Based on his condition from the last time he toured it would sadly appear that he's pretty much "checked out" from the active life he was living in music.  I wouldn't expect too much else from him at this point and in all honesty that's okay with me.  The guy has more than earned his retirement. 

(On the other hand pictures did surface of him and his band recording something in the studio sometime after his last tour...🤷🏼‍♂️)

It's a pretty decent Christmas album for the most part.  Although some of the songs here don't work particularly well with Brian's voice or the clunky faux-Pet Sounds production (I'm looking at you, "O Holy Night"), but what does work on here is pretty swell.  I like the new versions of "Little Saint Nick" (hard to mess that one up) and "The Man With All The Toys".  And the title track is quite pleasant.  Perhaps the best track on here though is one of the bonus tracks "On Christmas Day" which appears to be a re-rewrite of "Belles Of Paris".  Wish I could track down a vinyl copy of this one without having to pay a couple of hundreds for it. 

Glad this apparently indestructible forum has been revived again.  Wish there was a practical way to save all the old threads in case the board should (hopefully not) expire for good.

I tried to get channel 503 on Sirius XM which is the Beach Boy channel thru December 9.  They are charging an additional $6/ month to get this channel.  Then try to cancel……..  a shame for what they charge me

Haven't bothered listening to it and didn't realize you had to pay extra.  No thanks.  As much as I love this band I get quickly fatigued whenever I try listening to that station.  I don't know if it's the scattershot playlist that jumps all over the place or my attention span just isn't what it used to be but that station just works best for me in small doses.  I'm glad SiriusXM has it at all though.  I wondered what compelled them to bring it back?

Dae Lims.  Or Smile A.D.  He's been on a roll lately.

Yeah the "Beach Boys" song is pretty good and it's always nice when the band gets some love and street cred especially from a younger generation.  It's a bit unfortunate though that the song didn't become more of a hit.  Aside from the Teal Album with all the cover songs, has Weezer been commercially relevant at all with their more recent original material?  It seems like they're putting out new music all the time but very little of it gets any traction these days.

I don't really get the ethos of sharing this stuff exclusively via youtube, which puts a hard ceiling on the audio quality/bitrate and also basically guarantees that interested copyrightholders will see it and have absolutely no trouble getting it removed.  The point of flying under the radar is you get to keep flying that way.

Agreed.  I hope that Dae Lims shares his stuff on other formats where you can download his stuff at a higher quality than what YouTube offers.  He used to be active on SoundCloud years ago; perhaps he could put his stuff out on there...?

There's definitely some spine-tingling moments from this version.  I'm not sure that I like the overall sequencing of the songs though and was there any reason to omit "Good Vibrations" which was the song that tied the whole thing together?  Also some of the wacky tempo changes seem jarring to me.

But on the plus side it was nice hearing a fully-realized version of "I Wanna Be Around" and kudos to Dae Lims for being daring enough to update "Surf's Up".  This is probably one of the most remarkable fan edits of SMiLE that I've ever heard.

I regularly check and contribute to the EH board that remains pretty active.  A lot of former posters that either left this board or were kicked out have made their home over there.  So even if there are not a lot of new Beach Boys-related topics to currently engage in, there is still healthy discussion to be had. 

Dae Lims' SMiLE is live.  Grab it before it gets shut down (no pun intended). 

https://youtu.be/n7W_2JS12CY

[new]

but this stuff is too dangerous to me. Someone wanting to attack any of the band members could create deepfakes audio instantly, and that could spread fast. I think AI should be left to demixing, as HeyJude has said, and if Mark Linett, Alan Boyd, and Howie Edelsoj could get a hold of that (type of) technology (for a reasonable/fair price), that could be interesting for attempting new mixes of 62-63 and 65 material (LDC, Today, SDSN, etc) if they ever receive archive releases down the line.

The more AI deepfakes that are created, the more people will distrust new audio/video. So, in my opinion, it's a good thing that there are a plethora of people using AI to deepfake The Beatles or The Beach Boys - because if something nefarious (and fake) does surface, there is a vast swath of songs/audio evidence that will show how easy it is for people to deepfake, and thus people will be less likely to believe that the nefarious content is legitimate. Whereas if deepfakes were a rarity, deepfake nefarious audio/video would be more likely to be believed by the masses.

