I've been lurking "IN" this thread for a bit, quietly observing Mr. Pamplin's unique style "OF" writing and waiting for him to piss off the wrong person. Fabulous job, Emily!

Lovely version there, b00ts. Those unexpected shifting chords in the backing vocals are stunning!

Many thanks, John, Sam, Zach and Wright for your kind words! Glad you enjoyed it - maybe I'll pop out another BB/BW cover in the future.

XO IM

Hi guys, I recorded a cover of "Wonderful" totally solo - no autotune or pitch correction on the vocals, as should be obvious - I just posted it as a Holiday present for all my pals here on Smileysmile.net. Instrumentation consists of a keyboard, drums, bass guitar, banjitar, melodica, and some percussion.

You can listen and download for free at http://mountvalley.net or https://soundcloud.com/asamilbankx/isobel-morris-wonderful-beach-boys. Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!

XO
Iso

[So the conversation about the technology became a way to argue about things -- Brian being controlled, Brian doing inappropriate music, Brian no longer being able to sing -- that are a little uncomfortable to state outright, but which are easily implied.We had nearly as much debate about BW's vocals on BWPS, and again on BWRG. By that time, people had graduated to talking about "autotune." But again, it's a stand in for a bunch of other topics. To request that people actually address those topics, rather than rail against a technological specter, seems like a legitimate request.It's like the "Brian's handlers" talk. Let's imply something dark and ominous, without actually coming out and saying what we mean. Thankfully, that's ebbed a bit as folks like Ray have pointed out that Brian's "people" are essentially his wife and longtime PR person. Nothing too dark there.]

I remember when folks griped -- for years! -- about the "pro tools" on Imagination.

Of course, pro tools is just a digital recording suite, and doesn't necessitate that music sound any particular way. Bob Dylan has recorded multiple, rootsy albums using it.

So the conversation about the technology became a way to argue about things -- Brian being controlled, Brian doing inappropriate music, Brian no longer being able to sing -- that are a little uncomfortable to state outright, but which are easily implied.

We had nearly as much debate about BW's vocals on BWPS, and again on BWRG. By that time, people had graduated to talking about "autotune." But again, it's a stand in for a bunch of other topics. To request that people actually address those topics, rather than rail against a technological specter, seems like a legitimate request.

It's like the "Brian's handlers" talk. Let's imply something dark and ominous, without actually coming out and saying what we mean. Thankfully, that's ebbed a bit as folks like Ray have pointed out that Brian's "people" are essentially his wife and longtime PR person. Nothing too dark there.

Nailed it. Be prepared for all kinds of denials, charges of "conspiracy theorist!", attempts to spin and distort and double-talk and all the rest...but you just nailed it. That sums it up very well.

Pretty sad state of affairs among the fanbase, isn't it? The basic enjoyment that comes with being a fan replaced by those having some axe to grind (or...horrors...agenda) without having the guts to come right out and say it.


Cheers, Wirestone.

No.

With great respect to Clay Wirestone who I normally agree with, I don't get this at all from the majority of criticisms of the new album and its production. I'm slightly disturbed by the intolerant tone taken by guitarfool2002 recently (whose wrath I shall doubtless incur with this post). This questioning of people's honesty is fanning the flames of a argument that really doesn't need to happen. The long and the short of it is that some people like and some do not like the production of NPP. Live and let live.

You said this better than I ever could have. Wirestone and Guitarfool are ascribing motivations to posters whose opinions about No Pier Pressure don't line up with their own. It's like a McCarthy communist witch-hunt.

It's as though anybody who says anything negative about NPP has to a) apologize in advance with the "it's only my opinion" disclaimer and b) go into minute technical detail to explain their opinion on the album. If said poster only has a few posts to their name, they are part of the anti-Brian cabal.

This is all becoming very tiresome... Maybe I'm just Gettin' In Over My Head...

Very well said B00ts. I post my opinion about the tuning of vocals, as well as my general opinion about the album, and I pretty much feel witch hunted by guitar fool. I even politely come back saying that I intend to give examples, though I'm not in a hurry, but the examples are demanded right away, no excuses are good enough. Give me a frikkin' break! The fact is, because of guitarfool and his rather rude and disrespectful tone, it makes me not want to give examples. Talk about driving a true fan away from the message board. Oh wait, I'm not a true fan, I have an agenda! Sigh. Oh, and the few people who actually give examples, they are either a) too fresh on the board to voice an opinion or b) the agenda again.
Guitarfool, respectfully, I think you need to look at yourself from the outside a bit, especially considering you are a moderator here.

