The Smiley Smile Message Board

Hey Everyone,

Can anyone tell me a) If Mike and Bruce still play these in concert on occasion (I know the answer is 'no' for some of them); and b) If they don't, around when they were dropped from the setlist?

1. Sail On, Sailor
2. Marcella
3. It's OK
4. Add Some Music to Your Day
5. Good Timin'
6. Lady Lynda
6. Come Go With Me
7. Getcha Back
8. Goin' On

Thanks!

1. Sail On, Sailor - Appears intermittently in the setlists from year to year.
2. Marcella - Never.
3. It's OK - Appeared a little in 2000 then came back with a vengeance in 2004.
4. Add Some Music to Your Day - Never.
5. Good Timin' - Never.
6. Lady Lynda - Never.
6. Come Go With Me - Almost every show.
7. Getcha Back - Came back in 2004.
8. Goin' On - Never.

Thanks dude.  Does anyone else know when the last time some of these songs were played live?

I would say 2004. The 2005 setlists aren't overly imaginative, they're pretty basic and standard.

No, no.  I mean like the last time the songs that you marked as "never" got played live by "The Beach Boys", be it Mike & Bruce, or the full band pre-1998.

2. Marcella - Stopped playing in 1975.
4. Add Some Music to Your Day - Played in 1970 then dusted off for the 1993 box set mini-tour.
5. Good Timin' - Last played in 1980.
6. Lady Lynda - Last played in 1982. Revisited in the late 80s and early 90s as "Little Lady".
8. Goin' On - Lasted for a few shows in 1980.

Thanks!

as little lady? I thought it was Lady Liberty?

Wembley Arena 1993 - Al sang it as "Little Lady". I nearly wet myself laughing.

"Good Timin'" was brought back in '82 (after Carl rejoined) and played that June & July, at least. 
It was dropped by the time I saw them in September.

"Lady Lynda" was done as "Lady Liberty" at a few shows in Summer '86.

C-Man

1986 -- Lady Liberty.

If it got performed after Al's divorce from Lynda, it was Little Lady.  Hard to sing a love song about someone you've divorced from, unless you are in Fleetwood Mac.

Well, after Al's divorce (1983) and second marriage (1984), but  before it was "Little Lady" (1993), it was "Lady Liberty" (1986)...in honor of the rennovation of the Statue of Liberty.  A studio version of that (same backing track, and oddly, same backing vocals) was the B-side of "Rock 'n' Roll To The Rescue" that summer.  I saw them on July 3rd, '86, here in Omaha, and they did that version of it.  The next day, the Fourth of July, they did it at Farm Aid II in Austin (available on booted video) and later that day in New York Harbor, I believe.   So, three variations of the same song over the years.

C-Man

I should've checked my bootleg collection a little more closely, I forgot that Lady Liberty had been performed live.

You should've heard the BBs do Buzz Buzz Buzz live in '84.

Ah, but I did!  I thoght it was kinda cool.  They do it on the July 4th '84 Showtime special, with Billy on piano.  When I saw them that year, Billy was absent and Bruce did the piano. 
Also, I guess "Lady Liberty" was the flip side of "California Dreamin'", not "Rock 'n' Roll To The Rescue" as I stated.  The first time I heard it was live...imagine my shock!

C-Man

We should use this thread to talk about the curiosities that the band performed live.

One example that comes to mind is a performance of Pom Pom Play Girl (or at least the first verse) at an Indianapolis show in mid-1971. The crowd didn't seem to buy it. Mike just having one of his laughs.

Or maybe an impromptu performance of the chorus of 409 at the Nassau Coliseum show in 1979 broadcast on the radio, which ended with Mike telling the audience to "shut up for a while!".

Yeah...and that "shut up for awhile" was said jokingly (as in Mike meant it as a joke...but he still meant it!).

C-Man

Well I understand the Lovester's unsettlement with the audience. This was right before he played Sumahama, which he was quite into.

How about when the band tried doing the disco version of Here Comes The Night at Radio City Music Hall in March 1979? Almost unanimous disapproval. Only lasted for two shows.

