It’s out!!

You know what would be awesome (but wouldn't actually happen)?   Since Rob Bonfiglio is (probably) on the road with The Lovin' Spoonful and Probyn Gregory is on the road with Weird Al Yankovic, it would be pretty cool if Scott Totten (if he was available) joined Al & The Pet Sounds Band for those shows.  I know Scott's been working with some touring musicals, so who even knows if he's available; just for the hell of it, I'll have to check out his Facebook page (we're Facebook friends) to see if he is touring with a musical during that time period. 

I would also love to see John Cowsill with Al & The Pet Sounds Band too, but I know (also from Facebook) that he and his wife Vicki Peterson (of The Bangles) are doing duo shows together (and I think have a duo album out), plus Cowsill has also been doing some shows as a guest vocalist with The Smithereens.

Harkening back to my previous post (quoted above), do we have any suspicion as to who Al's lead guitarist will be for the Pet Sounds Band shows?  I think I've seen that Al has had a couple (or so) lead guitarists since 1998, but since 2022, he's used either Probyn Gregory (on tour with Weird Al and his band) or Rob Bonfiglio (on tour with the remnants of The Lovin' Spoonful last I heard).  Since they will both be unavailable, I'm wondering if Ed Carter will join Al for the Pet Sounds Band shows (on lead guitar) or that Al will try to find someone who he used in the 1998-2021-ish period.  Personally, I think Scott Totten (if he's not currently touring with a musical) would probably be the best fit, with Ed Carter coming in at next best.  Anyways, I'm rambling now, so I'll stop here.

I'm surprised that they didn't do a 1965 box this year, hold off on 15 Big Ones/Love You/MIU until 2026, and then do Smile in 2027.  But then again, we never got the In Concert box we were hoping for in 2023 (EDIT: or 2024) or even part of a Beachago release either.

I've heard Crumple Car already, that's not a new song per say, it's been around for at least 20+ years, maybe even longer. Its ok, nothing special.

I've heard one version on YouTube as well; it's a nice vocal from Al, but I think the lyrics were a little strange (or at least the title is) if I recall correctly.  I wonder if he'll be replacing his vocal or if he'll just release the old recording as it is (or maybe with some overdubs here and there).  Supposedly, Islands in the Sun dates to the late 1990s, and Highway 101 might date to the early '90s.  I believe HeyJude has said elsewhere that the Neil Young collaboration is a little "more recent" than Islands in the Sun and Highway 101 (and maybe also Crumple Car?).

I find it weird that we're discussing using Paley sessions stuff on a Beach Boys album, when it wasn't even deemed usable for what became Brian's next solo album, Imagination.

I'm certainly not an expert, but I believe the reasoning there was that Joe Thomas (and supposedly Melinda) wanted Imagination to have an adult contemporary sound, which was a different sound than the more '60s-influenced Paley sessions had.

From looking around on Al's website, plus what we already know, we can expect four songs: "Islands in the Sun", "Highway 101", "Crumple Car", "My Plane Leaves Tomorrow"

Just a quick throwback:

Beach Boys Family & Friends on Regis and Kathie Lee (1998-11-23)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn1nKcKO5fY

That's an interesting clip. Not surprised Al got in trouble after this. It's very cheeky and seems like they are the only Beach Boys band......with their new single "Darlin"? 

I agree somewhat, but that seems to be on Regis Philbin or whoever gave him bad information.

You know what would be awesome (but wouldn't actually happen)?   Since Rob Bonfiglio is (probably) on the road with The Lovin' Spoonful and Probyn Gregory is on the road with Weird Al Yankovic, it would be pretty cool if Scott Totten (if he was available) joined Al & The Pet Sounds Band for those shows.  I know Scott's been working with some touring musicals, so who even knows if he's available; just for the hell of it, I'll have to check out his Facebook page (we're Facebook friends) to see if he is touring with a musical during that time period. 

I would also love to see John Cowsill with Al & The Pet Sounds Band too, but I know (also from Facebook) that he and his wife Vicki Peterson (of The Bangles) are doing duo shows together (and I think have a duo album out), plus Cowsill has also been doing some shows as a guest vocalist with The Smithereens.