I think GuitarFool is a huge BW fan who has seen many thoughtlessly negative professional reviews of what is, on balance, a pretty decent record that Brian put a lot of effort into. Then he sees people on this messageboard nitpicking aspects of NPP, and he feels the need to defend Brian.

[So the conversation about the technology became a way to argue about things -- Brian being controlled, Brian doing inappropriate music, Brian no longer being able to sing -- that are a little uncomfortable to state outright, but which are easily implied.We had nearly as much debate about BW's vocals on BWPS, and again on BWRG. By that time, people had graduated to talking about "autotune." But again, it's a stand in for a bunch of other topics. To request that people actually address those topics, rather than rail against a technological specter, seems like a legitimate request.It's like the "Brian's handlers" talk. Let's imply something dark and ominous, without actually coming out and saying what we mean. Thankfully, that's ebbed a bit as folks like Ray have pointed out that Brian's "people" are essentially his wife and longtime PR person. Nothing too dark there.]

I remember when folks griped -- for years! -- about the "pro tools" on Imagination.

Of course, pro tools is just a digital recording suite, and doesn't necessitate that music sound any particular way. Bob Dylan has recorded multiple, rootsy albums using it.

So the conversation about the technology became a way to argue about things -- Brian being controlled, Brian doing inappropriate music, Brian no longer being able to sing -- that are a little uncomfortable to state outright, but which are easily implied.

We had nearly as much debate about BW's vocals on BWPS, and again on BWRG. By that time, people had graduated to talking about "autotune." But again, it's a stand in for a bunch of other topics. To request that people actually address those topics, rather than rail against a technological specter, seems like a legitimate request.

It's like the "Brian's handlers" talk. Let's imply something dark and ominous, without actually coming out and saying what we mean. Thankfully, that's ebbed a bit as folks like Ray have pointed out that Brian's "people" are essentially his wife and longtime PR person. Nothing too dark there.

Nailed it. Be prepared for all kinds of denials, charges of "conspiracy theorist!", attempts to spin and distort and double-talk and all the rest...but you just nailed it. That sums it up very well.

Pretty sad state of affairs among the fanbase, isn't it? The basic enjoyment that comes with being a fan replaced by those having some axe to grind (or...horrors...agenda) without having the guts to come right out and say it.


Cheers, Wirestone.

No.

With great respect to Clay Wirestone who I normally agree with, I don't get this at all from the majority of criticisms of the new album and its production. I'm slightly disturbed by the intolerant tone taken by guitarfool2002 recently (whose wrath I shall doubtless incur with this post). This questioning of people's honesty is fanning the flames of a argument that really doesn't need to happen. The long and the short of it is that some people like and some do not like the production of NPP. Live and let live.

You said this better than I ever could have. Wirestone and Guitarfool are ascribing motivations to posters whose opinions about No Pier Pressure don't line up with their own. It's like a McCarthy communist witch-hunt.

It's as though anybody who says anything negative about NPP has to a) apologize in advance with the "it's only my opinion" disclaimer and b) go into minute technical detail to explain their opinion on the album. If said poster only has a few posts to their name, they are part of the anti-Brian cabal.

This is all becoming very tiresome... Maybe I'm just Gettin' In Over My Head...

I'll take that as a cue to post what I'm about to say, the notion of "trying to knock Brian down a few pegs".  Again, speaking for myself.

- The album. Some were writing it off immediately before hearing a note. The collaborators and guest artists were announced, immediately met with claims that Brian was being "forced" into doing this, that he didn't know who his guest artists were, that it was a record label gimmick, that someone was pulling the strings to get new artists on the record, etc. Then some of the rumored guest artists came under fire too.

 ...of a damn near perfect recreation of the studio control room in 1966, using authentic gear? Wow, that looks great, Mark! Nice work! It looks so close to the real thing! Same with taking the steps to ensure the actors were playing period-correct instruments on the sessions...not only playing authentic looking instruments but also *recreating* the actual recording sessions live for the cameras...


I'll say one thing about this board. At least we discuss these kinds of events and let people know what's coming up, or what happened. There aren't many BB's related boards out there...of those that are, it was kind of odd to see the lack of attention given this Vegas show with Blondie, Ricky, and Billy, as well as the comparative lack of attention an album featuring Brian, Al, Blondie, and David has been getting on some of the other BB's outlets. I'd think fans would want to know what the band members past and present are doing, and I'm glad we have people on SmileySmile to keep them informed and actually talk actively about these projects and events.

Sometimes I have to wonder just how segmented not only the fanbase but also other outlets for that fanbase have become since Fall 2012.

- Autotune.

