Am I the only one who would love another MIU? At least something that resembles the second side?

I wouldn't mind transplanting Brian's voice from something like "Sweet Sunday Kinda Love" to the new album. Too bad Brian tuned up his voice a bit from "Love You" in order to single, as AGD puts in in his ComGuide, a love affair related in terms of a tennis match. Poor Brian, got broken just like a serve.  

There are a handfull of good tracks on MIU. "My Diane", though of course not as closely tied to the actual "MIU" project, is the strongest. But if your ears ever bleed listening to something like "Summer in Paradise", you'll be delighted by even something as inconsequential as "Pitter Patter."

And c'mon, "Hey Little Tomboy" is so wrong, so inappropriate and creepy, that it transcends all of that and becomes some kind of weird performance art.

heya .....

can you define which part of 'sunday love' you love of Brian's?  

just so I can listen also....... the lead vocal is Carl Wilson.....?....

and in regards to 'hey little tomboy'...... I think everyone has taken that all out of context....... knowing Brian and the 'innocence' of things in the

way he works........ I would not believe what people think the song means...... think everyone is reading into the lyrics 'Way' to much.....

RickB

Apologies. Meant to say "Matchpoint of Our Love." 

I hate myself for having created a scenario for which I had to type these song titles. 

Who said Brian never played casinos? The Beach Boys have been playing casinos since the late 70’s/early 80’s, and Brian has played casino venues on a number of occasions. This is like that ridiculous “Wineries” discussion from a few weeks back.

I’m befuddled as to why a notice for a single additional Brian Wilson show needs an op-ed component to it.

I can’t tell who the contempt is stronger for, Brian Wilson or these straw man “Brianista” fans that largely don’t seem to exist, at least not here.

I mean, there’s a point at which you kind of have to decide, if you have that much disdain for things an artist is doing and how they’re doing it, just move on to another band or something.

Back to the actual topic, sans snark, I'm curious to know if this is the front end of a larger tour, since other dates we have are in October. I also hope it means we might see an announcement soon for the album.

Jesus dude, if you've got that small a sense of humor, I seriously suggest you shouldn't leave the house without someone to explain the jokes to you.

You any kin to The Cohen Of Silence ? 

Nah, I get the humor. I just ignore when it's caked in disdain for fellow fans, or these straw man "Brianistas." I do admit one of my idiosyncrasies and where I sometimes go wrong is when I assume too much about the motivations behinds comments rather than the comments themselves. I suppose a comment needling
whomever has both criticized Mike for playing casinos and also claim Brian never has is ultimately rather innocuous (it didn't make me laugh either though; and I'm not sure how many people here have actually proposed the idea that Brian has never played casinos). But when I assume (perhaps wrongly) that the snark of the comment is motivated more by disdain for some subset of fans rather than a random bit of humorous commentary, it makes me wonder.

I could think of a million funny things to say about Brian, or Brian booking a gig, or any of the other BB's. Some folks on this board have been some of the only people to literally make me do spit takes laughing while reading (the person who posted the pic of Stamos with the "BAD" lineup for one; and plenty of folks in the "weird pics of Mike" thread).

I suppose it is kind of hilarious as I picture most of us here posting as something like this:



 

C'mon. That pic totally goes along with one of those "you mentioned bootlegs? gone!"

Am I the only one who would love another MIU? At least something that resembles the second side?

I wouldn't mind transplanting Brian's voice from something like "Matchpoint of Our Love" to the new album. Too bad Brian tuned up his voice a bit from "Love You" in order to single, as AGD puts in in his ComGuide, a love affair related in terms of a tennis match. Poor Brian, got broken just like a serve.  

There are a handfull of good tracks on MIU. "My Diane", though of course not as closely tied to the actual "MIU" project, is the strongest. But if your ears ever bleed listening to something like "Summer in Paradise", you'll be delighted by even something as inconsequential as "Pitter Patter."

And c'mon, "Hey Little Tomboy" is so wrong, so inappropriate and creepy, that it transcends all of that and becomes some kind of weird performance art.

