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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Brian Wilson - 2018 Tour Thread
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on: July 18, 2018, 10:26:52 AM
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Hi ; I haven’t been on in quite a while but wanted to add to this discussion. I wanted to say that Brian has had these back issues for years and has had several procedures done since 2012 ; three to my recollection. The most extensive however, was the lower back surgery he had a few months ago. Back surgery is a rough deal ; the rehab from back surgery is a bitch to say the least. I can verify that from personal experience. Brian is in the rehab process of rebuilding the strength in his legs which has been deteriorating for awhile , pre-surgery, and it’s going to take time. He’s getting there slowly but surely ; and he’s doing it on the road because that’s what he wants to do, play his music and touring.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Mike Love Do It Again 2017 Promo FIlm
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on: July 20, 2017, 07:34:22 PM
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It's a theory that I can't agree or disagree with due to lack of facts. I just think it's possible.
That's pretty specious reasoning in my opinion. I could say that Mike wanted to marry Melinda during the 2012 tour, and we don't really have any facts that prove or disprove that either. I think there's zero evidence Melinda wanted Brian to leave the BBs in 2012. The fact that Brian participated in a 73-date tour with the band, produced and wrote their album, had plans to write and produce another, and wanted to book gigs at Wrigley Field and Madison Square Garden would all tend to undercut this weird claim. The only thing this claim could possibly do is absolve Mike of the blame for ending C50, which seems pretty convenient. Even *Mike* doesn't refute that Brian wanted to continue the reunion and he (Mike) didn't. Further, why would Brian and Melinda continue to work with David Marks and Al Jardine on tour in 2013 if she wanted to separate Brian from the band and go back to being "solo." Not to mention, Brian doing solo stuff and being in the BBs wouldn't have been mutually exclusive anyway. So I'm calling bulls**t on this "theory." Meanwhile, what if Mike secretly was upset about TWGMTR because he *actually* wanted to write with Joe Thomas, not Brian? What if it was David Marks that secretly was behind the autotune? What if Mike was the one who actually didn't want Ambha to sing "Sail on Sailor" and was secretly hoping Melinda would successfully get that dropped from that setlist? I can make up all sorts of fun stuff. I am calling complete bullshit to this nonsense theory. Brian was clear : " I am a Beach Boy now". He started working on a followup to TWGMTR and as far as he was concerned he would remain a Beach Boy. Look who is on the stage with Brian FFS. It's as bogus as " Melinda attached autotune devices to the mics". Bullocks
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: The Beach Boys Wild Honey(Sunshine Tomorrow) 2CD Set?
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on: July 01, 2017, 05:11:35 AM
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Jann Wenner was right about one thing -- the BBs weren't much of a live unit in 1967. Listening to the Detroit recordings here, I keep thinking, surely these are just rehearsals -- but no, there's applause at the end.
William; I started seeing the band in 1965, Brooklyn Academy of Music. They were great. Saw them several times 66/67/68. They were great. Jann Wenner, in my opinion, at that time was in the "The Beach Boys are irrelevant; they are not The Beatles " San Francisco camp. I am not sure if this is his quote but it sums up that period :" I would rather "Get Back" with The Beatles than "Do it Again" with The Beach Boys " I disagree wholeheartedly with Jann Wenner circa late 60's !
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: \
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on: July 01, 2017, 05:03:59 AM
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I was always perplexed though about the mix ; it always sounded like I was playing it in a submarine. Until this. This stereo mix explodes with musical colors, stuff I have never heard before.
Ray, I appreciate this comment. Being a radio guy attuned to audio, I always found Wild Hney to sound "muddy." Point of fact, and I know some people will not like this, I always found the unreleased SMiLE materiao also sound a bit muddy...even the stereo outtakes. Hearing the stereo remix of Wild Honey, I am amazed at the clarity and coloration of this material. I felt the same way after hearing the Pet Sounds box set. These mono mixdowns back in the day negatively affected the high end of the audio. This is magnificant to hear. John. Muddy. That was the elusive word I was looking for ! Someone posted it is like lifting a cover off your speakers. This mix , in my mind, eliminates the "made at home" sound , and shows it was recorded beautifully
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: \
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on: June 29, 2017, 07:41:56 PM
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This feels like you are diving into the stained glass window.
