But coming off the heels of The Smile Sessions, they should be playing more Smile tracks.

I wonder if this will reunite them with Joan Rivers and she can ask Brian about groupies again.

I just came here to post the same thing.  Great episode!

Really pretty version.   http://youtu.be/P-rlSJ_39g0

My fantasy setlist.

Our Prayer/Gee
Heroes and Villains
I Get Around
Help Me Rhonda
Little Honda
This Whole World
Add Some Music to Your Day
In My Room
Kiss Me Baby
Please Let Me Wonder
Don't Worry Baby
California Girls
Darlin'
When I Grow Up (To Be a Man)
Surfer Girl
Wild Honey
Do You Wanna Dance?
Sloop John B
Wouldn't It Be Nice
God Only Knows
The Night Was So Young
All Summer Long
You're So Good to Me
Marcella
Sail On Sailor
'Til I Die
Wonderful
Surf's Up
Time to Get Alone
All I Wanna Do
Let Him Run Wild
The Little Girl I Once Knew
Caroline, No
Forever
Good Timin'
Cool, Cool Water
Break Away
Wendy
Graduation Day
Cotton Fields
Good Vibrations
Do It Again

Encore 1:
Dance, Dance, Dance
Surfin' USA
Fun, Fun, Fun
Barbara Ann

Encore 2 (Brian solo):
Love and Mercy

Apart from Don't Fight the Sea, there wasn't much I found that great on this album.  The Beach Boys remakes don't surpass the originals though to be honest, I've always found the California Saga to be sort of boring.  I found the guest artists to be more of a gimmick than anything.  I like Alec Baldwin as much as the next guy but having him on this album was just baffling.  Throughout his spoken word, I couldn't help but laugh and think of Jack Donaghy.  But even greats like Crosby, Stills, and Young (couldn't get Graham Nash?) didn't really add much.  Steve Miller on Help Me Rhonda was fun to listen to but forgettable and obviously does not surpass the original.  As for the "originals," there was nothing I really thought stood out, they all kind of sounded like Jimmy Buffett and Al's vocals were uninspired.  And I think Brian did a much better job on California Feelin' when he did it on the Beach Boys Classics album.  

Overall, it was a pleasant listen but ultimately forgettable with the exception of Don't Fight the Sea which I think is excellent.  To me, re-recording songs already recorded by the Beach Boys was sort of lazy and a showed a lack of material on Al's part, playing out more like a Beach Boys tribute album rather than a full-fledged solo album.  I give it a 2.

Thanks for the feedback, guys.  And God Only Knows is a 2009 studio recording from the What Love Can Do digital single.

I thought to use a recent version of one of his most famous songs was an appropriate ending.  I only wanted to use songs Brian sang lead on so I didn't include the original.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYVLnquqCxw

There are probably some historical inaccuracies and you might say that I left some important information out but basically the whole point of the video was just to give a brief overview of who Brian is and what makes him great.  Keep in mind that I'm presenting this to students who probably have no idea who he is.  I had to pick one song to present in its entirety so I chose "Surf's Up."  I hope you all enjoy.

I guess if W-P exposes more people to the music, it's all good.

You do realize that Wilson-Phillips has not been relevant for almost 20 years, right? 

1. Pet Sounds
2. Today!
3. Smile
4. Love You
5. That Lucky Old Sun
6. Summer Days (and Summer Nights!!)
7. All Summer Long
8. I Just Wasn't Made for These Times (even though Don Was handled the production duties, Brian's performances are as pure as pure can be).
9. Surfer Girl
10. Live at the Roxy Theatre

When Brian starts to sing "She'll return in love with her liberty..." there's a voice singing some dadada's that I thought sounded a little bit like Van Dyke Parks.

I would like to see him re-record some of the songs because production is so dated.  The 2008 version of Love and Mercy is probably my favorite, much better than the original.