In my opinion having read the types of comments and those commenting on it, Autotune is the next "handlers" issue. Remember the days where there were all the endless claims and charges of these mysterious "handlers" who some swore were calling so many shots and surrounding Brian to the point where he was told everything to do and did exactly what was told...then when that was not only debunked but also laughed off the board by a simple case of presenting the facts of the situation, barely any claims of "handlers" have been posted. Oh, it's not like they're gone entirely, in fact there were some subliminal hints at this mythology written in this very thread. But overall, the claim is bunk and has been proven so.

But now - consider "Autotune". Just consider it. The "handlers" were there, yet when asked repeatedly, no one could accurately name them or prove they were there as suggested. Now the "autotune" is there, yet when asked repeatedly, no one can pinpoint where it is or prove that it's there as suggested.

And that's just a few. Consider too how many first-time posters have played into this stuff by coming right out of the gate blasting Brian or something he has done. Consider how many posters whose accounts have sat dormant have suddenly come to life to post something critical or negative about Brian. Consider how many posters in the cases above are repeat customers, meaning they've been part of the negative chorus on many of these related discussions.

We saw a defense of the "autotune" claims posted that suggested because someone heard autotune, and believes they heard autotune, and says it's autotune, then it's perfectly fine...they don't need to defend anything to anyone.

So in return, regarding the agenda, the patterns, that whole ball of wax so to speak, let me turn the phrase a bit for this situation:

For those seeing the agenda and the patterns: They don't need to prove anything. If they say they see an agenda, they see it - trust them.

And getting back to the first line and the previous post, it feels a lot like there are visible efforts to knock Brian down a few pegs that have followed every announcement of a new project, as well as the release of those projects. If it's autotune or handlers, bashing a q&a that hasn't happened or bashing a TV special that hasn't happened, critiquing a film no one has seen versus critiquing an album that hasn't been heard...weigh it all up and decide for yourself.

When one needs to search to find things to criticize or does nothing but criticize, it suggests more than a passing or passive opinion. When others start to see patterns of this and call it out, it's time to at least put it on the table.

Hi Guitarfool! You are a fabulous, clear-headed writer with a good grasp of logic... you would make a great lawyer. I always enjoy reading your posts. However, methinks the gentleman doth protest too much. It's as though other peoples' dislike of NPP is keeping you from enjoying it to its full potential.

I've been a member of this board for 7 years now, and I have seen the odd, anti-Brian sentiment rear its ugly head from time to time... Especially in the case of C50 (oddly) when certain posters felt they had to take Mike's side.

Then reality is that there are as many differing opinions about Brian's current projects here on Smileysmile.net as there are registered members. For example, I love some of the tracks on NPP, but there are a few pitch correction moments that make me shudder and, in at least one case ("Our Special Love") ruin Brian's vocal for me, full-stop. The usage of pitch correction on the non-Thomas albums (BWPS and TLOS) was far more subtle, and Brian's vocals - even when the performances were not up to par with his latest albums - were produced far more artfully.

Another, much smaller example is that sometimes Brian double-tracks low notes, or words that might have been lost in his main vocal performance. You can hear this in some of the low notes of "Summer's Gone" (THE night grows cold, IT'S time to go) and "One Kind of Love," among others. This is a fairly standard way to get a nice, organic sounding vocal if you punch-in or just mix in the overdubbed notes well, but the Thomas albums don't generally have this sort of artful production. (For example, the stereo placement of the overdubbed notes in "Summer's Gone" is different from the main vocal, which made it leap out to me when I first listened on headphones).

Now, I realize that many fans don't notice or simply don't care about this type of thing - those of us who are musicians, like yourself, and especially those of us who have produced massive amounts of vocals and block harmonies, are probably more apt to hear it. There are other things, like the snare rolls in "Sail Away" that end with a snare and a cymbal hitting together, that are just a bit amateurish to my ears.

I enjoy much of Joe Thomas' work with Brian in spite of these niggling things, not to mention production aspects that are far more important to the sound, like the arrangements that sometimes tend into adult-contemporary territory. Joe Thomas and Brian Wilson produce a very odd combination of super-professional, slick, audiophile recordings with amateurish elements.

As for the film... Unlike a musical album, So much has to go RIGHT for a movie to be good. We are placing our trust not in Brian or Melinda, or even the actors... We are placing our trust in the director, crew, producers, et. al. So, it's easy to see where pessimism is warranted. I haven't been following L&M closely. If it's seems good, I'll see it.

If you expect nothing, then everything is a surprise!