I am stunned at what I am hearing.
Like a few people on this board I lived through the disappointment of SMiLE and the crushing disappointment of Smiley Smile. Then seeing the group in late November in Westchester County and hearing Darlin' live before the record came out. Then ; a short few months after Smiley Smile is released here comes the Wild Honey album. Loved it from the first needle drop. I have never heard another record that sounded anything like it , and still haven't. I was always perplexed though about the mix ; it always sounded like I was playing it in a submarine. Until this. This stereo mix explodes with musical colors, stuff I have never heard before.
I need to indulge myself a bit. I got thinking ; what if all these tracks on SS/WH were mixed like this ? What if there weren't two completely disparate releases , but rather a double record that included all the SS/WH stuff , as well as some of the Lei'd in Hawaii stuff; in other words The Beach Boys version of the White Album , only a year earlier.
Or some variation of that. It would have been a monolith record , in this pristine sound , and I cannot help wonder how 1968 forward would have been. I see and hear a very active Brian Wilson, fully engaged with the group , working on a ton of product. It's all here; great songs, great performances, spectacular vocals , new takes on older material. If only.
I will get my coat now
Gosh, Ray, I absolutely love that "stained glass" line! Obviously we had similar experiences with the original release of WILD HONEY, and somewhat similar experiences with "Sunshine tomorrow". I just literally blew my mind, listening to disc 1 driving down the coast from Santa Barbara through Malibu to West L.A. Somehow there was no traffic, and the timing was perfect, as the "Mama Says" sessions were just wrapping up as I hit traffic on the Santa Monica Freeway. It made me want to turn right around and drive back to Santa Barbara to listen to disc 2, until I walked in to news reports of the hills of Malibu being on fire... O.K., I won't let that spook me, I'll just slip on the old headphones and listen to it here Ed ; I expected a really stellar mix ; some studio stuff I have never heard. I was gob smacked. In 1967, I used to put my ear on the speaker to hear everything . There is so much on these discs that I never knew was there ; hearing it fresh 50 years on is astounding! I am hearing things on the Smiley Smike stuff that just opened it up for me ; for example Fall Breaks. For 50 years I never could figure out the Woody Woodpecker Symphony. It is the "candle music" Now I know ! The vocal arrangements and singing is astounding. As for the live stuff ; another revelation. So THIS is what they would have sounded like at Monterrey. Last time for the original five; these live sessions. Oh. And Brian's lead on Here Comes the Night just went into my top ten ! Kudos to all involved in bringing this to fruition.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: \
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on: June 29, 2017, 01:16:01 PM
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This feels like you are diving into the stained glass window.
I am stunned at what I am hearing.
Like a few people on this board I lived through the disappointment of SMiLE and the crushing disappointment of Smiley Smile. Then seeing the group in late November in Westchester County and hearing Darlin' live before the record came out. Then ; a short few months after Smiley Smile is released here comes the Wild Honey album. Loved it from the first needle drop. I have never heard another record that sounded anything like it , and still haven't. I was always perplexed though about the mix ; it always sounded like I was playing it in a submarine. Until this. This stereo mix explodes with musical colors, stuff I have never heard before.
I need to indulge myself a bit. I got thinking ; what if all these tracks on SS/WH were mixed like this ? What if there weren't two completely disparate releases , but rather a double record that included all the SS/WH stuff , as well as some of the Lei'd in Hawaii stuff; in other words The Beach Boys version of the White Album , only a year earlier.
