Thanks for the answer. And you ain't lying! His posts are always informative.

Hey all. I've been away for the while and spent the last few days catching up. I'm curious to know if Craig has finished and posted the once promised Made In California sessions documentation. His knowledge on the subject is incredible.  Hope he and the rest of this board are doing well.

Sounds good. I love Foskett and I love Tim Pierce. 

I could be mistake but I could swear I remember reading somewhere (and some time ago) that although Bruce wasn't inducted at the time of the original ceremony (and post-fast diatribe) that his non-induction was brought up later to the hall's powers-that-be and he was added then. If this is true, I suppose that means he's listed with the others in the exhibit and was also given his own little statue thing from the hall.

As for the Cleveland Hall's inacuracies, I suggest those here who can access Facebook to check out https://www.facebook.com/raymanrockhall/

The lack of artist descriptions and recent updates stems from the same ongoing disasters in my life that have kept me from posting much here and putting the finishing touches on my version of Smile.  As soon as this foot is healed... 

Not a ton of new information.  I thought that article was going to be much worse for Mike.  If anything, his current wife comes off worse.  

I thought Jackie came out great. Her role playing as Brian with Mike seemed to push him out of his comfort zone and forced him to be real. That may not make her the image of a doting, submissive wife but it shows that she wants people to see more to Mike than his usual, defensive bluster. I give her props for trying to shed some more light on Mike's current relationship with Brian.

I gotta go with "Brian Wilson", as Steven Page is one of my all time favorite songwriters.  That said, I'm also a huge fan of Roxette and feel Per's "B-Any-1-U-Wanna-B" deserves an honorable mention.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwKV0SdcoSk

I hate to derail the topic by asking about "Wind Chimes" but since Micha is still active in this thread, I figured it was better than starting a new thread for him or anyone else to answer.

I recently learned (from Micha) that the first Smile recording of "Wind Chimes" was nearly identical in structure to the one on the first disc of TSS but with harpsichord in place of the marimba. Regarding this I have two questions: Am I correct that this version is "Take 5" on Unsurpassed Masters Vol. 17?  Second, when did the structure change? I know "Wind Chimes" was the first song recorded for the Smile sessions. Did Brian return to it later using the modular recording technique or did the tape used as the template for the 1993 use sections taken from the original session.  Either way, one final question as well: At what point did Brian first record it with the marimba?

Thanks in advance.

I use both "children were raised" sections in my own version, as I think one gives "closure" to the other as the nearly six minute story progresses. That said, I also think the two lines back to back sound odd, especially since they're so piecemeal.

That's exactly the stuff I'm talking about, everyone. And going through everything I realized I forgot all about "Lonely Days"! Paging Seltaeb!

[The Beach Box]

Great stuff!

Here are the details on my box set and hits package.

The Beach Box
Disc 1
* live
Surfin'
409
Surfin' Safari
Summertime Blues [Dave solo vocal]
Surfin' USA
Farmer's Daughter
Shut Down
Catch A Wave
Surfer Girl
Little Deuce Coupe
In My Room
Hawaii
Be True To Your School [single version]
Fun, Fun, Fun
Don't Worry Baby
The Warmth Of The Sun
Why Do Fools Fall In Love [with intro]
I Get Around
Hushabye
All Summer Long
The Little Old Lady From Pasadena*
Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow*
Graduation Day*
Little Saint Nick [single version]
Merry Christmas, Baby
Blue Christmas

Disc 2
* without Party overdubs
Dance, Dance, Dance
When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)
Do You Wanna Dance
Please Let Me Wonder
Kiss Me, Baby
California Girls
Then I Kissed Her
Girl Don't Tell Me
Help Me, Rhonda
You're So Good To Me
Guess I'm Dumb [with Glen Campbell]
There's No Other (Like My Baby)*
Devoted To You*
Barbara Ann*
The Little Girl I Once Knew
Wouldn't It Be Nice [stereo - Brian on bridge]
Sloop John B [stereo]
God Only Knows [mono]
Here Today [stereo]
Caroline, No [original speed - mono]
Good Vibrations
Smile Retail Promo
Heroes And Villains [custom edit]
Cabin Essence
Surf's Up [custom edit]

