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| July 15, 2025, 11:02:18 AM |
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: BeachBoysTalk Episode 10: Bobby Figueroa
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on: March 29, 2021, 07:41:28 AM
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This was a really great podcast with Bobby offering some great information about his touring years with the boys. Loved his comments about the personal relationship he had with each of them as well. I wish Bobby would do a book for classic Beach Boys fans it would be very well received
Thanks Tony! He was so great to talk with - like talking with an old friend! Appreciate you checking it out! |
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: My site updates 1967
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on: March 01, 2021, 09:01:46 AM
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I have updated BeachBoysgigs.com to include 1967 up to but not including the May 1967 European tour-so if you want to look at the first half of 1967 (or 1961-1966) they are up on the gigs section-with photos from gigs, reviews if they exist (many newspapers by 67 did review shows but many still did not), etc. Here is a link to 1967 https://www.beachboysgigs.com/1967-2/ I have also have an additions blog-that list shows up (so far) to 1969 that were not included in my book with Jon, as I have discovered them since (the list of discoveries since that time is getting pretty lengthy-but I feel that rather than a new book-this website is enough for now) Thank you so much for your hard work, Ian!! |
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / BeachBoysTalk Episode 8: Special Guest - Fred Vail
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on: February 25, 2021, 11:51:27 AM
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Hi Friends! My brother and I are so pumped for this Tuesday! We will be talking to the legend, Fred Vail! Hope you can join us!! We will also be doing your Top 3 favorite live concert recordings, Would You Rather, Call In Trivia, and All Request! Any donations taken during the show will go to honor Dennis and Carl to SHOWER UP and The American Cancer Society. PLUS: Fred will be giving away a piece of memorabilia from his private collection! Hope y'all can join us - going to be a fun one!! Matt and Greg Visit us Here: https://www.facebook.com/BeachBoysTalk |
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: What if the Wilsons had had a neighbor that played drums in 1961?
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on: February 24, 2021, 08:06:18 AM
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They get him and Marks as the neighbor guys. This time when Audrey forces Dennis in, it would be as a singer. He would be freed up from drumming and could sing lead and harmony as he had done since the first album (in the studio.) The live harmony would be huge with an extra voice on each song. Sorta on a different note, isn't it strange that on most of The Beach Boys albums, Dennis doesn't drum a whole lot, but he sings lead and harmony on every album. Then on stage, he mostly drummed and didn't sing a whole lot. How I miss Dennis Wilson!!!!!
Interesting! Do you think Dennis would have been in the group at all? |
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / BeachBoysTalk Episode 5: Best Wilson/Love Collabs - Favorite Album Covers!
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on: February 16, 2021, 11:34:29 AM
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Hey Friends!
I hope you are all doing well! We are back at it again tomorrow night with just me and Matt! We will be talking best (and worst) album covers, the best Wilson/Love collaborations, Would You Rather, Call-In Trivia (we will see if this works haha) and of course, All Request!
Best of all - we will be announcing our next big guest - we are SO STOKED to have this guest on!
Hope to hang out with y'all tomorrow night at 8pm EST - Facebook or Twitch! (BeachBoysTalk)
Thanks!
Greg and Matt
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Was a Beatles-like career arc ever possible for the Beach Boys?
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on: February 12, 2021, 02:05:17 PM
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Anything is possible, so here goes:
1) better PR management that emphasized the guys as each having something to offer the culture of the time (instead of emphasizing the supposed represented culture (surfing, cars), make The Beach Boys themselves the epicenter of the band in terms of PR). When I was a kid, before I had even heard 3 Beatles songs I knew who John, Paul, George, and Ringo were due to their impact on pop culture as people. Whereas I actually listened to The Beach Boys a lot as a kid and only heard of Brian Wilson after researching the band in my late-teens. Their surfing/car image seemed to really hurt them post 1969 (until the Endless Summer began).
2) a willingness to not haphazardly put together albums (ie, no albums full of filler - especially in the early years. Though Surfer Girl and LDC are pretty much filler free in my opinion, Shut Down Vol II is a complete disaster compared to any Beatles album at that same time - even though SDV2 has some of the best beach boys songs on it).
3) a much better bond between each band member. I think had each and every band member been more respectful of the individual desires/needs of their fellow bandmates, the band would’ve flourished with creativity and harmony. This would’ve over-rid any need for a 10 year breakup: these guys seemed to be just getting started in terms of band-contributed creativity 10 years after they first got together. Had #1 on my list happened, then I feel like The Beach Boys wouldn’t have been pushed to the side in the 70s...giving their music on Sunflower and Surf’s Up a chance to thrive in the culture.
