https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL23KYUB8gO5xJ0m5pqJZyfGMZW4LnLwsX 

Try this link, it's all the Brian tracks from 1990 pitch corrected, then OOPSed. Pretty interesting...

Hi all! I've been away for awhile but I still lurk.

Couldn't help but notice this discussion on the 1990-91 Brian Wilson sessions. Just so happens I did a huge deep dive into this about a year and a half ago. I found a lot of info thanks to some of the members here as well!

Don't know if this link will work to the previous discussion, but most of the info y'all are looking for is here!

http://smileysmile.net/board/index.php?PHPSESSID=a9aa0b274b09f25e2c6cd3ea9cfcecad&topic=27917.0

Yay! Ask and you shall receive..."I Feel This Love" is another winner to my ears! Thanks for all the great music Brian...

My cousins say I ate the same.

Hi Terrei, didn't mean the Bellagio info, but the entire article I wrote. Poorly worded I know.

WillJC: Wow, complete BW Beatles covers recorded during the Landy era. I remember around 1994 BW was part of a special discussing Sgt. Pepper. He played segments of some of the songs (She's Leaving Home, With A Little Help, Day In The Life) and he sounded good on them, like he had been practicing the songs. I wonder if he was doing this regularly with a bunch of Beatles songs?

So Rob W. is on Country Feelin' too. Harder to hear with all the overdubs, plus the 1991 mixes seem to de-emphasize the bass. I like my Rob W. good and loud!

Ah-ooooou, Tante

Okay, "Is There A Chance" is one I forgot about. I heard it back in the day ('92 or so) and thought it was done after STD (oh that is a funny abbreviation!) I remember I liked it. That melody is classic no matter what you do with it.

Hey, does anyone think that the SI title came from the popular TV series "The Hogan Family"? It is sung by Roberta Flack and written by the team that wrote "Killing Me Softly".

It goes:
"Life is such a sweet insanity
seems the more you learn, the less you know..."

I noticed that Michael Bernard (BW's "programmer" as he was referrred to in an interview from the time) name is not on the AFM credits (or am I overlooking something?) I'll bet this guy has some stories to tell if he's still around.

Hey it's almost the 30th anniversary of the horrendous book tour. Did anyone think at that time that BW would still be alive, let alone kicking ass on the level he has the last 30 years?? Sorry if I sound like an awful Motley Crue song right now but it is pretty amazing. Hooray for Brian!!

I'm thinking back to that Today show appearance where they smeared BW with pancake makeup and sent him out there as stoned as can be. "The vocals are as good as John Lennon, I'm telling you that" Man he was selling this SI stuff!!

Anyway, signing off for now..."Ah-ooooou"

Tante

Okay, that's hilarious that BW just kept changing the title to whoever he was with at the time!!

I know the hotel jam version, didn't know he was singing "Mary Honey". Truth be told, that is my favorite version of all of them. It is REALLY interesting rhythmically.

Keep this stuff comin' y'all! Still hoping to find info on "I Feel This Love"...looks like it was worked on quite a bit during the early stages of BW88.

Tante

Again not mine but:

"Love and mercy to you and your friend's tuna."

BTW, the "So Long" fragment on BW's site sounds like a BW88 session to me. Was it to be part of different song? There was evidence of mixing and matching song parts around that time (Heavenly Lovers/Rio Grande) and I know there were attempts to revive some of the 86-87 material, but write Gary Usher's contributions out.

Anyway, thanks again y'all, I love reading about this stuff!

Hi WillJC, thanks for the awesome contributions! Thanks to Craig too..

So this is starting to look pretty complete. Thanks for the conf on Rob W. I know the fretless bass isn't to everyone's taste, but I thought he killed it on this stuff.

So "Hotter" was re-recorded for SI. Was the original much different?

They brought in a Brazilian producer to help with "Regrets". Awesome!!