The band brought back California to the setlists in 1990, but that didn't last long. No one got into the song, unfortunately.

That Nassau show and that whole incident proved the BB dilemma in the late 70's.  Just before Mike chides the audience, Al apologizes to the audience and asks them to be patient while they do songs from LA.  Bruce follows that up with "you know you have to play the new stuff" and THEN Mike does his thing.  And it did NOT sound like a joke.  Even Carl got in on the act, agreeing with Mike to play that quick snippet of 409 with a strained "all righhhtttt..." in his voice.

No one wanted to hear the new stuff.  That's why those songs don't stay in the play list.  We hardcore fans are outnumbered drastically.

Still, it makes for good comedy.

That's a damn shame.  Personally I'd LOVE to hear the L.A. stuff live.  Too bad I was born in 1979. :P

They did Good Timin', Lady Lynda, Angel Come Home, Sumahama, Here Comes The Night, and Shortenin' Bread. Most of the renditions sucked, really.

If you can find a video copy of the "Midnight Special" when they hosted it, you can hear and see "Angel Come Home", "Lady Lynda", and a lip-synched "Here Comes The Night". 

C-Man

The only live version of an "L.A." song that I truly thought SUUUU-UU-UCKED was the one of "Good Timin'" with Mike singing lead on the Easter Seals Telethon.  Talk about something stinking!   

A close second was the version of Dennis singing it at Radio City Music Hall.  The live "Shortenin' Bread" was kind of a turd, as well, but "Angel", "Lynda", and (yes, even) "Sumahama" were pretty good live, IMO.

C-Man

Ehhhh, I felt that in 1979-81, they just didn't seem to care. Those years aren't the best from the BBs. They did take an upward turn around 1982 when Carl returned after his hiatus.

Really, they were never tighter than they were from 1970-74.

Not the best version.... But Brian looked kinda cool with his hat...

Is Dennis' vocal on "Angel Come Home" lip-synched or re-recorded somehow. Everytime I watch the video of this performance, something looks out of whack, much like Brian's recent Christmas TV appearances.

That sounds like a live vocal to me.

I think it's mostly live, with a bit of punch-in done later to redo some lines, or parts of lines.

C-Man

Maybe. Who knows with them? They overdubbed the hell out of Knebworth.

Don't want to take the thread off topic, but did you guys ever hear Mick Fleetwood's version of "Angel Come Home"?  Do ya like it?

Haven't heard it, man. Sorry.

Has anyone here heard the BBs do Don't Talk?

Yes.

The Help Me Tampa boot, Ian?

Yeah.
And Long Lost Surf Songs.

That Tampa boot has such poor sound. There's a boot from Orlando in April 1974 (I think, I know the year) with better sound, and complete too.

I've got a tape of Tampa in better quality, with sound similar to Orlando.  And it has a complete "Don't Talk". 

C-Man

I did find another 1974 soundboard in my research, a show from Milwaukee, WI.

I was shocked when someone sent me a couple of setlists recently.  One was a 1996 show that had "School Day" in it...probably the last time they did something from KTSA.  Another was a 1997 show that had "When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)".  That kind of kills that long-standing myth that WIGU was never done live between that one mid-60's TV appearance and 2002.

I once had a tape of a 1990 concert where Al sang lead on "California Saga-California".  It was so amazing it made me wonder why they didn't have him sing the lead on the original...it would have been way better.

Last year, when M&B did "It's OK", they used the opening of "California Beach" as an intro.  It sounded really natural, and it was better than just starting with a drum intro or no intro, like they did in 2004.  I guess they were toying around with different intros and found that one.  I hope they kept it...I heard them rehearsing it before the show, and it was exciting to hear something I couldn't identify immediately.

To this day, I still haven't heard any recordings of Dave Marks singing the lead on DYWD.  Was anyone fortunate enough to hear that live during that short period?

On a completely unrelated note, anyone know why Bruce has sung the lead on "Wendy" since the 90's?  His lead is often pretty weak on it...

Good vibes,
Eric

I've heard a recording of a performance of "Here Comes the Night" from the Radio City Music Hall, and curiously I didn't hear any booing. I just heard a rather normal amount of applause at the end of the song. Maybe it was another crowd from that run of shows that booed more heavily.