I`m sure there are many people who do enjoy the production and nobody is knocking them for that. But the assertion that, `folks are so blinded by the fact that Joe's name is attached, or that Mike's isn't, that they're not able to actually hear the music` is blatantly false. Right from the beginning there have been reviews both on the board and in the media that discuss the production sound in a not particularly positive way. Now these people aren`t just imagining that there is a difference between the production of this album and TLOS. Of course there are differences. You can`t just replace Scott Bennett with Joe Thomas and expect an album to sound the same.

Except that Scott Bennett writes, sings and plays on the album.

So I'm not seeing the replacement there.

You also entirely miss the point of my quote, but you seem so blinded by hatred of the album it hardly seems worth the effort to engage with you now.

Enjoy poisoning people against the man and music you purport to love!

This is sort of like saying Van Dyke Parks collaborated on lyrics for BWPS and TLOS... Scott Bennett wrote lyrics for two songs on NPP, which is hardly comparable to the extent of his collaboration with Brian on TLOS. I hope I'm not poisoning anyone against Brian when I say that I, too, tend to prefer Bennett's lyrics to the ones we get from Wilson/Thomas.  Everybody has their favorite Brian collaborators, and personally, Scott Bennett was/is my favorite since Andy Paley. 

If you compare the arrangements and overall sound of TLOS and the Gershwin album with those of Imagination, TWGMTR and NPP, there is an undeniable difference in production aesthetic. I think a large part of the problem some fans have with Joe Thomas lies with his arrangements. He has a style of his own, very much adult-contemporary, with a lot of nylon string acoustic guitars and a very different usage of woodwinds and brass compared to we are typically used to from Brian. While many members of this board enjoy or don't mind this production aesthetic - preferring instead to listen to the songs themselves -  it's the type of thing music critics latch onto.

I don't spend much time here these days because the consistent, and often contrived nastiness toward Brian and his work is downright toxic.  I don't find it anywhere else like this place.

This is demonstrably false. Beach Boy-related forums, social media, and product pages are probably the only places you'll find more than slight praise for the new album, since they are predictably filled with people who savor anything with Brian Wilson's name on it. The reception from most other critics is totally in line with whatever I've seen people say about the album elsewhere on the web.

I'm curious to see what reviews people are speaking of that are 'critical for the sake of being critical', or are written as clickbait. On this board, most of the negative feedback on this album amounts to 'I don't see much special about the album'; most of the positive feedback is 'This is the best album since Smile!'. The terse, or highly-vocal negative reviews are a minority here, but a majority elsewhere, since nobody wants to bother getting flamed for having a dissenting opinion among those who are very devoted to The Current Product by Our Favorite Artist. (There is also the added factor that people who were involved in the album's making are reading these posts, awkwardly).

I’m afraid a reply to your post would go on and on for pages listing all the insistently negative posts from a fairly consistent group of people.  However, it’s easy to just click on a name on this Board to read the string of latest posts and see a distinct pattern.
 
Anyone here can do this obviously, and it’s almost entertaining in an obnoxious sort of way.  Just watch when a poster won’t be swayed by the facts.  Sometimes it’s someone who is insisting on “autotunafish” being present on a song, even when another poster has actually spoken to the person in charge of the mix and production who provides the actual techniques used.
 
Yesterday had a great example on the Conan show thread.  There was a video where Brian could clearly be seen playing the piano and was easily heard among the vocals, yet the person refused to drop the argument that Brian wasn’t singing or playing.  Just check the series of posts from some of these folks, and you’ll see what some of us are talking about here.

This doesn’t apply to regular posters here who don’t find this, or other recordings to their liking.  Why would I, or anyone else even care?  But the relentless bunch who keep repeating the same garbage over and over make it pretty obvious that they have some sort of issue that they are driving here. 

Hi Debbie! I assume you are THE Debbie Keil, and it's so cool to me that you post here. Everything you wrote above is fair, but don't you think it's a waste of your time to engage with trolls who are posting simply to get a reaction out of you?

Let's all play a drinking game, everytime the word 'agenda' is said you have to down a shot. We'll all be shitfaced before the day is out.

The general vibe I'm getting here is that 'all reviews are worthless unless they happen to be postitive'.

Bingo. It seems as though some posters are twisting themselves into knots to discredit negative reviews. I understand that the state of music journalism is quite poor... But nevertheless, even if a reviewer thinks Brian was one of the Bee Gees, I don't think anyone here seems to mind as long as it is a positive review.

Personally, I like NPP. It's not my favorite solo album of Brian's, but I've been enjoying it. Many of Brian's lead vocals on this album are among the best of his solo career, and there are a few small masterpieces on the record. In my book, the harmony blend brings NPP closer to a true Beach Boys record than TWGMTR was.

Some of my non-Internet friends - longtime Brian fans - don't care for the record. Are they actually sleeper agents, sent to discredit Brian's work? Maybe I should confront them about this, in Brian's honor!

