I am kind of surprised when I read a topic like this here. This is exactly the kind of material I am looking for. A look inside the studio when the boys were at their prime and with Brian at the helm.

Most of the time we are complaining that we want more, more, more. At least if we get more than we want, we can listen to whichever tracks float our boats. Nowadays, you can easily use a computer and take all of the tracks from the new release and cull out the ones you do not want to make the "perfect album" for you. If we each did that, we would probably come up with countless variations using the same source material, so that is worth a lot to me. 

While I agree that the multiple takes can get tedious, some of the sessions (especially the UM volumes) reveal that Brian could indeed hear things that most would have missed. The studio banter between the boys and the musicians is cool to hear and it is clear that Brian was on top of his game and really a genius in the studio.

You almost get to be a part of the process. How many of us will listen to multiple takes of the same song and feel the frustration when they are on take 23 and make it almost to the end before someone screws something up and they had to start all over? This is how it was back before they could just digitally edit songs or just punch a new vocal or solo into the song, and you get to live it for a while.

You do not have to listen to the complete disk set every day, but to hear there was so much material, hear what was saved and  what was discarded, which takes were used, etc. is a beautiful thing.

We have been hearing about Mike Love's unreleased songs for many years. Some are better than others for certain. Some of the folks here on the Smiley Smile board feel Mike did not have much creative input toward the harmonies in Beach Boys songs. I would not necessarily agree with them as I think that just by being in the Beach Boys for so long, you would have a better understanding of harmonies than most. Plus, I feel Mike can be a talented lyricist/vocalist, especially under the right conditions, and he could add interesting vocal hooks to the songs to make them stand out a little more.

Mike surrounds himself with decent musicians and people who can duplicate Beach Boys background vocals well enough. He has written with outside writers plenty of times, so does not really need Brian to release new music. There have to be people who could write/co-write great Beach Boys-sounding songs.

Theoretically, other folks could write some decent fun/sun/girls/cars Beach Boys-sounding songs the way Mike wants them, and do all the studio work so Mike only has to drop in his vocals. Mike's voices - both lead and bass - are very recognizable as to belonging to the Beach Boys. Mike is clearly not a lazy person, as he works his ass off touring.

I am sure he could hold another contest where starving bands could send him demos of songs - and they would be happy just to get their names out there. Mike could pick the ones he likes, add some parts and change a few words and have exactly what he wanted song-wise.

One key factor that I think may hinder a Mike Love/Beach Boys-sounding album is the name. If he could release new music under the Beach Boys name, it would probably get a whole lot more attention. I am not advocating this, because a Beach Boys album really needs multiple inputs to be a great album, and one of those inputs should be Brian Wilson, of course. Even some of Al's stuff could work.

The point is that I am not saying I want Mike to release a Beach Boys album if that was possible, but I was wondering if the fact that it has to be released under the name "Mike Love" would make a great deal of effort yield poor results.

Seriously, though, with a show of this nature, there wasn't any way they weren't going to go after the sensationalistic aspects; that's how they draw an audience.

That does seem to be the formula with many shows lately. If they trying to prove a hoax (Fact or Fiction) they will strike out a few times before finally figuring it out. If they are showing potential buyers houses, they show a few clunkers first before finding the dream house (Love It Or List It). Even Dr. House (House, M.D.) would misdiagnose a few times before eventually nailing the solution. So yeah, I felt it was a way of building suspense as to why Dennis died.

Although it was interesting hearing the story of the events preceding his death, some of it was too obvious and REELZ tried to make it more difficult than it had to be, and due to the writing, Dr. Hunter looked dumb sometimes. "Dennis was a drinker, so I wanted to see if alcohol played a role..." Well, the BAL is right on the autopsy report, so at .26 - three times the legal limit - I would say "yeah, alcohol played a role." Just like the statement of how would a seasoned surfer/swimmer drown in "just" 15 feet of water, when other rock stars have died choking on their own vomit. Jeez, drowning in water that is 15 feet deep is not far-fetched at all. So a little overly dramatic, but still interesting scenarios.

My gripe is they could not use Dennis' music and highlight some of his songs. He had a beautiful heart and that shows in his music. Instead they play "I Get Around". I realize they wanted to play a song that people would instantly identify with the band, but his music was drastically different from the early 60s stuff. Hopefully folks will be intrigued enough to search for some of his stuff,  because it is will touch their souls.

