Yup.  Any singer who has taken a shot at Wild Honey has ALWAYS received mixed reviews.  I have read many people on this board write about not being too fond of Carl's performances of this song (live or studio).  It is a belter and a screamer, and that style of tune is just not some people's cup of tea.  But I like it and I think it makes more sense to have it be a screamer (in the vein of Twist and Shout or Long Tall Sally) an opportunity for a singer to let loose at the top of their range and just go for it.  I love Matt Jardine's vocals (he's my vote for taking Brian's high parts) but when he did it with Al's band they lowered the key significantly and took the ATTACK out of it which was disappointing.  And I have LOVED that Blondie is back working with Brian (and Al, and Dave) but when they did it recently they lowered the key too much as well.  It is tough for me too choose my fave performance of this song.  I really like the studio recording of Carl, the 70's performances with Blondie singing and John Cowsill's recent performances - a three way tie for me.  Carl's live tries at it were a bit too inconsistent for me. Below that would be Blondie's recent attempts and Micky's take here.  I do enjoy them all though.  Honestly, I not only respect any vocalist who takes a stab at it as it is a MOFO to pull off, and I am just happy that this wonderful gem in the catalog is getting more live airings and attention from the general public who may not be aware of it.  Such a cool song.  Kudos to to those in Mike and Brian's band whose idea it was to dust it off! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JQMstHVQbc

Love it! Great to see Dolenz there and ripping it up! Doesn't quite rock it as nicely as Cowsill in my opinion but loved it all the same. So happy to hear this band play such a great tune. Hope it stays in their setlists along time. Wonderful lyrics by Dr. Love!!!

And a wonderful last performance at that!  :-)

Hey BeachBoys_Fr,
I know you sometimes take a fair amount of abuse here, but that is one very nice looking collection!  I am a bit jealous.  Ha Ha...
 And my wife thinks I have a problem with too much BB/BW stuff.

I'd love to see some more high res photos just admire it a bit further!

One of my fave scenes from the dvd!  Definitely different vocals than the officially released version.  This one has several Beach Boys and Brian's vocals here are different to the vocals that end up on the released version.  I'd love a vocals only version with Tammy and The Beach Boys (not just Brian) singing.

Why would he hand it back?  Not doubting, just curious as it seems such a business savvy guy wouldn't give up so much power, money or control?

Thanks for dropping by Matt!  I am very happy that you are involved and would have loved to be a fly on the wall for those studio sessions.  I hope much of your contributions make the final product.  At the 7 seven live shows I have attended that you performed on, your vocals have been a highlight for sure.  Love your voice!  I'm getting excited for this album, whatever it is!  At any rate it is a real pleasure to have an insider and Beach Boy family member stop by!  Don't be a stranger.

I saw the Eagles this year too.  Mr. Wilson, Bernie was just a special guest for this tour only, and not back for good at all.  He played about half of the show.  It was pretty chronologically presented setlist wise.  Bernie came on after Don and Glen did an acoustic number together and then played the first set of early Eagles stuff together.  He was absent for all of set 2 and then reappeared for the encores.  It was nice to have him there but I really missed Randy on bass and vocals.  It was rumoured that he might be a special guest for this tour too but a health scare kept him away...Too Bad.  I'd really love him back for Take It To the Limit as the version they do with Glen on lead just doesn't cut it...They should just "get over it" and bring back Don Felder too.  Glad I saw the tour though.  I much preferred all the solo Brian, Mike and Bruce and reunion Beach Boys shows that I have seen in the last few years more than the Eagles...

Yup.  Great song and a good album.  No staggering work of genius but an enjoyable Christmas confection.

Hey Doc, I have a few extra copies on cd if ya have anything neat-o to trade for it!
Cheers,
Rich from Canada

Any Canadian fans located these in our Target stores here?  I have had no luck in Calgary, Alberta so far...

Eric is right, Scott Totten AND Randall Kirsch SHARE the lead and sing in unison on WDFFIL and have been performing it that way for many years.  Scott Totten and Jeff Foskett shared the lead on the 50th tour.  They have hired a new crew member who is in charge of the video projections and such.  Scott introduced me to him, he is a very nice dude.  It think it ups the already great Mike and Bruce show a fair bit.