It may be worth considering the possibility that a significant amount of reviewers - regardless of their journalistic skills - simply don't care for NPP. And that's OK. This shouldn't affect your love for the album. Many people don't care for "Love You," but it doesn't change my undying affection for it.

There are also trolls - posters with one or two posts to their name - who post negative stuff just to get a reaction from the fans here. Well, mission accomplished on that front! Everybody should know: don't feed the trolls. Still, this is a major new release, and I wouldn't be surprised if many of these posters are longtime lurkers who legitimately don't like the album. Clearly something is very wrong with their minds, and they must be fixed!

Ron: "has went to" seriously?   Ron, my apologies if you are not a native speaker.

But I love this song. It like a Beatles song--which one I do not know, but is has some Beatles changes going on no? "There are no limitations with love": totally Beatles. help me determine which song?

Great song! Oscar nominated? I hope so. Good call.

"It like" a Beatles song? Seriously? Professor, my apologies if you are not actually a professor. At least Ron doesn't claim to be an academic!

I love you, Prof, but you made several spelling/grammatical/punctuation mistakes in your post. Glass houses and all that...

" I think it was the healing, cathartic music therapy"....

Oh, but did Brian actually say this? Well yeah! https://www.billboard.com/video/brian-wilson-the-billboard-shoot-6524084

In that same video, he answers one of the interview questions (about the L&M movie) with quite different words than the ones quoted in the accompanying text.

Just trying to point out that Brian is capable of an articulate sentence and can use words of more than one syllable. It is more than a little disrespectful to consider him inarticulate. When Brian is in the right mood and with the right interviewer he can be extremely interesting.

Exactly. A lot of this is due to the media's focus on the hardships in Brian's life (which is admittedly also a key part of his narrative whenever he sells a record).

I don't know... I guess it could have been more like

"Oh Yeah! And the Four Seasons!  What's that guy?  The Bah bah bah, badda Badda Badda Bah bah bah! part... the horns... man..   Bob Crewe?  Yeah, that's him, and the part with the drums Bap Bap Bap!  I like their production"

Then the guy makes it

"..Bob Crewe, famous for his work with Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons...ho showed me how to utilize horns to sharpen and sculpt an overall sound."

In discussing how this writer might have altered Brian's words in order to make him seem more eloquent, posters in this thread are now reverse-engineering Brian's interview answers to better fit their conception of him as an addled half-wit incapable of articulating ideas verbally.

I'm sorry, i'll delete my opinion for you.  Carry on.

Didn't mean to single you out, Ron. I just thought your post was funny (and I see where you're coming from with it).

I don't know... I guess it could have been more like

"Oh Yeah! And the Four Seasons!  What's that guy?  The Bah bah bah, badda Badda Badda Bah bah bah! part... the horns... man..   Bob Crewe?  Yeah, that's him, and the part with the drums Bap Bap Bap!  I like their production"

Then the guy makes it

"..Bob Crewe, famous for his work with Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons...ho showed me how to utilize horns to sharpen and sculpt an overall sound."

In discussing how this writer might have altered Brian's words in order to make him seem more eloquent, posters in this thread are now reverse-engineering Brian's interview answers to better fit their conception of him as an addled half-wit incapable of articulating ideas verbally.

I think this may be the first time I don't bother buying the new Brian Wilson album. Everything I've heard so far from NPP is cheesy, corny, clichéd, predictable and has very little to do with the work of the great Brian Wilson. Sorry, but that's it. There were some great moments on TWGMTR, but the well has finally run dry.

It's a bummer that you can't enjoy great music. Guess it's not to everyone's taste.

I can - that's why I love the Beach Boys. But this isn't great.

Why is this a problem for people? It's a strange thing with Beach Boys/Brian Wilson fans, as though many of us need to constantly reaffirm the fact that we enjoy Brian's music. Very odd.

Opinions being what they are, how about we relax and accept the fact that not everybody's going to like the album - even die-hard fans? Hell, up until I heard "Sail Away," I was not a big fan of what I'd heard from NPP thus far.

The problem with this kind of sh*t - sniping back and forth over perceived slights to Brian/Mike/etc - is that it ruins discussion of the music. It's even worse when the sniping is about issues SmileySmile posters have with each other.

I'm excited for the release of NPP, so I come to Smileysmile.net, only to see nearly every thread devolve, at some point, into these types of shenanigans. It's a waste of everybody's time, and it makes it a lot less fun to read the board. As much as I love some of the posters here, I don't want to read about their personal issues with each other. Life is too damned short (and no one is likely to 'pier pressure' others into sharing their opinions. It's a fools errand).

