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680597 Posts in 27600 Topics by 4068 Members - Latest Member: Dae Lims March 28, 2024, 01:30:03 PM
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4801  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Beach Boy import CDs on: August 19, 2008, 06:41:51 AM
I would not know. I thought the Past Masters (for that is their real name) are packaged in a tiny 'LP' cardboard sleeve with the obligatory OBI. I never saw any advantage in these imitation LP sleeves anyway. But you could mail Amazon about it?
4802  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Landy Questions on: August 19, 2008, 05:43:29 AM
Does anyone know if Landy, being a psychologist and not a psychiatrist, was allowed to prescribe drugs at all? In most parts of the world psychologists aren't, because they aren't qualified M.D.s and 'psychologist' isn't a protected title there.

I recall from the BW 'autobiography' that Landy had two M.D.s in his service: dr. Susser and dr. Samuels. Did they simply carry out Landy's orders without ever questioning them?

It would be grievous if one psychologist and two M.D.s who weren't psychiatrists at all could, between the three of them, do pretty much what they liked without ever being double-checked and second-opinioned by a true psychiatrist... Huh
4803  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Brian's \ on: August 19, 2008, 05:23:32 AM
It was obvious this wasn't Brian writing when he would describe events in the first person while quoting verbatim from Heroes and Villains and other sources.  I suspect the new things in the book are all Landy, his interpreting what Brian was going through with his father and the Beach Boys, and the accuracy of it is questionable.

As I read this, the name Landy invented for the both of them strikes me as fairly very ludicrous nowadays: 'Brains And Genius'. What was the man thinking?
4804  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Phil Spector Today on: August 19, 2008, 03:45:48 AM
...so, how's the tycoon of teen doing nowadays? How's the trial standing? I haven't heard about it for a long time.
4805  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Brian's \ on: August 19, 2008, 03:24:48 AM
According to Gold, Brian also dropped off several hours worth of tapes to be used in the book.  But it was never made clear if it was Landy interviewing Brian or maybe Landy himself providing some kind of narrative.  It has to be assumed that Landy had a large hand in both providing information and otherwise directing the book.  It's a praise-Landy book.  However, there are stories in there that are unique and sometimes rather bizarre, including ones about Brian's relationship with his father, details about his relationship with Diane, details about various hospitalizations, and ones about scenes with the Beach Boys.  How true they are and what the source was is uncertain, but they are found in no other book.  Other than that, one large source was Steven Gaines' "Heroes and Villains," without proper attribution.

Yup, agreed. But I have somewhere funny recordings  of Landy and Brian in some sort of interview. Landy says: 'Brian, you were in a hole!'. Brian echoes, very submissively, audibly on medication: 'Yes. I was in a deep hoooooooole...'. The way he says it makes you laugh unintentionally... I have to dredge that thing up soon.
I really want to hear that, for some strange reason.  Grin

OK jotted down. It might take a while since I moved house but I won't forget it.
Can you tell me why you want to hear it, incidentally?  Grin
4806  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: HDCD-encoded versions - how are they? on: August 19, 2008, 03:21:50 AM
Sunflower was released in Quadraphonic.
Amazingly, hifi companies in the early 70s brought out quadraphonic headphones, no doubt in the hope that we'd eventually grow an extra pair of ears. Here's some:
http://members.cox.net/quadraphonic/headphones/Zenith%20839-35%20Quad%20headphones%202.JPG

Superb! Cheers!
4807  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Brian's \ on: August 19, 2008, 01:44:18 AM
According to Gold, Brian also dropped off several hours worth of tapes to be used in the book.  But it was never made clear if it was Landy interviewing Brian or maybe Landy himself providing some kind of narrative.  It has to be assumed that Landy had a large hand in both providing information and otherwise directing the book.  It's a praise-Landy book.  However, there are stories in there that are unique and sometimes rather bizarre, including ones about Brian's relationship with his father, details about his relationship with Diane, details about various hospitalizations, and ones about scenes with the Beach Boys.  How true they are and what the source was is uncertain, but they are found in no other book.  Other than that, one large source was Steven Gaines' "Heroes and Villains," without proper attribution.

Yup, agreed. But I have somewhere funny recordings  of Landy and Brian in some sort of interview. Landy says: 'Brian, you were in a hole!'. Brian echoes, very submissively, audibly on medication: 'Yes. I was in a deep hoooooooole...'. The way he says it makes you laugh unintentionally... I have to dredge that thing up soon.
4808  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: HDCD-encoded versions - how are they? on: August 19, 2008, 01:08:38 AM
Thanks to all for the great info! -