I had the pleasure of seeing 3 consecutive shows recently (They played Disney Girls at a couple of the shows gfac22).  Two shows in a nice theatre (with great acoustics) in Nanaimo, B.C. as well as an outdoor show in Vancouver, B.C.  All three were wonderful shows for different reasons.  The indoor shows had the clearer sound and longer setlists (but the more reserved crowd), while the outdoor had the shorter setlist but was a much higher energy show as it was just hit after hit and the audience was on their feet for much more of the show and I'm sure the band feeds off the audience being so into it.  Here is the setlist for the second theatre show to give you a good idea of what was played.

1. Do It Again
2. Honda
3. Catch
4. Hawaii
5. Summer Means Fun - I like that Bruce gets a chance to air this great Bruce and Terry tune.
6. Surf City
7. Safari

8. Surfer Girl
9. Wendy
10. Getcha Back - This was one of the first 45s I bought with my own money when I was 10 or 11.  Love it.  Tim sings some bvs on this, nice to see him being added as a vocalist.  
11. Fools
12. Grow Up
13. Room
14. Cool Head
15. Darlin - Another highlight for me.
16. Good To My Baby- Awesome.  Rocked HARD.  No solo in the break just the guitar riff but Cowsill pounds the drums in such a ferocious way it doesn't need one.

17. Be True

18. Betsy - I love this song.  Especially the end Four Freshman like harmonies.  Chills every time.
19. Don't Worry
20. Deuce Coupe
21. 409
22. Shut Down
23. Get Around

Intermission

24. Cal Dreamin
25. Sloop
26. Nice
27. Kissed Her
28. Dance Dance

29. Cal Girls
30. Hearts Were Full Of Spring - My fave of all the 3 shows (only played the second night).  Lovely to hear the beautiful harmonies in a venue that showed 'em off.
31. Disney Girls - Another highlight
32. Warmth Of The Sun - Beautiful lead by Scott and the backing vocal arrangement was stellar.  Another highlight for me.
33. God Only Knows - Carl on the screen.  Performed at all 3 shows I saw this way, though a very brief technical delay the last night almost had Bruce resume his lead.
So nice to hear Carl's voice in an evening of BB music.  Mike played tambourine on this the first two nights and it was kinda distracting.  The last night he had sleigh bells and all was right in the world again.  ;-)

34. Vibes
35. Kokomo - Mrs. Love came out and danced for the first Nanaimo show.
36. Rhonda
37. Rock Roll
38. Wanna Dance
39. Barbara Ann
40. Summertime Blues - Clearly Cowsill has been listening the the Who live versions of this recently as he is channeling Keith Moon with some very inspired freak outs near the end of the tune.  Fun.
41. Fun Fun Fun
----------------------
42. Wild Honey - Have heard them play this 4 times now and it continues to amaze and rile me up.  Frankly I can't believe it is still in the set as it certainly less known with the meat and potatoes crowd (yeah I know it is on Summer Sounds but you know I am right about this...).  Anyway it is a stellar encore song and so well performed by the band.  It wouldn't work as good earlier in the set as it allows for a looser 70's rock vibe (seems it is most certainly uses the live 70s versions as a template).  Also I'm sure it is a vocal shredder and best at the end of the night.  Kudos to the band for playing this and continuing to do so.  It is a brave and wonderful song to have in the encore and a real treat for the die-hards.  I hope it stays in the set for a long time.
43. Goin To The Beach - simple but fun tune.  Again another not-so-obvious choice from a band that too often gets pigeonholed by some who haven't seen them as a traveling jukebox just the hits band.
44. Surfin USA

T'was a great time.  Killer shows.  These were my 39, 40 and 41 Beach Boys concerts (I'm including Brian and Al shows in that tally) and it was a great blast of summer before I go back to teaching.  I ended up being on the same ferry as the whole band on the way from Nanaimo to Vancouver.  Purely coincidental gents - I wasn't stalking you!  :-)  
I said hello to Tim, sat away from the band, gave them their space and left them alone (hard for a geeky fan boy like me) as I had already been backstage the two nights previous (Thanks for your kindness and great chats gents!).  What a nice bunch of folks; band and crew alike.  

As been said by myself and numerous others on this board; if you haven't seen the Mike and Bruce ever or in a very long time you owe it to yourself to check it out.  Worth the time and money or sure!  Won't last forever...
Now which Brian, Al, and Dave show should I go see?  Toronto or Las Vegas?

I like it.  A bit slow though and it doesn't rock as hard as the superior Concert album version.  Will be nice to have in the collection, fer sure.