I never realized Wink Martindale had such a BB history.  I had previously known him from his role as one of Elvis Presley's early local interviewers, and for some reason, until learning of his passing, I falsely assumed that the game shows he hosted were only Memphis-area local shows; I'll have to see if I can find some of his shows online, since I did follow him on Facebook for, I believe, two reasons: the Elvis connection and his large vault of unaired, unfinished, and/or vintage game show episodes and pilot episodes.

Hi everyone,

I really need to listen to more of these Wilson-Paley sessions songs.  I've listened to some on YouTube and/or Brian's official website, plus the band's versions of "Soul Searchin'" and "You're Still A Mystery" (and "Some Sweet Day" from Brian's Playback solo compilation (which I had a CD copy of but lost, unfortunately, before listening to any of it, other than listening to "Some Sweet Day" and "Run James Run" online).  I wonder if "Some Sweet Day" and/or Brian's version of "This Could Be The Night" would have been considered for this album, but I'm assuming they'd need to add/replace some of the existing Brian or Brian & Andy harmonies with parts for Mike, Al, Carl, Bruce, and Matt Jardine. 

For a while, I saw "Unleash the Love" mentioned here but kept thinking of "Summer in Paradise".  I wonder if a re-recording of "Summer in Paradise" could have worked as a potential Mike solo writing spot and as one song where he would sing lead (with some lyric revisions to/rewrites of at least the second verse, though), since very few people would have heard it in the first place.

I don't know the stories behind these songs as much as I'd like, so I have some quick questions for if/whenever anybody has a moment to answer them.  First, would Mike have likely been the lead vocalist on "Desert Drive"?  Do we know if any of these songs in particular were slated as potential vocal spots for Al, or would Al have brought something of his own in, like "Wish" or "Waves of Love"? Did Bruce have any songs that he could have contributed for his typical post-1979 one lead per album?   Would Carl have probably brought in some of the Beckley-Lamm-Wilson songs?  Finally, regarding "Dancin' the Night Away", am I remembering correctly that Mike (and Brian?) had recorded some vocals for this and that Carl had recorded both vocals and guitar for it before it was abandoned?  Thank you all in advance!!

It's pretty awesome to know that at least four of these shows are happening!!  One is close to my neck of the woods, so I'm definitely going to try do all I can to be there!!

Sorry to double-post, but while looking up the Surf City All-Stars, I saw that Al and David will also be joining them for a private show in Groton, CT on July 19th.

Here's the link to the Surf City All-Stars' website, where I read/"found" this: https://www.surfcityallstars.com/tourdates.html

If the Mike-Al thing wasn’t going to be able to be mended back in the 1998-early 2000s timeframe, then they should have added Al to Brian’s band back in the early-mid 2000s. Al wasn’t busy with anything, and it would have benefitted everybody musically. Yes, the politics of the various organizations were such that that was simply not going to happen at that time. And, there’s certainly an argument to be made that things like the 2004 “Smile” were things Brian needed to do solo without any attachment to the other BBs.

Ironically, a good time to add Al would have been in that 2006 timeframe when they *did* actually have Al guest at some shows in late 2006 and early 2007. Ideally, that would have just continued on instead of falling apart after it barely got started. Al wasn’t paid for those 2006/2007 gigs, so that’s probably part of why that didn’t take off back then.

It was ironically partly as a political maneuver that Al landed back in Brian’s band after C50 in late 2012 and into 2013. The Brian/Al/Dave 2013 tour was certainly meant to be a message to the Mike camp. While that exact format also didn’t last long, and while it took another aborted Mike-Al repairing with the infamous 2014 Jones Beach debacle to get Al back in Brian’s camp permanently, it was a nice way to see things finished out with Al by Brian’s side, essentially taking on (on stage at least) the Foskett role beside Brian from 2014 to 2022.

I’m still skeptical of how/if this new idea (and as I’ve said, and we all seem to agree, was/is of course a no-brainer excellent idea) will actually come to fruition. I think it’s likely *something* will come of it, some sort of date or short string of dates will be booked. But as I’ve said, it may end up being more like Al’s current “Endless Summer Band” show, just with some people from Brian’s band thrown in and renamed as “Al Jardine & The Pet Sounds Band.” And who knows, maybe just getting a show or a few shows under their belt will build some actual momentum to do more.

