The Smiley Smile Message Board

They are teasing something on Instagram

Yes, a collection of piano instrumentals of Beach Boys songs by Brian. It’s called “At My Piano.” Already released in Japan.

 

God Only Knows on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/track/0uASyQM62OGfteRsM5bk5s?si=df66ca700ac34aed

Produced by Brian, Darian and Nick Patrick, the guy who produced that thing of the Beach Boys backed by the RPO.

I'm not impressed at all. Better go back to Dylan's latest Bootleg Series, another Friday release.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8qhfG5iXIc

I'd be very surprised if this is actually Brian playing, it sounds nothing like his piano style (he virtually never does LH chords RH melody like this, he prefers to just bash out chords with some bass movement). Even the soft legato feel just doesn't sound like Brian to me at all - he's not that kind of pianist.

If it is Brian then it's done with layers of overdubbing imo.

https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/cd-wilson-brian-at-my-piano-cd

Note the ‘typo’ (I presume) for Mt Vernon

CD

1. God Only Knows
2. In My Room
3. Dont Worry Baby
4. California Girls
5. The Warmth of the Sun
6. Wouldnt it be Nice
7. You Still Believe in Me
8. I Just Wasnt Made for these Times
9. Sketches of Smile: Our Prayer/Heroes and Villains/Wonderful/Surfs Up
10. Surfs Up
11. Friends
12. Till I Die
13. Love and Mercy
14. Mt Vernon Farewell
15. Good Vibrations

Almost certainly Brian playing, likely with melody overdubbed (or perhaps done by Darian sitting alongside him at the piano?). He's done the two-piano thing before, back on the "Songs Without Words" release of "This Isn't Love."

(You can listen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPGWHBQhT9Q)

This GOK is simple and a bit wonky technically, which points to the big man himself on the keys. I also suspect it was recorded at home, or close to.

Really exciting, and precisely what a lot of folks on this board have suggested for ages.

Oh man. This sounds absolutely wonderful (the idea for this album). And so does the recording of "God Only Knows" as well.

At My Piano? Bring it on. Sure, I'd love to hear a new vocal album from Brian with Al and Blondie, but I really like this idea and can't wait to hear the album!

Here here!

It sounds like Brian to me, and credits state it is him. Now I wouldn’t be surprised if his playing is quantized but then again…that’s recording these days. Been going on for years. Hell, I do on my playing. I like this version of GOK. Others may not, but that’s on them. My ears work. Not much else of me does these days but those are still good for now lol

It shocks me to read what some so called fans (once again) say about this, a new release, not necessarily here but for example on reddit. Stating to know that it's not Brian and how bad he looks in the photo. Are we living in the same universe here? He looks great on the photo, and if that's a cover of the album, it's very classy.

As stated above, the playing, especially chords, sound very Brian to me. Most likely quantized, and overdubbed, but those are  basic production techniques used for like decades now. There's nowhere a text stating this is supposed to be live!

The little clip on Brian's IG of him playing GOK some time ago is maybe for a cover shoot / music video coming out soon!

Now I only hope for a acoustic type of album like this with minimal vocals, call Blondie and Al to Brian's house and plug in a few mics in the style of Harry Dean Stanton's Partly Fiction.

The more I think about it, the more I'm looking forward to this album. Especially the vinyl, if for no other reason the cover! But yeah...this is....really getting my interest piqued.

I’m thinking of this as:

Beach Boys Party (of one)
(Partying introvert style”

I’m also hoping he releases a double album of only playing shortening bread!

Beach Boys Party (of one)
(Partying introvert style”

I’m also hoping he releases a double album of only playing shortening bread!.

Also… I’d love for him to do an old man Brian at the piano version of the Playback Comp…
Maybe with Al, Darian, his daughters, joining in around the piano…
Not over produced, not overdubbed…
Maybe redo Imagination snd Lay Down Burden.
Maybe a Cover of Be My Baby,This Could Be the Night.
In the Dpirit of the Don Was Doc, but not flick.
Set up his rom yo record do whenever inspiration hits he can go do it.
Especially if Friends are visiting.

My .02

No doubt people are going to hate on this. They hate it when Brian does full fledged productions so why wouldn’t they hate on Brian doing a simple piano album? The man can’t get a break from some people. I mean, I totally get that this isn’t everyone’s taste in music, but for people to take time out of their day to publicly claim that Brian didn’t do this or he looks bad in the photo? Sad.

I love this so much. I mean I really love this. That outro on GOK!!!

I’ve been waiting for something like this from Brian since I became a fan - just Brian at the piano (with a little help from his friends).

SKETCHES OF SMILE !!!! Guys we are in for a treat with this. I know I’m probably over-excited about this, but I never thought we’d see anything like this album - I didn’t even think Brian would put out another album.

Thanks to everyone who got this going, what a treat for us fans. An absolute treat!

I can get piano-only versions of all of those songs for free on Youtube, played by random people, some of whom are better piano players than Brian. I can't get excited over hearing again those songs I've known by heart for decades, just because they're performed on the piano by their composer. I's really bottom-of-the-barrel, in terms of creativity.

I think what people asked for was Brian playing *and singing*. I'm fine with it not being live/getting some studio polish but I want it to be recognizably Brian. If I know for sure that it's him playing on these recordings, that does make it somewhat more appealing, but I'd still rather get vocal versions. Has it been confirmed that the whole thing is instrumental like this?

Also, BTW, I don't get why people are dunking on that cover photo either. What a great picture. He's a happy old man... how far he has come.

Sheesh, don’t hold back! I get it’s not everybody’s bag but think you’re missing the point somewhat if you’d rather hear other people doing piano versions on YT because they can play better!!

For me it was a pleasant surprise to read about this upcoming release and wasn’t disappointed listening to the GOK teaser. Moved me as only BW can. Have always loved Brian’s unpolished piano demos and a dedicated recording like this could be great. Look forward to hearing the rest, especially the smile medley.

The year is 1814 and, hypothetically, Beethoven is still performing, and puts on a note-for-note piano concert of his 7th symphony. Fans complain that he isn’t doing anything original. Meanwhile, hundreds of years later, most of us would think it would be an honor to hear such a performance from the composer himself…but this is 20/20 hindsight.

I think many people get so caught up in the current moment, so caught up in dreaming of what “could be” instead of being thankful for what actually is…I think most of us come around to the latter point of view when there is no longer a possibility of what “could be”. As in, one day Brian will pass on from this world, and we will absolutely be thankful for the music he left for us, even a handful of piano covers that he took the time to record.

