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Smiley Smile Stuff => General On Topic Discussions => Topic started by: Rocker on December 31, 2018, 08:50:21 AM



Title: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: Rocker on December 31, 2018, 08:50:21 AM
I was wondering, what exists in radio station's archives or in the Beach Boys' vaults in terms of radio broadcasts (live in studio or in concert). Especially from the early years. The Beatles have their BBC sessions series, the Stones also have their releases. Since the Beach Boys were just as big and touring so much, what could be out there, let's say from the very beginning 'til 1966?

I know of an australian broadcast ("What'd I say" comes from that) from '63, the '63 Y-Day- performance at the Hollywood Bowl, the swedish show (1964) and the BBC sessions from MIC (also 1964 iirc). The first two were as part of a bigger lineup. What about their european dates? Do you know of anything more?


Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: c-man on December 31, 2018, 11:20:45 AM
Sadly, probably not much - the '64 BBC session doesn't even exist in the radio vaults anymore; the source for the MIC release was some fan who taped it off the airwaves!


Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: Slow In Brain on December 31, 2018, 11:51:37 PM
Back in 1978 when the Beach Boys toured Australia and New Zealand the Christchurch show was filmed and broadcast on TVNZ I remember watching it. Probably languishing some where on a dusty shelf


Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: Jay on January 01, 2019, 12:21:25 AM
Back in 1978 when the Beach Boys toured Australia and New Zealand the Christchurch show was filmed and broadcast on TVNZ I remember watching it. Probably languishing some where on a dusty shelf
Do you have any specific memories you could share?


Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: Pretty Funky on January 01, 2019, 01:19:20 AM
I do. My first concert ever (16). Easily impressed but they were probably pretty bad, as was most of the tour. As mentioned, it was filmed and played once. QE 2 stadium which was destroyed in the Christchurch earthquake of 2011, and now demolished.
A few years back a poster here did say a friend of his went partying with Dennis after the show but could provide no details. I do remember a story in the main paper as it was a pretty big deal for a city of 300k. I think it was a sell-out of about 10k.

This audio is from the show apparently.

https://youtu.be/BgXCpFCaQGs





Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: Jay on January 01, 2019, 01:48:23 AM
Thanks for the info. I'm very curios about this whole tour(perhaps only in what some would call a morbid way). It's odd that no footage of this show has turned up, given the fact that it was broadcast on tv. Were NZ behind the times, as far as tv preservation goes?


Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: Ian on January 01, 2019, 04:39:14 AM
The footage exists in the tv vault-it just hasn’t been booted or uploaded to YouTube. As I discussed in my book-the tour had a lot of problems. The performances are probably similar to the Melbourne show available online


Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: Rocker on January 01, 2019, 08:08:29 AM
But the interview the day after that show was uploaded:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zVTSzP2RdM




Sadly, probably not much - the '64 BBC session doesn't even exist in the radio vaults anymore; the source for the MIC release was some fan who taped it off the airwaves!


Too bad! I would have thought an act as big as the Beach Boys had more appearances like that or that more of their shows were broadcast.


Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: Pretty Funky on January 01, 2019, 10:13:57 AM
That after show interview is Perth.

Re the TV broadcast. You have to appreciate the situation in NZ at the time. We had our own Trump style leader with a ‘government knows best’ mindset. One TV channel govt run,later two, not in a propaganda style but a ‘why do you need more?’.

It would not surprise me in the slightest that another reason it has never resurfaced is the group prefer it that way. NZ has gone completely the other way 40 years later and I’m sure it could be available if management asked for it.


Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: Ian on January 01, 2019, 10:19:27 AM
Right-if you read my book-you will see that Carl got a bit wasted prior to the first Perth show and stumbled and mumbled throughout the show-he had to apologize on tv the next day and made it clear to the nervous promoters that it wouldn’t happen again


Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: Jay on January 01, 2019, 10:30:24 AM
Carl actually also apologized during the second Perth show. You can hear Carl mention it on the circulating tape. Although I'm not to clear on exactly what Carl was apologizing for. I believe he apologizes to Brian for giving him a hard time on stage during the first show?


Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: Ian on January 01, 2019, 03:14:56 PM
The tape I’ve heard is the first Perth show that Carlin describes in his Brian biography-with Brian singing the hum-de-dum section of good vibrations to get Carl to end the song


Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: Jay on January 01, 2019, 09:51:56 PM
I've never really understood the argument that Brian started singing that part to get Carl to finish the song, because they did that part regularly in concert at the time.


Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: Ian on January 02, 2019, 04:16:05 AM
They did??? Not that I’m aware


Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: Rocker on January 02, 2019, 10:14:04 AM
They didn't sing the hum-de-dum parts but did some other scatting. There's no clue that it was Smile-related other than the first example we have of it is on the Hawaii-rehearsal we can hear on "Hawthorne, CA", I think. I don't think the hum-de-dums were ever performed until Brian's solo touring.


Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: Jay on January 02, 2019, 12:38:51 PM
They did??? Not that I’m aware
They performed the "hum be dum" part at Christchurch, New Zealand on February 28th, at Brisbane Australia on March 3rd, and the show in Perth. I have recordings of each show. I'm not sure if they did it at any of the other shows from that year, or if it was just for that short tour of New Zealand and Australia.


Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: Pretty Funky on January 02, 2019, 04:17:26 PM
Another interesting point I had never heard is the long outro to California Girls on the Christchurch tape. Was that regular for the time?


Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: Jay on January 03, 2019, 09:41:46 AM
Another interesting point I had never heard is the long outro to California Girls on the Christchurch tape. Was that regular for the time?
I haven't listened to that song on the tape. What's different/special about it?


Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: Pretty Funky on January 03, 2019, 10:54:17 AM
Go to 2.30 on the clip. Over a minute follows of the ‘I wish they all could be California Girls’ outro.


Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: Rocker on June 03, 2019, 07:39:06 AM
Regarding radio broadcasts: How was that usually handled? Did the Beach Boys always keep a copy of each broadcast for their archives so that we can assume that they are still there and in presumably great quality? Or where they only kept by the radio station that did the broadcast (if at all)?


Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: HeyJude on June 03, 2019, 07:49:22 AM
Regarding radio broadcasts: How was that usually handled? Did the Beach Boys always keep a copy of each broadcast for their archives so that we can assume that they are still there and in presumably great quality? Or where they only kept by the radio station that did the broadcast (if at all)?

I think the general answer is usually "probably not" and/or "maybe."

While the band captured multi-track (and/or live soundboard) audio on a number of concerts over the years (and also some pro-shot video), radio shows were generally under the purview of the station, and I'm guessing it's a total crapshoot as to whether a given station kept recordings. Often not I would assume. Sometimes, especially on later era multi-market simulcasts of live concerts (as opposed to in-studio radio shows), the chain of custody on tapes (and ownership of tapes) can get murky. Thus, a small group of BB shows have been ostensibly "released" by "Wolfgang's Vault" and related companies, usually because the Bill Graham operation (or other concert/radio concerns from back in the day) broadcast the shows and have tapes. So we've seen them release some 1979 and 1980 shows, and a few others (Fillmore East '71, Philly '95, etc.).

Famously, the BBC didn't keep many Beatles performances, and had to turn to home tapers and overseas tapes/transcription discs, etc. to release BBC recordings.

Apart from unique oddities done on TV and radio that *weren't* done in concert (e.g. "Slip on Through" in 1970), the BBs have plenty of live recordings in their own archive that they could release (both as individual shows and as compilations) that they wouldn't have to turn to radio broadcasts, especially for the later era.

The folks in the BB archives know what's rare and what's not; hence they knew they had something pretty unique with that 1964 BBC tape that was released on the "Made in California" set.


Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: Rocker on June 04, 2019, 10:44:23 AM
That sounds reasonable. Just wondered what might still be out there.


Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: HeyJude on June 04, 2019, 11:53:15 AM
I think, with the Beach Boys, while they did do a number of local TV and radio gigs in the very early era, and then also other radio and TV stuff in the early-mid 60s, there just isn't the type of cache of material like what's available for the Beatles. There was no equivalent for the Beach Boys to the Beatles having that regular outlet recording and airing stuff on BBC for a good three years, amounting to hundreds of performances including dozens of songs they never recorded in the studio. Plus, it seems as though the Beatles had a pretty ardent fan base even very early on in the UK, thus a lot more people were likely taping the Beatles at home off of the BBC compared to what the BBs were doing on the radio.

Where there is a pretty nice wealth of material is recordings (made independently, or by the band themselves) of live concerts.


Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: Ian on June 06, 2019, 11:36:02 AM
 Also there isn’t sadly the same demand as there is for ALL things Beatles. Hence things that may exist remain in a box. I have noticed it with photos-i have never found a photo of the proto-BBs before Dave but I guarantee they existed. So much value attached to the Beatles-that such artifacts are found and treated reverentially-not so the poor old bbs


Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: HeyJude on June 06, 2019, 11:50:51 AM
Also there isn’t sadly the same demand as there is for ALL things Beatles. Hence things that may exist remain in a box. I have noticed it with photos-i have never found a photo of the proto-BBs before Dave but I guarantee they existed. So much value attached to the Beatles-that such artifacts are found and treated reverentially-not so the poor old bbs

I've always been fascinated by the fact that no photo of Dave and Carl together post-1963 seems to have surfaced. Granted, they didn't cross paths a ton. But Dave was in their orb around 1971 for a bit, and appeared on stage now and then in the 80s and 90s. I wonder if some fan from a random (probably Southern California) gig in the 80s or 90s has a pic that has the two of them both in frame.

