Good Timin' aside (and that was from 1974 anyway), I couldn't stand his vocals on LA Light, but part of it was because the songs were quite frankly boring as hell.

I once literally fell asleep while listening to Full Sail. 

Wow.  I love that song (except the line "Frisco Bay".  It's "San Francisco", buddy).

Tell that to Otis.

I'm pretty sure they were both talking about that bay in Texas.

Right. When we first moved to SE Texas from Northern California in 2003, somebody in my office made a comment about Frisco and I got all hot and bothered until I figured out he was talking about a town in Texas. Closest water is Lewisville Lake, though. At least he wasn't a Dodgers fan.

Good Timin' aside (and that was from 1974 anyway), I couldn't stand his vocals on LA Light, but part of it was because the songs were quite frankly boring as hell.

I once literally fell asleep while listening to Full Sail. 

Wow.  I love that song (except the line "Frisco Bay".  It's "San Francisco", buddy).

Tell that to Otis.

I tried.  He said something about a short walk off a dock or something like that. Maybe that's how Brian Wilson came up with that line about another bucket of sand, another walk on the pier.

Good Timin' aside (and that was from 1974 anyway), I couldn't stand his vocals on LA Light, but part of it was because the songs were quite frankly boring as hell.

I once literally fell asleep while listening to Full Sail. 

Wow.  I love that song (except the line "Frisco Bay".  It's "San Francisco", buddy).

Brian was watching an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond the whole time. It was one about Ray being aggravated by his mother.

The one where Ray was aggravated by his mother.  Now that's funny. I saw that one.  Once a week in fact. For about five seasons. (I think she wanted him to drink a chocolate milkshake and he wanted strawberry??)

The album also includes a rock ’n’ roll version of an old folk song called “Sloop John B,” to the tune to which, oddly enough, the Hebrew folk song “Dror Yikra” is often sung.

Jo Ann[/color][/b] was also an amateur psychic who talked to Brian about the powers of unseen vibrations, ideas that would fuel the group’s first million-selling single, “Good Vibrations.”" 1st one is outright silly, because it's not relevant at all to the music Brian created with the Wrecking Crew. Race, nation, religion don't mean a thing in a show biz, everyone can be talented. On the 2nd, I agree with NHC, I believe more Brian in that case than some journalist who is being overly defensive of his fellow one-landers.

The Jo Ann Marks - Good Vibrations connection is old news. She was a well established psychic in the LA area...countless celebs lined up for psychic readings from her. She was known for using the term Good Vibrations or bad vibrations long before there was a band known as the Beach Boys. It was her best friend, Zelda Samuels, another L.A. psychic, who consulted Brian during the Smile period... best known for telling him when Heroes and Villains should be released, Brian and Marilyn also regularly got readings from her. The whole thing is detailed in the Lost Beach Boy book from 2007... but the story about Jo Ann being a psychic and her, and her sphere of friends, influencing young Brian was around decades before that. The Audree story is a safe "go to" for Brian since the whole subject of Jo Ann's influence is a definite taboo from the Murry era. (especially considering both Brian and Murry had romantic interest in Jo Ann) But the info is out there, you don't have to dig too deep. Whether it was Audree or Jo Ann who ingrained the term in Brian's head...Jo Ann was well known for making it part of the neighborhood lexicon, that's a simple fact.

I knew about JoAnn from your 2007 book.  I just hadn't picked up on the connection re: Brian and the "good vibrations". But darned if it isn't right there on pages 25 and 142. I must have forgot.  Or skipped over it. Or something.

I never got into the whole "hip" or "unhip" thing in the 60's.  I either liked the music or I didn't.  But then I've never been who anyone would mistake for a trend-follower much less a trend-setter.

and spoil his fun?

Was Ed Carter asked to be a beach boy?

Ed "Steady Eddie" Carter was recruited into the Beach Boys by Bruce Johnston in 1968. He became a full-fledged member in 1975 and left the band in 1995.