From a technical standpoint, perhaps these covers won’t be as good as some random YouTuber’s covers. Maybe recording a bunch of hits isn’t the most creatively original idea. But perhaps there is more to these songs than being technically perfect, or being 100% original: When I listen to ‘In My Room’ I don’t just think “what a cool original song about a kid in his room” - I instead think about a young Brian himself trying to articulate his thoughts about his safe haven. Or when I listen to ‘Til I Die’ I’m not just thinking about a literal cork on the ocean, I’m thinking of a mentally ravaged Brian being so consumed with depression that he wrote such a tragically beautiful song.

My point being, there is a person behind all of this music. And that person has a crazy incredible story that is all wrapped up in the music he has put out…including an album of piano covers. So when I listen to this piano version of GOK I’m picturing Brian playing the keys on that piano, putting effort into recording one of the last albums he may ever release. And the feeling you get when you think that way is nothing you could feel listening to a random YouTube cover.

Was very pleasantly surprised listening to God Only Knows. Actually, it was incredibly moving.... if the rest of the album turns out as good and this turned out to be Brian's final album, I must say it would make for an incredibly poignant swan song

Listening to God Only Knows. It's achingly lovely. I can't wait to hear the rest of the album. IMO it really has Brian's 'feel' to it, and I love that.

I'm very, very excited too...but, I'm biased because any time Brian and Darian work together on music, it's something special. I loved God Only Knows so far, the piano texture allows those rich chord voicings and changes, and that beautiful melody, to breathe and be heard on their own merits without anything else on top. It gets to the heart of the music and how it was constructed, and played by the composer.

Just wanted to point out a precedent and a parallel between Brian Wilson and George Gershwin. It was a project called "Gershwin Plays Gershwin: The Piano Rolls". I bought the album when it came out, and it's a fascinating listen. You get to hear one of the key pieces of musical inspiration in Brian's life, "Rhapsody In Blue", as imagined and played/arranged by its composer Gershwin in the form of a piano roll. So it's a solo piano, more or less, with "overdubs" as the old piano roll technology allowed the player to stack part after part onto the roll via the punch-out holes which the player piano would read mechanically. This was Gershwin's interpretation of his tune minus the orchestration, and Rhapsody on that set is worth the price of the album alone. Absolutely beautiful, and you get to hear that music "played" by its composer.

The Gershwin Piano Rolls album was very well received, and you had fans and musicologists excited across the board to hear what are now classic songs as played and imagined by their composer, and done so on primitive media from the teens and 20's that allowed the paper rolls to be "played" and imported onto modern equipment and a state of the art grand piano which was then recorded. I think the biggest draw was being able to hear how Gershwin himself played and heard his own songs on the piano, minus the familiar arrangements and orchestrations that most listeners would recognize.

For those who don't know about the Gershwin project, here's more info: http://albumlinernotes.com/The_Piano_Rolls.html (http://albumlinernotes.com/The_Piano_Rolls.html)

So in this case of Brian's piano recordings, it's conceptually even better than the Gershwin project: It's not a piano roll fed into a player piano, it's his own hands playing his compositions.

Just some perspective and precedent to consider.  

I missed this beautiful quote from the promo email:

“We had an upright piano in our living room and from the time I was 12 years old I played it each and every day. I never had a lesson, I was completely self-taught. I can’t express how much the piano has played such an important part in my life. It as bought me comfort, joy and security. It has fueled my creativity as well as my competitive nature.

I play it when I’m happy or feeling sad. I love playing for people and I love playing alone when no one is listening.

Honestly, the piano and the music I create on it has probably saved my life.”

– Brian Wilson

My highest hope for this is I can see Brian doing something cool arrangement or presentation wise with the deeper cuts included in the tracklist.

To be more "demanding", I would have preferred similar but with vocals (yes that would significantly change the concept). Even a few of the guys e.g. Brian, Al, Matt, Darian and someone on bass duties. Mike Love perhaps ha...obviously a huge can of worms. Brian can do decent bass, but I prefer him at least in the middle of the range.

I, for one, am excited about this album and very much looking forward to buying it.
Do I believe that it's Brian really playing?  Yes, I am willing to believe that.  There's almost certainly quite a bit of overdubbing and splicing various takes, etc., but so what?

Years ago I commented on Brian "fake playing" his keyboard at his shows and wondered aloud if he could still play.  The late great Bob Hanes assured me that Brian plays beautifully when he plays alone and is not under pressure.  Bob had personally witnessed Brian playing many times.

Two years ago, I went to David Leaf's fundraiser at UCLA music school.  They had a piano, and David invited Brian to play Heroes & Villains or Surf's Up, but Brian was reluctant.  He played a few seconds of H&V and then stopped.  And yet a year later, there he is on video at his house banging out GOK or Do it Again very capably. I guess my point is that Bob Hanes was right.  Brian plays very beautifully when he's relaxed.  If it's a pressure situation where he isn't comfortable, then it's not his thing.

I mostly agree with you, but the Beethoven comparison falls flat because the 7th symphony is already instrumental. This is a reimagining away from the "plonk plonk plonk" in the right hand/melodic, moving bass in the left with Brian's vocals as the cherry on top. Not to say that that doesn't have value at all, but again, if you'd asked me "what would be your ideal Brian Wilson 2021 remake of old songs?", it'd be "just Brian, at the piano, doing his classic thing and singing his songs".

Yeah, the Beethoven comparison isn’t perfect, but it was somewhat less of a comparison of music styles and more of a commentary on how we would all be grateful to hear something from someone no longer with us…even if it were a simple piano piece.

But yeah, I totally agree - I’ve been hoping that Brian would do a Johnny Cash American Recordings style album. But hey, even if he ain’t singing on this, it’s still a stripped down recording which I have dreamed of for a long time. Can’t wait!!

FWIW. I don’t think it’s been mentioned, but Rolling Stone have just updated their 500 Greatist Songs list from 2004.
GOKs moves from 25 to 11. 👏

Maybe this release will inspire Al to finally do a second solo album - guitar instrumental versions of Help Me, Rhonda, Lady Lynda, Santa Ana Winds, and Lookin' At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song). And the complete California Saga.

It might even inspire Mike to brush up on his saxophone skills, and give us an album featuring his great sax solos on Shut Down, California Dreamin', Kokomo, and Hot Fun in the Summertime.

Conceptually, this does sound kind of … uneventful?

