for Scott Bennett and "Midnight's Another Day).

"That's Why God Made The Radio" was MOR and I had and still have no problem with it.  Again for me it's the fans that do have problems with that style of production that are going to be the ones feeling left out in the cold by Brian Wilson's modern music because that is the type of artist he is now.  Personally I'm more than alright with that which is why I've got no gripe with Joe Thomas or whomever.  


We can't have it both ways I'm afraid.  I believe I read a quote several months back that Wilson still uses radio airplay as a gauge for how successful a particular record is.  Honestly, if sales weren't important to Brian Wilson, to me this whole debate would be a total non-issue.  Brian Wilson has nothing to prove to anyone anymore in terms of his abilities as a commercial artist.  What he accomplished in the sixties as a member and driving force behind The Beach Boys' more than speaks volumes for his ability to craft hit records.  But since sales seem to still be important to Wilson, this topic will continue to be broached and debated and unfortunately the only thing I can say is that times have changed and there are very few artists of Wilson's generation who have much pull in terms of being relevant hit makers today.  To expect Brian Wilson to have a huge hit with NPP in 2015 is being unrealistic.  As I mentioned up the chain, if this record was issued as a Beach Boys album in the mid eighties it might have had a chance of making a dent although those were turbulent times on the charts for nineteen sixties rockers too.  The bottom line for me is that I can honestly say that I have a lot of respect for what Brian Wilson is doing right now in his career and am thoroughly looking forward to this upcoming release.

There's something about his voice when he first starts singing at 0:58 or so that strikes me as way too Adult Contemporary for my taste. But I should have added that his singing doesn't really bother me after that.

I agree

Yeah I don't care for Peter Hollins either.  That song unless it completely blows me out of the water in a way that the sample hasn't (I haven't listened to the complete song yet) is going to be one of the few on the record that I feel I'm going to be skipping over. 

You make an excellent point about Thomas's contributions as a co-writer. As for the complaints about the TWGMTR production, I probably don't remember that so well because there were so many complaints about something else: the contributions of a certain member of the Beach Boys.

You may be pleased to learn, therefore, that the sample happens to includes the part I referred to above. The song as a whole has grown on me.

listening to our special love and The right time on a loop in Rhapsody: if any song on the rest of the album can come close to these, it will be great. Hollins is OK on this; focus on the BW arrangement going on behind him; see him as an extra instrument, featured for a few lines but not dominant nor distracting.

Sorry if I'm misremembering but isn't there a quote by Brian himself where he said the music/production on Imagination wasn't to his liking?

Personally I think Imagination is an interesting case: I really like most of the songs and some of them I think even had the potential to be classics. But the overall sound/production... just as bland as the cover art.

Great post timbnash.

When I mix, I always test the playback on a cheap $20 pair of headphones, and then speakers last.

Phirnis, it was an interview with Paul Zallo. In all fairness, Imagination's production was sterile and lifeless.

I sent my 18 year old daughter, who is majoring in choral music in college, and who is into Sam Smith these days, a copy of this song and she really likes the Peter Hollens parts with the Brian vocal arrangements behind.  She said that it probably wouldn't be a hit on the radio, but it would get some play.  For what it's worth...

This album is going to reach ooh I'm gonna say #9 on the charts.

Give us one pic of brian, al, david, blondie and ricky!

I think a Top 10 finish for the album might be tough. On the one hand, it seems to take less and less sales to chart highly on the album charts these days. But I believe Brian's best ever solo chart performance in the US is #13 for "Smile" in 2004. "TWGMTR" of course hit #3, but that had the BB name (and anniversary hoopla) attached to it.

If the second week of April is a slow week sales-wise, and Capitol puts enough push behind the album, it could do relatively well on the charts. If it hits the top 10, it could well do so while still selling less copies in its first week than "Smile" did in 2004 when it hit #13.

Unfortunately Brian is not a "hit making" solo artist like his musical contemporaries.

On which chart?

Billboard Hot 100

If the promo is strong and good -- a very big if -- it could go top 10. Just the way the charts are now.

However, the release of The Right Time as a single concerns me a bit -- no hot young things to push the record. But we shall see!

I think the "Hot 100" is the singles chart. The album would be found on the Top 200 albums chart.