I think the BB's recorded live versions of the songs in front of an audience, and then lip-synched to those live recordings for the actual TV show. There is a totally live audio recording of them performing "Good Timin'" with Dennis on lead vocals, and it purports to be from the Midnight Special taping. I don't think that song made it to air, nor do I know if they even lip-syched to it on the broadcast at all.

I've heard they also performed "Baby Blue" live for that Midnight Special taping, but there aren't even any audio recordings of that, nor are they are any live recordings of them performing "Baby Blue" as far as I know.

I agree with this, but I do think the BB's sometimes sounded pretty solid in 1980, especially considering that at some shows it was one of the last times in the BB's history that the actual BB's on stage outnumbered the backing band members (at something like the Washington DC '80 show, there are six BB's and only three backing members).

Just a few years later, Dennis was gone, Brian was rarely there, and that left four BB's and a backing band usually including Figeuroa, Kowalski, Meros, Foskett, Hinsche, and Carter.

Off the top of my head, some other out of the ordinary live inclusions in the BB's setlists over the years:

I'm Waiting for the Day - 1975 w/ Billy Hinsche on lead vocal
Wild Honey - 1976 w/ Carl on lead
Come Softly To Me - a few shows in 1981, I think Mike sang this
Be My Baby - 1982, Mike on lead
California Calling, It's Gettin' Late, She Believes in Love Again, Crack at Your Love - all briefly performed on '85 tour (as well as of course "Getcha Back", which stayed in the setlist for another year or two)
Goin' On, Some of Your Love, Livin' With a Heartache - performed briefly on the 1980 tour ("School Days" survived for awhile longer)
Island Girl, In My Car, Somewhere Near Japan - performed on occasion in 1989-1990

I'll think of more later...... (four posts in a row is enough I think!)

Okay, a few more really odd ones quickly:

A Day in the Life of a Tree - 1971 (Jack Rieley and on another occassion allegedly Brian Wilson on lead vocal)
Love Me Tender - 1977
Bony Maronie - 1984
Forever - 1988 (Carl on lead)
Okie From Muskogee - 1988 (brief semi-parody version)
This Whole World - 1988 (Carl on lead)

i have a 45 of California Dreamin'/Lady Liberty

I saw (and video taped) the original airing back in April or May of '79.  No, they did not do "Good Timin'" on that show, although yes, they reportedly rehearesed it.  This is the first I'v EVER heard of them even considering "Baby Blue", and I highly doubt it.   Most of the performances were live, but like I said, some punch-ins were needed. 

C-Man

"Wild Honey" in '76 with carl on lead? "Love me tender"??? Are there recordings of these??

Absolutely! The Beach Boys played Wild Honey in November 1976 at two Madison Square Garden shows. Recordings exist for both of these shows.

Love Me Tender I believe was a one-show deal, and no recording has surfaced to the best of my knowledge.

I think I may have inadvertently started that rumor a while back on the old SS Board.  I misunderstood the guy I was trading with, and it's actually just Brian being invited on stage to play organ on ADITLOAT while Jack sang it.   After many people on the board questioned this, I took a closer listen, and sure enough that was the case.  It was not Brian singing.  Although that doesn't rule out that he sang it another time...but that's pretty unlikely.

Good vibes,
Eric

There was a story that somebody told on the old Cabinessence board of a show, presumably different from the show of which a recording exists of Rieley singing the song, where Brian was coaxed on stage and sang the song himself. It's certainly possible that the story was of the same show, and the person incorrectly remembered Brian singing it. But the person seemed to be like a well-informed fan, and I would think (or hope) that he would be able to tell the difference between Jack Rieley's voice and Brian's! :)

I have the show on videotape as well. Punch-ins or overdubs of some sort seem possible, but my recollection is that pretty much the entire performance of "Angel Come Home" doesn't quite match Dennis' lips. Given that the recording existing of "Good Timin'" is certainly totally live, if that performance is from rehearsals or recording sessions for the TV show, it seems more likely to me that they pre-recorded any material that doesn't match their lips on the TV airing, as opposed to post-production work of some sort.

