I thought it was of more interest that they listed Carl as playing bass. It's a pretty good sounding show though.

I'm certain kshane does realize this. But he's also probably aware that they are the first major rock band that is arguably still in its prime when it decides to do it ("It," of course, being not only releasing an album initially as download-only, and without a label, and letting customers set the price.) Nobody of Radiohead's magnitude has yet done that combination, and so it matters more that they do it.

Let's be realistic: I could do the same thing. And it wouldn't matter in the slightest bit. Radiohead does, and it does.

There--now I've spoken for kshane, which was entirely unnecessary and not asked for.

Luther, thanks for speaking so eloquently on my behalf. You're exactly right of course. And if any other band of any stature has allowed purchasers to name their own price, I am not aware of it. The whole point is that this is one of the biggest bands in the world. That's why it's important.

I can't think of another band that's so admired by young musicians particularly. When word of this reached me on Sunday, I was at a benefit show that featured about twenty local bands. The story spread like wildfire, and the excitement was palpable throughout the music community.

Great song. Cheesy video, except for the last twenty seconds, which are priceless:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiLlM7wBmuk&sdig=1

Hopefully Brian will followed the route forged by Radiohead in the last couple of days. In what amounts to a stunning death blow to the record companies, one of the world's biggest bands has decided to go it alone. They're putting out their new album on their own, via their website. You have a choice of ordering the download, paying whatever you wish and getting it on Oct. 10, or buying a deluxe cd box which will be available in December. I'll say it again...there is no label. There is no need for a label. The end of the major labels has been a long time coming, and for me it can't come fast enough.

Springsteen joining Wilson:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=u4dlmQwN64c&mode=related&search=

That was an awesome night in Red Bank. I was thrilled to be there. Thanks for the link.

Something that I don't think has been mentioned is that not only is Brian's singing voice much improved, his voice on the narrations is very clear with no slurring. I know they were pre-recorded, but it shows that he can do it.

I'd rather not hear a Beach Boys 'Today' show, I've heard nearly the whole thing live before anyway. I'd much rather hear a whole show of rarities and new songs, something a bit revelatory.

I understand that, and I share your feeling. The problem is that there are not enough of "us". By that I mean, Brian can't fill concert halls with people who want to hear new songs and rarities. He's always going to have to include a large portion of hits to satisfy the more casual fans, who are probably the majority of the ticket buyers. That is unless he decides to play smaller venues, which of course would be great, but I doubt that's in the offing.

I'm pretty sure that Brian started this current craze of recreating classic albums in a live setting. A lot of bands seem to be doing it, and XM Radio even has a whole show the features bands recreating their classic albums.

To my knowledge, Brian has performed 7 of the 11 songs on Beach Boys Today in concert. I'm sure someone else can add to that total. So my question is, is it time for Brian to consider performing that whole beautiful album in its entirety? Obviously he won't be able to do Bull Session with Big Daddy, but they certainly could play the audio of it at the beginning of the set.  I think that would be pretty cool.

Any thoughts?

I find that first photo of the three brothers extremely touching. It's grainy, but for some reason it's just really moving, and you can feel the sense of doom from Dennis.

Wow...Carl was just the polite-est guy, wasn't he?  Most musicians would just DO it!

As a matter for fact, Carl did seem like the nicest guy, despite his request. I didn't really get to know him, but he was very cool in that one encounter.

And the whole thing about Dennis traveling in his own bus during the Holland period had nothing to do with inter-band relations...far from it. Dennis chartered his own transportation so he could go off the proposed route and take fishing side trips. He'd often invite band members, side-men, even fans to go with him. Sometimes he'd go it alone. He bought new fishing equipment, hip boots, poles, reels for Al one time and took him along.

Jon, all I really said was that I saw him emerge from his own bus at several tour stops. I suppose in the context of this thread, it reads as if I had some insight into problems in the band. I have no idea what was going on, and didn't mean to suggest that I did. I can also tell you that Mike asked us if he could meditate in our dressing room, and Carl asked us if he could throw up in our bathroom, but I didn't think either of those things mattered in this context.

Has anyone mentioned the music that the band is playing under the narrative sections? I started paying attention to that on the third or fourth listen. It's quite beautiful, reminding me of Gershwin in some parts.

I can add a bit of personal insight. When the Beach Boys toured in 1973, the band that I was road managing played three dates with them. At that point, Dennis was traveling in his own bus with just the driver, while the rest of the band traveled together.

Here's a link to the website of Michael's restaurant:

http://www.wilsonfoodandwine.com/

Jon, I just finished The Lost Beach Boy, and I want to let you know how much I enjoyed it. David's story is fascinating, and so was your telling of it. What a life the guy has had. There's a lesson there about how it doesn't matter how long you wander in the wilderness as long as you finally find the peace that you've been seeking.

One thing that shines through brilliantly is that despite all the trials and tribulations, David is a great guy, with a big heart. That's another thing that he had in common with his old friend Dennis. Sadly, Dennis never found his way out of the wilderness.

It's nice that Brian is publicly supporting Phil, especially when Phil says stuff like this:

"I don't feel sorry for Brian Wilson. I never thought he was that talented to begin with . . . I'd be more impressed if somebody with a brain idolized me."

The quote is from the new Phil Spector biography called "Tearing Down the Wall of Sound", by Mick Brown.

The Kennedy Center press release says that the list of guest performers is kept secret from the audience and the honorees. Ok, you're the producer of the awards show now. Who would you like to invite as secret guest performers for Brian's portion of the show?

Definitely post it here when you're coming east Adam.

Congratulations to Brian on this well deserved honor, to you as well Amy for helping to make it happen.

For those who have purchased iPhones, the new ringtones are now available at the iTunes music store. They don't have that many songs available to purchase as ringtones yet, and no Beach Boys songs as far as I can see, but there are a number of Brian Wilson songs, including most of BWPS, and Imagination.

Plus lots of our original stuff (and some by Evie Sands, soul legend and our lead guitar player). 

I had a huge crush on Evie back in the day (Angel of the Morning). If I was not in NJ, I'd be there for sure.

The set list is in the post above yours. One point of contention is that some people say that Live Let Live was performed, but it is not in the nme.com set list. Do you remember them playing it?

I think that there's one crucial thing that no one is addressing in this discussion. What if the Beach Boys had played Monterey in 1967, as they were scheduled to do? That could have changed everything. If they had chosen to include SMiLE material in their set, there's no doubt that it would have been embraced by the counter-culture audience in attendance, giving the Beach Boys new credibility among people who to that point didn't really give them much credence. Not only that, but they then could have appeared in the subsequent D.A. Pennebaker film, which of course was a huge success, and ignited the careers of Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding, and Janis Joplin, among others.

I was sixteen years old in 1967, and I think that people were much more open to new music than they are today. Not only was there Sgt. Pepper's that year, but music by The Doors, the Jefferson Airplane, and other more adventurous bands was gaining traction. SMiLE was already a much discussed album before it was abandoned. All of this leads me to believe it would have been a big seller in that era.

In my mind, it's the failure of the band to make the appearance at Monterey that changed everything.

There is free software that you can use to download videos from You Tube or elsewhere. So if you're worried about clips being taken down, you can grab them before they are.

"Beginning of the End" demo from 1962

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKlSEnYAfic&sdig=1