The man steps up for the first time in 15 years:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/found-star-new-radicals-gregg-739434

Now that Lions Gate is going to be the distributor, does anyone know how long it usually takes to set a release date?

Don't know but hear this: 'Once' director John Carney's current movie 'Begin Again' was picked up for distribution immidiatedly after its screening at last year's festival. (back then it was called 'Could a Song save your Life?')

As I remember it, it took about half a year before a release date was set. (sometime in June, I think it was) And not that long after stating a release date, trailers began to circulate.

So perhaps we're all the wiser around January / February?

Really, REALLY looking forward to this movie!!!

The Swedish one-girl project Taken by Trees has cited exotica / hawaian & polynesian sounds AND Friends as a direct influence on its most recent album, 'Other Worlds'.

Here's a youtube playlist of all the tracks:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx3KAo4YVFObRO5gSqePNsFakOYofVX6J

I remember when that Wrecking Crew track popped up. That's a great idea, I just might do that!

Go for it! There are a few vintage Gold Star backing tracks to choose from, including this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeJ3TW-CyMU

Could be a fun concept!

Yes! I've been hoping for something like this from you ever since you posted a soulful cover of Old Man River ages ago.  I love your vocals Seltaeb!

This is an extremely cool and well-executed project. Great idea behind it. We're you by chance inspired by London-based producer Shawn Lee? He did the same some years ago grabbing a bunch of vintage backing tracks although he kept it straight and just sang the well-known songs under the pseydonym Bobby Valentine. (http://shawnlee.bandcamp.com/album/bobbys-world) Your way of going about this is much cooler & creative.

You should have a go at doing something similar with this unreleaeed and mysterious Gold Star backing track that has only survived as an acetate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf53KTNwCHA&list=PL30230FD400D6EC78

In the Surf School Dropouts camp we're currently working on our own attempt at a Motown-like soul stomper with horns etc. If we manage to get just an inch of your soulfulness in the lead vocal on there I'll be glad! 

I've just finished reading 'The Celestial Café' by Belle & Sebastian frontman Stuart Murdoch. It's a book edition of a lenghthy series of blog posts he posted on the Belle & Sebastian website from 2004 to 2006. It's the most atypical rock star book I've read, yet highly entertaining. It doesn't really have that much to do with his (awesome) band and their music but rather you follow him spending his days in Glasgow, musing on everyday life in a very charming and often hilarious manner. Here's an excerpt from the back of the book that perfectly encapsulates the general feel:

"Stuart Murdoch considers himself to be '26% a rock star.' He may be exaggerating. Few rock stars spend time compiling lists of their favourite mathematicians or buy extra-soft slippers so they don't disturb neighbours living in the flat below."  

So, all in all, a bit of a book equivalent of a Belle & Sebastian concert then. I saw the group live some months ago and Murdoch was quite funny and cool in his typical bookish, indie-nerd manner. At one point the band had a cup of tea between songs with the dry remark, 'you won't see Iron Maiden doing THIS!.  

On another note; here are my five favourite music biographies in no particular order

Mick Brown - Tearing Down the Wall of Sound (on Phil Spector)
John Einarson - Mr. Tambourine Man - the Life and Legacy of the Byrds' Gene Clark
Simon Napier Bell - You Don't Have to Say You Love Me
Tommy James - Me, the Mob and the Music - One Helluva Ride with Tommy James & the Shondells
David Ritz - Divided Soul - The Life of Marvin Gaye

This may be the best place I can find to ask this...

"Unchained Melody", did Spector himself come up with the idea to slow it down?  I always thought so, and attributed that to his genius, but while driving around today listening to the oldies channel.... they played what sounded like a really, really old half instrumental, half choir-based song by somebody that had a similar, slow arrangement. 

There has actually been quite a lot of speculation about that track in that it sounds suspiciously sparse in comparison to some of the other Spector produced Righteous Brothers ballads (i.e. Ebb Tide, For Sentimental Reasons etc.) Allegedly, the track was produced by Bill Medley who was often allowed to flesh out the Righteous Brothers Philles albums with (in Spector's eyes) Medley-produced filler. So supposedly the track's sound is Medley's doing and he certainly was capable of hitting the Wall of Sound spot-on if you listen to some of their later Work, especially Soul & Inspiration. Bill Medley even claims himself to have produced it in this recent interview after having stayed silent about it for many years:

"I happened to produce Unchained Melody; I know a lot of people think Phil (Spector) did it but I produced and arranged it. I had the arrangement all done and Bobby came in and sang it twice and that was it. I played piano and sang vocal background on it. Unchained Melody was supposed to be the B-side of Hung on You and if I knew that it was gonna be a hit I certainly would have brought in a better piano player. (laughs)"
http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/2014/05/06/soul-inspiration-a-conversation-with-bill-medley-of-the-righteous-brothers/#sthash.Plrpgcpt.dpbs

Bumping this thread for the sake of Guitarfool and other here that dig the Gregg Alexander sound.