[MIU]

If the new album doesn't turn out to be significantly better than MIU, I'm turning in my Brianista badge and flashlight (with secret decoder ring): granted it came after Love You and POB, but even the neophyte I was in 1978 realised that it demonstrated a significant fall from grace. Brian's yet to turn in a truly tedious/inept album*, but an MIU for 2014 would pretty much fit the bill, IMHYEO.

[* although he came damn close with GIOMH]

Yes.

I was skewered on this board for saying basically the same thing last week.

One certainly shouldn't be "skewered" for this sort of opinion. But it's worth thinking about the possibility that your opinion and motive may be weighed accordingly if you bring up how you're worried or are assuming Brian's new album will be crappy in the middle of a technical discussion of the manufacturing characteristics of the "LA/MIU" Canadian CD. It kind of suggests you have it out for the album and/or Brian when it's brought up outside of any particular context relating to his album.

So, can anyone recommend a good pressing of "Sunflower" on vinyl? Well, I'll tell you one thing. The pressing I have is pretty sh*tty, but you know what I think might be even sh*ttier? Brian's new album........that we haven't heard yet............    

Brian's playing at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, CA.

Wait...

I thought only Mike & Bruce played casinos, and that Brian would never stoop so low. Obviously a misprint. 

I think both Brian and the Mike and Bruce show need the occasional casino because of more limited drawing power. The reunited Beach Boys don't. Therein lies the difference and the problem most people have.

A casino (or winery) may or may not have a larger capacity (and may or may not have higher ticket prices) than other venues these bands might play. I'm sure some casinos have big, grand halls or rooms that seat more people than some "proper" indoor theaters.

When Brian or Mike play casinos, it's usually not some sort of general admission "$5 at the door" sort of thing. They are booked just like any other venue, and tickets are sold in the same fashion.

I saw Ringo once at the "Cache Creek Casino & Resort"; it was literally just a HUGE hotel conference room/ballroom sort of setup. But it had a lot of seats, tickets were probably more expensive than when I had seen him at the Berkeley Community Theater or Concord Pavilion for instance, and tickets were sold on Ticketmaster just like any other show.

It seems like bands often if not usually do not really pay a lot of attention to what "type" of venues they book in terms of "reputation" or "perception." I think, ironically, there were some articles during C50 that mentions there actually was some thought put into some of the more "prestigious" venues or venues with good/hip reputations that they booked. I think the Greek Theater at UC Berkeley was interestingly one of those; it had been a number of years since an iteration of the Beach Boys had played there.

[MIU]

If the new album doesn't turn out to be significantly better than MIU, I'm turning in my Brianista badge and flashlight (with secret decoder ring): granted it came after Love You and POB, but even the neophyte I was in 1978 realised that it demonstrated a significant fall from grace. Brian's yet to turn in a truly tedious/inept album*, but an MIU for 2014 would pretty much fit the bill, IMHYEO.

[* although he came damn close with GIOMH]

Well, at least you’re keeping an open mind about the album and don’t seem at all ready or predisposed to criticize it and think it a fall from grace.   

I can’t imagine turning away from being a fan even if the new album is the sh**tiest album Brian has ever cut. “MIU” isn’t even the band’s worst album. “Summer in Paradise” *should*  have scared anyone away from anything going forward with Mike Love’s name attached to it. Yet, bits and pieces of his 2000’s sessions (“Mike Love Not War” or “Unleash the Love” or whatever it would have or will end up being called) were perfectly fine.

Who said Brian never played casinos? The Beach Boys have been playing casinos since the late 70’s/early 80’s, and Brian has played casino venues on a number of occasions. This is like that ridiculous “Wineries” discussion from a few weeks back.

I’m befuddled as to why a notice for a single additional Brian Wilson show needs an op-ed component to it.

I can’t tell who the contempt is stronger for, Brian Wilson or these straw man “Brianista” fans that largely don’t seem to exist, at least not here.

I mean, there’s a point at which you kind of have to decide, if you have that much disdain for things an artist is doing and how they’re doing it, just move on to another band or something.

Back to the actual topic, sans snark, I'm curious to know if this is the front end of a larger tour, since other dates we have are in October. I also hope it means we might see an announcement soon for the album.

