Oh, that was so heartening to read.

Hey also, does anybody have anything like a scan of the track listing and track info from the zine itself? Or something of that nature?

[Playback]

Prior to the new recordings for the LPR soundtrack, was Brian's most recent recording "Run James Run" for the "Playback" release?

Vocally, I guess you could say so. Though keep in mind only the verse lyrics were recorded in 2017 (?) for Playback, the backing track and the rest of the vocals were recorded years earlier for No Pier Pressure with an Al lead.

But Brian's most recent recordings besides Long Promised Road would actually be his instrumental album, 2021's At My Piano.

You son of a gun! Well, anybody who does, lemme know!

So yeah, just like in the thread title? Does anybody have this? Is so, anybody willing to part with it. Would love to have it in my collection, and I don't know where else to ask.

[Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE]

Great thread rab. I too feel very lucky to know Brian is still with us, and it's also amazing to think about all the wonderful work he's done since Melinda came on the scene in a big way. Sure, not everything is to everybody's taste, but just the fact that we got Brian on tour and enjoying it, some really great solo songs, both Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE and The SMiLE Sessions, the That's Why God Made The Radio album and the 2012 reunion tour, and a lot of other great stuff, it's just amazing. He's done some of my favorite vocals during this era, straight up. Something like his cover of Buddy Holly's "Listen to Me," beautiful.

I just hope he's in a good place now. I hope he's enjoying his life with his family and friends. He's given us a lot.  Do I hope that we hear a bit more from him? Sure I do. But if not, and he just wants to relax, fine with me.

Thank you to all who've worked to make Brian's life better and all those who've shown him love.

So, it is what it is. But first, isn’t this a Beach Boys song and not a Mike Love song, in this guise?

And secondly, isn’t this an unreleased recording owned by BRI? Why is the guy who makes videos for Mike making music videos for bootlegs?

I'm sad to hear about this. You will be missed Jeff. Thank you for your voice and your talents.

I gotta say that "What I Really Want For Christmas" is just such a great Brian Wilson composition.  Just a remarkable tune. That's it.

I think the difference with all this is that "Now and Then" seems like it has been a passion project of Paul's, whereas I highly doubt any of The Beach Boys are pining to add anything to "Lonely Days" or "It's Natural" or whatever. But if they wanted to, shoot, I'm all in.

I will point out as others have, this kinda thing is what Al does, although usually not to this extent. He re-recorded "Cotton Fields" of course and he re-recorded the lead vocal of "Loop de Loop" nearly 30 years after his original falsetto vocal on there. Not to mention how long it took him to get his first solo studio album out. But a funny one people forget is the CD release of "PT Cruiser" in '02 or '03 or whenever. I'm pretty there was a version for the a cappella and the track, but I think there were a few remixes as well. No offense to Al, but who on earth needs however many remixes of "PT Cruiser"?

Don't forget about his absolute need to re-edit Beaks of Eagles on the Sail on Sailor box set (and the entire California Saga medley being repeated on the last disc just to showcase that one pretty inconsequential edit).

And I guess it never changed that much but also the fact that Susie Cincinnati appeared on the B-side of three different singles throughout the 70s (though I'm also guessing it was Al's decision to remix it for the Made in California set).

Wasn’t the 1970 b-side mix different from the 15 Big Ones mix as well? And I think it was the b-side of “Child of Winter” before that? Was that the same mix as the version on the b-side of “Add Some Music to Your Day”?

[A Postcard from California]

This. Is. Absolutely. Insane.

Let me say it, I love Al Jardine. Seems like one of the most wonderful people in the rock n' roll game. Seems like a great family man, a great band member, a great friend to Brian. But what he's been up to with this song is just crazy. Especially this last one. It's a slight remix of the 2.0 version with some obvious "remix" moves added on.

So where are we now with this?

A Postcard from California CD version (released 2012): has the saxophone and Carl mixed out a little bit on the chorus. Sounds to me to be more of a standard studio recording. Honestly, despite Carl being mixed lower, I think this is the best version out there.

A Postcard from California download version (released 2012): this one has a more of an ambient "live" sound in my opinion, with Carl mixed much higher and the organ playing a kind of obvious "Help Me Rhonda" type riff.

Alternative take (released 2012): this is a slightly alternate version of the aforementioned download version. I can't really remember the difference and it seems I don't have a copy of this anywhere. This version was only made available on the 2012 Japanese version of Postcard.

A Postcard from California "West Coast version" (released 2022): this is another version/mix of the download version. I'm pretty sure this was made available on iTunes, Spotify and the like when the Postcard album was reissued on CD in 2022. Is this version (which is still available online in the aforementioned places) the same version that is on the '22 CD? Anybody know?