I forgot about the Disney cassette with "Country Feelin'". I have it somewhere but can't find it. I remember it has complete credits. I think it came out in Spring 1991, while SI was still being prepped.

I dunno, "Love Ya", "Hotter" and "Country Feelin'" just have a different vibe than the rest of the tracks. Different studio? Different musicians? No Landy? He was coming and going by 1991 I think.

Thanks y'all! Great info WillJC. That 12/8 "Saturday Evening" sounds REALLY interesting to me.

c-man: Yeah "Carl and Gina" was talked about in BW Tape 10 from The Wilson Project. Gary Usher heard the recording at a fall 1987 meeting with Landy. He described it as "a really sloppy production, all high end and no bass". The song itself was the hiut of the wedding according to Landy.

RJM: No, the one on the BW site is the Paley version. A recording of the 1987 original exists in okay quality. It is less than two minutes long, is missing the bridge, and appears to utilize the same drum machine backing as "Planet Earth". I think there are female voices a la "Earth" also. This sounds like a demo in prep for the more elaborate version described by WillJC.

Aomdiddlywalla: No, the songs on the BW site are the Usher productions. I thought the same thing about Gary Jr. Maybe the rest of it will see the light soon?

"So Long" is a slightly different mix of the track which has circulated on collector's tapes since 1992. Same goes for "Let's Go To Heaven In My Car" but it is not the single version with the "heavenly" intro. "The Spirit Of Rock And Roll" sounds to my ears like the identical version used in the 25th anniversary special, with Brian's live lead vocal missing.

Hi CD!

Yeah, that tripped me out that Weird Al played on three Brian/SI tracks. "Rainbow Eyes" (the original recording) is actually one of my favorite BW pieces. It kinda gave me hope to hear that small segment during the "Brian's Song" 20/20 special that it wasn't all bad news.

Tante

Was looking at the fantastic session info Ian gave me about BW.

Just wondered if anyone here has heard these cuts from the 1987 BW sessions:

"I Feel This Love"
"Saturday Evening In The City"
"Carl And Gina"

Glad to hear some of the 1986-1987 Usher sessions coming out through BW's site. I heard a piece of "All Over Me" like 20 years ago (can't say how) it reminded me of Hall and Oates.

Anyway just curious. I am a TOTAL BW nerd, especially when it comes to this time period.

Thanks y'all,

Tante

OMG Ian!! This 1980s-1990s session info is a goldmine.

A couple of questions arise...did you happen to notice on the AFM sheets if Rob Wasserman played all of the bass on the "Brian" sessions? Sure sounds like him, and it is a HUGE part of the sound of the "Brian" stuff. Studio Ultimo seemed to be a common studio destination for BW during the 1987-1990 period. I have questions about some of the BW88 stuff I'll post in another thread (God forbid!)

With the session info from Ian and co., this only leaves "Love Ya" as a song specifically recorded for SI. When and where did this session take place? (as well as the many new overdubs for SI)

Just one more question (Columbo style..) Have any of the board members actually been to a "Brian" listening session? Was Landy there? Was it awkward??

Thanks everyone!

Tante

Ha ha you guys LMFAO!!! Nice to meet y'all.

Here's one I love, can't take credit for it though. Anyone remember the "candy apple pee" site?

I think this is from that site (Darlin')

I was livin' like apple man,
you beat me up when I'm feelin' sad

Now I sing that every time we see the rerun of "Big Bang"!

C.D. Better run better hide there's a black person in  my soul!! F'in classic...
KK-Mayge he meant the producer's chair!!

Okay checked that out Ian, great great info! So we now have:

June 23, 1990-"Spirit Of Rock And Roll" session (possibly the one with the Roth band and the picture on Waddy's site)

August 20-23, 1990-Studio Ultimo sessions for "Brian" album. All of the songs were worked on during this four day period except "Save The Day". These might have been instrumental tracking sessions for the project.