I’ve noticed something concerning the “recycling” of old song ideas. Why is that bad? I’m not talking about remakes of BB songs and whatnot. But when someone condescendingly points out “Brian was just recycling a demo from 1983” or something,

If it is revealed the songs were written 15 or 20 years ago the magic would be gone for me. It will seem like product, pieced together from rubble left behind when Brian was still an active composer, not art. I want to be wowed. That sadly wont happen -- Joe Thomas is involved.

Yeah, I guess that's just where some folks will differ. I think a good song is a good song. Add to that the fact that we don't always truly know which bit was written when. I don't get it. So if we unearthed a 1965 demo of "'Til I Die", the 1971 version would then be branded as "pieced together from rubble" and devoid of any magic?

Seriously, I highly suspect at least a few things that we *don't* know about sprinkled through the BB's catalog were germs of ideas from many years previously. For every few tracks for which we know an older demo exists, there are others that may have been rolling around in their heads but not committed to tape.

If Brian using a few late 90's tracks co-written by Joe Thomas on a new 2014 album is a sign he isn't an "active composer", then you can always just give up on it and listen to the old stuff.

I know there are fans that think Brian is kind of over; that he can't perform well live and doesn't write much or at all. What I don't understand is continuing to follow his career simply to make those assertions (especially if they actually aren't entirely accurate). Criticism is fine, but if there's not an underlying continued appreciation of what he's doing now, even if it is tempered with plenty of criticism, then the whole idea of following his current career seems rather pointless.

I look at this Brian album like McCartney's post-Beatles career. I think the point is to keep creating. New stuff, unearthed old stuff, cover versions, themed albums, live shows, self-produced, produced with Joe Thomas, solo stuff, Beach Boys stuff, sing on Al's album, have Al sing on your album, have Matt Jardine and Blondie sing on it, try out Jeff Beck, and yeah, let's hear Lana Del Rey sing his song too, authorize licensed action figures, whatever. The more that is created, the more we can mine that for some great stuff.

I would actually like to hear, just for kicks, the early 90's rendition of "Lady Lynda" where Al changed the lyrics to "Little Lady." I don't think that iteration lasted too long (presumably only played a bit in the UK/Europe because it was a hit there).

I have a vague recollection that when Al was slated to appear (but ended up having to cancel) at a "Pop Overthrow" festival back in the early 2000's, he was supposedly going to play a bunch of "obscure" stuff like "Lady Lynda." If he had played it then, or ever plays it again, I wonder if he'll use the original lyrics.

My favorite random "Lady Lynda" story: I recall a report from a fan who caught a soundcheck on Brian's 2000 "Pet Sounds", and they said that randomly during a moment of silence in between songs, Brian randomly belted out a line from "Lady Lynda", something like "lady, won't you say that I am your man."

Not saying he's not a nice guy, just not a good drummer. Can he play drums better than me? Yes. Can he play drums well enough to be in a band that charges $100+ a ticket? No.

The shows that I have seen, he only played drums on Be True To Your School. One out 32 songs even if played badly is not gonna make me ask for my money back. Kind of being nit-picky and looking, searching, longing for a reason to complain.

The shows I've seen, including the first night of the Beacon on the reunion tour, he's played drums on a good chunk of the set. I'm not being nitpicky, I don't dislike John Stamos. I just don't think he's a good drummer and I've seen him play drums on way more than just one song.

It's hard to be that great of a drummer when Cowsill's right there!

Not for a good, professional drummer. Mike D'Amico sounded great during C50 on drums (and now with Brian), and he was the "bass player" in that band.

I've searched high and low and can't find the interview David Marks gave circa 2000 or so where he discussed specifically Stamos' musicianship. He basically said what some of us here have said and have noticed; Stamos isn't that great because it's not his profession. He knows enough to "get by." He doesn't practice or hone the craft at all. There's nothing wrong with that.... until you get on stage in front of a paying audience.

Yes, some in the audience aren't at all discerning when it comes to musicianship, but those are the same fans that wouldn't notice or care if Papa Doo Run Run got on stage and called it "The Beach Boys."

What I'm curious about is that in Brad Elliott's book, there's an unreleased Jardine song listed as "Song of the Whale (Down Along the Coastline)" -- this wouldn't be the same song, would it??? No whales mentioned, but still...

