The Smiley Smile Message Board

I just keep going back to the Wondermints albums.   This stuff is simply the best.    I wonder if these guys have any plans to do more of their own material.

Discuss if you willl.  I can't get enough of these guys.


Do any of you have a guess about what an acoustic  guitar chord progression  would be for Tracy Hide?   I keep getting close but can't quite nail it.

I do agree Donald. They have quite the addicting music. So far from talking to people, I don't think they are going to do very much since Mike had a kid and now resides in FL.

Donald: have you seen this site?

http://www.myspace.com/wondermints

I've never listened to the Wondermints before just right now when I heard the four songs on their Myspace. For some reason I imagined them sounding alot more Beach Boys-esque, but I'm not complaining. I could definitely hear Brian singing Ride, though.

These guys are too talented to be playing I Get Around and Fun Fun Fun every night to a bunch of geeks and baby boomers.

Quite - which is why they've also been playing Pet Sounds, Smile and That Lucky Old Sun.  ;D

Not just talented, but some of the genuinely nicest people I've ever met.

Yes they are so nice to their fans its insane!! No egos whatsoever.

Cool! (And I agree totally with your last sentence)

BTW, that is Brian singing the low bass part on "Ride"

I would give anything to see them on their own live at this rate. Probably not going to happen  :'(

  Since I first heard their cover of " Porpoise Song,".,,,,Oh, and then it was the cover of The Hudson Brothers' "So You Are A Star"  Holy sh*t!  It's like the band I always wanted to be in!  And they're all the time BB's fanatics of the highest order.  (At least Darian and Probyn)
I've often dreamed of seeing them live at a club.  I would travel and spend for that.   - phil.

I saw them in 2002 perform at a club in Hollywood (my first trip to L.A.) when Mind If We Make To You came out.  Completely awe-inspiring performance. Brian joined them for "Ride" and Evie Sands joined them onstage as well. Their own stuff is "studio-centric", but the same attention to detail that they put in the live performances BB music they put in their own music.  Still one of the greatest shows I've ever seen by anybody.

(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c348/tracyhide/8067611-R1-050-23A.jpg)

I'm glad to see ''Mints  getting some love on this board compared to what they get on some other "hipper-than-thou" boards.

I really like Wondermints, too. Personally, I don't think they're all that wonderful as songwriters, especially on the lyrical side. But they're all such excellent players and singers, and their production ability is really fantastic. There's enough I enjoy to make up for the things I consider second-rate. They'd be among my favorite bands releasing music if they were, you know, releasing music.  :-\

A lot of the hipper-than-thou attitude about them is bullshit, a convenient excuse about inauthenticity or lack of "magic" when 'mints and BW Band reproduce music some people would prefer were unreproduceable ("Unreproduceable," copyright 2008, all rights reserved) without the original musicians. "Yeah, OK, they're as good as the originals--and more accurate live...but it's not coming from the right attitude, man. f*** them, man." Blah blah blah. (Perhaps if none of us had ever heard of Wondermints, people of that mindset would be more apt to like them...)

Maybe I'm cynical as I spend the weekend mostly on Zappa, but there is no magic, only sounds created by craftspeople. And Wondermints are very good at what they do. Magical blend is another word for nostalgia, and it's in your head. 

I'm surprised you don't like the lyrics Luther. I find the lyrics on Bali to be just incredibly clever - I mean "In and around Greg Lake" or "I'm on a Chris-Craft to your heart"; or almost any line in "Puppet Grrls R Go". MIWMLTY was a bit more serious, true. But I am surprised, I thought you'd love that stuff.

I too would love to see the 'Mints play! I have always though it would be great if they could play some of their stuff with the whole BW band since the studio arrangements are so intricate and complex. I figured the rest of the BW band could help a lot. Just imagining the whole BW band playing Tracy Hide sends chills down my spine. But I would also be VERY happy to see them "solo".

They are just SO damn good, every time I listen to their stuff it just blows me away.

I could picture 70's era Carl singing Ride.  ;D ;D

I love their songwriting myself. Although they do, on Bali at least, come a little too close to being "clever for the sake of clever".  Although there is so much ambition in the making of that disc that I can overlook that.  Mind, is the perfect modern pop album.  Heartfelt sentiments expressed in fresh ways - when they made that record, they were knee-deep in Bread and Carrpenters records.

Luther: I think you're right about the hipper-than-thous.

You've named a few of the things that I both do and don't like most. It's just that:


Incredibly clever can be a bad thing when it's followed by a coy smile, you know? Anyway, don't get hung up on that critique. We're talking about something that keeps them in my mind as a remarkably good band instead of a mind-blowingly brilliant band. Hardly an insult. And I do like some of their lyrics. Just sometimes they catch me as too cute for my taste.

To make sure the point isn't lost, musically I consider them nearly flawless.