September 4, 1990-Brains and Genius session. All of the "Brian" songs were worked on except "Do You Have Any Regrets", "Save The Day", "Let's Stick Together" and "Smart Girls". Possibly a vocals-only session.

"Weird Al" also played accordian on "Rainbow Eyes" and "Angel"!

"Heal The Bay" benefit date is actually December 1, 1990.

Since there is no session info for "Save The Day", it's possible that this was entirely made at Brains and Genius given the "demo-ey" nature of the track. Interesting that there is no 1991 session info for SI. Curious...

Thanks again for the terrific info Ian!

Oh man that's a great one!! Just in time for Halloween...

Hi Ian! Thank you so much, don't know how I missed that. I could have really used this info (not that Wiki would have accepted it anyway) but this is all great stuff for us completists.

BTW-One more correction...it should say "Let's Stick Together" was re-recorded and released as "The Waltz".

Thanks again y'all!!

Tante

Hi Lonely Summer! Yeah, I think I've come to that conclusion too...

Now onto the rest of the Wiki entry!

Track-By-Track comparison between "Brian" and "Sweet Insanity"

The two sources for this comparison are the original mix of "Brian" that has circulated since late 1991, and the Brains and Genius "Sweet Insanity" cassette distrubuted to certain parties around the same period. Some fans prefer the original "Brian" mixes to the finished "Sweet Insanity" project (especially in the case of "Smart Girls") and there have been attempts to mix the two versions together, with interesting results. Higher quality versions of "Smart Girls" version 1 and "Let's Stick Together" have recently surfaced online.

The main differences in the two album mixes, which utilize the same backing tracks, can be found in the bass (believed to be performed by Rob Wasserman, judging by the credits for "Smart Girls" and the similar bass style used throughout "Brian") which is MUCH more prevalent on "Brian", and the more eclectic sounds in the mix being minimized in an attempt to make "Sweet Insanity" sound more commercial.

The two versions will be referred to as "Bri" and "SI" for this section.

"Concert Tonight": Only the fifteen second intro is used for SI. It appears to be the identical mix for both.

"Someone To Love": Slight lyric differences. Verse and chorus lyrics are answered on "Bri" with Brian speaking in suggestive tones words like "Oh baby, let me come inside". On SI, the lyrics are answered by singing.

"Water Builds Up": Very slight lyric differences. Brian's vocal is pitched lower in many spots on "Bri". Bass is much louder, as is the tea kettle whistle sound. Brian's new lead vocal mixed much louder on SI.

"Don't Let Her Know She's An Angel": Major lyric differences in first and second verses. Horns are mixed louder through verses on "Bri". Choruses appear identical on "Bri" and SI, save for drum machine additions.

"Do You Have Any Regrets" (aka "I Do"): Very slight lyric and musical differences, mainly the much louder bass on the "Bri" version. Fade uses more echo on SI.

"Brian" (aka "Thank You"): Intro starts with bass on "Bri", tinkly synths on SI. Lyrics are identical. Bass is louder as usual. Unfortunately the "stuck on Band-Aid" trumpet solo is on both versions.

"The Spirit Of Rock And Roll": Same lyrics. Brian sings all verses on "Bri", Bob Dylan trades verse vocals on SI. Brett Tuggle and Gregg Bissonette from David Lee Roth's band played on this, as well as guitarist Steve Hunter. A picture exists on Waddy Wachtel's site of them together at the session.

"Rainbow Eyes": Slight lyric differences, again the bass is much more prevalent on "Bri", and almost non-existent on SI. Six second outro utilized on SI; unknown if it was recorded for Bri and not used then.

"Make A Wish": Different bridge lyrics, louder instrumentation on"Bri", louder mix on SI. Music stops on bridge on SI except for synths. Slight lyric differences on verses.

"Smart Girls": Slightly different lead vocal, lower pitched and less "shouty" on "Bri". All Beach Boys song references are sung in multi-part vocal by Brian on "Bri". The original vocal takes bleed through on the SI mix. Many fans prefer the "Bri" version (at least as a novelty) over the sample-laden mess that is the SI version.