Disc 3
Wild Honey
Darlin'
Country Air
I Was Made To Love Her
The Letter
Meant For You
I Can Hear Music
Do It Again [single version]
Walk On By [custom edit]
Break Away [alternate version]
Cottonfields
Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring [live]
This Whole World
Slip On Through
It's About Time
Add Some Music To Your Day
All I Wanna Do
Forever
Long Promised Road
Disney Girls (1957)
Feel Flows
(Wouldn't It Be Nice To) Live Again
'Til I Die

Disc 4
* live
You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone
Here She Comes
Marcella
All This Is That
It's A New Day [custom remix]
Sail On, Sailor
California [single version]
The Trader
Sweet And Bitter
Hard Times
Big Sur [4/4 version]
You Still Believe In Me*
Wonderful/Don't Worry Bill*
Funky Pretty*
We Got Love*
Rock And Roll Music
It's OK [with intro]
That Same Song
Had To Phone Ya
Sea Cruise

Disc 5
Let Us Go On This Way
Honkin' Down The Highway [with Billy Hinche]
Sherry She Needs Me
It's Over Now [correct speed]
On Broadway
Still I Dream Of It
Alone On Christmas Day
Winter Symphony
Almost Summer [Celebration]
She's Got Rhythm
Come Go With Me
Seasons In The Sun [custom remix]
It's A Beautiful Day
Beach Boys Medley
Brian's Back
Good Timin'
California Feelin'
Lady Liberty
Keepin' The Summer Alive
Some Of Your Love
School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes The Bell)
Goin' On
Endless Harmony

Disc 6
Chasin' The Sky
Getcha Back
California Dreamin'
Kokomo
Somehwere Near Japan
Wipe Out
Crocodile Rock
Island Fever [custom edit]
Summer In Paradise [live]
Don't Worry Baby [with Lorrie Morgan]
I Can Hear Music [with Kathy Troccoli]
Caroline, No [w Timothy B. Schmit]
Don't Worry Baby [with the Every Brothers]
Soulful Old Man Sunshine
Soul Searchin'
Cool Head, Warm Heart
Don't Fight The Sea
Pet Sounds [live featuring David Marks]
Isn't It Time
Spring Vacation
From There To Back Again
Summer's Gone

The Ultimate Collection – Highlights From The Beach Box
Disc 1 (The First Ten Years)
Surfin' USA
Surfer Girl
In My Room
Fun, Fun, Fun
Don't Worry Baby
I Get Around
California Girls
Help Me, Rhonda
Barbara Ann [without Party overdubs]
Wouldn't It Be Nice
Sloop John B
God Only Knows
Good Vibrations
Heroes And Villains [custom edit]
Cabin Essence
Surf's Up [custom edit]
Darlin'
I Can Hear Music
Do It Again
Break Away
Cottonfields
It's About Time
Add Some Music To Your Day
Forever
Feel Flows
'Til I Die

Disc 2 (The Other 40)
You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone
Here She Comes
Marcella
All This Is That
Sail On, Sailor
The Trader
Hard Times
Rock And Roll Music
It's OK [with intro]
Come Go With Me
Good Timin'
Keepin' The Summer Alive
Goin' On
Chasin' The Sky
Getcha Back
California Dreamin'
Kokomo
Somehwere Near Japan
Summer In Paradise [live]
Soulful Old Man Sunshine
Isn't It Time
Summer's Gone

"Pom Pom Playgirl" made the cut due to its significance, what with being Carl's first solo vocal and all.

On a related note, I think I should revisit "The Lonely Sea" just to make sure I'm not missing out. 

[Part 2 1993-2016]

Part 2 1993-2016

Aside from parring down the box sets to showcase their more unique tracks, the most important changes were the creation of two additional albums to the catalog: Stars And Stripes, Vol. 2 and the radically different Songs From Here And Back

Good Vibrations - Highlights (in place of the Good Vibrations box set)
Surfin' USA [demo]
Little Surfer Girl [fragment]
Surfin' [rehearsal]
Surfin'
In My Room [demo]
Happy Birthday, Four Freshmen
Hushabye [live]
California Girls [vocals only]
Ruby Baby
Hang On To Your Ego
Good Vibrations [live 1966]
Heroes And Villains Intro
Heroes And Villains [cantina version]
Do You Like Worms
Vega-Tables
Cabinessence [track]
Surf's Up [track]
Surf's Up [solo version]
Love To Say Da Da
Heroes And Villains Sections
Heroes And Villains [single version]
With Me Tonight
Cool Cool Water [fragment]
Games Two Can Play
I Just Got My Pay
Fairy Tale Music