Hi HeyJude, was there ever a specific reason that Al wasn't allowed to interact with/talk to/visit Brian in the late 1990s-early 2000s?  (I've seen a brief clip of Al discussing this in a documentary from around that time, maybe the Endless Harmony documentary?  (I don't know which one it was because I haven't seen the full EH documentary, or wherever this clip was from if it was not from the EH documentary.)

It seems to me (not that I'm an expert) like, other than briefly during 2006-2007, that 2010-ish was around the time there seemed to be some thawing between the Brian and Al camps; this is when they did the We Are the World 25 for Haiti, which as far as I know was their first collaboration or appearance together since 2007.  I'd also like to think (based on what I've seen and read -- and just hope and optimism) hat they both enjoyed having a relationship/friendship again between C50 and Brian's final tour.

I don't think I agree with (what I think your argument is here about 2014/Jones Beach): since Brian/Melinda and Al had a good relationship in that time period, other than band politics, I don't see why Al couldn't have played Jones Beach with Mike, Bruce, and David Marks and then flown over to Europe to play the rest of Brian's tour with him.  Since Mike clearly has never wanted Al to return to the touring band full-time, maybe he could've done occasional gigs (California area, etc.) with M&B when Brian wasn't on tour.  I know the band politics is different here from David Marks sitting in with M&B for select shows in 2014 and 2015 (and supposedly once in 2016 according to a YouTube video of a full concert I 'found'/saw online).

The rest of this post is partly off-topic, partly ranting, so feel free to skip over the rest of it:

I know this is a much larger issue, and off-topic, but do you think there was any chance that Brian, Al, and Carl's estate would have voted to terminate or limit Mike's touring license if David Marks continued working regularly with Brian into 2014 and beyond?  I remember reading that Brian's camp announced they wanted to tour as The Original Beach Boys in 2013.

Also, I know you've discussed this elsewhere on the board, but I wonder why Al wasn't officially given equal billing in most/all of Brian's shows from 2013 to 2022; Al only missed/didn't join Brian for a handful of shows during that time, and maybe it could've helped Al with some limited name recognition once his three different touring lineups started up again from 2018 onwards.

I was lurking a little over at the EH board to hear their discussions about this topic, and it seemed that some (on that thread or another semi-related one) were trying to accuse Al of spreading false information?  (for example, regarding hopes of a brief 2021 reunion tour).  I wonder, had the pandemic not taken over the world in 2020, if what Al had suggested could've happened.  Maybe Brian would've performed vocally similar to how he did during his and Al's (and Blondie's) fall 2021 tour.  I had high hopes for Brian's tour in 2022 based off the YouTube videos I had seen in 2021, but obviously dementia (or whatever the specific similar diagnosis is) and possibly both mental and physical health played a role in that.  I will say, though, at the show I did see that tour that, at least at 'my' venue, the crowd appeared to be very sensitive (for lack of a better word) or understanding of Brian's health and performance as his and Al's set progressed.  I was happy to see that the audience lovingly joined in loud applause to show love to Brian (and Al, Blondie, and the band). 

Okay, rant over; sorry about that.   

Sorry to bring back an old thread, but I thought about the proposed HTTP --> HTTPS switch after reading about Troy Hunt, a Microsoft exec who also runs at least two cybersecurity websites, being deceived by a phishing email for one of his sites.  Hunt actually made this site as well (the one I'll be posting in a second at the end of this post) about the importance of upgrading for stronger cybersecurity.

I know that software reasons are also part of why we're still on HTTP, but I thought I'd post the link regardless just in case:

https://doesmysiteneedhttps.com/

This is not meant to put any intense pressure on Charles, but I just thought we could maybe discuss the pros and cons again.

Thanks!!

I don't know if anyone has heard a new interview with David Marks on a podcast called Discograffiti but supposedly it's very revealing, including (which I can't confirm because I haven't listened to it yet) that David Marks is embarrassed by his work with the band and their music.  If that's true, I find that really disappointing because I thought he had started to appreciate his role in the band in the 1990s and 2000s, and especially during/after the reunion tour.

