As somebody with a little familiarity with Camarata (I'm also a former Disney artist), I would be more than a little surprised if he was able to knock off something like this without some input.  The guitar sounds, the surf bass, and especially the drums (right out of "Don't Back Down") just scream Brian Wilson- not  Jan and Dean or anything else but Brian, and the little horn swell under the solo just seals it for me.  Camarata was most associated with brass, and that's clearly Brian's unique sound. There was some input at some point, either from Brian or from whoever worked the session.

I thought I yelled first and then some people yelled in agreement, and was totally embarrassed.  Hope it was all simultaneous!

[Pet Sounds]

Someone linked this thread on my FB page...

Atlanta was tremendous- they seemed to be having such a great time and really enjoying the joyous reception by a full house. Brian perked up for one unforgettable moment- he got a deeply rapturous look on his face and air-conducted during the bridge to "God Only Knows". (He also traded good-spirited shots with Mike, almost in the spirit of Cassius Love and Sonny Wilson- once Brian just yelled "The Great Mike Love!" while Mike was speaking, and Mike called Brian "The Maharajah Of Great").

Mike was in great spirits and interacted with the audience even more, and more generously, than I remember in the past. happily signing an original Pet Sounds and a bunch of other stuff during "Kokomo"- as did Bruce. He slapped hands with fans during every song and just celebrated the whole night- as they all did.  There was a spirit of celebration that recalled Brian's early tours, but as with those, the most striking feature of the whole event was the consistent excellent taste in every aspect. If each one of us had jotted down our formula for doing this thing right, this would have been the consensus.

To your comments about the line-up, I would only add this: it was Dave's presence that gave it the final historical legitimacy for me, and I shouldn't have been surprised that he brought the musical legitimacy to the front line as well.  Mike is still a great showman, and Bruce and especially Al are in amazingly great voice, and they were all in great spirit, but Dave really not only represented the originals instrumentally, his guitar was the driving and dominating force onstage.  He carried the load.  And not only was his playing great, his guitar sound was among the best I've ever heard live.  One of my chill [ ...]* for the evening was hearing "All This Is That" and registering that one of the voices I was hearing in that beautiful mix had last been audible on "Cuckoo Clock", "Ten Little Indians", and "Chug-A-Lug".  O.K., you could nitpick that statement, but you know what I mean.

When Mike was introducing "All This Is That" I got carried away and yelled out my support at him- just as he was saying that the song got him high.  Mike quickly qualified that- "...a natural high". I kind of winced- I wasn't cheering for high Mike, I was cheering that song and you guys and the great message of that whole evening.

Many, many thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lime, if Harry ever posts here again, for making me their guest at this unforgettable event.  

* for some reason it won't let me post the words "bump" or "moments" there

Great, great show once again.  Dave and Carrie, loved getting to talk to you guys again- thanks so much for your friendliness and patience with fans like me, and hope Dave had a great birthday yesterday.

Apparently that's what this board is all about now.  All yours, buddy- revel in your new kingdom. Dancing Bear's woods, and guess what he does in 'em.

And I'll pass without your high morals judgement, thank you.

Yes, but pass for what? 

I'll try to limit the tit-for-tat responses, but I don't believe I misquoted you or misrepresented you in any way.  On my monitor it said you wanted to smash his head against the wall, I'm pretty sure. And that and other things make you a very odd candidate for calling anyone else rude. If you don't regret ratcheting things up to the present level, and take pleasure in it, that speaks for itself.

It's always funny to me to hear people single out these "moments", and they're never the same as mine or the next guy's.  That's a funny thing about real wired-into-the-DNA Beach Boys fanatics that I think is close to being unique.

I remember having a conversation like this with a guy years ago, way before the 'net, and he singled out- I think it was- an a cappella  bit in "The Man With All The Toys".  Just flat did it for him, every time. Totally floored me, because it was something I never would have thought of, but I instantly knew from that that he was a real-deal fan like us. No one else would have come up with that.  A casual fan names "Good Vibrations" or "God Only Knows", but that one...and I had something just as off-road as that in the same conversation- can't remember what. 

My theory is that every real fanatic has something like that somewhere deep in the catalogue, that no one else would have picked out or even thought of, but if he mentions it, the other guy will say "oh, yeaaaaaahhhh...." Then you hear it differently, and get into it just a little more next time because someone sanctified it like that.  I don't know if Who fans or Rolling Stone fans do that.

 A couple of thoughts:

(1) Posting a borderline physical threat- no, I didn't detect any particularly humorous element in "I want to smash your head against the wall"- should be a severe warning, even if done to a moderator's arch foe.  Posting an insult to someone's wife, if that was really done (I didn't see it) should be an automatic, no-brainer banning offense, and I can't believe I even have to type that. Sorry, elders, but that's a statement on the quality of moderation here. Instead, someone else leaves and the apparent offender (?) shows his sensitivity to the growing situation by taunting the guy even further in oversize type.