Musicians (this is based on the "Smart Girls" cassette credits and other mentions)

Brian Wilson-lead and background vocals, musical arrangements

Michael Bernard-keyboards, percussion, special fx, programmer

Rob Wasserman-Clevinger 4-String bass

Guest musicians:

Tim Weisberg-flute, piccolo

Paula Abdul-backing vocals

"Weird Al" Yankovic-accordian

Fred Katz-cello

Scott Page-saxophone

John Stamos-backing vocals

Guests on the "The Spirit Of Rock And Roll":

Brett Tuggle-piano, keyboards

Steve Hunter-guitar

Gregg Bissonette-drums

Bob Dylan-lead vocals (Note: Brian mentions Bob singing on his record at the "Heal The Bay" show. Whether this had taken plae by December 1990 is unknown, but his vocal is not on the "Brian" mix.,

Other possible guests: David Marks, Glen Campbell, Eugene E. Landy

Sources: "Wouldn't It Be Nice" (My Own Story), Brian Wilson and Todd Gold, Harper Collins, 1991.

Beach Boys Stomp, issues 79-92.

Brains and Genius "Smart Girls" cassette insert

Waddy Wachtel musician site: Sweet Insanity (unreleased 1989)

Beach Boys Convention video 1990

"Hotel Jam" video, July 2, 1990

"Heal The Bay" show, December 4, 1990 (collector's cassette)


OK that's it man! Thanks for reading.

"Sign said Sara Lee"
"You're sitting in a Dennis chair"
"Saigon all around" (Save The Day)
"Great Pacific Ocean Hispanic" (Kona Coast)
"Here comes a Bernie fire" (Let It Shine)
"Mike Love is burning brightly"

Okay here are some corrections:

The keyboard ate part of the opening paragraph. It should say:

The two versions of the album are quite different, and this will be discussed in depth in the section "Track-by-track A-B".

Videos were sold, not solod.
"Tree Songs"=three songs
"too uch"-too much

Glad to be part of the board!

Here is part two (and the rest of the timeline)

Late summer through late fall 1990-"Brian" listening parties. It was documented in Beach Boys fan magazines at the time that listening parties were sometimes held at Brains and Genius studio to obtain feedback on the cuts. One such party was attended by Don Was, who went on to produce both Brian and The Beach Boys in the mid-1990s. He described the tracks once as "maybe having too uch stuff on there, and he hadn't sorted out what to use yet". One person who was able to attend asked someone in the studio who was producing the album, and they pointed to Brian and said "he is".

December 4, 1990 (date unconfirmed)-"Heal The Bay" benefit. Three "Brian" songs were performed with backing tracks and possibly Rob Wasserman on bass. These are: "Water Builds Up", "Make A Wish", and "The Spirit Of Rock And Roll". Recordings emerged of backing and vocal tracks to these tree songs around the mid-2000s in near pristine quality. Close examination of the lone poor quality tape that exists of the "Heal The Bay" show reveal these to be the same recordings, mixed down for this performance (and possibly others).

Early December 1990-Meeting between Brian, Lenny Waronker, Seymour Stein, Eugene Landy and Alexandra Morgan to premiere what is referred to as an "unmixed" version of "Brian" to the Sire executives. It is possible that this version may have been thought of at the time by the studio team to be the finished version. The meeting did not go well, as documented in pg. 380-383 of the "Wouldn't It Be Nice" book.

This could be considered to be the end of this phase of the solo album project. Brian appeared on a cooking show shortly after the meeting. He made a dish called "Surfer Chicken" which he called "a collaboration between Eugene E. Landy, Alexandra Morgan and myself". He went on to discuss his frustration with the record company: "Our company thinks that we should go back in and fix it up a little bit. They said, well we like it, but they think we better fix it up, like the hard rock songs should rock a little harder, that the ballads should sing a little differently, so we said "ah well, okay, we'll do it". He then sings a piece of "Smart Girls" for the guests.