As I mentioned in another thread, even stranger is that they aren't even marketing "The Right Time" technically as a single.

It's not listed as a single with its own single cover art on iTunes for instance. It's simply the only purchasable track on the actual album. It's being marketed on Facebook and whatnot more as a case of "Pre-Order the album and download one of the songs RIGHT NOW!"

It's actually unfortunate, as the wording of some of the blurbs have implied you can't just buy the single track on its own. They obviously want lots of album pre-orders, but some idiots like me will buy the one download right now and then still buy the whole album on CD as well.

It is over 6 weeks until the album is released...perhaps there will be a second single and video to coincide?  (or first OFFICIAL single, per Hey Jude's comment that "The Right Time" does not seem to be marketed as a single).

"Saturday Night" could lend itself to a pretty good video.  You could document all the collaborators on the album doing different things throughout Hollywood on a Saturday Night only to by the end of the video all meet up together on Hollywood Blvd. where Brian happens to be hanging out.  Never gonna happen but I think it would be a neat concept of bringing everyone together under one umbrella.

In all seriousness though, this is a moot point but the best chance that NPP has/had of cracking top ten on Billboard would've been to somehow bundle it with the "Love & Mercy" film either as a soundtrack or some type of tie-in. 

I think the release of Right Time was more for us true fans - it gives us something to talk about, start some buzz. I think they will really push the Nate Ruess song (if that becomes a single), as well as the Musgraves song (if it too becomes a single).

I like it!

I think the next single we'll see is "On the Island", mainly because they've already made a music video for it. Although, while Zooey Deschanel is a popular actress, she doesn't exactly burn up the charts sales-wise. So, maybe they'll go with something else.

It will easily chart in the top 10...

Given the right promotion and the right single choices top 5 is possible.

If they do more than 2 singles I'd bet that 'On The Island' would be the next single - then towards the album release we'll get Nate's song as a single to help boost sales of the record.

Ok so we have current popular artists like Nate Ruess and Zooey Deschanel appearing on the album yet the first single is one that doesn't have them on it. Makes sense...

Can someone remind me which song Musgraves is on?

Guess You Had to Be There

Which sounds like it's going to be my favorite song

Huh??? ???  Really?  Have a nap.

Hey! Who you calling an idiot!!!!!!!? :lol

Been listening to samples and the two pre-released tracks and some of BWs other recent collab/backing vocal stuff and have to say I really like the Emile Haney (sp?) and MiniMansions tracks… I'm not hearing that degree of contemporariness in the NPP stuff … yet.

I know that's maybe not Brian's bag but I found it works really well, even if his role has been restricted to singing and arranging backing vocals on others' compositions.

I really want to hear Don't Worry in its entirety.  :smokin

A naive question maybe, but where can I hear a sample of it and the rest (in Europe)?

soundcloud.com/reggiedunbar/brian-wilson-no-pier-pressure-previews

Thank you, Mr Frog! :=)

I admire your optimism but........

Ummm ooookayyy thanx...

Obviously it's hard to tell the content of a song just based on these little samples but regarding "What Ever Happened?"...I sense a bit of a kinship with "When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)" except the stations in life have been reversed.  "When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)" is about the uncertainty of permanence, more specifically if what is true for someone in their youth will continue to remain so throughout adulthood ("Will I love my wife for the rest of my life?").  Now in "What Ever Happened?" you have the singer singing about "What ever happened to my favorite places, nothings where it used to be, what ever happened?  what's going to happen to me?"  The singer in "What Ever Happened?" clearly makes note that his favorite places are no longer there or at least where they used to be and begins to doubt his own future going forward.  In essence the singer in "What Ever Happened?" answers the questions poised by the young man in "When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)" in that nothing is permanent, everything changes and some things forever fade away.

The last bit of lyric of "What Ever Happened?" that we have available to us is also interesting: "When I wake up in the morning, if I see that you're not there".  It's very similar to the dilemma facing the protagonist in "Strange World" who clearly feels out of sorts with his environment or how his environment has changed but notes that he "can't imagine how life would be if you were not here with me".  It's interesting that in "Strange World", it's the protagonist's romantic relationship that makes his life bearable...well what if that relationship was called into question, how would that affect his outlook on the world?