However I listened to that “God Ohly Knows” clip, and it was very nice and moody, good feelings in it. So I’m in the yes it’s BW camp. Not particularly excited about it but would be nice to listen to while sitting at a coffee shop or bookstore maybe.

That said, the issue here is- no matter how it’s disguised, the letdown is it’s another release of one of The Beach Boys playing Beach Boys hits. I don’t think this is what people had in mind when wishing for a “Brian at the piano” album.

So I’m not down on it, but it’s a bit of a shrug for me. At worst, it’s strikes a little like the symphony record in that it could be perceived as a contrived angle to release a new record.

Hoping for a sequel with the same concept but other people's songs - instrumental covers.

A new original as a bonus track wouldn't go astray!

Love (almost) anything Brian does, and clearly it's him. Woo-hoo!! - this plus whatever surprises any copyright extension ("Feel Flows 2") or live shows December package holds - it just gets to be more fun being a Beach Boys fan.

Interesting tidbit. Right now the cd is #12 on amazon best sellers list. Even better for brian’s camp is the cd is #1 on the classical chart with the vinyl lp at #2.

Just want to thank Shady for not putting the words “Don’t get excited” in the title of the thread :lol goodness, four pages of negativity about this project at the place where positivity and rational thought go to die.

A nice tidbit I picked up there though, Darian told AGD that the entirety of GOK is Brian. While I figured that Brian was doing the rhythm/backing piano, I wondered if Darian was accompanying him on another piano playing the melody. Nice to hear that it’s all Brian (obviously overdubbing the melody)! Hopefully that puts an end to the iT cAnT bE bRiAn He CaNt Do AnYtHiNg!!!! talk. Edit: also want to add that I’d love it if Darian did accompany Brian on any of these tracks, but it’s cool to know that Brian did it all, at least for GOK.

Great news about the Amazon placement!! I hope Brian is very happy about that.

Great post, Guitarfool. Listening to the Piano Rolls Rhapsody in Blue now. I’ve heard so many different versions of that song - really cool to hear how he envisioned the song himself!

One of my favorite parts of any Brian Wilson/Beach Boys documentary is when he sits down at a piano and plays - sometimes he sings along to the song, other times he just lets the piano do all the work. These were always wonderful little glimpses into Brian’s domain. And now we have a full album of him at the piano. 48 minutes of Brian playing piano for us, what a great gift to us fans!

I’m sure it has been mentioned, and probably everyone knows by now, but the date for release is November 19. Hopefully we’ll get a couple more singles out of this before it drops!

Brian is back! ;D       At #11 on Amazon!

God must’ve smiled the day Brian Wilson was born!

Yes to all this! :)

It is really cool, right? I actually bought the Gershwin Piano Rolls album specifically for his solo take on Rhapsody, and I love that version, as great as the fully orchestrated version is. I ended up enjoying the whole album, but that Rhapsody version is really special to hear.

I'm hoping people here get the same vibes with this upcoming Brian piano album too, where you hear the composer playing his music, just him and the piano. I think it's a great concept and have been waiting for something like this for a long time. Kudos to everyone involved.

FYI checking some of the online sales sites, it looks like the release dates are not the same, and I saw a date of December for the vinyl. Hopefully more info to come because I saw at least three different release dates so far.

Yeah, by all means, DON'T GET EXCITED!  :lol  What a farce.

It is amazing how the discussions seem to turn to conspiracy theories about Brian's involvement no matter what the man seems to do. And I wonder if the same voices who were critical of fans posting wish-lists of what they'd like to see on the Feel Flows set before it was released and calling them "entitled" because they were talking about such things and wanting the set are the same ones blasting this Brian album because it isn't what they want. Hypocrisy, much? All I can say is, yet again, what a farce. If people want that kind of conversation, have at it. I'm glad it's not here.  :)

It's Brian playing piano on this project. That's about all there is to say on that topic. If you dig it, great. If you don't, don't buy it. 

I'll second the notion that the cover alone makes the vinyl worth buying, I'd frame that vintage shot!

I don't read the EH board unless someone here mentions useful information there, but I'm not ashamed to admit that this album has indeed GOT ME EXCITED.  I may be an outlier in the BB fan universe, but I'm actually more excited about this project than I was about Feel Flows.  I love and appreciate so much of the work from that period, but I didn't get goosebumps from listening to Feel Flows like I did hearing the new GOK piano rendition.  It's so hauntingly beautiful that I can barely believe that it exists.  If any of the other tracks are even close to that, "At My Piano" is going te be a very special treat.  And it's extremely poignant for Brian, after everything he's been through, to be releasing something like this at age 79.

I’m extremely excited for this album. Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of instrumental piano music (helps that I began playing earlier this year…yup…for the small handful of people here who follow my band, I no longer record my parts using software but rather live play them) so this is ideal for me. Hell besides feel flows , the 68 copyright extension, and MIC this might be the most excited I’ve ever been about a BB/BW project

To use the most appropriate terminology in reacting to this news: I'm STOKED!  :3d

GF gave us a great historical parallel with the Gershwin piano rolls, and we can hope that this is only the first of such projects. Hopefully strong sales will encourage everyone involved to take the idea even further.

Of course, it would REALLY be something if someone managed to turn up some tapes of Brian on his sojourn to San Diego back in '78, where he was purportedly playing in a cocktail bar for drinks...what a wild "bonus disk" that would be!!  :smokin

I like Rab's analogy, perfect or not, both in its spirit and structure. A symphony is a complex blending of instruments but a piano solo or rendition (even if with other instruments) is quite different. Of course the lack of vocals (if seen as another instrument or a narrative or poem) is absent, but I enjoy instrumentals, especially pianos (since that is what I play). I am looking forward excitedly, like Billy C, to the album but also to other music that Brian may offer to us in the future.

It's interesting on the one released track, "God Only Knows", to hear an instrumental solo piano version that so specifically attempts to translate so many of the *vocal* parts so literally.

I have to say, though, that I can't speak for all or any other fans and what they have "wanted" or "asked for" especially in recent years. But what *I* had been saying I'd like to see, and what I feel like some other fans were also asking for, was a "Brian solo at the piano" album of *new* (or, at least "unreleased") songs, with piano *and* vocal. I've often used the example of "Message Man." It's not a perfect example as it's not strictly one voice and one instrument, and it's also not like my *favorite* song. But that was kind of the template in my mind of Brian doing some songs that sound "very Brian" both in concept and execution.

