The way it's edited kind of reminds me of the High Llamas' "Hawaii" album

Nice separation between "inspiration" and "influence" for Brian where the Beatles are concerned. I do see how they inspired Brian to reach higher, but musically, I don't think they really influenced him that much.

But Pet Sounds and Rubber Soul are SO similar musically...

I think the artwork for TWGMTR could have been a lot worse than it is.

"Somewhere Quiet" - the lyrics are horrible.  It's almost like bad white-boy rap.  Vanilla Ice never wrote anything this bad. 
"I wanna take you somewhere quiet
So I can hear what's in my heart
Are you as real as I imagine
Or just the one who plays the part"

White boy rap? What?

The artwork for Holland is pretty good.

I think the joke was more about Ringo than the Ramones

And I really don't mean to badmouth Carl -- or John-Roger for that matter, who by all accounts was better than, say, L. Ron Hubbard. It's just to point out that this is the level-headed "sane" Wilson brother we're talking about.

I think it's safe to say that there was a tendency for members of the group to look to a strong outside force to solve all their problems. Mike and the maharishi, the Wilsons with Jack Reilly, Landy, etc., etc. That's how they saw their lives and careers. Find a guy who knows what he's doing, and leave it to him. There's an expectation that someone else will know better, that someone else has it all figured out. Given that most of them became famous and wealthy in their teens (or shortly out of them), the BBs have never known a regular adult life, one in which you have to make tough decisions on your own, all the time.

The treatment approach Brian would have arguably benefited the most from -- a team-based approach with minimal medication, centered on Brian's needs and no one else's -- was anathema to them. Heck, it was probably anathema to him.

Murry's management of the group and his role as an overbearing father could have been a reason for this as well.

Weren't pretty much all of the songs on BB 85 newly written and not leftovers?

Try David's Facebook page. Or if you like, I'll pass your request on, we're Facebook friends.

That would be great. Bgas, I don't get on the board very often, so a PM didn't occur to me until you suggested it.

I've thought about it, but I'm not quite sure how to reach her. If I posted the question in the Ask the Honored Guests thread, would she reply?

I think BW 88 is a better album than Love You. There. I said it.

Out of interest, who is on this track?

I think Curt Boettcher is the one singing, but the song was written by Bruce Johnston and produced by Curt Boettcher and Gary Usher

Jamaica Farewell: July 23rd, 1979. Does not circulate. No vocals recorded.

Jamaica Farewell circulates on Dumb Angel Rarities Volume 3, I believe

I've already got "I Think About You Often," but I've been looking for "Work Tapes," "Something Funny Goin' On," and "The Circle Continues." I know they had a very limited print run, but is anyone aware of a place online or a person who's willing to sell them? Does David have a place online where one could buy digital copies?

Maybe Dennis didn't want to do very many lead vocals. He was originally supposed to sing lead on Sail On Sailor, but he walked out of the sessions after a couple of takes so he could go surfing. Maybe he just wasn't very interested in singing leads.

He mentioned You and I as his favorite song on the Reddit Q&A from late March/early April:

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php/topic,20145.25.html

Q: What do you consider the best songs on Dennis' solo album? A: You and I thats my favorite because I liked his vocal. Great vocal

I remember reading on one of Brian's recent Q&A's that his favorite song off of POB was You and I

But what the heck does "late at night my head walks around you" mean?

Dreaming about them at night? Maybe?

I can't really picture Brian pulling off "Iron Man." Maybe "Changes"

If you don't mind early '80's AOR, than I would recommend Carl's solo albums. You can't get his first one on cd, though.

She Knows Me Too Well
In the Back of My Mind
The Little Girl I Once Knew
Please Let Me Wonder
Kiss Me, Baby

Basically the entire Today album

And to get back on topic, this thread is all about the media reviews. Now as I said earlier, 3 of the biggest criticisms of the album seem to be: 1, Runaway Dancer is reviled. 2, There are too many guests and there should be more Brian. 3, Joe Thomas`s involvement has led to the album being cheesier/more saccharine than some of its predecessors.

You know, despite the fact that there are 5 or 6 guest singers on this album, there are still 10 songs with Brian/Al/Blondie. Throw in Half Moon Bay and you have a full album right there.

The regular version does not appear to be in many stores--the Best Buys around here do not have any copies.

I saw a copy of the 13-track version at Hastings today

Brian will be on some sitcoms this year  because NPP is going to be a monster hit, and everyone will want him. He was on "New Leave it to Beaver", so why not "New Full House"? He'll do it just to anger Mike and Bruce. If Dennis were still around, he'd be dating the Olsen twins - both of them!

70 year old Dennis dating the Olsen twins...

The thing that pisses me off the most about the Popmatters review is that the reviewer seems to think that people are forcing Brian to do this album, and that he's not really interested in the music himself. Sort of like a 15 Big Ones type of situation.

For die-hard Beach Boys fans, there is a very special kind of knot that appears in their stomach each time someone decides to drag out Brian Wilson for another go-around. You know that feeling when your elderly grandparent is wheeled out by your overbearing aunt to make a speech at Thanksgiving dinner—that “Oh, just let him eat his jello in peace!” feeling? It’s a bit like that.

The review also says that this is a Brian album in name only, even though only about a third of the deluxe edition has guest vocalists on it [not including Al/Blondie].

But alas, the man has bills to pay and family to support, so he signed off on this thing. If anyone has seen an interview or spoken with Brian these last five or ten years, you know that this is a man who is simply not interested in making music anymore, and he doesn’t need to be.

Brian's been working on this album in one form or another for the past three years, so clearly he isn't very interested at all