As for "Baby Blue", I read this report from somebody who was at the taping (which may have also been where I heard about the idea of the BB's pre-recording some of the songs in front of the audience and then taping the show). As with any report from somebody on the internet about an event that happened twenty-some years ago, I read such reports with some skepticism. But when I read such reports, I make a judgement based on how informed the fan seems to be and how well they recall details of the event. The "Baby Blue" report I read seemed pretty credible considering the circumstances.

Apart from some of the string arrangement, "Baby Blue" would otherwise not be too difficult to perform live, mostly piano with some guitar.

I never even knew until I read Jon Stebbins' book that the BB's (well, at least Dennis and the BB touring band) performed a couple of songs from "Pacific Ocean Blue" at a few BB shows in 1977. I can't remember the titles for sure, but I think one of them was "What's Wrong."

Then there is the aborted Dennis solo tour. I vaguely recall that it was Brad Elliott that mentioned they found a tape box in the archives marked as tour rehearsal recordings, but the tape was blank or missing.

Are you really talking 'bout other songs as "River Song", that they did live? I thought Dennis wasn't allowed to play his own song. Or was it that he wasn't allowed to play his own solo-songs while on the same stage as the BBs?

I don't know how it was managed legally, but perhaps because by that point in time the BBs were signed to Caribou as well as Dennis.  That would seem to negate the prohibition clause.  And yes, Dennis reportedly performed two "POB" songs live at a couple of shows in Canada.  I think the other one was "You And I", but can't remember.  Eric's setlist archive has a setlist from one of these shows, so we can all look that up. 

Lastly, regarding the "Midnight Special" performance...I'm pretty sure "Rock 'n' Roll Music" is the real thing, totally live (look at Dennis' drumming, Bruce's electric piano playing and the way Brian gooses the bass at one point).  I think it'd be too difficult to mime to that stuff later.  Especially for Dennis, who was clearly high at the time. 

C-Man

Yeah, here it is: http://members.tripod.com/~fun_fun_fun/8-77a.html

They did "What's wrong" and "Friday night" !!  Did any tape of that show surface ?

I would love to hear a tape of that.  Unfortunately I lost pretty much all the e-mail addresses of the contributors that sent in setlists from 1998-2002 (crosswinds.net lost ALL my e-mails).  That includes Russ, the contributor for that setlist.  From what I remember he had tapes of the show that he contributed, but I may be wrong.

Good vibes,
Eric

Someone should start a hub for sharing these recordings.

And not even remotely mention the location on the board.

Of course not. :)

  Another was a 1997 show that had "When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)".  That kind of kills that long-standing myth that WIGU was never done live between that one mid-60's TV appearance and 2002.

For what it's worth, The Beach Boys performed "When I Grow Up" at their Oct. 27th, 1978 show in Ann Arbor, MI.

EDIT: Erroneous info - After consulting the setlist, I realized WIGU was not performed that night. My apologies - RR.

That's really cool!  Do you have a setlist from that show that you'd like to send in to the setlist archive?  It definitely would be one of a kind, at least on the archive.

Good vibes,
Eric

Excuse my ignorance, but where is the "set list archive" exactly and how do I send one in? I'm posting this publicly in case others wish to be enlightened as well.

I run the Beach Boys Setlist Archive, which can be found at:

http://fun_fun_fun.tripod.com/setlists.html

862 setlists posted so far...with about 10 waiting to be posted, when I have time...

I will gladly take big batches of setlists too!  All setlists that are complete and correctly sequenced will be posted.  If you have a setlist from an underrepresented era (like the early 60's) I can bend the rules a little.

My e-mail address can be found under "Contribute A Setlist" on that page.

Good vibes,
ERic

Thanks Eric - I'll send you the set list from Oct. 27th, 1978.

And now for an embarassing realization: After consulting my handwritten set list, I now see that "When I Grow Up" was not performed at the show. Sorry about the misinformation; memories do tend to blur and alter after 30 years. Oddities that did show up around this time were "Country Pie", "Cruisin'", "All This Is That" and "Everyone's In Love With You".