This is the first I've heard of this.

I assume this would refer to his being a full fledged member of the stage band, not actually a "member" of "the Beach Boys"?

I took this information directly from an interview conducted with Ed in 1997 by a local newspaper in his hometown in Arizona. The term full-fledged to me means "full status" and "completely established". The interview makes it look like he became a full member in 1975, but pretty sure Ed remained a back-up musician with the band until he left in 1995. Don't think I'm wrong on that.

Interesting.  I think I saw that interview some time ago. I was just thinking along the lines of "stage/studio musician" member.

And here all along I thought it was Brian's mom who told him about those good vibrations while walking to the grocery store.

Why did billy and daryl decline?

Billy was offered to be in the band as early as 1969. He was going to school in Los Angeles and thought he'd finish getting his degree. Not sure if he ever finished or why he didn't join afterwards in the 70's, but he's been in and out of Beach Boys land ever since.

One of the books talks about how Billy was excited about becoming an official member but his dad said "nope, you will finish your degree first", which he did at UCLA's film school. I'm not sure either why he didn't officially join the band after that, since he was certainly not excluded from the stage band.

Was Ed Carter asked to be a beach boy?

Ed "Steady Eddie" Carter was recruited into the Beach Boys by Bruce Johnston in 1968. He became a full-fledged member in 1975 and left the band in 1995.

This is the first I've heard of this.

I assume this would refer to his being a full fledged member of the stage band, not actually a "member" of "the Beach Boys"?

Did Steve Douchey ask Bruce's opinion on Benghazi?

Pointless.  BTW, his name is Steve Doocy and he's won several awards for national and local reporting.

Our day always begins with Fox & Friends, today no exception.  Enjoyed the parts that were broadcast and also watched the full live stream on the show's web page.  Interesting to see Jeff with an acoustic. Got a kick out of Mike saying he used to be the important one in the family until his nephew (NBA star) Kevin Love came along. When asked by Brian Kilmeade what the key was to their success, Bruce said without a moment's hesitation "Brian Wilson's vocal arrangements" with Mike nodding in full agreement. Fun time.

What the hell is wrong with Bruce?

Just about everything? Songs, voice, style, ideas, you name it.

Geez, lighten up a bit.

Nearest Faraway place is a fav because of all the historical context and geographical whatnot,,

Yes.  it sets the whole proposition up very well.  As a native 5th-generation Californian, although not living there since 2003, and a lover/reader of history, it really adds to the story. The Beach Boys did not arrive out of a vacuum.

Would have been so easy to do it right . . . . .

see if you agree, hope this topic hasn't been covered already:


surfin' usa - honky tonk

Practiced a lot of guitar against that and the other instrumentals 50 years ago.  It worked, too. I like those instrumentals.  Also, I wouldn't count the bull session-type tracks as songs for consideration here. (I think they're kind of fun, anyway.)

Years back I read an interview of some kind with Carl when he was asked about playing Surf's Up live again, and he said, yeah that would be great, I'd love to, but we would need all the instruments like the French horns to do it right - - - lo and behold, a few decades later Brian's band has a - - - - - -  French horn player, and the rest of the C50 ensemble was there to have pulled it off.  But, I think this song is so special it would almost have to have its own special spotlight in the set list. It might have been hard to find a place for it, set the right mood, right moment, etc. Not like dropping in "Car Crazy Cutie" or "Noble Surfer" (which would have been fine with me). I don't know, just random ideas here . . . . . sure would have great to hear it at C50, though.

Maybe Brian could have graciously asked Mike to sing lead on it.

Now THAT'S something that hadn't crossed my mind . . . . .

D.    Will I be notified of the release in my monthly AARP magazine?

Hoping to get it with my Social Security direct deposit.

