The Smiley Smile Message Board

AGD - I remember you (or perhaps it wasn't you, but that's what my syphlitic memory tells me) - stating that Scott wrote Southern California by himself, and you or others stated that writing credits may have had something to do with the album not being recorded/released earlier. Is this the case? According to the interviews on the site (I know, I know - official party line) Brian wrote the music. The liners bear this out as well...

Also, is the reason for the departure of the rhythm section really because of royalties? What a shame.

I will say this - although Scott has a beautiful voice in his own way, it is entirely too affected for my taste as a lead voice. It sounds good in the background and he is obviously PHENOMENALLY talented when it comes to writing (at least when Brian is in the mix - I am not as big a fan of Scott's solo album) but his voice, while it beats Brian's technically, is too modern and affected sounding. I love Brian's voice. As many have said, it's not the range or vocal acrobatics that matter, it's the feel. Luckily, BW has much more of a feel for singing than he did back in the GIOMH days... makes me shudder to think of it...

From what I know, Brian and Scott wrote "Southern California" together kinda at the last moment (and that's why Scott is singing on the demo, they had to quickly get it done to include it in the presentation for the RFH). It seems Brian had the chords but Scott slowed it down, made it moodier and wrote the lyrics (similar process to MAD).

And no, Jimmy and Bob didn't leave because of royalties.

Yep. AGD has since said that the credits are music -- BDW, lyrics -- SB.

As for writing credits holding the album up -- I feel guilty someone is mentioning that now, because that was just a theory that I tossed out there when questions had been raised a few months ago about the non-appearance of TLOS. At least on my end, that never had any basis in knowledge. It was just speculation -- and now we see that the delay may well have had to do with signing Brian to Capitol, rather than anything more villainous.

So basically Scott did the same thing -musically wise- to Southern California that Darian did to Do You Have Any Regrets?

in the new edition of record collector Scott says that Brian had all the music done for SF already.

I read somewhere that Brian wanted the lyrics about his brothers and some other pieces included as song lyrics for SC.
Some of the lyrics were by Brian and included at Brians request or direction.  I remember hearing Tony Asher discuss writing with Brian and how he said Brian would describe some thoughts or feelings he wanted to convey in the lyrics.  I wonder if Brian still does this or if he just does what he is handed.  Sort of an Elton/Bernie kind of writing?

Mike Love.

Brian almost always writes the music first. So very, very often the lyrics are partly by him or suggested by him (in Forever My Surfer Girl, for instance, he came up with the title line). On occasion, his original lyrics are entirely rewritten (California Role was originally a song called "Wondering What You're Up to Now") or he just doesn't have any worked out on his own.

:lol you beat me to it!

I wrote it.

"Southern California
Not just a place on the map
Hell, I almost caught the clap
Don't say that I didn't warn ya
'Bout that Southern California"

Okay....perhaps I didn't write it. ;D

I will have to agree that the weekness to this album is that some of the lyrics come off very cheesey. Southern California is very Mike Love. Of course the music makes up for it quite a bit.

I think it was stated several times (erroneously) that Scott wrote Southern California by himself. After this information proved false, the correction was made 1 or 2 times-- not enough to spread the word that Brian had written the music.

As talented as I think Scott is, his work on Taylor's album (and the couple of songs I've heard from the Dotted Line album) is not IMO up to the standard of Brian's best work, and I think the music of TLOS is up to that standard. Therefore, I think it's safe to believe the claim that Brian had a lot to do with the music of TLOS. When he's on, he's still Brian Wilson, even if he does need help getting over the hump of finishing a project. To me, Southern California sounds very Brian.

I agree also about Scott's voice being technically good but lacking the character of Brian's voice. I think it's very, very appropriate that Brian sang all the leads on TLOS, given the subject matter. I still enjoy his voice.

I agree about Scott's voice. It's not as good as Brian Wilson--no character. All the Beach Boys had character.

I don't believe for one second that Brian did not write those songs with Scott and that it's all a scam. A lot of band arrangements may have been done without him, but I bet he still added his bit and did most of the vocal arrangements.

I don't know if I believe he's quite the veggie that his myth makes him.

No matter who wrote it (but I believe it was Brian) the "oh-oh-oh it's magical"-part just knocks me out. There's some harmony that really makes me feel great.
But I'd think Brian wouldn't have used SC instead of L&M as the closing song in his concerts, if he didn't write it

ha! I've just woken up and that part was playing in my brain! Yeah, it's hooky, alright.

Agreed. Scott certainly did his fair share, but Brian's part in it is extremely obvious.

Yeah I love that bit too!

I totally agree with what Amy B above says. My personal approach if there's doubt about how involved Brian was is just to ask myself - does it move me in the same way the best of his songs do? MAD and SC do, and as such I'm pretty convinced they're primarily BW compositions. As someone else posted above, in the Record Collector interview Scott says that they needed another slow emotional piece for the project and Brian had a piece that had been kicking around for a while which was SC. i think most of the melody was there, but it was probably developed by both Brian and Scott in a similar way to MAD.