Similarly, Blondie supposedly popped up at show a few times in the 80s and/or 90s, and I'm not sure any post-1973 pics exist of Carl and Blondie.

The BBs kind of had/have the opposite problem on the back side of their career in that, while they toured incessantly in the 80s and 90s, there are proportionately few photos of some of that time. For instance, there are only a few audio recordings of the 1997 tour with Carl, only a few photos, and little in the way of video.


Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: Rocker on June 06, 2019, 12:20:09 PM

Similarly, Blondie supposedly popped up at show a few times in the 80s and/or 90s, and I'm not sure any post-1973 pics exist of Carl and Blondie.



Yeah, I think Blondie joined them in '95 or '96. Also during the 2012 the Boys and Blondie played the same city on the same day or one day apart and I had hoped he would show up at their concert, but he didn't.




Also there isn’t sadly the same demand as there is for ALL things Beatles. Hence things that may exist remain in a box. I have noticed it with photos-i have never found a photo of the proto-BBs before Dave but I guarantee they existed. So much value attached to the Beatles-that such artifacts are found and treated reverentially-not so the poor old bbs


Yes, every now and then some new pictures of the wild days turn up. But it really doesn't get much attention compared to the Beatles or Elvis. I can understand that in some way, but considering that the Beach Boys are often seen as the biggest american band, they are frightingly un-relevant (which imo has to do with how the band sold themselfes over the last decades, but that is another topic) in the public's eye.




Just to be clear, my question regarding keeping radio broadcasts in their archives was of course about later shows, when their show where regularly broadcasted.


Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: HeyJude on June 06, 2019, 12:27:01 PM
Yes, every now and then some new pictures of the wild days turn up. But it really doesn't get much attention compared to the Beatles or Elvis. I can understand that in some way, but considering that the Beach Boys are often seen as the biggest american band, they are frightingly un-relevant (which imo has to do with how the band sold themselfes over the last decades, but that is another topic) in the public's eye.

I think one big factor is how ubiquitous the Beach Boys have been, especially on the touring circuit, since the 60s. One of the reasons it's still a big deal when five random new photos surface of some mid-west stadium gig on the Beatles 1966 tour is that they didn't do a ton of touring in the US. I don't have the exact numbers, but I think the Beatles did a total of something around 60 shows in the US across three tours in 64, 65, and 66.

The Beach Boys by 1963 or 64 were first regionally, and then later nationally (and worldwide to some degree) regularly out there touring.


Title: Re: Beach Boys - early radio broadcasts
Post by: kiwi surfer on June 07, 2019, 04:15:47 PM
I do. My first concert ever (16). Easily impressed but they were probably pretty bad, as was most of the tour. As mentioned, it was filmed and played once. QE 2 stadium which was destroyed in the Christchurch earthquake of 2011, and now demolished.
A few years back a poster here did say a friend of his went partying with Dennis after the show but could provide no details. I do remember a story in the main paper as it was a pretty big deal for a city of 300k. I think it was a sell-out of about 10k.

This audio is from the show apparently.

https://youtu.be/BgXCpFCaQGs





I may have been the poster you refer to. My friend, then aged in his late teens, spent time with Dennis although his encounter could not be described as partying. We both attended the show in Auckland but foolishly I declined his invitation to join him in Christchurch where he met Dennis and Brian and perhaps others. Photos were published in a short lived NZ fanzine he produced around the same time. I no longer have copies.

The BBs arrived in Auckland from LA and traveled onto Christchurch. Their arrival and an interview with Dennis was screened that evening on our main TV news. That’s how much of a big deal they were in NZ then. They flew back to Auckland the following day for the show. I went out to the airport and only got to see them boarding their bus. I later saw Carl in a limo at what appeared to be a one man soundcheck. He smiled and waved at me but what I recall was how pale he looked. Brian was also interviewed by Rip It Up magazine. The interviewer much later told me it was one of saddest and strangest interviews he'd ever done.

As for the Christchurch film. I wrote to TVNZ in 1980 with a view to obtaining a copy for showing at a NZ fan convention. I received a courteous reply declining my request on the basis that the rights were held by BRI or something like that. Ironically about 100 metres from where we held the fan convention Mike Love would spend several days more than 20 years later and my friend referred to above would chauffeur Brian and Jeff around Wellington after being asked to by Jeff rather than wait for their organised transport.