In the AI era, I hope that the widespread use of deepfakes will help people to not rush to judgement, not jumping on the bandwagon, that this era will help us realize the importance of first-hand evidence and common sense. For years the media has edited video and audio of events to set narratives, governments "deepfaked" evidence to push them into war(s); I hope that with a new wave of deepfakes and mis/disinformation that the general populous will grow more discerning of what they see in the media/social media world.

And as for the specific use of AI in The Beach Boys world, I think that it is overall harmless. For those that want to stick with the classics, these YouTube AI songs don't affect the beauty of the original tunes. For those who are intrigued by the creative possibilities of this new technology, we now have the ability to hear things that never were. And I completely get why some really don't like this stuff (both the moral arguments and that they don't think it sounds anything like the original Beach Boys), but thankfully there's nothing forcing them to listen to this music, either.

Yeah I have conflicted feelings about the usage of AI in entertainment.  On one hand it is artificial and not "pure" so to speak so there is an ethical question to be had.  Do we really want new Beach Boys material artificially sung by "the Beach Boys" long after they're all gone?  On the other hand it could be useful to clean up audio or isolate specific tracks (we could potentially finally get a fully-realized stereo mix of "Good Vibrations").  That's what they're doing to John Lennon’s vocals on that upcoming Beatles track they've been hyping. 

As for all the deepfakes popping up on YouTube, they at least serve as a fun curiosity more than anything else.  And when you have talented guys like Dae Lims who but AI to good use and do something constructive with it then I'm happy to listen to even if it's not authentic.

Trailer dropped today!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXxn0_rT8iM&lc=UgyRzZe-VV4VyG0ND1p4AaABAg

Looking forward to this.  Dae Lims is mad talented and putting the whole AI thing to good use.  His "Return To Pepperland" reworking is phenomenal.  I just hope he has a backup plan for when the Tube inevitably shuts this thing down.  Which they totally will.

...or more realistically he's just poking fun at the whole Bud Light debacle because that's what has been topical lately.  He's been making politically-tinged jokes (for better or for worse) for decades now.  I don't think he's Considering that this very thread started with someone whining about "right wing pieces of sh*t" (which is code for "how dare someone have a different opinion than me"), I'd say your point goes both ways.  Regardless as to whether or not I agree or disagree with Mike on any given topic, I found this joke to be kinda lame ultimately.  But a joke nonetheless.  Something not newsworthy or even worthy of the scrutiny of this message board.  Something that you either chuckle or groan at and then move on with your day unscathed.   

Actually it might not be clear, it was not calling anybody “right wing pieces of sh*t.” They were quoting a Tweet which I had also seen from a person I can not remember. So let’s get that out of the way.

Also I am confused as to why “right wing pieces of sh*t” hurts you so much, but Mike’s words are fine? You’re hurt that somebody (nobody on this board) attacked your political beliefs it seems like. But if Mike makes jokes about trans or nonbinary people, they should just “get over it” you say? Hmmm.

Thank you for the clarification - I clearly misread what the OP said and thought it was coming from him.  So apologies for that confusion to the OP.  That said - neither comment "hurts" me; both comments were ultimately benign and stupid.  I was just pointing out some selective outrage going on. 

And yes - you can make jokes about anything you want.  Nobody is above a little mockery.  Whether the jokes are in good taste or not is entirely subjective. 

No, not all comments and opinions politically or otherwise are created equal.  And it's usually a shitty thing to punch down on anyone simply over their differences.  But like it or not there are no sacred cows in existence in our culture that are impervious to criticism, disagreement, debate and even some ridicule.  Virtually everyone has been on the receiving end of a joke, be it fairly or unfairly.   That's neither a good nor bad thing; it's just the way it is.  You are allowed to question or challenge anything you want in life.  And when you have a subject as touchy, complex and as hypersensitive as the whole "gender identity" debate has become, you're gonna get a lot of hot takes, good or bad, from both sides of the discussion.  Which is why I take Mike's comments for exactly what they are: an ultimately trivial and pointless joke.  Nothing more, nothing less. 