(2) My personal view is that the problems in that thread had a lot to do with things other than Mike Love and Brian Wilson, and the table (and the tone) had been set for it to happen for quite a while.  It didn't happen in a vacuum, and it didn't happen because one guy spoke his mind or exercised his rights.  It was the result of a building frustration.

(3) I don't claim innocence in that thread, and I apologize to the bystanders for my role in the incivility, which was a little subtler than some, but not small. Rather than say "I state my opinions and apologize to no one!" I'll just take responsibility.  I have no delusions about the importance of my opinions vs. causing a lot of heartburn.

(4) I strongly agree that moderators should not be trolls, and if expressing one's opinion regularly includes a lot of pot-stirring and belligerence and feuding and even taunting half the board with your signature (or your avatar or whatever it is), well then, maybe it's time to choose which role to play.  I've expressed this opinion in the past.  

Here's a good formula: if you've actively contributed to more than one thread here needing to be nuked, you shouldn't be a moderator.  You should be a moderatee.

(5) And this should probably have been #1- I can't believe two good posters with years of contributing are being allowed to leave- even assisted to leave- without any discussion.  Again, sorry, mods, but not a positive reflection on the tone that's been set.

So I'll say it: Rob, Clay, DON'T LEAVE.  

I wish you guys would at least compromise by sticking around and discussing things in this thread, and then maybe just taking a break rather than un-registering, and agreeing to check back in down the road to see how things are. If they aren't better, I'll quietly join you in exile.

When I think of all the great posters who used to be over here and are gone now, it makes me really sad. Some of that's natural over time, but some could have been avoided.

(6) Since I've said a bunch of negative stuff, I'll end on a couple of good vibes: one guy I don't always agree with, but whose tone in that thread should be admired, if the thread ever returns, is erik, proclaimed KokoMoses of the Kokomites, and he never lost his Kokomojo.  He posted cogent thoughts in a friendly-not just civil, but friendly- tone that made me want to re-think about things, and I felt like he read others' posts with an equal open-mindedness.  A lot of the good of that thread came from friendly spirit like his. He's here for the music, and to hang around with others who love the music. Good for him.  

(7)  rogerlancelot, thanks for the good word- returned in full.

Maybe that's not the issue, Nicko.

I did get your point, SurferGirl.  I was just kidding around.

Hate to see the board undergoing yet another destructive meltdown, but I think it was fairly inevitable.

< censored >

Looks like we have a more violent psychopathology this time. Show us on the doll, DB, where Rob touched you.

Have some compassion, people- he's a known sociopath! He'll do anything to shift blame off himself and onto Brian Wilson!


 

If you leave out "zealous", "extremist",  and "flat earth", there's nothing left but "conservative Christian" and "creationist", and he graciously apologizes to the "99% of the global Christian faith" which he is not criticizing, so I'm not sure I see the offense.

Oh yeah, and please thank Surfer Joe for my re-christening!!  

Just rolled off my chair laughing, erik!

Here's Al as a victim of his tailor, and possibly Carl:


Sing "Sexy Rhonda", Al!

Al is a victim of his mother smoking while pregnant:

erik, I hereby proclaim you KokoMoses.

erik, that's all totally reasonable- about as reasonable as it gets, actually.  All I could really say in response is that while I also don't have any bile for Mike, I disagree with the theory that sometimes crops up that all criticism of Mike is the result of lies, spin, or a conspiracy; that every possible critical word about him has been discredited or debunked.  Mike is who he is, and he's brought some criticism on himself over the years- as did Dennis, as did Carl, etc.  Brian is so damaged I can't evaluate him on the same basis at all. (Let the tooth-gnashing begin).

The Kokomites have their view and are absolutely entitled to it; but the Mike opposition are not the mass victims of some big campaign, conspiracy, or self-deception. They have their view, presumably honestly arrived at, based on a wealth of data, and it's as valid as yours or mine...fair enough?

I've got it:

Kokomites.

Ok, so, being one of the guilty myself, can we please come up with an official term for us Love Lovers, Lovers Of Love, Lovesters, Make Mike-Not-Love-ers, Mike Love-Not-Brian-ers?

Victims of Love?

erik, do you subscribe to this entertaining new theory that Brian caused his own mental illness? Also, what is the official Beach Boys history?  Where can I find it?

Well, then, all I can say is no one is responsible for his problems but him!

I'm assuming he's joking.

Agree.  Can't hear, Marlee?  Or won't hear?