I don't know that I recall *ever* seeing many fans asking for a solo piano instrumental album of Brian's classics. I'm not downing the concept. But my response to this album concept has been much more along the lines of "Oh, wow, uh, okay, let's see what that ends up sounding like" as opposed to "This is what fans have been asking for!"

Same here. It's growing on me, but my immediate reaction wasn't, like, "Finally!" It was more, "Uh, really? With Brian? They're doing that?" The thing floated that we've seen people wanting was Brian playing and singing in a simple setting, like that Love and Mercy at home, or the Fender video. But this could end up being nice. 'Solo piano instrumentalist' just isn't a thought you ever connect to Brian Wilson.

My guess is that this wasn't a projected album as such but probably grew out of Brian just spending some time during the pandemia. Maybe he showed his kids how to play some of his songs and it went from there.

Considering his “fans” are so freakin toxic I’m glad they don’t really take any seeming interest in our ideas. I mean, half the “fans” think that Brian is forced at gunpoint by Melinda to tour and record music. Other fans complain that Brian’s music is over produced, his vocals are bad, his vocals are too autotuned. I hope they have completely tuned us out regarding listening to any feedback or ideas. However, I will always wish that they do a radio concept album with a DJ, radio ads, and full of covers of classic rock songs. Pleasure Island.

I’m glad they decided to do their own thing. And considering this could have been an album of nothing but hits, but they decided to throw on some fairytale music and a SMiLE medley, this is such an amazing gift to us.

Honestly that’s one of the reasons I’m not as active anymore. Negativity finally wore me down

That, and the fact Decca must have seen an opportunity and made an approach as I doubt this is something Brian or Darian shopped around. It’s a bit of a no-brainer when you think about it. Artists sitting around offered a chance to do something a bit different and make a few dollars without having to leave the house. What’s not to like?
I think I said it over a year ago, but I see the industry having a bit of a ‘bump’ creativity wise of new material. I guess this is Brian’s. Not new as such, but a new concept for him.

I think it's a great idea. Chill and lowkey. Relaxing. I dig it.

Let's say this is Brian's McCartney III.

Actually, that would be an interesting compare and contrast exercise.

We as fans probably think too deeply about these things.  Brian and the other Beach Boys have put out music we either have liked or disliked.  It might be a tad unfair to suggest anyone frowning at this new release are automatically acting as toxic fans (although I'm fully aware they exist).  I admit that I haven't liked every album Brian has put out.  I honestly never really got a whole lot out of the Gershwin album save for a few songs, and to this day I don't think I've ever listened to his Disney album in full.  But on the other hand I still enjoy listening to No Pier Pressure and occasionally still play some of his other solo albums.  I don't think it's realistic that we warmly embrace everything an artist offers us.

As far as this piano solo album goes I am currently completely indifferent towards it.  It might prove to be something special or it might barely get one listen from me and then I'll completely forget about it.

On a side note, didn't Brian recently record a brand new song to appear in his documentary?  When do you suppose we'll get to hear that...?

I have listened to GOK several times, and here is my expert opinion:

1. The piano playing is obviously autotuned. If you listen to the notes as they fade away it is clear that someone--likely Melinda--is pushing the autotune button all the way to 11.
2. It is obvious that Brian is not playing at all, despite his name being on the album. I have heard Brian play many times on YouTube, and based on the bending of the notes and the fingering, it is clearly not Brian. Also, many insiders who I cannot name publicly have told me that Brian is not playing on the album. As a matter of fact, Brian was forced years ago by Melinda to sell all his pianos, and all he has now is a toy Casio that he is only allowed to play in the bathroom.
3. As to the album cover, Brian looks like some old man in this seventies. What were they thinking in using this photo? Also, he is smiling, and it is obvious that he was forced to smile, since Brian never smiles voluntarily.
4. It is obvious that the genesis of this record is the fact that Brian--as well as his brothers--took drugs.
5. The version of GOK is very melancholy, and lacks the positivity that made the BB's popular in the first place.

You have just won the award for post of the month! I haven't given one out in a long time, but this commentary was so on-point and all-inclusive it had to be done. Enjoy your well-deserved statue!

(https://i.imgur.com/QNim1rW.jpg)


PS...The phrase "It's All About The Music" will be engraved along the base of this statue as well.

I do think to Rab's points that there is a certain bizarre knee-jerk negativity that comes out nearly every time a new Brian Wilson project is announced, it's been that way for almost 20 years, and the increase in this kind of thing seemed to parallel the rise of the internet music communities discussing Brian and the band that went beyond a few chatroom or mailing list fans with AOL dial-up and into a much more extensive online presence.

Remember Brian's Christmas album? I could be wrong but I think that was the first time I really saw the reactions that were dead-set against the project as soon as it got announced, with the common thread being the fans thinking Brian should be doing something else instead, before hearing anything from the album itself. Then there were the inevitable conspiracy theory posts, falling in line with all those saying Brian was "forced" to do something he didn't want to do, that his "handlers" or "wife and managers" were working their puppet strings on him, or how his involvement in the actual projects was in name only, and he was a passenger along for the ride. Or even more ridiculous, that Brian was doing this because he needed the money. News flash: He doesn't need the money.

So where did this bullshit come from, and why? For fans who have followed this for the past two decades some lines could be drawn, and maybe there is more to it, but it's crazy no matter what or who is behind this, if anyone...or if some of the nonsense just stuck after other fans heard it so often that it became a knee-jerk reaction. When you have people claiming "insider" status spreading gossip and rumors for years on boards like this and other outlets, things which are patently false and even slanderous no less, unfortunately some of it will stick and be carried forward. Combine that with attitudes of "I know what the truth is and nothing will convince me otherwise!", whether their version of the "truth" is true or false, it creates this toxic atmosphere that continues to show up whenever a new project is announced.

And then the inevitable straw man arguments show up as well, where others start defending and arguing the right to say this or that or even suggest opinions are being censored. But that's not what's happening or what happened previously. I think fans have the right to voice opinions, but perhaps I differ in saying those opinions should be based on something factual or at least relevant to the discussion. This crap about Brian not being involved or being a puppet of his management (or whatever else) is one example where I do think it veers into that conspiracy theory territory, and it's coming more from old personal grudges, false rumors, or just plain old ignorance which may not be the person's fault if they've been fed lies and innuendo for years.