Had any of this^ happened, their entire discography would be completely different. And perhaps to a fault. The Beach Boys are exactly who they needed to be. I just find it incredible that the pieces of this universe fell into place for these guys to get together and create the music that they did...even with all the kinks. And I think over time The Beach Boys will continue to ascend in popularity as far as genius of the music goes....so them being as popular as the Beatles isn’t really a concern to me. But it is, no doubt, interesting to think about.
Yes to #2!!! |
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: BeachBoysTalk Episode 5: Special Guest- Robert White Johnson!
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on: February 12, 2021, 07:39:39 AM
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Just want to chime in and confirm how great this episode was and how good they have all been – I have been tuning in and participating in the chat every week since the second episode (I'm FeelFlows409 in the Twitch chat). To anyone who hasn't checked out the streams yet but is considering potentially doing so, I highly recommend it. Kudos to Greg and Matt for doing such awesome work with this.
FeelFLows!!! Thanks so much for this review - it really means a lot! Love chatting with you every week about our favorite group - let's do it again! Greg |
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: BeachBoysTalk Episode 5: Special Guest- Robert White Johnson!
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on: February 12, 2021, 07:38:44 AM
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After trying to watch in realtime (bandwidth traffic issues, getting kicked out of the feed multiple times), I caught up with the replay on the next day. That was a truly informative interview with Robert. He gave some excellent insights into Carl. Thank you.
Hey Emdeeh! I am so sorry you weren't able to hang in real time - but I am glad and appreciative of you watching! It was so cool to speak with Robert - so glad you enjoyed it. Hopefully you can join us live next week! |
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Great 1985 footage
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on: February 08, 2021, 08:02:07 AM
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What is also worth noting is this quote from Steve:
"Brian and I would chat endlessly about this Song & Lyric Concept- …how the band would be very difficult with him when he was creating Pet Sounds…we bonded over these stories…. Producer to Producer….."
Even in previous interviews I got the feeling that Steve and Brian bonded in a way that didn't happen with other band members, perhaps because they both had the experience working as producers and creating multiple hit records (and that's a pretty exclusive club in the music biz), or just as two people who formed a friendship. It would have been nice to see what could have come from a later collaboration if that had happened on a larger scale.
But the fact they were talking about how the band was being "very difficult" with Brian during Pet Sounds (and later, of course, Smile) can be added to the group of various voices who have confirmed that this was the case at least from Brian's perspective and the outside analysis of it, and attempts to rewrite that history only look more foolish. As Steve has also said that he had issues with other Beach Boy members during these sessions, I'm guessing that topic of being "difficult" while cutting records led to the discussions of Pet Sounds, and Brian's own issues working with them back then. It would be nice to hear Steve expand on that topic a bit more without burning any bridges, although in 2021 I don't think that is as much of a concern for a lot of established musicians anymore.
Great info here! Thumbs up on hearing more from Steve on this! |
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / BeachBoysTalk Episode 5: Special Guest- Robert White Johnson!
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on: February 05, 2021, 01:59:27 PM
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Hi Friends!
Come join us this Tuesday night as we welcome the incredible songwriter and producer, Robert White Johnson!
Friend and Co-writer with Carl Wilson, Robert shares with us his time together with Carl and the rest of the Beach Boys, including writing with Carl, "The Beach Boys" CBS release and working with Steve Levine, Carl on a social level, Brian and Dr. Landy, and much much more!
Plus the usual: We discuss your Top 5 favorite 80's BB songs, Would You Rather, and of course, All Request!
Join us Tuesday night at 8pm EST right here on our Facebook Page, or on Twitch at BeachBoysTalk! Get your questions ready! It will be an awesome show!