The soundtrack for the John Carney movie Begin Again that I mentioned in one of my earlier posts was released some weeks ago. All songs on there are produced by Gregg and he co-wrote all but two songs. On the deluxe edition there are even four songs in total with him on vocals under the pseudonym Cessyl Orchestra! This is basically the first stuff released with lead vocals from him since 1998 and in all but name it sounds just like the New Radicals.

The other stuff on there is also brilliant if you are into the kind of high-gloss widescreen pop he has perfected since shutting down the Radicals. Definately worth checking out (here's looking at you, Guitarfool!  )

My favourite song of the soundtrack right now is this wonderful ballad, 'Lost Stars', which has a similar feel to, say, 'Someday We'll Know' on the New Radicals lone album. Here is a version with Adam Levine:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyT-oGDnMqE

.. and here's a more understated, folksy version sung by actress Keira Knightley:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLTRSakuugs

A few more favorites:

Keira Knightley - Tell Me if You Wanna Go Home
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyiQtznyCGU

Adam Levine - No One Else like You
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrGsTL5num8

Adam Levine - A Higher Place
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVeKMuDM51Y

Yep, I love the 70s Spector dirge-like sound. For me, it's every bit as good as and at times even better than his 60s productions.

Talking about Spector's later work, does anyone actually like that Starsailor album he did a couple of songs on?

He was only involved with two songs on that album, the fab title track and the more mellow White Dove - where I honestly don't really hear that much of a Spector influence. But Silence is Easy? Definately. Those chiming bells in the background that pop up two/thirds into the song for instance. Brilliant! I've heard though that the band had him tone down his original vision for the song quite a bit. I imagine that had he had his way completely there would have been a lot more Echo on there, more guitars strumming in unison, grand swooping strings etc. As much as I love the eventual outcome I would have loved to hear that version!

I'd love to have a psych band called the Myke Love Formula...

Man, this is really great stuff. Thanks for posting! Also, besides great music, your videos are extremely well recorded. All of these are really interesting with lots of quirky details. I really like She Had It All but my favourite must be the last one you posted, 'Warzones.' Really haunting and atmospheric and the great acoustics of the Nordic Church really is a perfect setting for such a song.

Oddly enough, I posted about this great room last year after my band had played two shows at the Cavern. As Danes we got in touch with the church community which rents out rooms at a real low cost in the basement below the actual church room and we had the chance to go up there and record this fur fun & quickly without any prior preparation. (I've posted this vid before, but it seems appropriate to repost now)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXt89wgzBT4

Since then I've wished we could have done some proper recording with instruments there, milking the great acoustics for all it's worth. Glad to see you do it and get an awesome result with Warzones.   Well done!

There's also the debut album from the Dukes of Surf, hailing from Hawaii. It's so cheesy and over-the-top 'stick to the formula' 80s Beach Boys-sounding that I actually enjoy it quite a lot in a perverse sort of way. :-)

I mean no disrespect saying this, but honestly, it's as if these guys sat down and said, "OK, let's write Mike Love's favourite album!"  



Check out their single Waikiki:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRqRKK54EUg

Then there's something like this as well - the Barracudas:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kvaboGfY2s

I'm loving all this stuff.  Explorers Club has been a favorite for a while.  kwan_dk, great harmonies on your album.  I'd love to keep a running list of bands/albums that have released BB homage albums.  I've actually got a playlist that I populate with good BB homage tracks and no Beach Boys.  Please, all, keep adding to this list!

Thanks Bonneville, - much appreciated. Here's another one that comes to mind...



Great album!

This is an LP cover that I designed for a band that a friend of mine plays in. The photo collage is obviously influenced by the All Summer Long cover. And you might recognize that red font too...

Hardly original to bring up, but if we're talking All Summer Long influenced cover artwork and BB-obsessed band, this one should be chipped in.



And given the topic, I'll shamelessly plug the band I'm in. Surf School Dropouts - punk it ain't but definately as Beach Boys-obsessed as they come...



Listen to us here:
http://surfschooldropouts.bandcamp.com/album/summer-is-a-state-of-mind

Please Let Me Wonder

Yeah, it's a good one. I was pleasantly surprised listening to it on my way to work. It was much better than I remembered. It's usually referred to as their weak album with 'Teenager' hailed as a return to form.

I still prefer the first and third album, but you can't go wrong with songs like Corey Haim, Faded Beauty Queens and The Irish Keep Gatecrashing. And then there's Saturday Night which is my favourite on there.

So, anyone here who remember Irish band the Thrills who were around during the 00s? I was just listening to their second album today when I drove to Work. Great band!

They started off strong with the unashamedly 60s / California pop song Big Sur, which was a reasonable hit. I think their debut album, So Much for the City, is a really solid summer album with its retro-rustic charm. Lead singer Conor Deasy's vocals definately takes some getting used to - I can understand those who think he sounds too whiny. I quite like his sound though.