Something like this :
Side 1
Heroes and Villains I'd Love Just Once to See You Can't Wait Too Long Game of Love With Me Tonight The Letter Wonderful Aren't You Glad
Side 2
Darlin' Country Air Wind Chimes Let the Wind Blow Gettin' Hungry You're So Good to Me rehearsal Vegetables A Thing Or Two
Side 3
Wild Honey All Day ( Whistle In...or as Brian calls it Remember the Day How She Boogalooed It I Was Made To Love Her With a Little Help from My Friends Help Me Rhonda rehearsal Lonely Days She's Goin'Bald Here Comes the Night
Side 4
Good Vibrations rehearsal Fall Breaks Heroes and Villains rehearsal Little Pad. Mama Says Cool Cool Water God Only Knows rehearsal Surf's Up
Or some variation of that. It would have been a monolith record , in this pristine sound , and I cannot help wonder how 1968 forward would have been. I see and hear a very active Brian Wilson, fully engaged with the group , working on a ton of product. It's all here; great songs, great performances, spectacular vocals , new takes on older material. If only.
I will get my coat now
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Did the beach boys get the shaft when it came to chart positions?
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on: January 19, 2017, 07:24:21 AM
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I don't agree that they were a singles band more than an album band. The Beach Boys were selling a lot of albums in an era where rock bands not named the Beatles were not selling a lot of albums. Oh sure, a group like Dave Clark 5 or Herman's Hermits may have had a couple albums (aside from greatest hits/best of's) in the top 10, but they were not in the top ten, year after year, like the BB's were. I don't know that going to #1 is all that important; sure, it's nice, but only 4 of their singles hit the top spot. What is impressive is how they kept hitting the top 10 year after year with nearly every release until Smiley Smile. Pet Sounds was a failure that peaked at #10. I'd sure like to have a failure like that!
I'd like to jump in on this. My first exposure to The Beach Boys was via the single Surfin' Safari in a jukebox, 1962. By 1963 their albums were huge ; and the transition from a singles culture to an LP culture solidified with the release of Meet the Beatles. We all started buying albums , as well as singles. The Billboard LP charts show the following: SurfinnUSA #2. Surfer Girl #7 Little Deuce Coupe # 4. Shut Down Vol 2#13. All Summer Long # 4 Beach Boys Concert #1. Beach Boys Christmas Album #6 Beach Boys Today #4. Summer Days and Summer Nights #2 Beach Boys Party #6 Pet Sounds #10. Where I am from ( New York) , there were the big three: Beach Boys , Beatles , Rolling Stones. The fans themselves were in our own competition to debate which album by which group was better. As they grew musically so did their audience. The singles were great and were the vehicle to hear your favorite stuff on your transistor radio's or your car. But the culture itself was the album. Those chart numbers reflect huge album sales. My circle was seriously vested in the LO culture
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Some \
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on: October 26, 2016, 11:32:11 AM
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I am traveling in Europe and just saw this , and I have to comment on the issue ,as it is to me, really bizarre. I am speaking solely as a friend ; I do not work for or represent the Wilson organization to be completely clear. All I can tell you is that I sat at the table in the hotel , in Boston when they were playing Boston Symphony Hall, with Brian and Jerry , while Brian signed at least , over 500 pages to be inserted into the book. Diligently, over two days, two boxes of pages that were FedEx'd to the hotel for him to sign ; there was serious time pressure; Brian bitched about it, but did it. So for me, this whole episode makes zero sense. That's all I have to contribute. R
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Specifics on Brian's extraction from Landy
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on: October 15, 2015, 06:04:32 PM
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In the interest of " historical accuracy ". On the BW 88 album, my original copy, Love and Mercy is credited to Brian Wilson and Eugene E Landy. I asked Brian last week for a very specific reason , what exactly did Landy write on Love and Mercy. Answer: " I wrote every note and every word. He wrote nothing , just put his name on it. ". I'm going to ask him more next week when I see him about Landy's contributions to specific songs.
Signing off
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Recent Mike Love Interview - Bakersfield Californian
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on: September 24, 2015, 06:14:09 AM
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Say what you want about the dreaded un-named "handers"...but just because you don't want to think there are any doesn't mean there aren't any. It's more subtle and clever then you'd think. Like Mike, I'll leave it at that.