I would respectfully disagree. Not all opinions are the same.

Not all political comments are the same.

Transgender people are real people. Punching down at them is a shitty thing to do.

Yeah, exactly. At the end of the day, as much as it sometimes seems more expedient, when discussing things on message boards, to be as dispassionate as possible when talking about something as inflammatory as Mike Love's politics and latest publicized nasty comment, and just try to look at the logistical drawbacks to making such comments (e.g. it's divisive and just unfunny regardless of one's views), this ultimate is Mike punching down at a specific group. It's Mike *actively seeking out* being shitty to a group that, as far as I'm aware, have not done any of the straw-man things he's suggesting. It's ugly. 

Again, if a group specifically said simply referring to the female gender in the now-60-year-old song "Surfer Girl" was not only wrong, but went so far as to call for Mike to stop playing the song, then I'd disagree with that. (Though I would still say making lame jokes about it at gigs would be truly dumb). But none of that has happened. There's nothing happening in the world right now that precludes him from the performing the song, and no evidence I can find that *anybody* has a problem with the song, or with songs in general referring to genders. Really, there are many, many, many songs with male and female name/characters/pronouns, etc. Like, almost all of them folks.

Right - because he was being facetious.  Even if what he said was stupid and crass, virtually nothing that he said seemed meant to be taken seriously or literally.  Because that is what a joke is (even bad, tactless ones).  If you found his comments to be glib and insensitive I wouldn't really disagree, but do you honestly believe he was actually being serious here...?

[get over it]

Much ado about nothing.  His joke, good or bad, was just a joke.  And no topic is above making light of no matter how "touchy" the subject is.  

Nobody has ever stopped Mike from doing whatever songs he wants to, or from saying anything he wants to on stage. I've rarely seen such a privileged person who gets everything he wants have such a strong desire to still be aggrieved about something.

I take it you've never been on Twitter before.  

Most aggrieved people on Twitter aren't multi-millionaires doing exactly what they want to do every day, exactly how they want to do it. There are some of those as well, sure. And yes, Twitter is awful as well for a myriad of reasons. If even there was ANY evidence that someone actually attacked Mike for performing "Surfer Girl", or tried to prevent him from doing the song, then his aggravation would be understandable. Even then, I don't know if telling a bad joke about it on stage *every night* for a period of time would be the best way to respond to it. But what's happening is Mike is "old man yelling at a cloud" rankled about another hot button issue, and is creating a straw man to argue against in order to do his HILARIOUS joke that is so funny that even people who agree with his politics are saying the joke sucks.

And you know what, I don't think what Mike's doing on stage is really a "joke." As in, he just thought of a funny joke and wants to tell it on stage. It's a topical comment on a clearly polarizing present-day issue. I think most or all of Mike's on-stage political "jokes" are born out of his personality and politics. This has only become more prevalent and transparently political (and conservative) in the post-2016 era as far as Mike's concerned. I think that was the point at which is was no longer a realistic possibility that Mike was even partly unaware of how polarizing his politics are. He no longer cares.

Yes, we should all be aware that, especially at 82, Mike Love is indeed gonna Mike Love. I'm not surprised by any of this. It's kind of fascinating to watch someone be unprofessional at 82 years of age after 62 years in the industry.

I guess he's gotta find an outlet for airing his politics on stage, as his previous go-to of doing political events with the "Beach Boys" name attached was shut down (no pun intended).

...or more realistically he's just poking fun at the whole Bud Light debacle because that's what has been topical lately.  He's been making politically-tinged jokes (for better or for worse) for decades now.  I don't think he's really "aggravated" about anything but was merely being facetious.  I think you and others are reading way too deeply into this.  Groan at his sense of humor all you want but he's allowed to make jokes, even politically sensitive jokes you might not agree with, all he wants.  