That was the first time I've ever seen an episode of this Autopsy show, and I'm sorry but I don't buy for a second that that forensic pathologist is an actual doctor. Where did he get his MD, the University of The Young and The Restless?  LOL The way he pulled his glasses out to read the "report"... oh come on.

Nevertheless, Dr. Michael Hunter is a medical examiner that does this in his spare time. Check this out.

Am I going mad, or did I not hear this correctly? Near the beginning of the show, the coroner (Michael Hunter) was saying that "taking a first look at Dennis' body... he has a strong swimmers physique for someone who's 39 years of age... and he looks in great shape. Then he said, "At first glance, I don't see any obvious reasons why he was found dead in the water just five days later."

Shouldn't that have been "five days earlier"? Unless the coroner was checking out Dennis five days prior to his death, of course. Besides being really creepy, if that was the case, I think REELZ would have immediately developed a show called "Michael Hunter: Psychic Coroner".

Seriously though, I think the better statement would have been "just 5 days after leaving St. Johns Rehab" or something similar. 

But then he also said, "Of all the Beach Boys, Dennis was the only one who actually surfed." I have read various accounts through the years where Mike, Al and Bruce also surfed. Perhaps nowhere near the level and proficiency of Dennis, but Mike recently said Bruce still surfs. Hey, Still Surfin'... they should write a song about... nevermind.

I think some of Mike's solo songs sound pretty Beach Boys-esque. Surely he must have had a hand in the vocal arrangements?

It looks as if this will re-air on REELZ on March 22 - at least up here in the northeast with Xfinity. It is on channel 340 at 9:00pm...

I would sincerely believe the all questions directed to the luHvster would be strictly run through the wringer before they would allowed to be asked to his highness.

I have no reason not to believe this. I am not sure it is uncommon, as it would give the interviewee some time to craft some well-thought-out answers. I am not opposed to this at all if we were getting well-thought-out answers.

I believe it when Mike he hasn't seen "Love and Mercy" and never read Brian's book - at least not in their entirety. I would suspect that he may have seen portions of the film that pertain to his character - probably had someone set up a montage or something, and the same with Brian's book. So it is possible that he was taking situations out of context and trying to say they were wrong, when overall, Brian painted a fairly decent image of Mike.

I believe Mike is a busy man and is not going to take the time to sit down and watch a film or read a book unless it is done for his leisure time. Not sure if Brian read Mike's book either.

Bruce still surfs?!? Good for him.

People complain that Mike keeps giving us the same responses. I prefer that over a different response each time. The key may be if you want a different answer, ask different questions?

Wow, this was ...unappealing. Bruce kind of gave it a country feeling - a style for which I am not a big fan. It lacks the emotion; the protaganist's dread and the reassurance of a loved one. Regardless of what the lyrics are about (most casual listeners do not realize it is a "car song" because the song is so beautiful), the boys really nailed it, making a perfect song right from that intro. Bruce has a great voice, but this is not one of his better efforts.

Yes, great thread!

SHORTENIN' BREAD, VOL. 2

Side 1:
Shortenin' Bread
Mrs. O'Leary Cow
Fairy Tale Music
Johnny Carson
Still I Dream of It
Night Bloomin' Jasmine (demo)
Wonderful (Smiley)
A Day in the Life of a Tree
She's Goin' Bald
Heroes and Villains, part 2

Side B:
Vega-Tables (Good Vibrations box set)
Fall Breaks and Back to Winter
Meant for You (full version)
Airplane
Wind Chimes (Smiley)
Solar System
It's Over Now
The Fabled Elements: Fire Intro - Workshop - Water Chant - Whistle In
You're Welcome
Medley: Shortenin' Bread - Proud Mary - Ding Dang

The fact that you added Meant For You was interesting. It is one of those songs that when I learned there was an extended version, I was thrilled. Until I heard it. Shortening it was definitely the correct choice. It is short and sweet and leaves you wanting more.

I you had to choose an albums worth of some of the nutty, nonsensical songs of the Beach Boys, which songs would you choose? Keep in mind, including them on this album does not mean that they are bad songs, just strange. Stuff like this:

Take A Load Off Your Feet
Vegetables
Ding Dang
Lazy Lizzy
Sunshine
Roller Skating Child
All Dressed Up For School
Everybody Wants To Live
Johnny Carson
I'm Bugged At My Old Man

I don' t mind the Jack Reilly or Van Dyke Parks lyrics so much as they flow well, even if I don't know what the hell they are singing about. Despite the vernacular, I like the early surf and car songs because of the passion that you could feel in the way the songs were sung. The words were not necessarily bad, but most people did not really understand them. The boy/girl songs have an appeal to everyone.

