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| March 29, 2024, 03:15:02 PM |
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Sounds of Summer 6LP Announced
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on: June 11, 2022, 12:26:11 PM
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Thanks! I have to listen to this with headphones or better speakers. But I really don't like Carl's "ooh-ooho-ohh"'s. Good that they left that off from the original. It's just like the "wha-whas" on the alt. "Help me, Rhonda". Just too much. I fully agree. Less is more - the Beach Boys, despite their lush arrangements, always knew this.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Sounds of Summer 6LP Announced
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on: June 10, 2022, 12:49:09 AM
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It sounds OK but it's not something I'll play again too often I think. Love the original mix, despite its 'muddiness' - easily my favorite BB song from the early 70s era. This new mix sounds like they were trying way too hard to make every little sonic detail stick out. If it'll help people (re)discover the song, that's great.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road (2019 Brent Wilson Documentary)
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on: June 07, 2022, 07:28:54 AM
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Finally saw this recently and I have to saw, being a hardcore fan, some of the studio and everyday stuff was cool, but overall, I didn't find it very illuminating.
I did, however, walk away with a profound sadness. It was pretty depressing, though not surprising, to watch Brian repeatedly reminiscing and expressing his grief at the loss of Dennis, Carl, and Jack.
I'm sure that it makes him come across as more human to those who don't know him or his story, but for me, personally it just made me sad. It was honestly gut-wrenching and very uneasy to see Brian react to the news of Jack's passing and try to bottle up his emotions about that, as well as Dennis and Carl's untimely demises.
I haven't seen the whole film but the scene where Brian hears that Jack Reiley died a couple of years ago made me feel very uneasy. Seeing celebrities in such emotional moments is hardly unusual but this little episode from the doc made me actually wish I hadn't seen it.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: In Concert Album. How and Why?
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on: June 01, 2022, 03:21:56 AM
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Here's what Brian said in that interview: I heard it and I said, "Don't release that, don't". And they said, "We're gonna!" [...] I just didn't think it was that good. But they really like it. Brian was asked in the same interview whether he's working together with Carl in the studio, to which he replied that no, Carl wants to work alone - after which Diane interferes, saying that Brian does work together with Carl in the studio. Interesting stuff.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Carl and MSIA
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on: May 23, 2022, 09:53:14 PM
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What I find puzzling about Carl and this organization; if he was so big into it, why wasn't he prosletizing for the group? There was no mention of them in the liner notes of his solo albums; and I'm only aware of one interview where he talked about them. Now how many times have we seen Mike Love talk about the benefits of TM? I suspect it was a way and a life that he felt was beneficial to him, but he didn't have any desire to push it on anyone else.
It probably speaks for Carl that he didn't do this. The TM stuff was quirky enough (even though it had its charms whenever Brian chose to write a song about it) but that was enough for one band I guess, it would've been very odd if Carl had pushed his personal beliefs into their music and public appearances in the same way that Mike did.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: A question for all Beach Boys and Brian Wilson fans
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on: May 22, 2022, 07:46:29 PM
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It's certainly a combination of several things. This may sound like something Mike Love would say but for me one of the main strengths lies in the music being both melancholy and upbeat. Nobody does that like the BB, especially on the earlier stuff when Brian was in full charge. I think it was Peter Ames Carlin who wrote that there is a sense of "fragile optimism" that is apparent in Brian's music and I thought that was a wonderful way to put it. Their music is also incredibly inventive, in terms of arrangements/production, key changes, etc., and that makes it stand out for me.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: So Tough/ Holland (Box?) Set
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on: May 17, 2022, 07:55:30 PM
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I'm eager to hear the whole thing but this little snippet doesn't sound very good to me. The original mix is amazing, I like it just the way it is, so I don't see the use of making it sound more like the live version - or is this an alternative mix from 1972? Anyway, it's always great to see this song getting some exposure/attention, certainly one of their best (for me, maybe even THE best) from that time frame.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / Brian Wilson Solo Albums / Re: That Lucky Old Sun
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on: May 11, 2022, 04:26:41 AM
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Whole thing - tracks, lead vocals, mastering all sound awful. I have even tried to remix/smooth it out myself to make it playable/listenable 'in company'. Sounds like most of it was recorded in someone's bedroom........ er ehm... I feel the signwriting was less a collaboration than on the Paley sessions.