There are some good songs on the follow-up Let's Bottle Bohemia as well but I think their swansong, Teenager from 2008, was even better. Just out of ciriosity, I did some Thrills googling the other day. According to a news article, EMI dropped them after that album because their three albums had only sold 180.000 copies worldwide.

I recently discovered that they played a small venue near my home in 2008 right around Teenager. A shame I didn't know that back then. Would have loved to see how they were live.

Here's a song off each album:

Big Sur - from 'So Much for the City'
http://vimeo.com/49234623

Whatever Happened to Corey Haim? - from 'Let's Bottle Bohemia'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzhZzIzJqek
(Van Dyke Parks arranged the strings on this one)

Nothing Changes Around Here - from 'Teenager'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGMp0qsTYY8

Awesome, just awesome. And kudos for having such a hot chick in your video! 

I'm really glad you bumped this thread because it reminded me that I never got to check out your EP. Will do now. I'm blown away by We Must Be in Love as I have been by all your stuff which I generally think is in a league of its own on here. Your vocals are incredibly soulful!

Mark Linett just posted the answer on YouTube, presumably after reading this thread.  Mark says, "This is an unreleased track titled 'I Love My Chico' by Bonnie and the Treasures from the same session that produced 'Close Your Eyes'. Vocals were recorded but the song remains unreleased." 

"Close Your Eyes" (and thus "I Love My Chico," since they are from the same session) was a Jerry Riopelle production.  Riopelle was a Spector protégé, and staff producer for Philles Records.  For example the "Things are Changing" EEOC track was produced by Riopelle, and not Spector.

Lee

Yeah, of all the guys from Spector's inner circle who emulated the wall of sound (Sonny Bono, Nino Tempo, Jack Nitszche, Brian, Marshall Lieb, Bill Medley, Anders & Poncia etc.) I think Riopelle came closest with some of his stuff. For those who haven't heard it, check out 'Home of the Brave' with the same Bonnie (Charlotte O'Hara) on lead vocals. This was released on Philles and has often been mistaken as a Spector production. But it's Riopelle working his magic in Gold Star.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3ASw3RNjW8

Allegedly, Spector took on Riopelle as his protegé when he heard this production by him for Clydie King:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtIvY-q_opo

Anthony's youtube channel is epic!   In an ideal world, he'd sit down and write a book on the whole 60s LA / Gold Star scene and all the obscure gems that is to be found from that era when you scratch the surface...

Kudos for this thread. Very interesting and I'll have to check out some of these albums mentioned.

Personally, I'm really looking forward to the upcoming album by Danish indie-pop group Treefight for Sunlight. Here is the first single 'Come Closer':

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIIxKjbF0Ns

Their debut album 'A Collection of Vibrations for your Skull', which came out here locally in 2010 (and was issued by Bella Union internationally the year after, simply as 'Treefight for Sunlight'), remains one of my favourite albums from the past years. I think there is a lot to like on there for Beach Boys fans, but without the songs being mere carbon-copies of the Brian Wilson sound. The first song I heard from these guys was 'Facing the Sun', played on local radio - and I almost mistook it as a rediscovered Curt Boettcher track, ca. the Millinnium. That's how great it is!

'Facing the Sun'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38EebZGTMKA

there's also the equally great 'What Became of You and I?'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_RHtzq-5dY

If you like these two tracks, you really should check out their debut album - no filler there other than a bit of a misplaced instrumental. I've seen them live once and was particularly impressed by the helium-high voice of their bass player who NAILED Kate Bush' Wuthering Heights - and in the original key to boot! Very impressive!

Actually there were 5 vols. - the last being an extensive discography.

Yep, I know. I was referring to the fact that the fourth volume I bought from Stephen apparently was the very last one he had for sale. The fifth volume must be extensive given how much stuff Gary had a hand in in the 60s alone. Stephen attention to detail continues to impress me!

In all seriousness, I've said it once and I'll say it again: This is Mike Love's all-time best vocals:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SIirCB-nII

Nope, - this is. Almost same title. But way better song with the perfect lead vocal...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO_LX-m74uw

We'll have to agree to disagree with that. I prefer All I Want To Do over All I Wanna Do, and Mike's vocals are far superior on the first one IMHO

Fair enough. To each his own. And yes, he really rocks on the first one. It's a cool song.

In all seriousness, I've said it once and I'll say it again: This is Mike Love's all-time best vocals:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SIirCB-nII

Nope, - this is. Almost same title. But way better song with the perfect lead vocal...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO_LX-m74uw

I'm a bass singer in a Beach Boys inspired group myself and since taking on that role my appreciation for Mike's talent has skyrocketed. Some of his parts on the Beach Boys classics are way more intricate and challenging that you would think as a casual listener. We tried our hand at Our Prayer some time ago and his parts there are outright scary, jumping all over the place. As a standalone vocal it just sounds really weird, but combined with the other voices - lo and behold; it makes perfect sense.