Stars And Stripes, Vol. 1
unchanged

Pet Sounds Sessions Highlights
Disc 1
Pet Sounds [track without guitar overdub]
Caroline, No [track]
Trombone Dixie [stereo]
Hang On To Your Ego [track]
Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) [piano demo]
Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) [track]
Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) [string overdub]
Here Today [track]
I Just Wasn't Made For These Times [track]
Good Vibrations [track]
That's Not Me [track]
Let's Go Away For Awhile [track without string overdub]
Caroline, No [stereo]
I'm Waiting For The Day [track]
Sloop John B [track]
God Only Knows [stereo]
God Only Knows [track]
You Still Believe In Me (Intro) [session highlights]
You Still Believe In Me (Intro)
You Still Believe In Me [track]
Wouldn't It Be Nice [track]
Wouldn't It Be Nice [track with background vocals]

Disc 2
Wouldn't It Be Nice [vocals]
You Still Believe In Me [vocals]
That's Not Me [vocals]
Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) [vocals]
I'm Waiting For The Day [vocals]
Sloop John B [vocals]
God Only Knows [vocals]
I Know There's An Answer [vocals]
Here Today [vocals]
I Just Wasn't Made For These Times [vocals]
Caroline, No [vocals]
Caroline, No [promo 1]
Wouldn't It Be Nice [alternate version]
You Still Believe In Me [without intro]
Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) [vocal fragment]
I'm Waiting For The Day [w Mike vocal]
Sloop John B [with alternate vocals]
God Only Knows [w sax solo]
Hang On To Your Ego
Here Today [with Brian lead vocal]
I Just Wasn't Made For These Times [alternate mix]
Banana & Louie
Caroline, No [original speed stereo mix]
Dog Barking Session [outtakes]
Caroline, No [promo 2]
God Only Knows [with acappella tag]
Wouldn't It Be Nice [alternate version - mono]
Sloop John B [with Brian guide vocals]
God Only Knows [with alternate vocal]
Caroline, No [original speed - mono]

Endless Harmony
unchanged

Greatest Hits Volume Three - Best Of The Brother Years 1970–1986
unchanged

Hawthorne, CA
unchanged

Stars And Stripes, Vol. 2
The Warmth Of The Sun [Vince Gill]
Sail On Sailor [custom concert/rehearsal edit with Rodney Crowell]
In My Room [with Tammy Wynette]
Don't Worry Baby [with the Every Brothers]
Fun, Fun, Fun [with Status Quo]
God Only Knows [Glen Campbell]
California [Al Jardine with CSNY]
Winter Wonderland [with Colin Raye]
Surf's Up [Vince Gill, David Crosby, and Jimmy Webb]
In My Room [Tammy Wynette and Brian Wilson]
Come Go With Me [live with the Oak Ridge Boys]

The Smile Sessions - Highlights
Disc 1
Cut “Look” and “Holidays”
Moved “I'm In Great Shape” to after “Surf’s Up”
Following “Good Vibrations”, the remaining tracks are as follows
* Smile Backing Vocals Montage
* Heroes And Villains [full Humble Harv demonstration performance]
* Tune X
* I Don't Know
* Surf's Up [Wild Honey solo version]
* Good Vibrations - Tape Rewind

Disc 2 (Culled from my own “Smile Sessions”)
Smile Promo
Gee
Heroes And Villains (Part 1) [cantina version]
Heroes And Villains (Part 2) [1967 single version]
Heroes And Villains [Humble Harv recreation edit]
Do You Like Worms [alternate version]
Look/Child [with additional vocals]
Look/Child [without additional vocals]
Child Is Father Of The Man [3:00 edit]
Child Is Father Of The Man [3:00 edit with bridge intro]
I'm In Great Shape [alternate version]
I'm In Great Shape [alternate version 2]
I'm In Great Shape [alternate version 3]
Wind Chimes [alternate version]
The Elements (Version 2)
The Elements (Version 3)
Cool, Cool Water [fragment]
Surf’s Up [alternate version]
You’re Welcome
He Gives Speeches
The Old Master Painter [Dick Haymes]