This is the same debate that’s been going on for decades among fans and scholars of the band. And it has multiple layers, because we’re not only parsing the motivation and beliefs of Mike Love himself, but we’re also getting into the credulousness of some fans. It’s not a coincidence that the more like-minded a given fan is with Mike as far as politics and general disposition, the more likely they conveniently seem to feel Mike’s just “tellin’ jokes” and anyone who thinks it makes Mike (and by affiliation the band) look like tools or creeps just “don’t have a sense of humor.”

Considering that this very thread started with someone whining about "right wing pieces of sh*t" (which is code for "how dare someone have a different opinion than me"), I'd say your point goes both ways.  Regardless as to whether or not I agree or disagree with Mike on any given topic, I found this joke to be kinda lame ultimately.  But a joke nonetheless.  Something not newsworthy or even worthy of the scrutiny of this message board.  Something that you either chuckle or groan at and then move on with your day unscathed.    

What’s interesting to me is that this apparent credulousness has been much less believable in light of Mike’s own stated politics of more recent years. Mike has not backed off or become more chilled out about politics. He has become more aggressive, more willing to let there be no confusion about his political beliefs and affiliations. As the country has become *more* polarized, Mike has seen fit to “pick a side” rather than try to unite. His dumb “Surfer Girl” joke isn’t about bringing anybody together.

In short, I don’t believe Mike is just writing jokes about current affairs, with no political motive or motivation. His jokes are always about the old rich white dude conservative position. Not surprising given he’s an old rich white conservative dude.

But don’t let anyone ever gaslight you by saying Mike’s just working on his late night stand-up routine. These are political screeds, masked as passive aggressive jokes. That should be very, very apparent, whether you agree or disagree with his sentiment. And yes, on top of all of that, they are groaners. They’re never funny. That is also increasingly apparent, again even among people who might tend to agree with his politics.

Not sure it would do any good to unpack the numerous overgeneralizations you are clearly making here about select groups of people so let's just stick with Mike:  I largely agree with you that Mike's jokes are usually lame and that regardless of his politics he says stupid things.  But Mike is not a prophet, a poet, nor a major figure in our culture.  He's a geriatric lead singer of a band that's been around for well over half a century.  As I've argued endlessly in this forum for years now, it doesn't matter what he says or thinks any more or less than anyone else.  Entertainers and public figures shoot their mouths off all the time and Mike is no different.  But this latest "controversy"...?  Hysterical nonsense.  Let it go, people.  If you didn't care with his rhetoric over these comments that's fine; but to try and treat such a throwaway comment as some deeper, malicious political scheme is complete ridiculous absurdity.  Mike's comments here are no different from the countless other entertainers that like to bombard us with their differing political opinions...either all of it is okay or none of it is okay.  

I've attended hundreds of concerts featuring performers making a variety of different political statements that I either agreed with or were completely at the expense of my own personal beliefs.  I either laugh it off or roll my eyes but either way I get over it.  No need to have conniption fits or make pretentious rants because somebody said something I didn't like or agree with.  If we could learn as a collective that very simple lesson we might actually get somewhere in understanding our differences constructively and bring the temperature down.  

Much ado about nothing.  His joke, good or bad, was just a joke.  And no topic is above making light of no matter how "touchy" the subject is.  

Nobody has ever stopped Mike from doing whatever songs he wants to, or from saying anything he wants to on stage. I've rarely seen such a privileged person who gets everything he wants have such a strong desire to still be aggrieved about something.

I take it you've never been on Twitter before. 

Most aggrieved people on Twitter aren't multi-millionaires doing exactly what they want to do every day, exactly how they want to do it. There are some of those as well, sure. And yes, Twitter is awful as well for a myriad of reasons. If even there was ANY evidence that someone actually attacked Mike for performing "Surfer Girl", or tried to prevent him from doing the song, then his aggravation would be understandable. Even then, I don't know if telling a bad joke about it on stage *every night* for a period of time would be the best way to respond to it. But what's happening is Mike is "old man yelling at a cloud" rankled about another hot button issue, and is creating a straw man to argue against in order to do his HILARIOUS joke that is so funny that even people who agree with his politics are saying the joke sucks.

