This is just gut-wrenching news.  I was shocked when I saw it on Brian's Facebook.  As others have said, I honestly never considered the possibility that Brian would outlive Melinda.

My heart goes out to Brian and his family.  The poor guy has been through hell and back so many times, and survived the loss of so many loved ones in his life.  The thought of him having to suffer through this, even with all the love and support he has, is so terribly sad.

I have thoroughly enjoyed all of these, especially the most recent two from Dae Lims.  Even aside from the cool AI component, they are excellent and well-done recordings.

Gave it a whirl! Not expecting much, but, I wanted to send Brian some love anyway!

https://soundcloud.com/smilead/on-christmas-day

I absolutely loved this - you retained the best elements of the original while making it your own, and adding some great Brian/BB "easter eggs" that I'm sure Brian will appreciate!

Iconic has done a great job so far. Really, there's no reason there can't be a *permanent* Beach Boys channel. When you consider their vast catalog *as a band* -- studio albums, concert albums, a ton of archival releases -- plus their solo material, outside projects, covers and influences (both inspired by and inspiring TO The Beach Boys), and the possibilities of talk shows...it could easily be done.

Agreed - several other bands/artists have permanent channels (i.e. The Beatles, Elvis, Tom Petty, U2, Jimmy Buffett, etc.).  As you say there is certainly enough content out there to make it worthwhile. 

Specifically on Goin' On, that vocal hook sounds so similar to the vocal snippet that plays before the string outro on the Smile Sessions version of Heroes and Villains. Is there any proven influence, or is it just a coincidence as far as we can tell?

Actually the influence is originally from Les Paul and Mary Ford's hit "How High The Moon". 10 years ago this week I made and posted this video about that vocal segment that Brian used and reused multiple times, take a listen to the audio examples and see what you think:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmdQ0jc6rQg

Wow, I've always loved "How High The Moon" but never made that connection to that vocal section Brian loved so much.  Very cool.

Listened to a couple of them. Really, really nice!

Thanks Rocker, I appreciate it!

Both tracks sounded great Rocker - nice clean sound, especially on the guitar.  What do you use for recording (DAW-wise)?

Great topic - there are some cool sounds in EW's Fab Four library, and a Beach Boys equivalent would be fantastic.  I think the combo sounds that Joshilyn suggested in particular would be neat to be able to play around with.  There are different sounds scattered within the EW libraries that can give you a decent approximation at times, but it would be wonderful to have them all right at your fingertips, particularly in conjunction with the different echo/reverb options in Spaces II.

Hey Everyone!  Long-time member here - haven't really posted in awhile but still check the board almost daily.

Anyway, as I recall I shared some of my older Beach Boys covers on here eons ago, but wanted to share some newer ones on a new YouTube channel I've made.  I'm always working on a handful of them it seems, so there are more to come - there are also a handful of originals and other covers on there.

Link is below, as well as a link to my SoundCloud which has more songs that I haven't made videos for yet.

Enjoy, and thank you for listening!

https://www.youtube.com/user/petsnds111/videos

https://www.soundcloud.com/user-677209605

Much like the end of C50, even though we knew from the start that it was intended to be a limited run, it is sad to see this channel gone so quickly.  Hopefully they found that enough people listened for them to at least consider bringing it back in the future, even if only during the summer (although I think there is more than enough material to fill the channel year-round and still keep it fresh).

As a longtime fan, first concert 1969, I really could care less. It's over. With the exception of Al this is a vocal group that can't sing anymore. It does make me laugh however when I she how giddy everyone gets at the prospect of a useless Q&A.

If anything further were to come out of this, I would imagine it would just be a tour or a few shows. I can't picture these guys agreeing to do one more album. The RPO thing is selling, probably better than a set of all new songs would.
Whatever. It's just nice that they are speaking to each other again.

Agreed - I don't really see the benefit of another album at this point.  TWGMTR was the perfect last Beach Boys album, in my opinion (with the perfect last song).  Plus, I would be shocked if Mike would agree to another album with Brian in full control again.

It's such a powerful and well-written song that I don't think it's possible to do a "bad" version, but the 1971 version has always been my least favorite.  As much as I love Carl's voice, and can't imagine several tracks working without it (God Only Knows, Good Vibrations, etc.), I don't think anyone but Brian can truly do this song justice.  For me, the version from the Smile Sessions is definitive.