Songs From Here And Back
Cobbled together in anticipation of, but slightly predating, the reunion
Do It Again [2012]
Soul Searchin'
You're Still A Mystery
Cool Head, Warm Heart
Don't Fight The Sea   
Daybreak Over The Ocean
Waves Of Love
Goin' To The Beach
The Spirit Of Rock And Roll
Beaches In Mind
PT Cruiser
California Feelin'
Dancin' The Night Away [custom less painful to the ear remix]
You're Still A Mystery [original mix]

That's Why God Made The Radio
Cut “Daybreak Over The Ocean” and “Beaches In Mind”
Added “She Says That She Needs Me” and “South American”

Live - The 50th Anniversary Tour
unchanged

Made In California - Highlights
Can't Wait Too Long [vocals]
(Wouldn't It Be Nice To) Live Again
Don't Worry Baby [with alternate lead vocal]
Rock And Roll Music [2012 mix with extra verse]
Brian's Back [alternate mix]
Goin' To The Beach
Why Don't The Let Us Fall In Love
Da Doo Ron Ron
Isn't It Time [single version]
Slip On Through [vocals]
This Whole World [vocals]
Where Is She
Had To Phone Ya [track]
I Believe In Miracles [fragment]
Why
Don't Go Near The Water [track]
Barnyard Blues
Transcendental Meditation [track]
Our Sweet Love [vocals & strings]
Back Home [1970 version]
California Feelin' [demo]
My Love Lives On
Carl Wilson Coda [2013 edit]

Made In California - Live
Runaway [1965 with concert promo intro]
You're So Good To Me [1966]
The Letter [1967 rehearsal]
Friends [1968]
Little Bird [1968]
All I Want To Do [1968]
Help Me, Rhonda [1972]
Wild Honey [1972]
Only With You [1972]
It's About Time [1973]
I Can Hear Music [1975]
Vega-Tables [1993]
Wonderful [1993]
Sail On, Sailor [1995]
Summer In Paradise [1995]

The Beach Box
The long awaited, career spanning six disc retrospective, assembled using the above alternate discography; six discs, assembled from the above discography, includes my library’s first appearances of “The Little Girl I Once Knew”.

Ultimate Collection (Two CD Best Of)
Disc One – 1961-71
Disc Two – 1972-2012

To each their own. 

I love it! Great project.
Would The Lonely Sea or Sherry She Needs Me be included?

Thanks for the kind words.  No "Lonely Sea" but "Sherry..." wound up on Love You.

[Part 1 1961- 93]

Thanks for your interest. To save some space, I’m only listing the full details of the albums that got major overhauls, limiting the others to just notes.  In almost all cases running orders were tweaked to some degree beyond any song changes.  The first three albums are “two-fer combos”, additional notes/explanations for some of my choices are represented in pink as commentary explaining the alternate timeline approach that I took .

Part 1 1961- 93

Surfin’ (released in 1963, preceded by various singles)
Surfin’ USA
Surfin’ Safari
Ten Little Indians
Farmer's Daughter
Little Miss America
Shut Down
Surfin'
409
Barbie
Summertime Blues [solo Dave vocal]
Moon Dawg
Land Ahoy

Catch A Wave
Surfer Girl
Catch A Wave
Be True To Your School
Little Deuce Coupe
I Do
Spirit Of America
Hawaii
In My Room
Ballad Of Ole' Betsy
Pom Pom Play Girl
Boogie Woodie
Custom Machine

All Summer Long
Fun, Fun, Fun
Don't Worry Baby
This Car Of Mine [my own custom extended edit]
The Warmth Of The Sun
Wendy
Why Do Fools Fall In Love
I Get Around
Hushabye
Do You Remember
Drive-In
Don't Back Down
All Summer Long

Concert
Added “Don’t Worry Baby”

The Beach Boys' Christmas Album
unchanged

Today!
remixed “In The Back Of My Mind”
swapped “Bull Session” for “Graduation Day”

Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)
rearranged the running order (opening with “California Girls”)
Cut "The Girl From New York City" and "Amusement Parks U.S.A."
Added “Guess I’m Dumb” and “All Dressed Up For School”

Next to Smile, this next one easily took the most work. Lots of stuff from the Unsurpassed Masters, painstakingly assembled, sometimes using multiple takes and because almost every track segues directly into the next, special care was given to the between song chatter, as well as the actual start and end point of each song. Many songs are custom edits, although I’m not exactly sure which ones are. Because I don’t yet own the recent Party! release, I may revisit this down the road but I have to say I’m extremely pleased with how it turned out.