I humbly submit that we get back to analysis and discussion of Brian and the Beach Boys, secure in the knowledge that one person disliking the album - or another person being a cheerleader for the album - does not need to affect one's own, individual enjoyment of the music.

I think it's funny that you write a long post about your opinions, or whatever, saying that others shouldn't do the same, because it distracts. I don't have an issue (personal or universal) with anything. Isn't this supposed to be a discussion forum? I'm perfectly okay, if somebody hates new Brian Wilson music. But I still think it's a shame, especially in this case. And I believe I have the right to express that, if I want.

On the Island is thus far the weakest track for me. It just doesn't really wake anything special in me. Maybe it's the lyrics, which are kinda dull. Zooey sounds nice, but when the lyrics are what they are, and the genre in itself is kinda dull, what can you do. I'm Feeling Sad sounds fantastic though, it's just the kinda classic BW tune which you'd hope to last longer. I'm eagerly waiting how all these songs fit together and what kind of picture thay make as a whole. What I've heard yet is the best Beach Boys/Brian Wilson music since 1977. And that's a lot to say!

Good point. However, I wasn't saying people shouldn't express their opinions - exactly the opposite. I was trying to say that the personal sniping makes certain threads on this board a real chore to wade through.  In other words, I'd much rather read (just as an example) your opinion about Brian's new music than your opinion about my opinion about Barry's opinion. Does that make sense?

I can't speak for anyone else, but the tedium of wading through posts that aren't about the music - yes, like the post I am typing right now - has kept me off this board for long stretches. I think this is a shame because when people do discuss the music, it is my favorite message board around.

Now, back to the music... "I'm Feeling Sad" might be my favorite track so far. Shades of "Message Man" and "Just Like Me and You" - pure Brian. Absolute melodic bliss. Why is this a bonus track? Maybe I should just be happy that I don't have to wait for Brian's third solo box set in 2033 to hear it!

I think it's safe to say that No Pier Pressure is not a repeat of either GIOMH or TLOS. It is its own animal, for better and for worse. I'm not crazy about some of the guest vocalists, nor the modern sheen of "Runaway Dancer," but so far it is clear to me that a lot more time, thought and effort went into the production of album than, for example, That's Why God Made The Radio.

I think this may be the first time I don't bother buying the new Brian Wilson album. Everything I've heard so far from NPP is cheesy, corny, clichéd, predictable and has very little to do with the work of the great Brian Wilson. Sorry, but that's it. There were some great moments on TWGMTR, but the well has finally run dry.

It's a bummer that you can't enjoy great music. Guess it's not to everyone's taste.

I can - that's why I love the Beach Boys. But this isn't great.

Why is this a problem for people? It's a strange thing with Beach Boys/Brian Wilson fans, as though many of us need to constantly reaffirm the fact that we enjoy Brian's music. Very odd.

Opinions being what they are, how about we relax and accept the fact that not everybody's going to like the album - even die-hard fans? Hell, up until I heard "Sail Away," I was not a big fan of what I'd heard from NPP thus far.

The problem with this kind of sh*t - sniping back and forth over perceived slights to Brian/Mike/etc - is that it ruins discussion of the music. It's even worse when the sniping is about issues SmileySmile posters have with each other.

I'm excited for the release of NPP, so I come to Smileysmile.net, only to see nearly every thread devolve, at some point, into these types of shenanigans. It's a waste of everybody's time, and it makes it a lot less fun to read the board. As much as I love some of the posters here, I don't want to read about their personal issues with each other. Life is too damned short (and no one is likely to 'pier pressure' others into sharing their opinions. It's a fools errand).

I humbly submit that we get back to analysis and discussion of Brian and the Beach Boys, secure in the knowledge that one person disliking the album - or another person being a cheerleader for the album - does not need to affect one's own, individual enjoyment of the music.

Sail Away is indeed an obvious nod to Sloop (even The Right Time has some homages to Sloop in it)....I was talking about I'm Feeling Sad when I mentioned it being possibly accidental. But in no way is it even remotely similar to Mike mentioning Fun Fun Fun and Good Vibes in an uncomfortably large amount of songs he's written in the last 30 years.

"Sail Away" also has parts of the bassline from "Sloop," although it sounds like the bassist kept trying to get away from that riff, so it's much more subtle.

Much like "Shelter" from Thats Why God Made the Radio, I was slightly underwhelmed at first, but have quickly come to regard "Sail Away" as a classic Brian Wilson track.

First listen: "Not terrible."
Third listen: "Pretty decent."
Seventh listen: "Great song."
Twentieth listen: "Modern classic."