And you know what, I don't think what Mike's doing on stage is really a "joke." As in, he just thought of a funny joke and wants to tell it on stage. It's a topical comment on a clearly polarizing present-day issue. I think most or all of Mike's on-stage political "jokes" are born out of his personality and politics. This has only become more prevalent and transparently political (and conservative) in the post-2016 era as far as Mike's concerned. I think that was the point at which is was no longer a realistic possibility that Mike was even partly unaware of how polarizing his politics are. He no longer cares.

Yes, we should all be aware that, especially at 82, Mike Love is indeed gonna Mike Love. I'm not surprised by any of this. It's kind of fascinating to watch someone be unprofessional at 82 years of age after 62 years in the industry.

I guess he's gotta find an outlet for airing his politics on stage, as his previous go-to of doing political events with the "Beach Boys" name attached was shut down (no pun intended).

...or more realistically he's just poking fun at the whole Bud Light debacle because that's what has been topical lately.  He's been making politically-tinged jokes (for better or for worse) for decades now.  I don't think he's really "aggravated" about anything but was merely being facetious.  I think you and others are reading way too deeply into this.  Groan at his sense of humor all you want but he's allowed to make jokes, even politically sensitive jokes you might not agree with, all he wants. 

Much ado about nothing.  His joke, good or bad, was just a joke.  And no topic is above making light of no matter how "touchy" the subject is.  

Nobody has ever stopped Mike from doing whatever songs he wants to, or from saying anything he wants to on stage. I've rarely seen such a privileged person who gets everything he wants have such a strong desire to still be aggrieved about something.

I take it you've never been on Twitter before. 

Nice picture of Brian.  He looks a lot better here than he has in recent memory.  I hope the guy is in a good place nowadays.

Anyone have a track listing for this album.. ?

That guy is mad talented.  Pretty sure he used to go by the name "Smile A.D." which is "Dae Lims" spelled backwards.   

Except for the fact that “Rooftop Harry” on the SOS box comes directly from Brian and is nothing less than an early version of “From There to Back Again.”

I'm currently listening to "Rooftop Harry" and am not really making the connection to "FTTBA"...unless maybe you're referring to the back half of the latter song.

Regarding Brian's involvement in writing his own material from his albums especially in the last 30 years, obviously he's involved.  I'm sure he's not just some bump on a log sitting there phoning it in.  However I wouldn't rule out the possibility that at least some of his co-writers may just take his old song ideas and freshen them up for his solo albums.  That's definitely been the case for songs like "She Says That She Needs Me" (formally "Sherry, She Needs Me") among others.  A lot of his more recent material originally stem from old unfinished songs he wrote dating all the way back to 50 or more years ago.  That's not meant to be a bad thing though and is probably a lot more commonplace with established artists than we suspect. 

Other than Landy and Morgan, who else worked with Brian on Sweet Insanity?  Was there a Paley-like musical guru who helped Brian put together the ill-fated album?  Or did Brian simply work with musicians to complete the songs? 

"Weird Al" Yankovic provided accordion for at least one song.  And allegedly Paula Abdul and (I think) Belinda Carlisle provide some backing vocals on "The Spirit Of Rock & Roll" although please don't quote me on that.  Bob Dylan is definitely present on that song.  The Wikipedia entry for this album claims Tom Petty was also involved somehow but I'd take that with a grain of salt. 

Supposedly Amazon Music has the mix but it's not properly marked as such in the application.  Quite confusing.

Amazon is horrible at this. I've been trying to avoid going back to Spotify but I don't know.

Agreed.  I think they routinely utilize incorrect mixes for various albums and it's really hard to tell if you're listening to the correct version of the song or not.

Supposedly Amazon Music has the mix but it's not properly marked as such in the application.  Quite confusing.

Forgive me for going the clichéd route here but probably the Pet Sounds/SMiLE albums demonstrated the band's vocal harmony prowess the most ambitiously.  Their harmonies always sounded good but things would never be quite the same after Brian's collapse as the bandleader.  That's not to say there weren't any good moments to be had following those albums though.  Right up to Surf's Up there were plenty of great group vocal moments.  It seemed around the So Tough album that harmonies seemed to take more of a backseat as the individual band members came more into their own.