"The California grey whales playing there, haven't got a care". So there are whales mentioned. Maybe it is the same song.

I've always loved this song and Brian and Al's vocals.

I’ve always understood that “Song of the Whale” was indeed another title for “Looking Down the Coast.” 

Don't get me wrong, I find it a very enjoyable cd, probably the only one he will ever do, so maybe the remakes are intended to give the uninitiated some context. But people have said Carl was not a prolific writer - compared to Al he was a Brian Wilson, lol.

It’s hard to say. I think a lot of these guys may have *written* a lot more stuff (and possibly recorded more) than they released. We know there are other Al tracks that he has toyed with over the years. I remember he mentioned one called “Crumple Car” back in the late 90’s or early 2000’s.

A quick perusal of lists of songs written by all these guys (solo and collectively) over the years shows they were (and perhaps still are) far more prolific at writing and recording than actually releasing material. 

I’ve noticed something concerning the “recycling” of old song ideas. Why is that bad? I’m not talking about remakes of BB songs and whatnot. But when someone condescendingly points out “Brian was just recycling a demo from 1983” or something, so what?

If the discussion is about how much Brian presently writes from scratch, I suppose that is a pertinent piece of information. But if we’re just trying to ascertain whether a piece of music or an album is good, why does it matter when the song was written, especially if it’s something we haven’t heard?

This came up as well during some discussions of Al’s album. If you think “And I Always Will” is totally boring schlock, that’s fine. But the fact that it apparently was written and possibly tracked (though never booted or heard) back during the BB ’85 sessions has nothing to do with whether the song is good or bad.

I understand that heavily mining old material can be a sign of how a project is going. But I think this is often overstated. We also don’t have full access to their brains or their demo recordings. How do we know some of our favorite, “totally new” tracks weren’t actually demoed a decade earlier and we simply didn’t/don’t know?

Something like the GIOMH album was somewhat different. Simply perusing the tracklisting revealed a number of songs we had already heard. If you didn’t like “Rainbow Eyes” and then you saw it on the GIOMH tracklisting, then it wouldn’t be completely out of line to start to guess that you probably wouldn’t like the new recording either, while still hopefully reserving final judgment.

But with this new Brian album, it’s mostly pure conjecture as to what might be newly-written. More importantly, it appears as though *very little* of what could end up on the new album would be compositions we're already heard. If I haven’t heard it before, and if it’s good, I don’t care if some track Brian wrote with Thomas was written in 2013 versus 1998.

[Ironically, from TMZ today:]

Ironically, from TMZ today:Manson became enraged and the story goes ... the real target the night of the Tate murders was Melcher.

Melcher -- the son of Doris Day -- had rented the Tate house with then girlfriend Candice Bergen but moved weeks before the murders.  

Dear lord, does anyone still believe this nonsense. I know it's TMZ but even so...

Yeah, I mean, I for one was impressed with the level of believability they created back in 2012 when they apparently created that video of Johnston calling Obama an a-hole completely from scratch using CGI.   

Geez, I dunno, as much as this is a "jump the shark" caliber of thread topic, then I remembered that "What if the Beach Boys were women instead of men?" thread. 

There's something almost tantalizing about the possibility that someone would start an account just to ask this question.

I'd like to add one: What date did Al Jardine shave his beard? This is important stuff. So, we have pics and footage from June 1983 with a bearded Al, and then by July 4 it was gone. More importantly, why did he shave the beard? Was he following Mike's lead from the previous year? 

I agree with HeyJude. I don't think anybody thinks John Stamos is a horrible person. I'm sure he's a super nice guy. We just don't want him onstage with our favorite band. Even if it is only the Mike 'n Bruce version of the band.

If he wasn't onstage with our favorite band, then he could not have done what he did for Mr. Christian, now could he?

Since Stamos is buddies with Mike, I'm sure he could set something like that up without having to be on stage, or at least on stage for so long, so often, and so prominently.

In any event, the original post seems to imply those who aren't fans of Stamos were attacking him personally. Not the case from what I've seen. All of the guys in around this band that AGD and all of us have criticized or at some point taken issue with have done kind, charitable, fan-friendly things over the years.