Ya... I know.  I looked at that further up the page and thought what the 'f' am I saying there.  It makes no sense.  I can't for the life of me even begin to suggest what THAT is or where it came from...Yet...I clearly typed it.  Sorry.  I got nuthin'. :-[

Ha Ha Ha Ha!  You guys are funny!  ;D

Good thing I wasn't in the "complaining about Autotune horde", I'd have to really be embarrassed now! :-D

Saturday Night Teaser
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10153103898117241&set=vb.34250497240&type=2&theater (https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10153103898117241&set=vb.34250497240&type=2&theater)

Anytime I see Brian start snapping his fingers to the beat, I know he's just faking it for the camera

Great hair!

The big question is who is singing the lead guide vocal?  It doesn't sound anything like Brian or Nate.  Enquiring minds want to know...

I love how Brian Wilson still does those hand gestures from the booth!  When you see that going down you know everything is gonna be a-okay!

Nate

Apologies if this has already been posted (did a search for the link). But here's the official album trailer for No Pier Pressure....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_vj5u-CXkE

That doesn't sound like Nate.  I have heard Nate sing the song a couple of times live (Vegas rehearsal and performance) and also heard the clip of the final studio version.  Sounds like a different singer.  Can I get a witness?  At any rate, this is the track I am most looking forward to on the new album.  Can't wait to hear the whole album top to bottom.

Damn straight!

Apology accepted. ;D

Some of the songs I'm looking forward to the most:

Runaway Dancer
On The Island - I'm a huge Bossanova fan
Somewhere Quiet
I'm Feeling Sad -- I THINK THIS WILL BE SPECTACULAR
One Kind of Love
Saturday Night -- Just because that song has been stuck in my head since the Vegas show
and of course...Last Song

Nate Ruess just had a new single released yesterday.  He's now pursuing a solo career, so I figure Saturday Night will definitely be a single.

I sang the guide vocal on Saturday night. A lot of the bg's you hear on that version are me & BW.
Matt J

Nice work there Matt.  Hope the album becomes known as a classic.  It has a chance to accomplish that. :hat

Thanks so much for explaining, Matt.

Thanks for solving the mystery Matt!  I knew my ears weren't deceiving me.  I'd love to hear a good mix of that early version.  I'd certainly pay for it!  They should put it on a b-side or rarities comp!

Has anybody in the UK purchased the "Our Special Love" MP3 from Amazon UK from "No Pier Pressure"? Based on the sample, BWs vocals sound better produced than on the Peter Hollens album version.

Amazon UK is the only place where I have seen this track available for immediate download/purchase.

I'm in the US and I am unable to purchase directly from Amazon UK.

Thanks for clarifying, Matt!

Just a FYI, Matt also posted to the board last January (2014) about his work in the studio with Brian, Blondie, demo'ing and recording vocals, etc. for the new album. So some of the wild and bizarre speculations and opinions that had hit this board about what was or wasn't done in the process of recording the album was addressed on this board by someone directly involved back in January 2014...for the record.  :)

Sounds like a hit..

Congrats Matt!

Sounds like it's gonna be really good are listening to the previews. Might have been answered, but are any of these songs one's which would have appeared on TWGMTR or are outtakes from that time period (or would have been on the next Beach Boys album?).

The bonus tracks are rumoured to be part of the 'Life Suite' I believe, though I can't recall what the original source is on that or if it's just fan speculation.

Having listened to the samples a few times i'm actually very much looking forward to listening to this. I don't mind the sound of the productuon either, i'd rather not listen to something full of BW cliche trademarks (bass harmonica etc) just for the sake of it.

I think that was speculation based on the melancholy titles.  Do those tracks sound Life Suitey, based on the previews?  I haven't heard them.

The bonus song "I'm Feeling Sad" has some ba-da-ba type wordless vocals that are very similar to a section from 'There And Back Again' and sound more like typical Burt Bacharach than Brian Wilson, so it wouldn't surprise me at all if I was told that both songs came from the same place. Another of the bonus songs 'Somewhere Quiet' sounds like an attempt to create a classic mid-60s Beach Boys song. If one supposes that something called a"Life Suite" would feature a section about looking back to the past, then 'Somewhere Quiet' would be a perfect song for that. I guess the third bonus song 'Don't Worry' might represent a happy carefree time in BW's  'Life Suite', but this song is probably the worst sounding of any of the 16 samples, so I'm not psyched to hear the rest of it at all.