I agree with the last part. It's one of the better SOUNDING Brian albums, though. As far as the material, my opinion of it has gone a bit lately. I probably overreacted to it at the time because I was so excited to get new music - ANY music - from Brian. I'd say half of the songs are pretty good. Others haven't aged well. Oxygen to the Brain is weak, especially compared to Can't Wait Too Long. Goin' Home just tries too hard. I'd probably rate the album a 3 now. I get this sense of tryig too hard from a couple of songs, especially "Midnight's Another Day". It seems like everyone wanted this to be another "'Til I Die" but I don't think it is. The more light-hearted material here is what I think has stood the test of time, like "Good Kind of Love" or even "Mexican Girl".
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: So Tough/ Holland (Box?) Set
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on: May 10, 2022, 11:09:31 PM
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I love the Blondie/Ricky-era albums - that said, it's always puzzled me a bit how anyone could assume these two would be able to substitute for Brian in terms of his diminishing influence on the band's songwriting. "Here She Comes" is perfectly fine in the context of the So Tough album but it's not the kind of song that makes me want to hear it over and over again. The BB at the time were going for a bit of a more generic rock sound with the addition of these two I think - like I said, amazing albums (Holland especially) and the live shows must have been incredible at that time (I'm a big fan of In Concert too), but in terms of songwriting I understand why this phase is not every fan's favorite era.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Carl and MSIA
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on: May 10, 2022, 03:05:21 AM
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In the band's history, Carl remains the big question mark for me in many ways. Always super diplomatic in interviews, to the point where it's almost impossible to tell how he felt about being a BB especially in his later years. In some 80s/90s footage he almost looks like he felt a little embarrassed here and there, like in the Little Old Lady from Pasadena TV performance or in the Crocodile Rock music video; yet even an observation as simple as this can feel like "reading too much into it" with a character as private and reserved as Carl. I love his singing but otherwise he's a bit of a mystery. That John-Roger stuff seems to make matters even more complex.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Carl's relationship with Brian before his death
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on: May 05, 2022, 09:07:49 PM
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In terms of leadership, what Carl's work in the studio mostly lacked - and I'm saying this as a big fan of all the different phases they went through - was a clear artistic vision, which Brian had had pretty much from day one but more or less gave up after the Friends album (with the exception of a handful of later projects - thinking of the fairy tale, Child of Winter, 15BO / LY, Adult/Child, and the Paley sessions). The only album where they arrived at what I feel can be identified as a real and artistically cohesive "Carl sound" in the same way that the earlier albums had a "Brian sound" was Holland - while Sunflower sounded like an attempt to do a Brian-sounding album and Surf's Up / CATP were all over the place stylistically, much like 20/20. What I mean to say is, during his years of leading the band in the studio, Brian changed their sound every couple of albums but the entire journey feels perfectly cohesive from start to finish, whereas the albums under Carl's guidance often sound like they were all trying out lots of different stuff here and there, hoping that some of it could maybe give them a new career as recording artists. It's all great but not everything feels as confident and inventive as what Brian had done earlier.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Carl's relationship with Brian before his death
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on: May 03, 2022, 10:42:04 PM
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This is pure speculation but aside from family stuff and Landy I wouldn't be surprised if Brian had mixed feelings about the way that Carl continued the band's work as their new de-facto leader both in the studio and live after Brian really stepped back from the role of leader around 20/20 or Surf's Up; and it wouldn't surprise me either if Carl, despite being in awe of his brother's musical brilliance, had a hard time living in the shadow of Brian's work despite his own efforts during some of the band's most difficult times. Brian was the genius (and we all know he really was!) but Carl had to be always reliable and I'm sure he had to neglect his own feelings more than once in the process. This kind of stuff makes human relationships incredibly complex, especially if there's a family history of bad communication too. In any case it's nice to read stories of the brothers getting back together despite their earlier estrangement(s).
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: 25th Anniversary Special 03/1987
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on: April 27, 2022, 05:56:20 AM
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I kind of enjoy this everytime I see it. Brian looks absolutely great here. My tolerance for cheese is high with these guys and I see this appearance as an attempt to learn from the many mistakes of the 20th anniversary concert in 1981 and act more professional, although "professional" of course means "80s professional" here.
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Smiley Smile Stuff / General On Topic Discussions / Re: Is it fair to call for an artist to quit?
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on: December 03, 2021, 02:38:01 AM
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Some fans seem to have this fear of their favorite artist "losing it" or "ruining his legacy". Brian has worked on some awful material over the years, like Smart Girls or Wipe Out w/ the Fat Boys. But none of that ruined his legacy in the slightest, because the legacy of his 60s work in particular is pretty much "unruinable". If he wants to record new music and go on tour, that's perfectly fine with me, go ahead. I don't have to like everything this man does and whether he's comfortable being on the road is a thing between him and his management. Bottom line for me is, long live Brian Wilson! I will now listen to some Surfer Girl and Friends and think about the beautiful solo shows I was lucky enough to attend in the 2000s.
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