That's the end of the "Brian" timeline. Be back later with the track-by-track! Thanks again for reading.

Hi Billy C! Thanks for the greeting. OK here goes...my "Brian" wiki, warts and all!

Introduction

"Brian"" is the first version of the album project more commonly known as "Sweet Insanity".

As of early 2021, very little is known about the actual recording of this version of the album, other than the few references in the 1991 book "Wouldn't It Be Nice" (My Own Story), Beach Boys fan magazines from 1990-1991, and deep internet searching. The two versions of t

Timeline

Below is an attempt to construct a timeline of events surrounding the recording of these tracks.

Late February 1990-Brian Wilson tests out piano and vocal acoustics at the Brains and Genius studio in West Los Angeles before renovations were complete.

March 1990-"Brian" sessions commence upon completion of the studio. Songs that didn't make it to "Sweet Insanity" are as follows: "Let's Stick Together" (with guest star "Weird Al" Yankovic on accordion, later released as "The Waltz" with lyrics by Van Dyke Parks), "Save The Day", "Concert Tonight" (full version, only the vocal intro was used for "Sweet Insanity") and "The Spirit Of Rock And Roll' without Bob Dylan's verse vocals, which appear to have been added for "Sweet Insanity", as they are not part of the 1990 mix of "Brian". The recording of only one song is publicly known to have been pinned down to a date, which is the May 3, 1990 session for "Water Builds Up".

May 7, 1990-Stan Love press conference, Brian appears and reads statement.

July 2, 1990-The "hotel jam" featuring Brian, Bruce Johnston, Jeff Foskett and John Stamos, with Kevin Leslie behind the camera. "Brian" songs performed during this gathering were: "Someone To Love", "Rainbow Eyes", "The Spirit Of Rock And Roll" and "Brian".  None of the lyrics seemed to be complete to the songs other than "Spirit" (whih was written in 1986) or Brian possibly could not remember them at the time. It should also be mentioned that Bruce forcefully tries to help Brian rearrange "Rainbow Eyes', which Brian politely dismisses.

July 28, 1990-Brian's appearances at the Beach Boys Convention in San Diego, and the Hard Rock Cafe in La Jolla, CA. Brian only performed "The Spirit Of Rock And Roll" from the album. He is interrupted mid-performance by an assistant, who tells him to perform to the pre-recorded track instead. T-shirts were sold during the event that read "BRIAN WILSON The Spirit Of Rock And Roll" but it is unknown if this title was possibly being considered for the album. A video that was solod of the two appearances shows a clip of Brian dining with Eugene Landy and Alexandra Morgan afterwards.

(Footnote: The assistant who interrupted Brian's performance is also speaking about the "Spirit Of Rock And Roll" session at the beginning of the existing video. "You be Mike, you be Carl, etc." It is believed by some that this is the former Landy employee who is featured in shadow in the Prime Time Live special "Brian's Song", but this cannot be confirmed at this time.)

Part one ends here, more coming later today. Thanks for reading!

Sorry, I couldn't get those to upload. Will send text tomorrow morning (Pacific time)

Thanks again for your interest!

Hi Guitarfool, been enjoying your posts for sometime! All I have right now are cell phone pics of my finished Wiki post. I'll try to upload those first (there are ten photo images). They are not the best images so I can try to pull the text off them later.

ANY corrections, updates, current info, etc. on the "Brian" album are more than welcome in my book. This is the only topic I've felt compelled to do a Wiki on. BTW the 30th anniversary of the Prime Time Live special is in two weeks. It is mentioned on my Wiki because I believe the woman in shadow talking about Brian not being able to get calls is NOT Melinda as many people believe.

I'll get the Wiki photos up in myy next post if I can. Thanks GF!