I had the occasion to be texting a member of Brian's band, on an unrelated matter.  I thanked him for the joy he helped bring, and said that I hoped for that rock and roll album and more touring down the road.   "There hasn’t been an official announcement but Brian is not touring this summer and it may be that we’re be the end of this remarkable chapter.   It’s been a great gift to all of us."  Indeed it has.

As for "Isn't It Time", it must have been a very late decision to do an alternate single version of the song, and they were already touring Europe by that time.

I think they must have devised the new version/arrangement while on tour in the US, as I believe it was on some mid-US tour dates that they first started doing the alternate version? I'm trying to recall.

It's also weird to think of the timeline of when Mike was already planning/booking M&B shows... was Al aware of the fact that C50 was dead tour walking and the reunion was basically doomed when he sang those lines in a Norwegian hotel room? It feels like a scene from an eventual scripted C50-themed movie.

I don’t think there’s any definitive answer as to what all the guys *thought* as the C50 tour entered its final weeks and months.

I have to imagine that Al had to know that the thing ending in September for good was a strong possibility, and I’d certainly hope that if *fans* were hearing by June (only 1-2 months into the tour) that Mike had supposedly started booking his own shows for after C50, then Al had to have heard that as well.

I think Al probably remained perhaps comically unrealistically hopeful about all the members coming to their senses and continuing on. I think Al also usually pitches various ideas for these types of projects (e.g. on the PBS interview during C50 suggesting they should reconvene *every other year*, which is an idea I don’t think *anybody else* was considering). There’s that interview with Al around the time of the Grammy Museum thing near the end of the tour, where he talks about Mike going back to his own tour, and how he (Al) was trying hard to talk Mike into reconsidering.

So I think Al was perhaps overly hopeful and perhaps a bit naïve to the cynicism that would permeate aspects of the reunion even when it was going so stunningly well critically and commercially.

I think that Al knows Mike enough that at some point he realized that the only way of keeping the band together is for Mike to make more money if it is together.  The only way that would work is if the reunion band had a big hit.  My guess is that the remake of "Isn't It Time" was understood as a last chance to have a big hit.

Just got my ticket to the Beacon Theatre show! I’m really excited! Friends and Surf’s Up are my two favorite non-Pet Sounds/SMiLE Beach Boys albums. A tour/show like this was something I always hoped would happen, but that I never thought would actually happen.

How did you get your ticket already?

Some pre-sales for certain dates began today at 1 PM EST US. Non-presale tickets go on sale Friday I believe.

Did you need a pre-sale password?  The site for the venue in Milwaukee has an artist's presale at 10 a.m. tomorrow, but there's no such info on bw.com other than just the tour dates.

password for Milwaukee is Friends.  Presale started 12 minutes ago

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/285265-trump-campaign-slating-major-sports-figures-for

Just when I got reconciled to two terrific bands out there, and was looking forward to a summer show of the franchise band . . . . .

I understand why people are being rude to Rocky.

Beyond the glorious music, part of what makes the Beach Boys story so interesting is that is reflects a kind of divide in American culture, at least in the 60s and 70s.  On the one hand there is the football/cheerleaders, clean living, mindless fun side of things that Mike Love came to symbolize.  On the other there is the free/creative/introspective/spiritual side, which, for a time, was associated with drugs, consciousness expanding at first, later, less so.  The Wilson brothers are here, and most of this board, though recognizing that no one can ground the stack of vocals like Mike, are most interested the Beach Boys on account of this side of things.
Rocky is very much on the first side of things.    And he beat up people we love, and betrayed their trust.
On the other hand, much of the Beach Boys family did trust him, maybe love him, and he was right there in the middle of things, during a very interesting period.  And beyond Desper, who else on this board has worked with Brian, musically?
So welcome, Rocky, and let’s hear what you have to say.

I wonder how it is Mike even read Evan Landy's comments and knew them well enough to discuss them? They're only a week old, in a UK publication and they don't seem like the kind of thing you'd randomly stumble upon.

We know that Mike sometimes looks at this board.  Perhaps he even frequents it.

Which is why when we post about him we shouldn't say anything we wouldn't say to his face.  Well maybe that's a little extreme.  But still, expressions of "he just doesn't get it" should be tempered with gratitude and an attitude of peace.

I would like to hear comments and reviews from some of Brian's peers. I don't believe we have such an exclusive thread, but has anyone heard from other artists, especially Mr. Love? Just wondering....