"Sail Away" references the past, but constitutes an evolution of Brian's style. (I wish I could say the same about "Runaway Dancer.")

The combination of synthesizers, horns, melodica, flutes, accordions, bass harmonica, et. Al. sets the perfect musical backdrop for "Sail Away." The melodic references to "Sloop John B." are tasteful and just subtle enough to work.

"Sail Away's" strengths are its unique structure and an embarrassment of melodic riches. The first half of the song is fairly conventional structurally - verse/chorus/verse/chorus - but soon, it spreads out, rapidly chucking out new melodic and harmonic ideas, while repeating the "Sail Away" hook just often enough to keep things grounded.

VERSE / CHORUS / BRIDGE / VERSE / CHORUS / FALSE ENDING A / MODULATED CHORUS / MODULATED BRIDGE / FALSE ENDING B / BUILD-UP / ENDING

The song is made extra special by having Blondie on the first verse, a sterling vocal performance from Al on the hook, and Brian filling in the rest of the leads.

As with some other tracks on NPP, the harmony blend here sounds more like The Beach Boys than many of the songs on Thats Why God Made the Radio. This could be due to the addition of Matt Jardine and Blondie. If Foskett is singing harmony here, he doesn't stand out like he did on TWGMTR.

Lyrically, the song clearly calls back to "Sail on Sailor." However, more broadly, it is a song about escape. The narrator wants to sail away... There's a million places he has in mind (although he doesn't actually name a single one - this isn't "Kokomo").

This song could be seen as a companion piece to "Shelter" from TWGMTR.  In "Sail Away," the narrator sings about all the places he wants to go, whereas "Shelter" is about how his home protects him from the outside world.

"Sail Away" is quintessentially Brian - a new pocket symphony.

I was very pessimistic about this album until yesterday. The Amazon and Google samples didn't sound promising, although "Right Time" had grown on me.

When I listened to the samples, "Guess You Had to Be There" seemed catchy but unremarkable. Now, hearing the whole song, it's a very nice piece of work.

I've never been a huge fan of the guest vocalist idea, aside from Al and Blondie. It has negative precedents in Stars & Stripes (I forget which volume) and Gettin' In Ober My Head.

This is my first time hearing Kacey Musgraves sing. Her performance is excellent. She doesn't go overboard or over-emote (like Ruess seems to) and she delivers the lyrics with conviction.

The effect on Kacey's voice that some people are hearing as Autotune is most likely either some chorus-type effect, or just the sound of two or three vocal tracks layered together (perhaps with some reverb). It was jarring to me at first - Kacey's lead is produced a little too slick for my liking, when juxtaposed with the backing track and Brian's vocal.

Brian has been stepping up his latter-day vocal game continually since Brian Wilson Presents SMiLe. He's tried new things, from growling on "Goin' Home" to softly crooning on "I Loves You Porgy" from the Gershwin album.

I felt like Brian's vocals on Thats Why God Made the Radio were a step back overall. Probably about the quality level of Brian Wilson Presents SMiLe. I always wondered why this was, considering his stellar, largely non-pitch corrected vocals on Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin.

On No Pier Pressure, Brian has some very gifted vocalists singing lead. It sounds like he is once again stepping up his game, and trying new things vocally in order to match and complement the work of his guest vocalists. He sounds fantastic on "Guess You Had to Be There."

Production aside, the song itself could have fit on That Lucky Old Sun. I'm curious whether Scott Benett helped write the lyrics. It is very much in the vein of "Goin' Home" lyrically, with Brian wryly looking back on his early years. In this case, it seems like he is singing about how his success was a mixed blessing (I'm thinking specifically about the SMiLe era).

The backing track reminds me a little bit of a "I've Got Plenty of Nothin'" from the Gershwin album, but with a backbeat. It's a fairly economical arrangement, with marimba, banjo, bass, and guitar (and maybe mandolin) weaving arpeggios together. The arrangement settles down and opens up in the verses, and seems to gain momentum with every chorus.

This is a rare example of a Brian Wilson song that uses a prominent electric guitar solo and rock and roll drums effectively. In other words, it's the opposite of "Bluebirds over The Mountain." The abrupt ending is also nicely thought out - reminds me of the kinds of little details we hear in McCartney's best work.

The evolving harmonies add significantly to the momentum of the song. As with Brian's best work, the harmonies are almost like a song unto themselves.

* Edited to remove redundancies, and to add that Kacie definitely has reverb on her vocal, as well as double- or triple-tracking. At one point, you can hear her vocal in the left channel begin slightly before the rest of the voices. I'm guessing maybe three vocal tracks.