Party!
California Girls
Hully Gully
I Should Have Known Better
Tell Me Why [custom extended mix]
Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow
Mountain Of Love
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
Devoted To You
Ruby Baby
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
Alley Oop
There's No Other (Like My Baby)
Riot In Cell Block #9
The Times They Are A-Changin'
Heart And Soul/Long Tall Sally
Barbara Ann [with “corrected” ending]
Blowin' In The Wind
*CD bonus tracks* (without party overdubs)
There's No Other (Like My Baby)
Devoted To You
Barbara Ann

Pet Sounds
Stereo version with the following exceptions
* Wouldn't It Be Nice [Brian on bridge]
* God Only Knows [mono]
* Caroline, No [original speed]

Pet Sounds (mono)
unchanged
Left in the catalog because when I feel like listening to the full album, straight through, I still prefer the real deal.

Of course, here’s where things go differently than they did in the real world. On the parallel world where Brian finished Smile, things went almost exactly as they did in real life, right up to the point where the album was said to being prepped for a rush release. Brian ALMOST loses it but in a last minute fit of fight or flight, he chooses to fight, managing to assemble final versions for each of the albums sticking points (Heroes And Villains, The Elements, and Vega-Tables) and finish the remaining vocals. Sadly, not even my craftiest editing can produce finished versions of DYLW, CIFOTM, and IIGS, using all Beach Boys vocals so those particular songs required varying degrees of cheating.

Smile
My take on the 12 songs from the handwritten list and back of the cover, plus “Our Prayer”

Obviously, had Brian actually completed Smile in early 1967, the rest of what followed would have been vastly different so I used the following scenario to explain why the rest of things progressed as they did. Completing Smile in time for the summer of love took just about everything Brian had so, like in real life, he checks himself into a hospital for a brief stay and decided to pull out of the “production race” with the Beatles, but MUCH less abruptly. Having taken modular recording and big productions as far as he could, he retools the band. As in real life, this means stripped down instrumentation and a more unique use of the bands singing voices

Wild Honey
Wild Honey
I Was Made To Love Her
Country Air
Fall Breaks And Back To Winter
I'd Love Just Once To See You
Darlin'
With Me Tonight
Here Comes The Night
Let The Wind Blow
How She Boogalooed It
Whistle In

Wanting to try the band’s “new sound” in a live setting, the group gets stoned and flies to Hawaii for a live album. Capitol loves the idea, as fans buy “the old songs”. The band is happy because they get “new” product on the shelves without undermining their musical growth with re-issue packages.

Lei'd In Hawaii
First night

Not happy with the chart performance of the last two albums, Brian informs the band he’ll be stepping back and wants the band to become more of a democracy. He doesn’t go into seclusion but tells them to start working on their own tracks. To give them time, he assembles a stop gap album.

Stack-O-Tracks
unchanged, aside from the inclusion of three additional songs
Help Me, Rhonda
California Girls
Our Car Club

Do It Again (in place of Friends and 20/20)
Meant For You
I Can Hear Music
Bluebirds Over The Mountain
Be With Me
All I Want To Do
The Nearest Faraway Place
Cotton Fields (The Cotton Song)
Wake The World
Do It Again
Friends
Little Bird
I Went To Sleep
Walk On By [custom edit]
Break Away [alternate version]
Time To Get Alone
Never Learn Not To Love

From here out, history aligns itself, the main difference being a slightly healthier and MUCH happier Brian. The music sells better than it did in real life but the band and the label still aren’t happy with each other so they still switch labels. This time around Capitol accepts the live album to complete the deal.

Live In London
unchanged, aside from the inclusion of “All I Want To Do”

Add Some Music (in place of Sunflower)
Used the alternate version of “Tears In The Morning”
Cut “Cool, Cool Water”
Added “Fallin' In Love (Lady)”

As in real life, the failure of the previous album, compared to its potential, hits Brian hard and he goes “to the bedroom”. Sales are still better than WE them saw but with no “Surf’s Up” in the vault, the band has to work even harder. Dennis really steps up to the plate but at the cost of his brief solo career, which means no POB.