"Waves of Love 2.0": this was released as both a CD single and on online single. This was considered the "East Coast version" cuz it had elements re-recorded apparently by Al's collaborator Larry Dvoskin.

"Waves of Love 3.0 Ocean Mix": I don't even know. I think there is some organ that I don't hear on the original "saxophone" version or the 2.0 mix, but maybe I'm wrong. I don't know.

I will point out as others have, this kinda thing is what Al does, although usually not to this extent. He re-recorded "Cotton Fields" of course and he re-recorded the lead vocal of "Loop de Loop" nearly 30 years after his original falsetto vocal on there. Not to mention how long it took him to get his first solo studio album out. But a funny one people forget is the CD release of "PT Cruiser" in '02 or '03 or whenever. I'm pretty there was a version for the a cappella and the track, but I think there were a few remixes as well. No offense to Al, but who on earth needs however many remixes of "PT Cruiser"?

By that logic, "I Want to Hold Your Hand" would have had the same effect on The Beatles, who, as The Beach Boys did with "Be True to Your School" after about a year, completely abandoned it concertwise. (And yeah, they brought it back, but only after they became a mostly-oldies act.)

Eh, I don't think "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is anywhere near "Be True to Your School" in the dorkiness sweepstakes. "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is sweet and charming and innocent. Not embarrassing at all in my opinion. On the other hand,  "Be True to Your School" just speaks for itself.

Something I do find interesting is that however Brian felt about it later on (and lets note, he has never included in his solo act as far as I can tell) he felt strongly enough in '63 to record not just one, but two versions. So this wasn't just some toss-off tune.

[Look! Listen! Vibrate! Smile!]

So I was thinkin' about how much I've never been able to dig "Be True to Your School" and why it bothers me so much and then it got me to thinkin' about whether perhaps this song alone has been to blame for some people seeing the guys as unhip and/or "square" over the years. It also surprises me sometimes that "Barbara Ann" is singled out as the song that could perhaps be left off a Mike, Brian or Al setlist while this song escapes notice. Now I know we all have very different tastes and what I like, might not be liked by the next guy.

Now is the part where I imagine if I posted this on the other board, it would get an immediate response from filledaplage saying how "times were different" in '63 and stuff about JFK and Vietnam and a bunch of stuff that would only tangentially be connected to the topic at hand which reminds me why I've enjoyed this board so much more over the years, haha.

But truly back on subject, that brings to mind an interview with Frank Zappa that was included in Look! Listen! Vibrate! Smile! in which Zappa say, "...because they've been fed all this garbage for so long. The Beach Boys, "Be True to Your School," and all that. They don't' wanna be true to their school, they want the truth!"

Now maybe he was just going after "Be True to Your School" but regardless I feel like he basically singles out that "Be True to Your School" is a representation of the whole Beach Boys scene, and it ringing false, perhaps.

But even regardless of Zappa, do any of you guys and gals think that this song plays and outsize role in the whole "dorky Beach Boys" perception? Am I overrating the importance of this one or am i overdoing it? And even by saying this, I still think most real music fans love the group and would stand up them.

Anyways, I will say that I've really been able to enjoy the song. I can get myself in the mood to listen to and really enjoy something really kinda corny like "Make It Big" or "Problem Child." Same goes for some of those very naive '50s songs or even some of earlier Four Seasons stuff. But for some reason  "Be True to Your School" is just a bridge too far for me. Maybe someday I'll be able to appreciate even just one of the versions of the song.

[Unleash The Love]

A band called AJR was featured on the channel, choosing a few of their favorite Beach Boys songs with some between-song commentary. Never heard of them and the show itself was way too short but it's nice to hear some actual DJ programming on the channel, which normally seems to just be the catalog on shuffle. They picked Sloop John B, Wouldn't It Be Nice, and Surfers Rule and then ended with their own version of Darlin' which sounded pretty good, reminded me of Nate Ruess's version from the Brian Wilson and Friends concert DVD.

So if it's the same version (and I suspect it is), the AJR version of "Darlin'" was actually released on Mike Love's Unleash The Love album. And now don't quote me on this, but I feel like I remember seeing that Mike actually does feature on that track vocally or instrumentally, which makes its inclusion on his album a bit odd.

[Summer In Paradise]

Have fun being gaslight for eight paragraphs by filleplage on the other board…

That really is filledplage. Seems to almost willfully misunderstand topics, goes off on insane tangents, and can't find a bad thing to say about Mike Love. Also interestingly will defend something like Summer In Paradise but apparently not much of That's Why God Made The Radio. This "filledeplage" character has to be somebody's idea of a joke, right?

As much of a bummer as it was to have the board break apart, certain posters like that surely aren't missed at all, at least in my opinion. And this board is the better for it, though things have gotten a bit slow.

