I'm watching it now, and even after a billion (give or take a few hundred million) viewings, when Dennis kisses the back of Brian's head just before "God Only Knows," I'm honestly touched.

^ That's a really good post. I'd add that, while you said "[Carl] should not have tolerated sub par performances," neither should have anyone else who had an ear to hear them. Mike also--for all his many faults--was working his ass off to do a good show in the way that he knew how (for better or for worse). I think that by the "Brian is Back" campaign, there was just layer upon layer of strangeness that complicated the picture. It is, of course, a big part of why so many people find the story interesting. But from an actual, personal perspective, it is sad ... even pathetic. I find some of those clips from shows in the late 70s hard to watch, with Brian obviously sick. And yet, Dennis's obvious affection for his brother is beautiful to me. And even (the "villain") Mike has moments on film from those shows when I can't help but think all he is interested in is seeing whether Brian is OK. What a weird time it must have been to be among them: jealously, greed, love, hatred, anger, frustration, hope, optimism, pessimism ... not pretty.

To someone who came late and only gradually worked his way through their career (beginning with Pet Sounds and going both ways, slowly, simultaneously), it seemed like one new "lowest point" after another. Frankly, starting with Pet Sounds, things like Wild Honey seemed like "lowest points" to me, although in context and retrospect, that isn't anywhere near true. I suppose I'd say anything after '85 is officially tied for lowest point in my opinion. As bad as it had been from the late 70s onward, once Brian is more or less officially gone, it's just a bad fucking joke. (Note: I like "Wipeout," though. That's for real. I really do.)

Not a bad review either particularly when he says things like:

"Dennis fell victim to the common misconception that session player Hal Blaine manned the skins exclusively in the studio at Brian's behest. In actuality, Dennis made sporadic but dramatic contributions during even Brian's creative peak"

For its many faults, p4k does have an apparently dedicated cadre of Wilson/BB fans. I think Dominique Leone is the name of another writer who has done a LOT of singing the praises of the group, including doing very positive reviews for the myriad reissues.

I think Brian may have just been bored.  Peter Ames Carlin indicated in his book that Brian really wanted to be playing bass, and Carl forced him to the sidelines.  I originally found this hard to swallow but I've seen concert footage from 1978 where Brian is playing bass for the whole concert.  Brian is very animated and while he isn't as good as Ed Carter or JWG he's playing all the parts correctly, if dumbing them down a little.  Bass may have been more of a challenge for him, and more of a vital role in the band.

I'm not blaming Carl for taking Brian off bass -- it's a key instrument and a lot of damage can be done if it's not being reliably played -- but you can understand why Brian would be bored off his ass just plunking away at the piano.  I've seen another concert from 1980 -- it's on Youtube -- where the camera is near Brian's monitor and you can hear his piano loud and clear.  For the most part, he's playing everything right, if in his inimitable Brian four on the floor piano playing style.  So it's not like he wasn't capable of playing  the parts.

I think that's probably quite true: there is a certain endless cycle downward here. We can't rely on you, so you lose interest and f*** up, so we can't rely on you, so you f*** up more, and so on. If he knew--and he had to know--he was just being set at the side of the stage so they could say "LOOK! It's [an inaudible and generally useless except for a few lines when we turn on his mic] BRIAN!" how is he supposed to pretend to be interested or feel even vaguely wanted? Would you be motivated? I wouldn't. I'm not saying Brian was in the right to let himself (however much control he had of himself; I certainly don't know, but I'd guess some) f*** around even more, but it does become an unfortunate cycle at some point.

POB was reviewed in today's Pitchfork. 8.5/10. Say what you will about Pitchfork, but this is going to be good news in terms of a different demographic's sales, with a younger, indie-leaning audience as their primary readers (as opposed to the more classic rock style places I've seen it reviewed so far). Here is the review: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/51343-dennis-wilson-pacific-ocean-blue-legacy-edition

That would be too long a title. 

One of my couple favorite movies ever. I saw it--on a date!--when it was released and have loved it since. I swear half my daily vocabulary comes from it.

I've never met, or even made any particular effort to meet, Brian or the Beach Boys. I suppose the closest I've come is during some old (circa 2004) blueboard chats with "Brian." (Never can tell...Brian, Melinda typing for Brian, Melinda without Brian, whatever.) It was right before the first Smile shows in the U.S.--debuted here in Minneapolis. I told him he and the band could stay at my house if they wanted and we'd do a singalong and he said he thought they had accommodations already. I asked what he had for dinner and he said chicken caesar salad. He asked what I had and I said pepperoni pineapple jalapeno pizza. I asked him what "over and over, the crow cries uncover the cornfield" means and he asked "who are you, Mike Love?" Whether it was him or not, it cracked me up.

Today's entry to my daily childhood songs project (yes, this one took two days; I wrote the words yesterday but went out last night with friends rather than recording; I rewrote some of it, wrote all the music and recorded it today). Just a demo, although a relatively fleshed out one. I hope you like it. I think it's nice. Simple, but nice. http://www.sendspace.com/file/412nml

I exchanged a few words with Taylor Mills after a Brian Wilson show and Al Jardine's secretary once responded to a letter I wrote to him (and included a big signed photo of Al - which I thought was pretty cool)... That's as close as I ever came to getting in contact with the Beach Boys...

Not very impressive, is it? 

I dunno, many people find Taylor VERY impressive. 

I think it was done intentionally so the producers could lurk and laugh at the responses from people on message boards.