And, I gotta say I'm Feeling Sad today that there are still no samples for the new album on Itunes other than the single. I thought for sure that a new week and a new month would bring us some 90 second Itunes samples, but sadly no. For comparison's sake the new Todd Rundgren CD which will also be released on 4/7/15 has had Itunes samples posted for the whole album since 2/9/15. I hope it happens soon because the anticipation is killing me.

You know "Somewhere Quiet" actually is, in a way, a classic mid sixties Beach Boys song, right? It is literally "Summer Means New Love" but now with vocals. And from the preview it sounds absolutely lovely. As does "I'm Feeling Sad" in my opinion. Brian sounds great on both.

Is that from the horse's mouth? Because though I hear elements of SMNL (also of Your Summer Dream), it doesn't sound like the same song song to me anymore than The Right Time is the same song as Lay Down Burden.  Admittedly, I'm not the best at hearing these things.

Yes, it is Summer Means New Love with lyrics.  Ray Lawlor confirmed it a while back.  As for Right Time, I think people were only saying the chorus sounds like Lay Down Burden, which it does.

Cheers.  Looking forward to it.

Thanks for that clarification. it really does sound marvelous with lyrics; one of the very best clips for sure. I can't imagine why that song wouldn't be included on the standard edition of the CD, unless it's because it does sound so retro Beach Boys and they're going for something more up-to-date.

I've been wondering the same thing.

When I listen to a song (well a preview) of something like "Guess you had to be there" I can't help but get goosebumps.

Thinking Brian being as down as he was back in the day, to today in 2015 singing such a joyous song it just fills me with a great feeling.

I'm really happy for Brian and I can't wait for this album.

When were TWGMTR samples put on iTunes?  That may give us the answer.

Man... this sounds really, really good.  I can't wait another month. 

But just in time for spring.  Beautiful.

Price for the vinyl now down to 29.99 Euros. That's more like it! :)

Just listened to the previews again, found them more pleasurable than when they were first out.

According to Amazon, release day in Germany is now April 3rd - which is a nationwide holiday. No shops open, no delivery by postal services. ::)


I can, but will buy it the day it is in stores. :)

Amazon.com has previews up too now, different from Google Play!

http://www.amazon.com/Pier-Pressure-Deluxe-Brian-Wilson/dp/B00TB5M9T0/ref=tmm_msc_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1&qid=1425860266 (http://www.amazon.com/Pier-Pressure-Deluxe-Brian-Wilson/dp/B00TB5M9T0/ref=tmm_msc_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1&qid=1425860266)

Edit:  Seem like the last 10 seconds of these samples are where the Google Play previews pickup (so now it's possible to make 50 second previews if anyone desires too lol).  And, you can hear Musgraves and Blondie a bit in their songs.

Thanks for posting! Kacey sounds amazing on Guess You Had To Be There. There are so many instant classics on this album.

No prob.  I agree, there's some real catchy melodies on this one.

Oh man...thanks for the update. Five more hours until I'm home from work... Can't wait to check it out!!!

No prob, let the countdown begin!

I now GUARANTEE "This Beautiful Day" has some connection to the "Life" suite.

Beautiful Dancer is the song we deserve. F*ck yes.

Whatever Happened is AAAAAAAAAAH yes. Them harmonies.

On The Island is like Busy Doin Nothin

Half Moon sounds like our new Bdubs instrumental highlight

Our Special love is still awesome.

The Right Time is still fun.

Guess You Had To Be There isn't my cup of tea, but it sounds like some Sunflower Brian :D

Don't Worry is BDubs 88 back in full swing and I love it

Somewhere Quiet is trippy to finally hear :)

 I'm Feelin Sad is probably a highlight for me

Tell Me Why is my girlfriends favorite so far and i really like it

Sail Away... BLONDIE. This is Carl and The Passions doods

One Kind of Love is slowly growing on me

Sat Night is a radio hit in progress, can't wait for this to go big

The Last Song... my heart why this makes me cry as much as Summer's Gone.