Just a heads up for anyone who may be interested.  MIC on amazon.ca has just gone down over $20 and the preorder price is now $118.51.  I locked in the first day in went on preorder and have a guaranteed price of $110.84 (or less if it goes down again) but it was only that cheap for a few days.  Still beats Amazon.com at $139.88 anyway...
Not long now.  Can't wait to listen...

Hey TV forces,

I ordered mine (2 copies) from Amazon.ca (great price about $65 each) but they tell me it won't be in until late Aug and won't be shipped to my place until early Sept.  Sad for the delay but excited about the box.  With MIC coming at a similar time it may be hard to get work and family time in as I will be listening to piles and piles of glorious cds!

Alright, I'll bite...
What Nilsson debacle?
On a related note I ordered two of the 17 disc Nilsson box sets from Amazon.ca and have been informed that they won'y arrive till early Sept...

Just wanted to chime in and say great post PS!  You articulated very well why I believe this is one of the very best pieces on Brian.  I still have two vhs copies and really wish it were available / reissued on dvd or blu-ray format.  Bad quality youtube just doesn't do it for me.

Me Too STE!

[P]

In my opinion, those of you who believe that Carl comes in with an expression that demonstrates that he DISLIKES the song are seeing something that isn't there.  It seems to me that Brian is doing his best to come up with something interesting for chord change and backing vocal arrangement ideas in the "stay out partying all night long..."  section and when Carl comes in he is similarly sincerely trying to work out / learn an interesting harmony in the same section.  What I see Carl doing there is listening and trying to contribute something useful; being the team player and great worker bee that he most often was.  I could be wrong, but I don't think so.  Apparently we all colour our impression of what is happening depending on our preconceived notions of what we think SHOULD be happening.  I haven't heard the new version but I would be Pleased Much if I could as I am from Canada and US Amazon won't let me get the free track, but I have been watching this album making video (which I love) for over 20 years.  I am looking forward to all the tracks from Made In California that I haven't heard.  The arty ones and the cheesy "commercial" ones.  Can't hardly wait!  
Edit
Ha Ha!  rockandroll beat me to it!

My cat is named Wilson.  Fat and old now, but in many ways resembles his namesake.

My pleasure Sheriff!  It really was a wonderful show.  I read your posts and enjoyed hearing about the concert you attended too!

I just got back from Edmonton yesterday where I had great seats for the River Cree Casino show and had a wonderful time as it was incredible.  I know some folks on here take issue with Mike and Bruce touring as The Beach Boys (many who have not even witnessed one) but, damn, if they don't consistently put on a great show.  My first Beach Boys concert was in 1987, and since Carl Wilson passed, I have seen 37 Beach Boys shows by all 4 different configurations (many shows each by Mike and Bruce, Brian Wilson, Al Jardine and of course all of them together at reunion shows).  This show was up there quality wise with the very best.  Being a casino show with a very limited playing time imposed by the venue I was wondering if there would be a chance to include anything but the biggest of hits but we got a great balance in a well paced show and the mix and quality of the sound in the house was pristine.

Highlights for me were:
Warmth of The Sun!!!
Wild Honey!!!

At first when Mike was giving his standard banter introducing Scott as Musical Director, Lead Guitarist and now Lead Vocalist, I though we were going to get Betsy  (which suits me fine as it is a killer song and Scott nails it) but then Mike talks about he and Brian writing the next song on the eve of the Kennedy assassination and they launched into a chilling version Warmth of the Sun.  The harmonies were sublime and the lead was a corker.  I have heard Brian's band do it but it didn't do much for me as they have to lower it so much for Brian as it is a bastard to sing in, or even near, the original key.  Totten really served the song well and I was jazzed to hear it's premiere as I had no idea it was coming and also because it was done so well.

Security were pretty terrible for the majority of the show; discouraging dancing, standing, coming up front, and generally killing the vibe and stopping people from having fun though.  Mike left the stage for all of California Dreaming.  Not sure if he really had to pee or whether he went to have a word with someone re - the over zealous security but soon after his return the floodgates opened and people were allowed to come up and dance and the audience really came to life.  As the show grew near it's end after Do You Wanna Dance, Barbara Ann and Surfin USA the band left the stage.  People were on their feet and rockin out and calling for an encore and only Tim and John came back.  Keys, Theremin sound and Drums.  Enter the rest of the band.  I nearly lost it.  Wild Honey was a scorcher.  No YouTube video can really do it justice.  It rocked HARD.  Cowsill just shredding his vocal cords wailing and nailing it.  The guitar solo was also transcendent.  Even though it is by far the least known song near the end of the set and many didn't know the words it didn't clear the floor and those who didn't know it still danced their face off.  I can only guess it is placed where it is in the set as it is such a vocal shredder that putting it earlier would make it harder for John to sing parts afterwards.  Regardless it was a moment and a performance I won't soon forget.  Thanks Scott for getting it in there and John for knocking it out of the park.

