but at least I'll not go down in BB history as the man who blew Brian's mind with acid and laughed about it.

The nit-picking on dates, timelines and who said what when is not the real issue certain folks here have with Mr. Daro. It's this. It's a moralistic judgement issue. You guys are pissed that Lorren provided Brian with LSD and is not only unapologetic, but actually has the audacity to believe he did Brian a favor. Maybe we should discuss that.

I will say two things here and leave it at that. First, like someone once said, judge not lest ye be judged (or something like that). Second, Brian was a big boy and did what he wanted to do. Moreover, I think we've all heard the recordings of him in the studio working on Pet Sounds. He sounds like a young guy bursting with creativity, in complete control. Not someone whose mind is "blown". Any real damage came later.

I was typing this while Jake made his post. Doesn't add much but here it is anyway....

I just found my copy of David Leaf's book and he's not unkind to you at all, Lorren ("Loren Schwartz" in the book). He quotes you - almost verbatim, the same thing you said earlier about Murry stabbing Brian in the back and what Murry said about Brian in the control room while Brian was in the studio instructing the musicians during a Pet Sounds session. "Brian doesn't know what he's doing - no talent... I taught him everything he knows,...."

He mentions Brian taking LSD for the first time several pages before but makes no mention of Lorren. He quotes a 1966 Tom Nolan article where Brian talks very positively about taking LSD for the first time, calling it a "very religious experience", but then talks how Brian made a contradictory statement on the Mike Douglas Show in 1976, saying it "shattered my mind".

Hello, mods - someone's just called me a snide f***. I'm guessing they're going to get banned for that, right ? Because those are the rules, aren't they ?

What, are you five? "Teacher, teacher! He called me a bad name!"

You guys are unbelieveable. I doubt banning is even necessary at this point. I don't see why he would possibly be compelled to post anything more after the repeated rudeness and hositility directed at him.

He answered my question. I'm still gobsmacked. 

His favorite is F sharp seventh. What a revelation!     

I'm pretty sure he meant F sharp Maj7. I recall him answering that question before somewhere.

I wonder if he could be persuaded to answer the remaining questions at his leisure - whenever he feels like it.

Maybe for a couple a cheese pizzas?

Always looking on the bright side of life, aren't you, Andrew?   

Wow. Just reading that top page brought tears to my eyes. I remember reading Scott's story in Ed Wincentsen's book about Dennis saving him from drowning after he fell off a boat Dennis was driving, and I had the same reaction. Very powerful stuff.

Very much looking forward to Scott's book!

Your music has brought me so much happiness throughout my life.

What brings you the most joy and happiness in your life  these days?

-Gregg

I never met Carl, but I've spoken with a lot of folks who have, and this does not sound like Carl at all. From all descriptions I've heard he was kind, thoughtful, had a goofy sense of humor, and always treated people graciously and respectfully. I can't imagine that he would have ever told a fan he just met "you're an asshole!" No way.

Sounds like a work of fiction to me.

"Remember...'member when you were with the Beach Boys?"

"Yeah..."



"That was awesome."

A bit of a shame this. I'm presuming this new nervousness is due to Brian's presence on the board. Either that or Brian's people directly requested it.

Wonder if it's worth directing any questions direct to Daro's blog then posting the responses here, just minus the defamatory stuff?

I don't think it's a shame at all. The guy sounded like an angry, bitter, old fart! The name-calling was totally uncool and offensive - even the way he described Brian.

And does he really have that much to add from a historical perspective? I'm more interested in the music and the ones involved in realizing the music.

He won't be missed.

Yes, I was definitely blown away the first time I heard it too. I was also unaware of it's existence. I thought it was a real missed opportunity for the band as well. It had such a full, spacious vocal sound. I think the general public would immeadiately recognize it as being The Beach Boys, yet it sounded unlike anything they had done up to that point.

And I think it would have fit in well with what was currently on the radio around 1969. It just had that vibe and sound. Think of "Build Me Up Buttercup", "Good Morning Starshine", "More Today Than Yesterday", and probably several others I can't remember right now.

Thanks for clearing that up for me, surf patrol! That's the way those things typically work out - through a combination of talent and being in the right place at the right time. And that's funny...... you must have been in that group of people around Mike when I talked to him. Did he mention some dork was trying to get his old gig? 

My first Beach Boys show was about a year before Mike joined the band, and then I saw them a dozen or so times up until one of Carl's last shows in '97; so I saw Mike play a lot. One thing that sticks out in mind about his playing, besides his consistent musicianship, was the way he always raised his left hand and pointed his index finger in the air whenever he did one of his B3 solos. I always thought that was cool and kinda funny. Sorta like he was saying, "Check this out. Here I go!"

Beautiful video tribute. Thanks so much for sharing!

I had the pleasure of meeting Mike in 2002 after the Carl Wilson tribute concert at UCLA. I had always enjoyed his playing with the Beach Boys over the years and happened to see him standing just a few feet away from me. So I walked up to him and introduced myself and said, as a fellow keyboard player, I was just curious how he got the gig with the Beach Boys. He looked at me a bit puzzled and said I could go inquire about the gig with so-and-so over there (I can't recall to whom he was referring - maybe the BB manager). He obviously misunderstood me. I was really just curious about his personal story, how he was so fortunate to get hooked up with what I considered the dream gig. I guess I was confused about what to say at that point, so I just said, "Oh, OK. Thanks."