Looking FU*CKING good guys.


I'm sitting here wondering how the hell Brian Wilson made Runaway Dancer in 2015. What?! WHAT!?! This is some real Brian here, doing what he wants.

Geez man. Guess You Had To Be There. Chills.

Can't hear them bugger...

Would someone please record their first time hearing Runaway Dancer when this comes out? No previews ;)

wow...

What's with the cheesy 80s porn brass and classical guitar licks in some of the tracks? Imagination all over again! But with promising songs to accompany it.

I honestly think that adds a lot to it.

This feels so much more like a Brian album then many if not all of his past solo work.

Awkward in all the right ways.

Sounds more like 50's style Miles Davis horn playing to me. I dig it.

Indeed. More like Kind of Blue meets Nelson Riddle arrangements...I dig it too.

So ... who's up for splicing together the different versions of the previews?  :)

Yes.  Of course when this comes out we'll deal with the trashing by the usual suspects:  Can we scream "autotune" loud enough to get attention, even when people at the sessions tell us otherwise?.  Given the singers on this (and the guy who produced it who has a well-proven - like, over 50 years - track record for making mediocre singers sound great next to amazing singers in the studio), I don't think "autotune" will be an issue.

Meanwhile, a lot of us will sit by the water with a nice drink listening to what appears so far to be a truly mellow,  healing (Brian is officially known for this, check NPR), delightful Brian Wilson creation.  I like my Spring/Summer plans already.

I'm very happy for those who don't have an issue with the production. I mean, I wish I didn't so I could just truly enjoy the music!
Judging by the previews this album is better than a Brian Wilson album has any right to be this late in the game, so it's truly a great gift to us all. The songwriting seems really good.
But I'm having a hard time with the production values. All the overtly pitched vocals and cheesy Joe Thomas production touches are not my cup of tea at all.
It takes away from my enjoyment of the album. A great deal. I mean, the last Beach Boys album had the same issues. There were some top notch songs on it and the songwriting and cohesion was better than anyone could have expected. But boy, was the production hard for me to listen to. My favorite songs on the album are From There To Back Again and Pacific Coast Highway, but even on those songs I can't help but feel the emotional impact on me suffers from the overtly pitched vocals. Al's still a hell of singer and doesn't need to sound robotic. I hope people won't write angry responses to this message, cause I've been quite clear that this is my personal opinion. And through the years I've come to enjoy this place for people's critical views. This has always been a place for people that thought for themselves, that dug deeper than others, that turned stones. People that don't let commerce and clever press releases whip them up.

This. I don't even want to visit this board on the 7th because I know the usual group of posters will be spouting their unwarranted repetitious negativity....not that I'm at all opposed to critiques and discussing things I don't like about the album, but I really hope it doesn't devolve into the usual pages long anti-Brian diatribes.

So you've heard all of NPP?  I haven't heard anything so far that makes Al sound robotic, or anyone else for that matter.  Brian has always used strong production techniques, back when autotune didn't exist.  I would imagine he's produced NPP in the same manner.

Seriously, I wouldn't judge anything by what is streaming through the Internet.

Why is that, if I may politely ask so?

Okay, then you've heard what most of us have heard.  Got it.  Like I said.  Looking forward to my Spring/Summer.

I'll probably check out all the interference all the while listening to what appears to be an incredible Brian Wilson solo album. It'll make me enjoy it all the better.  :P

Because I have heard artifacts, echo, compression and the like on previews that were not present later when I bought the physical product.

I might just support that guarantee. Listening to the Amazon preview, the string bit there contains pretty much the exact same melody line as Summer's Gone during the latter song's  break. So, that's either one happy coincidence, one happy recycling, or else...

Another reason, the quality of the sample streams is poor beyond belief. So the production will sound very digitized. The radio stream of 'Right Time' made the song sound pretty bad, but the iTunes download version sounds really clear and beautiful.

This stuff sounds really cool! I hear more Brian Wilson on this than Joe Thomas.

I completely agree.  I've tried taking some time away from the samples and re-listening to them anew, but I cannot get past the production style, either the easy listening adult contemporary Joe Thomas-y ones or the "contemporary" style ones.  (And it's not a result of a stream - a preview stream doesn't create the syntho-horns or '70s light rock guitar licks or thin Joe Thomas drum sounds or those sax parts or etc. etc.)

