My impression after reading James Kaplan's Sinatra biographies is that the sub-par lyrics wouldn't be something that would have grabbed Sinatra.

By 1977 Frank wasn't recording as much and Brian wasn't hip or commercially successful then.

In 1966/1967 Sinatra probably would have been have somewhat interested in Brian writing a song for him if that would have meant a hit record.

It definitely sticks in your head. I think the harmonies are great. Brian has a much greater presence on this track than Al and Matt had in that disappointing John Mayer track.  I don't quite get the title or the reference here, and I don't find anything special about Janelle's vocals.

For context, Monae's last two albums and an EP were concept albums with her protraying an android robot name Cindi Mayweather

Or you could watch the first couple minutes of the film she made to go along with the album and it explains it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdH2Sy-BlNE

I remember reading something many years ago where Brian was talking about how special "In My Room" was. He said he taught Dennis and Carl the song "Ivory Tower," and they would sing it softly in three-part harmony in their room after Murry would get angry and violent. It would bring them comfort.

Maybe that's what she was referring to, and said "recording" by mistake.

A young, popular artist admires Brian's work and asked him to appear on her album. We don't have to go all Andrew G. Doe on her if her facts aren't 100 percent correct.

I remember reading something many years ago where Brian was talking about how special "In My Room" was. He said he taught Dennis and Carl the song "Ivory Tower," and they would sing it softly in three-part harmony in their room after Murry would get angry and violent. It would bring them comfort.

Maybe that's what she was referring to, and said "recording" by mistake.

A young, popular artist admires Brian's work and asked him to appear on her album. We don't have to go all Andrew G. Doe on her if her facts aren't 100 percent correct.

Amen!!!

It's amazing that a young musical artist from a different culture gets it about Brian's power (that great healing music).  I love the recording.  As the Dalai Lama said, "All religion is just about love and compassion."  Brian knows how to make that compelling sound that's irresistible.

Monae's a real student of music/film history, so that's not surprising.  You can find influences in her work from the 1920s all the way to modern (and things in-between like James Brown, Beach Boys, John Barry's film scores, Prince, MJ, Stevie Wonder, etc).

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/janelle-monae-talks-enlisting-brian-wilson-for-new-album-w519575

Janelle Monáe recruited stars from the worlds of indie (Grimes) and hip-hop (Pharrell) to contribute to her new album Dirty Computer. But the very first collaborator that appears on the LP is none other than Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys.

"Do you know how much of an honor it is to have him on [the title track]?" she tells Rolling Stone. "I am such a Beach Boys fan."

The Monáe/Wilson summit is a sunny slice of cooled-out funk. Wilson's backing vocals kick in almost immediately: His voice is the second sound you hear on "Dirty Computer," singing high, dreamy, instantly recognizable harmonies. A rim-shot backbeat and limber bassline push the song gently forward. "If you love me, won't you please reply?" Monae implores. "Can't you see that it's only me, your dirty computer?"

Monáe knew she wanted Wilson on Dirty Computer early in the album's creation process. "I was researching the Beach Boys, [and] I found out that the reason why their sound was so quiet, and their harmonies were blended but they were soft, was because they didn't want to wake up their parents," Monáe explains. "They were secretly recording softly so they didn't disturb their parents, and I just thought that was so cool.

"[After making that discovery], there was nobody that I thought that could sing those backgrounds [on the song] but Brian Wilson," she adds. "I tracked him down and ... let him know what I was doing."

Wilson tells Rolling Stone, "I was thrilled she asked me to sing on her song." He calls Monáe "a real talent," adding, "I love the melody on this track and the harmonies very much."

Sounds good! Way to go Brian! Is that Matt on falsetto/high voice? On first listen I'd think it might be a couple of Brian's and a couple of Matt's

Wikipedia says (I'm assuming from the physical album credits) that it's Brian Wilson & Matt Jardine on that track.

Also says Brian contributed backing vocals to Take a Byte and you can barely hear him in the background at 3:50ish here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuWyu7ipsJ8

I really can't hear any Brian in this at all. Nice song though.

The "ohhhhs" especially in the bottom of the stack are obviously Brian.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFK6k-pvXmI

 

Officially out now
https://twitter.com/JanelleMonae/status/989714403867017216

Dirty Computer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86EZkaMzJhQ

Video got yanked since it's an early leak.

Awesome track.  Wish it was longer than 2 minutes.  Don't want to spoil it before people get to hear it, but I love how Brian's used in the song.

Janelle Monae is ridiculously talented so I'm super excited to hear her collab with Brian.

Everyone should check her The ArchAndroid album if you haven't already from 2010... it's a masterpiece. 

The follow-up Electric Lady is good too, but a little more poppy.

This is probably going to be the best thing Brian's been involved with since he completed Smile.

Haven't listened to this, but here's my shot at it.  The method I'm using (that a Japanese songwriter named Sheena Ringo uses for her albums) is that tracks #1 & #12, #2 and #11, etc all the way to #6 & #7 are linked in some way.

Slip on Through
Break Away (version with Brian singing verse #1 instead of Carl)
Deirdre
Celebrate The News
San Miguel
Cool, Cool Water

This Whole World
Add Some Music
It's About Time
All I Wanna Do
Soulful Old Man Sunshine
Forever

Don't know why Celebrate The News is ranked so highly. Our Sweet Love is so much better. Celebrate The News just does not fit

Yeah, it'd be a much better fit on Surf's Up.