Maybe not attacking, but he does get his share of detractors just for being there. I've seen him with them a few times over the past 25 years or so, and with mostly playing percussion, I can't remember him ever playing badly as he would not be wanted up on stage doing that. So, it must be that people just don't like him, which I squarely read here as not liking him personally. Not for the things he does or does not do, just in a general way.

Saying one feels they don't feel Stamos shouldn't be on stage, or on stage as often or as prominently, is not an ad hominem or personal attack. That opinion doesn't come from disliking him, but rather from not feeling he needs to be on stage. Just because you don't mind him being on stage, that doesn't then mean anyone that doesn't prefer him on stage don't personally like him.

If I like a movie and someone else doesn't, I don't assume they don't like the actors in it on a personal level.

As for questions being pointed, that's as in relevant, i.e., why does the live album sound so bloody awful ?

There may be something you have not considered. And mind you this is just a somewhat educated guess. How about the live album sounds so bad because there was pitch correction already put on by the live  front of house sound mixer?  The audience could never tell because of the ambient noise in the stadium. And It would sound great coming through the live speakers.Its a much more likely scenario. And very typically done these days. If you look in  the live mixing booth many times they will have several channels of pitch correction  as outboard gear. Or these days maybe just a plug in. Then whomever was recording  the show would have to deal with that  sound as an output, since he or she is probably recording  the output of either the front of house board or the monitor console. That would at least to me answer many questions. Do really think that lets say Tom Petty would ever allow any producer to pitch correct him?  I also do not think that it is any producers wish to use any kind of pitch correction except for a specific sound aka Cher or some of the other artists mentioned. That certainly to me does not seem like the case. Its also very difficult to add pitch correction to live albums anyway. The amount of leakage in the open mics would register on the pitch correction device. so if there was a guitar bass or horn note on the open live mic it would totally confuse the tuning device. The more i write about this the more I am convinced that there was possibly pitch correction already on some of the Beach Boys before anyone mixed the live album.

No professional sound engineer who is planning on releasing a live recording would "print" live pitch-corrected vocals. Post-production pitch correction would be fairly easy. While there would be some leakage, a good bit of gating, eq'ing and expanding would reduce the other signal enough that it shouldn't trigger anything in the auto-tuning. The issue is that on a few of the tracks (Don't Back Down being the worst offender), the engineer who set the auto-tune was a little sloppy on the retune time and this was compounded by Mike's singing style and the melodic intervals of the songs in question. Other than the occasional vocal tuning glitch, the actual mix of the album is quite good, balanced and aurally pleasing on any decent monitoring system.

With a bit of volume, there's plenty of energy in the performances. The live DVD on the other hand sounds bad because they used so little of the room ambience in the final mix, something which isn't lacking on the CDs. In fact they probably added a bit of ambience for uniformity given the amount of different venues the recordings were culled from.

No question, the autotune would be added in post-production. The live album was surely not sourced from a “live” house mix (and, anyway, by most accounts they stopped using autotune in the “live mix” after a few shows). A multi-track recording was made, and most alterations and effects would be added while mixing. Very little would be “printed” onto the recording. Some of the guitar effects pedals and things like that *may* have been recorded that way (even when they are using effects directly hooked to their instruments on stage like a guitar effects pedal, some bands will send out two signals, one unaltered and one with the effect, so both can be captured on the recording, an sometimes mixed together both in the live mix and on any eventual released mix).

I don’t have a particular problem with the overall sound/ambience or mix of the C50 live album. It’s pretty dry and a bit sterile, but I prefer dry live mixes to super-wet, echoey, reverb-laden mixes with a bunch of crowd noise. The main flaw by far is the overuse of autotune on several lead vocals.

I'd love to sit down with Joe Thomas (yeah, like that's ever going to happen) and put a few pointed questions to him, in particular "exactly how long after Jeff Beck bailed on the collaboration did you start calling the likes of Deschanel and Del Ray ?"

Since the questions are "pointed", are we to assume that you don't approve of one musical collaboration for which you've heard 10 seconds of video...

