Now if we could only get him to admit that while John Stamos is undoubtedly a cool guy to hang out with, he's an amateur musician and a blight on the band's legacy and the quality of live shows, then I'd have even more respect!

But I agree with what someone mentioned back when Foskett jumped ship to Mike's band; Brian should have simultaneously been trying to lure Totten and Cowsill into *his* band!

HJ, I guess you are thinking about the same Stamos fiasco I'm thinking about...  

Interesting question, but I have to come clean right off the bat and say I don't like the song much at all, so if I were putting another song on Pet Sounds, I definitely wouldn't choose that one. And for what it's worth--nothing--I actually wouldn't change Pet Sounds anyway. I love it as-is.

Obviously a lot of people have played around with "The Little Girl I Once Knew," usually replacing "Sloop John B." I wouldn't remove SLB, but I can see TLGIOK being in there somewhere.

But my choice off the top of my head might be this: "Meant For You." Imagine it kicking off the album, the "Prayer" to "Wouldn't It Be Nice"'s "H&V." It's a pretty little prologue of premeditation. It says "I'm going to tell this story that actually ends somewhat painfully, but it was a beautiful experience, I'm at peace with the journey now, and I'm thinking of you." Then, BOOM, back in time to the excited younger man of "Wouldn't It Be Nice?"

That's simply a fantastic idea, Captain.
"Meant For You" is pure bliss (and my fav answer to anybody who'd say that Mike isn't a good singer), but of course it is... too short. And yes, it's like a prologue to something that never comes.
But, using it as the prologue to Pet Sounds, of all things... Wow!  

Am I alone in thinking that Mike interviewing AGD would be far more interesting?

I have to admit stupidity on this: do you mean the person being named moderate is the rabid reactionary, or the person doing the naming?

Let's keep it simple and say "both". See my signature.

Thanks, Ang. I had forgotten to mention that Watership Down is a real place too, and a very nice one it seems. You live near it? So cool!

I like Girl in a Swing a lot, probably the best thing Richard (enough of "the late Mr. Adams") wrote outside of Watership Down. I read Girl in a Swing three times (Watership about six). It's a great novel, maybe just a bit too dark and gloomy for me. One pivotal scene is pure horror, on the level of the scariest Stephen King.

Whenever anyone is labeled as "moderate", I start looking for the rabid reactionary hiding under the word.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watership_Down

It's a very recommended read for everybody who doesn't hate good well written novels, high adventure, and/or rabbits.
It's impossible to forget the heroic rabbits of Watership Down, or the extraordinary villain, Gen. Woundwort. Icing on the cake, the invention of a surprisingly serious (and often uncanny) rabbit mythology, and one of the best imaginary languages ever, Lapine.

Pity that the late Mr. Adams was never able to replicate that halcyon moment in his following novels. He returned to Watership Down only with "Tales from Watership Down", a collecton of stories featuring the same characters.

Yes, brilliant topic.
I do that all the time, with any kind of music, usually adding harmony lines. Regarding the Beach Boys, my fav is, when listening to "Do You Like Worms?", singing aloud that tantalising vocal snippet Brian sings for (alas) few seconds in Disc 3 of the Smile Sessions, as brlliantly completed by a Smiley Smile fan:

(uptempo, crescendo)
"Once upon the Sandwich Isles, the social structure streamed upon HAWAII!" (jumping up one octave on HAWAII)

Yes, I know the lyrics say "steamed", but I prefer "streamed".

Welcome Riley!

Welcome from Watership Down!

(belated) welcome and happy birthday, Watamushi!

To quote the Sheriff at PSF: "'Surf's Up' vs. 'A Day In The Life' would be a very interesting poll on a Beatles' forum."

It would be more surreal (and quite frankly more fun) to compare "ADITL" with "ADITLOAT".

" A Day in the Life of a Tree" is one of my fav songs. "A Day in the Life" is not even among my ten most fav songs by the Beatles.