Again this is just personal opinion, but to take the example of this latest album release announcement, if people are saying it's not Brian playing piano and therefore they don't like it, that's not based on fact. If people are saying it's not what Brian wants to do and he's being forced to do this, therefore they don't like it, that's not based on fact. If people are saying they don't like it because it's not what they think Brian should be doing and therefore won't buy it, that's more valid but still a little closed-minded considering only ONE TRACK has come out as a preview. Maybe there would be less debate and tension within the fan base if people would at least listen first before writing it off entirely, or finding reasons why other fans should not get excited.

And there's the difference: The opinions offered prior to hearing a work or project, and those after hearing it. I think the latter would, logically, be more accepted and valid. Add in opinions based on fact versus those based on false info or innuendo/rumor/heresay, where the former would logically carry more weight. Plug in all the comments we saw about Brian "not playing" on this new project based on the original preview clip lasting less than 10 seconds on Instagram to see how that one fits with basic logic.  And there is the divide, and perhaps the toxicity as well.

For me the best advice is if you're not into it, don't buy it. If you don't like the idea of Brian Wilson playing piano, don't buy it. If you listen to something and don't dig it, that's fine to express that opinion, but at least do so after hearing it and don't spout a bunch of false nonsense to explain to other fans why the project is no good. And maybe throwing water on the campfire when other campers are gathered around and it's just starting to properly light up isn't the best way to go.

Just spouting random stuff as always.  ;D

I don’t think I said that anyone disliking this album is toxic (or even suggested it), I was just pointing out that many of the fans are toxic, and because of that I kinda like that the BW camp doesn’t listen to any fan critiques or ideas.

I’ve got nothing against people disliking the idea of this album, I have something against people immediately speculating that Brian didn’t play on this album, or that it doesn’t even sound like Brian (whatever the heck that means, as I doubt these people have sat around with Brian every time he plays the piano). It’s that kinda of garbage that made me think for years as a young fan that Brian was a kind of Uncle Bernie who was being propped up by Melinda. I’ve read and heard so many lies that are based on this idea that Brian can’t do anything for himself, and it’s speculation like this that keeps feeding these lies. It’s disgraceful.

And to add to Guitarfool’s response, I also want to point out that elsewhere it is being asked why is it a problem to criticize Brian, but it’s encouraged to criticize Mike? I will answer that by saying that Mike’s solo career is most always criticized based off of his own standards (he critiqued Brian for possibly using auto tune on NPP, then Mike spent the next 5 years creating music that puts T-Pain to shame). Whereas there seems to be a vast supply of “fans” who go straight at Brian’s dignity when it comes to his solo output (see guitarfools examples above). Brian literally has schizo-affective disorder and is a manic depressive yet people take time out of their day to publicly rip his dignity and his family to shreds whenever he steps out with new music…think about that.

And as for the Long Promised Road documentary music, I hope we get to hear that stuff soon! Apparently they are great sounding tracks. If this documentary and soundtrack take any longer to come out, the thing is going to start getting a reputation like SMiLE ;D

@relx, agreed with the post of the month award :lol

It looks like one of the guys that did the Royal Philharmonic albums is on this new Brian album too, and it's coming out through Decca UK, so I'm curious if that guy pitched the album to Brian's camp rather than it springing up randomly as a project.

It would be hard to compare. McCartney III is an album of songs with full instrumentation, with vocals, and is all original songs.

The closest comparison to McCartney would be, I guess, the unreleased "The Backyard" project from the 70s where he ran through stuff on acoustic. I guess a slight comparison could come with something like McCartney's "Unplugged".

Actually, the best comparison would probably be to McCartney's 1998 "Working Classical" album, with is a few orchestra pieces and then remakes of his old songs in chamber/quartet arrangements.

I would say the most valid criticism of this album is that it's Brian revisiting the classics one more time. McCartney still comes up with new material every couple of years (you can debate whether that material is any good or not). Brian hasn't exactly been prolific in that dept. since going solo.
Mike Love took many years to finally release an album or original material - Unleash the Love; then quickly followed it with two albums of covers/remakes.
Al Jardine took decades to finally put out a solo album; and when he did - surprise, surprise...yep. Remakes and covers among the few new original songs.
Now if all three had been working together, they might have had enough material between them to come out with a new album every couple of years.

I see what you’re saying about revisiting the same old material, but I will say that at least Brian isn’t doing straight up sound-for-sound copies of the classics. And, 7 out of the 15 songs are probably not even recognizable to your average-joe fan, so I’m very thankful that it’s not a Sounds of Summer track list. I mean how cool is it that we get to hear Brian Wilson noodle around with I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times and the fairytale music?

But I see what you’re saying. I would love to see Brian come out with some new material. Run James Run was pretty darn cool, and I can’t remember if Brian has an original/new song coming out with the Long Promised Road doc or if those are all covers. Hopefully this album does well enough that it inspires Brian to record some new material. But if not, I’m still grateful and thankful for this offering.

If Brian is playing, I'm buying.

I'd love to hear an album of Brian playing his songs on piano.

I really hope there is a little video somewhere of the recording!

This is a sad debacle

What is? Brian recording this, or people’s reaction to it?

I think it’s pretty clear that Brian hasn’t been writing for some time. It’s okay. He’s 79. If he wants to stay in the game by recording something, this seems decent enough. I’ve heard pre-pandemic reports from the studio, and I think it’s safe to say he’s not interested in producing band sessions right now.

Understood and I wasn't really trying to call you out for anything, Rab.  I was more generalizing the argument I've been hearing (not from you) by some suggesting we should be happy with anything Brian or his bandmates put out unconditionally.  And if we offer even the slightest bit of dissent we're acting toxic.  That just seems silly to me. 

We're on the same page. The majority of my post was aimed at those fueling the negativity. I have admittedly been overzealous in defending Brian and his work over the years - and I think it's because I've seen the pendulum swing so far in the negative direction that I tried really hard to get people to see the positive in Brian's music. That being said, when people say they hate Imagination's production, I get it. His solo career hasn't been perfect, but it also hasn't been the pits like some people like to suggest.

You had mentioned not listening to the entirety of the Disney album. Be sure to check out 'Baby Mine', 'Stay Awake', and his lead vocal on 'Can You Feel The Love Tonight' - they are really stellar. Vocally, I think that Gershwin and Disney were the pinnacle of Brian's solo career as far as his singing goes.

WIBN:

https://youtu.be/tKa8LlvOY7Q

My number 1 favorite song of all time! Fantastic. It really does remind me of the Gershwin "Piano Rolls" project.