End Of The Trail (in place of Surf’s Up)
Swapped “Surf’s Up” for “(Wouldn't It Be Nice To) Live Again”
Added “4th Of July” and “Sound Of Free”

Carl And The Passions - So Tough
Added “San Miguel” and “It’s A New Day” [custom remix]
Swapped “Make It Good” for “Barbara”

Holland
Restored “We Got Love”
Added custom remix of “Hard Times”
Swapped versions of “Big Sur”, using a custom remix of the 4/4 version
Swapped “Beaks Of Eagles” for “Sweet And Bitter”

In Concert
unchanged

Endless Summer
unchanged but corrected with single versions
*also CD bonus track*
Good Vibrations

15 Big Ones
Cut the intro from “TM Song”
Cut “Chapel Of Love”, “Palisades Park”, “A Casual Look”, “Blueberry Hill”, “In The Still Of The Night”, and “Just Once In My Life”
Added ‘We're Together Again”, “Sea Cruise”,  “River Song”, “Rainbows”, “Loop De Loop”, and “Pacific Ocean Blues”

Love You
Swapped Al’s “Honkin' Down The Highway” for Billy’s version
Cut “Johnny Carson”, “Solar System”, “Let's Put Our Hearts Together”, and “I Wanna Pick You Up”
Added “Shake, Rattle And Roll” and “Sherry She Needs Me”

Adult Child
as usual

Merry Christmas From The Beach Boys
Christmas Time Is Here Again
Child Of Winter (Christmas Song)
Winter Symphony
Michael Row The Boat Ashore
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
(I Saw Santa) Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree
Alone On Christmas Day
Morning Christmas
Santa's On His Way
Melekalikimaka
Bells Of Christmas
Christmas Carol Medley
Little Saint Nick [single version]
Auld Lang Syne [without voiceover]

Seasons In The Sun (in place of M.I.U. Album)
Cut “Hey Little Tomboy”, “Belles Of Paris”, and “Winds of Change”
Added “Seasons In The Sun” and “Go And Get That Girl”

California Feelin' (in place of L.A. (Light Album)
Trimmed “Here Comes The Night” to the length of the single
Cut “Baby Blue” and “Shortenin’ Bread”
Added “California Feelin'”, “It's A Beautiful Day”, “Brian's Back”, and “All Alone”

Keepin' The Summer Alive
Added “Baby Blue” and “Shortenin’ Bread”
*CD Bonus track*
Beach Boys Medley

Good Timin' - Live At Knebworth
Added “I Write The Songs”
* I’d add “Good Timin’” as well but haven’t found a version of decent quality.

1985 (in place of The Beach Boys)
Cut “Passing Friend” and “I Do Love You”
Added “East Meets West” and “Chasin' The Sky”

Still Cruisin'
Cut the oldies
Added “Problem Child”, “California Dreamin'”, “Rock 'N' Roll To The Rescue” [custom edit], and “Wipe Out”
*CD bonus tracks*
Problem Child [single edit]
Kokomo [Spanish version]

Summer In Paradise
Swapped “Island Fever” for the custom edit I recently posted
Swapped “Under The Boardwalk” for the UK version
Swapped “Summer In Paradise” for the live version
Added “Crocodile Rock”

After five months of meticulous work, I finally accomplished my goal of not only rebuilding the full, electronic Beach Boys catalog but also my definitive "alternate discograaphy". I didn't want to just dump several unsolicited pages of info on here but I did want to toot my horn to some extent, just to celebrate the fruits of my long wrought labors with just about the only people I (almost) know who might even care.

Five months ago, I started downloading and/or uploading everything from scratch. I assembled the entire catalog, naming, tagging, re-naming, or re-tagging every individual file (artist, album, #, title, year, genre, part of a compilation, and the occasional composer), deleting duplicate files (such as album covers) and folders, deleting each file's comments, album artist, etc, and way more than I can even recall. I kept the hits packages to just Endless Summer, Spirit Of America, a mash up of Sunshine Dream and Rarities, the three volumes of official "greatest hits", and the two big box sets. I did include all the releases of "new" stuff like Hawthorne, CA, Endless Harmony, and the Sessions boxes, as well as the copyright extension releases. When all was said and done My Beach Boys folder was eight and a half gigs of 54 different albums. I backed all that up into a location appropriately named Backed Up Music and with that finished, I set about building my "official" alternate discography, using the scenario that not only did Brian actually finish Smile sometime around spring 1967 (thus necessitating some revisions to albums like Smiley Smile, 20/20, and Surf's Up) but also using myself to retroactively enforce a greater quality control. My goal was to make each record "all killer, no filler" but staying true to each time period made that not 100% possible. Still, I think each altered disc came through better than what we received.