Personally, I think it's sad (perhaps telling) that on a board dedicated to BW and the Boys that lower ratings of Brian's albums make one fan respect another more.

I don't think it's sad at all. It would be sad if everyone were insulting BW or the BBs on a board related to them, but that doesn't seem to be what happened here. I think it's just a matter of people recognizing one another's relative objectivity. Yes, preferences are subjective, but there is hopefully a relative objectivity within any one person's choices. And so if a person thinks Pet Sounds is brilliant, it's hard to understand extreme devotion to GIOMH, for example, because one is just so (to put it kindly) different. To some of us--serious fans, all--it seems like blind worship when people give everything BW does 4.5 to 5 stars. And so it is refreshing when, without malice or insult, we see people say, "You know, I love Brian Wilson, but that album just wasn't very good." I think it's far more sad when people give all high scores, or when they think it's sad that others don't.

Funny, I also saw Lou perform mostly the Ecstasy material on his tour of that album, and it was a great show. Maybe it was that I'd never seen him live, or that I was lucky enough to score front-row seats for free, or just a better night. But to me it showed how strong the material was that it stood up on its own. (And the show had a classic Lou moment. Someone in the crowd: "Rock 'n' Roll! Play Rock 'n' Roll! Rock 'n'--" Lou: "Shut the f*** up." [audience laughs] "You can leave if you're unhappy."

I wrote and recorded this song this afternoon. I'm doing a series of tunes of real stories from my childhood (one a day, starting yesterday, for as long as I can keep it up). It's not that it's particularly insightful or anything, but mostly for comedic purposes. This is a serious one, though. "You and Your Brother." I might post it at my myspace, but I'm not sure yet, so there's just this mp3 link.   http://www.sendspace.com/file/6tnvcw

If I got 6 desert island discs and they all had to be Lou Reed (without including VU), I'd be pretty fucking pissed. But if it came down to it, I'd say Transformer, Berlin, Ecstasy, New York, American Poet and ... probably RnR Animal, but not for sure.

Not much of a response I can give to that except "yes way," I guess.

Being lightweight is exactly what's great about Transformer. It's Lou Reed writing pop songs, and he's great at it. Fake? No harm in that. It's pop music, not autobiography. Bowie and Ronson were a great help, and Lou's songs were strong. As for Berlin, it's more problematic for me, and not as good. But Ezrin's production is great in an entirely different way than Bowie's was on Transformer. The whole album is the opposite, rather than hitting for a pop appeal it's trying to shock you, scare you, impress you. But it's good regardless, even despite the effort. Any faults it has are presented 10x more in Drella.

Personally I think Songs for Drella is the best thing he's done post-VU. Nothing else even comes close for me.

Not me. I don't like the sounds on that: those later 80s tones, especially without full band, don't do it for me. And I don't like the "academic" type of presentation. When Lou (and Cale) pretend rock is serious, it drains the life out for me. For me, Lou's best post-VU are by far a few obvious choices (that I'm not ashamed to share), Transformer and Berlin, and then things like New York, Ecstasy, and then CIB, SCD, RNR Animal/Live.

While we're at it:


BW88: B
IJWMFTT: B- (I like the recordings more, but it's just covers)
Orange Crate Art: C
Imagination: C+
Live At The Roxy: B (See IJWMFTT)
Pet Sounds Live: C+ (See IJWMFTT, but it's wearing thin. Yes, they're very good. But come on...)
GIOMH: C--
BWPS: A+, sound can't be a fraud. If you wanted something other than what it is, it's your fault as the listener. 
WIRWFC: B

I love--well, really like--Sally Can't Dance. Coney Island Baby, too. The pop Reed is a good Reed. I am with you on Magic and Loss.

I love to champion new music but always think it's a mistake to push it as "the new [whoever]" or "very [classic band]-esque." It's just asking for problems. What's classic will last through time, what's pleasant will be good enough for now and what's awful will fade quickly. No reason to bring up every little inspiration or similarity, because time will tell regardless. I don't listen to the Beach Boys because they could've been the next Four Freshmen, or the Beatles because of their Buddy Holly-inspired sounds. As for Fleet Foxes, I think they're fine. Not all that different than a lot of other bands who are around, either, just getting some good press. (Beachwood Sparks, defunct since the early 00s, were a better band in a similar country/folk/harmony-vocal vein, I thought.)

As for who arranged the vocals, in an interview conducted at the time of release it was stated that Brian arranged the majority of the vocals in the studio.

Might that have been a "Brian's Back"-style piece of propaganda in an effort to move a few copies? It might generate more interest with critics and the public to say BW arranged all the vocal parts than to say he came in and sang Van Dyke's. Sort of how older reviews of later-period Beach Boys albums seemed to always overstate Brian's involvement?

[Street Hassle]

As a Lou fan, I must say that it's okay, but not one of my favorites. Very weird, and a decent contrast with Street Hassle, which I think is just poetry (especially the title track). But still, The Bells has some lovely cuts, "City Lights" being my favorite (a huge Chaplin fan as well), "Stupid Man" and "The Bells," which George Starostin described as "a homebred version of Revolution 9." Just a bit tough to listen to all the way through, though Growing Up in Public is much worse and chronologically following.

For some inexplicable reason, I would rather listen to GUiP anyday. I acknowledge that it's terrible in many ways, but so is The Bells. And here's a weird one--I prefer both of those two to the more highly acclaimed precedent and antecedents, Street Hassle and The Blue Mask, which I consider the two most overrated LR albums ever.

A state of urgency? I'd like to see it happen, but I think that may be overstatement.