I had always assumed that "raise a glass to kindness" was a Joe Thomas line, loosely grouped with:
- "through the consequence of the wine"
- "summer wine, our favorite time"

And possibly one or two others.

Well here he is giving a direct answer to a specific question so it would be dishonest not to share his true feelings about the period, though it would be nice to also see him recall the more positive experience he reported nearer the time of it feeling like 1965 again in the studio when they were playing back the new material.

As for him being allowed near the guy that he had sued multiple times, that was of course a choice for Brian and his team to make, but if so they shouldn't have misled Mike to believe otherwise, if that was the case.

Good insight as always HeyJude.

Just curious, without naming names, from what sort of places do you “hear” about such things? Principals, their families, backing members, management, historians and scholars? We never did get the scoop as to why the Feel Flows set was inexplicably delayed a couple years back, but recall you knew.

Probably Wirestone is right, but it would be fun to list out the obvious and less obvious spots where the other guys are present.

Thinkin Bout The Days and anything else not listed below
-Nothing comes to mind without listening

That's Why God Made the Radio
-Al response vocals "like a prayer"
-Mike descending coda line "that's why God made, that's why God made..."
-Bruce "for fallin in love" reminiscent of his California Girls outro part

Shelter
-Mike "do you ever still think of me?" in chorus

Bill and Sue
-Mike low part humbaddyahhddeaye in that bridge like section into the chorus outro
-Bruce high ooh-ooh-ooh part in chorus above the hummbaddy harmony?

From There to Back Again
-Mike outro part buh-deh-bah

Summer's Gone
-Mike background lines "yesterda-ay" etc

Thanks. It seems for my region of Spotify (Canada), only the original 12-track version is available.

Does anyone know if Orange Crate Art 25th Reissue is available to buy or stream digitally?

Possibly strangely, in another forum, someone mentioned that a New York Times article had a quote from Jean Sievers that she "had died suddenly", yet at some point that verbiage was removed from the article.

To be clear, I'm not one of those people inclined to fixate on needing to know all those details in the immediate aftermath. On so many levels, it doesn't matter.

Hi. Not sure if it was my or another post you saw. This LA Times article still states: A spokesperson for Wilson, Jean Sievers, said the cause of death was unknown.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2024-01-30/melinda-wilson-wife-and-emotional-savior-of-musician-brian-wilson-dies-at-77

You are right we should not fixate too much on such details.

To paraphrase what I wrote at Endless Harmony, this is profoundly sad and quite shocking news. Melinda truly did impact us all. From a fan's perspective, it certainly feels like we are in a totally new era. I wasn't around for the loss of Dennis nor Carl, and things really seemed more or less the same for so many years until the pandemic era. Now so many familiar and key figures are leaving us. Knowing what we know about Brian's story I think we all empathize with the sadness and can only hope that he draws strength from the love that is undoubtedly immediately surrounding him and beyond.

Good points Rab and juggler.

And if we consider Smiley Smile, which is of course lo-fi in a sense, I've always found it has a somewhat cleaner/less tinny/more rich sound in some ways. Speaking of Vega-Tables, remember the very last section of the Smiley version is actually fully sourced from the original Smile version sessions and sounds very clean to me even in mono. I always find that little section to be a tantalizing teaser of what a 1960s Smile would have *sounded* like.

I’m hoping for some kind of 20th anniversary release for BWPS

If you are interested in such things, you may be able to take a peak around East West (formerly Western) Studios. I was able to do so some years ago just by showing up and by luck that no sessions were taking place.

Project Smile CD Rom might have archived forum posts from opening night if anyone stills has that to hand

Interesting. So it sounds like there would be potential to get good results from a later day Brian Wilson vocal if one could get their hands on a clean and dry track.

This provokes another question...what are the inputs for the machine learning thingy that generates the AI model? Presumably the ideal for that piece would be raw and dry vintage era Brian Wilson vocals.

Is there a reason you wouldn't use BWPS vocals as the input where possible?

Where can the Usher lyrics be seen?

To echo Hey Jude a little and repeat what I said on Endless Harmony, a brave move to replace existing vocals with AI generated ones.

Regarding Surf's Up, it is one of my absolute favourites, an yet - is it greed? - I can't help but wonder if a somehow "better" Surf's up could have existed. And the suggestion of harmony vocals during the "aboard a tidal wave" section is tantalizing.

I think there are three active boards these days.
Smiley Smile
Endless Harmony
The Beach Boys Today

I think the main posters from the three boards all used to post here. Now things are splintered.