Here's the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUqaETLS5fc

I haven't seen the video, but my first guess would be the Tune Weavers' "Happy Happy Birthday Baby".

I forgot about Don't Worry Baby -- I guess what I meant and should have said was: what was his last session as an official member during his first stint (late 1963) before he guested on "Don't Worry Baby" (1964) and then much later TWGMTR sessions (2011-2012).  No pressure for an answer, of course; I was just curious.

Merry Christmas WillJC!!  Oh it's too bad David Marks isn't on it.  So is the session for "Drive-In" the last (known?) studio session he played on?  Thanks in advance!!

(Oh, and basses on "Little Saint Nick?  I'm intrigued.)

I'll also add that my previous source was (I believe) the general consensus from 2022, so thanks to WillJC (and the whole team) for the updated and confirmed information!!

According to Adam Marsland (in one of his Pet Squares videos) and the wonderful sessionography team (including, but not limited to, board members c-man, Joshilyn Hoisington, and WillJC), the song features the actual band themselves (minus Mike) and plus Murry on celeste.  This may have been one of David Marks' final sessions with the band during his first stint.

What's a shame is (for 1974) they could definitely put out a small EP digitally.  I can think of at least four songs: a 1974 version of "Good Timin'" without 1978 overdubs, the infamous "Battle Hymn of the Republic", maybe some of the backing track for "It's OK", and the backing track for "Honeycomb" (IIRC, Mark Linett and Alan Boyd currently don't have Marilyn's lead vocal for "Honeycomb").  And there could potentially be a couple of live songs (classics or rarities) that could be included as well.  I don't think this would be that expensive, and it could build diehard fans' hopes for a potential Brian's Back box set.

I also agree that there's definitely more from 1963-1965 that could be covered too.

RIP Andy Paley.  I guess this will be the ultimate motivation for me to finally check out more of Brian and Andy's sessions.

One that I love is from Kris Kristofferson's "The Pilgrim: Chapter 33": the line is "he's a walking contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction."

Got to admit, when you mentioned going on tour with ‘Weird Al’ I had to re-read it for the correct context. Got it now.  
I doubt the sums work for a Al (Jardine) tour with Brian’s band tbh, and ever would. Al’s found a sweet little niche for himself with his trio. Something different with a ‘Story Teller’ twist that works. I don’t think it is an insult to call it a hobby band. It is and at a minimal cost. Does he really need the stress of a bigger business/ high risk outfit at 82? Definitely not.

I don't think Al does the Storyteller shows anymore.  I'd love to see him in any format; it's too bad that he has barely any name recognition and that promoters won't/aren't able to book more dates for him.

Is anyone else having issues with downtime randomly?  I started typing a long post and lost it after I hit submit.  For that reason, I'm going to keep this one short.   

So I was "lurking" over at the other board the other day, and I saw their thread about Al possibly going on tour with Brian's band.  I think it is very interesting that David Leaf has endorsed the idea.  Just curious, but do we know if he is still in contact with/close with Brian?

Yes, I suppose all of the BRI shareholders are rich enough that they could float some length of touring out of pocket, or partially out of pocket. But touring costs add up fast. I don't think Al could pay fully out of pocket for like a year-long tour.

Could he pay the band members at the same rate and just cover any shortfalls that ticket sale revenue doesn't cover, for like a 5 or 10-gig mini tour? I would assume so. Is it fair to expect that of him, or ask that of him? I have no idea.

I think Al has been breaking even or losing a bit of money on his own touring for awhile now. So I don't think he cares too much about money. But I don't know if he's interested in cutting checks for hundreds of thousands of dollars to do 6 gigs with Brian's band.

They could try to amortize the touring cost a bit by maybe doing a quickie live album or something, I dunno.

I guess I didn't realize how expensive touring can be, especially with a band the size of Brian's.  I'm personally guessing that, if at least a couple shows go through, that Al will use Ed Carter and Bobby Figueroa too (in place of Bob Lizik and Mike d'Amico), or maybe not use Jim Laspesa and have Bobby Figueroa on drums and Mike d'Amico on percussion (or vice-versa?). 

On a semi-related topic, how did Joe Thomas have the connections to finance something like C50 anyway?