Personally, my favorite period of the band is Today! through the fall of Smile (or in this case, just Smile), followed closely by 20/20 through In Concert. As I've said before I'm no fan of Smiley, Friends, or Love You. All said, I left no stone unturned and tweaked or radically overhauled almost every album. The end result is a lean 6.43 gigabytes worth of 47 different albums. I shaved the box sets down to highlights discs, doubled up most of the pre-Today! and immediate post-Smile albums, and limited the hits packages to just Endless Summer and Greatest Hits Volume Three - Best Of The Brother Years, then capped everything off with my own "career spanning retrospective box set" and two disc "Ultimate Collection" (totaling 48 big ones). Every (virtual) disc runs the length of a album or disc, contemporary to the era. No disc runs more than 80 minutes each.

If anyone's interested, I'll post details. Either way, feel free to use this as an excuse to weigh in with your own favorite altered tracklists or what have you.

Thanks so much!  I think we can now, finally put a fork in the original "mystery", which as you pointed out, was never really a mystery to you in the first place. It's just more proof we should just trust you from the get do. I hope life is treating you well and am so glad you care as much about the minutia as some of the rest of us.

My thought was always that it was Blondie, until someone here recently made a good case for it possibly being Eddie. But Blondie appeared to be playing that solo a year before on the Crystal Palace Bowl video (although with the way that video was edited, Blondie and Eddie appear to switch instruments at some point - can't remember if it's that song or not)! I don't think Eddie took on the "Rhonda" solo until after Bruce returned and started playing bass on it.

As for "It's About Time", I would think that was still Carl doing the lead when they dusted it off in '73, but I'd have to listen again (which I will, eventually).

Thanks for weighing in (as usual). To me those bends, about midway through the solo in "It's About Time" sounded identical to the ones in the IC "Rhonda" at first listen but now, even before you weighed in today, I'm not so sure.

One mystery solved, another opened. Let us know what you find out, huh? 

Wow.  Seriously. Tell him he's welcome to come by and "bore" us with that kind of info anytime! 

Come Go With Me


I just finished my complete (47 albums) alternate discography and "A Casual Look" didn't even make the cut. It's in the vaults. My version of 15 Big Ones is pretty different than the one the Boys crapped out in '76.

I never doubted the sessionography. I just thought one might help solve the other. Ah, well. What's life without a little eternal mystery, right?

Uh, oh. 

We've debated the performer of said piece endlessly and while his identity is still unknown (tho likely, either Carl, Blondie, or Ed), I'm fully convinced it's the same person who provided the solo on the Made In California live version of "It's About Time". So when Craig gives us that info, we'll finally have our answer. Unfortunately, as I started this thread, I realized he may only be able to tell us who played ON that particular recording, but not specifically which guitarist played which part, as is the case with In Concert tracks in the first place, leading to the question still left unanswered but hey, fingers crossed, huh? 

Also, to me anyway, "Smile" vs. "Love You/Adult Child" vs. the "Cocaine" tape vs. the Paley sessions are four very different things, so I can't see any Brian project where his "artistic side" is being pushed as being evocative of any or *all* of those other projects.

For Smile, Van Dyke Parks encouraged Brian Wilson to make music that didn't sound like Top 40, and prioritized substance over commerce.
For Love You, Earle Mankey encouraged Brian Wilson to make music that didn't sound like Top 40, and prioritized substance over commerce.
For the Cocaine sessions, Dennis Wilson encouraged Brian Wilson to make music that didn't sound like Top 40, and prioritized substance over commerce.
For the Paley sessions, Andy Paley encouraged Brian Wilson to make music that didn't sound like Top 40, and prioritized substance over commerce.

 

I'm still waiting on that rock and roll album.

Bring on "Honeycomb"!