Also heard Cuddle up, followed by Carl's The Grammy. And A Day in The Life of a Tree earlier and Brian's There's So Many.  Great track list today.

Agreed, I was listening during this sequence as well - first time I've heard any of those tracks played.  Also heard "Surf's Up" from BWPS today, followed (jarringly) by Kokomo.

And now "Be Here In The Morning" - excellent.

The songs are definitely a hair faster (which is a bit disconcerting at times), but I agree with what others have said - great mix of songs, a pleasant surprise for sure.  Who would have thought we would ever hear a double-play from Love You, as I just heard, on the radio (satellite or otherwise)?

Very sad to hear of this - first place I saw the news was on Brian's Facebook this morning.  From everything I have read by/about the man he was a true friend and supporter of Brian in every sense of the word, and he played a big part in keeping the Smile legend going all those subsequent years and decades.  My condolences to his family and friends.

I think with a lot of rehearsal and choosing the right material, they probably could (in theory anyway) - would have been cool to see them do a little mini-set like that during the anniversary tour.

I've always wondered how Carl knew the Cabinessence's melody and lyrics, as it doesn't seem to ever be even rehearsed before. We all imagine the SMiLE unrecorded lead melodies only existing in Brian's head at the time. If he sang it to Carl it wouldn't be so easy to remember 2 years later

Maybe Carl just asked Brian before he sang it?

Given what we know about Brian's reluctance to have anything to do with the Smile music that the Boys worked on after the fact (I believe Desper said he often left the house when production started), I'm not sure I buy that - perhaps Brian had written out a lead sheet in 1966 (which I think was necessary to register to copyright) and Carl worked off of that?

There is precedent for it though - the chorus of "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times" ("where I'm at" and "very sad"). 

Yes thank you, that was a great read.  Seems like she was a cool lady back in her day.

Very sad to hear of Michael's passing...RIP.

apparently Brian included titles like Diamond Head and Time To Get Alone when the initial SMiLE setlist was being drawn up in '03

Nope... but the person who drew up the list did. 

… and didn't BW strike them off?

hmm... interesting.
either way, the fact that Brian recorded an altered version of Surf's Up during the Wild Honey sessions proves that he was still working on the material well after May

Brian recording "Surf's Up" during the Wild Honey sessions doesn't prove anything, other than that he wanted to record the song.  Not everything he recorded necessarily had a purpose beyond just messing around or seeing how something would sound for his own personal satisfaction.

I much prefer Brian's vocal on the WIBN bridge over Mike's, always have - I heard it for years with Mike, but once I heard Brian do it, it just sounded "right" to my ears.  Brian's voice brings a sensitivity that Mike's just doesn't have.

Something related.. They finally got the stereo "H&V" right on the stereo remaster. The baldwin organ is there and it doesn't sound like bunches of reverb were added to it for no reason. Only thing is, it seems no one can get the original edits right. Mike is cut off on the original 45 version "by the heroes a..." he barely says "and" before being cut off on the original, but the remixes always edit him in properly. I know it's a proper edit and sounds technically better, but I love the charm of the original where Mike is cut off abruptly. Doesn't matter at all, I love the remix but something that I've noticed.

Also "With Me Tonight" sounds awful. That's the only stereo remix that sounds bad. Gettin Hungry isn't edited quite right like the original either. Anyone know why "With Me Tonight" sounds so bad on that 2012 remaster? Brian sounds like he has marbles in his mouth on the stereo remix. Could it be some vocal effect they added? It's terrible and I'm not sure what happened there. It doesn't even sound like the same takes were used..

I've thought the same thing about "With Me Tonight" in stereo - doesn't sound like the same takes to me either. 

Wow, you've captured everything that I've always felt about how brilliant this song is so perfectly in your posts - I'm especially glad you mentioned how hard Brian attacked the lead vocal, and how great a choice that was for this particular song.  We know Brian could have sung it softer and emphasized the sweet side of the lyric, but the way he belts it allows us to feel the frustration the narrator feels because he can't yet do all the things with his girlfriend that he wants to do.  The way he sings the verses makes me appreciate the Brian-bridge lead even more, as he suddenly shifts into his soft "Please Let Me Wonder" style voice to accompany the complete shift in feel (and key).  The intro and bridge are the softer, more "dream-like" sections, creating a great contrast with the emphatic verse sections, and Brian's voice was so versatile that he could convey both feelings perfectly.