You've obviously not read my comments on this clip either here or on the Bloo, or you wouldn't be making any such woefully uninformed assumption. FYI, I've stated that you cannot possibly make any sensible assessment from such a minute sample. So I haven't.

As for questions being pointed, that's as in relevant, i.e., why does the live album sound so bloody awful ?

I've read your comments but the "Can't judge a 9 second clip" statement you made doesn't negate the most recent statement which is drenched in judgement and indictment. Also, I'd like to have a go at the pedantic game. Relevant has nothing to do with "pointed".

Pointed, adjective: (of a remark or look) expressing criticism in a direct and unambiguous way.

So, in directing your hypothetical "pointed" (aka, critical) questions about Joe's decision (and we don't really know that it was his) to call in Zooey and Co., in what way have you not already assessed and judged the material we've only heard 9 seconds of?

Looking at some recent posts, I think there is a fixation from one or a few folks on how the “plan” for the album has “changed” numerous times (setting aside that this may not be the case as such; as we don’t know what firm plans have ever been developed beyond continually recording). My interpretation of these comments also indicates an implication that the plan being “changed” numerous times is an indication of disorganization, or an indication of potential lack of quality, or is somehow an indictment on Joe Thomas and/or Brian and/or Brian’s people, and/or by extension the straw man “Brianista” fans.

A pointed question about the autotune on the live C50 album is perhaps warranted (how selective one is about pitching “pointed” questions to some folks versus softball questions to others is a separate issue). A pointed question about the plan for Brian’s album continually changing seems totally asinine, as it is rooted in a lack of knowledge of the situation, not to mention seems to have a grossly misplaced level of animosity or skepticism towards simply changing the plan as an album is recorded. I mean, let’s back up a bit here. Changing the plan fifty times *could* be an indication that the resulting album will be a shambles, but we don’t know. But why should the simple act of changing the plan multiple times (which, again, may not even quite be the case)  result in pointed questions? So what if they changed the plan multiple times? Why is that inherently a bad thing? Again, I think it’s a means to support some sort of indictment on Joe Thomas and/or Brian’s camp. They may well need severe criticism if the album warrants it. But that would have to come after we hear it; certainly it would have to come after we have some level of concrete info about the album and its creation. Pointed questions about a project and its evolution before it has even been finished, let alone released, reeks of contempt for those working on the project.  

I agree with HeyJude. I don't think anybody thinks John Stamos is a horrible person. I'm sure he's a super nice guy. We just don't want him onstage with our favorite band. Even if it is only the Mike 'n Bruce version of the band.

If he wasn't onstage with our favorite band, then he could not have done what he did for Mr. Christian, now could he?

Since Stamos is buddies with Mike, I'm sure he could set something like that up without having to be on stage, or at least on stage for so long, so often, and so prominently.

In any event, the original post seems to imply those who aren't fans of Stamos were attacking him personally. Not the case from what I've seen. All of the guys in around this band that AGD and all of us have criticized or at some point taken issue with have done kind, charitable, fan-friendly things over the years.

Thanks for the info, guys. I didn't know the song had been around that long. So how many of the songs on Al's cd are actually "new"?

Title track, San Simeon and Drivin', I believe.

Not exactly a prolific songwriter, is he? 

To be fair, he did write other stuff on the "Postcard" album as well. We just know those songs had been largely written years earlier. I don't have any problem if it was written years ago if it's me to me and is a good song. More problematic are self-covers like "Rhonda."

I would guess Al is probably more prolific in writing songs than he is finishing and releasing them.

Awesome story, but...why would this change one's view of Stamos? Stamos isn't a bad person last time I checked.

I don't get it either. The discussion has usually been whether he needs to be on stage so prominently, and how, if at all, he has impacted the band over the years.

I guess a takeaway could be that we shouldn't so quickly jump on someone, even if criticizing them without making personal attacks, because they could be capable of doing good things for people.

But this is already evident to anyone who cares to have any sort of moral compass. I'm sure some public figures that AGD had said critical, unflattering things about over the years have also done kind, selfless things for people.

Hmm I just noticed that similarity. Has Lookin' Down The Coast ever been officially released aside from Al's solo? I always liked the song but the version I have is very grainy.