Anyway, it was great to have that brief and somewhat awkward moment with Mike, even though I never got to hear his story.

I actually think Scott and Jeff sound great doubling the lead on WIBN. No splattered notes, they seem to nail it. People have been raving about Al's lead on the same at the Venetian recently, and while the energy and tone were great, there's no denying there were quite a few notes that he just didn't quite make it up to.

I say if two singers can double a lead that accurately together live, and it was doubled on the original recording, then go for it.

An issue might be, whether there is some alternative means of verifying "independently" whether the band members played on this.  Is it possible the union kept any kind of records?

There's an AFM contract listing the musicians for that session as Brian, Carl, Dennis, Mike & David.

And, there's Frank Devito's recollection of playing on the session with The Beach Boys (not other session players) - Devito was paid with a check from Murry, hence the absence of his name from the AFM contract - plus David's recollection of playing on the session (rhythm, plus the descending low staccato slides in the fade), and his clear recollection of playing the date with Devito, and his assertion that Carol Kaye never played a Beach Boys session while he was with the group. Finally, at the end of the unfaded "Surfin' U.S.A." session tape, Brian's voice can be heard in the background exclaiming, "That's it, Carl got it!" - obviously indicating his pleasure with Carl's guitar solo.

There's only one vowel difference between Carl and Carol.

Just sayin'....

 

I was a huge fan at the time and would immediately buy anything they put out. So the day the  "Kokomo" single hit the shelves, I snatched up my copy, took it home with great excitement, and put it on the stereo and took a listen.

I remember very clearly that my first reaction was "well, here's another one that's going to bomb." Then of course, much to my surprise, it climbs to #1. I remember hearing people comment on how the song just took them away to a sort of tropical vacation state of mind - people that weren't really hard core fans.

In hindsight, Carl's part has become one of my all-time favorite Carl Wilson vocal phrases. It makes the song.

Wow, that almost brought a tear to my eye that was so beautiful!

God bless Brian Wilson.

Sorry for the double post! 

Very cool. Thanks for posting!

I was able to take a tour of the studio in 2002 when it was still Oceanway. I can attest that the studio rooms still look the same.

Coincidentally, I own several of the East West sample libraries as well as several plug-ins from Universal Audio that replicate the outboard equipment that Bill Putnam designed and is still used at East West. So considering that and the fact that I have a deep love for the music that the Beach Boys recorded there, I feel that I have a multi-faceted connection to Western/Oceanway/East West.

Only 3 bucks for a Beach Boys show in 1968?! Were things really that bad or was that typical concert ticket prices in those days? Seems unbelievable considering the success that they had experienced in the previous 5 or so years, and being named the #1 group over The Beatles just a couple years before.

This sounds cool. Wish I could go.

And I couldn't help but notice in the poster how Al and Mike's heads were placed on the bodies of two goats in the Pet Sounds cover animation. Funny! And it looks like the reverse for Bruce. He's a goats head on a human body.

My wider point, granted one obscured by my original post - my bad - was that there are folk here who will find fault with anything and everything, just... because. And like OSD's infantile posts, or Gregg's insistence on Turing any thread against Mike, it's getting thoroughly tedious.

What? Sorry, Andrew, but you must have me confused with someone else. Check my very rare posts (81 total). I usually chime in if I see an opportunity for a dumb joke or I really liked what someone said and want to add my thoughts. I'm just not into all the negative stuff.

Regarding the video.... while I'm not a big fan of some of the singers, I think it's great. One of the greatest songs ever written is getting massive exposure and my musical hero is getting much-deserved praise and recognition!

Brian's getting the respect his talent and work deserves and he is definitely hitting on all cylinders right now. I'm looking forward to everything this year has to offer the fans.

Definitely well deserved, every bit of it! Let no one try to convince otherwise. This is a body of work, a catalog of music, that has stood the test of time and I see no reasons why it will not continue to do so well after I leave this Earth. To see the recent clip featuring artists like Lorde, One Direction, those who appeal most obviously to teenagers, and to have a song nearing 50 years old be the one they're singing and their young fans are listening to (perhaps for the first time), it's proof of the lasting power of the music Brian created.

Consider that when Brian recorded God Only Knows, non-classical music that was 50 years old was on wax cylinders, before jazz or swing as most of us know it even existed beyond Dixieland, and for all intents and purposes was considered "primitive". I don't know of many if there were any at all who were actively performing and seeking out music from 1912, for example. Now we have 50 year old music that is still contemporary and being heard by millions.

That in itself is pretty amazing. 

Very well said. This production is just further testament to the timeless aspect of the music that Brian created. Like all great music that resonates with something intangible within human beings, Brian's most inspired creations will be marveled at and bring joy for generations to come.

He ain't high. He's just missing the "R" on his keyboard!