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: BeachBoysTalk Episode 4: Special Guest - Andrew G Doe
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on: February 01, 2021, 07:23:33 AM
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Keep that jackass outta here. Lifetime ban says all it has to say about this creepy, rude and obnoxious stalker.   Hi Legendary - forgive me for not knowing really anything about this - is there something we should know? Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but those are some tough things to say about someone, it's still another person just like you and me. In our very short interactions, he has been kind and in now way anything like how you describe him. We just love The Beach Boys and want to talk with others that do too. I was not aware of a lifetime ban - or that something like that could exist on a fan page about the music of The Beach Boys. Thanks for any insight here - like I said - we are just trying to enjoy their fans and people within the community. If someone could fill us in on this, that would be great. Greg Hi Greg, I believe there is some bad blood between AGD and members of this messageboard because of certain events that took place. I don't even know what exactly it was, but it led to AGD being banned from the SmileySmileBoard. Others can certainly clarify that to you if you wish so. It has nothing to do with your show, though, so nothing to worry about. Thanks for the heads-up! Hey Rocker - thank you for the help here. My brother and I truly just BB fans without faction or party, we just love their music and want to share that in our own way. AGD is the first of what we hope will be many authors, writers, and BB contributors that we will have on. For example, we will have Robert White Johnson on next week to talk about his time working with Carl. I am so sorry to hear that this has all happened here. Hopefully forgiveness all around and a new path forward is also part of this story. Damn, we love this music! Greg |
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: BeachBoysTalk Episode 4: Special Guest - Andrew G Doe
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on: January 31, 2021, 07:52:08 PM
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Keep that jackass outta here. Lifetime ban says all it has to say about this creepy, rude and obnoxious stalker. Hi Legendary - forgive me for not knowing really anything about this - is there something we should know? Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but those are some tough things to say about someone, it's still another person just like you and me. In our very short interactions, he has been kind and in now way anything like how you describe him. We just love The Beach Boys and want to talk with others that do too. I was not aware of a lifetime ban - or that something like that could exist on a fan page about the music of The Beach Boys. Thanks for any insight here - like I said - we are just trying to enjoy their fans and people within the community. If someone could fill us in on this, that would be great. Greg |
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Question about Don't Hurt My Little Sister
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on: January 19, 2021, 12:38:14 PM
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Trying to analyze and pin meanings to lyrics is a slippery slope that usually ends up saying more about the opinions of the person analyzing them than the actual songwriter(s) who wrote them. In this case, yes indeed PopMatters has a rather checkered history with the Beach Boys and Brian in particular, as outlined above and also shown in full light when one of their writers came to this board and proceeded to create some craziness (I'm being kind there...). I agree with the comments above - Not only was the song created with the specific Phil Spector sound in mind, and offered to the Ronettes, but Brian has also talked about its origins and inspiration. If others who most likely have never spent a minute with Brian want to attach other meanings or inspiration to those lyrics, again it probably says more about them than the actual story being reported. That's one of the reasons why I generally steered clear of Smile lyric interpretation for the better part of the past three decades. While some of the analysis is interesting to read, I cannot read an observer's opinion and attempted connections to this or that historical or philosophical concept to the point where the opinion of those meanings becomes argued as fact. Exactly. It is more or less provocative writing to drive revenue for the publication. Unreal how some of this stuff gets published, and in some ways, punishes an excellent track on one of their best records. In this specific case, I'm not surprised some deeper layer of such interpretation gets picked up by other writers and commentators and repeated to where the narrative becomes "dark" - That sells ad revenue and generates views/clicks. But it doesn't make it any more than a writer's opinion. And to be more blunt, the art of lyric writing can also be a case of pure luck, basic surface-level expression devoid of any deeper meanings, and sometimes a case of finding lines which work well together and rhyme. I listen to "Last Train To Clarksville" regularly - It's a brilliant AM radio pop record, the Monkees' first #1 single that hit the air before the show premiered. A classic record with Louis Shelton's stellar overly-compressed Telecaster blasting through the speakers and a great Dolenz lead vocal. But I doubt anyone who hears it would immediately hear it as an anti-war song, which is essentially what it is. It's about a soldier ready to ship out to Vietnam trying to meet his girl one last time because in his words as narrator "I don't know if I'm ever coming home". Heavy stuff for 1966, but seriously, who hears it that way minus knowing the backstory from the writers? That's the converse of the over-analysis effect mentioned above: A song which has a meaning on full display which very few catch because it's wrapped in such a radio-ready hit-record package. Hey this guy wants to meet his girl at a train station...we can relate to that! But the actual meaning of it went beyond that scenario. In that case the writers had a definite inspiration and outlined it in various interviews, but the general public may have interpreted as something far less heavy or relevant to the times of 1965-66. Back to the Brian track: Do we accept as fact rather than opinion that the track came from something darker or more insidious than what was said between Brian and Diane Rovell when Brian was dating her younger sister? The inspiration for the track was stated pretty clearly by one of the authors, and the genesis and intent for the track has been documented as well, which included Brian meeting Spector at a hotel to offer the song to The Ronettes. It's pretty much on the table, anything else beyond that in terms of analyzing a deeper or darker meaning is whatever narrative someone wants to proscribe to the existing facts. Just to close with one other example from 1966. This was the Beatles press conference at Capitol, summer '66 during their final tour, the one where you see David Crosby hanging around in the shadows offstage with Brian Epstein and the same one where they're asked who are their favorite American groups and Paul replies "The Beach Boys". The following question and answer exchange took place: - "I'd like to direct this question to Messrs. Lennon and McCartney. In a recent article, Time magazine put down pop music. And they referred to Day Tripper as being about a prostitute and Norwegian Wood as being about a lesbian" Paul - "Oh yeah" - "I just wanted to know what your intent was when you wrote it, and what your feeling is about the Time magazine criticism of the music that is being written today" Paul - "We were just trying to write songs about prostitutes and lesbians, that's all." A great answer to a magazine article whose authors interpreted the lyrics in a certain way in order to push their narrative of criticizing pop music and in order to sell magazines. However in the case of Day Tripper they were partially correct...  |
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