it led me to a recollection way in the back of my mind (where else?): could it be true that either Sunflower, or Surf's Up, or both, once were released as quadraphonic (4-channel) LP albums? It is a bit of a theoretical question, because even if I am right, the format died an early death and the needed needles (hah!) won't be available at any rate, nor the special amps.
4809  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Brian's \ on: August 19, 2008, 12:57:05 AM
As far as I can judge MikeyJ hit it on the head here. I can recall this:
At the time (1991/2 or thereabouts) Rolling Stone magazine pre-published the first chapter of the book. I think the whole fanbase of BW/BB was stunned then and eager to get the book. I ordered the first printing in hardback and devoured it. Even then I did not have many suspicions, it sounded quite believable, esp. the Hawaii episodes; or the painful depictions by Brian of himself just before being brought to Hawaii.
But after a month or so doubts began to emerge. Brian never was a very verbal person. The book used just too many words he never used. And Landy and Co. were depicted as some sort of superb, unfailing healing community.
Then word got out about that possible film. With William Hurt and Jeff Bridges, as Landy and Wilson respectively. More doubts were raised. It all seemed too nice.
Finally, Gold admitted a couple of years ago that in fact he only had had a few afternoon sessions with a very non-responsive Brian (think: 'um...yes', or 'um...no').
That is what I know about it.
4810  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Mike's most productive years on: August 18, 2008, 12:13:23 PM
I'm pretty sure it's "a gun", not "bullets".

You are right, of course, and I am red with shame. However, I'll let it stand if you don't mind. Goes to show what happens when you try to squeeze too many contributions in on a hot day.
I have brain rot. I will use the two remaining cells as well as possible... Sad
4811  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / General Music Discussion / Re: What was #1 on the day you were born on: August 18, 2008, 11:57:54 AM
It did give me a firm appreciation for punk rock.  LOL

Hehehe! I can well see your point. I had a punk obsession myself for years. It weaned when I got older but some of that simple stuff has stood the test of time surprisingly well.
Tomorrow I'm going to play: 'Wanna Buy A Bridge?', a legendary sampler LP on the Rough Trade label.
4812  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Landy Questions on: August 18, 2008, 11:51:04 AM
Addiction (substance abuse) is, according to DSM-IV (the chief handbook for psychiatrists) a psychiatric illness. A real alcoholic is ill, in the sense that he simply has to use, because otherwise he will get a fit or a delirium. That amounts to for instance an epileptic seizure with potential fatality, or psychotic episodes with extreme fears and delusions, the dreaded 'cold sweat'. One feels insects crawling under one's skin, or sees snakes curling around one's feet. So one needs the stuff to keep some kind of very fragile equilibrium. That is not to say that when using, one feels well. Concentration is shot, one rambles, talks incoherently, and sleep is totally disrupted; often impotence is also a result, and self-neglect; one rarely eats well, and so on.
I would say Brian, as a victim of a highly abusive childhood, began to suffer from general anxiety disorder, and social anxiety disorder already in his early adolescence. Think: panic attacks, heavy sweating, the tendency to retreat, perhaps phobias and/or obsessive-compulsive behavior. Or, when he felt some threat somewhere, a strong tendency to display childlike, goofy behavior (to escape from responsibility). Then, he could have discovered that alcohol and street drugs worked wonderful against these terrible feelings. That is how almost all addicts really get into abuse. A battered wife knows that half a bottle of gin takes the pain away for an hour or so.
Given all the stories, it's probable that his consumption of cocaine was massive. That alone can cause paranoid feelings for years on end (feeling persecuted, conspired against). Also, he himself admitted  several times that he was a very heavy drinker; he smoked much hashish. Then there's the LSD, that can (sometimes fatally) bring back earlier trauma, because that trauma becomes extremely vivid again. He also spoke of heroin use. And, of course, he was a chain smoker.
My contention is that Landy's enormous mistake was to quickly wean Brian off of street drugs, and all too quickly put him on a regimen of high doses of psychiatric drugs; in that way he could take Bri on nice trips around the world pretty soonish and present himself as a most successful healer.
I think he should have let Brian first do a long, long withdrawal which should have ended in, yes, no drugs at all for a couple of years. Then, with a bit of luck, the 'real' Brian at that time could have shone through. Instead, we got a puppetmaster and his disciple, which disciple went from some terrible addictions into another heavy drug regimen without anything in between. Not good.

(this is just my take on things, from what I read about it all over the years.)
4813  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Question about the \ on: August 18, 2008, 11:26:28 AM
Some guy called... Wilson, I think it was.

Murry? I have aural evidence that he directed the 'Help Me Rhonda' sessions, after all.

Al You're Flatting.




 Cheesy Yes I am mr. Murry sir. I should sshhyncopate more, I know...
4814  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / General Music Discussion / Re: What was #1 on the day you were born on: August 18, 2008, 11:06:43 AM
UK: Annie's Song by John Denver

US: I Honestly Love You - Olivia Newton John

AUS: The Night Chicago Died - Paper Lace

 3D

I pity you. Has this enormous overdose of sedatives affected your life in any way?
4815  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Question about the \ on: August 18, 2008, 11:03:51 AM
Some guy called... Wilson, I think it was.