I thought this was going to be a discussion on the merits of Psilocybe semilanceata, commonly known as Liberty Caps. Seems I was mistaken.

+1000, man we gotta hang out next time I am in the UK!

You know what's dishonest?  Projecting an arrogant, bully personality on the Internet. 

It's not dishonest if the person really is arrogant and bullying.

I'm glad this forum isn't over-moderated, but people really should ask themselves "will anyone else ever want to read this for any reason?" before publicly posting things that NO ONE NEEDS TO READ. Most of us come on here and lurk because we are fans of the group, and we want to relax. It gets exhausting when I have to wade through page upon page of useless BS.

People who snipe back and forth on threads here (I know I have been guilty of it too) are eroding nanoseconds off of the lives of anonymous strangers. Nobody cares!

The lawsuits, divorces, and Mike's extravagant life-style toppled him financially. In 1983 he filed for a Chapter 11
bankruptcy in the Central District Court of California. Among other debts Mike claimed $48,000 in taxes owed to the California
State Franchise Tax Board; a $100,000 loan secured against his properties in Santa Barbara and Incline Village; and at least
fifteen loans from various banks. Total debt to creditors holding security was $2,854,767. In all there were over a hundred
unsecured creditors, including exterminators, his answering service, his dentist (to whom he owed $28), and a telephone
bill for $1.16 from Nevada Bell. With the addition of several hundred thousand dollars in legal fees owed for divorces and
sundry lawsuits, the grand total came to $2,462,737.80 for unsecured debts to creditors.

In court papers Mike claimed immediate debts payable totaling $163,671.77. In a declaration by Pamela Ann Caughill,
his bookkeeper since August 1983, she stated, "Mr. Love has financed his lifestyle by extensive borrowing. All of the
properties he owns are fully mortgaged, and as a result, he has substantial monthly obligations. His monthly loan obligations
presently total $22,765.59... and his total monthly obligations are in excess of $50,000." Pamela Caughill said, "Mr.
Love's present financial circumstances are, to say the very least, desperate."

And this is why Mike doesn't want to "f*** with the formula," take artistic risks, and jeopardize his income.

Wow... I think you just stumbled on the answer to a perpetual Mike Love mystery around these parts.

How could he go from his artistic high of the early 1970s (Holland) to the crass commercialism of Summer in Paradise? And why is he so obsessed with commerciality at the expense of art? Because he almost lost everything in the early 80s.

I wonder how the Made In California mix differs from the mix that was cut from The Warmth of The Sun. I assume the song was remixed for the box set.

Also, hearing WIBNTLA makes me realize how great it would have been to hear it in surround sound on the Surf's Up DVD-Audio reissue. Does anyone know what the prospective tracklist was for that release?

Hey Pixletwin, it didn't work for me on my Mac, but it did work on iPad and iPhone...

Download the app, then download the server profile you want to use (in this case, Netherlands) and you will connect to the VPN. Then Google "Made in California" Spotify, and you will see the links, which will open in the Spotify app. (I wasn't able to find them from within the app).

Also, I don't know if this makes a difference, but I created a Spotify account on the Netherlands version of the site (spotify.com/nl)

Happy listening!

For me Rieley was inconsistent as a lyric writer. Most of the lyrics of LPR are good enough I don't always notice them 'cause Carl's singing is so damn good. His lyrics to Feel Flows definitely fit the spaced out feel of the song, since the words are pretty spacey too. Steamboat is pretty good I guess.

"So hard to lift the jeweled scepter" is a ridiculous line but I don't mind it. I guess he wrote the words of A Day in the Life of a Tree and I'd say it's his most successful lyric. 

Agreed about "A Day in The Life of a Tree." The lyrics for "Long Promised Road" are unwieldy, clearly written by someone who was not going to have to deal with singing them himself. It says a lot about Carl as a vocalist that he was able to deliver those lyrics, with all their consonants and syllables, in such a beautiful way.

I've got to say, with WIBNTLA, we would have had three of the Wilsons' best songs ever on Surfs Up: "Long Promised Road," "Till I Die," and WIBNTLA.

I almost feel as though "Wouldn't it be Nice to Live Again" is the natural evolution of what Dennis was doing when he wrote "Forever."

Thanks...how about the keyboard Richie Cannata is playing on this '95 version of "Sail On Sailor"?  It's only visible a couple of times when the camera pans to the far left:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bkEhMAxP4M

That's a tough one. Judging by the logo it looks like Korg.. Perhaps a Korg Triton? I've seen Tritons with the same logo layout etc, but they were white, so this is just a stab in the dark.

Edit: It looks like a Korg N364, but that was released in '96... So my final guess is Korg X5.