I also really enjoyed Christian singing I Can Hear Music.  They have lowered the key significantly from when Carl and Cowsill sang it but it works as the vocal arrangement doesn't suffer and Christian's vocal tone is quite Carl-like here.  Mike looked as if he has lost a pound or two since the 3 reunion shows I saw in California last year round this time, and he was in great voice.  His bass part vocal work in particular floors me and the clear mix gave it a chance to shine.  He is a very good showman.  Bruce impresses me with his range as he still covers the super high falsetto bits on Fun, Fun, Fun and Surf City.  Plenty of great singers half his age can't nail those notes.  His lead on Do You Wanna Dance was great.  Nice Carl dedication for God Only Knows was classy too.  His lead on God Only knows seemed a bit reedy for me.  I'd like to hear Christian on that every once in a while as he can really channel Carl there as he did at the Reagan performance.  I do enjoy Bruce's vocals though and in a perfect world it would be great to hear him sing Disney Girls at every show.  Every time I have heard him sing it in the last few years it has been wonderful.  Randell sang great, he said he was fighting a bit of a sore throat, but it didn't show.  Tim got lots of applause as the token Canuck on stage and his keyboard work was nice.  John Cowsill is just a monster on the drums and elevates everything the band does.  Totten has really brought an integrity to the arrangements and both he and Cowsill's passion, technique and reverence for the original material make this show worth checking out every time the band is remotely near the area.  Thanks a bunch gents for being so generous with your time, it was great chatting with you.  I had chance to speak briefly with Mike (and Bruce), and thank him for a great show and told him that Wild Honey knocked me out and that I very nearly peed my pants it was so good.  He gave me a cheeky grin and recommended I wear depends undergarments next time.  Nice!  Thanks all of you for a great show and a super fun time.

Setlist:
Do It Again
Honda
Catch
It's OK
Surf City
Safari
Surfer Girl
Hear Music
Fools
Grow Up
Darlin
Don't Worry
Deuce Coupe
409
Shut Down
Get Around
Warmth
God
Vibes
Cal Dreamin
Sloop
Cal Girls
Nice
Kokomo
Rhonda
Rock Roll
Wanna Dance
Barbara Ann
Surfin USA
---------------
Wild Honey
Fun Fun Fun
 

I loved everything about the reunion tour (backing band, setlists, and of course seeing all the principals on stage together), but I still really enjoy hearing, and would go see ALL of the separate splintered acts as they all deliver for various different reasons.  I have a tough time understanding why any fans of The Beach Boys' music wouldn't go and check out these shows.  But different strokes I guess.  When played well as all of these acts do, the music is the star anyway.  I am going to catch a Brian, Al and David show later this summer as I am curious if it will be a standard Brian show with Al and David mostly on the sidelines or whether they are given more stage time.  Can't wait.  Catch 'em all while you can.  Won't last forever...  

Going to see the show tomorrow night in Edmonton.  I'm still hoping for Good Timin' and / or Wild Honey.  Doubt we'll get either (it being a casino show and all) but one can hope.  Looking forward to it regardless and plan on having a good time.  I'll post a report setlist by the end of the weekend.  Haven't seen a show since last year's trifecta of Berkeley, Hollywood Bowl and Irvine and I need to get me another fix o' good tunes...

I just saw the 10 Little Indians 45 pic sleeve at my local record store.  It was behind the counter on display, so they clearly know what they have is rare, but what is a fair price for it?  Looks in great shape.  Not sure about the records condition though.  I don't have many BB 45 and I am just curious...

Still some errors on the tour page with dates and venues though...

I have several copies of the updated com guide book.  I'm a weirdo who buys multiples of many BB/BW items.  Tis a sickness that I can't find a cure to says the wife.  Great book (although my tastes differ with some of AGD's reviews, it is a wonderful and handy resource).  They were all under $10.  Maybe I should throw 'em on ebay and try to get the SOTs I am missing with the cash...