I think the big problem with this particular song list is we lost 3 of the ballads from side 2, so you can't do the Today! thing where side 2 is all ballads.  And 5 Dennis songs throws the balance off a little bit as well.  I've always seen this as the Beach Boys' Abbey Road with good production and feeling like a whole-band production.

San Miguel

Also someone needs to do a good track order of the surviving songs at the end.

Did someone ever do a Loop De Loop mix with about 30-40 secs of Carnival in the middle as a bridge?  Always thought those would work together and that Carnival was more of a song fragment than anything.

I'll vote for "Games Two Can Play" this round.

I think the duet takes away from the song, because Marilyn's part is in the sweet part of Brian's old range.  The whole thing is definitely a tenor line.

Just imagine Pet Sounds-era Brian singing the whole thing.   I think he would have nailed it.

This cover gives you an idea

Great song, and IMHO, some of the best lyrics Brian wrote on his own.

Brian's demo of this is pretty good.

There's a good youtube cover too.


I'd still love for someone to re-arrange the whole back half of this album in "Pet Sounds" style so that more people would appreciate it.  I can hear it in my head.

Where's Soulful Old Man Sunshine?  Did it automatically advance to being on the album?   

I'll vote against When Girls Get Together.

They should show up and intentionally play the worst set they could possibly play (several songs from "Summer in Paradise", Brian can rap "Smart Girls" and do some of his weirdest stuff).

Then they should blame the Democrats for sabotaging their performance and the media for a day or two before revealing it was all a setup.

Promo for the show tomorrow night   

http://www.thewrap.com/worlds-greatest-tribute-bands-prince-david-bowie/

Airs Sept 28th on AXS TV at 10 PM EST/7 PM PST as part of the World's Greatest Tribute Bands show

They've got an excellent sound  and have been adding some deeper cuts recently.  They're also Mike/Bruce approved.

Wow, "Me & Magdalena" is gorgeous

All of these new Monkees tracks sound amazing to me. Stripped back production, enjoyable, fun songs. Who ever is leading the way on this record needs to get in touch with Brian and co. I don't hear any other 60s artists these days sounding nearly as good as these Monkees tunes.

Adam Schlesinger from Fountains of Wayne

60s pop's in his wheel house

New Single  - She Makes Me Laugh, Written by Rivers Cuomo from Weezer - is out, and is great! Micky on lead, Nez and Tork on backing vocals, and Tork on Banjo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpp-Ry2ZNhY

It is surprisingly good. I wasn't expecting much out of this reunion, just seemed silly to me that Nez waited until Davy died to get back together with the guys. But if the rest of the album is as good as this track, I might get a copy.

Rivers has his mojo back in the last 2-3 years, so it's not surprising
Weezer - Endless Bummer

No one seems too interested in this discussion of the monkeys. But I have to say that the two Monkees songs released so far are better than their equivalents that the Beach Boys released in 2012. No one was more of an apologist or an advocate of the Beach Boys album and work. And I love those amazing songs that Brian and L and Mike saying that were part of the suite. But in terms of overall production and pop quality, The Beach Boys did not come up with anything this good I have to say.

They were smart to get someone like Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne to produce it and in their choice of modern pop/rock songwriters.

Imagine the Beach Boys 2012 album or Brian's 2015 album with folks like Schlesinger, Cuomo, etc co-writing a couple songs each with Brian and one of them co-producing the record.

Real lost opportunity that we got two Joe Thomas albums instead.

I think Rock 'n' Roll to the Rescue would work to bridge BW '88 with the Still Cruisin' stuff.

You could also go back to the 1985 album/singles or forward to Sweet Insanity stuff if you're not satisfied with the mix.

I think it was a mistake leaving the 3 deluxe edition tracks off the standard album since it really changes the feel of the album in a positive way to have those 3 tracks there.

Got my print edition of RS a couple days ago and it has a No Pier Pressure review.  Don't really care for the music reviews in the mag but I figured you would be interested.

*** (good)

The review says Wilson has had a "late-game rally" betwen Smile,  TWGMTR, and now this new LP, which shows "the sound of a famously cloistered artist finally leaving his room".

Says the highlights are "Guess You Had to Be There" and "Saturday Night"

"There are a few too many retreads (the 'Sloop John B'-ish 'Sail Away'), but it adds up to Wilson's most forward-looking solo LP, Smile notwithstanding."

Pretty good stuff.  Love hearing something new and more modern from Brian.

I think a remix could be a hit in da club because the hooks are really strong, but the production doesn't make it all the way there to a modern song.  Crank up the bass, a bit less 80s sax.  I like the live version better.

Runaway Dancer is friggin' ridiculous, how did Brian even do that?


We got a great album on our hands.

That one sounds like a mix of "Love You" and modern hipster indie music.

The clips sound really good.  Production is great.  This should be a winner.  It sounds like classic Brian Wilson but also a modern album (and not one that is pandering to a certain sound).

Saturday Night on Hollywood Blvd seems like it could actually get some airplay assuming Joe Thomas doesn't ruin it.

I think it would be GREAT if one of the guest artists got "too much fame" singing BW's songs. If his work can connect with still more people than it does, that's spectacular. if the songs suit their voices, what's the harm? It certainly doesn't diminish BW's stature any.

Nate Ruess is already famous for being the lead singer of the band "Fun.", who've had a couple big hits ("We Are Young", "Some Nights").

He also guested on a Pink song that hit #1.

I do agree with Brian that he kinda sounds like Carl.