No , don't leave it at that. Name these handlers. I would like to know who they are. A few members of SS were at a Barnes and Noble event for Love and Mercy in Tysons Corner , Va. Last week. I would ask them to chime in and identify the handlers they saw.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Brian / Al / Blondie Summer 2015 Tour Thread
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on: July 17, 2015, 09:30:22 PM
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Ray Lawlor posted a number of times explaining what Jeff Foskett did and didn't do while he was with Brian, and during which eras different people helped Brian out in different roles. Not sure whether "caretaker" is the best term to use. I don't think Brian went out and found a literal "replacement Jeff", other than in a musical sense of finding falsetto replacements.
I'd say on stage, Al surprisingly fills a bit of a Foskett-esque role as far as being in a physical/literal sense Brian's right-hand man (or I guess he's on Brian's left technically).
Hey Jude ; thanks ; I wanted to speak up and say there is no "caretaker" and I agree with your comment that it is not the best term to use ; Brian does have a personal assistant as do countless other people in the entertainment industry, and for those of us who saw this tour , it was fairly apparent that he does not require any backup support on stage. Jeff was ultimately replaced on stage and studio by Matt Jardine, who has done a stellar job on both the falsetto parts , as well as the lead vocals he has been handed. There was great interplay between Brian and Al , the by product of knowing each other since high school I would think ; there was a great rapport with Blondie as well, and Brian loves his vocals as well as energy. The band,as I have said several times is the best in the world, in my opinion , kicked it up another notch on this tour; I think , feeding off a Brian Wilson that quite frankly , most of us had not seen before.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: The Brian Wilson Band
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on: June 23, 2015, 12:30:14 PM
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I am jumping back to this thread because I saw the video of " Wake the World/Busy Doin' Nothing" from the Greek Theatre in LA, and to again remind everyone how great this band is. Recreating the exact sonic feel of the Friends LP , live , is incredible; something I thought I would never hear, just like every other project this band has tackled. Pet Sounds, SMiLE, TLOS. Gershwin. All of the complicated arrangements from 1962 to present , done live. Each one of these guys is a brilliant musician; all can play multiple instruments, and are all great singers as well. And as someone said earlier on the thread , really all great guys on top of it all , who are kind and gracious to the fans. Best band I have personally ever seen , by a mile. Oh yeah , and you get to see Brian , Al and Blondie as well. Go see them .
I guess I would rather talk about musically brilliant stuff than waste five minutes of my life reading and speculating about some Twitter comments; a medium I will never comprehend !
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Love and Mercy and myth?
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on: June 19, 2015, 08:12:44 AM
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I'll tell you one thing which I haven't even touched on in any writings on the film I've done so far. The set design, the staging, and everyone responsible for the props, design, and "look" of the film in my eyes deserves the highest praise if not an official award for their work. Yes, I'm trying to put a positive thing in this thread and get people smiling and happy about something. And I know there are threads for reviews... I'm a studio guy, a guitar geek, and a history buff, I look for the visuals and the props and the little touches on the sets of TV shows and films. I'm a music and history nerd and a studio/gear geek, a deadly and expensive combination. Darian and Mark respectively did amazing work on the studio scenes. Everything from the period-correct instruments, to recreating a 1966 control room and studio setting down to the patch cables and tape boxes and talkback mic...it was spot-fucking-on. Brilliant work. And having the studio musician actors actually playing the parts when the camera is on the studio floor...what a great touch. And it worked brilliantly in the film. When the camera zoomed in on the song being recorded on the floor, you heard it being played on the floor by real musicians playing the "right" instruments. You had the guitarists playing Fenders who played Fenders in the 60's on these dates. That stuff is priceless. It'sn the stuff to *enjoy*. I like focusing on *that* and enjoying *that* with fellow music nerds and fans instead of worrying about Murry blankety-blank Wilson's opinion of songs, but that's just me. A Danelectro Bellzouki. If you haven't seen the film, you won't know what that means but for the few seconds it's on the screen, it's magic for nerds and geeks like me. And...historically accurate. I agree. You could not ask for two better guys to handle the studio scenes. Mark owns so much of that original equipment and did an incredible job staging it. Darian is simply brilliant in his musical knowledge; watching those studio scenes is like being in a time machine ; I love the fact that the bulk of the dialogue is pulled directly from the session tapes , adding to the authenticity. And yeah, that Danelectro Bellzouki slayed me as well !
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