I preferred it when everyone was all in one place as I like the diverse opinions of people that are active on all three boards. Sadly though inevitably not everybody can get along.

Love this one.
Whenever it is mentioned, I am compelled to share that I find the tag to Tree more moving than the more fashionable sister track if you will, Til I Die.

Never found the lead vocal off putting, but a Dennis or Brian sang version could have been even more moving if that is possible. Al is wonderful on the tag also.

[On another Disney related topic, did anyone ever get to hear the original mix that was prepared for the Reimagines Gershwin album before Al Schmitt was enlisted to remix it?]

Very cool Dan Lega. I checked it out and enjoyed. Sounds like BWPS H&V to me. Verse then "Boys and Girls" section then chorus. Haven't watched the whole doc, but with that musical backdrop and taking heads over top of that section, reminds me of the David Leaf Smile documentary.

--

On another Disney related topic, did anyone ever get to hear the original mix that was prepared for the Reimagines Gershwin album before Al Schmitt was enlisted to remix it?

To repeat my post on Endless Harmony:

Was Nelson Bragg looking over John C's shoulder whilst that statement was being typed?

Another one for someone to try :

She’s Leaving Home sung by Beach Boys.
Mind you the “Beatles” version of God Only Knows is not good even though Brian’s Twitter shared it.

Are we sure Totten and Cowsill would have happily moved from M&B to Brian?

Great question and difficult to answer.

Two vocal performances that are really on another level include
Wouldn’t It Be Nice
Breakaway

It is an outtake from the Good Vibrations sessions. The Smile Sessions box had a whole disk (over an hour?) of Good Vibrations outtakes, so a lot to choose from.

Wow that Clayton Opera House show is potentially very reachable for me.
But I'm not fully sure yet.
Have any of Al's shows been selling out? Thinking how long can I hold out without risking missing out.

Not worth of its own thread but AI related:

Chat GPT thinks this is the chords and lyrics to Surf's Up. Bizarre.

The chords to "Surf's Up" by The Beach Boys are:

Verse 1:
F#maj7 B7 E
A diamond necklace played the pawn
A E B7
Hand in hand some drummed along, oh
F#maj7 B7 E
To a handsome man and baton (Bygone, bygone)
A E B7
A blind class aristocracy
F#maj7 B7 E
Back through the op'ra glass you see
A E B7
The pit and the pendulum drawn

Chorus:
F#m E/G#
Columnated ruins domino
B7 E
Canvass the town and brush the backdrop
A C#m F#m
Are you sleeping? Hungry?...Later, friend
B7 E
Cocktail napkin -- found a slot machine

Verse 2:
F#maj7 B7 E
Savior and crucify (gonna keep that airplane)
A E B7
Reasons to live denied (ah, c'mon)
F#maj7 B7 E
Spot light on the fearsome terrain (the aviation nation)
A E B7
T.V. actor on a one-man reign
F#maj7 B7 E
Wave after wave will flow with the tide
A E B7
And bury the world as it does
F#maj7 B7 E
Tide after tide will flow and recede
A E B7
Leaving life to go on as it was

Chorus:
F#m E/G#
Columnated ruins domino
B7 E
Canvass the town and brush the backdrop
A C#m F#m
Are you sleeping? Hungry?...Later, friend
B7 E
Cocktail napkin -- found a slot machine

Bridge:
C#m F#m
Hang ten Hang ten, hang ten Hang ten
C#m F#m
Hang ten Hang ten, hang ten Hang ten
C#m F#m
Hang ten Hang ten, hang ten Hang ten
C#m F#m
Hang ten Hang ten, hang ten Hang ten

Verse 3:
F#maj7 B7 E
The music hall a costly bow (the music all is lost for now)
A E B7
The music all is lost for now
F#maj7 B7 E
To a muted trumperter swamped in stars (swamped in stars)
A E B7
Ages ago in fact -- last week
F#maj7 B7 E
Engineer -- cap in hand -- begged, "leave the can"
A E B7
'there was no room for doubt'
F#maj7 B7 E
With fingers crossed -- the geraniums died
A E B7
Violet stars decayed -- goodbye

Chorus:
F#m E/G#
Columnated ruins domino
B7 E
Canvass the town and brush the backdrop
A C#m F#m
Are you sleeping? Hungry?...Later, friend
B7 E
Cocktail napkin -- found a slot machine

Outro:
E A E A
Hang ten Hang ten, hang ten Hang ten
E A E A
Hang ten Hang ten, hang ten Hang ten
E A E A