Stamos got the Beach Boys on his previous sitcom, the short-lived "You Again", circa 1986, and there the group actually had probably a more prominent "acting" part and plot involvement than they did on most of the "Full House" episodes.

Ironically, my recollection of the plot is that Stamos' character gets a chance to do a gig with the BB's, but can't read the sheet music or something.

I believe this pic is from that 1986 sitcom shoot; several years before their "debut" on "Full House."

Was that the show with Jack Klugman? Where Kowalski broke his arm or something and they needed a replacement?  Whoever it was says "I know every note of every Beach Boys song", and Brian says "well, I don't, can you show me?" Then it turns out he can't read the charts and just starts banging away (which seemed odd, using charts for the drums).

Speaking of keyboards, Bruce is one hell of a musician, and any number of late-60's and early 70's live performances feature him playing terrific Hammond, Rhodes, etc. Even Hal Blaine said before the Beach Boys involvement, he knew Bruce from LA studio sessions and he was a solid studio keyboardist. From a musician's standpoint, it's too bad we haven't had much of a chance in the past few decades to hear him play as much.

Yes on all counts. Too bad he (evidently) doesn't care to be featured more that way. Blaine is cited somewhere as calling Bruce the best (or one of the best, but I recall it as best) session keyboard player he ever worked with, and he worked with a lot. Seems for many years like Bruce is content to do what he does on stage, be more active in the song performance itself and let the other keyboard guys take those parts, kind of like "been there, did that, time to engage the crowd now". And of course fix his mike. I mean his mic.

Years back I read an interview of some kind with Carl when he was asked about playing Surf's Up live again, and he said, yeah that would be great, I'd love to, but we would need all the instruments like the French horns to do it right - - - lo and behold, a few decades later Brian's band has a - - - - - -  French horn player, and the rest of the C50 ensemble was there to have pulled it off.  But, I think this song is so special it would almost have to have its own special spotlight in the set list. It might have been hard to find a place for it, set the right mood, right moment, etc. Not like dropping in "Car Crazy Cutie" or "Noble Surfer" (which would have been fine with me). I don't know, just random ideas here . . . . . sure would have great to hear it at C50, though.

Having had a Mike-like hairdo since I was in my late 20's, like my dad, caps or hats of one kind or another have been a long, long part of my daily routine. First of all, being outside in the hot sun without one is asking for all kinds of trouble (I don't wear one inside). At the same time, since I don't really like this horseshoe hair style all that much, as in: not at all, yes, a topper takes care of that to a certain degree, and a nice non-baseball type lid can be fairly stylish as well. At some point, they just become part of your persona, like it has with Mike, Bruce and Dave for whatever reason. Has nothing to do with vanity or ego or confidence, simply what you're comfortable with - or want to do.  If Pete Townshend doesn't feel the need to wear a cap, well bully for him. Doesn't mean a thing and it really shouldn't concern us.

Brian's just like any other married man - doing what the wife tells him to do.

Which, like most men, is probably what he wanted.

Under the thumb and over the moon. 

42 years, 2 months and 5 days in, I AWAYS pay heed to my wife. Especially when she bought me a ticket to the C50 concert for my birthday.

I was at that baseball game/concert at Candlestick in '84 (still have my dark blue BB hat) and remember it being a little breezy, but don't remember them not hearing the monitors. You have a much better memory than I do, Norm, for being an old guy!    Remember the game/concert where Reggie Jackson got up on stage with them to do Shut Down?

I can remember Carl looking around quizzically during some of the windy moments and gesturing toward his monitor, shaking his head and waving his arm in the wind like he couldn't hear.  Maybe he just wanted to play "Let The Wind Blow". Missed the Jackson show - Oakland, I presume?  Haven't been to an A's ball game since '75. I liked those shows at the Stick - met Les Chan and a couple of other guys at the one in '82 (one of them was named Gerry?? Lived over in Concord or Walnut Creek?? I traded some photos and things with him). Old guy!  Honestly!