Murry? I have aural evidence that he directed the 'Help Me Rhonda' sessions, after all.
4816  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / General Music Discussion / Re: What was #1 on the day you were born on: August 18, 2008, 10:55:47 AM
Lovely result:

US: The Platters - Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
UK: Conway Twitty - It's Only Make Believe
Aus: The Kingston Trio - Tom Dooley

BTW is this some cunning scheme to extract info from gullible people to arrive at their bank account in the end?
4817  Smiley Smile Stuff / 1960's Beach Boys Albums / Re: Smiley Smile on: August 18, 2008, 10:15:07 AM
5. No other rating is possible. It's weird, one of a kind, totally sui generis, as my postman said. I recall spinning a cassette of it on a hot summer day in the garden of my parents' house. My brother and I were sharing a beer. I never used marijuana, but this album made any psychoactive substance of that kind redundant anyway.
It is often wrongly described as a lesser, inferior sibling of the real deal. Which is nonsense. It exists in another universe. Songs like 'Wind Chimes' give you an eerie sense of hotness, laziness, claustrophobia, being somehow oppressed. And in this sense it's the dark side of 'In My Room' - two snapshots from the same life, expressing similar feelings. No so nice feelings.
Some tracks are minor ones. 'Getting Hungry' does not impress me that much. Same for 'Whistle In'.
But that does not subtract from its merits on the whole.
4818  Smiley Smile Stuff / 21st Century Beach Boys Albums / Re: Good Timin': Live At Knebworth 1980 on: August 18, 2008, 10:08:33 AM
Good but not great. The band is really functioning, but the choice of material is not that adventurous. Two remarks:
- Mike totally ruins a great Lady Lynda when he belts out 'A-A-A-L J-A-A-A-R-D-I-I-I-N-E!!!' at the end. It betrays a total lack of taste.
- Dennis just is too far gone already, as 'You Are So Beautiful' painfully shows.

3 out of 5 then.
4819  Smiley Smile Stuff / 21st Century Beach Boys Albums / Re: The Warmth of the Sun on: August 18, 2008, 10:01:19 AM
Five. Out. Of. Five.
4820  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Mike's most productive years on: August 18, 2008, 08:55:00 AM
And yet something's missing.  Where's the exegesis on "Student Demonstration Time"?

Read my criminally ignored thread: "Surf's Up - A concept album?"

No one ever was more masterful at the megaphone. Yes, one could make a case for Captain Ahab, who made contact with every other ship he encountered with his Pequod with such a device, and Ahab cried out: 'Hast Seen The White Whale?'. Now, I'll readily concur that that must have been a true miracle - but the way Mike shouts: 'the pen is mightier than the sword but no match for bullets'. How he emphasizes the word 'bullets' is worth the price of the album alone.
4821  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / General Music Discussion / Re: What was #1 on the day you were born on: August 18, 2008, 08:13:37 AM
You are one young pup...

How does one check this out?
4822  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: HDCD-encoded versions - how are they? on: August 18, 2008, 08:12:10 AM
Thanks for the replies so far. I am somewhat surprised to learn about the 2001 versions being louder, more compressed, and containing more noise. I hadn't expected this. I don't care the slightest bit about the general loudness, but object to compression. I still have nightmares about two LPs I once owned: ELO's 'Eldorado', and Roy Wood and Wizzard's 'Eddie And The Falcons'. They were so compressed that they weren't listenable at all.
Compression, by the way, also kills off many radio stations in Europe. Since the available bandwidth is limited, and frequencies are auctioned off on a yearly basis, and governments want to extract as much money as possible from it all, the average sound is awful because of the number of radio stations allowed.
Are the 1990 versions collectible for the reasons Bicyclerider named?
4823  Non Smiley Smile Stuff / General Music Discussion / Re: Surf Music : Most detrimental/criminal events on: August 18, 2008, 08:04:57 AM
Of course it has be the Surfsiders' album. Or no, wait... it's the greatest event in all of surf music... no, wait, from a strictly teleological viewpoint, it has to be... or no, from a theological/cult viewpoint, it surely is the greatest release in all of...

*is slowly pulling out his hairs one by one*
4824  Smiley Smile Stuff / 1980's Beach Boys Albums / Re: Beach Boys Rarities on: August 18, 2008, 07:12:39 AM
I gave it 5, for this reason: the alternate 'Good Vibrations' was one of the biggest electrical jolts in music in my whole life. It was the 'hum-de-dum'-chorus that did it. You can't always reason to perfection why you like something. So: a shameless 5 out of 5. Like a classical music lover would award to a 4-minute newly found manuscript by Bach.
4825  Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / HDCD-encoded versions - how are they? on: August 18, 2008, 07:06:06 AM
Hi -

I happen to possess all 1990 two-fers and a number of 2001s too. As the latter are HDCD-encoded (seems like an algoritm that 'pretends' to convert 16-bit to 24-bit, I am told) I was wondering about these issues:

- how are the 2001 issues when compared to the 1990 ones when played on a mid-quality CD player without taking into account the HDCD sampling method?
- is it worth the money to purchase a CD-player with an in-built HDCD-chip (from Pacific Microsonics), I mean: is the change that dramatical? There are preciously few HDCD-encoded CDs around, but hey: we're talking the Beach Boys here, which changes everything... (as the Bard Of Avon wrote: 'All Is Fair In Love, War, and The Beach Boys').

Thank you.
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