The ever gracious Bruce wrote on "Beach Boys Britain":

"What a great way to preview Brian’s current solo album, "No Pier Pressure," via Soundcloud. I think the album has a very relaxed & gentle feeling….The ooo’s & aahh’s float in and out of the tracks very pleasantly. I enjoyed the guest lead vocals in addition to Brian’s. The occasional orchestral sections I heard were well written.
Overall, "No Pier Pressure" seems to be a very comfortable age appropriate recording from Brian with a most relaxing and friendly vibe. I’m sure I’ll hear the complete album front-to-back soon.

Good luck Brian!"

NPP reveals ever more wonders on each listening, but I for one hope that the rock and roll album will be a little less age appropriate.

ok we just did a blind test.  my daughter scrambled up four playings of "this beautiful day" -- cd quality and hi res, for my wife and me.  We are both over 50, and my wife is not nearly as into music as I am.  Absolutely no question -- we said hi res, cd quality, cd quality, hi res.  Huge difference.  My wife said "our stereo has never sounded so good."  Try it yourself.  You don't need a ponoplayer to play the flac files, just download the program pono musicworld.  The program is free, the flac files will cost you less than a couple of bucks each.

AGD, Stack-O-Tracks -- I'd be interested to know if you have heard high resolution music files played on anything better than mid-grade headphones or computer speakers.

There is a difference between hearing a violin live and hearing one on a well recorded cd.  Maybe the difference is not in the ears or neural processing.  Maybe it is more visceral.  I don't know.  But I am convinced that there is a difference and that a high resolution file bridges much of the difference. 

@OGoldin
Could you please check the DR (dynamic range) of the 24/96 flac files? Many thanks in advance.

I can't find those numbers, except something on the store site indicating that the ponostore takes the best masters they are given.  That is to say, 24 bit allows for more dynamic range, but whether a given file has that is in the hands of the record company, not the store.

That's a common criticism of Neil Young's ponostore -- that is emphasizes bit rate, while dynamic range might be more important.  Whether the bit rate difference is audible -- this is very controversial.  For me, it feels different, the way a live instrument feels different.  And yes I think there is more life and clarity.  But only with good speakers.  And I confess that I haven't done a blind test  yet.  I am hoping to have my wife help me with a blind test, soon.

As of this morning the high resolution version of NPP is now available on ponostore.  96.0kHz/24bit flac, deluxe version.  I haven't heard the high res version yet, am downloading now.  only $17.99 which is really a good price, considering how much such things usually go for, on ponostore (Surf's Up for example is $29.99, for much less music).

The silver lining here is that maybe we will finally hear "Brian Wilson presents Love You"

"Toothpaste and soap will make our oceans a bubble bath" almost laughable whenever I hear it. Still a great song though.

Those lines coupled with Al's delivery is awesome. Love it.

People forget what a lot of waterways were like before the Clean Water Act kicked in.  In 1971 the stream in the woods behind our house often reeked of sewage and really was full of foaming bubbles.  People are not kind to the ecological lyrics of Surf's Up -- they are criticized for being too earnest and forced, but at the time this was the reality and taking care of that reality was on the top of people's minds.  Today's ecological problems are more severe, but are also less in your face, more distant and are seemingly theoretical.

Back to the happier topic of the song itself, I keep fantasizing that this becomes a huge hit, bigger than Kokomo.

I would imagine that Brian's people think that Mike historically has not been good for Brian's head, and the idea of just the two of them sitting around the living room all afternoon for a number of days -- with no Jeff Foskett, no Joe Thomas, no Melinda -- is just too scary.  Seems reasonable to me.  Which is not to say that Mike's wishes are not reasonable from his point of view. 

Actually taking up Al's suggestion -- and ending with a long joint encore -- would be great for morale and Mike's publicity.  And he can keep calling the shots with his lean band.  His band wouldn't sound as good as Brian's -- but it would sound better than most people think it would, hence giving his touring band more credibility with the press and those who tend to look their nose at them.

I think we can believe Joe Thomas when he says that Brian is involved in all major productions decisions.  I think that Brian is responsible for the general sound of this release.

1) Except when he just doesn't care -- or is on purpose trying for a rough vocal sound -- Brian has been exceedingly attentive to getting perfect pitches, in smooth harmony.  I don't think he has any compunction at all in using whatever technology is available to get that, on recordings.  While we can enjoy the Rolling Stone recordings, Brian would hear the imperfections, and would be unsatisfied having them be a definitive record of the 2012 band doing those songs.  With Brian's ear -- who doesn't think he is aware of the altered sound of the voices?  Is he really so manipulated by others that he wouldn't object if he didn't like them?  I think he enjoys hearing the creamy perfection of the processed vocals.

