This was the inside of 20/20, for those of you too young to have bought the album. The other guys are on the outside and Brian's on the inside--meaningful, or so I thought way back then.

I saw this when it first appeared on TV. It was sad. I don't think I'd want to see it again. All I remember was that by then everyone knew that there was something very, very wrong w/ Brian Wilson; part of the "Brian's Back" campaign was to expose all of the problems he'd been through. It was the beginning of the focus on Brian as not quite there as opposed to Brian the musician. 

Carl's solo albums might have been weak (though I still love Heaven and a couple of the other ballads--the kind of music he was striving to turn away from), but I wouldn't categorize them as blunders. It was important for him to make the break from the group at the time, and I loved seeing him play solo.

As for blunders, Sir Rob pretty much read my mind w/ his list, from the problems with the image-making to Monterey to not releasing Smile.

And as for how much Carl smoked, years ago (I'd say in the early 70s or late 60s) I read that he smoked 2 packs a day, at least then. Amazing that he could sing the way he did, isn't it, given that habit?

I have an interview Brian gave to an east coast radio DJ just a few months ago... and in it he says he liked Dennis solo record, but that he DID NOT  like Carl's two.


He's always right, isn't he? I'm not surprised he feels this way, but it's interesting that he actually admits to this. Any more details about this interview? Did he specify why he didn't like Carl's albums?

As far as Brian liking Pacific Ocean Blue, I do remember at least one interview in which he praised it. I also remember him saying that Dennis had learned a lot from him.