Judging by what we've heard, this is trending into the same place as TWGMTR and Imagination for me, as albums with some good songs on them that I have to pass on because the production style just really eats at me.  I can't get into it at all.  That's just my opinion, though.

Sigh. This is just the beginning. For the next xx years, we'll be dealing with people claiming that NPP sounds like "Runaway Dancer" and "Don't Worry" -- which are clearly the two synth-poppy exceptions in a 16-track album.

Okay woah woah woah man!

Runaway Dancer is looking to be my new favorite BDubs solo song... don't low blow <3

Agreed.  AND, the one fellow who has heard most or all of NPP has already posted about it here some time ago and he has an impeccable ear.  He was happy and described what he heard with a fair amount of detail (anyone know what thread it was?).  With that in mind, I am not even slightly worried about this, just waiting to get my cd and downloads. 

Just let go of your ego man.  I get the same way sometimes, if you

A. know you want to like it

B. know other people like it

C. know it's o.k. to like it

D. are happy that other people like it

All you have to do is

E. choose to like it

It's o.k., we won't tell anybody that you like Joe Thomas.  At the end of the day, who gives a sh*t?  It's just music, it's cheezy and corny, but cheezy and corny is code word for 'great'.

Who's the cheeziest singer of all time?

Elvis Presley

Who's the  greatest singer of all time?

Likely.... Elvis Presley

What's the cheeziest thing I can say to you right now?

I love you.

What's the greatest thing I can say to you right now?

I love you.

Anybody think of Summer's Gone as soon as hearing This Beautiful Day?

Runaway Dancer kicks ass, too. I know it'll be a divisive track here, but I love the sh*t out of what I've heard of it.

Guess You Had to be there sounds like a hit too.

I'm kind of on the fence with Sail Away, actually. The clips I've heard so far haven't blown me away, but I'm expecting the full thing will be pretty spiffy.

One Kind of Love sounds pretty good.

Saturday Night needs to be a single too. I've become a fan of fun. over the past year so this hit the spot for me.

Given that previews are extracted from the final digital production masters already waiting in the wings of iTunes, amazon etc., that is very interesting.
Of course, the quality of streams is a lot lower than the hi-res masters and it has an effect on the listening experience for trained ears. I've had leaked albums in mp3 that I couldn't get into until I bought the vinyl on release day. It can make the difference between begin able to let music into your heart or not.
BUT, the previews are the final product. It is what is. I'm appalled by the way some people feel personally offended by someone having another view and listening experience. There's no need to try and convince others of what to hear or experience. It's a personal experience and everybody's has it's own and has the right to have their own taste, views and experience.

Runaway dancer has been 1 minute looping on my PC for 12 hours while I worked

That fu*kin song.

Yorick, you specifically and politely asked me why I thought that way. Listen, you do whatever you want. You shouldn't have bothered posting if you didn't want to hear about anyone else's experience with it.

GYHTBT is awesomely great.

Agreed! That one's really kickin my ass. Can't wait to hear the full song.

I was very interested in why you stated what you did because the previews are the final digital production masters, hence why I asked you to specify.
Otherwise I was not addressing you with the second part of my post. I'm very, very interested in and open to others' personal opinions on and experiences with the samples provided so far.
That said, I just don't like it when people take offense if somebody else's views are different to theirs and critical of artistic choices made by Brian.
No one on this board is not a fan of the genius of Brian Wilson, so with that out of the way we should be able to let everybody have their say in a polite and thorough manner. No need to convince anybody.

Pretty simple to summarize this dilemma, I think.  Sometimes I listen to music in a degraded condition out of curiosity.  Then I play it on my system with my cool speakers and the amplifier set the way Brian always liked it, and I'm mightily more impressed.  Samples have a degraded quality for an obvious reason. We can all calm down now, and wait for the final product which most of us will hear on a good sound system, eventually.  I personally like the suspense and titillation, but I'm a female, so...

That goes SO far into explaining all your posts

I guess the new clips prove that "Guess You Had To Be There" and "Sharing A New Day" are one and the same.