[Mike Love Not War]

Ironically, that circa 2004 Mike solo stuff is probably, at least some of it, his best solo stuff. I'll take "Cool Head" over "This Too Shall Pass" anyway.

Interestingly, while I'm not a huge fan of Christian Love's voice (I don't dislike it, I'm kind of ambivalent about it), the couple of a songs he sings on that 2004 collection (especially "Too Cruel") are better than the re-re-re-recorded versions Mike did on "Unleash the Love" later on.

I still think it would have worked well to have Al sing "Too Cruel" back in 2012 for the reunion album.

No offense to anybody who likes it (and I think its alright), but to me something like "Too Cruel" (at least in it's Mike Love Not War / Unleash The Love guise) sounds like something a dweeb in cargo shorts and flip flips would write while sitting under a tree on his acoustic while his buddies play frisbee. Even if Al did the lead, it still woulda been meh.

I think the use of "Daybreak Over The Ocean" was the correct choice, though I admit "Cool Head, Warm Heart" would've probably worked as well.

...or more realistically he's just poking fun at the whole Bud Light debacle because that's what has been topical lately.  He's been making politically-tinged jokes (for better or for worse) for decades now.  I don't think he's Considering that this very thread started with someone whining about "right wing pieces of sh*t" (which is code for "how dare someone have a different opinion than me"), I'd say your point goes both ways.  Regardless as to whether or not I agree or disagree with Mike on any given topic, I found this joke to be kinda lame ultimately.  But a joke nonetheless.  Something not newsworthy or even worthy of the scrutiny of this message board.  Something that you either chuckle or groan at and then move on with your day unscathed.   

Actually it might not be clear, it was not calling anybody “right wing pieces of sh*t.” They were quoting a Tweet which I had also seen from a person I can not remember. So let’s get that out of the way.

Also I am confused as to why “right wing pieces of sh*t” hurts you so much, but Mike’s words are fine? You’re hurt that somebody (nobody on this board) attacked your political beliefs it seems like. But if Mike makes jokes about trans or nonbinary people, they should just “get over it” you say? Hmmm.

Maybe Mikes worried if Budweiser suffers financially it will cut into his Be True To Your Bud royalties .I was at a concert where he told an awful joke about Puerto Ricans in the 80s . He’s not going to change and of course can say what he wants . That being said the world has changed and the way we joke.  Mike certainly can make the jokes but deserves any and all criticism he gets .

He made a joke about Puerto Ricans in the ‘80s? Wow. My wife is half Puerto Rican and therefore my daughters are also part Puerto Rican. So tell me, what was his “joke”?

I’m confused. What did Mike say?

It was on Facebook originally.

https://twitter.com/returningk/status/1675227015916531712

What a nice photo. He looks great!

He really does. It's very heartening to see him happy right there. Even if he never gave a single performance or recorded another note, if I could get a photo every so often to see the big guy is doing well it would be just as appreciated. I think at this point that while new music or performances would be nice we just want to see Brian living a happy life.

Where did you see these pics?

That’s Billy C? I thought it was Andrew G Doe?

[Do It Again! The Songs Of Brian Wilson]

So the board(s) have been getting kinda boring lately. You've got Brian off the road and with not much known about possible new studio material. Mike just doing his meet and potatoes thing thing with Bruce and some new guys. And Al I guess playing some shows here and there.

So anyways, I just got the compilation Do It Again! The Songs Of Brian Wilson. There are a few interesting things on there. Fleetwood Mac's version of "The Farmer's Daughter", Celebration's "It's OK" and the 1971 version of Dean Torrence doing "Vegetables" (credited as Jan & Dean this go 'round rather than The Laughing Gravy), but funny enough the song that's got me interested is "Please Let Me Wonder" by The King's Singers, but featuring lead vocals from none other than Bruce and Mike.

Anyways, everybody here familiar with this version? It was released in 1997 on a King's Singers album. And let's just come out and say it: this is so adult contemporary that this makes Brian's Imagination sound like the first Clash album. The tinkly keyboards, the alto sax and its  little trills, the reverb, oof. Stuff like this reminds me why the Paley sessions had no chance.

A few interesting notes. You got Bruce singing the lead, as he has many times in concert over the years and then you also have Mike adding (previously unknown?) lyrics to the bridge. The King's Singers (who I admit I'm not familiar with) sound kinda staid and formal, but perhaps that's their thing. One thing I will say, that maybe I never found the words for, is how tight yet loose The Beach Boys harmonies are. The never sound uptight or staid, pretty much nearly always buoyant, regardless of era.

Thoughts from anyone on here on this oddity from the late '90s?

who is this guy? Should I know him?

That’s Bruce Johnston’s manager, right?