Oh, and Jim, you nailed me on "Puppet Grrls R Go." Since the first time I've heard it, I thought it was an absolute hit single, a great pop song.

I am personally a BIG fan of the first album they did. I use to play that thing every day for a while at school. It's probably the most personal one I think out of the bunch (I am sure I am wrong but that's how I think.) The first album seems to say a lot and still keep a simplistic nature about it (ex: Playtex Aviary.)

I agree, it seemed like they were trying to explain where "it all came from" and really wanted you to get it.

It was an amazing piece of work. I just love Libbyland, Proto-Pretty, and In A Haze - and the rest ain't bad either!! The original Tracy Hide is only bettered by their own cover on "Wonderful World..."

BTW, if you haven't heard "And Penny Knows" or "Reality Check" or "Invisible Paint" you are missing a real treat!

And just for the record (no pun intended), Mike D'Amico's songs kill! Cellophane, If I Were You, Something I Knew - they HAVE to miss having him around LA.

Oh Jim I have heard those other tracks you've mentioned. "Reality Check" is just an amazing song. I was lucky to ask Darian about it once. Mike's songs are fantastic too.

I remember when MIWMLTY came out, I read an article (I can't recall what site it was on, sorry) where Darian was saying they made a conscious decision to push Bali right up to the edge. And that they'd decided not to for MIWMLTY, that the years of working directly with BW had changed their outlook some.

Remember they couldn't even get a US record company to release their stuff until Bali arrived 2 years after the Japanese release. I'm sure they felt they had to do something to grab attention. (OT) I'm so fortunate to have Japanese copies of "Wondermints" and "Wonderful World of Wondermints" - I see they're gone out of print now (sigh). :(

One more Darian plug here - I know it's him and Nick, not technically the 'Mints - but "Do You Have Any Regrets" is a MUST HEAR for anyone who likes pop. Period!

I first remember hearing Bali and not really liking it at first. It seemed so agressive compared to MIWMLTY. It took forever for that record to grow on me but once it did, I was hooked. Getting their records has always been a problem. It's funny how I found MIWMLTY. It was in my local library. Darian couldn't believe it when I told him that  :lol Bali was the first record he sent me and it was on my Grandmother's funeral and a copy of ESQ came that day too. Very bizzare day.

Jim S. said the thought of the Brian Wilson band performing Tracy Hide live sent chills down his spine.

Me too.  I can almost see and hear it in my imagination.    And the thing is, these people are capable of performing something like that live and doing it well.  Is Taylor Mills still with the band?   I can just hear her doing some of the softer background vocal parts on this song.

Just reviewing  some Mints Lyrics:  Darian begins Libbyland with the line "Once again they played the pawn..."

hmmmmmmm......(a diamond necklace played the pawn)

Seems as if the the influences are truly  deep and go back to the band's beginning.

Well supposedly Libbyland is about Brian?

Someone once said that Libbyland reminded them of Brian.  I don't know if it was about Brian.....but in retrospect, looking at that opening line and the subject matter....it could very well be about Brian....

Yeah and I agree the BWB band would do an AWESOME job on Tracy Hyde!!

I was just listening to some of the Mints' stuff, and was thinking how funny it would be if they played a concert wearing pajama's. I think Scott would be funny in the pink bunny rabbit outfit from A Christmas Story.

Too bad Scott isn't a Wondermint, so he wouldn't be there.

Biggest pet peeve regarding how the BW band is named: reviews that refer to l the ENTIRE BW band as Wondermints.

Yes Rob, that gets to me too  when they do that  ::)

He's a Wondermint in spirit....

So am I. Lotta good it's done me.

 :lol :lol

No offense to Scott, but I'm more of a Wondermint in spirit than he is.

Mind you that didn't do me any good either.

I am more of a Wondermint follower  ;D

Libbyland is an actual place.   Eileen Lucero (who played the recorder solo on the song) had either an apartment or a house that was a hangout for Wondermints and their friends back in the day which they dubbed Libbyland, or maybe it was just one room.  My take on the song is that it's about struggles that musicians have about following their heart and their muse verses following the dollar signs.  Now that I think about it, that's something a guy like Brian Wilson would know very well.

(http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c348/tracyhide/aaalosangeles012.jpg)

That's Eileen in the center in case you couldn't figure it out.

Thanks for explaining that to me Rob. I've never heard that story before!! Nice picture too :)

Wow....can't believe I missed this thread..

Count me in as a Wondermints junkie. I actually heard of Wondermints before we ever dreamed of seeing Brian in concert....and if you guessed it was via Austin Powers, you're right. And I remember in 1997 -- yep, 1997 -- somebody on either rec.music.artists.beach-boys or alt.music.beach-boys said that Brian should go out on a solo tour, get the Wondermints to back him up, and team up with a symphony orchestra to perform Pet Sounds. Weird!

