https://tmsnrt.rs/3uCTnbh

He was released from prison five years ago. He’s a registered sex offender. He’s understandably, it appears, keeping a low profile otherwise.

Anyone got the vinyl yet?

Not out until the 17th.

IIRC, the Al S. mix of Gershwin was a Grammy Award play. He gave an interview about the process, and it seems like the main change he made was replacing digital reverb with actual reverb from the Capitol Tower. I don’t think he was a weak link in the process for that record. (Lyrics ghost written by Scotty’s wife, on the other hand …)

Wirestone, do you have any guesses as to why GIOMH isn’t available on streaming services? I have it in my personal collection, but it’s odd that it’s like this Summer In Paradise-type album that is unavailable to people via streaming.

I’m not sure it’s intentional. When asked a year or two ago on this board, Mark L. was surprised and said he’d look into it. I suspect there might be something hinky about the rights — it was released as part of a two-album deal with Warner’s, but Nonesuch wouldn’t take it so Rhino put it out. Two tracks appear on the best of, so I don’t think the BW folk are that embarrassed by it (not that they should be).

I think Brian knows what he wants. No Pier Pressure, TWGMTR and Imagination were all plays for wide, mainstream success. This project is a soundtrack to a documentary and a lower-key deal.

I see the raw and polished Brian as two sides of the same coin, and both are conscious choices for a creative artist.

That was one of the reasons I was and remain (to an extent) a defender of the Gettin' In Over My Head album. It was similarly self-produced, fairly raw in sound, and I valued that about it. No, it wasn't Smile or BW88 or Imagination or even Sweet Insanity. But it had its homespun charms nonetheless, just as this soundtrack does.

I’ve seen Brian many, many times. It’s clear that on the last couple of tours he had some physical challenges that limited his mobility and likely caused him pain onstage. That being said, with the exception of his shockingly good 2009 fall tour — when he sang and played like a man reborn — there has been far more similarity between the shows than differences. The band is always good. Brian nails a few obvious ones (Love and Mercy) and sometimes less obvious ones (Soul Searchin’), then zones out for some others. It’s all a continuum, and he clearly sees it as a fairly undemanding way to keep busy and feel fans’ love.

You watch see this in the new documentary. BW has a very simple life in LA, for his own mental health, but it does seem a bit boring. He tells Jason Fine at one point: “I like concerts.” It’s that simple. They’re a place where everyone on stage supports him and looks out for him, and where he knows precisely what’s going to happen for a couple of hours.

Folks forget that Chicago and the Boys toured together in 1997 (that’s when I saw them). The two groups didn’t collaborate at all then, although perhaps that’s because Carl was ill.

A remixed Imagination would be interesting, but a remixed GIOMH with band backing vocals instead of the wall of Brians has always been my dream.

I don’t know. It just seems to me that old rock stars have better things to do than dictating random social media posts. I mean, we know that Brian has answered folks at times, but it’s usually been a distinct event or one night only kind of thing. In a case like this, I could see somebody writing the message, showing it to BW for sign off, and him nodding while barely paying attention. And I might be wrong!

I doubt very much that Brian has anything to do with expression of sympathy social media posts. Why would he?

Ask and you shall receive answers.

Jim James is singing on Long Promised Road, as he does on Right Where I Belong.

No notes have been released, but I believe that BW and JJ are the main instrumentalists on their co-written song.

Honeycomb, It’s OK, TNWSY, LPR and Rock’s Got a Hold on Me seem to be recorded with the 2018 touring band — they’re shown tracking Honeycomb and doing vocals on Its OK. Jim Laspesa has replaced Nelson and Nicky Wonder is still alive. Bonfiglio seems to be there too, though, and does the low “yeahs” on Its OK.

As far as I can tell, those five tracks are the first solo BW productions since 2011.

I think that, for whatever reason, the 2018-era BW vocals sound fairly similar his voice on the Paley-era tracks. The combination works better than one might expect.

I mean, you wouldn't want the BW vocals from No Pier Pressure alongside them. And again, for my taste, Brian's vocals on this one are a real revelation. Expressive and honest, with a hint of rawness here and there.

Rock and roll has direct quotes from Country Feelin as well as a bridge from Concert Tonight from Sweet Insanity. Never thought I’d hear that again.

More than that. The chorus is taken from the bridge of In My Car.

This is a real surprise.

Who thought we would have two full, new BW albums in 2021?

Let’s just say that this record really makes me happy. Not that I need Brian to do anything else. But all the new studio recordings showcase a vibrant, alert bandleader and singer, with some fun material. A major statement? Not really. But when you combine “Right Where I Belong,” and “Rock and Roll has Got a Hold on Me” you have two ultra-BW statements. Add the long-gestating Honeycomb, and the delightful retakes of “It’s Okay” and “The Night Was So Young,” you have a really fresh sounding batch of recordings with the best BW leads in a decade (apart from some chunks of the lead single, which given BW’s love of self-sabotage seems almost intentional).