(https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/242805425_2975741652695845_161623587117335213_n.jpg?_nc_cat=109&ccb=1-5&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=sQ8mTb2mDnIAX_XsxfU&_nc_ht=scontent-sjc3-1.xx&oh=649b9ffbf066223c08cac132a285df84&oe=617B64D9)

When I brought McCartney  into this, I was really getting at the fact that both are "long past their prime" artists doing what they do "by themselves" in the studio without outside influence, control, help, guidance.

Some of that might be true in both cases, some a bit of a stretch, and some plainly not true.

I think I will really enjoy this new outing from Bri. Really looking forward to sketches of SMiLE track, but my desire for a rehash is far outstripped by my want of that one new Brian original on the doco soundtrack.

I really enjoyed that.

YES!!! After the classics, let's have Volume 2, with (among others) a selection of tunes from his adventures in San Diego...the "Deep Cut" edition.  :hat

Won't be complete, of course, without a piano demo version of "Beatrice From Baltimore"...

Brian's Twitter account posted this picture today:

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FBL1tJAXIAs4meB?format=jpg&name=large)

Also saw this picture at Amazon:

(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81wiaOKJaGL._AC_SL1500_.jpg)

Lovely pics!

That is an amazing photo!!!

The location in the photo is The Ebell of Los Angeles, a women's club off Wilshire Blvd in L.A.  The venue is used for a lot of weddings and similar events.

REVIEW and Q&A: Brian Wilson – At My Piano

https://esquarterly.com/2021/10/19/review-and-qa-brian-wilson-at-my-piano/?fbclid=IwAR2ggYkfAtLLLDj4kiqgWH9EyAnCtoZ53kaSmNQYeJb1sKP9A7Pv6OAizLg

Great article and interview! Thanks!


ESQ: Did you find that you needed to revisit any piano charts, or did you record the album by memory?

Brian: I went strictly by memory and did not need to see charts or anything else. These are my songs. They are in my brain forever.

Thanks for posting that, Rocker!

Here’s something I thought of when GOK came out last month, thinking about why this album might be happening right now.

Brian was pretty good at supporting himself on the piano in one-off performances through the late 80s and early to mid 90s. Here’s when the problem started: I remember a performance of your imagination on David Letterman in 1998 in which Brian started playing during the first verse, got kind of locked up on the first chord, and either his mike was faded down quickly or he stopped playing for the rest of the song. (In 94 or 95 on the same show, he did a great job with Do It Again.)

Next: 1999. He pounded the same chord on the piano in his very first solo concerts for the entire show without moving his hands (I mean this literally: footage shows his hands locked on A major for 2 hours) and was of course not plugged in or was turned completely down. After that he stopped playing altogether during shows. A couple of years later, I think, he started playing Surfer Girl audibly. By 2010 he was noodling on the keyboard through at least half of the show. I think he has may have tapered off again in the last couple of years, but still plays much more than he used to.

Related: we know that his voice went through several stages since the late 60s, getting to its weirdest sound in the early 90s. By 1998 he was suddenly singing pretty but sounded kind of tired. He sounded slurry for a few years (sometimes attributed to changes in his meds), but made a huge improvement which started after SMiLE got out of his system. Lucky Old Sun was much better than prior albums vocally. I think the Disney album was his very strongest album vocally. He was 100% free of anything that had ever made his voice sound weird by then. Since then he’s done some weird speak-singing during the Pet Sounds shows, but other than Run, James, Run (which was pretty good, although it sounded like he was singing gently), we don’t really know how he sounds in the studio now.

So why this recording, and why now? I think Brian is probably keenly aware that people see his limitations at the keyboard, and he has seldom if ever played very exposed and intricate parts on his albums in quite a long time. I feel like he’s trying to prove himself as a keyboardist by putting himself out there as a soloist, however much editing/overdubbing is involved. I think this is therapeutic for him, and perhaps when he wraps up his career he wants to leave no unresolved issues.

URL for the ESQ review without Facebook's tracking garbage:

https://esquarterly.com/2021/10/19/review-and-qa-brian-wilson-at-my-piano/

Great post, I agree. I think his limited playing in the late 90's was propably attached to his stage fright quite strongly. I've been lately watching live clips of Brian's shows during the last 4 years or so, and it seems that when he is in good mood he always plays with the piano during the breaks between songs, and sometimes even forgets to sing his parts when he concentrates on the keys.

Amazon is now showing a December 10th release for the CD, which was previously due November 19. Not sure if this is just Amazon changing dates back and forth, which happens sometimes, or if this means the album has been delayed to December.

I know other physical media releases (among tons of products) are seeing distribution/shipping problems in terms of making it to retail on time, or in large enough numbers.

Amazon still shows the digital release for this as November 19.

I guess we'll probably find out soon if any or all iterations are going to see any delay.

The other "volume" music retailers in the U.S., Barnes & Noble and Target, are also showing 12/10 as the release date of the CD.

Perhaps they are trying to time it as a holiday release?

Odd that they keep releasing singles for it then if they're pushing the date back further.

Good Vibrations was released today. I am hoping they will release a more obscure song (like You Still Believe In Me, or Friends) in the coming weeks - something that isn't a classic/hit. Those are the songs I'm looking forward to the most.

Good Vibrations was a very pleasant listen, though. I am a big fan of Mike Godette's Beach Boys guitar covers, and these remind me a bit of those - very sparse mostly straight forward covers, but they are very relaxing and satisfying to listen to.

BrianWilson At My Piano: "Good Vibrations"


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOyr3HRaqac

Due to all sorts of shipping/distribution/fulfillment delays all around the globe on all sorts of goods, from essential goods to the most non-essential, a number of physical media releases have either been pushed back later, or are essentially getting "soft" releases where small amounts are getting distributed but people are having trouble getting copies. That sort of soft release is okay for releasing something like a 4K disc reissue of an old movie or something. But with music releases, they always want to push for a solid first-week, so I would imagine that's what might be happening with the Brian album.

These days, November 19th is more than close enough to the holiday season, so there wouldn't be a need to push it even later other than logistical/distribution type issues I would imagine.

Brian's social media mentioned in passing an hour ago that the release date is November 19th, so who knows at this stage.

Brilliant.  Love this rendition.

I get the feeling that I'll be playing this collection in my car for a long, long time.

If there is a delay, it would most likely be for pressing the vinyl.

If there is a delay, it could be a manufacturing issue. There have been other cases (such as McCartney's album last year) where they hold up all formats to press vinyl.

