It's possible in 1971 it was just more lucrative to just be on a salary(with publishing/performing royalties) than to be a shareholder getting 'profit' and paying tax on that, too.

Or maybe he just didn't want to be involved. At that point there seems to have been a lot of tension and jostling for power in the organization and there was no clear c*ck at the top of the pile. Even last year it seemed only to work if Mike and Brian agreed that the other would be in charge of certain segments. Back in 1971 you had Dennis writing the best songs, Carl doing most of the production, Mike doing the frontman thing, Al and Bruce writing material(if not a wealth of it--and they weren't that successful which creates tension in and of itself. If I had been Bruce, with mad money hook-ups from my parents anyway, I might have been more content to sit back do my thing and collect my paycheck, too.

Or maybe he was forced out as Rielly asserts.

Has he ever said publically why he left BRI?

My God, why do I keep opening this thread? It's like a compulsive disorder.

I think it is the same, except the backing vocals were overdubbed during the SUSA sessions.

I always thought that the train representing the fast movement of time, and things being left behind: childhood, caroline, innocence, etc.

I think there are few secular Chistmas songs that evoke a really strong spirit in me like Wonderful Christmas does.

I get a little chill when I realize that the Tower is reading my thoughts. Is there nowhere to hide?

I think it's a clavinet, not a clarinet. but what do I know?

the album perhaps deserved to be docked for the five repeats, but 6 of the 7 other songs I think are GREAT. Don't get the 'utter throwaway' judgment. Yeah, it would have made a better 8 song EP, perhaps....but those songs are great.

I love this song, I can't even tell you why. not because I'm ashamed but because I don't know.

They are the same mixes on shut down, I guess it's the mastering that's better. My previous criticism of the treble...it's actually not that bad. I'm so glad those earlier albums are out on mono.

I thought Al sang What'd I say....Anyway,, my thought that Carl was always enamored of being 'lead guitarist' and that's what he wanted; and that's why he didn't have many leads in the beginning.

I actually think that period is him at the peak of his craft, if not his inspiration.

that song about the Old Lady and the Car is deffo Morning Beat, I mean, the backing track, obviously the vocal melody is totally different.

If by 'obvious' you mean 'not-really-obvious-in-the-way-obvious-means-for-most-humanbeings-fools-that-they-are' then I whole-heartedly agree.

I also think it's been obvious for months that the mono/stereo releases ave something to do with the delay of the box. I just assumed not that the track listing had anything to do with it, but rather that the US releases of the mono/stereo deals were last minute decisions and the box is delayed so that the all the releases can find their market.  I mean, i'm buying these releases 3 cds per month, and I wnat the box, but if they were all released at once I wouldnt be buying the box until next year anyway. I am hankering for a track list though.

Finally got Smiley Smile, Today and Summer days today. Stereo mixes sound good to my apparently tin ear; don't mind the swaths of reverb, as it makes it sound more 'Spector'-y' I think; but the treble is too high, as others have said. Help Me Ronda is almost unbearable, that tambourine feels like someone hammering a nail into my brain. But I've ordered three more and I'll get them all. I can turn the treble down....but why is it turned up so high?

Song is OK, and I like the track overall but Brian's vocals grate on me, I'm sorry to say.

Paley sound unfinished. TLOS is better; but I agree that it's not the best song on that album, it works where it is and I don't dislike it.

The stereo mixes of Today, Summer Days, Pet Sounds, Let the wind Blow are by their very nature 'rewriting history' no matter how they are done. Making a 'wide stereo' mix does not in any way change the fact that, historically, NO TRUE STEREO MIX EVER EXISTED. If you want some sort of historically authentic version, listen to mono...or duophonic.

Do the Anti-60s-Stereo fans also prefer modern remastering techniques such as signal boosting and compression?  I find loud, highly-compressed and overly bright recordings (most of the BB reissues IMO) unlistenable on anything but small cheapo computer speakers.

No, I'm not a fan of super loud recordings. I don't know all the technical terms, have no idea what signal boosting is for example, but I don't like really loudly mastered music.

I understand the hate for Be True for Your school, and I too was always cheesed out by high school patriotism; but now I can appreciate that the song captures that spirit, which is uniquely American, I think, pretty well. I think the lyrics are great, among the best those two wrote. Look at it as a sociological study of American teenagers in the late twentieth century.

I have to say there is no 'classic' if by classic you mean 'typically overplayed hit that is included on compilations' that I don't like. I think the first song that I don't like is 'Chapel of Love' from 16 Big Ones. After that I suppose there is typically one song per album I don't like and much of SIP I don't like.

Maybe the real reason is I am not a big fan of sixties stereo mixes, for the most part. I much prefer mono for nearly every artist I've heard. So for me a 'sixties-style' mix is only for reason of 'faux-authenticity'...frankly, I just wouldn't buy the product otherwise.

LOVE IT.

Of course, no one is saying Linnett should be making stereo mixes so wide that they can't be listened to. But check out the original stereo mix of Wendy, and then Mark's remix of it on Warmty of the Sun - intentionally or not, he stayed true the basic principle of the original stereo soundstage and that thing sounds wonderful - all of the vocals (even both sets of b/gs) are in the center, unified as one and sounding glorious! That's one of the powers of stereo - not that mono doesn't have it too - but when a stereo mix just sparkles, it can knock you on your ass - I think a lot more of the catalog has that potential than it has been given.

But Wendy had an original sixties-era mix, so he remained true to it. Today and Summer Days and Pet Sounds dont. Again, i don't see why it's so important he stay 'faux-authentic' other than to further the illusion that we are sitting listening to a hi-fi 45 years ago.