Welcome from the other Millennium!

Welcome from all rabbitry!

So many, so many... how to choose?
Without much thought:

The wordless vocals at the end of "Meant For You".
The tympani introducing "Worms".
The middle section in "From There to Back Again".
EVERY a capella (or near a capella) break in a BB song.

 

You'd understand better the anti-EU sentiments if you had been born in Europe many years ago and seen the progressive economic and social deterioraton in your continent. The EU, with its inflexible "austerity" policy, literally reinvented European poverty after the 1960 Golden Age. What Greece has been subjected to is unforgivable. The British have been so lucky and clever in choosing to go away. They will fully realise this in a few years, when they will be like Norway but bigger.

And I don't like this name calling against different political opinions. It reeks of classic pro-system intolerance, where every dissenting voice is labeled as "stupid", "irresponsible" or the like.

Thanks so much everybody for the reviews and videos. You are great!

Mike on truth serum would be.... interesting.

I'd bring some select documents from the "future" and try to have a long, long talk with all three Wilson brothers (preferably together). And yes, I'd be definitely trying to change said future.

No. I would not read Shakespeare to them, either.

This is fantastic!

Barf, you win my personal Sherlock Holmes prize.  

And yes, there should be a plaque or something like that!

Great thread! Sam's and Maggie's excellent lists highlight how much great music we have had from "solo" Brian.

My only (minor) gripe is that nobody seems to remember that masterpiece of a cover that is "Listen to Me" from the Buddy Holly tribute album. Easily the equal of Brian's amazing "Wanderlust", imho.

Amd "Wanderlust" brings me to a point I think it's never been made before. That is, the influence of British music on Brian. Some times ago I made a compilation with my fav songs from TWGMTR and NPP and was susprised in realising that, if it reminded me of any other artists, it was the Moody Blues. The melodies, the harmonies, the lush arrangements, the overall soft, mellow ambience with some mild psychedelic overtones...

I used to nearly hate "Love You". Listening to it was even more jarring than my first listen of "Smiley Smile". I didn't even know Smiley was a replacement for fabled "Smile", I was just: "Sloop John B, God Only Knows, Good Vibrations... and then, THIS?" But of course, I love Smiley to pieces now.
Ditto Love You. My first reaction was "WHAAAT?"
But... bit by bit, song by song, I started to like it. Then I started to think of it as a whole, as an artistic statement, and everything clicked. And it has such a staying power: every time I listen to a Love You song, I like it more. The songwriting is just that good.

Adult Child would have been the same. Different, as it would totally have been its own album rather than LY2, but the same story. But we were robbed of that further gem, not for the first time in BB history, as we all know.

P.S.
There is a wonderful story told by a fan of how recently he approached Brian and Al after a concert, with a copy of Love You to sign. Then things go something like this: "Oh, Love You, that's really a good album we did, Al". "Yes, very good, Brian." And they start looking at the titles and singing bits from the songs!!!
Imagine being that fan in that moment.

Side One:
All the different versions of shortening bread

Side Two:
All the different versions of proud mary.

 

And so we'd have the fabled R&R album at last!

Yes, great thread!

SHORTENIN' BREAD, VOL. 2

Side 1:
Shortenin' Bread
Mrs. O'Leary Cow
Fairy Tale Music
Johnny Carson
Still I Dream of It
Night Bloomin' Jasmine (demo)
Wonderful (Smiley)
A Day in the Life of a Tree
She's Goin' Bald
Heroes and Villains, part 2

Side B:
Vega-Tables (Good Vibrations box set)
Fall Breaks and Back to Winter
Meant for You (full version)
Airplane
Wind Chimes (Smiley)
Solar System
It's Over Now
The Fabled Elements: Fire Intro - Workshop - Water Chant - Whistle In
You're Welcome
Medley: Shortenin' Bread - Proud Mary - Ding Dang