But there are also shipping/distribution/logistics issues going on for already-manufactured product throughout all industries. And as I mentioned, in some cases they're fine just feeding the product to retailers at a snail's pace, however they can. But new music releases are more sensitive to first week sales numbers, so it would make sense they'd push all releases off until everything can get where it needs to go. This is especially true for music, where they could obviously just drop streaming and digital purchase copies whenever they want. They could release this thing digitally today if they wanted.

Which each new single, this project has grown on me. Specially with GV, which was the backdrop of a wreck of a performance by Brian at SNL in 76. But what Brian has done now (and has been doing on the other songs), is a piano reduction of the whole arrangment overdubbing himself (for example, reduction of symphonies usually need two piano players). And having not liked the sound of the piano on GOK (too bright), hearing this now after WIBN I think that Brian has been tinkering with the timbrical qualities of the piano to emulate other keyboards, without resorting to synths or electronic keyboards. If i let my imagination run wild, I associate this approach of Brian with the "prepared piano" of John Cage, but by other means (all done in the miking, recording, mixing stage).

'Don't Worry Baby' was released today (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt08M-AMIwo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt08M-AMIwo)). It's amazing how beautiful this song is played in a higher octave (not sure if my musical terminology is correct there) - the melody lines are played lower than the chords (though the bass notes are still very prominent) which creates a really cool dynamic that you don't hear in the original song.

Basically, I'm glad to hear this variation in these covers - it still very much sounds like the original, but it's also different.

I can't wait for next week!

I really do love this project from Brian.

So what is the word on how it is being recorded?

Is it Brian playing multiple tracks on the piano? Sounds like more music than 2 hands can handle at once to my ears.

Pretty sure they are all at least overdubbed once — one the chords / accompanying figures and the other the “lead voice.”

Yes, everything (or at least everything we've heard) is overdubbed.

From Brian's Q&A about the album with Endless Summer Quarterly:


And Brian's point about it being the way he "always makes records"  is pretty much true.  Practically nothing in his oeuvre is "recorded live in a single take"-type stuff.  And, frankly, an all-piano album of Brian trying to play all the vocal and instrumental parts of these songs simultaneously in a single take would likely be unreleasable.   You'd have to have Van Cliburn-like piano skills to play all the parts of, say, Good Vibrations in a single take.

That's a cool detail from ESQ. Thank you both for responding.

I keep listening to 'Don't Worry Baby' - all these covers show that even at their simplest, broken down forms, these songs still have the ability to move you.

MOJO review. I expected more from Sylvie Simmons i.e. recognizing overdubs.


Brian Wilson
★★★★
At My Piano
DECCA. CD/DL/LP
A man, a piano and 15 instrumental
versions of his songs.
THIS IS Wilson at his piano – alone,
no backing band, overdubs or even
vocals – playing selections from his
songbook in what sounds like an
empty room. Remarkably intimate
and raw, this must have been how
Tony Asher and Van Dyke Parks
heard songs like God Only Knows
and Surf’s Up before writing those
lyrics. The majority – and those that
work best in this solitary setting
– are bittersweet, melancholy songs.
In My Room and The Warmth Of
The Sun, with their left-hand
arpeggios, sound simultaneously
childlike and sophisticated, while
California Girls sounds a bit
karaoke. There’s a couple of
unexpected tracks, including
Sketches Of Smile. Why did
he make this album?
“Honestly, the piano and
the music I create on it has
probably saved my
life.” One for the
fans delighted he’s
still here and fascinated by how such
classic songs started out.
Sylvie Simmons

Adele releases her album Nov 19 also. Anyone else, including Brian, is going to be blown out of the water. The Beatles documentary is also coming up with the same giant wave.

Full album just released on Spotify.

https://open.spotify.com/album/2wA42FpaNT9PKJn1RLdWwO?si=xLPrUnWKSX21S3KJYC7gjw

Just finished the album and here are my initial thoughts:

The song progression is simple and brilliant: aside from GOK and California Girls, it mostly starts off with songs heavily influenced by 50s rock n roll. And then there is this abrupt shift when the rest of the Pet Sounds songs start: it sounds like classical music…from Chopin to Gershwin (is he considered classical?). The chords/progressions are out of this world.

Which leads us to Sketches of SMiLE. This is a tiny little capsule of SMiLE and it’s truly the first time I’ve heard what Brian meant when he wanted to mix and match parts of different songs. All these SMiLE sections mix so well with one another. I love how it is book-ended with Our Prayer. In 4 minutes Brian gives us this little pocket symphony, and it really shows how complex these songs are and how well they work together.

I do wish they had closed the album with Love and Mercy as that’s how he ends his concerts and how Love and Mercy the movie ends. But closing with GV does make sense as well.

The mixing on this album is fantastic. I watched Love and Mercy last night in anticipation of my Brian Wilson filled Friday. In it Paul Dano talks about closing your eyes and you see a place - that really happens with many of these songs. There are just so many layers of beauty on songs like IJWMFTT and you can kinda see/hear those different levels when you solely focus on the music.

And finally, when this album was announced I was very excited, but I was basically expecting an album of relaxing music to put on in the background when I work. When in reality this set of songs is a testament of Brian’s genius. And before I get called a Brianista for saying that: listen to Brian play ‘Friends’ on the piano - it sounds just like Trois Gymnopedies but yet I’ve NEVER picked up on that listening to the original song. This album is kinda full of those moments.

Sometimes I would forget I was listening to Beach Boys songs - so many moments just don’t sound like pop-music but instead classical.

Anyways, I hope the rest of you find as much enjoyment from this as I did. I know this project was initially looked down upon by some and I know it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but really give it a chance. It’s a lot more complex than you’d initially think.

Interesting old album, this.  The CD arrived today and, as I'd avoided listening to any of the advance teasers, it was my first exposure to any of it.  It's unlike most other albums of piano music I own, not just because of the overdubbing of parts in different registers (which is certainly striking: I'd call these versions "reductions" rather than "arrangements") or the recorded sound of the piano (very roomy with middle frequencies prominent; it sounds like it may not have been the world's most expensive piano, even if it maybe actually was), but also the performances.  BW's piano playing is simple, unshowy and unaffected, but also careful and precise; it reminds me of a child nervously but capably navigating his way through a piano exam.  It's not a virtuoso showpiece, but I'm sure that there are lots of pianists out there who could record virtuoso showpiece versions of these songs, and it's not clear that it would be any more interesting if they did.