Murry and Landy both had redeeming qualities but all villains do and they both loved the men they destroyed but they did destroy them.  And by the end, I do believe Landy was trying to slowly kill Brian.  He wanted to give him a comeback so that when he died, he'd be a martyr which would start up a ton of record sales (like Lennon with Double Fantasy), money that would have certainly gone Landy's way plus all of the will money.

I believe that Jack Rieley was one of the most creative minds in the Beach Boys story outside of the band.  He was very smart and he brought out the best in Carl Wilson and brought out the best in the band as a whole.  I mean think about it.  Once he left, we got 15 Big Ones.

I have heard them do Rock & Roll Woman.  There's a clip of it in the American Band documentary, pretty cool.

Van Dyke has lady parts.  He holds a grudge like a woman scorned.

That's an incredibly sexist thing to say. 

I think it's pretty reasonable to me.  And I don't think he was being that mean either.  I have read interviews where Mike accuses Van Dyke of pushing Brian towards drugs and acid and that's just not fair.  There are many things that led to Brian's downfall but Van Dyke Parks has always been a positive presence in Brian's life.  If they did drugs together, it's because that was the thing to do at the time.  It's not Van Dyke's fault that Brian became addicted.

Also, while the reunion is exciting, it's most definitely all about money and I don't believe one bit that there's not still a pinch of animosity between Brian, Al, and Mike.  It's all a show.  It might be a good show, but when it all comes down to it, it's probably not as thrilling to them as it is to the audience.  But I digress, I'm excited for the reunion and I'm excited to hear new material, no matter what the motivations might be.

The film is definitely dated (Brian was still with Landy so it completely glosses over that Brian was in horrible shape, making it look like he was back for good in the 15 Big Ones era) and it doesn't have the comprehensive storytelling that Endless Harmony has but it has some great interview footage of Brian in bed and a lot of performance clips I've never seen.  Check it out if you've never seen it.
http://legacy.snagfilms.com/films/watch/beach_boys_an_american_band/?utm_source=tumblr.com&utm_medium=referral

Stan Love - Killed in Vietnam by his own troops

Steven Love - Sensitivity trainer, Encounter Groups of Cleveland Inc.

Rocky Pamplin - Whereabouts unknown

Marilyn Wilson - Tour Guide, Universal Studios, Hollywood

It does show that they now realize the significance of such a festival and how it can expose them to a contemporary audience, something they missed with Monterey.

It's great to see them altogether but this and even the original don't hold a candle to the Brian/Wilson sisters version from 1995.  There's just so much raw energy in it that you don't get from the Beach Boys versions.
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0DWT-VO5pQ&ob=av2e

When Mike sings "Been so long," he should be belting it out!  I don't know, there's just something kinda dull about this version.

Smart Girls

Now some guys like the flashy types
And some guys dig the ugly types
I'm no different from the rest
I love hips and legs and breasts
But strictly on a higher plane
What really turns me on's her brain

Smart girls, talkin' 'bout smart girls
Sexy legs with high IQs
Smart girls, I love the smart girls
You brainy babes with your attitudes

I think somebody put the wrong video cover on the IMDb page.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100715/

I've never seen it and although it sounds like it's terrible, Bruce Greenwood who plays Dennis is a great character actor, one of those guys who's never really made a name for himself but certainly has no problem finding work.  I'd be interested in seeing it, if only for his performance.

He actually just did an interview for the AV Club today.  He mentioned "Summer Dreams" being a lucky break for him but he didn't give much insight on playing Dennis Wilson.
http://www.avclub.com/articles/bruce-greenwood,69225/

Hmm, I guess that means the footage was shot silent.  But if somebody made a movie using any available footage from that tour dubbing it to available audio, I'd totally buy it.  Not that such a thing would happen but still!

In the film, there's some amazing footage of the Holland-era band playing Sail On Sailor.  Does anybody know where this is from and if there's more available video from this concert or the period?

Wasn't Joe Thomas given a restraining order from Brian?