Just to offer my perspective (and leave it at that):

The line at the start of the story was intended to give a general reader with no sense of/interest in the Beach Boys a very quick, very broad outline of the arc of Brian's career before diving in. I consider it accurate: Brian did retreat, for many reasons; he was less productive and creative, especially after Sunflower, than he was prior to Smile; he did indulge in drugs; he did suffer from mental illness; and he has reentered the Beach Boys orbit more fully now than at any time since the late 1960s, with the possible exception of Love You.

Later in the article, I provided as much detail about the post-Smile years as I could afford to provide, considering my space restrictions and my general-interest audience. The one line I do regret writing was the one about Brian "usually" offering "only two or three songs per album"; that was meant to refer to 1971-1976 but sounds, due to some subsequent editing, as if it encompasses 1967-1970 as well. I will ask my editor if I can add a sentence or two to the web version about the Smiley Smile to Sunflower period. I love all of those records and they deserve to be included in the story.

NB: I do mention Love You and even Adult Child a few paragraphs later.

[How did you first hear about this reunion? How did it come together?]

I wonder why Brian all of a sudden wanted to make a Beach Boys album

I asked Brian about that and I STILL wonder. I spoke to him before I spoke to Joe Thomas and he gave absolutely no indication that he was the one who set the wheels in motion:

How did you first hear about this reunion? How did it come together?
Mike Love called my wife and said, 'Ask Brian if he wants to do a 50th-anniversary tour' last year, and we said yeah.

Two interesting things to note here (which I'm only noting in retrospect). 1. Brian specifically refers to the "tour" and not the album, so he's not denying that he triggered the recording project. He's just not telling me that part.  2. Mike spoke to Melinda, then Melinda spoke to Brian. "We"--meaning Melinda and Brian--then said yes. A pretty tidy summary of that whole dynamic.

As sphinx-like as Brian can be--interviewing him was like pulling teeth--he always knows exactly what he's revealing (or not revealing). It took transcribing the interview to see that, however. In the moment it felt like a disaster.

Also, there's this:

When Q magazine asked you last year, you said “there's been talk that I was going to join the Mike Love group, but it's not true." You also said that you didn't like working with "the guys." What changed your mind?
I just wanted to give it another try.

How has it been working out so far?
It's been wonderful. It's been working out great.

So you've been surprised?
Yeah.

Says it all, pretty much.

Here's what Mike told me about the deal with Capitol:

Capitol was interested enough in what we could do in the studio, so they offered us a record deal to do a new studio album and a compilation and so on.

"New studio album" = Radio.

"Compilation" = Zinepak, I'm guessing, unless there's yet another "Greatest Hits" in the works.

"And so on" = who knows what. 

Al in particular was very eager to release another studio album--and Joe said there's more than enough material--so that may eventually be an option, depending on how the current reunion pans out. My guess is that the "three-record deal" with Capitol is why they're all speculating about another LP: they know it might have a home if it ever materializes. Which, of course, is a big "if."

Glad to hear you guys are enjoying the interview. Should I really start another thread? Or would it be better to post a link in the "New Album Info" thread? Or just let it be? I defer to the experts... In fact, if anyone else wants to take the baton and find the proper place for it, I'd be happy to step aside. Don't want to be too self-promotional.

Hi everyone,

This is Andrew Romano, the author of the article in question. Just wanted to say thank you for the lively discussion and point out that I've posted the entire transcript of my interview with Joe Thomas over on my personal blog:

http://andrewromano.tumblr.com/joethomasbeachboys

It's one of the most in-depth accounts of the writing and recording of the new LP to date, so I thought my fellow Beach Boy fanatics would want to read it.

Apologies in advance for any typos.

Thanks again,
Andrew