I think people cut the boys some slack in the early days because albums were often a few good songs mixed with filler material. After Pet Sounds (and SMiLE rumors), regardless of what Mike Love wants, it is hard to go back to the early songs. The carpenter who just built a beautiful mansion is not going to get much attention when he builds a birdhouse, regardless of how nice it is. Unless you are a connoisseur of birdhouses. I can appreciate the Beach Boys "birdhouses" because most of them are built well even if they are not the most intricate. There is beauty to be found everywhere in their music.

Simplicity is just as good sometimes, and I get that - and like the captain, I am constantly reassessing the Beach Boys catalogue. I love songs now, that I skipped over fifteen years ago. Songs that I loved back then can be grating now.  Take A Load of Your Feet is a fun song to sing and the production is amazing. The production on the entire album is stunning, in fact. It is kind of why I would have liked a more user friendly set of lyrics on that one. Plus, the sequencing throws me off a bit.

The ecological-minded Don't Go Near The Water sets the stage for Carl's optimistic Long Promised Road. Then they sing about feet, just before Bruce's nostalgic Disney Girls gives way to the topical, but jarring Student Demonstration Time.  "Feet" is a catchy tune, but I would have liked the song to have more relevance to ...well, anything else that was going on back then. Maybe on a different album I would not have minded so much?

Bruce's Tears In The Morning is the same thing for me. It has a stunning production, the melody is really well done and there is beautiful background vocal interplay, but the lyrics are sappy and unrelatable to most of the human population. 

I would like to say that normally I like goofy songs like Ding Dang, Shortenin' Bread, Sunshine, etc.

I was listening to Take A Load of Your Feet the other day and it struck me to how catchy the song is, but how embarrassingly goofy the lyrics are. This is one example of a Beach Boys song that will sing along to in the car, but I would be embarrassed to be caught listening to by anyone. It does not have the same flair as other goofy songs – even ones like Lazy Lizzie and Hey Little Tomboy. The world's number one vocal group singing about feet? WTF?

Then I heard Bruce’s Tears in The Morning, and that is another one where I love the music and the way the background vocals interact, but I am not a huge fan of the lyrics.

What are some of the Beach Boys songs that you would like a lot more if the lyrics were better?

They are leaving Carl's tribute, but not Dennis'?

I know what you mean, but for me, the "solo" part is not important. The fact that he went from creating such a prolific body of work, to near death and back is enough.

For my birthday a while back, my wife brought me to the Red River theater in Concord, NH to see Love and Mercy. She is a casual Beach Boys fan and is very familiar with the hits but she was so touched by the story that she could not even look at Paul Giamatti without saying how much she hated him (as Dr. Landy).

Seeing Brian's life prompted quite a few questions and she now listens to some of Brian's solo stuff (she really likes One Kind of Love). Knowing what he went through when you hear some of their music makes it even more emotional.

If Brian went through everything without the bad times, what he accomplished would still be amazing. The fact that he struggled to come back from the depths of hell make it a far more compelling story.

I wonder if there are many people turned on to the Beach Boys by the story of the rise, fall and resurrection of Brian Wilson?

An abusive father, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, a poor circle of friends and mental illness all combined to bring this musical powerhouse to his rock bottom. Yet music and talent (and a few physical influences) rescued him to the point where he has put out more solo material than the other members of the band combined. Some of it is pretty damned good music too.

Any time people overcome a substance they are lauded much more than those who never did it to begin with because it represents a longer struggle to the top.

Love and Mercy made for a beautifully emotional story - a story that nearly every Disney movie follows: Something is going along really well; something tragic happens; then the protagonist overcomes the tragedy and prevails. Many of the popular films use this formula. Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Rocky, Finding Nemo...

While I would not call drugs a "hero", they may be one of the villains that allowed the hero to be resurrected, and that resurrection makes for a compelling story. That story may expose potential fans to the music to see what the hype is about.

That is nice. I was hoping it was from the Unsurpassed Masters Alternate Today album, but it does not seem to be. There are a few takes on UMV08D01 where the instrumental track is low in the mix and the vocals are very prominent, but not this good. Thanks!

