The Smiley Smile Message Board

http://www.amazon.com/That-Lucky-Old-Brian-Wilson/dp/B001BN732I

Thanks...love 'em! I am getting even more excited now for Tuesday (MP3 downloads and vinyl).

I really think this is going to be his best complete work in almost 40 years. The spoken narratives are way-cool also, IMHO.

Wait...The mp3 is coming Tuesday? I thought it was coming out in September with the CD?

Also, did Amazon slow down the tracks? Midnight sounds slower then the streamed version on the radio.

I may be wrong on the downloads as I read that elsewhere. I am looking for the date on Amazon right now and will post what it is for sure if I find it.

This page for the MP3 downloads on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001ED8H02/ref=mu_dm_alb_dp is kind of confusing, as it lists both dates. :shrug

Not really. "Original release date" refers to the Vinyl edition, which is the first edition of this album to be released.

The MP3s will be available on September 2nd.

Unless of course someone who had the vinyl would be willing to do a needledrop, in which case there will be MP3s available before that...
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But other than that... September 2nd.

Thanks. I guess I'll just have to settle for the wax until the CD arrives in September.

I know they're just samples and not of the highest quality, but these just pique my interest and excitement even more. I'm very excited to purchase this album. Sure, people will complain, as always: original authorship, sound quality, production and mastering. But as far as I'm concerned, it's a good piece of work. It doesn't have to be some new legend, just a good pop album. It'll be well worth $20 or whatever the CD/DVD costs.

Oh yeah. Morning Beat particularly has a nice compression to it. Sounds very good. They're only samples, but I was glad to hear that the chorus lead is spot on in Oxygen and the strings seem well mixed. I'm kind of picking up on what people have been noting about MAD - seems like the tempo is ever so slightly slower, and it seems that the demo is the definitive for me, but I have a feeling that I'll appreciate the new MAD on its own merits.

I betcha it does very well on the UK charts.

This sounds wonderfull.

Counting the days!

It's kind of different for him!  His voice sounds very intimate and bare, almost a little detached (not in a bad way) from the backing tracks and the songs don't sound overproduced like most of his do.  (I mean, i'm sorry, but that's kind of what we love him for is his over doing everything).  Even the backing vocals don't have the full lush thick crazy over the top sound everything's had since... oh.... Surfin' Safari. 

It KIND of gives me a "Friends" vibe.  Anybody else hear that?

Love the samples, hopefully I'll get my vinyl this week

And roll around Heaven until the 2nd when I can get the CD/DVD set    ;D

I just listened to "Morning Beat" and "California Role." Holy cow...I just can't effing wait!

I called a couple of local vinyl places, and interestingly, they can't give me a straight answer as to whether they'll have TLOS on Tuesday...they just said that if it's coming out that day, they should have it, but they can't tell me for sure until Tuesday -- uhh...don't they know what they order???? Or does Santa Claus just deliver random stuff to vinyl dealers???

At its best, TLOS does seem to have that kind of listless vibe. But it seems more of a patchwork of Brian's styles, for some reason Adult/Child comes to mind a bit.

Maybe not the time for criticism, but perhaps something like "Good Kind of Love" could have avoided  the accusation of tweeness by stripping it down in more of a "friends" direction. When my copy arrives I can imagine foda through a couple of these.

edit:
Interesting, but I originally meant "skipping through" or f*licking

Sounds good. While I don't hear a particular Friends vibe (I wish I did), most of these samples indicate we're in for one of the more tasteful BW solo productions. His voice reminds me a bit of BW88 from time to time.

For whatever reason I was hoping for Van Dyke Parks to do some of the talking. It sure would've added a nice touch to the whole thing.

I know what you mean phirnis.  When I first listened to the live version of TLOS, I thought perhaps VDP should have done the narratives. But hearing the released version I'm glad he did not. It would be out of synch. Brian sounds perfect and the right man to do it. But a cameo appearance would have been nice...

I dunno... I imagine that your shop will have it tomorrow if Hermie the Elf Dentist (aka Al) is working for Santa again...

As long as Murry doesn't yell at him during elf practice for not sync...opating it.

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So what Brian takes lead on 'Southern California'..

Shame I liked Scott on it.

I like that there are background lyrics going on in "Goin Home." I don't remember them being audible in any live versions I ever heard--were they in there? I look forward to hearing them all and paying good attention to that. But that song in particular sounds like it's really cool. The bass harmonica was a great touch.

Your opinion - nothing more.  I guess Scott was responsible for that whole Beach Boys sound. Wow. I have really got my facts all wrong.

Yeah...I remember it now. Scott was that 300 lb guy in bed for a long time. Brian must seem like a 300 lb gorilla on his back these days. :lol

His opinion is as valid as anyone else's. Whether Scott was a Beach Boy or helped create all of the sound is completely irrelevant. If an artist had to be responsible for a subgenre just to take a lead vocal, wow, that's a high standard. While I don't agree about Scott and that particular lead, I do believe and have long been a proponent of Brian handing out leads to suit his band's voices. And that's my opinion, and nothing more ... and nothing less, either.

For what he imagines to be true, Brian would have to be the most selfish person alive -- and NOBODY believes that. It would also mean that a very talented writer and musician like Scott is willing to give up the credit for things that come from his own sweat, blood and tears. I don't believe that one either.

My issue is with the people that have built Brian up all his life only to try and tear him down as an old man. He is what he is. If he does something good, those people refuse to believe it.

Believe this: NOBODY is going to put someone else's name on their art. It isn't like this is going to sell a million copies and make everyone rich. Those days are over.

The money is in the tour, and they tour because they love making music (the band, I mean).

Mu opinion of course.

I'm really just talking about handing out lead vocals here and there, nothing else. Whatever the "tear down an old man" stuff is about, it's beyond the conversation, I think, whether Brian, Scott or I sing a lead here and there.

His voice just suits it better!!

No offence,

No offense taken....and I truly meant none.

I just want this last hurrah for Brian so bad. Maybe it won't be the last, but at the very least, it might be the first for him in a long, long while. I was thankful for Smile in 2004, but that really wasn't the Smile that I know might have once been.

He deserves this and I want it for him so very much.  Happy endings and all.

Brian had Mike sing lead on half their songs, he's always been generous about doling out lead vocals to other band members.  Look how he arranged "Add Some Music", he turned down a lead and had everybody else sing it.  If Brian chooses to have somebody in his band sing lead........... doesn't that ultimately just show him to be the same old Brian we've always known and loved?  The whole conversation is silly.