What the album does do is showcase the songs as compositions, and it does this extremely effectively.  One of my favourite aspects of BW as composer, one of the things about his music that always grabbed me and which has turned me into the sort of fan-for-life that might post on a website like this, is his remarkable chord progressions that are unlike those of any pop songwriters of his time or since.  And this record is extremely forthright in presenting those chord progressions, always in interesting voicings, in a way that anyone who is mesmerised by the songwriting of peak-era BW is going to find rich and inviting.  And the starkness of the presentation is sometimes moving, haunting even.  I like it!  Which wasn't guaranteed; I'm the sort of fan who tends towards "tough love" rather than lapping everything up, and I broadly hated most of No Pier Pressure (though kept it to myself at the time as things were getting pretty feisty on here).  But I think that this is one of his strongest solo projects in years.

Highlights (after one listen): "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times", "Sketches of Smile" (the glimpses of "Our Prayer" especially; what a stunning piece of piano music that turns out to be), "'Til I Die", "Mt Vernon Farewell" (which was spellbinding straight out of the gate; I sat up the moment it started).  The songs that are less rich compositionally are perhaps less revelatory but still charming.  I do sort of wish he'd held back on the slightly heavy-handed oom-pah-pah waltzism on "Friends" and gone for the full-on Satie pastiche that rab2591 has suggested though.  If I were a better pianist I'd record one myself.

Observations from the sleeve: the album is dedicated to Don Randi.  Must confess my first thought was "Oh!  I don't remember hearing that he'd died."  I'll save you looking it up: he hasn't.  Also, "Wouldn't It Be Nice" is credited to Wilson and Love and that's an abomination of a disgrace, even on an instrumental performance that preserves nothing of Asher's perfect lyrics.

(Irrelevant to thread but inspired to mention it anyway, as I very rarely log in these days: going to see Charles Lloyd in concert tomorrow night!  Very excited, truly one of the greats.)

I'm really enjoying the album as a whole. the piano and the way it's miked/recorded puts the songs in chamber music territory, and the slightly slower tempos on several songs gives them an added elegance and reflective tone.

Sketches of Smile is brilliant, and it's interesting to see some of the other titles Brian chose especially for this collection. Til I Die, Mt. Vernon, Friends, IJWMFTT... very revealing.

I do find it odd that Brian seems to think very highly of Warmth of the Sun, including it here and on the Classics Selected By BW release, and Endless Summer of course, yet he almost never performs the song live. it's certainly always been one of my very favorites.

This is a special album. It’s much more of a creative statement than I expected, and I hope everyone spends some time with it. This is the soul of Brian on a record.

 Nice review:

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/brian-wilson-at-my-piano-album-review/

I listened once on Spotify, and will probably get a copy! Thanks for the thoughtful review above, Theydon Bois... I'm glad it has a more homespun feel than it could have had (sounds kind of like some of my rudimentary 4-track recordings of my household upright many years ago, or, more interestingly, like some of the Smiley Smile piano backing tracks). Good Vibrations sparkles in comparison to some others, it's definitely the most elaborate one.

Kind of like the backing vocal montages, I wish the Smile section went on forever.

In recent years I've noticed a kind of disappointing trend among fans where the opinions of the "Smile" music as a whole is veering more toward lukewarm or even less than positive reviews or "re-evaluations", like the average comment I'm thinking of might be along the lines of "well, it was good but not as good as the hype" or "it's not as mind-blowing as we thought years ago", or whatever the case. I guess it happens with a lot of iconic music over the years, or maybe there are other layers of narrative involved too, I don't know.

But when you LISTEN and HEAR those melodies and chord changes from Smile, I for one can't help but think Brian was standing alone among his peers when he crafted that music. Nothing sounds or feels like it.

And even though it's only one track, hopefully hearing it in a piano-only format as we can on this album will reinforce or remind us just how amazing these melodies and chords really are. There is truly nothing like it.

Of course that's just my opinion. And I'm biased as hell.  ;D

I was genuinely surprised by my reaction to hearing this. Unexpectedly poignant.

That's news to me and pretty surprising to hear.  If there is any criticism I have with the album it would be that it was never finished, making it frustrating to listen to at times over what could have been.  The 2004 solo version of SMiLE is still pretty satisfying (the live version preferable over the glossier studio version) to me because it's a complete thought and puts the brilliance of the music into the forefront.  

As for the new piano album, I'm probably going to pass on it.  Interesting idea and I know some fans love it, but it's just not very engaging for me.  What I've listened to is certainly pleasant, but I just don't find myself coming back to this one very often.  🤷‍♂️

This is the track that has sold me on the project. Raising the pitch of the chords does make it even more beautiful than just foregrounding the melody.

This is what I came away with. For me, it's just awesome to hear what Brian heard when he was composing these songs in the 60s. And granted, I know these tracks are layered so it's not exactly what Brian heard, but you get the point. The SMiLE songs remind me so much of Gershwin/Americana - which I don't really pick up on when listening to Brian's studio recordings, but you can really hear it on these piano tracks.

Again I'll say, I was expecting to be happy with this album and to basically have it to listen to in the background while working...but instead it's this glimpse into just how intricate these songs are.


While I enjoyed the other singles, 'Don't Worry Baby' gave me hope that many of the songs on the album wouldn't be just straight-up copies of the original songs. And thankfully that turned out to be correct.

My only qualm with this project is that Brian leaves out those step-down notes in the coda of 'Surf's Up' - those notes are one of my favorite Brian Wilson creations, and he didn't play them here! Oh well.

I wonder why the digital version has a recent picture of Brian and the vinyl version has Brian from the 60's.

I think it’s just a then and now thing — vinyl Brian from the past, CD and download Brian from the modern day.

Also really enjoying the piano album, sketches of smile in particular but I really like 'side 2'  run of songs.

I freakin' LOVE this album.   It's a real treat.  Kudos to Brian and team for hitting one out of the park.

I already find myself fantasizing about Volume 2.  Here's my proposed line-up...

1. Surfin Safari
2. This Whole World
3. Catch a Wave
4. Be True to Your School
5. Still I Dream of It
6. Cabin Essence
7. Surfer Girl
8. When I Grow Up to Be A Man
9. Please Let Me Wonder
10. Help Me Rhonda
11. Darlin
12. Vega-Tables
13. Time to Get Alone
14. The Night Was So Young
15. Caroline No

The depth of the BW catalog is so insanely great that we could all probably very easily come up with Volume 3 and 4 track lists that themselves would dwarf oeuvres of mere mortals.

Anyone got the vinyl yet?

Not out until the 17th.

ah I see, it's out in Europe since the 10th. Vinyl quality control is getting worse all the time IMO so be interested to hear any reviews before purchasing.