There's just the booted circa 1978 version as far as I know. Sound quality on that version isn't too bad, kind of average for that era compared to other circulating material.

I'm curious if it was attempted for inclusion on the MIC set and Al nixed it, or if it wasn't considered.

The Al track definitely pre-dates "Walkin' the Line" (I think the Al track dates from circa 1978 and the "LA (Light Album)" sessions from what I remember), and that bit from "Walkin' the Line" has too many consecutive melodic similarities to not at least subconsciously have been sourced from that.

An indication perhaps that Al wasn't/isn't as sue-happy, or, just as likely, never listened to all of Brian's '88 album. 

The Al track is good, one of his better, more involved productions. Too bad the original BB take has the cheesy 70's synths, while the 2010/2012 version on his solo album, probably recorded at varying moments in the late 90's or 2000's, has kind of cheesy, reverb-laden 80's drums. With some dry drums and a few tweaks, his solo version would be pretty darn impressive.

I think Al's solo album has elements that are some of the strongest of any BB solo set. A remix on some of the tracks pulling out some of the overproduced flourishes (basically all the tinkly bits on the title track, for instance), and maybe chucking at least some of the covers (Rhonda at least), and it could be a minor masterpiece.

Is David Marks involved in any of the album?

He was mentioned early on as having contributed to some sessions; presumably guitar. Whether his contributions end up being included, we do not know. Al’s name has been mentioned more often, and we’ve seen pics of Al in the studio with Brian stretching from early 2013 all the way to sometime around April or May of 2014 if I’m recalling correctly.

[Stars & Stripes]

Jason wrote about Brian's album last fall, and never mentioned any guest artists besides Al, Blondie, Dave, and Jeff Beck.  If it's such big news now, you would think he would have mentioned it back then, nor did he mention any plans of contemporary recording artists being part of the album...

You're forgetting that the current version of the album is the 4th incarnation. They weren't mentioned because they weren't part of the gameplan back then.

1 - next BB album
2 - straight BW solo set
3 - Wilson/Beck collaboration
4 - Brian's version of Stars & Stripes, albeit with original material

This sort of implies an exactness to the process of writing, recording, and putting together an album that we know is not the case. Especially in BB land.

Nothing in this list may have ever been planned in such clear-cut terms.

#1 – it never appears they canceled more BB sessions. They had stuff left over from TWGMTR, and Mike may well have decided he didn’t want to sing on Wilson-Thomas material even if he would have probably been able to add some lyrics and, because of this and myriad other often-discussed reasons, abandoned the reunion lineup, and so they simply didn’t record more under the BB banner.

#2 – It appears from early on that at least Al was going to be doing some leads. So a pure “straight BW solo album” was probably never in the cards if we’re defining it as having only Brian singing leads. Al was recording early in 2013 from my recollection, and the early articles mentioning Beck, etc. made mention of Al leads.

#3 – While there was the one article vaguely alluding to “three albums worth of material”, the Beck stuff was never indicated as a FULL album worth of material. It sounds like they worked on several tracks together, but not only didn’t have anywhere near a full album’s worth of material recorded, but had no apparent plans to record a “Brian Wilson & Jeff Beck” album. The sessions have now been described as “aborted”, but I still think any Beck stuff would have been on a “Brian Wilson” album.

#4 – As already hashed out, based on what we know, this is not going to be necessarily an album full of other lead vocalists with Brian backing them. We have several names for what are either guest lead vocals or possibly joint leads/duets. Not only do we not know what the nature of the songs with the known names will be, we only have those names to go on. I haven’t seen anywhere near 10-12 names. Based on the information we have, my best guess as to the nature of a new album as currently planned would be a “Brian Wilson” album with some amount of the songs featuring guest lead vocalists or duets with Brian. I’m going to guess this album with have Brian’s name alone on the cover and spine, with a sticker showing something like “featuring duets with Lana Del Rey, Zooey Deschanel” and maybe, possibly “fellow Beach Boys Jardine, Marks, and Chaplin” if those guys’ contributions make it onto the album. If they end up using “Danny Boy”, and if the sticker on the cover is big enough, they may even put Beck’s name on there too.