I listened to Sunflower yesterday, which was the first time in a few months. Each time, I find something else to love about that album. What I noticed yesterday is how many of the background vocals were "lost" compared to what I heard on the Made in California vocals-only mix. Granted, the lack of background clarity could be due to the fact that I was in a soft-top Jeep Wrangler with the heater blasting, but the vocals-only mixes of Slip On Through and Our Sweet Love  on MiC gave me goosebumps and I missed some of the really intricate yet subtle parts.

Of course, the a cappella songs like The Lord's Prayer, Our Prayer, And Your Dream Comes True, Their Hearts Were Full of Spring/Now A Young Man Is Gone etc... are obviously meant to be listened to without instruments, but I am really digging the songs that were just as beautiful once the instruments are stripped.

I would have to rate my favorite vocals-only moment as the first time I experienced Wouldn't It Be Nice. I was intrigued with just the lead vocal but as soon as the stacked harmonies came in, I was blown away. California Girls was great too, and the fullness was kind of unexpected. Kiss Me Baby is a fantastic song without instruments.

I am not looking for your favorite Vocal-only songs, but the parts of those songs that made you really appreciate the Beach Boys in a new way.

This is all really interesting.

Okay, so to recap, the last song using that 8-note progression was written after a released song featured it on the opening of the alternate version which pulled it from a 6-note sequence of an pre-dated unreleased version of a song. 

...yet setlist-wise, Some of Your Love could easily segue directly into It's OK on an album or in concert - certainly way easier than Child of Winter or Mike Come Back to L.A. would.

Did Mike Come Back To L.A. ever have any verse lyrics? It never sounded like anything but the guys vamping.

I'd have to listen again, but I do not remember the initial two notes - the 'gim-me" notes in Mike Come Back To L.A.

It's OK was released in 1976, and the Mike Come Back to L.A. session was what - 1978? Some of Your Love was released in 1980. I know Brian likes to revisit a tune if he likes it enough, but it sounds as if the genesis of the song was pre-1976; probably as far back as 1974 as It's OK was part of the Caribou tapes sessions?

The songs were originally hits because of their production, energy, and lush harmonies. Until the Beach Boys, there was nothing like this before. So I think that the Lei'd in Hawaii stuff would not have been a hit if the songs were released as is.

Smiley Smile was unique because it is a departure from what came before. Really good music, but face it - the record-buying public was not going to line the sidewalks outside of their favorite music store because of Fall Breaks and Back to Winter or Little Pad, Whistle In or She's Going Bald.

It was not the light production that hurt that album, as the Beach Boys had a hit with Barbara Ann from the Party! album. The songs are a bit weird and not what the average fan wanted to hear from the clean cut, squeaky-clean Beach Boys. Most of the songs that charted were upbeat or had upbeat sections.

I just heard the alternate version of It's OK from the Made In California box set and noticed the added notes before the 'normal' start to the song. Is it just me, or am I hearing the same notes as "Gimme some, some, some of your love" from Some of Your Love (Keepin' The Summer Alive)? The songs have the same sort of feel about heading to the beach/being at the beach. I was wondering if they were actually written around the same time or if Some of Your Love was just in one of the early iterations at that point.

Oh, and "Find a ride" (whatever that's supposed to mean)...

Not sure if it is the same, but I grew up about 30 miles from the Atlantic ocean. In my teen years, nearly everyone wanted to go to the beach, but not everybody had a car yet so we would hook up with a friend (or friend of a friend) who would take us to the beach for the day for a few dollars (for gas). Seeing films of the surfers piling out of woodies and running into the water makes me feel that it is similar elsewhere.

Bumper stickers. Hate 'em. I don't care if your kid is an honor student, or if your kid beat up my honor student, or if you hate Obama, or if you think it's funny that Calvin pisses on a certain baseball team's logo, what religion you are, what (un)clever phrases you're amused by...I just care that you drive safe.

That is actually a pet peeve of mine. I am not sure when "drive safely" became "drive safe" but it drives me crazy.   So does shorthand texting. An educated adult who writes "Ur correct" or "leave B4 it rains" sounds like an idiot to me. (I also love decals. I have them all over my Jeep. I do not care for the ones that you mention though. I like fun ones.)

After reading this article, I could not help but see the similarities between two guys who just cannot let go of a particular time in history. He seems to refuse to see what is right in front of him and keeps going back to bitch about something that can never be changed.