That gets you a solid EP. But the Paley material, which underscores the film’s themes (It’s Not East Being Me and Must Be a Miracle specifically) takes the record to another level. It largely fits in the same sonic world, and Brian doesn’t sound radically different. But these are solid, important original tunes that have sat in the archives for far too long.

Taken as a whole, you have a portrait of a still vital recording artist (although not the most prolific recent songwriter) with a still rich and mysterious back catalog. Please find it and listen to it.

[01. Right Where I Belong]

Let's dig into this track list a little bit more:

Tracklist for the album:

01. Right Where I Belong

We've heard this. Lovely new track, although I also would love to hear more actual harmonies on the thing. Oh well. Featured in the film.

02. I’m Goin Home

Separate from the Goin' Home of TLOS, and not heard in the film.

03. It’s Not Easy Being Me

Not heard in the film.

04. Must Be a Miracle

Paley sessions version appears in the film.

05. Slightly American Music

Not in the film, but a rocker of sorts.

06. It’s O.K.

Heard in the film. And heard again in the film. And heard again in the film.

07. Rock & Roll Has Got a Hold On Me

The greatest mystery! I've never seen this title before, so I'm anxious to see if it's a previously unknown track. Not in the film.

08. The Night Was So Young

Heard in the film as a new "underscore" recording

09. Honeycomb

Heard in the film. Hope they got around to adding vocals.

10. Long Promised Road

Heard in the film's credits sequence.

11. In My Room Live from the Ryman Auditorium

Also heard in the film.

12. I’m Broke

Not in the film, and I'm very curious if this is a new or old recording. Brian has played it live and clearly likes the song (for some reason), so we shall see.

Here's the complete list of music featured in the film, according to the credits:

Awake
Barbara Ann (live)
Busy Doin' Nothing
California Girls
Caroline No (BW)
Don't Talk
Fairytale Music
Farewell my Friend (Dennis)
Forever
Funky Pretty
God Only Knows (one BB, one BW)
Good Vibrations
Heroes and Villains (BW)
Honeycomb (BW)
I Get Around (one BB, one BW)
In My Room (one BB, one BW)
It's OK (one BB, one BW)
Long Promised Road (one BB, one BW)
Love and Mercy (BW)
Midnight's Another Day (BW)
Must be a Miracle (BW)
One for the Boys (BW)
One Kind of Love (BW)
Our Prayer
Right Where I Belong (BW)
River Song (Dennis)
Sail On, Sailor
Southern California (BW)
Surfin' Safari
That's Not Me
The Night Was So Young (BW "underscore")
The Trader
Til I Die
What's Wrong (Dennis)
Wouldn't It Be Nice
You Still Believe in Me

Must Be a Miracle is notably featured in the film.

Some of the others seem to count as “rock album” picks.

I think more than anything, this doc’s point and purpose is spelled out by Elton. He says, and I’m paraphrasing, that Brian’s life of the last 30-odd years (post Landy) has been a creative accomplishment in itself. That is, he’s built a life of caring and compassion around him from nothing. Really, that’s what the whole doc is about. He made great music in the past, he can still do it to some extent, but really just getting through every day and communicating with the world is a huge challenge. And Brian is older and less gregarious than he once was, but dammit, he does it. He pushes through.

Like Carl says, it’s about the joy of life in a very simple way. The movie is much less sophisticated than IJWMFTT (which was really about re-creating the whole legend from scratch after the brutal Landy period), but it has a lot of heart and is far more spontaneous.

Yeah, I had to listen again -- I thought the intro was a mistake!

I don't think it's too distracting in the song proper, but it doesn't work well at the start. Also, there's a point where Brian sings his highest note and he seems to shout rather than sing; that could have used a retake as well. But this does feel very sincere and genuine, and a proper co-write at that (the fantasy and reality part JJ sings gives me Bells of Madness vibes).

I think it’s just a then and now thing — vinyl Brian from the past, CD and download Brian from the modern day.

Everyone should watch the darn thing before commenting.

Brian might not _say_ many more words than he has before, but this film studies his face and eyes like no others. It doesn’t cut away. And there are words and thoughts he expresses that really took me aback with their power and clarity.

Worth your time.

This is a special album. It’s much more of a creative statement than I expected, and I hope everyone spends some time with it. This is the soul of Brian on a record.

Pretty sure they are all at least overdubbed once — one the chords / accompanying figures and the other the “lead voice.”

The sheer fire of this 2002 performance posted just now by the official BW account

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CVxy0R_g-w9/?utm_medium=copy_link

Whoever does his social media got the date wrong. That’s from 1999. It’s from the BRIAN WILSON IN TOUR DVD which was released around 2002/3.

It's a bit of a composite performance, too, if I recall correctly. The video on the DVD comes from a bunch of different shows, all edited together.

Pretty sure they tried, pre-pandemic. Band was there, everyone was ready.

BW wasn’t up for it.