I remember one night in 2001 when my wife and I were at Borders....she noticed a Wondermints CD. I said, "Is it Bali?" It was. I bought it and listened to some of it on the way to work the next day....wow, I was blown away! I was hooked instantly! Right before Christmas that year, I bought Wonderful World of Wondermints at an indy store in Red Bank, New Jersey. (The owner of the store always was a big Beach Boys fan, so I imagine there's a link there.) I hadn't heard of most of those covers, but I loved what I heard. I personally don't care much for the 1995 album, though, as it's too demo-y...although I feel that "Proto-Pretty" [or, as I call it, "a poor man's 'Shiny Happy People'"], "Global Village Idiot" [with its obvious borrowing from "Heroes And Villains"], "Tracy Hide" [of course] and "Playtex Aviary" [simply awesome!] are fantastic tracks that would make a killer EP....and I'd love to hear a studio version of "Proto-Pretty" with real drums...

I took my favorite songs from these three albums, as well as their cover of "The Party" and a couple of tracks from the Cellophane EP, and make a Wondermints car CD...then I heard they had a new album coming out! When Mind If We Make Love To You came out, I checked Best Buy (the site that promoted the album said BB would be carrying it), but they didn't have it, so I ordered it immediately...when it came, I listened to it on my way to church and some odd jobs I was doing during my three-year unemployment....I heard "On The Run" and thought "Yeah, that's going on the revamped car CD!" Then "Ride"...wow, killer! Then "Shine On Me" -- HOLY CRAP, what a killer song! Then "Time Has You," then I started to panic because that's the fourth song in a row (out of four!) that I just loooooved, and I realized that I wouldn't be able to fit all the songs I wanted on one CD!

I'm regretting not shelling out for a flight to LA in 2002 for the concert at the Knitting Factory....I was briefly conversing with Nick's sister via youtube and she says the Mints as a stand-alone band pretty much broke up long ago. :(  I would easily jump at the opportunity to see 'em perform..

Don't take this as fact or up to date info, but as of last year when I asked an ultra-reliable source about the chance of another Wondermints album, the answer was that they regard the band as sort of a "completed project", mission accomplished. Tragic.  And then it was added that now and then hints are dropped that another album may happen anyway.  So don't give up hope.  I didn't post this here earlier because I didn't see it come up, and because I didn't- and don't- want to be the source or speak for them, etc.  Just something I asked and was told.

The thing about "near-coyness" or "near-glibness" in the lyrics on that one album is the closest I would have to a criticism of them- I said the same thing in an Amazon review years ago- but I really love that album from stem to stern, and all their others.  I think I brought it up only in context of what I thought were the more mature, emotionally richer lyrics on their next (last album).  Among my favorite songs- "Libbyland", "A Wheel Whirled" (if that's the title), "Time Has You", and "Another Way".

Has anyone mentioned that their cover of "Ooh Child" is actually even better than the incredible original?



Love those guys.

A-fucking-men.

Double for me. I was told that the only guys on that were Mike and Probyn.

OMG it would be sooooooooooo cool if they get back together!! All I hope is that I get to see them as the Wondermints  in my lifetime :)

Really?? Wow, that is amazing. I've listened to that song 100s of times and never noticed that. But now that you mention it you may well be right. I can't pick out Darian or Nick in the mix. Damn!  :o

Oh, one more thing I wanted to say - Mike D'Amico may have the lowest profile of anyone in the 'Mints, but his songs are terrific and he's a great vocalist and musician.

I hope someday I'll get to hear some of their stuff live! Done by the BW band or as a solo act, I'll take either...

Anyone who has seen Mike  in the early BW shows will attest, Mike is a very versatile multi-instrumentalist. Mike did all the instruments on Ooh Child, except for the horns which was Probyn.

I can't wait for the TLOS tour, it will be almost like a Wondermints reunion!!!!!!  ;D

I even got my mom and sister hooked on them. They are quite a contagious bunch  :lol

Libbyland is about a friend of the 'mints that was around back in the day...you don't know her.

Oops...but Rob does!  Shoulda read through before I posted.  Yeah, it's about Eileen...a real sweetie.

A blast from the 90's for the Angelinos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppG3pBWPniQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBcuAu0UcmY&feature=related

Thanks.

Wow, is that Lisa singing with them?   Very cool vids, thanks Rob

Yeah, that is some very cool videos of them. Wish there was more stuff like that out there.

I was just boxing things up pre-tour and remodeling and discovered a huge treasure trove of mid '90s VHS and tapes of bands -- Wondermints, Negro Problem, Beach boys tributes, you name it.  I don't know when I'd ever have time to digitize it all, but if I ever die in a car crash someone needs to go through my stuff.

If anyone knows someone in L.A. who might be willing to do some digitizing work as a trade or something, send 'em my way.  I know I will never get to it, but I was amazed at how much cool stuff I had in my possession just from having been around.

That sounds pretty cool. Good luck in that Adam!!