2) The general criticism of the recording of the band is lack of stereo separation, where we are not able to distinguish and appreciate all of the instruments.  But that is classic mono era Brian Wilson!  Brian of course is deaf in one ear.  Hearing a band with no separation is how he hears things, and he arranges with that in mind.  And it is Brian who pioneered techniques of instruments playing together to make a single integrated sound, such that the separate instruments cannot be distinguished.  The current live album is a sort of return to that.

I'd love to find a way to get all the TV appearances (QVC, and Fallon mostly) or NPR on cd or mp3 as they were great.  Or the Rolling Stone unplugged bit.  That was sublime.  Does anyone have the technology skills to make that happen?  Let me know!  

http://www.totalrecorder.com/

Wonderful program.

However, in trying to get the rest of the his set prepared for release, they actually called in Santana decades later to replace the guitar tracks which were missing from the multis. Santana still had the exact guitar and gear he used at Woodstock, so they fired everything up, Santana played the parts, and that was it.

Do fans who either love Santana, love the Woodstock film and soundtrack, or simply wanted a complete set from that day mind what they did with Santana adding those guitar parts decades later? For me it seems a bit dishonest, yet it did fill in the missing parts as close as could be done with the original artist and original equipment adding rhythm guitar in the 2000's to tracks from 1969...but it surely is not "live" at that point.

Tough call.

Here I think of the cd of Sandy Denny's last performance: "Gold Dust: Live At The Royalty Theater" -- a  concert where she was in top form, singing her heart out, but the band was a bit off, with an inferior guitarist instead of her usual Jerry Donahue (whom she would have much preferred).  JD rerecorded nearly all the guitar parts, and additional vocals were flown in.  It sounds great, and although it's not history, it is a treasured recording -- not least for providing the opportunity to hear Simon Nicol (who hadn't yet learned to sing well when they were both in Fairport Convention) singing backup to Sandy -- they sound wonderful together, a natural combination, a glimpse at what might have been.  So in that case anyway I don't mind at all.  I'd much rather hear that than my boot of the undoctored performance.

In an interview last year with a Swedish newspaper, Brian explained that they didn't perform any songs from Love You because Mike thinks it's too weird.

That bodes well for this summer.  In the Mojo interview of a few years ago, Al enthused about how great an album Love You is.

I also predict at least "Vegetables"  and probably another try at Our Prayer.

He's the best guy for the bottom of the stack of vocals, but all in all, they are better off without Mike.

I've no idea whether the context of that time would have allowed for any genuine interest in new progressive music, but 1976 seems like a year in which they were likely to sell albums. Yet 15 Big Ones seems like an album that would make it very difficult for them to sell subsequent records. Could things have turned out differently if they'd taken the wave of success and pulled things together to release a good album on the back of it?

I was in high school at the time.  I thought Surf's Up and Holland were wonderful albums.  Then Endless Summer was released around the same time as American Graffiti, a period of reaction against progressive rock and psychedelia, when the simplicity of  oldies was again becoming fashionable.  15 Big Ones built on that.  The attitude among those like me who were musical elitists was "oh they've become just an oldies band" -- but for most kids my age -- including the jocks and cheerleaders, etc, it was at that point that the Beach Boys became popular.  I remember hearing "15 Big Ones is a really cool album."  But I never bothered to listen -- until decades later when I discovered Love You and started sampling other later work.  I actually enjoy the album now -- but I need to remix it in my head -- bringing the drums and synths way up in the mix.  (I still hope for such a remix someday.)

My point here is that 15 Big Ones did exactly what it was supposed to do.  Even official arbiters of taste like Christgau liked it.  I think we are hard on it because it made some big steps in the direction of the painful mistakes that were to follow.

Shall I be the first one to suggest that it is a new Beach Boys album that is proceeding like the CSN "Daylight Again" -- which was originally Garfunkle, Stills, and Nash -- just make the darn thing in spite of the absent, difficult member, and overdub later?

I was a teenager in the Philadelphia area in the early 70s.  I remember that "Feel Flows" and other songs from "Surf's Up" were on heavy rotation on WMMR at the time.  I give them credit for permanently ensconcing the Beach Boys as cool within my own consciousness.

The station went from "underground radio" to a more heavy metal/mainstream rock format within several years, but left some room for the aesthetic judgment of the djs -- in the 80s Michael Tearson told me the station was a benevolent dictatorship.  Glad to see that the stations still has some aesthetic credibility.

For similar reasons, I never bought the Beatles "LOVE" album.  What's the point?  I just don't get it. 

I see your point but if the only way I could have gotten access to that Beatles music is through the LOVE versions, I'd be very glad to listen to it!

All I'm asking for from these dates is one first rate youtube video of "Honkin Down the Highway."